{"id":95270,"date":"2025-12-20T12:28:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T12:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/95270\/"},"modified":"2025-12-20T12:28:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-20T12:28:18","slug":"the-top-10-austin-albums-of-2025-the-austin-chronicle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/95270\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 10 Austin Albums of 2025 \u2022 The Austin Chronicle"},"content":{"rendered":"

I fell back in love with Austin music in 2025. Our city has been rife with talented performers since long before I came around, but it\u2019s easy to get overwhelmed by the embarrassment of riches \u2013 and by everything else going on these days. These records \u2013 anticipated follow-ups, big-time debuts, new outfit premieres \u2013 woke me up. Leading up to No. 1, here are the 10 projects most spun by myself and Chronicle music and culture reporter Caroline Drew \u2013 including a couple we both loved so much we couldn\u2019t decide who got to write about them. \u2013 Music and Culture Editor Carys Anderson\u00a0<\/p>\n

10) Magic Rockers of Texas, Gorging on American Fare<\/p>\n

On their sophomore release, Magic Rockers of Texas are settling into their sound \u2013 without losing any garage sensibilities. The Nineties-impacted outfit is still rasping, drawling with self-deprecating humor, but they\u2019re not so afraid to turn down the distortion a little and say it to your face. On power-pop anthem \u201cHouston,\u201d leader Jim Campo buzzes through smirking verses about band-on-band fighting and the turbulence of trying to make it, while friendzone ballad \u201cTarmac Honey\u201d strips down his cantankerous defenses, laying bare something like sweetness. Quick-moving tempo changes and choral experimentation keep every moment of this album interesting. \u2013 Caroline Drew<\/p>\n

9) Will Johnson, Diamond City\u00a0<\/p>\n

From the first tambourine hit to the final notes of pedal steel, this earnest collection<\/a> of wind-worn moments soothes the rock-affected ear with ominous imagery and haunting hooks. Johnson\u2019s storytelling meanders down a long highway, traveling through ragged-yet-yielding, barren-yet-beautiful landscapes held together by rural legends. Surrounding his words on all sides are straightforward, hardworking melodies and a hearth-warmed, dust-tinted ambience as far as the eye can see. \u2013\u00a0C.D.<\/p>\n

8) \u00c9gaux Sells, I HATE FIGHTING!! EP<\/p>\n

The movie\u2019s almost over. The coming-of-age scenes that came before are reflecting off the disco ball, swirling around this underground bar with tear-swelling dizziness. That\u2019s where I HATE FIGHTING!!, a buzzy neon portal of an EP, transports you. Over New Wave tremors and pulsing dance beats, sultry whispers swirl around delicate arpeggios and entrancing synth hums, lulling you \u201cto live, to love, to die with ease.\u201d Before you even know it, you\u2019re in an Eighties-meets-indie-sleaze heaven, trapped in a mystical dance floor somewhere between Twin Peaks\u2019 Roadhouse and Buffy\u2019s Bronze with no desire to come back to the life you knew before. \u2013\u00a0C.D.<\/p>\n

7) Gummy Fang, S\/T<\/p>\n

Endearingly sweet and deliciously lo-fi, Gummy Fang\u2019s self-titled debut plays like a lost K Records release. From the jump, opener \u201cHands\u201d conjures a warm twee paradise, where Willow Braun\u2019s airy vocals dance with mononymic bassist Fructose\u2019s not-so-low end and Nicky Christmas\u2019 drums thrum on a pillowy, faraway landing. \u201cHarbinger\u201d and \u201cLovesick Thing\u201d tumble at a sprightly clip, but Braun\u2019s naked cry in confessional centerpiece \u201cA Woman, a Clown\u201d will break your heart. Simple yet undoubtedly intentionally crafted, you\u2019ll want to whistle these tunes like the three-eyed creature doodled on Gummy Fang\u2019s album cover. \u2013 Carys Anderson<\/p>\n

6) JaRon Marshall, The Return of Slick\u00a0<\/p>\n

JaRon Marshall\u2019s second full-length album<\/a> is dedicated to his late father, Joseph \u201cSlick\u201d Ricky Marshall Sr. He writes: \u201c[A]lthough I had the stereotypical voicemails and narration ready to go, I realized the best thing I could do is make something I can see him jamming in his car with the windows up.\u201d The Black Pumas keyboardist achieves this feat \u2013 crafting an engrossing psych-soul-hip-hop universe \u2013 in a brisk 26 minutes. Guest vocals from Ric Wilson, Jermaine Holmes, James Robinson, and Claudia Isaki add depth to \u201cThe Realest,\u201d \u201cDeep Shadows,\u201d and other highlights, but Marshall\u2019s keys remain the star, bending smoky, pensive, and cinematic at the bandleader\u2019s will. \u2013 C.A.\u00a0<\/p>\n

5) Little Mazarn, Mustang Island<\/p>\n

Ethereal vocals and minimalistic arrangements reign in the freak folk fairytale land of Mustang Island<\/a>. The invocation of such an otherworldly, Texas-infused isle in the album\u2019s title track anchors the mirage of Little Mazarn\u2019s music conceptually and thematically, whether intentional or not. Softly layered experiments are augmented by nature-mimicking whines and whistles that blend Jeff Johnston\u2019s material exploration and Lindsey Verrill\u2019s patient vocal expression in the style now-emblematic of this delicately composed project. On the group\u2019s third full-length release, however, occasionally climactic drum beats and rock-reminiscent riffs draw on a dramatic relish to show that these shimmery compositions are strong enough to bear the weight of louder emotions. \u2013 C.D.<\/p>\n

4) Big Bill, Sick Myth\u00a0<\/p>\n

After 13-odd years, you can rely on Big Bill. You can count on Eric Braden to speak-sing cartoonish-yet-beleaguered lyrics, on Jeffrey Olson and Alan Lauer to snap spry rhythms, on Alex Riegelman to scratch barbed wire guitar. Yet the quartet\u2019s consistent, quickly growing discography continues to skirt the worst tropes of its genre. Sick Myth<\/a> rejects the apathetic slackerdom of other bare-bones art-rock, espousing biting, direct political protest without preaching or throwing up its proverbial hands. \u201cI don\u2019t really think they care at all,\u201d Braden sighs in the title track. Against all odds, Big Bill still does. \u2013 C.A.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3) Nuclear Daisies, First Taste of Heaven<\/p>\n

Rob Glynn, Alex Gehring, and Robby Williams are the preternaturally gifted action movie trio you can believe in. They dance from the depths of a Middle-earth dungeon \u2013 in the space between real and artificial, frantic and tranquil(ized), life and death. It\u2019s a realm where a blistering chorus of Prodigy breakbeats, synthesizer squall, and angel-devil harmonizations can pull the world from its smoldering demise. \u201cHoney in the Wound\u201d<\/a> freaks; \u201cInfinite Joy\u201d cries; \u201c333\u201d accepts. If heaven sounds like this, the angels must have seen some shit. \u2013 C.A.\/C.D.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2) Virginia Creeper, GOBLN7 EP<\/p>\n

Genevieve Poist loves sports, amusement parks, and the pronoun \u201cyou.\u201d Her ragingly specific serenades immortalize sun-baked moments of misplaced catharsis, like when \u201cyou got soaked and the Celtics won\u201d or \u201cdropped your retainer on the gas station floor.\u201d Storming beneath Poist\u2019s morose vocals, distortion-adoring guitarist Aaron Arguello and prowling bassist Michelle Ayoubi meet Kyle Dugger\u2019s thundering drums in a torrential wave of sludge-ridden eulogy. GOBLN7<\/a> is only a four-track EP, and we know each second of its walloping riffs and uniquely Southern imagery well. \u2013 C.A.\/C.D.<\/p>\n

1) Die Spitz, Something to Consume<\/p>\n

No sellouts here. Die Spitz growls louder, riffs heavier, and wades further into sonic experimentation on the Will Yip-produced, Jack White-released Something to Consume<\/a>. Sharing songwriting duties as well as instruments, Eleanor Livingston, Ava Schrobilgen, and Chloe De St. Aubin hone their rock & roll roles \u2013 Livingston the audacious metalhead (\u201cThrow Yourself to the Sword\u201d), Schrobilgen the tortured punk (\u201cPop Punk Anthem\u201d), De St. Aubin the alt-rock femme fatale (\u201cPunishers\u201d) \u2013 while wild-eyed Kate Halter holds it down on bass and violin. The precocious young Austinites have Coachella and a date with Foo Fighters on the books for 2026; as Livingston taunts on \u201cThrow Yourself,\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s it like knowing none of you bitches can compete?\u201d \u2013 C.A.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Caroline\u2019s Favorite Non-Local Albums<\/p>\n

1) Greg Freeman, Burnover\u00a0<\/p>\n

2) Wednesday, Bleeds\u00a0<\/p>\n

3) Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band, New Threats From the Soul\u00a0<\/p>\n

4) Friendship, Caveman Wakes Up\u00a0<\/p>\n

5) Benjamin Booker, LOWER\u00a0<\/p>\n

6) Snocaps, Snocaps\u00a0<\/p>\n

7) Florry, Sounds Like\u2026<\/p>\n

8) Fust, Big Ugly\u00a0<\/p>\n

9) The Macks, Bonanza\u00a0<\/p>\n

10) Geese, Getting Killed\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Carys\u2019 Favorite Non-Local Albums<\/p>\n

1) Hayley Williams, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party\u00a0<\/p>\n

2) Addison Rae, Addison\u00a0<\/p>\n

3) Wednesday, Bleeds<\/p>\n

4) They Are Gutting a Body of Water, LOTTO<\/p>\n

5) Water From Your Eyes, It\u2019s a Beautiful Place\u00a0<\/p>\n

6) Wet Leg, Moisturizer\u00a0<\/p>\n

7) Momma, Welcome to My Blue Sky\u00a0<\/p>\n

8) Garbage, Let All That We Imagine Be the Light\u00a0<\/p>\n

9) The Lemonheads, Love Chant\u00a0<\/p>\n

10) Shallowater, God\u2019s Gonna Give You a Million Dollars\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Better\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tThe biggest stories in Central Texas of 2025 mostly brought bad news\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Top\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tKey insights from local creatives\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tThese are the plates I kept coming back to\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tLooking back at a year of bold, empathetic, boundary-pushing creations\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tThe year\u2019s best feature films, plus critics lists\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Day\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tFlooding and new parks in 2025 top the Day Tripping list\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tA look back at the good and the bad of the Verde & Black\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Top\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tNonprofits, clothing drives, and more that could use your support this holiday season\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

This article appears in December 19 \u2022 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A note to readers:\u00a0Bold and uncensored,\u00a0The Austin Chronicle\u00a0has been Austin\u2019s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community\u2019s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I fell back in love with Austin music in 2025. Our city has been rife with talented performers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95271,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133,31056,44370,44371,44372,44373,44374,44375,44376,43461,44377,41570],"class_list":["post-95270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-austin","tag-austin","tag-austin-headlines","tag-austin-news","tag-big-bill","tag-die-spitz","tag-egaux-sells","tag-gummy-fang","tag-jaron-marshall","tag-little-mazarn","tag-magic-rockers-of-texas","tag-nuclear-daisies","tag-top-10s","tag-virginia-creeper","tag-will-johnson"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}