September’s quiet revolution: a month of standout albums
Taylor Swift may be commanding the headlines, but September 2025 has delivered a chorus of essential new records across pop, indie, and experimental sounds. From lush pop sophistication to industrial grandeur and intimate folk, this month’s releases invite deep listens and stubborn earworms alike. Here’s a guide to the records shaping September’s best new albums and why they deserve a spot in your rotation.
Olivia Dean — The Art of Loving
The UK artist’s second album lands with the assured poise of someone who’s found her lane. The Art of Loving blends hooky pop with something warmer and more thoughtful than formula—airy vocals wrapped in vintage-inspired arrangements, yet sharpened by modern, relatable lyricism. Tracks like Nice To Each Other and Man I Need feel instantly catchy, while still carrying weight in their messages about tenderness, honesty, and self-worth. Close Up flirts with nostalgia via vintage brass, then Let Alone The One You Love leans into a soulful ballad approach that lands softly but firmly. The upbeat charm of So Easy (To Fall In Love) glides over Burt Bacharach-like brass, turning a dancefloor-ready groove into a song about balance between a Saturday night and the rest of your life. The album never outstays its welcome, and Dean’s performance lands with genuine emotional stakes. For fans of RAYE, Norah Jones, and Jorja Smith, The Art of Loving is a record that grows with every listen.
Nine Inch Nails — TRON: Ares
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross return with a nine-track project that doubles as a film score for Disney’s Tron: Ares, yet it’s very much Nine Inch Nails in spirit. The core of the album centers on four substantial songs fronting the release—Alive As You Need To Be and Shadow Over Me among them—where digital dystopia meets tactile analogue warmth. Vocoders and synth textures nod to the sci‑fi legacy of Daft Punk’s Tron: Legacy, while the more intimate pieces, like I Know You Can Feel It and Who Wants To Live Forever?, pair shimmering keys with Vulnerable, searching vocal lines. Instrumental tracks keep the momentum moving, weaving frosty piano and atmospheric drones into a cohesive neon-lit arc. It’s not groundbreaking in a pop sense, but it’s a dependable reminder that Reznor and Ross still know how to build a soundtrack of menace and beauty around a central mood.
Big Thief — Double Infinity
Big Thief plunge into a freer, warmer space on their sixth album, a departure shaped by recording with a loose community of collaborators after the loss of bassist Max Oleartchik. Adrianne Lenker remains the emotional core, but the set leans toward light and resilience rather than devastation. The result is music that feels communal and open, with Lenker’s reflective lyrics examining love, life, and the strange beauty of existence in lilting precision. The record breathes through moments of gentle joy, like the shared harmonies that ripple through songs, and it’s hard not to feel a sense of renewal as the band expands its sonic palette without losing that intimate core. For fans of the band’s best work and listeners craving songs that reward quiet, attentive listening, Double Infinity lands as a highlight of the year.
Parcels — LOVED
Parcels return to a essentials-forward groove on LOVED, revisiting the chic disco-pop and pristine jazz‑funk that first drew attention long before Daft Punk took notice of their talent. The Australian quintet keeps their signature glossy sheen while dialing back excess to spotlight catchy, confident vocal harmonies and tight grooves. It’s lighter on risk than their sprawling Day/Night double, but the back-to-basics approach yields some of the most instantly enjoyable tracks of the month. Tobeloved, Yougotmefeeling, and Leaveyourlove embody a modern classicist vibe: danceable, warm, and emotionally straightforward in the best possible way.
Geese — Getting Killed
Geese’s fourth album is a fearless reshaping of rock itself. It opens with a startling cry—”THERE’S A BOMB IN MY CAR!”—and never looks back, mixing jagged guitars with theatrical arrangements and a sense of deconstruction that’s become their signature. Recorded quickly with producer Kenneth Blume, Getting Killed channels a range of influences—from Television to the Velvet Underground—into something vividly contemporary. The songs swing from pulsing, groove-heavy pieces to more tender, hypnotic moments, anchored by Cameron Winter’s mercurial vocal presence. It’s a record that feels dangerous, adventurous, and deeply personal, proof that curious, uncompromising rock still has top-tier energy in 2025.
Other notable highlights this month
The list isn’t limited to the five titles above. Melbourne’s Acopia, Sydney’s Ayesha Madon, and a capsule of indie-leaning acts—alongside Parcels, Mel Blue, Cut Copy, and more—offer fresh takes on dream-pop, dance-infused electronics, and looser indie rock. This September is a reminder that the year’s best new albums aren’t all front-page headlines; they’re records you hear once and keep returning to, again and again, discovering new textures and meanings with every spin.
Why this matters for your rotation
These albums collectively reflect a year that’s generous across genres: pop that feels timeless, rock that refuses to stay still, and electronic-leaning records that bend but don’t break. If you’re building a September soundtrack, this slate provides both anchor tracks and hidden gems—records that reward close listening, casual basking, and everything in between.
