Following an exceptionally active year where artists went above and beyond, with albums such as Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard And Soft or Charli XCX’s Brat, we music fanatics went into 2025 with extremely high standards. Although alternative and rock music has been rather silent this year, the pop music industry has been on the grind and released a multitude of albums and EPs. While some have exceeded our expectations, others made us question – what has happened to pop?
Canadian popstar and songwriter, Tate Mcrae released her 3rd studio album, So Close To What, February 21st. With hits such as “It’s ok, I’m ok” and “Sports Car”, the album reached number two on the top Swedish Albums and one on the Billboard’s top 200. The album has had some mediocre reviews with regards to its lyricism and vocals, making it “Not groundbreaking” according to music influencer Omar Nova. Personally, I believe the production has great similarities to early 2000s music with several Britney Spears influences, as seen in the dance-oriented songs. Mcrae’s music is computer generated music- not real music. It uses a drum machine, AI-generated sounding bass, three synth chords, and autotune vocals, we can almost say that this is what modern ‘music’ consists of. The album as a whole is fairly repetitive when listened to as a whole and has little variety in terms of riffs and melodies with the exception of the ballad “Nostalgia”.
Renowned for “American Teenager” off her album Preacher’s Daughter, American songwriter and producer Ethel Cain (also known as Hayden Anhedönia) released her second studio album Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You on August 8th. Fans have considered the new album to be the prequel to Preacher’s Daughter as it follows a similar storyline including Anhedönia’s character, Ethel Cain. Ever since its first, unofficial release on SoundCloud, “Nettles” has been on repeat, and considered a fan favorite, due to the consistent use of relatable metaphors on childhood and the need to grow up. The fictional characters in the song are scarred by the people and places they are surrounded by therefore craving to escape their home as portrayed in the opening line “We were in a race to grow up Yesterday, through today, ’til tomorrow”. Themes such as trauma, poverty, and misogyny are hidden in the songwriter and producer’s indie pop tunes, helping them to gain popularity on social media platforms such as TikTok and reach number one on Billboard’s US Independent Albums.
Disney star Sabrina Carpenter released Man’s Best Friend on August 29th. Although this album pleased her younger audience, it has provoked severe rage within older music fans. Livia J. from grade 11 asserted that “Sabrina Carpenter is evidently a product of the music business, her focus is clearly more towards her image and aesthetics over her poorly crafted, machine made music”. With hits like “Manchild” and “House Tour”, Carpenter’s album debuted at the top of Billboard’s top 200 within a week, and remained on the charts for another eight. The album shows similar musical and lyrical characteristics to two of her previous albums, Short and Sweet and Emails I Can’t Send. I personally believe the album follows musical pop trends and lacks emotional depth and dynamics, making the listening experience hard to enjoy. Additionally, the lyrics are fairly immature and frequent sexual innuendo in the songs makes them feel somewhat cringe.
Many of the 2025 pop-album releases have been disappointing for the fans, yet one artist did not disappoint with her first release since 2021, Lorde. Famous for her hits like “Ribs” on Pure Heroin or “Girl, so confusing” on Charli XCX’s Brat, the Kiwi and grammy award winning songwriter released Virgin on July 25th. This album is considered to be the artists’ rebirth. Genius stated that “the project is a fully transparent body of work, covering many topics including body image, gender identity, and intimacy”. The song “Shapeshifter” is considered to be a fan favourite, pleasing the listeners with a bridge similar to her most famous tune, “Ribs”. After moving to New York, the artist confessed to falling into an endless spiral which lasted for months, and she also struggled with an eating disorder and self-hatred. She has been songwriting ever since the ripe age of 13, allowing her to document universal teenage struggles and later darker mental issues. In an Apple interview with music genius Zane Lowe, Lorde shared, “I could not finish that song. I was so scared to be like, Blah! But my eating disorder. Blah! It was just so-, every part of me was like, Don’t. Keep yourself safe.” This album has helped millions of people worldwide to overcome the darkest of obstacles and start a new chapter in their lives, just like she did.
Looking back, 2025 has been an eventful year for culture lovers. With new movies, books, and music being released, we’ve always had some art to keep us entertained. It is difficult to accept the fact that there has been a severe decline in the quality of the art, due to the public demands and the artists’ desires for money. What used to be a skill and talent that was conveyed from singers to fans, has become a business where the ultimate goal is to go viral and make profit. Real music lovers are keeping their heads high and hoping that 2026 will bring innovative albums and EPs for them to listen to, similar to Virgin and Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You. Now that a new year is about to begin, and artists such as Gracie Abrams have been posting from the studio, what artists are you hoping to drop new music? Let us know in the comments.
