I’m going to strive one thing slightly totally different this yr. I’ve numerous albums I need to highlight and it doesn’t appear truthful to match full-length initiatives to mini albums. So, I’ll have a countdown for every. At present, I’ll share my high 5 full-length albums of the yr and tomorrow I’ll publish my high ten mini albums.
2025 END-OF-YEAR MASTERPOST
5. SUPER JUNIOR – SUPER JUNIOR 25
It’s all the time good when a veteran group surprises you with sturdy materials. So many older Ok-pop acts ship diminished returns, however Tremendous Junior discovered a technique to highlight numerous their previous sounds in new methods with this twenty-fifth anniversary undertaking. There’s hardly a dud to be discovered right here, and extra importantly there are just a few massive highlights. So-so title observe Categorical Mode doesn’t inform the total story. As an alternative, take a look at the gloriously bombastic D.N.A, breezy funk of Air or the singalong rock of Delight.
Standout Album Tracks: D.N.A, Air, Delight
4. CRAVITY – DARE TO CRAVE
CRAVITY’s standout 2025 started and ended with this album. They stretched promo all year long, including an epilogue with three killer tracks in November. It’s a hefty undertaking, operating fifteen tracks. And with a lot occurring, there’s little or no that feels pointless. The unit songs are nice, the title tracks are among the many yr’s finest, and the whole album refines the group’s previous sounds into one thing that feels contemporary and thrilling.
Standout Album Tracks: Stadium, Swish, Underdog
3. NCT DREAM – GO BACK TO THE FUTURE
It was a really sturdy July for SM Leisure as this and Tremendous Junior’s album dropped again to again. Each harnessed traditional sounds from the company’s previous. Go Again To The Future was heralded by two sturdy title tracks with a constant idea and storytelling. However transfer previous these tracks and also you’ve acquired a a lot lighter, extra buoyant work. At eight full tracks, its the shortest undertaking on this listing, however that leaves little or no room for filler.
Standout Album Tracks: I Like It, Dream Crew, That Summer season
2. NMIXX – BLUE VALENTINE
It’s been rewarding to see NMIXX refine their sound into what looks like its finest, most genre-spanning kind. Blue Valentine boasted a mammoth single, however in the event you dig previous the promoted materials you’ll discover much more goodies. I like the group’s extra electro-tinged tracks. Songs like Actuality Hurts and Phoenix echo traditional Ok-pop teams like f(x), whereas RICO and Podium strive on extra fashionable tropes and twist them to NMIXX’s will. We’ve acquired pure pop (Form Of Love), rock balladry (Adore U) and even a reinvention of a previous single (O.O‘s two components). There’s slightly one thing for everybody right here, and it’s all of very top quality.
Standout Album Tracks: Actuality Hurts, Phoenix, Form Of Love
1. RIIZE – ODYSSEY
For the second time in a yr, RIIZE dominate this class. This isn’t a shock, as Odyssey is virtually constructed for my style. In a method, I think about it an idea album, blitzing by means of many years of disparate boyband sounds. We’ve acquired the sugary Swedish pop of Inside My Love, the dramatic SMP model Ember To Photo voltaic, the Excessive College Musical romp Fly Up, the One Path pop-rocker Present Me Love, the OST-esque ballad The Finish Of The Day and the swaggering hip-hop of Bag Unhealthy Again. Then, the group takes some sudden turns within the type of One other Life and its searing, psychedelic guitar. It’s a remarkably taut album with no actual filler. And although I keep that the improper track was chosen as a title observe, I’m prepared to forgive that lapse in judgement when all the things right here is so sturdy.
Standout Album Tracks: Ember To Photo voltaic, One other Life, Present Me Love
