Finally the episode you've all been waiting for, Album Mode's top 10 albums of 2025! Adriel and Démar list their best albums of the year. After years of reviewing music together the duo divergence has become more obvious and this year's year-end list is evidence.

P.S. Demar's Spotify listening age is 25, Adriel's is 45.

TIMECODES:

3:30 - A lot of albums that we did not review
4:10 - Don’t Tap The Glass
7:30 - West End Girl
9:48 - Miley Cyrus supremacy
15:55 - Yacht Rap
16:49 - An Ambient Demo but good
21:16 - What genre is this?
24:04 - Demar wants the Naomi Campbell album
29:06 - Chainz revival
38:00 - One of the best albums of the decade
43:10 - Comeback Album of the Year
48:12 - Feels like a racing game
52:25 - The Best of Wale
56:00 - One of the Greatest Rappers of all Time
01:01:39 - The Longest No Skips Album
01:06:05 - Two or Three listens a day for Demar’s Number One
1:11:01 - Honourable Mentions

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Démar’s Top 10:

1. EsDeeKid - Rebel
2. The Weeknd - Hurry Up Tomorrow 
3. Little Simz - Lotus 
4. PinkPantheress - Fancy That 
5. Bad Bunny - Debi Tirar Mas Fotos 
6. Clipse - Let God Sort Em Out 
7. Amaarae - Black Star 
8. OkLou - Choke Enough 
9. Miley Cyrus - Something Beautiful
10. Tyler, The Creator - Don't Tap the Glass

Adriel's Top 10:

1. The Weeknd - Hurry Up TOmorrow
2. Little Simz - Lotus 
3. Clipse - Let God Sort Em Out 
4. Wale - Etherything is a lot 
5. Chance the Rapper - Star Line 
6. Destin Conrad - LOVE ON DIGITAL 
7. Larry June + Alchemist + 2 Chainz - Life is Beautiful 
8. Venna - MALIK 
9. Freddie Gibbs - ALFREDO 2 
10. Lily Allen - West End Girl

Démar and Adriel discuss who popped off in 2025 that we're looking forward to their work in 2026.

Timecodes
1:10 The Criteria
2:20 Esdeekid
6:50 Timothee Chalamet
11:38 Uzi mixed with Future
12:48 Odeal
18:25 Young Miko
20:26 Similar to early Don Toliver
24:36 Kwn
31:23 The Black performative male
32:10 Dijon
40:35 Rebecca Black
45:06 Not New/But Changing
51:48 Spotify Wrapped
54:17 The Dominance of Drake
56:37 Spotify Listening Age
1:00:03 Old year-end playlists

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Démar and Adriel discuss Summer Walker third studio album "Finally Over It", whether Aaliyah is the GOAT and the strength of the album's feautres.


Démar’s rating: 7 / 10
Adriel's rating: 7 / 10

The Love List: Robbed You, No, Go Girl, Heart Of A Woman, Baller

Timecodes:

4:04 - Background on Summer Walker
8:55 - The Singles
9:49 - The influence of Aaliyah
11:50 - What a Summer Walker song sounds like
14:10 - Love for Doja Cat
21:51 - Give Me A Reason
30:13 - So Many Good Features
34:48 - 1-800-Heartbreak
38:58 - Savage the 21st
47:25 - Go Girl
50:20 - The Cover
59:04 - The Score

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Summer Walker - Finally Over It / 2025 / R&B

Démar and Adriel discuss Rosalía's fourth studio album "LUX", its technical excellence and whether an album that's so orchestral can be considered pop.

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Démar’s rating: 5 / 10
Adriel's rating: 6 / 10
The Love List: Reliquia, Divinize, Berghain, Memória

Démar and Adriel discuss Dave's third studio album "The Boy Who Played the Harp", its abscence of drums and Dave's ability to make songs instead of poetry with a soundtrack.

Démar’s rating: 6 / 10
Adriel's rating: 7.5 / 10

The Love List: The Boy Who Played the Hard, No Weapons, Selfish

Timecodes:

3:00 - Adriel doesn’t like EPs
5:58 - The tone of the album
6:43 - Favourite feature
12:50 - Where are the drums?
16:10 - Demar calls ‘175 Months’ boring
21:04 - Dave vs. Kendrick
23:25 - The Outro
27:10 - Dave’s relatability  
30:35 - Introspection is his best skill
34:03 - Fairchild
41:06 - The Cover
43:45 - The Score

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Dave - The Boy Who Played the Harp/ 2025 / rap, hip hop, uk rap

Démar and Adriel discuss Tame Imala's fifth album "Deadbeat", how Tame Impala became a follower with is production and the decline of a once great artist.

Démar’s rating: 5.5 / 10
Adriel's rating: 5.5 / 10

The Love List: Dracula, Loser, Afterthought, My Old Ways

Timecodes:

2:44 - Have they ever been mainstream?
3:58 - First time hearing Tame Impala
8:50  - Adriel’s favourite song
11:05 - Demar’s Dad cosigns
14:17 - The Singles
18:32 - Kevin Parker made a Drake song?
20:50 - Afro House attempt
24:30 - Best song on the project
31:30 - Dracula
36:20 - Lyrics
40:50 - Loser
47:40 - The Cover
48:50 - The Score

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Tame Impala - Deadbeat / 2025 / electronic, dance, afro house

Démar and Adriel discuss Khalid's fourth studio album "after the sun goes down", his lack of vocal colour and whether his simplistic pop lyrics are a negative.

Démar’s rating: 7 / 10
Adriel's rating: 4 / 10

The Love List: medicine, nah, nobody (make me feel), impulsive

Timecodes:

2:20 - Technically still very popular
4:18 - Past Khalid Reviews
8:44 - Demar compares ‘True’ to Kidz Bop
9:50 - R&B Khalid
13:20 - ‘Rendezvous’
16:48 - Reminds me of…
22:44 - Lyrics
28:45 - What this means for his career
34:30 - The Cover
38:00 - The Score

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Khalid - after the sun goes down / 2025 / pop, R&B

The Father of Neo Soul has passed, Adriel and Demar discuss how important he is, why so many different artists are mourning him and how boundless his influence has become in modern music.



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===================================

Diddy has escaped the RICO charges but that doesn't mean he's gone unscathed. Also, the duo breakdown the Nicki and Cardi B beef, hip hop is ahead of the "head bitch" archetype but does Nicki know that? Keep it locked here on Album Mode.



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===================================

Démar and Adriel discuss Taylor Swift's latest album "The Life of a Showgirl", how Taylor's songwriting has collapsed and why she's chasing the people that she's influenced.

Démar’s rating: 2.5 / 10
Adriel's rating: 4 / 10

The Love List: The Fate of Ophelia, Ruin the Friendship

Timecodes:

1:39 - Is the fandom bigger than the music?
7:22 - Past Taylor Swift reviews
13:30 - Fate of Ophelia
16:56 - Actually Romantic
28:56 - Pop music in 2025
30:18 - Honey feels desperate
34:44 - Too much ‘stomp/clap’
39:48 - Ruin the Friendship
45:35 - Lyrics
50:45 - The Most Offensive Track
1:07:17 - Wishlist
1:12:30 - Is Adriel a Swiftie now?
1:18:15 - Worst album since Reputation
1:21:41 - The Cover
1:27:58 - The Score

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 ===================================

Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl / 2025 / pop, pop punk