Since we are half way through 2025 what are you top 3 albums so far this year? IMO I feel like there have been pretty good album so far this year.
Disclaimer- grew up listening to mostly pop punk/rock so little bias

1. Grayscale- The Hart
Genre: alternative rock

The Hart opens with the self titled instrumental track then dives into Kept Me Alive, this combo gives me a lot of nostalgia and reminds me of Yellowcard’s Lights and Sounds album with Three flights up into Lights and Sounds.
This album is the one album that I keep coming back to so far this year and I listen to it about once a week and it still has not gotten old.

Stand out tracks:
The Hart/Kept Me Alive
Dance With Your Ghost
Not Afraid To Die

2. Badflower- No Place Like Home
Genre: rock

What can I say, this album is a banger. With each album Badflower has put out, they just keep on topping their last album. Their hooks are catchy, their lyrics are hilarious and their story telling could make you tear up.
Every album they has some comedy type of song that is a commentary on current events, and this one is about trying to get a number 1 song but not wanting to suck P Diddy’s peen on a yacht.

Another thing that Badflower excels at is the storytelling through a song. Each album has one song that stands out from the other songs that tackles a different type of theme.
In the song Don’t be a Stranger, the lead character is reflecting back on the choice he has made to not be in his daughter’s life because he wasn’t ready to be father. To grow up, get sober and find a new path in life. Now that he’s older he regrets all the decisions and wishes he could have been there through the daughter’s life now that she is older, looks just like him and has a baby of her own.
“Now she's across from me
Holding her own baby
The way I should've done”

Stand out tracks:
Don’t be a stranger
Paws
Story of our lives

3. Sleep Theory- Afterglow
Genre: hard rock

The album blends your typical hard rock/nu metal sounds with an R&B vocals in some songs through the album which makes this album stand out IMO. While this is Sleep theory first full length album I’m excited to see where this band goes.

Stand out tracks:
III
Gravity

Honorable Mentions
A Day To Remember- Big Ole Album Vol 1
Spiritbox- Tsunami Sea