2025 is shaping up to be one of the strongest years for new vinyl releases in recent memory. Major artists are back with long-awaited albums, and a wave of exciting newcomers are making their mark on wax for the first time. Here's a look at the records worth adding to your collection right now.
Kendrick Lamar — GNX
Released as a surprise in late 2024 and hitting vinyl in early 2025, Kendrick Lamar's GNX is the follow-up no one saw coming. After winning the most-watched rap beef in years with Drake, Lamar quietly dropped a project that's more reflective, more personal, and arguably more ambitious than anything he'd made before. It's an album that rewards close listening — exactly the kind of music that benefits from vinyl. First pressings are already becoming collector's items.
Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft
Eilish's third studio album arrived in 2024 and immediately established itself as her most mature work. The production — handled almost entirely by her brother Finneas — is intimate and meticulous, with quiet moments that sound extraordinary on a good record player. The vinyl pressing is exceptional, and the album artwork benefits from the 12-inch format in a way the digital version can't replicate.
Sabrina Carpenter — Short n' Sweet
One of the most fun pop records in years, Short n' Sweet is Carpenter fully stepping into her own. The album crackles with personality — witty, sly, and genuinely melodically sophisticated beneath its breezy surface. "Espresso" became inescapable for most of 2024 for good reason. The vinyl comes in multiple variants and it's a delight from first track to last.
Charli xcx — BRAT
Charli xcx's BRAT was the critical darling of 2024, winning Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards and launching a cultural moment built around a very specific shade of lime green. The album itself is relentless club music with real emotional depth underneath. The extended BRAT and it's completely different but also still brat version on vinyl is the definitive edition.
Vampire Weekend — Only God Was Above Us
After a six-year gap, Vampire Weekend returned with their most ambitious album yet — a dense, layered record that rewards multiple full listens. The production draws from the band's entire career while pushing into new territory. On vinyl, the album's sonic depth really opens up. It's the kind of record serious listeners will be returning to for years.
All of these titles and more are available at Media Mall. We carry new releases, special editions, and colored vinyl variants — and we add new stock regularly.