2015 was yet another awesome year for music. We saw some of the highest highs from our favourite acts and the lowest lows. On the high side, Canadian electro pop goddess Grimes returned from the ashes of her abandoned album REALiTi with the wonderful Art Angels, marking her first steps into mainstream pop (with her own weird and wonderful twists).
On the low side, after teasing out a handful of descent singles through the year, Disclosure released their sophomore album Caracal in September, and not surprisingly disappointed some, after their first genre-defining album Settle broke all the records.
Toronto’s own Drake kicked off the year of the mixtape with his chart-topping If You’re Reading It’s Too Late, unleashing a slew of Toronto-centric references and memes on the world.
We saw the birth of Apple Music and Beats 1, and the death of Rdio and Songza (R.I.P.?).
Jamie xx provided his long awaited debut album In Colour just in time for summer dance-parties and festival season, and Aussie psyche rockers Tame Impala settled into a more refined sound on their third full-length album Currents.
2015 was also a year in which we welcomed some of our favourite acts like Bjork, Shlohmo, Neon Indian, and FOALS back after years of silence, and also saw the resurgence of the grime scene with acts like Skepta, Stormzy, and Jme.
With all this and more in mind we’ve rounded up twenty-five of our favourite new albums from 2015 below, as well as a handful of excellent EP’s that didn’t technically qualify. Follow the countdown to #1 below and click the album grab each album for your listening pleasure.
24. Majical Cloudz – Are You Alone?
21. Future & Drake – What A Time To Be Alive
20. Alessia Cara – Know-It-All
19. Bjork – Vulnicura
18. Justin Bieber – Purpose
17. Jme – Integrity>
13. The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness
12. Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color
11. Vince Staples – Summertime ’06
10. Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
9. Neon Indian – Vega Intl. Night School
7. Skrillex and Diplo – Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü
6. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
5. The Game – The Documentary 2
4. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love
3. Future – DS2
Top 25 Albums of 2015
1. Grimes – Art Angels
2. Jamie xx – In Colour
3. Future – DS2
4. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Multi-Love
5. The Game – The Documentary 2
6. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
7. Skrillex and Diplo – Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü
8. Tame Impala – Currents
9. Neon Indian – Vega Intl. Night School
10. Drake – If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
11. Vince Staples – Summertime ’06
12. Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color
13. The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness
14. Shlohmo – Dark Red
15. Small Black – Best Blues
16. Rae Sremmurd – SremmLife
17. Jme – Integrity>
18. Justin Bieber – Purpose
19. Bjork – Vulnicura
20. Alessia Cara – Know-It-All
21. Future & Drake – What A Time To Be Alive
22. Ryan Adams – 1989
23. FOALS – What Went Down
24. Majical Cloudz – Are You Alone?
25. Disclosure – Caracal
Top 5 EP’s
1. Marcus Marr & Chet Faker – Work
2. Thundercat – The Beyond/Where the Giants Roam
3. Dej Loaf – #AndSeeThatsTheThing
4. Yumi Zouma – EP II
5. Allie X – CollXtion I