Each month, our writers and editors highlight some of their favorite new music from the past four weeks for Consequence‘s Staff Picks column. Check out the selections for the best albums of September 2025 below.
Somebody better wake up Green Day, because September is over! This month was a whirlwind of great new albums and impressive statements. It hasn’t even been a week, but Geese’s phenomenal new record Getting Killed feels like a timeless gem; meanwhile, Cardi B resurfaced with her fiery, long-awaited sophomore album, Am I the Drama?. Plus, rewarding returns from the likes of Wednesday, Algernon Cadwaller, Liquid Mike, Nation of Language, Parcels, and more.
Listed in alphabetical order, here are our favorite albums of September 2025.
Algernon Cadwaller — Trying Not to Have a Thought
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There was something about the emo revival scene. Though the acts never seemed to last all that long, their raw performances and melodic songwriting have left a legacy that’s still revered in indie circles to this day. Fortunately, Algernon Cadwallader, one of the best bands to come out of the scene, have risen from the dead and graced fans with a brand new album, Trying Not to Have a Thought.
The new set boasts mathy riffs, twinkly guitars, yelpy vocals, and off-kilter song structures — in other words, it’s Algernon Cadwallader through and through. If anything has discernibly changed in the chemical reaction of their music, it’s an added sense of lived experience in the lyricism. Frontman Peter Helmis’ shouts feel just as impassioned as they did on past releases, but now come accompanied by an additional sense of perspective, looking both outward and inward. As a result, their usual angst remains warranted, timely, and urgent. — Jonah Krueger
Read Algernon Cadwaller break down Trying Not to Have a Thought track-by-track here.
Stream Trying Not to Have a Thought on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
anaiis — Devotion & the Black Divine
On her new album, anaiis faces the fire. The French-Senegalese artist traces her evolution towards a higher self through soulful compositions. “We had to die to find some peace,” she sings on the album’s opening track “Something Is Broken,” alluding to the continued struggle of liberation while honoring her predecessors, who serve as a guiding force on this project. She touches on the newfound joy of motherhood on “Deus Deus” and “My World (Beyond),” and the strength of collectivity on “In Real Time.” Devotion & The Black Divine is an introspective meditation on healing, love, and freedom. — Sun Noor
Stream Devotion & the Black Divine on Apple Music or Amazon Music
Cardi B — Am I the Drama?
After seven years of pump fakes, Cardi B finally released her sophomore album, Am I the Drama? Her anxieties around releasing it were all for naught, as the album turned out to be a singularly entertaining manifestation of the experiences she’s been collecting for years. At 23 tracks, Am I the Drama? is overstuffed and messy, but it maintains its defiant energy. As noted in our review: “A perhaps unknowing participant in the convoluted game of drama, Cardi B is still figuring out when to play her hand or quit the game entirely. She’s one of the pre-eminent MCs of modern rap, and she has to realize that the rules that she played by in 2018 don’t apply anymore. Compared to its predecessor, Am I the Drama? is no Invasion of Privacy, and the passage of time is mostly at fault. While lightning may not have struck twice, Cardi B is closer to fighting form than she’s been in years, false starts included. She’s gotten up every time she’s been knocked down, but the tally — and the expectations — are rising.” — Kiana Fitzgerald
Stream Am I the Drama? on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
Cate Le Bon — Michaelangelo Dying
Only Cate Le Bon can make sadness feel profoundly beautiful. On her seventh album, the Welsh musician lets her guard down, finding solace in vulnerability. Her surrealist musings emerge through a veil of heartache, embodying the beauty and emotional intensity of a renaissance painting. Cate Le Bon redirects her pain towards acceptance and understanding with this beautiful, pensive, and often humorous collection of songs. — S. Noor
Stream Michaelangelo Dying on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
crushed — no scope
Shaun Durkan and Bre Morell have arrived with their long-awaited debut album as crushed, and it’s a downright gorgeous collection. no scope is the feeling of being cloaked in a soft blanket, drinking tea, and watching the snow fall; it’s the dopamine rush of rediscovering one of your favorite songs from childhood, the fond memories of yore meeting your current self in real time. It’s dreamy and serene, but the duo often undercut this softness with a touch of distorted guitar and a hint of doubt, always willing to meet their purest sounds with the distance of age and memory. Still, as these songs gracefully land and transition into the next, there’s a satisfying kernel of inner peace that pervades throughout. It’s like medicine. — Paolo Ragusa
Stream no scope on Apple Music or Amazon Music
Doja Cat — Vie
Doja Cat’s new album Vie is the artist’s concerted effort to redefine her role within the world of pop music. Up to the present, Doja has been pop’s main antagonizer, often ruffling feathers for the sake of saying she did it. On her latest, she seems to be moving away from that stance of recreational agitation, and toward taking her art seriously — or so it seems. As shared in our review: “Doja Cat’s talent has never been a question, but rather how she chooses to engage with it. She has historically been deeply unserious in her assessments of her own work — but with Vie, it’s clear that she’s seeking to understand herself a bit more broadly this time around. ‘Jealous Type,’ the album’s New Jack Swing-inflected lead single, indirectly illustrates the conflict of Doja as an eager artist who feels both overexposed and misunderstood: ‘Boy, let me know if this is careless, I/ Could be torn between two roads that I just can’t decide/ Which one is leading me to hell or paradise?’” — K. Fitzgerald
Stream Vie on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
Geese — Getting Killed
Don’t let the title of their new album fool you — Geese are very much alive. After launching their career as scrappy teenagers, debuting with the post-punky Projector (and nabbing a CoSign for it), the band has only continued to grow, culminating in their new album, Getting Killed. Not only is the project Geese’s best offering yet, it might just be one of the most creative indie rock records of the 2020s.
There’s a lot for fans to love when it comes to Getting Killed. The tracks boast interesting production and orchestration decisions, as well as sticky stanzas that die-hards will undoubtedly reference throughout the rest of the year. Yet, one simple, important fact brings it all together: It’s really damn fun to listen to. Whether you’re combing through “Au Pays du Cocaine” to understand why it feels so emotionally devastating despite its lovely tone or shaking ass to “Bow Down,” Geese have you covered with a trumpet in one hand and a pistol in the other. — J. Krueger
Read our full review of Geese’s Getting Killed here.
Stream Getting Killed on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
H09909 — Tomorrow We Escape
The punk-rap duo’s latest offering is as chaotic as it is heartfelt. Tomorrow We Escape captures the raw and unfiltered energy of their previous works with a personal touch. theOGM and Yeti Bones assert their power on “Target Practice,” and “OK, I’m Reloaded,” two dynamic, high-octane cuts from the record. At the same time, tracks such as “Immortal” featuring Chelsea Wolfe and “Psychic Jumper,” take on a more gentle tone, demonstrating their range. With their unique blend of hardcore, hip-hop, and rock, H09909 tap into the raw energy that drew them to the masses. — S. Noor
Stream Tomorrow We Escape on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
Liquid Mike — Hell Is an Airport
If you’re at all interested in power-pop, Guided by Voices-esque indie rock, or melodic bangers with big guitars and even bigger choruses, you’ve likely already helped yourself to a nice, tall glass of Liquid Mike. Their back catalog and last year’s breakthrough album, Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot, speak for themselves. And if you haven’t yet quenched your thirst for rock ‘n’ roll with Liquid Mike, now’s as good a time as ever to take that first sip, as the Michigan band is back with yet another healthy helping of their signature blend, Hell Is an Airport.
Boasting 14 songs ranging from 77 seconds to a whopping 169 seconds in length, Hell Is an Airport finds Liquid Mike as efficient as ever. Small-town tales of struggling to figure it all out and globetrotting stories of touring alike find their way into these nuggets of pure, guitar-driven goodness. Tracks like “AT&T” even seem to point to the band’s future, fusing their sticky songwriting with new timbres like tasteful record-scratching and Moog synthesizers. Hell might be an airport, but a good time is listening to a new Liquid Mike album. — J. Krueger
Read Liquid Mike break down Hell Is an Airport track-by-track here.
Stream Hell Is an Airport on Apple Music or Amazon Music
Lord Spikeheart — REIGN EP
Martin Kanja has been a pillar in Kenya’s metal scene. The global rise of his former grindcore group Duma has also cemented his status as a pioneering force with his innovative approach to heavy music. His latest solo EP serves as a continuation of his 2024 debut, The Adept, a collaborative effort that unified a wide range of global artists that aimed to shatter the conventions of structural music. With the help of Sepultura’s former drummer Igor Cavalera, Togolese metal act Arka’n Asrafoko, and French producers Brodinski and Vina Konda, Lord Spikeheart continues to push the needle forward on this new record, contrasting harsh, industrial tones with melodic production. At its core, REIGN is a powerful ode to resistance and reclamation. — S. Noor
Stream REIGN on Apple Music or Amazon Music
Maruja — Pain to Power
We tagged Maruja as a band to watch in 2025, and the jazz-punk/art rock act has finally arrived with their debut full-length LP, Pain to Power. The record presents a more complete vision of what Maruja has been teasing across their various EPs, like Connla’s Well or Tír na nÓg, a completely improvised release from earlier this year. On tunes like “Bloodsport” and “Trenches,” the quartet dip into noisy post-punk with a hip-hop bite, while on extended cuts like “Look Down On Us” or “Born to Die,” they guide the listener along linear, post-rock voyages. Whatever sonic shape the band takes, though, their message of love, hope, and togetherness is clear. They certainly exude a righteous anger at the state of things, but, as they leave us with on the closing number “Reconcile,” they have no fear and pray for love. — J. Krueger
Stream Pain to Power on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
Nation of Language — Dance Called Memory
Now four albums in, Nation of Language have continued their incredible run. Dance Called Memory, the trio’s latest, is quite possibly their best offering yet. Somehow, they’ve managed to distill all the aspects of a great Nation of Language song — buzzing, evocative synths, buoyant basslines, and climactic, cards-on-the-table refrains from vocalist Ian Devaney — and scatter them across each and every track. It’s the band at their purest, even as anguish and grief surrounds them. The chord changes, like on stunners “In Your Head,” “Under the Water,” and “Silhouette,” are often fraught with feeling, where Devaney sounds one remark away from either weeping or wailing in ecstasy.
Now signed to Sub Pop, it’s beautiful to see the trio so invigorated. If there were a Nation of Language album that lifts the band onto the next rung of the pop culture ladder, beyond indie notoriety, it deserves to be this one. Check out our Crate Digging with the group, where they discuss 10 albums for living in the city that everyone should own. — P. Ragusa
Stream Dance Called Memory on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
NewDad — Altar
From the hazy crawl of their early singles “Blue” and “Slowly,” NewDad have been experts at capturing darkness. A great deal of that is owed to Julie Dawson and Sean O’Dowd’s guitar tones, which borrow hues from goth, shoegaze, grunge, dream pop, and everything in between. Altar is NewDad’s sophomore album and their second in two years, and it picks up exactly where their powerful debut MADRA left off. Their caustic alt-rock is at its best when it’s matched by Dawson’s furious reflections and cathartic outbursts; throughout Altar, she expresses dozens of different sentiments depicting anguish, but also paints pictures of double standards and toxicity in relationships with searing, vivid honesty. Fans of early Wolf Alice, Momma, Rocket, and Hotline TNT will be enthused. — P. Ragusa
Stream Altar on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
Parcels — LOVED
I’ve seen a lot of live music, and Parcels are the best of the best when it comes to live bands. They are a singular organism and execute beaming five-part harmonies like a professional choir; they’re each virtuosos on their respective instruments, and together, they’re an indestructible musical unit. LOVED, Parcels’ wonderful new album, is completely indebted to the experience of seeing the band in concert, with a massive emphasis on live vocals and live instrumentation. As its title suggest, the album finds Parcels drilling into the “love” theme harder than ever; some songs are passionate messages of devotion, while others are grief-stricken breakup tunes. As a result, and with a newfound honesty in their lyrical approach, LOVED is the deepest and most impressive statement the band has ever offered.
Read the band’s Track By Track breakdown of LOVED. — P. Ragusa
Stream LOVED on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
Rochelle Jordan — Through the Wall
Rochelle Jordan moves through music with the certainty of someone who has long understood her own brilliance. In her eyes, the Los Angeles-based British-Canadian singer-songwriter is a soulful, experimental bridge connecting the evocative echoes of the past with the boundless possibilities of the future. Her new album, Through the Wall, emerges as the shimmering thread stitching together a fractured musical landscape. Since meeting her creative partner KLSH in 2009, Jordan has nurtured a daring fusion of alt-R&B and pulsating house/electronic, cultivating a lush soundscape where innovation blooms. With Through the Wall, Rochelle Jordan crowns herself a radiant, reigning diva, slyly affirming her lineage on the effervescent “Ladida”: “Not just one, I birthed a good amount/ All these sons, I watch ‘em run around.” — K. Fitzgerald
Stream Through the Wall on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
SG Lewis — Anemoia
SG Lewis makes dance music as crisp as crystal, appropriately utopian and brimming with passion. Anemoia, the singer, songwriter, and producer’s latest, reprises the sharpest elements of his discography and offers yet another collection of euphoric bangers. “Sugar,” with fellow party starter Shygirl, is of the album’s more nostalgic modes, racing forward with a euro-trance rush; “Memory,” on the other hand, shows that SG Lewis has his eye on the future, letting a spoken word meditation on transcendence give way to a powerful release. Fans of Stuart Price’s production work, nu-disco, and SG Lewis’ own collaboration with Tove Lo, Club Heat, will likely love the thumping, sublime Anemoia. — P. Ragusa
Stream Anemonia on Apple Music or Amazon Music
Shallowater — God’s Gonna Give You a Million Dollars
Great news for fans of Shallowater’s wonderful debut album, There Is a Well: it wasn’t a fluke. Far from it, in fact.
The Houston-based slowcore act unassumingly self-released that project in late December of last year and quickly — and perhaps even a little unexpectedly — found an audience hungry for more. Now, they’re striking while the iron is hot, following it up with yet another impressive full-length effort, God’s Gonna Give You a Million Dollars. Luckily, not only do the songs on the new set have just as much melancholic charm as those found on There Is a Well, they also showcase a deep understanding of their strengths: tension, mood, and patient but rewarding compositions. The tunes are long, slow-moving, and liable to explode in distorted guitars and sheer catharsis, making each seven-plus-minute-long cut a guitar-based emotional odyssey. — J. Krueger
Stream God’s Gonna Give You a Million Dollars on Apple Music or Amazon Music
Wednesday — Bleeds
On Bleeds, Wednesday’s follow up to their great breakout effort Rat Saw God, songwriter Karly Hartzman perfects her craft. Her and the band’s stylistic interests remain — ’90s indie rock, alt-country, noisy shoegaze — but the writing and performances feel as consistently excellent as ever. The soft and sweet tunes are sweeter than Pepsi-cola (“Elderberry Wine,” “The Way Love Goes”), the barn-burners are amped-up and cut like a knife (“Reality TV Argument Bleeds,” “Wasp”), and the intersection of the two, Wednesday’s real bread ‘n’ butter, can make a cowboy out of a slacker and an alt-rocker out of a redneck. Throw in some of Hartzman’s stickiest, most affecting lyricism yet, and you’ve got an album that justifies every ounce of praise that’s been thrown Wednesday’s way. — J. Krueger
Stream Bleeds on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD