The Ten Finest International Releases of 2025
The past twelve months have offered a rich tapestry of international sounds that pushed boundaries. Presenting a selection of ten notable albums that shaped the year in music.
10. The Percussionist Sarathy Korwar – There Is Beauty, There Already
The concept of a 40-minute, uninterrupted piece built on repetitive drumming might not seem the easiest musical proposition. But, south Asian percussionist and producer Sarathy Korwar turns this driving beat into a unexpectedly magnetic album. Directing an trio of three drummers, Korwar crafts a dense percussive vocabulary throughout the record's ten sections. The work references Steve Reich's phasing motifs alongside Indian classical phrasing, everything tethered in the reiteration of a continual, driving figure. As the album progresses, this refrain evokes the hypnotic repetition of ceremonial music, luring the listener further into Korwar's unique percussive universe.
9. Yasmine Hamdan – I Forget, I Remember
Following an hiatus of eight years, Lebanese singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan makes a comeback with a melancholy collection of songs. It continues exploring the Arabic-language, dub-tinged style that cemented her status in the Arab alternative scene since the nineties. Hamdan's vocal delivery is quiet and introspective, singing soft melodies over the string arrangements of a track like Hon and the rolling trip-hop groove of Vows. On livelier tracks such as Shadia and Abyss, she uses a wavering, longing vocal technique over electronic lines with North African flavors and skittering electronic percussion. The production is minimal and understated, yet this simplicity offers the perfect canvas for Hamdan's expressive songwriting to resonate. This is a record that justifies the wait.
8. The Mexican Producer Debit – Slowed Down
From Mexico producer Debit specializes in uncanny reinterpretations of historical sounds. For her latest release, Desaceleradas, she focuses on the 1990s variant of cumbia rebajada – a decelerated, dubby interpretation of the shuffling Latin American musical style. Debit decelerates this sound to a near-halt, processing its characteristic synths and off-beat rhythm through veils of distortion and hiss to generate a fresh, sinister beat. At turns atmospheric and unsettling, Debit transforms the exuberant dancefloor sound of cumbia into a lasting, spectral echo.
Number Seven: The São Paulo Producer DJ K – Liberator Radio!
Sheer intensity is the key term for the music of São Paulo producer Kaique Vieira, who performs as DJ K. Inventing his own genre of "bruxaria" (witchcraft), Vieira stacks a cacophony of alarms, explosive bass tones and shouted lyrics on top of the enduring Brazilian genre of baile funk. This captures the propulsive sound of favela street parties. On his new record, Radio Libertadora!, Vieira cranks up the energy, adding everything from driving techno rhythms to the sound of the Islamic call to prayer into his frantic bruxaria mix. The result is a notably manic and punishingly loud 40-minute listening experience. Submit to the noise and Vieira's unapologetic productions become strangely exhilarating.
Number Six: The Singer Mohinder Kaur Bhamra – Disco Punjabi
Religious vocalist Mohinder Kaur Bhamra's 1982 album of disco music and traditional Punjabi tunes is a newly appreciated treasure. Recorded by her son, music producer Kuljit Bhamra, Punjabi Disco's ten tracks present an strikingly compelling combination of the metallic sound of early synthesizers and programmed drums with her ornate Indian classical vocal technique. Electronic percussion echoes the rolling tones of the traditional drums, while synthesiser melody replicates the classic sound of the harmonium on tracks such as Pyar Mainu Kar. At other times, bossa nova rhythm comes to the fore on Soniya Mukh Tera, and Nainan Da Pyar De Gaya boasts a fast-paced funky bass rhythm. It's a club-ready hybrid created over a decade before the global breakthrough of South Asian electronic music.
5. Enji – Resonance
From Mongolia vocalist Enji's delicate new release, Sonor, builds upon her jazz-influenced sound to deliver some of her broadest music to date. Moving away from her training in traditional Mongolian "long song" singing, the record's 11 tracks range from the gentle Norah Jones-esque melodics of slow-burning number Ulbar to the German spoken-word lyrics and twanging guitar lines of Unadag Dugui. The album also includes a sprightly, funk-tinged cover of the 80s Mongolian pop hit Eejiinhee Hairaar. Showcasing a full backing band rather than her typical setup of guitar and bass, Sonor's sound is still personal, pulling the listener into the gentle acoustics of her singular voice.
Number Four: Derya Yıldırım and Her Band – Yarın Yoksa
Channeling the 60s heritage of Turkish psychedelia established by groups such as Moğollar, Turkish-born, Germany-based singer Derya Yıldırım's latest work with her band Grup Şimşek blends the electric jangle of the amplified traditional lute with woozy keyboard and soulful tunes. It's a nostalgic vibe grounded in Yıldırım's powerful high register and shaped by producer Leon Michels' warm, tape-saturated sound. Yet, on classic Turkish songs such as the folk tune Hop Bico and 1960s song Ceylan, the group finds vibrant new territory. They craft smooth, downtempo grooves and soaring vocals that give a new, unconventional twist to the Turkish psych sound.
3. Lido Pimienta – La Belleza
Sacred music, Eastern European folk melodies and orchestral strings all come together on Colombian-born singer Lido Pimienta's extraordinary fourth album. Arranging music for the 60-piece Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra, Pimienta and producer Owen Pallett traverse everything from the liturgical vocals of opener Overturn (Obertura de la Luz Eterna) to the theatrical counterpoint melodies of Aún Te Quiero and the rhythmic reggaeton-inspired beats of the woodwind-heavy El Dembow del Tiempo. Yet, it is Pim
