Raisa K’s solo album is primitive and intimate, Saeko Killy adds a euphoric touch to her dimly lit sound and Bitchin Bajas get blissed out
The 50 best albums of 2025
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Chicago minimalist trio Bitchin Bajas are experts in crafting the ultimate slow burn, with a discography full of soundscapes that often stretch languorously around or beyond the 10-minute mark. Their latest record follows suit with four winding, blissed-out tracks over a 40-minute run time. But it’s not just overindulgent lounge music: the analogue loops quietly build to transcendental heights, nudged along by wandering sax solos, spritely keys and other cosmic flourishes. It’s a lush, often moving odyssey which, towards the end of the epic 18-minute closer, climaxes in an effervescent flurry.
In 2024, Trystero emerged seemingly out of nowhere with an album that sounded like it had been ripped straight from a lost 80s tape, marrying moody krautrock and downtempo dance music. The now-expanded group of Luxembourg musicians (who met through a residency on a barge in France) carry the same hypnotic formula to this year’s follow-up, but with an added stroke of lightness and a fun dancefloor kick. Here, there are also shades of acid house and big beat: playful percussion, euphoric synth stabs and baggy basslines energise the dense, swirling instrumentals.
