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 July 2025 below.
We’ve made it to August, and we’re back with another roundup of our favorite new projects that arrived in July 2025. This month featured some major returns: Clipse resurfaced with Let Go Sort Em Out, the duo’s first new album in 16 years, while indie rockers Wet Leg offered a lovelorn follow-up to their lauded 2022 debut.
There were plenty of surprises, too. Tyler, the Creator once again opted for a Monday morning album drop, offering a brief-but-high-energy new project, Don’t Tap the Glass. Formerly a bedroom pop wizard, Alex G proved with his new album Headlights that scaling up and signing with a major label doesn’t compromise the final product. Plus, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib teamed up once again for an enjoyable sequel to 2020’s Alfredo.
Listed in alphabetical order, here are our favorite albums of July 2025.
Alex G — Headlights
Whether he’s on an unlimited budget or toiling alone in a bedroom, an Alex G song is an Alex G song. There is no denying that his major label debut is the culmination of multiple DIY success stories over the last decade, but rather than over-polish his sound, he keeps Headlights opaque, richly detailed, and philosophically ambiguous. There are dozens of moments where childish innocence interrupts a more wisened take, like his sneering “Heeee!” in lead single “Afterlife” or the shanty-like melody that fades in throughout “June Guitar.” Alex G lets his guard down a bit more than usual on Headlights, but even with a more personal emphasis, this is an album from a songwriter guided by curiosity and intrigue — wherever he goes, it’s a pleasure to follow. — Paolo Ragusa
Stream Headlights on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
Clipse — Let God Sort Em Out
Sorry to whoever had plans to have the most-discussed hip-hop album of the summer — Clipse has that achievement in the bag. Buoyed by a press run that has given the Virginia duo a rebirth at a late stage, Let God Sort Em Out has taken on a life of its own. Pusha T and Malice returned to a rap game in a perpetual state of chaos, and they’re using this album to restore order one bar at a time. They spare nothing and no one; if anything, every topic is enthusiastically brought to the table, including songs named after financial jargon (“F.I.C.O.,” “E.B.I.T.D.A.”). As noted in our review: “Their new material is a patient, methodical deconstruction of their contemporaries, foes, and detractors. The Thornton brothers are demonstrating that they’re older, wiser, and more seasoned, and they’re setting a top-notch example of what it means to age gracefully into your craft.” — Kiana Fitzgerald
Stream Let God Sort Em Out on Apple Music or Amazon Music | Buy on Vinyl/CD
