Favorite Asheville Records of 2025

MJ Lenderman just got the full GQ treatment. Wednesday dominated year-end lists. Indigo De Souza has been packing rooms with a diehard fanbase in tow. Asheville’s music scene has been on another level throughout the 2020s—and it still feels like we’re only scratching the surface.

In 2025, with the city still picking up the pieces after the devastation of Tropical Storm Helene, that momentum came with a renewed sense of community. The hardship only deepened the connections, and that spirit carried directly into the music.

On a personal note, I’ve never felt more connected to the Asheville scene than I do now. When I moved here in 2018, it took a couple of years to get my bearings—to understand who was who and how everything fit together. Then COVID hit and shut it all down, forcing a collective reset.

While a handful of artists have broken into the national spotlight, there’s a vast and growing body of incredible music happening locally. Asheville is so much more than the bluegrass and Americana it’s often reduced to, the absurd number of Grateful Dead and Phish tribute bands, or even the young alt-country scene that’s rightfully earning critical praise.

Below is an unranked list of my 25 favorite records released by Asheville artists in 2025. It says a lot about the Asheville seen, considering just how tough it was to narrow down to 25 picks.

Bask – The Turning

A soaring, twangy psychedelic juggernaut that tirelessly explores the great expanse.
Favorite Tracks: The Traveler, Dig My Heels, Long Lost Light

Bonner Kramer – …and the crimson moon whispers goodbye

Without words, the legendary producer manages to tap into the sublime beauty and nuance of life and death.
Favorite Tracks: Whispers for the Damned, Whispers for the Living

Brett Naucke – Ground Fault Matinee

Retro-futurist space exploration via the intoxicating tones of vintage modular synthesizers.
Favorite Tracks: Krylon ’78, Master Life Clock, FM For FM

Bryce Franich – Were There No Wicked

Seeking enlightenment through contemplative meditative drone.
Favorite Track: Gilded Masks of God

Cam Girl – Flesh & Chrome

The glam rockers unleash a barrage of riffs fierce enough to slay the beast of heteronormativity.
Favorite Tracks: Bubblegum Revolution, Back Sabbath, Sugar Rush

C. Shreve The Professor – Shreve Got Lost, Vol. 1

The region’s premier MC lives up to his namesake, schooling his class with tight rhymes and swagger.
Favorite Tracks: Oooh (AVL), Down By The River, FRESCO

Cheeks – Cheeks

The noisy, full-throttle garage psych explodes out the gate and never lets up.
Favorite Tracks: Sound of the Devil, Dream Boat, Butchery Summer

Colin Miller – Losin’

With help from his The Wind bandmates, the drummer steps into the foreground, channeling grief into a heart-achingly beautiful alt-country gem.
Favorite Tracks: Porchlight, I Need A Friend, Thunder Road

Ellicott Hooligan – Shining Other

An otherworldly journey into the unknown, combiningthe playfulness of an improvised session with a synchronized artistic vision.
Favorite Tracks: Morning Times, Shining Other, Jittery

Floating Action – A Hand Carved Garden Tool

Seth Kauffman continues his run of ramshackle psych pop gems.
Favorite Tracks: Diamond Store, Stillness Strikes Me, Moving In A Perfect Arc

Helado Negro – The Last Sound On Earth

The soundtrack for a surreal dance party taking place in an unexplored dimension.
Favorite Tracks: Protector, Sender Receiver, Don’t Give It Up Now

Indigo De Souza – Precipice

Leaving behind slacker indie rock, the singer-songwriter embraces the full-spectrum synth-pop she’s long hinted at, without sacrificing her trademark vulnerability.
Favorite Tracks: Crying Over Nothing, Heartthrob, Precipice

Julie Odell – Disappearing Act

Accompanied by rich atmospheric flourishes, Odell’s tender folk ballads are achingly beautiful.
Favorite Tracks: Disappearing Act, Orioles Eating Oranges

Lavender Blue – The in Between

Slowly drifting through a lovely distortion haze.
Favorite Tracks: Craggy, Wishbone, Rubberband

Okonski – Entrance Music

With help from Michael Montgomery on bass and Aaron Frazer on drums, the pianist creates a serene Guaraldi-like atmosphere with a bit of hip hop rhythmic groove.
Favorite Tracks: Vista, Passing Through, Summer Storm

Orches Limita – Maximalmiserablism

Hypnotic hallucinations invoked via hammed dulcimer.
Favorite Tracks: The Stars Reveal The Pulse of the Moon, The Ever-evolving Symphony of Bliss and Longing, A Momentary Sea of Sagebrush in Movement

Scott McMicken & The Ever-Expanding – New Purple Dress

The breezy, casual vibe makes you feel like you’re floating in the room, despite just how much is happening musically.
Favorite Tracks: Odetta, Almost The One, Only Ever

Shane Justice McCord – Tree of Heaven

Blending a wide array of instrumentation with field recordings and tape manipulation, Shane Justice McCord’s experimental solo debut is weird in all the right, approachable ways.
Favorite Tracks: Collective Attention, Absolute Singularity, Narcissist Delight

Sleep Number – Sunspill

Ghostly transmissions reverberating through space and time.
Favorite Tracks: Sunspill; Hours Like Embers; Nothingness, Glistening; Pink Moon, Melting Sun

Sophia Corinne – Let’s Just Pretend

Gorgeous folk tunes performed with the tenderest of hearts.
Favorite Tracks: A Rose, Dotted Line, Echo

Supaheat – Honk

The strong debut channels the rhythm-driven pulse of The Stranglers, with nods to Talking Heads and the early-aughts post-punk revival.
Favorite Tracks: People, Texas, Lights

Tanner York – Welcome To The Shower

The young singer-songwriter’s debut is a perfect combination of power pop hooks and lo-fi production.
Favorite Tracks: Baby Bloo, Cut Out, Blarry

Wednesday – Bleeds

The band’s lyrically deep, crushingly loud, heartfelt alt-country reaches new heights.
Favorite Tracks: Townies, Pick Up That Knife, Carolina Murder Suicide

Zach Romeo – Little Action

Distorted slowcore fuzz meets alt-country ramble.
Favorite Tracks: Holy, Softly, Crazy Eyes