Here are 20 electronic albums that stood out to us in different ways and kept us coming back. This list is, of course, just a snapshot of the music that crossed our paths this year and reflects our own tastes. If you have favorites of your own, feel free to share them in the comments.
With that, on to the albums. Hope you find something new to love here.
[1–10, in no particular order]
HIMERA – NOW I KNOW WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF
Quick Take: Now I Know What Dreams Are Made Of really lives up to its title! This sounds like a dream someone managed to tape, one of those bizarre, funny ones you wake up still thinking about. The sound world? Just as colorful as the cover suggests: helium-bright leads, jittery drums, big trancey synth sheets, and little ambient lulls that feel like a hand on your shoulder.
| From: Latvia / Amsterdam, Netherlands RIYL/FFO: Bubblegum Bass, Hyperpop Mood/Sound: Playful, Energetic, Bouncy, Uplifting Standout Tracks: “n-eThing4U,” “Aeiou,” “Keep Me Safe,” “Oh How You Look When You’re Asleep,” “Spellbound” |
AHO SSAN & RESINA – EGO DEATH
Quick Take: Ego Death is a heavy, high-stakes collision of Resina’s shredded, overdriven cello and Aho Ssan’s jagged electronic architecture. Dark, dense, and deeply unsettling, it’s a full-body experience and one of the standout experimental releases of the year.
| From: Paris, France / Warsaw, Poland RIYL/FFO: Electroacoustic, Post-Industrial, Glitch, Experimental Electronic Mood/Sound: Dark, Dystopian, Intense Standout Tracks: “Egress VII,” “Egress V,” “Egress III,” “Egress VIII” |
Listen: Spotify | Bandcamp
Playlist Companion: Dark Cinematic Instrumentals
SWIM – DEAR FRIEND
Quick Take: Gorgeous ‘melancholic club’ music, flipping late-night sadness into bright, surging, ravey climaxes for the dancefloor.
| From: Melbourne, Australia RIYL/FFO: Progressive Trance, Tech House Mood/Sound: Euphoric, Shimmering, Wistful, Bittersweet Standout Tracks: “Run Away,” “Memories,” “Are You The One,” “Dear Friend” |
THYLACINE – ROADS VOL.3
Quick Take: ROADS Vol. 3 is a travelogue in electronic form, inspired by Thylacine’s trip through Namibia. Airy synth lines and gently driving beats mingle with real-world textures, and the whole thing plays like wide-open scenery with the windows down.
| From: Angers, France RIYL/FFO: Electro-Neoclassical, Ambient-Electronic, Tech House Mood/Sound: Melodic, Refreshing, Eclectic Standout Tracks: “Shark Island,” “Kolman,” “Discussion With A Giant” |
Listen: Spotify
Playlist Companion: Electro-Neoclassical
DAV DRALLEON – GODSLAYER
Quick Take: Packed with cyberpunk war drums, nuclear-sounding drops, and synth leads screaming like guitars, GODSLAYER is Dav Dralleon in total overkill mode. If you’ve ever wished the heaviest moments of game soundtracks and metal records were distilled into one brutal electronic album, this one is about as close as you’ll get.
| From: Nevers, France RIYL/FFO: Electronic Metal, Cyberpunk, Darksynth Mood/Sound: Feral, Apocalyptic, Intense, Eclectic Standout Tracks: “Firesword Ov Judgement,” “Titankrusher,” “Deliver Us From Evil” |
Listen: Spotify | Bandcamp
Playlist Companions: Electronic Metal | Darksynth, Cyberpunk & Dark Techno
VENERA – EXINFINITE
Quick Take: This one feels like a malfunctioning starship engine: serrated textures, acidic synth pressure, and industrial riffs that sound like they’re clawing their way out of the mix. And the guest vocal spots (FKA twigs, Dis Fig, Chelsea Wolfe) add a warped kind of intimacy, bringing real human warmth to the cold circuitry. Highly recommended for dark electronica fans.
| From: Los Angeles, California, United States RIYL/FFO: Post-Industrial, Experimental Electronic, Dark Ambient, Darkwave Mood/Sound: Dark, Ominous, Gritty, Mechanical Standout Tracks: “Asteroxylon,” “All Midnights,” “Tear,” “Caroline” |
Listen: Spotify | Bandcamp
Playlist Companion: Dark IDM, Glitch & Electro-Industrial
FLORIAN SERAUL – SYNTHS OF EMPATHY
Quick Take: Each piece here feels like a short cue from a tender indie film, warm, hopeful, and healing in the way it moves. Proper ‘look out the window and exhale’ music.
| From: France RIYL/FFO: Synthwave, Tech House, Electro-Neoclassical, Chillsynth Mood/Sound: Warm, Uplifting, Cinematic Standout Tracks: “Synths Of Empathy,” “Midnight Of Stardust,” “Floating Neons,”“At Your Own Pace” |
Listen: Spotify
Playlist Companions: Ambient Synthwave & Chillsynth | Electro-Neoclassical
DISINIBLUD – DISINIBLUD
Quick Take: Glitched rhythms flicker under choirs of voices, guitars melt into electronics, and small melodic phrases keep flaring up and dissolving. Taken together, Disiniblud feels like a generous art-pop collage, dreamy and luminous but still sharp enough to land emotionally.
| From: New York, United States RIYL/FFO: Ambient-Electronic, Folktronica Mood/Sound: Bittersweet, Dreamy, Uplifting, Eclectic Standout Tracks: “Disiniblud,” “Give-upping,” “Blue Rags, Raging Wind” |
Listen: Spotify | Bandcamp
Playlist Companions: Electro-Neoclassical | Ambient-Electronic & Atmospheric Downtempo
YETSUBY – 4EVA
Quick Take: Modern electronica with the right mix of bounce and brains, scratching that ‘leftfield but fun’ itch. It’s full of clever sound-design touches, and more emotional than you’d expect from a rhythm-driven record.
| From: Seoul, South Korea RIYL/FFO: IDM, Breakbeat, Experimental Electronic Mood/Sound: Lively, Energetic, Futuristic, Complex Standout Tracks: “Fly,” “Soundcloud,” “Where Is My…” |
REZZ – AS THE PENDULUM SWINGS
Quick Take: As The Pendulum Swings is pure mood: brooding, hypnotic, and always a little bit menacing. Leaning on shadowy corridors of midtempo bass, flashes of dubstep aggression, and synth lines that slither instead of soar, it absolutely nails that suspenseful dark-club feel.
| From: Kharkiv, Ukraine / Niagara Falls, Canada RIYL/FFO: Midtempo Bass, Dubstep, Darksynth Mood/Sound: Suspenseful, Dark, Rhythmic Standout Tracks: “Prophecy,” “Running From Yourself,” “Glass Veins” |
Listen: Spotify
Playlist Companions: Darksynth, Cyberpunk & Dark Techno | Dark Dubstep
[11–20, in no particular order]
FEJKA – AZUR
Quick Take: A beautiful album that wraps warm deep house grooves in hazy, ambient colors and adds just enough progressive lift, pulling you deeper with each track.
| From: Stuttgart, Germany RIYL/FFO: Deep House, Ambient-Electronic Mood/Sound: Melodic, Warm, Atmospheric Standout Tracks: “Tigotan,” “Faro,” “Maara,” “Echoes” |
Listen: Spotify | Bandcamp
Playlist Companion: Instrumental House [Deep & Atmospheric]
RIVAL CONSOLES – LANDSCAPE FROM MEMORY
Quick Take: Like much of Rival Consoles’ work, Landscape From Memory has that ‘background-friendly but attention-worthy’ magic: warm synth glow, a steady pulse, and tiny details that keep you coming back. If you’re into ambient-leaning electronica with a gentle techno/IDM backbone, this one’s an easy yes.
| From: London, United Kingdom RIYL/FFO: Ambient IDM, Experimental Electronic Mood/Sound: Atmospheric, Luminous, Rhythmic Standout Tracks: “Catherine,” “Landscape From Memory,” “ Drum Song” |
Listen: Spotify | Bandcamp
Playlist Companion: Experimental Electronic × Ambient × IDM Crossover
RUMPISTOL – NEBULA
Quick Take: With a cosmic concept that runs through both the mood and instrumentation, Nebula plays like a mission log from a journey through deep space. Here, Rumpistol folds his IDM instincts into an orchestral space-jazz direction, with sax, guitar, harp and winds cutting through its digital foundations. An immersive and transportive listen front to back.
| From: Copenhagen, Denmark RIYL/FFO: IDM, Nu Jazz / Jazztronica, Ambient-Electronic Mood/Sound: Atmospheric, Cosmic, Mysterious Standout Tracks: “Above The Horizon,” “Ascension,” “Air Born Again,” “Celestial Awe” |
Listen: Spotify | Bandcamp
Playlist Companions: Nu Jazz, Jazztronica | Ambient-Electronic & Atmospheric Downtempo
PRIA – WHO WILL SEE ME THEN
Quick Take: Part alt pop, part trip hop séance, Who Will See Me Then is a foggy, delicate little gem that blends soft beats, gauzy keys, and two beautiful, mysterious voices weaving around each other. Perfect for late-night, lights-low listening.
| From: Paris, France RIYL/FFO: Alt Pop, Art Pop, Trip Hop Mood/Sound: Atmospheric, Haunting Standout Tracks: “Mismatched & Contradictory,” “White Crystal Mirror,” “Like Someone Said (To Me)” |
Listen: Spotify | Bandcamp
Playlist Companion: Dark / Moody Trip Hop
SIERRA VEINS – IN THE NAME OF BLOOD
Quick Take: Across nine tracks, Sierra Veins keeps flipping between wounded confession and full-on attack mode, riding EBM stomp and gloomy synthwave atmospheres the whole way. A tense, high-drama dark-club record that might appeal to anyone into electronic music with teeth.
| From: Paris, France RIYL/FFO: Darksynth, Cyberpunk, EBM, Darkwave Mood/Sound: Lively, Energetic, Futuristic, Complex Standout Tracks: “Memory Cells,” “In The Name Of Blood,” “My Poison” |
Listen: Spotify | Bandcamp
Playlist Companion: Darksynth, Cyberpunk & Dark Techno
DNGLS – LA ROUTE DES ALPES – 1921
Quick Take: Snowy vistas, low clouds, long roads; that’s the headspace this album sits in. Maxime Dangles weaves light techno and IDM pulses through widescreen ambient pads, landing on a sound that’s both wintry and strangely comforting.
| From: France RIYL/FFO: Ambient-Electronic, IDM, Experimental Electronic Mood/Sound: Mysterious, Nostalgic Standout Tracks: “Evian,” “Le Sommet,” “Farandole Endiablée” |
Listen: Spotify | Bandcamp
Playlist Companion: Experimental Electronic × Ambient × IDM Crossover
TURQUOISEDEATH – GUARDIAN
Quick Take: From the widescreen drift of “Canyon of Secrets” to the huge emotional payoff of “Close Your Eyes,” TURQUOISEDEATH keeps finding new ways to push atmospheric drum & bass into big, immersive shapes. If you like your breaks lush, melodic, and transportive, this one delivers hard.
| From: London, United Kingdom RIYL/FFO: Drum and Bass, Progressive Breaks, Trance Mood/Sound: Dynamic, Atmospheric, Trippy, Mysterious Standout Tracks: “Close Your Eyes,” “Canyon Of Secrets,” “Voyager” |
INUURO – PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Quick Take: Fans of artists like Tycho, Yppah, and Attom will feel right at home here. With its soft-focus ambient textures, easygoing house pulses, and little post-rock swells, Pacific Northwest is the kind of record you throw on for a Sunday, a long drive, or whenever you need your brain to wander somewhere greener.
| From: Stavanger, Norway RIYL/FFO: Chillout, Ambient-Electronic, Downtempo Mood/Sound: Mellow, Hopeful, Uplifting Standout Tracks: “Pacific Northwest,” “North Cascades,” “Floral Fields” |
Listen: Spotify | Bandcamp
Playlist Companions: Upbeat Ambient-Electronic | Ambient-Electronic & Atmospheric Downtempo
MADR – ZERO GRAVITY HEART
Quick Take: Zero Gravity Heart braids skittering IDM rhythms, downtempo drift, tiny digital fractures, and classical touches into something that feels completely natural and beautifully atmospheric. A really impressive debut.
| From: Oslo, Norway / Austin, Texas, United States RIYL/FFO: IDM, Downtempo, Crossover Classical Mood/Sound: Atmospheric, Rhythmic, Eclectic Standout Tracks: “Nightwork,” “Painted Twice,” “Plastic Sleep” |
Listen: Spotify
Playlist Companions: Ambient-Electronic & Atmospheric Downtempo | Electro-Neoclassical
REMOOD – DESVIO
Quick Take: Bass music in the bones, trip-hop at the edges, ambient in the air, all packed into a fractured, collage-like mix. Desvio is mysterious, heartfelt, and easy to get lost in, an under-the-radar release that deserves more ears.
| From: Chemnitz, Germany RIYL/FFO: Bass Music, Trip Hop Mood/Sound: Atmospheric, Trippy, Mysterious Standout Tracks: “Desvio,” “We Just,” “Blue Field” |
Listen: Spotify | Bandcamp
Playlist Companion: Dark / Moody Trip Hop
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