Mary Lattimore tells us about her favorite albums of 2025

Harpist Mary Lattimore is releasing her anticipated new album with Julianna Barwick, Tragic Magic, later this month. Ahead of that, we asked her to reflect on the year that was and tell us about her favorite albums of 2025. Read her picks and commentary below.

Tragic Magic is out on January 16 via InFiné, and you can hear two advance singles below.

MARY LATTIMORE’S FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2025 (in no particular order)

Panda Bear – Sinister Grift
Really enjoyed this record this year. Beautiful harmonies and introspection, great production from Deakin. Got a chance to see Noah’s band a couple of times in 2025 and they sound great live, with killer projections from Danny Perez.

SANAM – Sametou Sawtan
Oh man, I’m obsessed with this band. I played a show with them in Calgary at Sled Island Festival this year and I was blown away. Entrancing, poetic vocals, psychedelic, electric and fully connected with each other, droney, from Beirut. Unexpected textures that kept morphing. I was on the edge of my seat and bought the records immediately when I got home.

Perfume Genius – Glory
A lovely record, both delicate and assured, both catchy and quivering with strange beauty. Also a very fun band to see live.

Brandee Younger – Gadabout Season
The greatest. My favorite harpist and yours. A master of the harp not only technically but she knows the voice, the shapes and colors of this instrument backwards and forwards. A joy to listen to.

William Tyler – Time Indefinite
I listened to this one a lot this year and William is another master of his instrument and never stops searching, evolving, experimenting. Seeing a live performance of this record at Big Ears Festival in March was one of the musical highlights of my year.

They Are Gutting A Body of Water – LOTTO
This record gives me a feeling of specific sadness I remember from living in Philly in the early-year winter and working at a bunch of places and being a barfly and loving my city and I cherish it and keep it close.

Sister Irene O’Connor – Fire of Love
My friend Sarah says “Nuncore is at an all time high”. What a sweet, glassy, gently elegant record reissued by Freedom to Spend. Coupled with a visit to the gorgeous Sister Coretta Kent photography exhibit in LA this year, I’ll take dipping into vintage nuncore over the brutal horrors of 2025, please.

Cate Le Bon – Michelangelo Dying
Man, Cate is so singular, always sounds like herself, original and brilliant, such style. I love this record and spent a lot of time this year walking around my neighborhood with my sonic friend Cate singing in my headphones. Timeless, an icon.

Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer – Different Rooms
I love these two and their connection and watching/hearing them make music both together and solo/with others. Two super thoughtful musicians and people who make beautiful choices with such an intriguing palette. Real artists. I love when you listen to the pieces and you can feel the brains connecting on a subconscious level even through the stereo. I’m glad I llive in the world with them. A gorgeous record.

Alex Somers – In a Freezer with the London Contemporary Orchestra
My genius friend Alex made this haunting beauty in an abandoned freezer with a 12.4 second reverb decay. Delicious and packed with a heart-twisting emotional ache that I adore.

Walt McClements – On a Painted Ocean
This record means a lot to me, partly because Walt is one of my best friends, is pushing against the common stereotypes of accordion music, and is very thrillingly innovative with this instrument. This record expands upon his debut, which is also beautiful, and feels fresh and deep at the same time. This music is really kaleidoscopic, unfolding and changing, breathing, human. The electronics somehow enhance the humanness, adding more fingers and arms to these mini symphonies. Thank you, Walt, for the gorgeousness.

Two other things I loved this year : Arthur Russell’s Italian Pop Singles on cassette (thanks Steve!) and discovering the addictive musical world of Thunderwerld, both recorded and live, sets full of miniature, gripping surprises.

Mary Lattimore has shows coming up with and without Barwick, including NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge on January 19 (with Lattimore and LEYA) and Knockdown Center on March 21 (with Lattimore and Geordie Greep, Delroy Edwards, and Still House Plants). See all dates below.

MARY LATTIMORE: 2026 TOUR DATES
SAT 10 JAN South Pasadena, CA, US Sid the Cat Auditorium
MON 19 JAN New York, NY, US Le Poisson Rouge *#
THU 5 FEB Lexington, KY, US Singletary Center ^
SAT 14 FEB South Pasadena, CA, US Sid the Cat Auditorium *
SUN 15 FEB San Francisco, CA, US Great American Music Hall *
TUE 17 FEB Seattle, WA, US The Crocodile – Old Location *
FRI 20 FEB Santa Cruz, CA, US The Crepe Place *
SAT 21 FEB Ojai, CA, US Ojai Playhouse *
THU 12 MAR Chicago, IL, US Thalia Hall *
TUE 17 MAR Toronto, ON, Canada The Great Hall *
THU 19 MAR Somerville, MA, US Center for Arts at the Armory *
FRI 20 MAR Philadelphia, PA, US First Unitarian Church *%
SAT 21 MAR New York, NY, US Knockdown Center *@
SAT 11 APR London, UK EartH *
THU 16 APR Oslo, Norway Blå *
TUE 21 APR Dudingen, Switzerland Bad Bonn *
THU 18 – SAT 20 JUN Sonar 2026 Sonar, Barcelona, Spain

* with Julianna Barwick
# with LEYA
^ with Yasmin Williams
% with Jeff Zeigler
@ with Geordie Greep, Delroy Edwards, and Still House Plants