The 2025 Mercury Prize: Strong contenders but shocking omissions

Earlier in September, the nominations were announced for the 2025 Mercury Prize. Considered to be one of the most prestigious awards in UK music, the Mercury Prize is an ‘Album of the Year’ award for British and Irish artists. The awards ceremony will take place on 16 October 2025 at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, marking the first time the awards ceremony has been held outside of London.

Former winners of the award include Franz Ferdinand in 2004 and the Arctic Monkeys in 2006, but the Mercury Prize doesn’t just celebrate well-known artists. It is often seen as a springboard for lesser-known musicians, as the independent decision-making process supersedes the popularity of the nominated bands and the genres that they operate in. Just last year, the prize was awarded to Leeds rock band English Teacher for their first studio album, This Could Be Texas.

The 12 Albums that have been shortlisted are:

• EURO-COUNTRY by CMAT
• Weird by Emma-Jean Thrackray
• EUSEXUA by FKA Twigs
• Romance by Fontaines D.C.
• In Limerence by Jacob Alon
• Hamstrings and Hurricanes by Joe Webb
• Transform Me Then Into A Fish by Martin Carthy
• Afrikan Alien by Pa Salieu
• Fancy That by PinkPantheress
• More by Pulp
• People Watching by Sam Fender
• The Clearing by Wolf Alice
  

After listening to all twelve entries in preparation for this article, I can confidently say that all of the albums are superb picks for the Mercury Prize, and each one of them deserves their place among the best of British and Irish musicians in 2025.

Irish musician CMAT’s indie pop entry EURO-COUNTRY is a strong contender in the 2025 Mercury Prize. An incredible pop album with catchy singles, well-crafted lyrics, and created with the same signature style that makes CMAT so popular. It’s funny, down to earth, and touches on themes of hatred and existentialism, especially in the track focusing on celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

Weirdo by Emma-Jean Thrackray is a fascinating but heartbreaking album. Emma-Jean focuses her latest piece in the jazz genre on the navigation of grief and depression. The result is an album that sounds upbeat but is filled with direct hard-hitting lyrics and melancholic overtones. The album is a rollercoaster, and symbolises Emma-Jean’s emotional journey.

In Limerence by Scotland’s Jacob Alon is my dark horse to take home the Mercury Prize

FKA Twigs returns to the forefront of English music with her release of EUSEXUA. This album was simply incredible, the experimental electronic sound is easy to lose yourself in. Each song adds a different style, a different beat and a different sound, coming together to create an entrancing album.

Irish punk rock band Fontaines D.C. have added to their already incredible discography with their 2024 release of Romance. The album’s singles, ‘Starburster’ and ‘Favourite’, took the music world by storm with their incredible guitar riffs and instrumentals. The rest of the album was just as spectacular, creating an album that I would consider Fontaines’ magnum opus.

In Limerence by Scotland’s Jacob Alon is my dark horse to take home the album of the year. This dreamy, heartfelt debut release was an enthralling listen from start to finish. The album is melancholic, drawing on grief and sadness throughout its runtime.

Folk singer Martin Carthy and rapper Pa Salieu are two of the lesser-known entries in 2025

Welshman Joe Webb’s 36-minute jazz symphony Hamstrings and Hurricanes is certainly worth a listen to anyone hoping to deepen their music taste. Webb is able to convey incredible feeling and emotion through his incredible piano playing, even without any vocals across the whole album. It could certainly be an outside contender for the prize in October.

Folk singer Martin Carthy and rapper Pa Salieu are two of the lesser-known entries in 2025. Carthy, who narrowly lost out to other 2025 nominee Pulp for the prize in 1996, released Transform Me Then Into A Fish on his 84th birthday. The album itself is a beautiful exploration of life and Carthy’s personal experiences. Pa Salieu’s concise project Afrikan Alien combines rap with afrobeats, but also delves into what it was like for him to live in the UK with African parents, and his recent imprisonment. 

Fancy That by PinkPantheress is perhaps one of the most exciting albums I’ve had the pleasure of listening to in a long time. The album is filled with brilliantly produced dance-pop, often sampled from popular songs from the 1990s such as ‘Starz In Their Eyes’ by Just Jack. It’s short, but sweet, and will win over anyone who says they’re too good for pop music. 

Wolf Alice have already made history with this nomination

Former winners Pulp returned after a 24-year hiatus to release More. It is certainly worth the wait. Even after all this time, the album keeps to classic Pulp structure, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, Jarvis Cocker’s signature vocals, and their classic rock melodies. The album even experiments with new sounds, with electronic elements spread throughout the album too.

It would be silly to bet against Newcastle’s own Sam Fender for the awards in October. Lyrically fantastic, politically poignant, and simply remarkable instrumentals. Fender’s reflections on class and life in Britain in People Watching delivers perhaps his most raw and emotional performances yet, adding to his already brilliant discography.

Wolf Alice have already made history with this nomination, becoming the first ever band to have all four of their albums nominated for the Mercury Prize. It comes as no surprise as each song on The Clearing weaves together wonderfully. This soft rock album is a triumph of songwriting and catchy singles. 

My vote for the Mercury Prize would be Fontaines D.C. with Romance

One album that should not only have been included, but should have also been in contention to win the Mercury Prize, was Forever Howlong by 2021 nominees Black Country, New Road. BCNR’s third studio album, an alternative art rock piece with incredible vocals and orchestral instrumentals, was fantastic even after the loss of their lead vocalist Isaac Wood. Although perhaps not reaching the heights of their 2022 album Ants From Up There, the nominations do not feel complete with the omission of this album. The Cure’s Songs Of A Lost World also missed out this year, as well as recent releases from both 2022 winner Little Simz and 2023 winner Ezra Collective – Lotus and Dance, No One’s Watching respectively.

My vote for the Mercury Prize would be Fontaines D.C. with Romance, with People Watching and More as personal runner ups. It will certainly be a tight contest, and I would not be surprised if Wolf Alice, FKA Twigs, or PinkPantheress took home the coveted award.