A massive, mid-tempo meditation on the passage of time. Adele trades heartbreak for nostalgia, backed by thunderous piano and subtle 80s R&B flourishes.
It's the ultimate soundtrack for when you're feeling nostalgic and need a good, high-quality cry.
A grand, cinematic meditation on nostalgia and the bittersweet reality of growing up.
Released in 2015, 25 serves as the bridge between Adele's soul-indebted youth and her status as a global pop institution. While 21 was defined by the raw immediacy of a breakup, 25 is a more calculated and polished 'make-up' record, focusing on nostalgia and the passage of time. The album saw Adele collaborating with a diverse range of producers including Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, and Danger Mouse, resulting in a sound that incorporates 1980s R&B elements and more adventurous rhythmic structures than her earlier work. Despite these modern flourishes, the core of the album remains her powerhouse vocals and piano-led balladry. It was a commercial juggernaut, breaking nearly every sales record in existence upon its release. Critically, it was praised for its vocal performance and sophisticated production, though some noted it played safely within her established strengths. It remains a definitive document of mid-2010s pop-soul.
Put this on for
Fogged-up window and a cold cup of teaDriving past your childhood home just to see the fenceThat heavy silence right after a phone call endsWalking through a park where the leaves are mostly brownDrafting a text you know you'll never actually sendLooking at old photos and not recognizing your own eyesRain hitting the skylight while the house is finally quiet
Moments worth waiting for
The explosive, reverb-drenched wall of sound that hits during the first chorus of Hello.
The rhythmic, Max Martin-produced guitar snap on Send My Love that breaks her usual ballad mold.
The stark, lonely Spanish guitar on Million Years Ago that makes her voice sound three inches from your ear.
Sounds like
2015s production with a 2010s soul
Sits beside
I Am... Sasha Fierce - Beyoncé, Coming Home - Leon Bridges, The Thrill of It All - Sam Smith, Hopes and Fears - Keane
Lyrical territory
nostalgia, self_examination, love_lost
03Deviation
25 · vs · Adele
Artist
This Album
Medium Energy
Energy · ↑ +13% more than usual
On this album, medium energy sits about 13% more prominent than across the rest of the artist's catalogue.