As the Mercury Prize shortlist for 2025 rolls out, it’s a characteristically bold and eclectic mix: a snapshot of UK and Irish music at its most inventive, heartfelt, and boundary-pushing.
From established icons to debut voices, these records capture the full spectrum of contemporary sound and storytelling. Here’s a closer look at the nominees.
CMAT – EURO-COUNTRY
With EURO-COUNTRY, CMAT (Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) delivers a follow-up that’s as ambitious as it is heartfelt, cementing her reputation as one of Ireland’s sharpest storytellers. Where her debut channelled country-pop wit into tales of heartbreak and self-mythology, this second album widens the lens, confronting cultural pressure, economic disillusionment, and the complicated pull of Irish identity. Throughout, CMAT’s humour, vulnerability and melodic instinct ensure that even the heaviest themes land with warmth and accessibility… qualities that have carried her all the way to a Mercury Prize nomination.
Emma-Jean Thackray – Weirdo
Emma-Jean Thackray’s Weirdo is a deeply personal, genre-defying work that affirms her as one of the UK’s most singular musical voices. Released in April 2025, it began as a meditation on her neurodivergence, only to transform profoundly following the sudden death of her partner in 2023.
Across nineteen tracks, Thackray plays almost every instrument (handling production, vocals, mixing and arrangement) fusing funk, soul, jazz, rock, and pop into a sound both lush and jagged. The result is a record of grief and survival: moments of disorientation offset by flashes of joy and resolve. Her Mercury nomination feels not just deserved but vital. It is a recognition of art as a reclamation, a source of resilience, and a catalyst for renewal.
FKA twigs – EUSEXUA
EUSEXUA marks a striking return for FKA twigs. It’s an album that’s both her most confident and most club-aware to date. Blending techno, house, garage, and industrial tones into cinematic soundscapes, she crafts a body of work that’s equal parts sensual and transcendent.
Tracks like “Sticky” epitomise the album’s tension between vulnerability and power, offering catharsis through rhythm and movement. With EUSEXUA, twigs continues to evolve avant-pop into something deeply human, balancing experimentation with emotional directness and reminding us why she remains one of Britain’s most fearless artists.
Fontaines D.C. – Romance
Romance marks a shift for Fontaines D.C.: their fourth studio album, produced by James Ford, shows them stepping away from pure post-punk rawness toward richer textures, emotional breadth, and a more expansive sound. Songs like “Favourite,” “In the Modern World”, and “Starburster” pair lyrical introspection and existential questioning with sonic ambition: strings, ambitious arrangements, evocative atmospheres. Critics hail Romance as perhaps the band’s “most considered and intricately crafted work yet,” and one that feels both full-throated and nuanced. Its nomination cements their status not just as energetic post-punk explorers, but as artists willing to stretch genre and explore maturity, doubt, and yearning with equal force.
Jacob Alon – In Limerence
One of two debut albums on this year’s shortlist, In Limerence introduces Jacob Alon as a compelling new voice in indie folk. Sparse, intimate, and emotionally clear, the record blends fingerpicked guitar and wistful melodies with lyrics steeped in longing, myth, and memory. Though unpolished in places, In Limerence is cohesive, moving, and full of promise. Evidently, the sound of an artist discovering both craft and self.
Joe Webb – Hamstrings & Hurricanes
Jazz pianist Joe Webb brings flair and playfulness to his debut Hamstrings & Hurricanes. A mainstay of London’s jazz circuit, Webb draws on stride piano, ragtime, and classic swing, infusing them with modern energy and humour.
The album dances between technical brilliance and whimsical charm, echoing legends like Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner while carving its own mischievous niche. Its Mercury nomination is a celebration of both Webb’s virtuosity and the rich, evolving diversity of UK jazz.
Martin Carthy – Transform MeThen Into a Fish
At 84, folk legend Martin Carthy delivers one of the most unexpected (and moving) entries on this year’s shortlist. Transform Me Then Into a Fish revisits traditional ballads and reframes them with quiet intensity, tracing a life spent in the service of storytelling.
The wear in Carthy’s voice adds gravity, transforming familiar songs into living history. This nomination feels both timely and timeless: a recognition not only of a remarkable album, but of a legacy that continues to shape British music.
Pa Salieu – Afrikan Alien
Following his explosive debut, Send Them to Coventry, Pa Salieu returns with Afrikan Alien: a bold step forward in sound and vision. Blending drill, Afrobeat, and Gambian folk influences with futuristic production, the album explores identity, heritage, and alienation with striking honesty.
Salieu’s lyrical depth and rhythmic inventiveness make Afrikan Alien a standout: cinematic, global, and deeply personal. The Mercury nod acknowledges his determination to push UK rap far beyond its boundaries.
PinkPantheress – Fancy That
Already a master of the viral single, PinkPantheress proves her staying power with Fancy That, her most fully realised project to date. Built on her signature mix of jungle, 2-step, and emo-pop, it deepens her sonic and emotional palette.
Themes of fleeting love and digital-age melancholy run through the record, while her whispered vocals and inventive sampling give it intimacy and edge. With this Mercury nomination, PinkPantheress graduates firmly from internet phenomenon to pop innovator.
Pulp – More
Two decades on from their last studio album, Pulp return with ‘More’: a record that’s both nostalgic and forward-looking. Jarvis Cocker’s wit and lyrical sharpness remain intact, but there’s new depth here too: reflections on fame, ageing, and the passage of time delivered with knowing charm.
More isn’t an attempt to recapture the past; it’s a continuation, a reminder that Pulp can still make the ordinary sound extraordinary. Its Mercury nomination is a fitting salute to a band whose influence continues to shape British pop culture.
Sam Fender – People Watching
On People Watching, Sam Fender amplifies his signature anthemic rock with newfound emotional precision. Marrying Springsteen-scale choruses with intimate storytelling, he tackles themes of working-class life, mental health, and masculinity through soaring vocals and heartfelt lyricism. It’s both a stadium-ready record and a deeply human one, proof that Fender can speak to millions without losing his sense of honesty. His Mercury nod recognises that rare balance of scale and sincerity.
Wolf Alice – The Clearing
Returning to the Mercury shortlist after their 2018 win for Visions of a Life, Wolf Alice’s The Clearing showcases a band at the height of their powers. Shifting seamlessly between feral rock, shoegaze shimmer, and acoustic stillness, the album finds Ellie Rowsell exploring loss, renewal, and uncertainty with grace and force.
Confident, dynamic, and emotionally resonant, The Clearing feels like the sound of a band fully in command. Pushing forward whist still reflecting on everything they’ve become.
The 2025 Mercury Prize shortlist is as unpredictable as ever: a celebration of artistry across generations, genres, and geographies. Whether you’re drawn to CMAT’s wry storytelling, FKA twigs’s sonic daring, or Martin Carthy’s timeless folk wisdom, this year’s nominees prove once again that British and Irish music remains restless, diverse, and endlessly alive. Who would you pick?
SHOP THE NOMINEES HERE
CMAT – EURO-COUNTRY
With EURO-COUNTRY, CMAT (Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson) delivers a follow-up that’s as ambitious as it is heartfelt, cementing her reputation as one of Ireland’s sharpest storytellers. Where her debut channelled country-pop wit into tales of heartbreak and self-mythology, this second album widens the lens, confronting cultural pressure, economic disillusionment, and the complicated pull of Irish identity. Throughout, CMAT’s humour, vulnerability and melodic instinct ensure that even the heaviest themes land with warmth and accessibility… qualities that have carried her all the way to a Mercury Prize nomination.
Emma-Jean Thackray – Weirdo
Emma-Jean Thackray’s Weirdo is a deeply personal, genre-defying work that affirms her as one of the UK’s most singular musical voices. Released in April 2025, it began as a meditation on her neurodivergence, only to transform profoundly following the sudden death of her partner in 2023.
Across nineteen tracks, Thackray plays almost every instrument (handling production, vocals, mixing and arrangement) fusing funk, soul, jazz, rock, and pop into a sound both lush and jagged. The result is a record of grief and survival: moments of disorientation offset by flashes of joy and resolve. Her Mercury nomination feels not just deserved but vital. It is a recognition of art as a reclamation, a source of resilience, and a catalyst for renewal.
FKA twigs – EUSEXUA
EUSEXUA marks a striking return for FKA twigs. It’s an album that’s both her most confident and most club-aware to date. Blending techno, house, garage, and industrial tones into cinematic soundscapes, she crafts a body of work that’s equal parts sensual and transcendent.
Tracks like “Sticky” epitomise the album’s tension between vulnerability and power, offering catharsis through rhythm and movement. With EUSEXUA, twigs continues to evolve avant-pop into something deeply human, balancing experimentation with emotional directness and reminding us why she remains one of Britain’s most fearless artists.
Fontaines D.C. – Romance
Romance marks a shift for Fontaines D.C.: their fourth studio album, produced by James Ford, shows them stepping away from pure post-punk rawness toward richer textures, emotional breadth, and a more expansive sound. Songs like “Favourite,” “In the Modern World”, and “Starburster” pair lyrical introspection and existential questioning with sonic ambition: strings, ambitious arrangements, evocative atmospheres. Critics hail Romance as perhaps the band’s “most considered and intricately crafted work yet,” and one that feels both full-throated and nuanced. Its nomination cements their status not just as energetic post-punk explorers, but as artists willing to stretch genre and explore maturity, doubt, and yearning with equal force.
Jacob Alon – In Limerence
One of two debut albums on this year’s shortlist, In Limerence introduces Jacob Alon as a compelling new voice in indie folk. Sparse, intimate, and emotionally clear, the record blends fingerpicked guitar and wistful melodies with lyrics steeped in longing, myth, and memory. Though unpolished in places, In Limerence is cohesive, moving, and full of promise. Evidently, the sound of an artist discovering both craft and self.
Joe Webb – Hamstrings & Hurricanes
Jazz pianist Joe Webb brings flair and playfulness to his debut Hamstrings & Hurricanes. A mainstay of London’s jazz circuit, Webb draws on stride piano, ragtime, and classic swing, infusing them with modern energy and humour.
The album dances between technical brilliance and whimsical charm, echoing legends like Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner while carving its own mischievous niche. Its Mercury nomination is a celebration of both Webb’s virtuosity and the rich, evolving diversity of UK jazz.
Martin Carthy – Transform MeThen Into a Fish
At 84, folk legend Martin Carthy delivers one of the most unexpected (and moving) entries on this year’s shortlist. Transform Me Then Into a Fish revisits traditional ballads and reframes them with quiet intensity, tracing a life spent in the service of storytelling.
The wear in Carthy’s voice adds gravity, transforming familiar songs into living history. This nomination feels both timely and timeless: a recognition not only of a remarkable album, but of a legacy that continues to shape British music.
Pa Salieu – Afrikan Alien
Following his explosive debut, Send Them to Coventry, Pa Salieu returns with Afrikan Alien: a bold step forward in sound and vision. Blending drill, Afrobeat, and Gambian folk influences with futuristic production, the album explores identity, heritage, and alienation with striking honesty.
Salieu’s lyrical depth and rhythmic inventiveness make Afrikan Alien a standout: cinematic, global, and deeply personal. The Mercury nod acknowledges his determination to push UK rap far beyond its boundaries.
PinkPantheress – Fancy That
Already a master of the viral single, PinkPantheress proves her staying power with Fancy That, her most fully realised project to date. Built on her signature mix of jungle, 2-step, and emo-pop, it deepens her sonic and emotional palette.
Themes of fleeting love and digital-age melancholy run through the record, while her whispered vocals and inventive sampling give it intimacy and edge. With this Mercury nomination, PinkPantheress graduates firmly from internet phenomenon to pop innovator.
Pulp – More
Two decades on from their last studio album, Pulp return with ‘More’: a record that’s both nostalgic and forward-looking. Jarvis Cocker’s wit and lyrical sharpness remain intact, but there’s new depth here too: reflections on fame, ageing, and the passage of time delivered with knowing charm.
More isn’t an attempt to recapture the past; it’s a continuation, a reminder that Pulp can still make the ordinary sound extraordinary. Its Mercury nomination is a fitting salute to a band whose influence continues to shape British pop culture.
Sam Fender – People Watching
On People Watching, Sam Fender amplifies his signature anthemic rock with newfound emotional precision. Marrying Springsteen-scale choruses with intimate storytelling, he tackles themes of working-class life, mental health, and masculinity through soaring vocals and heartfelt lyricism. It’s both a stadium-ready record and a deeply human one, proof that Fender can speak to millions without losing his sense of honesty. His Mercury nod recognises that rare balance of scale and sincerity.
Wolf Alice – The Clearing
Returning to the Mercury shortlist after their 2018 win for Visions of a Life, Wolf Alice’s The Clearing showcases a band at the height of their powers. Shifting seamlessly between feral rock, shoegaze shimmer, and acoustic stillness, the album finds Ellie Rowsell exploring loss, renewal, and uncertainty with grace and force.
Confident, dynamic, and emotionally resonant, The Clearing feels like the sound of a band fully in command. Pushing forward whist still reflecting on everything they’ve become.
The 2025 Mercury Prize shortlist is as unpredictable as ever: a celebration of artistry across generations, genres, and geographies. Whether you’re drawn to CMAT’s wry storytelling, FKA twigs’s sonic daring, or Martin Carthy’s timeless folk wisdom, this year’s nominees prove once again that British and Irish music remains restless, diverse, and endlessly alive. Who would you pick?
SHOP THE NOMINEES HERE
