Mercury Prize 2025

The shortlist for this years Mercury Prize was announced yesterday (10th September 2025). With the ceremony taking place this year in Newcastle om Thursday October 16th, with many of the twelve nominated artists performing live on the night before the overwall winner is announced. 

Featured on the list is CMAT‘s acclaimed third album ‘Euro-Country’, Fontaines D.C.‘s ‘Romance’ (the runner-up of NME‘s albums of the year 2024), Pulp‘s comeback record ‘More’, Wolf Alice‘s ‘The Clearing’ and Sam Fender‘s ‘People Watching’.

Earlier this month, it was confirmed that this year’s period of eligibility for albums is over a month longer. This means the records needed to have been released between Saturday July 13, 2024, and Friday August 29, 2025.

CMAT’s ‘Euro-Country’ only just made it onto the 2025 shortlist after being released on the final day of eligibility (August 29). Wolf Alice’s ‘The Clearing’ arrived one week earlier on August 20. 

Wolf Alice won the prize in 2018, with their second album 'Visions Of A Life' and were shortlisted for it's follow up 'Blue Weekend' could they be only the second artist ever to take the award home for a second time. Pulp have also won the award previously,  first nominated for their fourth album 'His'n'Hers' in 1994 and won with 'Different Class', one of the best albums of the Britpop era, in 1996. A nomination for underrated 'This Is Hardcore' followed in 1998 - and now 'More', their first album in more than 20 years, has earned them a fourth nod

Last year’s Mercury Prize was held at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios, and saw English Teacher take home the prestigious award for their universally-acclaimed debut LP, ‘This Could Be Texas’.

It's a good list of artists and bands this year, with a whole host of brilliant records. Wolf Alice and Fontaines D.C. are on a 4 album streak that rivals nearly ever other British band. The level of music both of these are delivering at present is nothing short of exceptional. Pulp's album is a real return to form, a true late career highlight, and as for Sam Fender, his songwriting has excelled on 'People Watching' to new heights. 

I honestly can't split those four. Who do you think should win. A full list of nominees can be found below.

CMAT – ‘Euro-Country’
Emma-Jean Thackray – ‘Weirdo’
FKA Twigs – ‘Eusexua’
Fontaines D.C. – ‘Romance’
Jacob Alon – ‘In Limerence’
Joe Webb – ‘Hamstrings & Hurricanes’
Martin Carthy – ‘Transform Me Then Into A Fish’
Pa Salieu – ‘Afrikan Alien’
PinkPantheress – ‘Fancy That
’Pulp – ‘More’
Sam Fender – ‘People Watching’
Wolf Alice – ‘The Clearing’

Thank you for reading 

Jack