ACL 2025 - The Year’s Best Album Covers

A Closer Listen

There will never be enough time to listen to all the music being released, even in the instrumental field; but there is enough time to check out all of the album covers.  A winning album cover immediately gives an album an edge, producing the curiosity that makes one want to press Play.

Each one of this year’s selections contains fantastic art, whether illustration, painting or collage.  Our first impression was one of intrigue, and even now, we’re returning to these images, eager to find out more. We have contacted each team to share insights about the initial concept, the process and the execution.  A huge thanks to all who responded and for their revealing words; we recommend the music as well!

Almost an Island ~ Almost an Island (Past Inside the Present) Album art by Michael Hentz + Cynthia Bernard Layout and design by zakè The mountain has arms.  The mountain is filled with feminine energy, and she cares for all of creation in a serene, benevolent fashion.  This first impression of Almost an Island produces a sense of calm that is reflected in the music, especially as late in the album, the words “slow it down” inspire a different mode of living.  At the end of the year, in the midst of all the bustle, messages of peace could not be more timely.

From Michael Hentz: I met Cynthia and James in Los Angeles when I used to live there, and I currently live in New York City, but before I left, we always spoke about collaborating on something. Cynthia was such an amazing positive driving force with us collaborating, and James was so supportive in any project I had going on so I knew we would work together at some point but I didn’t know when. This album with Kenneth James Gibson came about and I loved the music, and I have been a long time fan of the label Past Inside The Present along with meeting Zach at a show in LA years ago: I knew I would be in good hands here. Cynthia sent me a double exposure photo piece she had from a trip to the desert and it had this lovely pocket of negative space where the desert sky was so I didn’t want to overtake her photo too much, but I knew that was the space to fill with something. I work mainly with analog collage, so I do a fair amount of sourcing books and magazines. They told me that the album and band would be called “Almost An Island” so I did a bit of sourcing of books with vintage pictures of islands. I did one piece that was very literal but it just didn’t feel right. So then I created an “island” with some overhead shots of an elevation piece I had and I felt that connected so much more organically with the music, kind of like how they created these vast spaces and elevations with the music on the album. I wanted some human element to bring this into context and that limbs fell right into place with the cutout of the “island” that it felt so finished and unfinished at the same time and luckily, that was the one that they all picked and enjoyed as well. I was very honored to be a part of this album and I’m still humbled that they asked me but I couldn’t have thought of a more gracious and beautiful group of people to work with. Collaboration creates such an amazing energy and I was so happy to do it with everyone  involved.

From Cynthia Bernard: When we first started talking about artwork, I went out to Arthur B. Ripley Woodland Park (north of my home) specifically to try some double-exposure photography, which I have fallen in love with over the past year or so. When I got the film back, Michael immediately came to mind. I knew his analog collage work, which I’ve admired for a long time, could take the images somewhere completely new.

Ken and James were on board right away, and from there it just felt like the cover was destined to become something special, this blend of our two art forms that somehow clicked in exactly the right way. When he came back to us with several ideas, we were all filled with excitement. Of course he nailed it right out the gate, capturing this feeling of being held by the earth which is a theme of the record.

Andrey Kiritchenko ~ Rust Trust (POLAAR) Cover Image: Flore Morfin Andrey Kiritchenko has a knack for memorable cover art; this is his second appearance in a row, following last year’s Maria.  Knowing the situation in Ukraine, one cannot help but read questions into the cover: is the giant eye Big Brother?  Are the people, with heads bowed, raising their arms in supplication or solidarity?  When it comes to the music, such questions dissipate: the beats are confident and strong, the tone resolute.

From Flore Morfin: My idea behind this artwork was to work using patchwork technique and the other inspiration was Gustav Klimt and the use of gold. I wanted to create something a bit weird, far away from nowadays fashion in artwork design, with one strong element. It is a little bit the visual decline of the music, this ep is very unique created by someone with strong vision and character. 🙂

Baleine ~ III Graphism by Hector Morcrette & Nicolas Fourgeaud The album cover is impossible to resist, and would make an amazing piece of wall art.  As soon as one sees the surfer headed confidently for the giant blowfish, one is excited and intrigued.  Why is the blowfish wearing glasses?  We suspect it is to adjust to vision above the waves.  By playing with perspective, the art mirrors the music, rife with transitions that mimic the ever-changing nature of the waves.  When the surf is quiet, why not take to the sky?

From Jonathan Kakpeyen (Baleine): The colorful and merry album cover of Baleine’s “II” is a creation shared between Hector (Morcrette, drummer) and Nicolas (Fourgeaud, guitarist). It started with a bored Hector, commuting to work in Paris, who used a Paint-like app on his smartphone to doodle a little something. Having an extraordinary creative mind, Hector came up with an original drawing of a giant pufferfish flying in the sky, throwing a laser ray from its head. The picture could be special enough as is. But you clearly wouldn’t expect a surfer riding the deadly laser ray like it was the sickest wave in the ocean. The idea struck Jonathan (Kakpeyen, guitarist) and Nicolas, who thought the picture was hilarious and extremely original. The three of them decided to use this drawing as the album cover of “II”. But it needed to be enhanced a little first. Hopefully, Nicolas has a past as a graphic designer, and used his long lost skills to tweak the original doodle to a real cartoon-y cover. The idea was to keep the original details of the doodle, but with better structure and shapes. There are even little details that give to the scene a little trippy wave, like the glasses of the monster fish, or the three palm trees casually hanging out in the back (and representing somehow the three members of Baleine). The album cover for “II” is resolutely silly and absurd, yet minimalist and colorful. It is itself an appetizer to the contents of the album, and how the impossible surfing ride could suggest an inviting journey for the ears. Baleine readily admit their desire to surf on their emotions, like the character drawn on the cover, and transcribe them into music.

Jorge Espinal ~ Bombos y Cencerros (Buh Records) Album Artwork: Hideyuki Katsumata This is the third appearance on our list for Hideyuki Katsumata, following Ricarda Cometa I & II in 2013 and 2018.  The artist’s brilliant collaboration continues on Jorge Espinal’s solo set, providing a range of color and motion to match the unpredictable music.  One can tell that the art was directly inspired by the album, and may even theorize as to what segments of the music correspond to the hands, the skull, the lightning, the lasers, the wings.

From Jorge Espinal: I’ve known Hide for quite a while. He has collaborated in the past with Ricarda Cometa, a band I’ve played in for so many years, and whose style has been part of my playing since forever. There is something really special about him: he is always able to decode the energy from the music and transform it into some incredible artwork. I can see my way of making music reflected in the way he draws, multiple layers finding ways to work with each other. So when I finally got to record my first solo album, I didn’t hesitate to ask if he was interested in working together again. But that’s just one way of putting it. I just shared the music with him, and then he created a visual world out of it. The colors, the layers, the traces of hands and feet inside the head, the brain and the ears, all these interactions happening inside one body. It blends so perfectly with the music of the album, I couldn’t have thought of a better fit.

From Hideyuki Katsumata: The sounds of many different small shapes are gathered by a magnet and unified, but irregularly. When I listened to the song Jorge sent me, I felt an unknown reaction under my skull, like waves of heat, with passion, like ancient memories so comfortable.

At first, I had planned to draw only the man’s profile, but as I listened to the song repeatedly, I realized that the energy was actually being emitted from within the body as well. So this is what I came up, when I filtered in the feelings.

I am very happy to be able to share this award with Jorge and everyone involved in the production.  Thank you.

Demsky ~ Jugaad Artwork & design by Hagen Schönfeld At last, the secrets of the art are revealed as the artist describes the symbols in the upper bar in his words below.  The central figure reflects the eureka moment of the creative process.  Massive ear trumpets remind us of our site’s name, the wordless sound bubble an expression of the ineffable and instrumental.  The impression is that one has discovered something new and enchanting, a feeling borne out by the intricacies of the EP.

From Hagen Schönfeld: I find it hard to find appropriate words for my work and am resistant to intellectualizing it. I think all I can say is that I very much work from the belly, relying on feeling and intuition. So once I’ve read about the meaning behind “Jugaad” I’ve let the images and ideas that arose lead the way.

From Demsky: I discovered Hagen’s work through a friend I met at Wonderfruit in Thailand, and was instantly blown away by his playful, unpredictable approach to art. I could never guess where his ideas would go, and that sense of surprise excited me. I wanted to feel that same unpredictability in my album art just as I hope my audience does, so I gave him complete creative freedom. All I asked was that a few symbols at the top reflect both the tracks and some of the things that have shaped my life. You’ll notice a small bathtub representing the festival I curate, SentoSensations; a Jamaican patty as a nod to the food I grew up with in Toronto; a chess piece since I’m an avid player and former teacher; and additional symbols inspired by the music.

There is something especially meaningful when you connect it to the album’s concept. Jugaad is a Hindi word that describes solving problems with limited resources through improvisation, repurposing, and creative adaptation. In the world of sound and art, it speaks to innovation born from necessity, using nontraditional tools, recording in makeshift environments, and shaping unique sonic experiences with whatever is available. It is about reimagining what music or art can be when convention is pushed aside and creativity takes the lead.

When I look at the character on the cover, I see someone completely captivated by what they have created through countless trials, errors, and experiments along their journey. To me, that is the purest form of jugaad.

Ebi Soda ~ frank dean and andrew (Tru Thoughts) Artwork:  Ez Goomi The special edition of the album is offered with sticker sheets, which allow one to play with the individual characters living separate lives in adjoining flats.  Will they ever venture out?  Will they find connection with the other colorful, misshapen creatures?  Will they find commonality in their loneliness and in their yearning?  The colorful jazz-rock of Ebi Soda serves as an enticement; while an inner world can be vibrant and rich, there’s nothing like the rush of the outer.

Jack Herscowitz ~ Lullaby (Searching Records) Art:  Spencer Adams One of the year’s most striking single long-form pieces, Lullaby deserves – and has received – the cover art to match.  The hands, which on their own might not feel comforting, gather flowers or seeds, conveying an impression of gentleness and care.  In a similar fashion, the world may feel frightening, but is filled with moments of grace: a lovely lesson encapsulated in the music.

From Spencer Adams: The album art for Lullaby was created using a combination of linoleum block prints and collaged photographs I had taken of flowers in my Berkeley neighborhood. When listening to Lullaby for the first time, I was struck by the grand and expansive scale of the piece. Yet all of that expansiveness still felt comforting, like this epic force was being channeled to soothe and provide solace rather than destroy or dominate. So, when thinking about the album art, I tried to portray something both massive and gentle. The arms and hands feel ancient and have a certain monstrosity—dark, gnarled limbs dangling in a cave. However, that potential malevolence is disarmed as the hands delicately hold light-filled marbles and flowers. More curious and caring than spiteful. Much like the Lullaby’s sweet upswelling French horns, the scene I created tried to capture a force that is undoubtedly powerful—yet has chosen to use that power in a tender and loving way.

From Jack Herscowitz: Spencer is a longtime friend, whose printmaking and collage work I’ve really admired. The cover he made for Lullaby was the result of an exceptionally brief conversation, after which I left Spencer to “do his thing” and create something in dialogue with the album that could ultimately stand on its own. I remain captivated by the affecting and meticulous work he created, which pays respect to the labor of tending to and cultivating a musical seed until, through devotion and commitment, it blossoms. There is clearly an affinity between the music and the art, and I am grateful for Spencer’s thoughtful and subtle entangling of the two. I don’t think that this record would have had such a life if not for Spencer’s essential artwork, which continues to provide solace in its kind embrace.

Late Aster ~ City Livin’ (Slow & Steady Records) Cover art by Tonje Thilesen Design by Dylan Marcus McConnell What music fan wouldn’t want to live on this island, to swim in a giant cassette pool, to occupy an apartment inside a tape mixer?  This playful image is a perfect accompaniment to the retro energy and lo-fi beats of City Livin’.  The album, recorded on vintage equipment, recalls a halcyon time whose innocent energy continues to echo today.

From Late Aster: Early on in collaboration with Tonje to make the album cover for our pseudo-lo-fi beats album, we felt an artistic kinship that similarly reflected our relative relationships to the visual and aural aesthetic of lo-fi hip hop–namely, that we shared a surrealist tinge that set us apart from the quintessential pop-art.

The resulting illustration Tonje painstakingly crafted leans into that quality to convey the heart and soul of the album: first by incorporating the TASCAM Portastudio cassette mixer that we’d recorded the album to, and second, by housing that surrealist portrayal of the vehicle for our album onto the peninsula of our beloved city, San Francisco.

Lila Tirando a Violeta ~ Dream of Snakes (Unguarded) Artwork by Dario Alva The album cover is a mixture of gothic fantasy and sci-fi influences, which meshes perfectly with the futuristic music,  The contrast between full and muted color is open to interpretation; is the open-hearted protagonist dreaming in color, or does the outside world (mistakenly) consider her drab?  Dream of Snakes contains multitudes, which include a rare ostrich-inspired track; the art makes it impossible to overlook.

From Lila Tirando a Violeta The album’s dream world lives in the liminal space where water meets concrete, noise meets silence, and movement gives way to stillness, a concept visualized by the visionary Spanish artist Dario Alva (@cavecanems). Having long admired his work, which includes the covers for Accela and Accelerated on Hyperdub, I was thrilled to collaborate with him once again, especially given his history with some of my favorite artists and fashion houses.

His creation is a sculpted 3D portrait of my persona, rich with symbolism. It captures a moment of deep contemplation, drawing from classic flamenco art and medieval devotional paintings, yet refracted through a surreal, digital lens. The textures blend the feel of oil painting with liquid code, inspired in part by holographic YuGiOh and Pokémon cards. At its visceral core lies a tangled network of silver serpents and labyrinthine piping winding through the figure’s abdomen. This represents inner complexity, intuition, the digestion of memory, and emotional entanglement, themes echoed in the song “Sueño con serpientes” by Cuban musician Silvio Rodriguez which directly inspired the album name. It suggests a hidden machinery beneath the surface, a map of secret corridors and tangled thoughts. I always aim for artwork that doesn’t just accompany the music, but expands it, offering another dimension to the narrative.

This connection is part of a larger arc. Yes, there’s a clear visual and conceptual link to Accela (which features a more medieval-looking figure also holding a portal) and my earlier albums. Dario has become an essential collaborator in shaping the visual language around my music. We share a love for surrealism, flamenco and medieval art, ceramics, anime, and trading cards… a hybrid space where classical iconography meets pop culture through digital distortion.

I’ve been playing with the idea of myself as an avatar since my 2019 album Sentient. This isn’t necessarily a strict trilogy, but more of an evolving visual identity and world-building. Each record and album artwork is a chapter in a continuous transformation. Recurring figures, gestures, portals, and hidden messages create a cohesive journey across my discography, while still leaving space for interpretation.

Will Glaser ~ Music of the Terrazoku: Ethnographic Recordings from an Imagined Future (Not Applicable) Illustrations by Djoïna Amrani Music of the Terrazoku appeared last week in our list of the year’s best packaged releases; the internal art is just as striking as the cover image.  The entire album tells a story of a time perhaps not too far away, when climate change has ravaged the planet and all of life has been transformed. The combination of a face with no mouth and a large tear sends a clear message; the loneliness of the forward-facing child, even when surrounded by others, speaks volumes.

From Will Glaser: The music for this record came from me thinking about where the climate crisis is pushing us — on the bleak side of things our self destruction and the annihilation of the natural world we live alongside, but also the possibility that stronger communities and a closer connection to the natural world might actually help us get through it. That idea ended up shaping the whole project: the way the music was made, the mix of people involved, and the different processes we used.

Presented as a set of imagined recordings from a dystopian future where people are rebuilding society, the music has a broad range of stylistic influences, makes use of field recording and features an amazing set of collaborators.

Because the album is about community and shared invention, I wanted the artwork to reflect that too. I asked two incredible artists whose work I love to respond to the sounds and the whole idea behind the record — to give a visual sense of who these imagined future communities might be and the world they’re living in.

From Karolina Burlikowska: Karolina Burlikowksa (photography): @karolinaburlikowska https://karolinaburlikowska.com

The initial inspiration came from the use of field recordings — all these bits of real environments woven together through sampling and editing. I wanted to respond to that directly, combining fragments of different environments and natural textures, breaking them apart and rebuilding them to create new places and echoing the way Will assembled his sounds.

After creating those images we projected them onto a human body. This created a literal representation of the connection between people and the natural world whilst further reflecting the layered processes behind the music. In the final stage, I made physical prints of these images and distressed them in various ways to add texture and depth… making the images feel like found artifacts.

From Djoïna Amrani: Djoïna Amrani (illustrations): @djoinaa https://www.djoina.com

The inspiration came from my immediate emotional response when hearing the music for the first time. I became sensitive to how the shifting sounds would alter my mood or affect the senses. How the rhythmic elements of the music prompted movement in my body.  Sound can excite our imagination, it can change our perceptions or put us in a trance state. It can allow us to travel in different worlds, within ourselves where the body is no longer a limit.

The images developed in response to this, aiming to capture both the physical and emotional impact music has on us — vibrations blurring boundaries both bodily and emotionally through figures and lines on the page.

Richard Allen