Wolf Alice became the first act in the Mercury Prize's 34-year history to be nominated for all of their first four albums as organisers unveiled the 2025 shortlist, which also includes former winners Pulp and new entries from CMAT, Sam Fender, PinkPantheress and others.
The quartet secured a fourth nomination for The Clearing, while Pulp are recognised for More, their first album in 24 years. Folk veteran Martin Carthy, 84, is the oldest nominee in the prize's history, and viral pop star PinkPantheress is represented by Fancy That, a 20-minute, 33-second mixtape thought to be the shortest recording ever shortlisted.
The Mercury Prize, which honours the best British or Irish album of the past 12 months, will be presented at a ceremony in Newcastle on 16 October. Organisers said staging the event outside London for the first time was part of an effort to address criticism that the award had become too London‑centric. Last year's winners, Leeds-based rock band English Teacher, were the first act from outside the capital to win in a decade; this year's shortlist contains just one London act, Wolf Alice.
The 12-album shortlist spans a broad range of styles and artists at different stages of their careers. Alongside Wolf Alice and Pulp are Irish singer-songwriter CMAT, nominated for Euro-Country and marking her second consecutive shortlist appearance after Crazymad, For Me. Other nominees are FKA Twigs (Eusexua), Fontaines D.C. (Romance), Emma-Jean Thackray (Weirdo), Joe Webb (Hamstrings and Hurricanes), Jacob Alon (In Limerence), Pa Salieu (Afrikan Alien), PinkPantheress (Fancy That), Martin Carthy (Transform Me Then Into a Fish) and Sam Fender (People Watching).
The list reflects a mix of established acts and breakthrough names. Pulp's More arrived after the band's 2022 reunion and has been noted for combining the melodic and lyrical touchstones of the group's 1990s work with themes of middle age and mortality. CMAT's Euro-Country has been praised for its sharp lyricism and festival-ready performances, while FKA Twigs' Eusexua explores abstract, club‑influenced soundscapes. Fontaines D.C. shifted toward a bigger, neon‑tinged sound on Romance, and Sam Fender's People Watching continues his socially minded rock songwriting.
Joe Webb's nomination marks a jazz entry inspired by Britpop textures, while Jacob Alon's debut has drawn attention for intimate, heart‑on‑sleeve balladry. Pa Salieu returns with a mixtape that reflects on incarceration, Gambian heritage and identity in the UK. Martin Carthy's short-form reworkings of folk material arrived on the year of his 84th birthday, completing a six-decade recording span that connects back to the 1960s folk revival. PinkPantheress's Fancy That offers concise, high-energy club-pop sketches and has drawn substantial viral attention on social platforms.
Notable omissions from this year's longlist include former winners Little Simz and Ezra Collective, whose albums Lotus and Dance, No-One's Watching respectively received critical acclaim, as well as The Cure's Songs Of A Lost World and Self Esteem's A Complicated Woman.
The Mercury Prize ceremony will be broadcast across BBC platforms, with full coverage planned for BBC television, BBC Sounds, Radio 6 Music and BBC News. The winner will be announced on 16 October in Newcastle, where organisers have said they hope to broaden the prize's national reach and reflect the diversity of contemporary British and Irish music.
The shortlist announcement caps a year in which artists across genres have released notable work, with tensions between mainstream recognition and independent innovation continuing to shape debate around major awards. The Mercury Prize panel will now weigh the shortlisted albums ahead of the live presentation in October.