National Album Day announces its Champions for 2025

National Album Day has announced Wolf Alice, Architects, Nova Twins, and metal icons Iron Maiden as Album Champions for National Album Day 2025, which returns on Saturday 18th October to celebrate Rock Music.

The newly appointed Album Champions will take centre stage in promoting National Album Day and are set to unveil a series of promotional activities around National Album Day as the date draws nearer.

National Album Day is organised jointly by the BPI – the UK association of record companies and independent labels (BRIT Awards and Mercury Prize) - and ERA, the digital entertainment and retail association (Record Store Day).

Presented in association with official broadcast partner BBC Radio 2 and now in its eighth year since launching in 2018, National Album Day sees the music community come together to celebrate and promote the art of the album, and will pay tribute to artists who tell their stories behind these significant and influential bodies of work.

The event draws support from the artist community and wider music industry, including music bodies AIM and PPL, the Official Charts Company, and album platforms including Classic Album Sundays and Pitchblack Playback.

This year’s theme, Rock Music, aims to highlight some of Britain’s most influential rock artists and bands. Spanning genres and styles from punk and metal to pop and hip hop influenced rock, they have all helped build Britain’s varied musical landscape and global reputation for classic and contemporary albums. The new champions of varying genres and styles showcase some of today’s Great British Rock.

Wolf Alice are the Mercury Prize-winning band (and newly shortlisted for 2025). Emerging from North London’s indie scene, their debut My Love Is Cool introduced a dynamic mix of alternative rock, shoegaze, and dream pop, while their critically acclaimed sophomore record, Visions of a Life won the Mercury Prize in 2018. Their latest album, The Clearing arrived straight at No. 1 in the charts.

Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice said: "We are very happy to be part of National Album Day this year. Albums are so important to us. It’s one of the most romantic parts of being an artist/musician/band. You get to create a little world, a piece of theatre, a snapshot of time, tell a story, spread a message or none of those things at all; there’s no formula, there’s no rules and that’s why it’s so exciting. Between the four of us, we never stop discussing what our faves are, what makes a good one, what we want ours to be like etc. I hope the romance of the album never dies and we’re so grateful for things like National Album Day.”

Nova Twins are the bold, genre-defying duo rewriting the rules of alternative rock. Their debut album Who Are the Girls?, marked them as outsiders on the rise, while their critically acclaimed, Mercury Prize shortlisted follow-up, Supernova, solidified their reputation as musical innovators. Their recently released third album Parasites & Butterflies debuted at No. 1 in the Official Rock & Metal charts.

Nova Twins added: “What an honour to be a part of National Album Day! Albums have always been the soundtracks to our lives. Listening to a favourite album is a form of escapism, losing yourself in another world. They’re portals to different moments in time, each one marking a significant memory. They are often a source of comfort, love, joy, or healing. We will always treasure the album format, it’s the only way artists can truly share their whole story.”

Also nominated, Architects are a Brighton-based metalcore band formed in 2004. Albums like Lost Forever // Lost Together, All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, and Holy Hell, cemented their reputation, while For Those That Wish to Exist and The Classic Symptoms of a Broken Spirit showcased their fearless evolution. In 2025, they dropped The Sky, the Earth & All Between, a bold new chapter in their sound. Known for their explosive live shows and genre-defying songwriting, Architects continue to push metal’s boundaries without losing their edge.

Completing the 2025 Album Champions list, Iron Maiden have always believed in the power of the album. From the early days of their coveted, self-released vinyl EP The Soundhouse Tapes, and the 1980 eponymous EMI debut album that put the band on the map, to the double album packages of their last two studio albums – each release has been a spectacle. The band, who celebrate their 50th Anniversary this year, are proud to be champions of National Album Day 2025.

Speaking for NAD 25 Album Champions, Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson said: “Albums matter. They always have, not just to Maiden but to all of the band members that have done solo projects – none of them have just toured – they have always recorded and released products too – especially me. The rush of first seeing the vinyl or the CD or back in the day the cassette for the first time never leaves you, and it’s great that fans are coming full circle to enjoy the totemistic experience that was lost for a while in this digital era.”

Since its launch in 2018, National Album Day has been supported by a broad range of artist champions, including Kylie Minogue, Joy Crookes, Sharleen Spiteri, Lewis Capaldi, Mark Ronson, La Roux, Elbow, Paloma Faith, Blossoms, Alice Cooper, Novelist, Tom Odell, Mahalia, Toyah Willcox, Jazzie B, Gabrielle, Declan McKenna, Tricky, Nuno Bettencourt, Shola Ama, and The Corrs, to name a few. In 2024, Catherine Marks, Jazzie B, Liam Fray (Courteeners), Nova Twins, Shed Seven, Travis, and Jeff Wayne were the latest talents to add their voices as passionate advocates of the album.