Hexed!

Hexed!
Studio album by
Aya
Released28 March 2025 (2025-03-28)
GenreElectronic[1]
Length33:59
LabelHyperdub
Aya chronology
Im Hole
(2021) 		Hexed!
(2025)

Hexed! is the second studio album by English musician Aya Sinclair under the mononym Aya. It was released on 28 March 2025 through Hyperdub. It received universal acclaim from critics.[2]

Background

Aya Sinclair is an English musician from Huddersfield.[3] Hexed! is her second studio album as Aya, following Im Hole (2021).[4] It is her first record since the Lip Flip EP (2024).[5] The album is mixed by James Ginzburg and mastered by Joker.[6] It was released on 28 March 2025 through Hyperdub.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic91/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
Paste8.5/10[8]
Pitchfork9.0/10[9]
The Skinny[10]
Spectrum Culture85%[11]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Hexed! received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 91 out of 100 from 5 critic scores.[2]

Claire Biddles of The Quietus commented that the album "reveals Aya as a master of sound design, functioning as both a storytelling tool and as a descriptor of emotion."[12] Olivia Cheves of DJ Mag described the album as "an unflinching account of addiction delivered via a heady concoction of excoriating dub metal, hyper hardcore and sharp-tongued speeches."[13]

Accolades

Year-end lists for Hexed!
Publication List Rank Ref.
Clash Albums of the Year 2025
28
[14]
Crack The Top 50 Albums of 2025
18
[15]
DJ Mag DJ Mag's Top Albums of 2025
—
[16]
The Guardian The 50 Best Albums of 2025
20
[17]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2025
12
[18]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2025
22
[19]
The Quietus The Quietus Albums of the Year 2025
1
[20]
Slant Magazine The 50 Best Albums of 2025
47
[21]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2025
25
[22]
The Wire The Wire's Releases of the Year 2025
1
[23]

Track listing

Hexed! track listing
No.TitleLength
1."I Am the Pipe I Hit Myself With"2:25
2."Off to the ESSO"3:29
3."The Names of Faggot Chav Boys"2:30
4."Heat Death"3:51
5."Peach"3:27
6."Hexed!"4:26
7."Droplets"3:44
8."Navel Gazer"3:05
9."The Petard Is My Hoister"3:35
10."Time at the Bar"3:21
Total length:33:59

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[24]

  • Aya
  • James Ginzburg – mixing
  • Joker – mastering
  • Eli Gromova-Gulbe – artwork
  • Dee Iskrzynska – cover photography

Charts

Chart performance for Hexed!
Chart (2025) Peak
position
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[25] 46

References

  1. ^ Sherburne, Philip (9 December 2025). "The 30 Best Electronic Albums of 2025". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "hexed! by aya". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  3. ^ Shuttleworth, Alastair (31 March 2025). "'Chasing a high through rave music got dark': Aya on hexes, Huddersfield and her hardcore horror electronics". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  4. ^ Eede, Christian (30 January 2025). "aya Details New Album, 'hexed!'". The Quietus. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  5. ^ Eede, Christian (30 January 2025). "aya announces new album, 'hexed!', on Hyperdub, shares 'off to the ESSO': Listen". DJ Mag. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  6. ^ Green, Walden (30 January 2025). "Aya Announces New Album Hexed!, Shares New Song "Off to the Esso": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  7. ^ Townsend, Megan (3 February 2025). "aya annnounces Hyperdub return with second album, 'hexed!'". Mixmag. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  8. ^ Sharples, Grant (18 November 2025). "No Album Left Behind: aya's hexed! is a grotesque, anti-club concoction". Paste. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  9. ^ Geffen, Sasha (2 April 2025). "aya: hexed!". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  10. ^ Gamble, Patrick (25 March 2025). "aya – hexed!". The Skinny. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  11. ^ Eleanor, Aly (8 April 2025). "aya: hexed!". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  12. ^ Biddles, Claire (27 March 2025). "Spellbound: Hexed! by Aya is our Album of the Week". The Quietus. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  13. ^ Cheves, Olivia (28 March 2025). "aya - hexed!". DJ Mag. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  14. ^ "Albums Of The Year 2025". Clash. 15 December 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  15. ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 2025". Crack. 8 December 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  16. ^ "DJ Mag's top albums of 2025". DJ Mag. 15 December 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  17. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2025". The Guardian. 8 December 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  18. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2025". Paste. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  19. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2025". Pitchfork. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  20. ^ "The Quietus Albums of the Year 2025 (page 5)". The Quietus. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  21. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2025". Slant Magazine. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  22. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2025". Stereogum. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  23. ^ "The Wire's Releases of the Year 2025 playlist". The Wire. December 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  24. ^ "hexed! | aya". Bandcamp. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  25. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart on 4/4/2025 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 January 2026.

Further reading

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