Top 25 Albums of 2022

2022 has been one of the best years for music in a while, probably the best since 2019 at the very least with a wide variety of great releases in many different genres. Here are my 25 favorite albums of the year along with some honorable mentions of albums that just missed the cut in no particular order.

Honorable Mentions

Top Albums of 2022

#25: SZA - SOS

SZA is a late entry onto this list, releasing in early December, but it is clear that her contributions on SOS are another great release from one of the best R&B artists of the past decade. I think what makes this release stand out from others is the great voice paired with the very raw emotions that SZA presents on this record. Right out the gates with the opening title track we see this pairing, with SZAs vocals on a nice choir-like sample with SZA making sure we haven’t underestimated her ability to make great music and that she’s back to resume her position on the throne. Other cuts like Kill Bill and Gone Girl are instant ear worms, with brilliant choruses that’ll stay in your head for days on end. I Hate U may have the most addicting chorus of all with the switch up from I do to fuck you being a brilliant way to represent how SZA feels during these toxic relationships. SZA proves on SOS that she does deserve to be on that throne and is one of the best mainstream artists out there today.

#24: Pusha T - It’s Almost Dry

Pusha’s latest effort is nothing unexpected from him, as it’s a short, compact album with great production, quotable lyrics and of course many lines about coke. Along with the classic Pusha T sound, on this record we have a multitude of great features, with Jay-Z, Pharrel, Lil Uzi Vert, Don Toliver, Kid Cudi and others joining the mix. My personal favorite of the bunch is on the closer, where Pusha groups again with his brother Malice and Labrinth. Labrinth acts as a perfect intro into the track, while Pusha and Malice both rap their respective complementary verses to close out the album showing why the duo got together in the first place. This album is further proof that Pusha is one of the best working rappers out there today and that he has no signs of slowing down in the future.

#23: Weyes Blood - And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

Weyes Blood’s latest record is on a lot of accounts Titanic Rising 2.0, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It has those trademark strings, the focus on Natalie’s voice and the baroque pop sound. Along with the sound that she established on Titanic Rising, Natalie brings various existential topics, including the emotional toll of COVID, the way we present ourselves, and love. However I think the best commentary is presented on Children of the Empire, where Natalie sings about the children who see that we’re all lost from the blood that was on previous kings and queens hands. This likely refers to climate change, where the current generation will need to make serious changes from the practices that the older generations have set to make living on earth sustainable. The song is set on a beautiful arrangement of vocals and strings, which make the message that much more powerful. Natalie is one of the only indie acts with this attention to detail in her music and I hope to hear more like this from other musicians in the indie scene.

#22: death’s dynamic shroud - Darklife

Death’s dynamic shroud, who are most notably known as some of the pioneers in vaporwave today, have put out a cryptic, dense, and futuristic glitch pop/vapor record in Darklife and shows why music that is not necessarily understood can be universally loved. The second track on the album Judgment Bolt displays this the best, as it has no super clear lyrics aside from the Oh-Oh-Oh sample that is heard frequently throughout the track. However, this doesn’t make the track any harder to listen to, as the driving distorted bass and vocal melodies make the tune memorable and replayable. Other songs like Messe de E-102 and Fade Persona are maximalist pieces of art/glitch pop that push the boundaries of their respective genres. Death’s dynamic shroud continues to prove on this album why they are one of the most interesting electronic acts today.

#21: Quadeca - I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You

Quadeca’s latest release is one of the most distinct changes in sound in recent memory, shifting from a “meme rapper” to genuinely one of the most atmospheric and dark records of the year. I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You sounds the most like if Brockhampton’s sad boy sound on Ginger was shot into the underworld and came back with all of the ghosts captured there. I think the song that shows this sound the best is on the track Born Yesterday. This track is about Quadeca dying and seeing people in his life that are grieving over his death, and has layers of synth, bass and folk instrumentation that allow for Quadeca’s tuned vocals to shine. The vocals are the highlight here and are a moving performance by the young artist. If this is an indication of where Quadeca will be going in the future, then I’ll be the first in line for whatever he releases next.

#20: beabadoobee - Beatopia

Beabadoobee’s second album since blowing up on TikTok is a fairly traditional indie pop/rock record that hits all the right notes that make it feel like a warm summer day. The best examples of this are on songs like 10:36 and Talk that have a wall of sound effect with perfect pop melodies that are endlessly replayable. There are also slower songs that are more akin to contemporaries like Jay Som that help ease back and give perspective on her life. This is done well on the track See you Soon, where beabadoobee reflects on a relationship that she’s had, noting that they need time to grow again before coming back together, if at all. This nice little record is an easy listen and I hope the improvements made on this record from bea’s previous work continues for future albums from her.

#19: ELUCID - I Told Bessie

Entrancing beats and brilliant bars are all that ELUCID needs on his most recent record in order to make a fantastic record. As one half of the underground duo Armand Hammer, ELUCID shows the prowess that he has for rapping over entrancing beats on the track Jumanji, where he joins up with the other half of Armand Hammer. On Jumanji he channels his inner MF Doom, rapping in multiple flows and rhyme schemes over a cacophonous percussion sample. My favorite line in the track is “Imagineering the crack out the nest egg” which is such an insightful and vivid way to describe making crack. This album shows why Elucid is one of the best in the underground scene and that he’ll hopefully continue this mastery of craft in the future.

#18: Hackle - Gunsmith tha Mixtape

Hackle of the very distinct Haunted Mound label provides one of the most misanthropic, noisy and raw experiences of the year behind the drill sound. The sound that Hackle establishes is driven by heavy bass, high usage of hi-hats, and lyrics about drug abuse, with all elements combining together for a hedonistic experience, much like other rappers in the lane like Chief Keef or Playboi Carti. This project is perhaps my favorite drill project that I’ve ever heard and I look forward to listening to more drill projects like this in the future. If you want a quick, hedonistic listen to get your mind off the real world for a bit, take a gander at this mixtape.

#17: Animal Collective - Time Skiffs

Animal Collective’s latest neo-psychedelic island rock record is one of their best records in over a decade. The album has the trademark AnCo flair that made them legendary in the knots, with the instrumentation feeling very vibrant and alive, while also adding some new sounds on top of it to make a clear island sound with the inclusion of instruments like the autoharp, taishogoto, and xylophone. The bass and guitars on this record are incredible, being the driving forces behind most of the songs while also pairing well with the vocals throughout the album. Time Skiffs proves that Animal Collective still have some gas in the car and I hope they can continue this through the 2020s.

#16: Charli XCX - Crash

Crash is Charli’s reemergence into the mainstream pop world with her most straightforward dance-pop album yet. This record is filled to the brim with catchy hooks and bright production, which is layered with the most synths that I’ve heard in a Charli record. Charli’s most infectious hook yet is “You could’ve had a bad girl on your side” broadcasted on top of synth guitars leading to a feeling of yearning that no other song can match this year. Other songs like New Shapes and Baby are bold and about as trademark Charli as you can get. Although the new direction for Charli isn’t as experimental as expected, it still has the hooks, production, and unique energy that’ll keep me spinning this more in the future.

#15: The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention

Thom Yorke’s new side project The Smile is just flexing at this point. And it’s not just flexing from Thom, but also from Jonny Greenwood whose guitar playing on this record is supreme as ever alongside drumming by Sons of Kemet’s Tom Skinner. This record features many familiar Radiohead-esque sounds, with a palette most similar to a mix between the guitars on Hail to the Thief and the chamber of A Moon Shaped Pool. The whole cast seems to shine the most on The Thin Thing, which opens with what seems to be a slightly off-tempo bass guitar riff with Thom’s vocals. This then leads into a Kid A like whirl and progresses into a shining moment for Greenwood and Skinner, the both of them leading a cacophony of guitar and drums throughout the song until they pull back focus onto Thom’s vocals. Even though it would be nice to have another Radiohead record, The Smile provides a great supplement to any fan who is famished of similar content.

#14: JID - The Forever Story

With The Forever Story, JID merges his top tier rapping ability with conscious commentary about the world today to create one of the best hip hop projects of the year. Topics of this commentary range from toxicity of the rap game, the interpretations of his lyrics from his audience, racism in the United States, and corruption of police departments throughout the states. These topics are told with the top tier wordplay that we’ve come to expect from JID, making for an engaging and dense experience. A great example of this is with the line “A beast awoken, I peel at the crackin’, they inferior and fear when I’m rappin’”, where JID uses a double entendre of I peel at the crackin’/I feel like the kraken to depict how other insecure rappers may feel after JID drops music after a long time in between albums, which in this case has been 4 years. JID is no longer just the “guy that sounds like Kendrick with crazy wordplay” and has broken that mold with his own unique sound and perspective being a rapper in the United States with this LP.

#13: Hatchie - Giving the World Away

Hatchie has been learning the ropes in the dream pop world, with the release of her EP Sugar & Spice in 2018 and first LP in 2019, but this latest record shows that she is now one of the best in the game. This release mixes the dream pop sound with alternative dance and shoegaze, which make for one great combination into a lush and ethereal feeling across the record. The opening track Lights On is a great example of a combination of the dream pop and dance sound, with driving synths and drums that allow for Hatchies voice to shine. Quicksand is another track that is possibly the most grand that Hatchie has ever released, singing about uncertainty and chasing feelings that she isn’t sure she will ever have again. The single again is driven by the synths and has one of the catchiest choruses of the year, with Hatchie sharing that she feels like she is sinking into quicksand because of these feelings. Hatchie has a knack for making these nostalgic and catchy tracks, which I hope continues in the upcoming decade.

#12: Sudan Archives - Natural Brown Prom Queen

Sudan Archives has absolutely exploded onto the R&B scene with her newest record, making her seem like a vet in the space. She accomplishes this by combining R&B with elements of Art Pop and Trap that make for a unique experience. One example of these combinations is with the track NBPQ (Topless), which combines R&B with Art Pop for the first minute, transitions to a rap verse that gives insights into her life, then back to art pop. This is all done within the first two minutes in the track, and is done with a playful, yet boastful tone, making for a great listening experience. OMG BRITT is another example of this, being an almost straight up trap cut, where Sudan raps about how her haters will need to quarantine because of how sick this track will make them. The backing sound effects and synthesizer on the track allows for Sudan’s rapping to pop, showing how equally important the production is in the success of the album. Sudan has easily proven that she is a force to be reckoned with in the R&B space and should be on everyone’s radar.

#11: Alvvays - Blue Rev

Alvvays’ latest record is a rush of nostalgia baked shoegaze built on the foundation of the classic Alvvays pop sound, where the shoegaze is built from the loud and lush guitars that the band employs on the album. These are apparent from the start of the album on Pharmacist, where they are played almost immediately and set the mood for the rest of the album. What I think that Alvvays has done best on this record is the climax of songs, which is contrary to their usual best on records being the strong and catchy choruses. I think this is displayed the best on After the Earthquake, which continually builds with guitars throughout the song, gets to the slow and quiet bridge, and then absolutely explodes with emotion on the return of the chorus with the guitars and vocal delivery from Molly. The indie group has grown to be one of my favorites of the past decade and I hope they continue this shoegaze route in the future.

#10: Daniel Rossen - You Belong There

Daniel Rossen’s venture into solo work after being a driving force in Grizzly Bear shows that he can do it on his own as well. As you play the album for the first time, you will immediately recognize his voice. However instead of the instantly catchy riffs that Grizzly Bear is known for, Rossen opts for more off kilter riffs along with a chamber background, allowing for Rossen’s vocals to be the focal point of the record. These vocals along with the guitar propelling them help create a very grand and atmospheric sense that makes you feel like you are traveling through a wild forest. I’m excited to see what Rossen has in store for his next record.

#9: Conway the Machine - God Don’t Make Mistakes

Griselda has been on a roll this year, with great releases from Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, and Rome Streetz, but Conway’s release this year is perhaps the best that the Griselda crew has ever released. God Don’t Make Mistakes has that trademark Griselda sound, where the driving beats behind each of the tracks are cold, filled with piano or vocal samples that make room for Conway to shine. However what sets this apart from other Griselda projects are the raw, unadulterated lyrics that Conway provides to us about his life. The best example of this is with Stressed, where he raps about depression, alcoholism and losing his newborn son, all of which are heartbreaking to hear and paint a picture that his life is not just glory like most would think. Conway shows on this project that he is multi-faceted and this is a must listen for any hardcore hip hop fans.

#8: Alex G - God Save the Animals

Alex G’s latest record is another notch in the belt for the singer/songwriter and now marks over a decade in the indie rock space. God Save the Animals has some of the normal traits that we have come to expect from Alex G, with the patented manipulation of vocals and folksy roots, but also adds some new elements to some of the tracks throughout the LP. One great example of this is on Blessing, where Alex G employs sinister and whispery vocals along with a heavy synth guitar to make for a nocturnal experience that I haven’t heard from Alex before. Another example of this is on the critically acclaimed single Runner where Alex’s vocal scream at the climax of the track is a cathartic moment to listen to. The emotions that had built from the first minute and a half of the song were all released at one moment and is one of the most satisfying of the year because of the rawness that Alex presents within the song. These new elements may not tip the scale for some people to like Alex G if they didn’t like him before, but as a long time fan this album did not disappoint.

#7: Billy Woods - Aethiopes

Billy Woods is the king of underground rap currently, running Armand Hammer with aforementioned partner in crime ELUCID, along with the solo work that he has put out for the decade. Much like ELUCID, he has entrancing beats that he raps over, but his rapping ability in the underground space is next level and he shows it on this record. At the end of the penultimate song Remorseless, Woods raps “Spare me the Hallmark Karl Marx, I was in the Dollar Tree break-room playing with quarters stop loss posters on the wall, brick and mortar,” showing that he doesn’t want to hear about class struggle from yet another person, as he has already knows about the struggle working in retail before. Another brilliant example of his pen game is on the second track No Hard Feelings, where Billy Woods uses parallels between himself and a crack addict in his building. Throughout the song, he shows that he and the crack addict aren’t that different, harboring past traumas, however he is just in a different place in terms of health and wealth. This is what Billy is trying to say to himself, repeating the line No Hard Feelings throughout the track, but may indicate that Billy himself is trying to repress those feelings to try to not think about the real situation at hand as much as possible. These are just a few examples of Billy’s pen game, and show why he has deservedly been on the throne of the underground rap world for so long.

#6: Ghais Guevara - There Will Be No Super-Slave

Ghais Guevara’s newest LP is amongst the most creative this year, with a distinct flair and sample usage that makes me excited for the looming zoomer takeover in the hip hop realm. The first track on the album is a perfect intro to what would be displayed on the album, with various samples, including various famous internet clips, Spongebob, and a rendition of the national anthem. The album then proceeds into multiple lanes of hip hop, including drill and hardcore hip hop, typically with backing chipmunk soul vocals and has Ghais spitting bars after bars on top of these multi-layered beats. If this album is a sign of what is to come in the underground hip hop world, then I very much hope this sound that Ghais has established continues.

#5: Black Midi - Hellfire

Black Midi have proven with their first two albums that they are one of the best rock acts working today, and this latest effort from the group shows that they are still in top form. This LP has the top notch, off kilter instrumentation that we are used to, combined with possibly the best songwriting that Black Midi has had so far. The improved songwriting shows up most clearly on Eat Men Eat, which details a story of a captain of a ship that has given 2 of the crew members who are dating each other heartburn to then harvest blood from their stomach and turn it into wine. These two men are then able to escape from the ship and blow it up. It’s a wild and gripping story, that along with the chaotic instrumentation and apt vocals from Cameron Picton provide for one of the best listening experiences of the year. Other tracks on the album like Welcome to Hell and Sugar/Tzu show similar writing chops and continued expertise in instrumentation, proving that they may just be the best band working today and are on track for becoming the best band of the 2020s.

#4: Jockstrap - I Love You Jennifer B

Jockstrap’s debut album is one of the most exciting debut releases in years and is one of the most original as well. Although you can definitely classify what the duo does as pop, the structures and elements throughout the album are experimental and push the boundaries of traditional pop. The most experimental cut on the album Jennifer B is a great display of how the duo pushes these boundaries. The first minute of the cut has a driving synth riff that leads into a variety of what seems like random percussive elements, then into high pitch corrected vocals and shifts into another set of background vocals where Georgia finally takes over with the spotlight on her vocals. This is only within the first minute of the track and there is so much to try to digest in that short period of time because of the brilliant production and mixing from Taylor Skye. The entire album succeeds to the extent that it does because of these two things: production and vocals. The production is dynamic and interesting, while also giving room for Georgia’s very chamberesque vocals to take the spotlight when necessary. This album makes me very excited to see what’s in store for the next LP they make because what they’ve shown is so unique and fun that I’m just craving for more to listen to.

#3: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Omnium Gatherum

Omnium Gatherum is the modern day noisy version of the White Album. It’s an 80 minute long hodge-podge of genres, ranging from the standard noise and psychedelic rock that we are used to hearing from Gizzard, to their first ventures into hip hop with all of these ventures ranging from pretty good to great. The instrumentals across the album are top notch as always, with special nods to Predator X and Gaia for having some of the best metal sounds I’ve heard in years from a modern band. Kepler-22b and Magenta Mountain act as some nice psychedelic pop cuts on the record, helping keep the tone light in between the more noisy cuts. The Dripping Tap is the ambitious, long-winded acid rock opener that taps into multiple elements of the classic Gizzard sound, including the noisy guitars and soft vocals. Omnium acts as a testament to the mastery of King Gizzard’s craft and should cement them if they haven’t already as one of the greatest contemporary bands.

#2: Black Country, New Road - Ants from Up There

Black Country, New Road is one of the most exciting rock outfits to come out of 2021 with their raw debut release, but their latest release is perhaps the most meticulously executed album of the year. What makes this album meticulous is the classical approach that the band has for indie/art rock with hints of other genres like post-rock and chamber pop. This approach is clear right from the opening track Chaos Space Marine, which features controlled instrumentation from the entire band. Control doesn’t mean that there aren’t moments of catharsis though, as the closing track Basketball Shoes shows. Throughout the track, there is a 10 minute build of post-rocky instrumentation with lyrics about Isaac’s declining mental health, small talk, Charli XCX and a departing message to fans from Isaac. All of this builds to the last two minutes that highlight this moment of catharsis, where the horns, guitars, drums, piano, and backing vocals are all pumped to the max. Ants From Up There is one of the most ambitious albums of the year and succeeds in almost every aspect, making it easy to see why all the indieheads are raving over it.

#1: Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain in You

If Omnium Gatherum is the noisy version of the White Album, then Big Thief’s latest release is the folksy, americana version of it. Dragon explores all sorts of genres, from folk that we’ve come to expect from the band, to psychedelia, country, and sprinkles of trip hop. The folksy roots in Red Moon, country prowess on Spud Infinity, and the psychedelic Time Escaping shows the expertise that Big Thief has in these respective genres. However what ties all of these together is the sense of discovery, which is multifaceted and is filled with many different feelings, including melancholy, joy, and bittersweet endings. Cuts like Spud Infinity and Red Moon highlight the joys of discovery, evoking the feeling of being around a campfire just jamming away with friends you’ve known for years. Cuts like Changes gear the listener to embrace the unknown, despite the bitterness that it may bring to your life initially as it could result in something positive in the end. These different feelings should be embraced with the sense of discovery, and is something that I have tried to embrace with the changes in my own life. Putting this album on while traveling to move from Salt Lake to Seattle was one of the best listening experiences that I’ve ever had. It’s a testament to the work that Big Thief has put into this album that this tracks in at 80 minutes, yet every track has its own worth working towards the discovery theme. This album shows that Big Thief are the best working folk act today and should be revered as one of the best folk acts of all time.