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2022 has been an incredible year for music. Choosing just 10 albums out of a shortlisted 28 (yes, TWENTY EIGHT.) was insanely hard to do, but I got there after days of debate and deliberation. And here they are:
10: Death Cab for Cutie – Asphalt Meadows
Even though Asphalt Meadows is the Washington quintet’s 10th studio album, Death Cab for Cutie still sounds so young and vibrant, just like on their breakthrough record Transatlanticism 19 years ago. The album was mostly written and created during the first Covid lockdowns, so ideas would be sent back and forth between the 5 members, allowing everyone to splash in whatever creative inputs they desired, which is definitely more notable to the listener on here than on their equally-as-amazing previous album Thank You For Today. Ben Gibbard’s goth rock-infused guitar lines, dreamy vocals, and smart lyricism are basically a Death Cab trademark at this point, and it is definitely not lost on this album – the single ‘Here to Forever’ is a definite highlight, and is easily one of their greatest songs yet.
LISTEN TO: Here to Forever, Asphalt Meadows, I Miss Strangers
9: Rosalía – Motomami
Motomami, in short, is an incredibly unique record – the main reason I love this album as much as I do is purely down to the fact that I’ve never heard an album quite like it before. And if you’ve heard something similar to it, no, you really haven’t. Combining alternative reggaeton with flamenco, and experimental pop with avant-garde, the result is a record of pure unpredictability, as you’re never quite sure where it’s going to go next, and you don’t know what you’re going to hear next too. With the 16 tracks clocking in at just under 45 minutes in total, Motomami is an album that pulls the listener straight in right from the get-go, and refuses to loosen their grip or even give them a minute to breathe. It’s exciting. It’s exhilarating. It’s thrilling. And these reasons alone have made Rosalía a strong force to be reckoned with, and one to watch in the years to come.
LISTEN TO: BIZCOCHITO, COMO UN G, SAOKO
8: Armor for Sleep – The Rain Museum
This album was technically 17 years in the making. Just let that sink in for a moment. And yet, even though it’s been extensively delayed due to the band splitting up back in 2009, it still sounds like the classic Armor for Sleep that their fans all know and love. The Rain Museum is a wonderfully illustrated and well-thought-out concept album about a post-apocalyptic world where weather is now non-existent, and any fragments or relics of the years before civilisation crumbled are kept in a museum for all to see – and this plot has been put down into musical form flawlessly. The record has its fair share of bangers, one of them being the absolutely anthemic See You on the Other Side, which contains one of the best choruses I’ve heard this year. If you want to read more of what I thought, you can read my review here.
LISTEN TO: See You on the Other Side, World Burn Down, Rather Drown
7: Pinegrove – 11:11
Pinegrove are a band that never fails to impress me – the New Jersey group is beloved by a cult following of fans, but yet are hugely underrated at the same time, if that’s even remotely possible. On their 5th album 11:11, they continue on with their iconic and beautiful indie emo/alt-country stylings – this time with lyricism reflecting on the past 2 years of the Covid pandemic, the beauty and destruction of nature, and the personal issues that everyone struggles with on a day to day basis. Mixed with the help of Chris Walla from Death Cab for Cutie, it’s an Americana record that is sonically and aesthetically pleasing to the ear, and is easily one of their best albums yet. It’s an especially fantastic record because it will likely bring in fans of indie bands like Death Cab and Wilco, as well as fans of folk/country bands like Big Thief and Purple Mountains – it’s that musically diverse!
LISTEN TO: Alaska, Orange, Respirate
6: The 1975 – Being Funny in a Foreign Language
The 1975 are essentially the music equivalent of Marmite at this point – you either love them or you hate them, there is no real in-between. Whatever you think about them, you can’t deny that they’re an exciting act and you never can be sure just what will happen next with them. On their 5th album, Matty and co. continue to perfectly blend together 80s synthpop with 00s indie pop in a way that would make acts like Scritti Politti and China Crisis kick themselves and wish that they had written them 35 years ago. And while this isn’t my favourite album of the year, my favourite lyric of the year is from lead single Part of the Band, where Matty sings “I like my men like I like my coffee / Full of soy milk and so sweet, it won’t offend anybody” – one of the best Healy-isms yet, if you can call it that.
LISTEN TO: About You, Looking for Somebody (To Love), I’m In Love with You
5: Sigrid – How to Let Go
After an artist makes a truly groundbreaking and amazing debut album, it’s often impossible to top it, but somehow Sigrid did just that. How to Let Go is probably the most exciting sophomore record I’ve ever heard – she properly enlists the use of her backing band (simply dubbed Sigrid’s band) to involve a more pop rock/alt-rock styling, whilst simultaneously staying true to her club-ready dance-pop roots. The songs on this effort, which lyrically base themselves around heartbreak, growth, self-acceptance, and more, show a much more mature side to the Norweigan singer than shown on her equally as impressive debut Sucker Punch from 2019. It’s a side of her that isn’t afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve and confess what’s on her mind to the listener, and that’s what’s sorely needed in pop music nowadays. Sigrid is only 9 years into her musical career, and so far every shot she’s taken at achieving greatness hasn’t missed the bullseye just yet.
LISTEN TO: A Driver Saved My Night, It Gets Dark, Last to Know
4: Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – Topical Dancer
Their first collaborative album on the Deewee label, experimental Belgian musicians Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul have created the best electronic dance album of not only the year but of the past 5 or so years at least. From the very first track Bel Deewee to the very last track Thank You, the duo takes the listener on a weird and wonderful journey through the world of experimental dance music, and it makes for an impressive and intriguing listen. Whether they’re singing in English, Dutch, French, or even Creole, the pair always find new ways to astound me on this record with every listen I take. You’ll want to dance along to Ceci n’est pas un cliché, you’ll want to make sure Charlotte’s ok on HAHA, and you’ll want to fall deeper in the trance-like setting of Making Sense Stop. And if an album can achieve all of these things and more, you know you’ve found a great one.
LISTEN TO: Ceci n’est pas un cliché, Ich Mwen, Esperanto
3: Placebo – Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go is Placebo’s first studio album in 9 years, and it’s safe to say that it’s a very warm and exciting welcome back from Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal. This is the first album the band have recorded as a duo, and it leaves you thinking that there was technically no need for any other members in the first place, as they seem to have perfected things by themselves mix-wise and instrumentally speaking. Songs like Try Better Next Time, Chemtrails, and Beautiful James sound like they were practically written with stadiums in mind due to their infectiously catchy choruses, danceable rhythms, and anthemic riffs. And having seen the group play a selection of songs from this album live back in May when they supported My Chemical Romance, I can confirm that they sound equally as exhilarating in a stadium as they do on your speakers.
LISTEN TO: Try Better Next Time, Surrounded by Spies, Sad White Reggae
2: Nnamdï – Please Have a Seat
I discovered Nnamdi Ogbonnaya purely by random chance when I was off work sick with Covid earlier this year, and I’m so glad that it happened. After bingeing his 4th album Brat for literal months straight, Nnamdï released its follow up Please Have a Seat in October – an album that is full to the brim with musical perfection, which sees many musical styles and subgenres colliding with each other; from avant pop to math rock, from hip hop to emo, and so much more! Tracks like Anxious Eater and Smart Ass are somewhat reminiscent of acts such as JPEGmafia and Tyler, The Creator due to his impressive experimental take on hip hop, and it’s hard to not love Nnamdï’s absolutely amazing vocal range, as his harmonies are, in just one word, dreamy. And, quite frankly, if the lead single I Don’t Wanna Be Famous doesn’t get you bobbing your head and/or tapping your feet to the rhythm, then what the fuck will?
LISTEN TO: I Don’t Wanna Be Famous, Anxious Eater, Touchdown
1: Black Country, New Road – Ants from Up There
Simply put, Ants from Up There is a modern-day masterpiece. Released just one day shy of a full year after their debut album For the First Time, the Cambridge-based ensemble tone down their manic mechanics and settle into a record that combines their much-loved art rock styling with a more calmer chamber pop sound. It’s clear to hear that the band really paid attention to making sure that every dynamic, every sequence, every lyric, and every change of chords were laid down perfectly. It’s both incredibly emotional and humourous in its lyricism, as we get lyrics like “please know that I’m just trying to find some way to keep me on your mind” alongside lyrics like “don’t eat your toast in my bed”. 5 days before the album’s release, vocalist and guitarist Isaac Wood sadly left the band – and though the departure was unexpected and melancholic, what he left behind is nothing short of a career-defining and sure-to-be-iconic record that will be loved again and again for many years to come.
LISTEN TO: Good Will Hunting, The Place Where He Inserted the Blade, Snow Globes
Honourable mentions
Yard Act – The Overload
Celeste – Assassine(s)
Lostalone – The Warring Twenties
Black Midi – Hellfire
Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
Joe Richardson
