#top albums of 2023 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

moorearoundtheworld · 2 months ago

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Top Albums of 2023

Look at this, its my latest list ever, but better late than never right?!

2023 was definitely the musical year of the sad girl for me, this will come as no surprise to those of you who have followed the list before, but they seem to have amassed in a way this year that had not previously been as dominant. That's not to say that there aren’t some really fun albums on here, and as discussed in my radio appearance last summer sad boy/sad girl/sad they/them music doesn't all have to sound sad right off, but the underlying themes for many artists in today's social media era is that they struggle with self image, understanding fame, relationships, ect.

That brings me to my other consummate theme, honesty. For me musicians that present something of themselves in their art just brings things to another level. While I like a good sing along anthem as much as the next guy, if you're gonna make an album that makes it into the top 10 of my yearly list, you have to have something to say (or just be purely infectious for no apparent reason). One theme that is finally missing from the list is pandemic albums, there's still a stray song about how our world turned upside down a few years back but it seems most bands are ready to move on to the next chapter of their creative careers, and I definitely think that is a good thing.

For those of you who are new to the list, a quick synopsis of how I go about this, first of all an “album” in my definition is something over 6 tracks and 30 minutes long, there are a lot of EPs and LPs and singles out there that are a ton of fun, but I still support musicians putting together a collection of music in a specific order that has meaning beyond the playlistification of our modern music scene (yes I will be encouraging you to listen to a playlist below and the irony is not lost on me). I take all the albums I listened to in the past year and put them in one big playlist sometime around October/November and listen to them all as much as I can to try and rank them (see below for this monster playlist). Then I write a little blurb about each and I pick one track from the album as the “Top Track.” Those go into another playlist with a mix of songs that also came out last year but didn’t make it onto an album to make my Top 100 Tracks of 2023 which is a great place to start if you are looking for some new music or curious about my musical wonderings for the year but can’t be bothered to read a whole article about them. And...without further adieu, onto the list, enjoy!

Top 100 Tracks of 2023

Top Albums In Total Playlist

60. Hozier-Unreal Unearth

It's hard to believe that Unreal Unearth is only Hozier’s third studio album, after the mega-success he endured on his album in 2015, he has delved into more of his Irish roots here while sticking with the similar sound listeners have come to know and love.

Top Track: Damage Gets Done (Feat. Brandi Carlile)

59. Murder By Death-As We Wish

This short but fun cover album from the Indiana Folk-rockers features a TLC cover, an Elliot Smith Waltz, and a cover of Highwayman. Though a diversion from their typical musical stylings their versions of these songs are oddly infectious.

Top Track: Waltz #2

58. HARBOUR-To Chase My Dreams, or to Just Lie Down?

The fourth full length release from Cincinnati native HARBOUR features their trademark high energy indie rock capped off by lead singer Ryan Grant’s powerful head voice vocals. This album is a fun ride that signifies that they are in fact not lying down any time soon.

Top Track: I Can’t Stand It

57. Hannah Jadaju-Aperture

This year's first sad girl on the list, Jadaju’s first full length release is a bit more polished than her acclaimed 2021 EP recorded entirely on her iPhone 7. The increased production value helps the listener focus on her skilled vocals and allows her to play a bit more with bigger sounds. Much of the album remains relatively spare with simple guitar lines and drum machines as on her previous releases but the added range of sounds lets her play a bit more with the structure and feature her production prowess.

Top Track: Say It Now

56. Matt Wertz-Recently

Matt Wertz is Married could be a secondary title for his eighty full length release and first since his late 2020 nuptials. Though his musical style remains a similar mix of gentle vocals over plucked guitars, the content has definitely shifted away from searching for love and toward appreciating it.

Top Track:Recently

55. John Mark McMillan-DEEP MAGIC

Contemporary Christian Alt-Pop McMillan dazzles with his wobbly baritone and unique and honest lyrical style that invites in fans of slightly odd musical stylings across all genres. And just when you think this is just another alt pop album the Saxophone intro hits on Atlanta and it takes a fun turn as he sings to his wife.

Top Track: Deep Magic

54. BAILEN-Tired Hearts

The NYC based Indie-folk sibling trio’s second studio release is packed with haunting triple harmonies that can only come from a literal lifetime of singing with each other. Wrap that in a package of deep bass lines, string arrangements and synth lines and you get a soft yet striking mix of talents.

Top Track: Nothing Left to Give

53. Garrett Kato-Nighthawks

The Canadian born Aussie livin producer is starting to make a name for himself as an artist sharing his inner-monologues in a 6 song EP that speaks of god things to come from the singer-songwriter.

Top Track: Losing Touch

52. Handsome Ghost-Handsome Ghost

The self-titled third full length from the Boston based indie-folk duo is full of half whispered vocals over buzzy but quiet electric guitar riffs and piano lines and semi jazz styled drums. Definitely verging into the sad boy range, but there is enough going on that you don’t get lost in the sadness.

Top Track: Neptune

51. Timecop1983-Searching For Tomorrow

The latest release from retrocore/synthwave electronic musician Timecop1983 features more instrumental tracks and less Josh Daily vocals, which for someone who is so interested in the human element in music, I was surprised I didn't miss the vocals more. He still adds an important element to break up the synth heavy tracks, but the curated 80s vibes definitely overpower everything else.

Top Track: The Chase

50. Ed Tutlett, Lowswimmer-Lack Thereof

The prolific English singer-songwriter, better known for his collaborative projects like Novo Amor and Hailaker, put out two solo albums this year, this is the more stripped down one featuring just Ed’s voice and an acoustic guitar. His signature metronomic vocals are highlighted by the spareness of the guitar accompaniment creating a haunting and introspective invention that is more spare than anything he has done to this point.

Top Track: Lack Thereof

49. Kylie Minogue-Tension

Four decades in and showing no signs of slowing down, she had the dance hit of the summer in “Padam Padam” and a whole album that really holds up on today's electro-pop scene in a way that feels like she is the fountain of youth.

Top Track: Padam Padam

48. Fenne Lily-Big Picture

The third studio release from british folk singer-songwriter Lily is a summation of her solitary existence in Bristol fleshed out by herself and her touring band in a North Carolina studio. You can imagine how tracks like “Lights Light Up'' went from spare explorations to a little more fun with playful guitar lines and upbeat snare lines. Lily’s impact drips on every track though through her dark alto vocals with folky overtones ever present.

Top Track: Pick

47. The Chainsmokers-Summertime Friends

With their fifth full length Alex and Drew (sounds cooler if you just call them The Chainsmokers) deliver more of what you love from them, big, bold, dance-pop hits meant to be played loud on big speakers. They squeeze plenty of power into just 8 tracks here with help from the likes of ILLENIUM and Nicky Jam and somehow with fewer tracks cover more musical ground than some of their previous releases.

Top Track: Think Of Us

46. Josh Gauton-Slow Resistance

Canterbury, UK native Gauton is a classically trained musician turned alt-folk wonderer. His sophomore release features songs of searching and some finding clearly influenced by this post pandemic world we live in and his faith. Josh frames his thoughtful lyrics with progressive layered guitar lines, simple piano plucking and a few hand claps and lets it all build to the big and bold “Love In the Time of Madness.”

Top Track-Love In the Time of Madness

45. Gregory Alan Isakov-Appalosa Bones

South Africa born Colorado livin Isakov has become one of the darlings of the Indie-folk scene in the last few years. His latest release verges into a slightly darker tone overall exploring more of his low range vocals but with maintaining much of the spare, romantic, and poetic nature to his song structure that his fans have come to love.

Top Track: Sweet Heat Lightning

44. Sufjan Stevens-Reflections

Early last year Sufjan put out another of his all piano outlets “Reflections,” I can only imagine that he uses these as a creative outlet for the parts of himself that he doesn’t feel like he can put in his studio albums, and also to flex a bit on us mortals who can barely play one instrument. Don’t worry, he’s still my favorite and has another album featuring further up the list.

Top Track: Reflexion

43. Birdy-Portraits

The British indie-pop sad girl has fully shed her skin and moved away from the brilliant covers that dominated her early career into a full fledged album of original music that feels entirely her own. She has mastered the energy and power of her operatic vocals and to present a big and dark sound on her fifth studio album.

Top Track: Ruins II

42. Echosmith-Echosmith

Chico, California native sibling trio Echosmith put out their third studio release is a fun pop junt through their now well established career, sister Sydney’s vocals clearly define the band these days though their bouncy bass style is clearly featured as well. Most of all I have to shout out the vocal break where they discuss their favorite gelato flavors, whats not to like there? Top Track: Sour

41. Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway-City of Gold

Her second release in a row to top the US Bluegrass charts clearly the combination with Golden Highway has Tuttle meeting the hype that has followed her career to this point. City of Gold pulls no punches and is one of the most fun bluegrass albums you are gonna listen to, Tuttle can hold her own as one of the best bluegrass guitarists out there, but filling things out with the backing band leads to a bigger sound that puts even more strength behind her creations.

Top Track: Next Rodeo

40. PVRIS-EVERGREEN

Power Pop sad girl Lynn Gunn returns with her fourth album front-lining the Boston based rockers PVRIS. Depending on where you look Gunn is either a solo act at this point or still has help from bassist Brian McDonald on writing and recording, but either way she is the driving force of this dark and forceful album that bridges electro pop and hard rock.

Top Track: I DON’T WANNA DO THIS ANYMORE

39. Bruno Major-Colombo

Major is a modern day crooner with swoony intimate tracks that feel like your sitting across the table from him just listening in awe. You can feel the influence of his jazz roots in the depths of the bass lines under his delicate vocals and spare guitar and piano lines, a true songsmith in his own words.

Top Track: Trajectories

38. JFDR-Museum

Icelandic electro-folk artist and another skilled sad girl, Jófríður Ákadóttir’s (I had to copy and past that cause there's no chance I could get all the accents right) third full length solo effort is a rollercoaster ride of ethereal electronics mixed with her haunting layered vocals that don’t always go where you think they should keeping you slightly on edge even though the music itself is soft and gentle, it is a very curious and enjoyable juxtaposition.

Top Track: The Orchid

37. Wye Oak-Every Day Like the Last

This is a compilation album that combines the past few years of singles the Durham, NC indie folk duo put out and the nine tracks that feature here give us the best of the range that Wye Oak can show while clearly displaying sonic exploration. It is a big sound for just two people to manage but Jenn Wasner’s lead vocals reign over the host of instruments they command through mixed time signatures and pacing that leads to a unique but comforting style.

Top Track: Fortune

36. Gus Dapperton-Henge

This album was probably the biggest climber on my re-listen playlist, initially it felt a little overproduced but after spending more time with it Dapperton’s effortless falsetto and creative electro-pop songwriting is as captivating as his fashion choices, which I of course as a now old man don’t understand, but can appreciate.

Top Track: Midnight Train

35. Husbands-Cuatro

Dreamy surf rock is not necessarily what you would expect from an Oklahoma City based band, but these four (sometimes 5) guys are here to prove you wrong. Their brand of landlocked coastal music has an authentic sound with a bit of a grunge/garage rock edge to it and their enthusiasm for how lucky they feel to make music for a living shines through.

Top Track: Super New China

34. Noah Gundersen-If This Is the End

The latest release from Washington native and prolific singer-songwriter Gundersen comes out of a time of confusion and frustration with his place in the music industry. He used the experiences and emotions of the last few years when he worked more construction jobs than musical ones to write a vulnerable and raw album about finding his way. Lucky for us the industry didn’t break him and he's able to share that music with us.

Top Track: Swim

33. John Vincent III-Songs For The Canyon

Vincent returns with his third full length release and a slightly more refined sound that echos the singer-songwriters of the 70s that he undoubtedly has been influenced by. Not sure if the canyon in reference is Laurel or Joni’s Ladies of the canyon, but either way the sound is similar with his soft, often high pitch lyrics feeling something like a more melodic less poetic Dylan.

Top Track: That's Just How It Is, Babe

32. Boy & Bear-Boy & Bear

With now five albums in a row in the top 10 of the Australian charts Boy & Bear have cemented themselves as a mainstay as the Aussie indie folk scene. If you haven’t heard of them I would liken them to a folksy version of Alt J with Dave Hoskins wobbly vocals melding will with the driving synth and drum lines.

Top Track: Strange World

31. BOYS LIKE GIRLS-SUNDAY AT FOXWOODS

Close your eyes and think back to 2006..The Great Escape is screaming out of your car speakers as a testament to teenage angst and post-pop power punk. In the blink of an eye its 2023 and with their first album in over a decade the Massachusetts natives have survived pandemic canceled tours, losing members, and have emerged into a very different music scene than they started in with an album that echoes their former selves but is smart enough to not try to reproduce it. It is a really fun pop rock record that is mature enough to speak to their old fans and exciting enough to open up to new audiences.

Top Track: NEW LOVE

30. ILLENIUM-ILLENIUM

The fifth full length album from Denver based DJ ILLENIUM, aka Nicholas Daniel Miller, doesn’t stray too far from what fans have come to expect, big bold multi-genre hits with featuring artists varying from Avril Lavine to All Time Low. Miller definitely takes some influence from his personal life as a newlywed on tracks like “All That Really Matters” and “With All My Heart” but covers the tougher parts of life plenty over 16 tracks. He has definitely secured a spot as one of the most successful producers and DJs on the scene today.

Top Track: Other Side

29. Caroline Polachek-Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

With her second full length studio solo album Polachek has fully shed her Chairlift skin and metamorphosed into an outsized version of herself as an artist. Her version of unapologetic female alt pop is as entertaining as it is curious at times and seeing her live at Kilby Court BP this year was an experience for sure. It really feels like she is just getting started on her solo musical journey which is fun to think about since she is exactly one day older than me, there's still more fun to come!

Top Track: Billions

28. Bombay Bicycle Club-My Big Day

These four Londoners have come a long way from winning a contest to open V Fest in 2006, and their sixth studio release marks over a decade and a half as a band. Impressively they have been able to maintain a huge amount of integrity of the sound that attracted people to them from the early days. Their brand of indie rock/folk with a splash of eastern influence is on full display in their latest effort in a way that is really fun on a first listen and contains enough depth that it rewards continuing to stick with it over and again.

Top Track: Just A Little More Time

27. Daughter-Stereo Mind Game

One of the saddest sad girls out there is back after frontwoman Elena Tonra’s solo exploration with their first studio release in 7 years. The London based trio gives us more of their deep, dark, and thoughtful brand of electro-folk with Tonra’s haunting vocals and raw lyrical style framed by swelling string arrangements driving snare lines and various electronic effects that keep you on your toes.

Top Track: Be On Your Way

26. joan-superglue

It's hard to believe that this is the debut album from the Little Rock based pop duo, after releasing singles and LPs for the last 6 or 7 years joan finally brings us a full dose of their light and airy synth pop style that feels like it is nostalgic for 90s and early 2000s pop when things felt so much simpler.

Top Track: feeling like dancing

25. Darlingside-Everything is Alive

When All Songs Considered describes somebody as “exquisitely arranged, literary-minded, baroque folk-pop” it's probably gonna work for me. The Boston based quartet tenth album is a spare collection of dreamy folk tunes with layered harmonic vocals and more instruments that I can count in the mix. Their ability to buck conventional time signatures and still sound like something nostalgic is very engaging and keeps listeners coming back.

Top Track: Eliza I See

24. Fly By Midnight-Fictional Illustrations

These guys just know how to make popular music, it's nothing revolutionary or never heard from before, but the make catchy songs that explore the struggles of relationships underneath driving synth lines and saxophone solos. This is already the 6th full length release from the NY native LA livin duo who feels like they are still pretty new to the scene, notably without any featuring artists this time around showing off their talents as a duo.

Top Track: What If I Wasn’t Done Loving You?

23. Blondeshell-Blondeshell

Blondeshell aka Sabrina is a force, her debut full length (under this moniker) pulls no punches, her brand of indie rock is as loud as it is sad girl. She is unapologetic about the difficulties young women face in today’s world and uses big guitar licks and frank lyrics to get a rise out of those that may disagree with her. Overall the 9 track ride is really fun with some tongue in cheek style remarks and big dark sound that still hits the high notes.

Top Track: Salad

22. Chelsea Cutler-Stellaria

The third full length release from Connecticut's own happy sounding sad girl is an exploration of her difficulties navigating life and relationships as a now 20 something in a post pandemic world, and I would say she's doing alright at it. Her gentle soprano vocals juxtaposed with her starkly honest lyrics like “I’m undressing for my lover and hoping she don’t hate all my skin like I do” and “No one hates me more than I do” is an artful contradiction that always gets me.

Top Track: Your Bones

21. Indigo De Souza-All of This Will End

The third full length release from the America-Brazillian Asheville,NC native found the greatest critical and commercial success of her young career. De Souza calls it like she sees it with lyrics that are descriptive and conversational “I can’t believe I let you touch my body” and “..wanna turn my brain off, wanna turn my shame to dust..” Her talk-sing vocal style won’t land with everyone and once you start paying a bit more attention to the lyrics she verges more into sad girl territory, but as you probably know by now that lands with me.

Top Track: The Water

20. Ben Folds-What Matters Most

Ben Folds is back with his first solo album since 2015 and probably the first you've heard of him since around 2005. I think it is fair to call this his “post fame” album or at least I think that is a story he is trying to tell. The album is full of classic Ben Folds prose and beautiful piano driven songs that span across genres from the alt-indie “Exhausting Lover” to the old-timey intro of “Paddleboat Breakup” Ben gives us a window into his life telling stories as only he can do, and it doesn’t sound too bad. Even with his retrospective “Back To Anonymous” that sounds a little low in tone but in reality represents a positive turn into a quieter life where he can do more of the things that he enjoys, and good for him.

Top Track: Winslow Gardens

19. The Band CAMINO-The Dark

The second full length release from the Memphis based pop-rock trio is another absolute banger, it feels a little more mature in that they stay in a slightly smaller lane trending to a slight reggae feel in the blend and letting their two distinct vocalists balance each other more effectively. The subject matter still falls into the classic pop rock tropes of women and relationships gone wrong but they manage to make old themes feel fun and new.

Top Track: Afraid of the Dark

18. Glen Hansard-All That Was East is West of Me Now

Well I guess you could call this Glen’s fifth full length solo release but that doesn’t even begin to capture the depth of what is a prolific career for someone who absolutely has to be in the conversation for one of the best Irish musicians ever. If you have followed Hansard’s career at all you will know that it has been fueled by the heights and depths of fame and passion for the world around him. At 51 years of age Glen became a father for the first time in 2022 and while being happily married with a son certainly changes a man you will still find plenty of his grit and heard spilled over harsh acoustic guitar strumming. Oh and for those keeping score, I saw them perform live together this past summer and he is definitely still in love with Marketa.

Top Track: Bearing Witness

17. The National-The First Two Pages of Frankenstien

My second favorite band gave me two albums this year, this was the first that came out in April and features the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift, three of the most influential pop artists in the world. But the real victory here is that these mega stars featuring on their songs in no way overshadows their work, Matt Berniger’s lead vocals still manage to sound like a letter from an old friend framed perfectly by Dessner and the Devendorfs instruments. Well come back to these guys in a minute.

Top Track: Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)

16. Killer Mike-MICHAEL

Atlanta’s own and every rapper’s favorite rapper Michael Render feels like he is finally getting the recognition he deserves. With the success of Run The Jewels, Mike’s first solo album in a decade was critically acclaimed and found commercial success. Mike’s artistry speaks for itself, his flow is second to none, the production and managing so many featuring artists is incredible, but the biggest thing is how much you can tell he puts into his music. His activism is a huge part of his personality and he channels this desire for a better world, especially for Black Men in America, into powerful tracks that genuinely feel like they are making a difference.

Top Track: MOTHERLESS

15. Gatlin-I Sleep Fine Now

Ok, and now back to the sad girls with Florida native Gatlin Thorton who put out a 7 track LP full of happy sad songs baring her life on our speakers for communal catharsis in the Taylor Swift mold. Gatlin exists in the more delicate singer/songwriter mode but plays up with some synth backing on a few tracks, overall her quietly powerful layered vocals combined with almost too honest honesty are a very enjoyable combination.

Top Track: When You’re Breaking My Heart

14. Abby Holliday-I’M OK NO I’M NOT

The second 7 track album in a row and second of sad girl Abby Holliday’s young career is showing a lot of wisdom and promise for a 20 something year old. Holliday’s production of songs that build and grow and then drop out at a moment’s notice are mini-masterpieces that capture her emotions and lay them bare for us all. They get a little over produced at moments and can be a bit hard to access for some I’m sure, but she definitely checks some of the right musical boxes for me.

Top Track: Ohio Laundry Room

13. Midnight Kids-The Long Way Home

Pop-retro core duo Midnight Kids are a group that I really don’t know much about but their light and airy electro-synth pop was a really fun discovery late last year. They write anthems for the kids who aren’t afraid to stay up all night for a good time and they use heavy bass and snare beats with driving synth lines to make you feel like you wanna stay up with them.

Top Track: Your Way

12. Hayden Calnin-The Turning of The Tide Side A and B

Australia's Calnin put out two EPs that I’m smuggling into one album for the purposes of the list here. Hayden’s music is gentle and mystical and feels like you're lying face up in the ocean looking at the stars as the waves slowly wash you back to shore. I really appreciate his restraint and ability to make his songs spare enough that you feel each element individually, he clearly has the talent to make bigger and bolder songs, but he holds back and slowly builds an atmosphere around his songs that in some ways makes them more impactful.

Top Track: Gravity Find Us & Bring Us In

11. Nightly-wear your heart out

Nashville based Alt Pop trio Nightly are back with their sophomore album, and it is definitely a diversion from the sad energy that often drives my listening. Their tenor vocals and beachy electric guitar vibes mixed in with some light synth lines makes for a really fun pop rock with typical themes about girls and one about being boys.

Top Track: the feeling

10. boygenius-the record

The first full length album from sad girl supergroup, the boys, aka Phoebe Bridger, Julian Baker, and Lucy Dacus, took the alt pop world by force this year winning 3 grammys on 6 nominations. It makes sense for three women who have ascending solo careers, but rarely is such a combination this much greater than the sum of its parts. The coolest part about the whole boygenius experience is just how much fun the three of them are clearly having playing together, I didn’t go see them live but the media coming out of the tour and what I heard from folks who did sounded like a pretty amazing experience.

Top Track: Not Strong Enough

9. Ben Howard-Is It?

The fifth album from fellow former Devonian Howard retains the slightly odd musing elements we are accustomed to with him but with a lot more continuity than previous albums. He recorded this all over the course of 10 days at a Chateau in France and uses the songs to explore his experience with a medical event the year prior that affected his speech and memory, scary thing for anyone but particularly pointed for a performer as nuanced as Ben. Lucky for us he appears to be doing well and channeled his talents into a thoughtful and thought provoking indie album.

Top Track: Life In The Time

8. Del Water Gap-I Miss You Already + I Haven't Left Yet

The sophomore release from the solo project of Brooklyn based artist S. Holden Jaffe stands as a principle example of a modern pop album. Jaffe lays his personal life bare for us in an even more raw expression than Taylor could ever claim. His high tenor vocals are as piercing as his honestly as he works through his struggles with depression and substance abuse and of course failed relationships with no line more stinging than “...she says I think your music got worse, since you went fully sober, at least now you won’t kill yourself…” Heres to using art to express your feelings and not letting them devour you.

Top Track: Beach House

7. The National-Laugh Track

This is supposedly the “left over” tracks that these guys surprise released at the end of the year off the back of The First Two Pages of Frankenstein, I don’t know exactly what it says about me in particular but these leftover tracks hit more for me than the real album! It helps that Bon Iver and Phoebe Bridgers are still hanging out here and that the Bon Iver track is the best on both albums in my opinion. Out of the two this album is a but more reserved and quite, but still with the poetic substance of the sad dad energy we expect from these guys.

Top Track: Weird Goodbyes (feat. Bon Iver)

6. Sufjan Stevens-Javelin

Through career that has now spanned over 20 years and taken many twists and turns musically, Sufjan has consistently been my favorite artist of my lifetime. His latest effort is no different, an emotional gut wrenching at times examination of his life and the life of his late partner framed as only he can. It starts with a goodbye that is gentle at first but then builds in Age of Adz format into a big electro refrain. Most tracks on this album stay more spare with reverence to the topic until the crescendo on the 8 minute second to last track masterfully crafted to not feel like a mega song but more of a journey, much like the album itself.

Top Track: Will Anybody Ever Love Me?

5. Josiah and the Bonnevilles-Endurance

One of the most successful American Idol contestants that you didn’t know was on American Idol, Tennessee native Josiah Leming still has plenty of stories to tell. Depending on how you count this is his 9th or 12th album and 4th in the past three years following up a really fun cover album earlier in the year. Leming’s blend of folk, bluegrass, and country provides depth to a genre of music that some can suggest lacks it, his effortless poetry blending with his acoustic guitar and harmonica prowess to produce a fun and beautiful blend of country folk.

Top Track: Burn

4. Eighty Ninety-Bowery Beach Road/Eighty Ninety

Minimalist pop darlings Eighty Ninety put out two albums this year and honestly I’m not sure how to separate them. They are both compilation albums of sorts with songs that they have had out for a few years and a couple of new tracks. Luckily the confusion of what is going on doesnt detract from the artistry that these two brothers put together mostly centered around smalltown heartbreak, their viral hit “Three Thirty” from a few years back is here and its haunting pucky guitar speaks to all the missed connections you’ve had in your life. Bowery Beach features a little more variety in the production and song structure while the self-titled Eighty Ninety has more traditional pop tunes. Together they represent a strong offering in a crowded pop rock duo era, looking forward to hearing more from these guys.

Top Track: Next To Me

3. Petey-USA

Sometimes I baffle myself with the artists peak my interest, Petey is one of those, hes a tik tok star that makes music, and kind of out there music at that, but I don’t know theres just something about the energy that he puts into his music that transcends the lack of melody in some of his songs and represents a “serious” side of him that works as a really fun foil to his comedy career. His songs still have an air of unseriousness surrounding them but below the surface there is still “..if you never showed me bambi, I could breathe instead of panic, I’d provide for a family of six.” He finds a way to approach his mental health without it sounding like a therapy session and definitely finds a distinction from his other life.

Top Track: I’ll Wait (This is probably also my song of the year)

2. The Japanese House-In The End It Always Does

Amber Bain is back with her sophomore album and first post pandemic music and let me say it was worth the wait. A lot has happened in Amber’s life in the past 4 years and she is not afraid to tell us about it. She has multiple songs about the two women in her life, her dog Joni Jones and her girlfriend, she is living her best life and actually recently got engaged and moved to LA, so I’d say things are looking up. Her delicate layered vocals and multi instrumental mastery helps her craft songs that feel entirely her own, she feels a little less androgenous on this album which I think is fitting for the content, but even in all that is going right, sad girls are still gonna sad girl, because In The End It Always Does.

Top Track: Boyhood

1. Holly Humberstone-Paint My Bedroom Black

This one honestly snuck up on me I had Holly on my list last year but apparently that was a compilation album so this counts as her debut album and what a debut it was. This young lady from a middle of nowhere town in England just has a way about her song structure, honestly, and being lonely in hotel rooms that just resonates with some part of me. I think she really solidified things when I was driving around England in October and her Bon Iver with a little more structure just felt like the right soundtrack under somewhat gloomy skies and country lanes. Her strength of autotune production is impressive and combine that with a lot of deep synth lines its just made for me. She has been a featured artist on a bunch of tracks I have heard this year already which is really cool to see the industry at large recognizing her more as a legitimate player.

Top Track: Into Your Room

#Top albums of 2023 #Spotify

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