You know what time of year it is. 2023 dawns on the horizon as we wave our farewells to 2022 in the rearview. This year has been good to us in terms of music; we were blessed with some incredible records and artistic feats, some songs that made us want to dance and others that left us balled up sobbing on the floor, as any good musical year ought to do.
Enough sappy chatter. Let’s jump into the list.
Honorable Mentions & Shoutouts
In alphabetical order by artist.
- Alice Merton – S.I.D.E.S.
- Architects – the classic symptoms of a broken spirit
- Belmont – Aftermath
- The Cactus Blossoms – One Day
- Camp Trash – The Long Way, the Slow Way
- Carlie Hanson – Tough Boy
- Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loneliest Time
- The Del-Vipers – Los Del-Vipers
- Florence + the Machine – Dance Fever
- Hayley Kiyoko – Panorama
- The Heavy Hours – Gardens
- James and the Shame – Human Overboard
- JVKE – this is what ___ feels like
- Kehlani – Blue Water Road
- Lauv – All 4 Nothing
- Lucius – Second Nature
- Maggie Rogers – Surrender
- Metronomy – Small World
- Moonchild – Starfruit
- Perfume Genius – Ugly Season
- Poets of the Fall – Ghostlight
- The Regrettes – Further Joy
- Sea Girls – Homesick
- Sharon van Etten – We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
- Sigrid – How to Let Go
- Silverstein – Misery Made Me
- Thick – Happy Now
- Travie McCoy – Never Slept Better
- Wet Leg – Wet Leg
- The Wombats – Fix Yourself, Not the World
- The Wonder Years – The Hum Goes on Forever
- The Wrecks – Sonder
- The 1975 – Being Funny in a Foreign Language
Best Albums
8. Bastille – Give Me the Future
Leading up to the release of the UK pop band’s fourth studio record, Bastille labeled their first three albums as a “trilogy” of sorts and stated that this new album would be a leap forward for the band. The first single “Distorted Light Beam” was dropped in June of 2021, causing fans to speculate the album would be released that fall. However, behind the scenes, the full LP was leaked by August, if not earlier. Supposedly due to conflicting release schedules with their label, Bastille set the album’s release date for February of 2022. In interviews around the fall season, frontman Dan Smith told outlets that if it were up to him, the album would have already been out.
Despite the botched rollout, Give Me the Future made its entrance in February. Near the end of August 2022, the band released an accompanying counterpart titled Dreams of the Past to make the full Give Me the Future record a double album, which was rather underwhelming—some of the songs were new, but some were simply interludes, covers, or alternate versions of prior tracks. For the sake of our review, we will solely be focusing on Give Me the Future, but certainly grant Dreams of the Past a listen, particularly songs like “Running Away,” “Eight Hours,” and “Family Ties.”
Give Me the Future has its highlights, but it also suffers from delusions of grandeur and a lack of cohesion. The soundscapes created on this album are almost too big for a pop record, thus the production causes some tunes to sound like they’re being squeezed into a tin can. Lyrically, the band is yet again beating the idea of escapism from modernity into the ground as they have done on their past releases. But this time around, they are laying out all kinds of ways to escape from reality, be it dreaming, entering virtual reality, skipping town like Thelma and Louise, shutting off the lights with a lover, or literally just dying so you no longer have to experience pain.
The strange anomalies on this album include the spoken word interlude “Promises” delivered by Riz Ahmed and the band’s first feature on an album in the form of BIM on the closing track “Future Holds.” (The band collaborated with Graham Coxon and Kenny Beats on their 2020 EP Goosebumps as well as numerous artists throughout their Other People’s Heartache mixtape series, but they never displayed a featured artist on a proper album.) Unfortunately, “Promises” is rather off-putting with lines like “Those that came before us suffered more, so is it so bad? / They carried us as hope inside their ovaries and gonads.” And put plainly, “Future Holds” does BIM dirty by piling on so many effects to her vocals that her true operatic talent doesn’t shine through.
Songs like “Plug In…” and “Stay Awake?” are ultimately languished by bottom-heavy production and overblown synths. All throughout Give Me the Future, Dan Smith’s vocals are coated in pitch-shifting or autotune effects, including the use of an ElectroSpit on the lead single (those vocals were done by band member Kyle Simmons). It’s understandable, these touches make things sound more futuristic and sci-fi-like. But it also rubs off as unoriginal worship of Daft Punk or poor imitations of Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa. When Dan’s voice isn’t being circumscribed by vocoders and talk boxes, his vocals are disappointing to say the least; he has a wonderful natural voice, but the odd fluctuations between head and chest voice on “Stay Awake?” are ear-grating. His performance on the single “No Bad Days,” a tribute to his aunt who succumbed to cancer, is very squeaky—borderline whiny—during the verses and boring as all get out in the chorus (it comes off as try-hard). On “Club 57,” an ode to American artist Keith Haring, the acoustic guitar sounds like it was recorded with an iPod Touch from 2011 due to how flimsy and tinny the production is.
That spiel hardly scrapes the surface of my criticisms, so I’m sure you’re wondering how this album wound up anywhere near our year-end list. At the end of the day, I still find things to enjoy about this LP. The title track “Give Me the Future” is one of the best songs in Bastille’s discography with lush instrumentation, brooding percussion, dynamic vocal refrains, and lyrics which more or less sum up the album as a whole. Single “Thelma + Louise” is a quick shot of pop bliss, speckled with elements of ’80s music and a lovely “suck-out chorus,” as Dan calls it. The countless sci-fi and pop culture references on “Back to the Future” are intriguing and urges the listener to think about the broader implications at hand. Plus, the horn section displayed on that track is something a bit out of the ordinary, so it adds some flavor to the record.
“Club 57,” despite its poor treatment of the guitar and an at-times annoying whistle melody, is a catchy little tune about craving love and attention to the point of not knowing the difference, portrayed in the confines of an achingly glossed-over account of Keith Haring’s career and famed stints at Club 57 in Manhattan. “Shut Off the Lights” is a cheeky dance number characterized by a saxophone solo and by rhythms and instrumentation taking influence from Paul Simon’s monumental album Graceland. Smith himself being of South African descent, he gives a nod to the 1986 record in the line “Your hands are on, hands are on me / Grace landing onto your bed, there you are.”
All in all, Give Me the Future is Bastille’s weakest project to date. However, I still find myself enjoying a sufficient amount of the record, enough to recommend giving it a listen and apparently to include it on our best albums of the year list.
Best tracks: “Club 57,” “Back to the Future,” “Give Me the Future,” and “Shut Off the Lights”
7. Taylor Swift – Midnights
Taylor Swift’s previous record evermore topped our list last year, and we ended her entry by asking, “Does this style of writing and musicality signal the direction for her future projects? Or is this simply a fever-dream-esque glimpse into what she is capable of as an artist unbothered by the demands of the mainstream?” Midnights seems to have given us the answer, and it’s the latter option.
Swift is placing the train squarely back on the pop rails with Midnights and leaving behind the woodsy, organic feel of her two “pandemic albums,” folklore and evermore. We knew Taylor had to come out of the woods at some point. With absolutely zero pre-release singles, Midnights is a strong showing, especially when evaluating the full “3AM Edition” of the record, but it pales in comparison to her past pop-centric projects. Her 2017 masterpiece reputation has yet to be topped, and Lover and 1989 are still incredibly resilient listens. Midnights has its highs and lows, as sleepless nights typically do. One night you’re out partying with all your best friends and the next night you’re bawling on the floor of your bedroom alone.
The album opens with “Lavender Haze,” a catchy and, well, hazy track characterized by falsetto vocals and lyrical critique on the media. Unfortunately, with Jack Antonoff heading the song’s production, there is a drum fill leading into the chorus which is extremely reminiscent of the track-defining drum fill on Lorde’s 2017 tune “Loveless,” also produced by Antonoff. When I hear this fill on “Lavender Haze,” it only serves to remind me how much more I’d rather be listening to Lorde’s Melodrama. (And ultimately, if you squint your eyes, Midnights almost comes off like a long-lost record Lorde would have made had she not opted for the sunshiny acoustic sound on her 2021 record Solar Power.)
Midnights offers up some more great tunes in the form of “Labyrinth,” “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” “Mastermind,” “Maroon,” and bonus tracks “Glitch,” “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve,” and “Hits Different.” However, most of the remaining songs are merely mediocre; they have elements that truly stand out and others that detract so heavily. On the eleventh number “Karma,” the pre-chorus is absolutely delectable, but the lyrics of the song in general fall short when considering this is Taylor Swift we’re talking about. “Vigilante Shit” has its shock value going for it, but after the first listen or two, it’s just a boring, bass-heavy, mumbly song which goes nowhere. It doesn’t even describe any true vigilante shit!
“Question…?” has left listeners ironically stumped on what exactly is going on in this tune, and the bridge says the word “that” so often, it doesn’t even sound like a real word anymore. “Midnight Rain” sounds like a vacuum cleaner. Sorry, I can’t unhear it and now you can’t either. “Snow on the Beach” is a bit underwhelming as a collaboration, and the chorus’ line “Weird but fucking beautiful” had potential to be so much more creative had Swift not felt the need to cuss so frequently. (See also: “Flexing like a goddamn acrobat” on “Karma” versus the clean version “Flexing like a Vegas acrobat.”) I typically never have a problem with swearing in music, and I myself have quite the sailor’s mouth. But when there is a clear opportunity to write something more poetic and interesting and original, it’s exceedingly disappointing when the artist—an artist who has routinely proven they are perfectly capable of writing poetic and interesting lines—prefers to curse instead.
“Anti-Hero” is catchy and groovy, but the bridge is simply senseless. Swift is renowned for her gut-wrenching bridges, but on “Anti-Hero,” the music video directed by Swift herself depicts her hypothetical children and in-laws reading the will at her funeral, condemning her for not leaving them a hefty inheritance. Does she know that wills aren’t typically, if ever, read at funerals? And what does this have to do with any of the themes she’s established in the song? “Bejeweled” has a fun earworm of a chorus, but the line “Don’t put me in the basement when I want the penthouse of your heart” feels more or less out of place. It’s there to grab your attention and nothing more, like many of the memorable one-liners found throughout the album. On top of all the poor lyrical choices, the production on Midnights washes out Taylor’s voice and drenches it in vocal effects to the point of undistinguished haze and unnecessary ersatz-ness.
Again, I’m sure you’re wondering why this LP is on our list with all these disparagements. Despite all those criticisms, I still find room in my heart and musical rotation for Midnights. There is something charming and captivating about most of the songs here; “Maroon” feels overtly personal, “Sweet Nothing” is a pleasant depiction of her long-term relationship, and “You’re on Your Own, Kid” tastes like open-wound catharsis. Bonus track “The Great War” is an accurate representation of a couple’s first major argument through battle-torn metaphor, and “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” is a poignant illustration of Swift’s internal struggles surrounding her relationship and subsequent break-up with A-list songwriter John Mayer who was 12 years her senior. She details her feelings of losing innocence and understandably not being able to let it completely go. “Dear Reader” is a fitting deluxe version closer where Taylor warns listeners to not “take advice from someone who’s falling apart.” You’ve listened through the full album, drinking in her life stories and emotional experiences, and she wraps it all together by reminding you that, despite the gilded outer shell, she isn’t perfect.
Midnights is similar in that aspect. It isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t have to be. Again, it is a mid-tier album for Swift’s standards, but a mediocre Taylor Swift record is still better than most.
Best tracks: “Maroon,” “Mastermind,” “Lavender Haze,” and “Glitch” (sue me)
6. Harry Styles – Harry’s House
Harry Styles blew me away with his 2019 sophomore release Fine Line. It was an incredible album from start to finish, no skips. Plus, his self-titled debut in 2017 still holds up to this day. Hence, expectations were set high for his third long-player dubbed Harry’s House. While Harry’s House has its fair share of shortcomings, it stands tall and has plenty more to offer.
Harry aims for a more synth-pop style overall on Harry’s House. The guitars and drum kits are still present, but songs like “Late Night Talking” and “Keep Driving” rely on forefront synthetic melodies and the opener “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” is heavily shaped by synths and programmed drums. Obviously, none of this is negative, but it is a notable stylistic shift from Harry’s preceding albums. “Matilda” and “Boyfriends” are much more propelled by the acoustic guitar, and “Grapejuice,” “As It Was,” and “Cinema” all display prominent electric guitar lines. Horn sections are also introduced on songs such as “Late Night Talking” and “Daydreaming.”
My primary gripes with this album are the less-than-stellar production quality and surface-level lyricism. The percussion on “Daylight” is so washed out, I feel the need to take a q-tip to my ear in the middle of it all. The deep synths consummating the backdrop for “Love of My Life” are discomforting (does anyone else think something about this song is off-key somehow?). In terms of lyrics, Harry seems to focus on relationships and does so in the most understated ways possible. On “Daydreaming,” he writes, “Baby, loving you’s the real thing.” Once you read the title for “Late Night Talking,” you already have the full gist of the song. “Little Freak” offers the astounding lines “A wet dream just dangling” and “Tracksuit and a ponytail, you hide the body all that yoga gave you.” There’s nothing extremely alluring about this album’s lyrics.
However, I do have praises for some songs. “Grapejuice” is captivating; I’m not sure why Harry’s voice is muffled during the verses, but the chorus melody and the “3-2-1” counting throughout the tune are delectable. Despite the drawbacks, “Little Freak” displays another strong chorus, as does “Daylight.” “Matilda” has become a fan favorite with its ardent message about the possible difference between those you consider family and those who truly love you. “As It Was” has dominated the airwaves and music charts, and for good reason. It’s a catchy tune that appears to reflect on how things have changed—it’s up to the listener on how broadly they want to interpret this. Is it about pre-pandemic and post-pandemic? Is it about a relationship? Is it about growing up? That’s for you to decide.
Overall, Harry’s House is a welcomed addition to Harry’s catalogue. While it doesn’t land anywhere close to its predecessor Fine Line, it is still a robust record from one of this generation’s most eminent voices. Harry is forging quite the legacy with his consecutive homeruns, commercially and critically.
Best tracks: “Grapejuice,” “Satellite,” “Little Freak,” and “Keep Driving”
5. Conan Gray – Superache
Conan Gray had been bubbling under the mainstream’s eye for years with his self-released singles and Sunset Season EP. He was nicknamed by many as “Lorde’s little brother” for his similarly nostalgic musicality defined by layered vocals and reverb-heavy beats. So when he unleashed his debut full-length Kid Krow in 2020, it was a welcomed yet surprising shift to hear him experimenting with more punk-ish styles. He worked closely with Dan Nigro on that record, who of course went on the next year to produce the monumental SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo in analogous fashion.
After Kid Krow, Conan subsequently released standalone singles like “Overdrive,” “Telepath,” and the collaboration “Fake” with Lauv, which all hinted at a more pop-oriented direction. But once he roared back with “Jigsaw,” a raucous track reminiscent of supergroup boygenius’ self-titled EP, the granular guitars and rough vocals were back in full force. The other singles for Superache “Astronomy” and “People Watching” further displayed Conan’s multidimensional approach between soft acoustic balladry and buoyant pop tunes.
Because of that, Superache may feel disjointed upon first listen. The album is quite front-loaded with pop bangers like “Disaster” and “Best Friend” while the acoustic moments like “Summer Child” and “Footnote” quietly await you in the back half with a box of tissues. He delves into a number of subjects, most revolving around love, friendship, family, and introspection. “Memories,” which was also pre-released as a single, is a melodramatic power ballad about an ex who just won’t leave things alone while “Family Line” enumerates all the tragically powerful ways Conan takes after his parents.
Superache is a positive step forward for Conan Gray. This album feels like him finding his own sound, however widely strewn it may be. With few uninteresting moments to be detected, Superache will keep you on your toes as Conan engages with many instruments, styles, and topics.
Best tracks: “Jigsaw,” “Summer Child,” “Memories,” and “People Watching”
4. The Summer Set – Blossom
The Summer Set’s last album Stories for Monday was released in 2016. The band took a five-year hiatus afterwards, experimenting with solo projects and other ventures in entertainment. Of course, it was unbeknownst to fans (and probably the band members) if the band would ever reunite. But in August of 2021, the band recrudesced with one of their best singles, “Street Lightning,” an upbeat, ’80s-inspired pop rock jam. Later that same year, The Summer Set dropped “Back Together,” an earnest overview of frontman Brian Logan Dales’ thought process on getting the band, well, back together. Lines like “If the world is gonna end someday, I’ll send a message that says: ‘Just in case we don’t live forever, let’s get the band back together,'” and “The diehards on the barricade won’t care how long it’s been” perfectly sum up how both the artists and fans feel in situations like this.
Their first full-length project in six years was unleashed in 2022, symbolically titled Blossom. The band marketed this as the first part of a double album, promising the second part to be released in 2023. Regardless, Blossom, Pt. 1 was more than sufficient. Blossom is arguably The Summer Set’s most “punk rock” album in a very long time, and it’s really freaking good. (This is what bands like All Time Low wish they could sound like in 2022!)
With eight tracks clocking in at just 25 minutes, Blossom is a succinct sucker punch of tight pop rock drenched in nostalgia. The album carries two features with Against the Current appearing on “Teenagers” and Travie McCoy laying down a verse for “FTS.” Blossom is stacked with catchy hooks from front to back; every song just hits. All killer, no filler! There is zero fat on this baby! Brian Logan Dales sounds better than ever, and Jess Bowen brings the heat once again. Even with only seven full tunes, the band offers a wide array of styles and instrumentation. “My Own Medicine” spotlights a great acoustic guitar riff, and “Street Lightning” flaunts that irresistible ’80s flair the band attempted to achieve on the antecedent Stories for Monday. “FTS” (yes, fuck that shit) features a horn section with a delectable saxophone solo. “Hard Candy,” “Teenagers,” and “Famous” scratch that pop punk itch, even though “Famous” ends a little too early, in my opinion.
Blossom will have your thumb hovering above the replay button time and time again. An absolute barrage of catchy melodies and memorable guitar riffs, this is without a doubt The Summer Set’s strongest album in a long, long time. Thank God they got the band back together.
Best tracks: There’s only seven, just go listen to all of them. It only takes 24 minutes.
3. Bad Suns – Apocalypse Whenever
After 2019’s relatively boring Mystic Truth, the band’s third studio record, Bad Suns seemed eager to move on to the next thing. Frontman Christo Bowman admitted to this in an interview with Lucid Magazine after the release of Apocalypse Whenever: “We’ve been scaling a mountain for a while and I think we lost our footing, took a bit of a tumble, and lost our compass in the process while we were making our third album. … There’s a lot to be learned from what happens when you try to make something for somebody else and it blows up in your face. It’s like dying twice. You don’t love it, and most likely, neither does whomever you thought you were making it for. Life’s too short to give a fuck about them. Make music for yourself—you learn that that’s where the compelling ideas actually come from.”
We learned from the band’s first two albums, Language + Perspective and Disappear Here, that Bad Suns has some serious musical chops. But Mystic Truth, their first output on Epitaph Records, delivered mediocre indie rock tunes with little to write home about. There was increased utilization of the piano, but lackluster lyrics and comparatively elementary guitar lines left plenty to be desired. Unfortunately, the pandemic seemingly stretched the rollout for the band’s fourth LP, and at times it felt as though the hype was losing its steam. (The lead single “Baby Blue Shades” dropped in the early fall of 2020 with the album set for release in January of 2022.)
Nevertheless, Apocalypse Whenever displays Bad Suns getting their mojo back. Infectiously catchy hooks, concise guitar melodies, and refreshing production lay the groundwork for this record, as does the opening title track: “Life tried to make me somebody I’m not / Can’t separate from me, I’m all I’ve got,” a subtle callback to their 2016 track “Outskirts of Paradise.” Apocalypse Whenever is a rejuvenated testament to how brilliant the band can be when harnessing their own strengths.
After the opener, “Summer Lightning” is a rollicking pop rock tune speckled with some autotune effects in the verses but an absolutely massive chorus. “Peachy” is a lovely reflection on Christo Bowman’s time with his now-fiancée, as is “Heaven Is a Place in My Head.” “Electric Circus” provides commentary on the public making a shitshow out of technology, and the following track “Nightclub (Waiting for You)” is a forlorn slice of nostalgia characterized by warm synths and groovy percussion. “Silently Screaming” features continuation of that groove plus a saxophone solo and lush backing vocals. “Life Was Easier When I Only Cared About Me” supplies some of Christo’s best vocal performances on the record and some clever co-writing from Sierra Deaton. (Bad Suns × 5SOS collab when?) Bonus track “Life Jacket” offers up one of the band’s best guitar riffs in their entire discography with an undeniable chorus melody.
Ultimately, Apocalypse Whenever is Bad Suns’ comeback record. It might be their most “pop” album to date, but who cares? It feels so gratifying to enjoy this LP and know the band enjoys it too. As Christo states on “Summer Lightning,” “I don’t want this to end.”
Best tracks: “Summer Lightning,” “Electric Circus,” “Heaven Is a Place in My Head,” and “Nightclub (Waiting for You)”
2. 5 Seconds of Summer – 5SOS5
2020 witnessed the release of 5 Seconds of Summer’s fourth full-length CALM, an acronymic title of all the band members’ first initials. While there were some great tunes on that record, I felt as though it didn’t quite live up to the band’s previous two albums, Sounds Good Feels Good and Youngblood. It seemed there were too many cooks in the kitchen, too many tugs in too many directions.
So 5SOS5 eliminated that problem. With the majority of the album being written and produced by only the band, the practically self-titled 5SOS5 is arguably the most true to themselves 5SOS has ever been. While some outside co-writers and producers were brought in here and there, the album still feels cohesively 5SOS, even as they explore new styles and sounds. Songs like “Take My Hand,” which was written solely by vocalist and guitarist Luke Hemmings, and “Bad Omens” carry a U2 kind of influence while “Best Friends” and “CAROUSEL” feel like a more grown-up version that pop punk style the band once possessed. The U2 inspiration also bled through to the album’s visuals with yucca Joshua trees dotting the lyric booklet and merchandise. There’s also an extended version of “Take My Hand” on the tracklist dubbed the “Joshua Tree Version.”
“Older,” a shuffling jazz-inflected tune, features Luke Hemmings’ fiancée Sierra Deaton, the first time 5SOS has included a featured guest on an album. (They released a version of their song “Lie to Me” with a feature from Julia Michaels, but that was not present on a proper studio record.) “Caramel” and “HAZE” go down smooth with slick guitar riffs and compact percussion all around. “Bleach” is a spacey yet vivacious ballad, and “Red Line” ends the standard album with a flighty lamentation on a relationship. Bonus track “Bloodhound” incorporates elements of “I Ran (So Far Away)” by A Flock of Seagulls—sampling and interpolation is something the band hasn’t done since their sophomore album in 2015.
All four band members contribute their vocals on this record, something of which CALM saw very little. Bassist Calum Hood and drummer Ashton Irwin dominate “HAZE” and “You Don’t Go to Parties,” and guitarist Michael Clifford monopolizes the bonus track “Emotions” and prominently shines on “Best Friends” and “Bleach.” Michael also served as lead producer for the album, working his magic on 12 out of 19 songs. (It’s also worth noting that between CALM and 5SOS5, we were blessed with two solo albums, one from Ashton Irwin and the other from Luke Hemmings. Each of those records landed high placements on their respective year-end lists.)
5SOS5 also presents some of the band’s most mature and compelling lyrics to date. “Shallow hearts for shallow minds that ache to be alive / You fall apart a redefine what keeps you at night,” sings Luke Hemmings on “Take My Hand.” “Best Friends” features the fantastic one-liner “It’s time to love somebody who won’t try to change your way.” “A youth that was stolen and filled with mistakes / I turned all around, looked for someone to blame / But I’m overdramatic and drenched in my pain / I know that you saw it all over my face” on “Easy for You to Say” offers a moment of reflection on the band’s quick rise to fame during their formative teenage years. “I know my mood’s been swinging all day / Weaponized words can get in the way / Nothing I say ever coming out straight / When I pull through, hope you feel the same” details the struggles of mental illness interfering with a relationship on the aptly titled bonus track “Moodswings,” a song that may remind listeners of those more emotionally gut-wrenching songs from Sounds Good Feels Good.
I could go on all day quoting lyrics, but then you may as well just listen to the album yourself for the full effect. This record is an experience from beginning to end. I would even dare to say it is their most robust album in their catalogue. Even if you’ve never paid mind to 5SOS or maybe you’ve only enjoyed one or two of their bigger singles, I promise you will find something to love on 5SOS5.
Best tracks: “Best Friends,” “HAZE,” “Moodswings,” and “CAROUSEL”
5 Seconds of Summer is my all-time favorite band, so you know something’s gotta be good to top their album on my year-end list…
1. Greyson Chance – Palladium
I never fathomed that Greyson Chance could top his 2019 album portraits. Not because he wasn’t capable, but because portraits was a masterpiece through and through. So when I heard Palladium, I was relieved and dumbfounded because Greyson proved me wrong. From the first single, which is also the title track, I knew he was already operating on another wavelength. With each following single ahead of the album’s release, particularly “Athena” and “Homerun Hitter,” I felt more and more sure that whatever Greyson was cooking up was going to be a grand slam.
I’m speechless; it’s difficult to know where to begin with my praises. Palladium has it all. It just goes above and beyond in every category: instrumentation, production, vocals, lyrics, hooks. Even the interlude tracks are miles ahead of most artists’ normal tunes. With zero use of autotune on the record, Greyson establishes yet again his absurd vocal prowess. His raspy lower register and elysian falsetto equally radiate on the album. Palladium integrates more organic instrumentation than portraits while still maintaining that poppy demeanor. Acoustic guitar and piano truly command this record without taking away from other elements.
Greyson employs a certain specificity in his writing that causes his lyrics to feel a thousand times more personal than most pop songs. He utilizes location many times which lends a sense of reality to these retellings of his lived experiences. “Up in Laurelvale drinking wine, staring up at the noose,” he sings on “Panthers.” The opener “Palladium” provides the listener with “Meet me in the pink light, right off I-75 / Right before the fall / You hop inside my car, with a tear / Say, ‘There’s nothing like the fear of losing truth.'” “My Dying Spirit” packs a punch in so many ways, but the lines “I’m so sorry, Alexa, I won’t make her graduation / But tell Sloaney girl she’s the apple of my eye / Tell her, take your time, take your time” always leave me breathless. “Aloe Vera” displays such detailed accounts of a lover with unmatched levels of personality; every line brings something new and extraordinary.
No matter what genres you find yourself comfortable in, Palladium deserves your time for at least one listen. I really could go on and on about every little thing I enjoy on this record, but I would essentially be breaking it down measure-by-measure at that point. Trust me, you won’t want to let this album pass you by.
Best tracks: “Mercury Year,” “Down & Out,” “Homerun Hitter,” and “Watchtowers,” but honestly, every track is amazing.
Welp, that wraps up our favorite albums of 2022. It was an awesome year for music, so let us know your favorite albums from 2022 and your thoughts on our picks!
Local Natives is one of my top three favorite bands of all time, so of course I might be a bit biased here. The California band has yet to disappoint me; all of their albums have a special spot on my shelf and I love each one so, so dearly. Their previous record Sunlit Youth, released in 2016, displayed a more experimental approach to their indie rock orientation by introducing synths and programmed percussion, as well as some politically-charged lyricism. For some fans, this style was a turn-off, but for me, I enjoyed the hell out of that LP. So how does Violet Street shape up? Local Natives dial their tone back to a more organic sound, fairly reminiscent of their debut album Gorilla Manor. Piano melodies, lively drumming, and twangy guitars constitute Violet Street, strengthening the authenticity of the album’s libretto. Heartstring-tugging subjects and impassioned vocal performances (those harmonies!) show no mercy for a weathered soul—the band never fails to deliver a captivating, affective listening experience. Violet Street is without a doubt another home run in Local Natives’ discography.
Alt Columnist 