What a year for music, just like every other year. Here at PGMR we (I) love to celebrate as many albums as I physically have time for, hence a top 100 list curated and written entirely by one person with little time. We’ll continue with the third quadrant of the list shortly, but I am a little bit of a hater, so let’s briefly discuss some of the disappointments and duds. Truthfully, I’m doing this to dispel anticipation about the placement of one big album – Turnstile’s Never Enough. I very much enjoy Turnstile, and I will champion them as the faces of a thrilling and necessary hardcore revival. But, the album itself was a sleeper, full of either template hardcore or experimentations that half-worked. It currently sits at #238 on the list of 315 albums I’ve ranked – which doesn’t include 66 albums I didn’t get around to ranking.
In dead last is Arcade Fire, who again proved that it was Will Butler providing the good songwriting, not Win. Sure, Win’s allegations played a role in the ranking too. Taylor Swift shit out a potentially AI-abetted album that even the Swifties didn’t like, finding herself in my bottom 5 for a second year in a row. I can wager it a disappointment – an artist at this peak should be brilliant, and I’m not a Taylor hater. Lorde promised an album better than Solar Power, which was only marginally true. Maybe the biggest disappointment was David Byrne, whose follow-up to his rebirth American Utopia was a base-level alternative album with lyrics that sounded like second grade poetry. Finally, Car Seat Headrest’s first album in five years was so focused on the concept that it didn’t really have songs – though they still scraped themselves into my Best Songs List, ironically.
Alright, enough hating. Most music is good, so let’s talk about 25 great ones!
#50. Armand Hammer – Mercy
I mean, it’s Armand Hammer. Billy Woods and Elucid are unbelievable rappers when they’re working solo. Together, they’re unstoppable. Mercy is their second album done in full with production from The Alchemist, which isn’t just a name. He concocts some unique and gonzo backing beats for the two rappers. Their music is always experimental, without being too far out of the realm of conventionality. Their lyrics are always the strong suit: personal and political, more poetic than truly lyrical, and not without some fun too. It’s not a rap album for everyone, but for people who like things outside the norm, it’s a banger. In case you’re wondering, yes, more on Billy Woods later.
#49. Pile – Sunshine and Balance Beams
Pile! Pile! Pile! Boston’s best band is back, and they’re screaming again. Pile have always been great, but it’s been a while since they’ve been this energized. Their ninth album is dense and loud, some challenging rock music. They’ve mostly shed away the indie influences, opting for a sound I can only describe as cool dad. It hits, hard, and it’s super rewarding for the patient. This is just excellent songwriting, buried under guitars and Rick Maguire going nuts at the front and center. If someone tells you rock is dead, show them Pile.
#48. Deep Sea Diver – Billboard Heart
With no ceiling on the number of people who can make music in an online world, there’s a massive bloat of indie bands. It’s fine, I’d rather too many similar bands than not enough, but alternative radio has become somewhat sterile. I put this record on expecting “yet another” pleasant, digestible indie record – but this kicks ass. It has the makings of today’s template indie, with catchy hooks and pleasant vocals, but they dial the guitars up in particularly every song. This feels more reminiscent of 90’s indie-rock, while still maintaining a distance from it. Loud, fun, catchy rock and roll music – an unbreakable formula.
#47. MIKE/Tony Seltzer – Pinball II
Pinball, the first collaborative album between MIKE and Tony Seltzer, was a shoo-in on last year’s list. It’s one of the best rap albums in years, full stop. It’s natural for successful rap collabs to do a sequel, but I wasn’t expecting a follow-up this quickly. The magic is still there, this is almost as good as the tentpole. It’s an effortless, low-key rap album that’s a ton of fun even through relatively minimalist songs. MIKE is one of our best lyricists, and his excellent cadence doesn’t hurt. When most of the rap that I like is on the bombastic side, it’s nice to enjoy a low-stakes one occasionally.
#46. Deerhoof – Noble and Godlike in Ruin
Chances are, if you’re reading this, then you already know Deerhoof’s whole deal. They’re a legacy indie group by now, and one that’s never go to slip into any sort of complacent sound. I mean, this album is their 20th and it sees them making a concept record about Frankenstein that ropes noise and free jaz into their indie sound. They’ve always had their finger on the pulse, and I caught this unabashedly political album before they wiped all of their music off Spotify – among the first bands to do so in a growing wave. It’s one of the more challenging, and rewarding albums I listened to all year, a victory lap for a band already installed in the Indie Rock Hall Of Fame.
#45. Ty Segall – Possession
For a while, Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees were neck-and-neck in the race to see who could release the most albums. Then, COVID hit, and both Segall and John Dwyer lost their minds. Both used the isolation downtime to explore more experimental, head-scratching paths. But Segall also slowed down, way down. This album, which is I believe his 16th solo album (which does not include dozens of other releases), is pretty back-to-basics. He already came back down to Earth on 2024’s all-timer Three Bells, but he sounds the most at peace here. These are pleasant, easily digestible psych-rock songs. It’s a far cry from the instrumental percussion he was doing just last year – this is just a nice album! He’s done acoustic, pared-down albums before, but he’s never sounded this content. If it’s a victory lap for Segall, it’s well-earned; he’s spent two decades exploring the spectrum of bruising garage rock to experimental pop. He has a lot to be content about. And it proves that sometimes, joyous complacency actually doesn’t hurt your songwriting.
#44. Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Normally, when a frontperson releases a solo album, I want it to be something that’s a different direction from their primary band. But not every band is Paramore, who have probably a dozen skippable songs across their whole catalog. Williams’ solo career is taking off, separately, and this behemoth record is filled with both songs that sound like Paramore, and some new directions interspersed. It’s a daunting record for an artist so easy on the ears, but practically every song is brilliant or at least completely pleasurable. Hayley is quietly building one of the most solidified collections in American songwriting, and there are a lot of quiet surprises here.
#43. Ho9909 – Tomorrow We Escape
Something you’ll find out about me through this post is I generally prefer hip-hop that is loud and full, whether it’s abrasive shit like Death Grips or just big beats like Cardi B. Ho99o9 is the former, some kind of moderately unquantifiable punk, experimental, horrorcore mix. It’s very loud and heavy, often adapting punk rock music for a hip-hop landscape. This is probably music that a lot of people will write off – and some horrorcore can be written off – but it’s really genius stuff. It’s loud enough to thrash but there’s so much mental anguish too. It’s depressing, downbeat music, and endlessly fascinating.
#42. Black Country, New Road – Forever Howlong
There’s countless examples in music history of a key member leaving a group. What do you do next? Do you split up? Replace them? Use it as an opportunity to change your sound? Well, when singer Isaac Wood left the experimental indie group, the band tried something new: just have everyone else sing. The band’s pre-existing bassist, pianist and string player all sing lead on this album. Oh, and they mostly changed their sound, too. They largely ditched the heavier and more experimental elements in favor of melodic, baroque indie. At nearly an hour, it sounds like an exhausting concept, but it really never tires. It’s definitely more conventional than their previous albums – on a grading curve – and might not appeal to the same fans. It really isn’t similar to their excellent first two releases at all, but the songwriting juice is just as strong. Give it a chance!
#41. The Men – Buyer Beware
I’m a simple man; at the end of the day, I just love some whiplash garage rock. Doesn’t have to be good, just has to be fast and loud. Luckily, The Men are also good, and they’ve delivered another back-to-basics album after last year’s excellent New York. This is the band’s 100th or so album, incredible that they are still so locked-in. This band has done some more experimental or slower works, but they’re at their best with no-frills old-school rock.
#40. Beach Bunny – Tunnel Vision
It’s no secret that I’m a huge Beach Bunny fan. Their mix of fun, fuzzy punk and squeaky-clean vocals and lyrics makes for a super unique band, even if there are tons of similar acts out there. I don’t even really care for power-pop most of the time, I want to shake power-pop artists and tell them to either quiet down or make it louder. But Beach Bunny have a spunk that many others don’t. Their third album doesn’t change the formula, thankfully, it just locks in and delivers some whipping indie-punk tunes with a saccharine touch. Fun fact: my partner and I’s song is “Cloud 9.”
#39. The Armed – The Future Is Here And Everything Needs To Be Destroyed
This is the entry point to the upper echelon of this list, the all-time great albums. Every time I think I have a handle on the Armed, they do something new. The collective has neither a solidified line-up nor genre, and have in the past worked pop music into their explosive noise/post-hardcore/metal albums. Destroyed, however, is a cacophonous onslaught of sound, fiery guitar mixed in with horns mixed in with many various voices. They’ve never felt more like a collective, with seemingly every song having a different singer. Some tunes do resemble traditional post-hardcore songs, other songs delve far into untraceable noise. It reminds me of Liturgy and their efforts to make something as loud and confusing as possible. This isn’t for everyone, but it’s real damn exciting.
#38. Obongjayar – Paradise Now
Obongjayar is Nigerian, grew up in England, and raised himself on American hip-hop. His music was bound to be a melting pot even if he didn’t want it to be, but he so clearly does. Paradise Now, the singer’s sophomore record, is just completely unpredictable, bouncing wildly between rap, indie, soul, spoken word and electronic, and never goes a beat that feels forced. It’s largely very fun, if only because you’re listening to an artist absolutely cook for 42 minutes, but also because some of these songs are big and boisterous. You should understand by now that I tend to prefer music that keeps one on their feet, and this does just that for 15 songs. There’s exactly one guest feature on the song “Talk Olympics,” which features British rapper Little Simz – more on her later.
Triple threat! Ada Rook had a busy 2025, releasing two full-length albums and one EP. The noise artist is generally a shoo-in for my list, her music really hits me hard. It’s abrasive and intense, but usually manages to stay within the confines of traditional songwriting. Rook’s music is filled with genuine anguish, mixed with a desire to entertain. I don’t know how to classify it – industrial, or maybe hardcore punk, or maybe just noise – but it’s music I come back to regularly. Nights might be the achievement here, but all three are pretty equally great. If you like to upset your ears, go with Ada Rook.
#36. Water From Your Eyes – It’s a Beautiful Place
Only a few days before writing this blurb, I learned that I didn’t know as much about this band as I thought. The blog I write for, Allston Pudding, hosted the experimental indie group’s show in Boston, and I kept telling people “I didn’t really like their first album, but I love this one!” Only to learn that “their first” and “this one” were in fact their sixth and seventh records. They’re starting to become more established, and they’re tapping into the zeitgeist. This record is littered with loud guitar and hypnotic rhythms, and the music is dense and unpredictable. It’s part of a growing trend in rock to make music as chaotic as this, look at heavier groups like Knocked Loose and Callous Daoboys. It finds the center between melody and experiment. It’s suave and fresh. It’s just big, loud, raucous fun.
#35. Porridge Radio – The Machine Starts To Sing
2025 kicked off with some bummer news. I got to see Porridge Radio play their first and last ever Boston show, as they announced an impending break-up just as it seemed they were gathering steam. I have historically been a big fan and supporter, so it was melancholic to see that their final offering was just as good as the albums before it. This is only four songs and 15 minutes, but they left us with a final piece of brilliance. The moody, jangly indie has never been better and Dana Margolin’s vocals sound as hypnotic as ever. This is the closest to The Cranberries they ever sounded, which is a compliment. Best to go out on top.
#34. Greg Freeman – Burnover
Tell your dads that there’s a new musician they might like. Freeman is what I imagine The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle would sound like it if it were made today. Freeman is officially listed as an alt-country musician, but he’s got a bluesy, lounge vibe to him, backed by a full band with a vibrant energy. He’s a raconteur at heart, these songs are full of characters and personal oddities. He’s got Neil Young lyrics in a 2016 Sturgill Simpson sound. It’s fun music that’s easy to listen to, but has a million little things going on at the same time. If he doesn’t blow up, the world isn’t just.
#33. Big Thief – Double Infinity
The best band in the country are back. The indie band’s sixth album is scaled down in comparison to the gigantic Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You and the double-dip of albums we got in 2019. This album feels smaller in scale and scope, but the band balances it out by being bigger in sound. These are the closest to….rock? songs that the band has done to date. While quiet rhythms and holes in the sound have always been prominent in their music, these songs feel fuller and bigger. Might the good folks in Big Thief actually be happy? The lyrics aren’t as emotionally destitute as normal, and the music is livelier. It’s no complacency though, as these are still just perfectly-written tunes.
#32. Model/Actriz – Pirouette
Coming in at #32, the second Model/Actriz album is a bit of a step down from their debut. It’s still one of the best albums I heard all year. The band’s first album was a mix of staccato dance music and existential industrial. It was somehow heavy and funky all at once. Pirouette sees the band embracing the poppier side more, shaving away some of the heaviness in favor of clearer vocals and more fluid rhythms. To level the weights though, the lyrics get crazily personal. There’s a section in “Cinderella” – my favorite song of the year – where singer Cole Haden sums up years of therapy sessions in one verse, and you absolutely cannot avoid it as the instrumentation dips away. This album challenges you to face your biggest regrets while dancing involuntarily. Feels bad man. I can see this one climbing up this list on further listens, even now I feel this is too low.
#31. Lambrini Girls – Who Let The Dogs Out
A riotous, raucous debut from England that was set to be the punk breakthrough of 2025 before Bob Vylan got censored for truth. Dogs hearkens back to riot grrrl in spirit, blending it with the punk of 2025. It’s a load of fun, and also viciously satirical and angry. Songs like “Company Culture” and “Filthy Rich Nepo Baby” have specific targets behind them. Some of it feels a little like 2010’s-era Tumblr feminism, but when the songs are this good, that doesn’t matter. 2025 saw a lot of punk upstarts and breakthroughs, which has to be a sign of a global vibe shift.
#30. SPELLLING – Portrait of My Heart
Spellling is one of those artists that’s been on my radar for years, but I had never really checked out. Glad I finally amended that! I had Spellling pegged as an indie-R&B singer in my head, and while that’s accurate, she’s very rock too. The songs on Heart pull from equally from Motown and Subpop, diving headfirst into sultry R&B or double-bass drums on a whim. The only constant factor is energy, the rest is entirely unpredictable. Really had fun listening to this. Three L’s in the name but none to be found on the record.
#29. clipping. – Dead Channel Sky
On the flipside of Spellling is artists I’ve loved for years. The experimental rap group clipping. are a personal favorite, and their fifth album delivers on all fronts. The band’s abrasive music mixed with Daveed Diggs’ lightspeed rapping make for consistently thrilling tunes. There isn’t necessarily anything new here, but the formula still works – heavy, fast rap songs that very rhythmic but still shun any radio-friendly elements. Second-straight present-tense verb artist, which is a huge coincidence.
I found myself surprisingly disappointed with Pigsx7’s previous album, 2023’s Land of Sleeper. They remained one of my favorite metal bands, but I was worried that their continued trajectory from doom metal into psychedelic rock would render them boring. Alas! Their fifth album is just as good as albums 1-3. Heavy riffs and dense songs abound. There’s classic, doom-y Pigs (“The Wyrm”) and there’s entirely new ideas (“Glib Tongued” which features El-P of all people). This band is about as much fun as you can have in metal. Plus, it’s fun to tell people what band you’re listening to. I saw these guys over the summer, and it was a hell of a live show.
#27. Baths – Gut
I hadn’t kept up with Baths after his first two records, both electro-indie albums that presented two sides of a coin; the debut was fun and bubbly, the sophomore record much gloomier. I wasn’t sure what to expect with Gut, but I really wasn’t expecting a Perfume Genius record. This is a set of vulnerable, pretty, shaken and queer indie songs, written in the same manner as Michael Hadreas does. You can make the argument that the album’s front half is too similar, but there’s a lot of open space for this kind of thing. It’s gorgeous, I was floored. Grab the tissues. And surprisingly, this was necessary, as Perfume Genius himself released his first ho-hum record since his earliest days and missed the cut here.
#26. DARKSIDE – Nothing
This one caught me way off-guard. I only really knew on Darkside song prior to this, “Liberty Bell,” and I really love it. But the band’s atmospheric, electro-indie is akin to a handful of other bands that I appreciate but don’t really like. The same goes for Nicholas Jaar’s solo music. But this album is just a blast. These songs are light and vibe-y, but they’re still funky and fun. I listened to this on a morning commute and it really set my brain in a righted mood for a workday. Definitely an album I’d revisit, and I rarely do that. Summer music!
My favorite part of the year is writing these, my least favorite is compiling everything into blog form. Thanks for reading! The grand conclusion is tomorrow, and promises some Welsh punk, some jazz-indie, two punishingly heavy black metal albums, African rock, and four regional Boston releases.
Five more albums I regret having to cut off the list: Lonnie Holley – Tonky | Preoccupations – Ill At Ease | Gelli Haha – Switcheroo | Pulp – More | Fleshwater – 2000: In Search Of The Endless Sky
Songs! We love songs, don’t we folks? Gotta give it up for songs. 2025 was the year I finally stopped telling myself that I love a lot of genres equally. While I hold plenty of space in my heart for pop, metal and rap, I ultimately connect with far more alternative and punk than anything else. As such, this list is extremely indie-heavy, and if you know some of these songs then you probably know most of them. If not, be prepared to discover a number of alternative gems – with a few other bangers tossed in. I’ve finally faced an issue I’ve thankfully never had come up before – 3 potential songs off of one album in this list. And it happened twice. So please know that both Lucius and Water From Your Eyes had a third song lopped off in favor of diversity.
Also, I want to give a little space to three songs that maybe should’ve made the cut, alongside my runners-up listed below.
1. Despite being one of my absolute favorite artists, I somehow missed that Courtney Barnett dropped two new songs until about early December. “Stay In Your Lane” may have made the list. Ah well.
2. I didn’t listen to Ragana and Drowse’s collaborative metal album Ash Souvenir until late December, so I didn’t get enough time with the opening track “In Eternal Woods, Pts. 1-3” and it may have made the list. Ah well.
3. Spoon’s “Chateau Blues” is one that absolutely would’ve made the list, but I just forgot to add it to the longlist. They don’t need my help anyways. Ah well.
All of that said, here’s 50 songs I truly loved. Ready?
#50. Wunderhorse – “The Rope”
We’re kicking off with, predictably, an indie rock song. This one is different from the next 40 or whatever indie songs plaguing this playlist, though; this sounds like classic rock. The singer’s voice, the production and the way this song slowly builds around a repeated chorus all make it sound like any one from a litany of 70’s bands that had < 3 hits. I’m thinking Steppenwolf, who had a little grit mixed into pop songwriting. It’s nothing revelatory, but I really didn’t hear any other songs like it this year. Play it for your dad!
#49. Ho99o9 – “Escape”
This is probably the most guilty pleasure song on this list. Horrorcore isn’t really good, but Ho99o9 is. This is a dark, heavy song that blends hip-hop and industrial rock. Like a lot of great depressing music, this works wonder with some simple, flat notes. The chorus is both catchy and instantly saddening, you can feel the strong emotions on this one. It’s very interesting and dense, and a lot more creative than it sounds on immediate impact. Not for everyone, but it’s one to let wash over you.
#48. Laveda – “Care”
I didn’t expect this! My first experience was Laveda was seeing them open for Sunflower Bean in the spring. I came away thinking they were…decent, if not disjointed. But I try to fit in any new music that might interest me, so I gave their third album Love, Darla a chance. It’s great! Especially the opening track, a 5+ minute winding odyssey of feedback and 90’s angst. After a prolonged, fuzzy intro, a Hole-like rock song emerges, with singer Ali Genevich’s angry singing of “I DON’T CARE” cutting through the tinnitus-inducing guitars. It’s a thrilling song, and could seat to replace Bully as the band closest to the grunge heyday. It’s like Babes in Toyland are back in the room with us!
#47. Witch Post – “The Wolf”
This one really grew on me. Witch Post is the new duo of established indie artists Alaska Reid and Dylan Fraser, and they’ve produced one damn fine rock song. The rest of the tracks on their debut EP are softer indie, but this one is centered around a crunchy guitar riff and big chorus. It’s old school indie-rock. There’s no wheel reinvention, but it’s an earworm. This one has fluctuated wildly on the list – it originally didn’t make the cut, then rocketed it up to ~20, and now it’s a lock at #47.
#46. Viagra Boys – “You N33d Me”
Often, an artist’s best song is one where they reveal more of themselves, give in to vulnerability and show a human instead of a performance. Then there’s post-punk group Viagra Boys, who are, as the name implies, a deeply unserious band. An album cut from their great release Viagr Aboys [sic], Sebastian Murphy’s always-reliable lyrics are front and center. The song sees him drinking considerably and trying to woo a woman with random facts about WWII. He does go off-course lyrically and start to offer actual fun tidbits. Like a lot of VB songs, it’s a satirical take on masculinity, and it’s a hoot. The crunchy music and spoken lyrics exist in the same space as IDLES, just a much funnier version. We do n33d Viagra Boys.
#45. Tropical Fuck Storm – “Irukandji Syndrome”
Last year’s list saw a surprise entry from Arab Strap, a band I had never really heard and was initially unsure of. TFS aren’t as intense as Arab Strap, but they follow in the same post-punk intensity. This song is driven by intergender vocals, with Gareth Liddiard cementing some solemn, spoken word vocals and Fiona Kitschin and Erica Dunn complementing it with higher pitched bursts of vocal energy. The whole thing sounds ominous, but it’s got an itch to it too. TFS is always trying to do something new, I think they’ve landed on something here.
#44. SPELLLING – “Satisfaction”
This is definitely the most random entry on this list. It’s one of the few songs here that wasn’t a single, and it’s arguably an interlude. It’s also the shortest song on pop-ish singer SPELLLING’s excellent album by a good 30 seconds. But it’s a song designed for me. It starts with a nasally, a capella vocal rhythm that quickly gives way to a rock background. A genuinely good riff guides the song for a bit before it stops dead, giving way to crunchy chords and double drums. The song crosses from pop to rock to metal in barely two minutes. It’s cool!
#43. Laura Stevenson – “#1”
Laura Stevenson is responsible for my all-time favorite song, and I maintain that she has one of the best voices in indie if not all of music. This new record is, unfortunately, even more personal than normal, as it is a divorce album; these songs are among her softest and most vulnerable. She has a way of creating songs that really build operatically, none more so than #1, a raw and delicate ballad that gets big but still sounds very unstable and sheltered. Prettiest voice you’ll ever hear. #43 on the list, #1 in my heart.
#42. Cardinals – “Big Empty Heart”
Cardinals are one of my favorite new bands of the past few years, but they only sometimes invoke their Irish heritage. The indie band lay into it on “Big Empty Heart,” a first taste of an upcoming debut album. The song has dense, draining guitar, all positioned behind some accordion. Musically, it sounds vaguely Irish, and the forlorn tone of the song adds a lot to it. It’s very dreary, but still a joy to listen to. It could easily overstay its welcome, but it’s pretty short.
#41. The Weather Station – “Neon Signs”
I’m finding this one a little difficult to write about because there are other songs on this list that do the same thing as this, even better. The Weather Station are a very warm indie band, and “Neon Signs” mixes a great vocal rhythm with patient music that feels like a nice hug. The sound is full, but never dense – it’s a good mix of catchy and interesting. The song sticks around for a while, with a very prolonged outro that feels like watching someone walk away. It’s a really pleasant indie song.
#40. Deftones – “milk of the madonna”
I mean, it’s Deftones. You either like them or you don’t. The beauty of Deftones is that all of the members share a vision for the band, but they all have different directions on how to get there. This leads Deftones albums to be a litany of ideas, from dense onslaughts of nu-metal, to slow burners, to songs with real riffs. This is the former. “madonna” is an aural assault, nearly as dense as a black metal song. Chino Moreno comes through the fold at times with his own neat vocal rhythm, other times he disappears into the mix. It’s a fascinating little song, and something that only Deftones could make interesting.
#39. Magdalena Bay – “Second Sleep”
Mag Bay lost their minds in 2025. They’ve been riding the highs of their genuinely excellent 2024 smash hit Imaginal Disk, and they spent the last quarter of 2025 quietly releasing an EP’s worth of songs in 2-track batches. They all rock, but this one really stuck out to me. It’s art-pop, with an excellent vocal rhythm and melancholic lyrics. It’s mixed with dense and unpredictable music, in the Mag Bay way. It’s high art, it feels proper, even coming from an indie duo. This is an easy one to get lost in.
#38. The Croaks – “The Ballad of Tenderblood”
I am so entrenched in the local Boston music scene, I’m not sure I can pick a favorite local band – some other nominees will show up later on this list, but it might be The Croaks. Their blend of acoustic indie with, like, Ren Faire melodies and aesthetics is like nothing else out there. They are self-described as “wench rock.” This song is a ton of fun, and features the best vocal performance on any Croaks song to date. It’s a little odyssey with tons of tempo changes, but all done in an unassuming way. I’ve known this one for a while from live shows, it sounds so good on tape!
#37. Austra – “Siren Song”
This was a big year for electro-indie for me. It’s normally not my go-to – and still isn’t – but there are a number of bangers peppering this list. Austra was a late discovery and, if it had had more time to settle in my brain, could’ve ended up higher on this list. “Siren” is a super catchy song that takes familiar elements and makes unique rhythms out of it. This is, simply, a banger. Sometimes the songs on this list aren’t designed for wide audiences. This one should be a chart-topper.
#36. Perennial – “Baby, Are You Abstract?”
Local heroes Perennial have spent 2025 running a victory lap after their excellent 2024 LP Art History broke them into a bigger stratosphere. The deluxe edition of that album features this new one tucked at the very bottom, and it’s their most mod song yet. Like a lot of the best Perennial songs, it’s stupidly simple: two lines repeated over a simple, jangly rhythm, all over in 2 minutes flat. It’s energetic and danceable in a way that only they know how to pull off. Turn the speakers up for this one, it’s some dance-punk madness.
#35. feeble little horse – “This Is Real”
feeble little horse ranked very highly on this list in 2023 with “Steamroller,” a lyrically vulnerable but musically heavy indie rock song that sounded like a leftover from the Dinosaur Jr. days. Their follow-up is a standalone song that, quite frankly, sounds like an entirely different band. The guitars are even heavier, the tender vocals are replaced by screams and there’s some breakbeats thrown in. I’m not sure if this still classifies as alternative. If you’re like me and you just like thrilling, loud songs, this is for you. It follows with the band UNIVERSITY – check my album list – who are doing “indie” music that’s abrasive and unpredictable. More of this trend, please.
#34. Mark Pritchard/Thom Yorke – “This Conversation Is Missing Your Voice”
I don’t know Mark Pritchard, and I’m pretty over Thom Yorke’s wishy-washy non-politics. I didn’t care for their collaborative electro-indie album as much as most critics seemed to. But, no Yorke album is devoid of brilliance, and I found it in “Voice.” To be honest, I mostly love this song because of the hypnotic, instantly engrossing backbeat from Pritchard. I could listen to an instrumental version all day. It’s a simple beat rhythm, but something about it always grabs my attention and sticks in my head for a day. Of course, Yorke’s vocals elevate everything – I consider him the best rock singer in history for a reason. This is one of the catchiest songs of the year; there was a period where I just couldn’t stop listening to it.
#33. Kilbourne – “Loon Call”
I can’t say I listen to much hard techno – not much at all. I don’t really recall how Kilbourne’s album If Not To Give A Fantasy even ended up on my list. But I do like techno like this, and “Loon Call” takes a small idea and makes it brilliant. What is nominally a normal techno song gets enhanced by, well, loon calls. The inclusion of a bird call as a “sample” adds a musically fluid element in the same way a record scratch would. It’s a cool twist, blending the concepts of techno and field music, which are inherently incongruous. I’m not sure if the loon call idea is actually a well-known one and I’m oblivious, but I heard Skrillex use it on his album too – can’t be a coincidence.
#32. Blondshell – “23’s A Baby”
Blondshell is an interesting entry this year, because I was surprisingly disappointed in her sophomore album If You Asked For A Picture, and the album’s best songs were singles that made this list last year. Still, one snuck through. “Baby” is premium Blondshell, a guitar-focused indie rock that doesn’t hide any melancholy. This time, it’s outward, criticizing someone for having a baby at 23. Sure, the lyrics are cringe-y above all else, but the vocal melody sells this. Blondshell manages to rope a great vocal delivery out of a very short line, and smartly repeats it throughout the tune. It’s just a great indie-rock song.
#31. Disiniblud – “Give-upping”
This is a fascinating opening statement. Disiniblud is a new duo that brings together Rachika Nayar and Nina Keith, themselves two experimental artists I was not familiar with. Experimental music isn’t exactly known for warmth, but there’s something uniquely relaxing about this one. Their debut album’s opening track starts soft, with barely anything to grasp on to. A melody slowly forms before a burst of static erupts into a full song. It’s a cathartic piece, and not really like any other song on this list. Give your ears a treat.
#30. Billy Nomates – “The Test”
I’ve always been partial to indie-rock singer Nomates, whose music is always melodious but sometimes endearingly corny. “The Test” is one of her more earnest songs, however, cemented by the combination of introspective lyrics and a one-note synth rhythm that propels the chorus like a soft siren. It’s a very simple song, ultimately, but all of the pieces fit. Her singing voice is always intriguing, and there’s a DIY glory to her songs. This is no different on “The Test,” an earworm despite the minimalist music. Check this one out on headphones, those small synth blips hit well in the back of the brain.
#29. Ela Minus – “BROKEN”
Early in the year, I found myself kind of hard-up for new tunes. I was checking out a number of electronic artists I wouldn’t necessarily have listened to (like Kilbourne!). Ela Minus was on that list, and I fell in love. Minus scratches an itch, with electronic music that straddles the barrier between experimental and conventional. This is a ballad, with haunting vocals and a calm melody mixed with some more engrossing experimental elements. It’s sad, but it’s a pleasure to listen to.
#28. Ada Rook – “RAT KID LIFESTYLE”
If these lists are not obvious enough, I like a lot of maximalist music. Few go more maximalist than Ada Rook, who dabbles in a mixture of industrial, hyperpop and glitch. I don’t think you can really classify this song as anything, her pained screaming also implies metal while the electronic elements imply some EDM. There’s a lot going on at once, if you’re into this sort of thing. You’re probably not, it’s abrasive and overwhelming to a fault. It feels like the coke kicking in off the bathroom sink. I’m a longtime fan of Rook, though, and it’s great she’s still out here delivering us insanity like this.
#27. Lucius – “Gold Rush”
I truly fell in love with three separate Lucius songs this year, and this is the one that initially stuck out to me. It’s the most fun song on their new record, a very playful indie tune with a jangly guitar lick and delightful vocal rhythms. The star of any Lucius song is the vocals, and they are fantastic here – not just melodic but strong. They shake off the fun elements for a stronger chorus, before getting playful again. It’s one of the most well-constructed indie tunes of the year.
#26. Margo Price – “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down”
The resilience anthem of 2025. The title is swiped from a 1990 Kris Kristofferson song, itself a statement on how prolonged the battles in America are. But as a standalone song, it isn’t just an optimistic, necessary statement. It’s also a quick, energetic and bouncy country song. This is what Price does best – no-frills, simple earworms. ICE, AI companies, pedo politicians – don’t let the bastards get you down. Don’t worry about keeping the statement in your head, the cadence will get stuck there anyways.
#25. Deep Sea Diver – “What Do I Know”
I’ve just about hit my limit on new, interchangeable indie bands. When my primary source for new music – SiriusXMU – started promoting this band, I thought, “oh, another indie band.” But I was hooked by the end of the song. This is a good, old-fashioned guitar ditty. It’s got riffs, great vocal melodies, and a ton of energy. You can tell that this band is trying to make a statement, and they succeed. This is good ol’ fashioned rock and roll music. Sometimes a song is just big fun!
#24. Alien Boy – “I Broke My World”
The shoegaze revival is alive and well. Alien Boy is a band I was not familiar with before this song crossed by my way, but it appears they’ve been around for a bit. This song has a simply formula, some heavy and forceful guitar and a great chorus about a lost love. It’s heavy and melodic, following in the same footsteps as other revival bands who incorporate shoegaze’s relentless elements with more traditional songwriting. Take away the guitars, and you’ve still god a decent pop song here.
#23. Nourished By Time – “BABY BABY”
Sometimes a song is just hot. Nourished By Time, aka R&B singer Marcus Brown, speeds the BPM way up for this one. I’ve said elsewhere, probably in this post, that I tend to prefer faster, louder songs across genres. Naturally, I took an immediate liking to this one, designed to make people sweat out a pint in a club. Rhythmic and entrancing, this late single is centered around Brown’s rapid-fire vocal delivery and fascinating lyrics. Be prepared to dance.
#22. Mandy, Indiana – “Magazine”
I’m never sure what to do about songs off of upcoming albums. Part of me wants to save them until the following year, as I prefer to think of albums as a whole. But factually, if a song is released in one year, it’s eligible for my list that year only. Anyways, one of my favorite up-and-coming indie bands Mandy, Indiana, have a record coming out in February and the first taste is absolute dynamite. They’re an experimental, somewhat abrasive indie band, and they lean into it here. This fluctuates wildly between melodic meanderings and nerve-shredding bursts of noise. It’s a panic attack in song form, which means I love it wholly. This is a Band To Watch.
#21. Pulp – “Spike Island”
I’m not the most knowledgeable Pulp fan, but I know there’s three elements to the good Pulp songs – a length that stretches into tedious territory, some tongue-in-cheek satirical lyrics and Jarvis Cocker singing like he’s dying of thirst. “Spike Island,” the lead single of the band’s first album in TWENTY-FOUR years, doesn’t really have the satirical lyrics, but it’s got everything else. This song rests solely on Cocker’s vocal performance, which is predictably great. His voice is simultaneously powerful and fractured, like the last gasps of a hero. Although Cocker’s Wikipedia page is suspiciously vague, I’ve calculated him to be 62. He’s still throwing his voice and body around like a man half his age. The band is locked in too, providing a great backdrop, even if it isn’t the most interesting song musically. In an era where kids are revisiting practically every 90’s and 00’s genre, we’ve got the return of two of the biggest Britpop bands. Thankfully, Pulp have new music and thankfully, Oasis do not.
#20. Water From Your Eyes – “Life Signs”
I had trouble getting into the previous Water From Your Eyes album in 2023 when all my pals seemed to rave over it. I still gave the first single off their new record a chance, only to encounter the best guitar bridge of the whole year. This is a truly winding song, jumping from quiet and melodic to classic rock guitar crunch in no time. It’s unpredictable, and it’s all fun throughout. Sometimes, I love being proven wrong.
#19. Babe Rainbow – “What is ashwagandha”
Look, for some of these songs I can go very in-depth on what works and why, and other times there’s little reasoning besides “it’s really fun.” This is the latter. This sunny indie song harkens back to the days of, say, Givers and early Los Campesinos! in the vocal-heavy earworm aspect. It actually sounds close to a SAULT song in the way it balances smooth vocals and patient but existent energy, though it might just be that the singers sound similar. Looking for something fun? Try Babe Rainbow!
#18. Sudan Archives – “MY TYPE”
I was already way on board with Sudan Archives, aka singer and violinist Brittney Denise Parks. Her natural blend of R&B, world and alternative was something up my alley. But her third album – fittingly titled The BPM – adds elements of dance and hyperpop into the mix. The album is a melting pot of big, hyperspeed tunes, and one of the lead singles comes out on top for me. “MY TYPE” is one of the more honest and smooth songs vocally, but coupled with a rhythm that is no less rhythmic and hypnotic. It’s a jam, and I can see it getting equal playtime on R&B radio and in a club at 2am.
#17. mclusky – “unpopular parts of a pig”
It’s not like Andy Falkous has been lurking in the shadows, but god have mclusky not missed a step. The band’s first album in TWENTY-ONE years (!) picks up where the last one left off, championed by “unpopular parts of a pig,” a ferocious bit of post-hardcore with a punk chord progression that predictably does not hit the 2:30 mark. The band is locked the hell in on this one, with Falkous’s sneering sounds as urgent and legit as it did in 2004. He saves room for a little of his signature playful spoken word, too, but only a touch. Every time I listen to this I want to burn my own house down.
#16. Bartees Strange – “Wants Needs”
Listen, this is just a really melodic indie-rock song. Sometimes that’s all it takes. Strange hit new heights on his album Horror, check my final album post for more, it’s an all-timer. The lead single and standout is this mostly straightforward rock song, centered on a great rhythm that brings harmony to vocals and guitar. There’s a lot going on in the background of this song, especially during an extended bridge, but if you stripped it all away except for vocals and guitar, you’d still have a great song. I can see this one working extremely well as an acoustic, one-person ditty.
#15. Wet Leg – “catch these fists”
While I always encourage bands to try new things, it is telling that the best song on Wet Leg’s sophomore record is the one that sounds the most ripped from their debut. A bouncy but rollicking indie tune with fun rhythms and threatening lyrics – this is pure, diluted Wet Leg. The band is adept at making songs with simple, dancey melodies that nevertheless make you feel just a little uneasy.
#14. Hallelujah the Hills/Ezra Furman – “Rebuilding Year”
Hallelujah the Hills released 52 songs this year, but the very best one is because of an Ezra Furman assist. That’s not to discredit the other 51, many of which are brilliant, but Furman’s raw vocals and poetic lyrics rocket this one onto the list. Hills do a mid-00’s indie heyday type of thing, like Illinoise-era Sufjan, and Furman slots in perfectly. Furman sings earnestly from someone going through a rebuilding year. The idea of taking a rebuilding year – which to me, is a sports team spending one season training new upstarts rather than chasing a title – and applying it to a personal life is a brilliant little poetic one. Furman’s apologies in the lyrics sound honest, too, which gives this tune an incredible amount of pathos. This is one of the most emotionally affecting songs on the list so, be prepared.
#13. Car Seat Headrest – “The Catastrophe (Good Luck With That, Man)”
Will Toledo doesn’t necessarily have a “formula” for his band, but there’s one thing he’s always done well – longish to long indie rock songs with excellent rhythms and a real sense of story. The band’s first album in five years was a huge swing-and-miss, because it lacked one of those important elements: rhythm. It’s a concept album that is so heavy on lore that they mostly forgot to write songs. But the lead single is spared, and it’s one of the most thrilling rock songs of the year. It is a story, and it is longish, and it has rhythms for days. This was a sleeper for me, I liked it initially but it kept creeping up on me until I found it persistently getting stuck in my head. This is old school Car Seat Headrest, and there’s no one else doing it like this.
#12. Water From Your Eyes – “Nights in Armor”
This is for sure one of the more maximalist songs on this list. The opening of this greets you with three different things to a point that is almost overwhelming. But quickly the hypnotic guitar lick really takes over and it becomes a jangly indie-rock tune. It’s a supremely unpredictable tune, there’s a quick breakdown before the prodigal riff comes back alone and the song continues to swell around it. There’s barely anything to grasp onto here, and yet I keep finding myself humming the riff all day. After much consideration, I’m declaring this the best tune on the excellent WFYE album.
#11. DARKSIDE – “S.N.C.”
I hadn’t listened to much Darkside before checking out their album this year even though I love their song “Liberty Bell.” The band includes electronic artist Nicolás Jaar, whose work I appreciate from a distance without necessarily enjoying. But I approach most albums with an open mind, and the whole thing floored me. The standout is “S.N.C.,” a song that starts off with a groove but deceptively saves the real funk for the halfway point. It’s airy, but it’s a straight up dance song too. About halfway in, an old school synthesizer funk rhythm erupts, that sounds ripped from – dare I say it – Stevie Wonder. It keeps the pace up for an exhausting couple minutes, too. Try not to dance challenge.
#10. Big Thief – “Incomprehensible”
If Big Thief releases an album, there’s a 100% chance that at least one song will find its way onto this list. The Best Band In Music is back with a set of tunes that are at least comparatively happier than anything else they’ve ever done. It’s still all melancholic, of course, but not as tragic. There are smidges of hope in this song, as Adrianne Lenker takes stock of her life at 33, noting that she’s nothing in the grand scheme of things but also recognizing how many new experiences there are to come. Couple that with some of the liveliest music in their catalog and you’ve got yet another folksy, indie winner.
#9. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory – “Afterlife”
Similar to Big Thief, any new Sharon Van Etten is a guaranteed lock to be on my list. Her new album is a top 5 on the year (watch this space). Sometimes, her songs come out of the gate as weepers. This one really sneaks up on you. It starts innocently enough and really saves its power for the chorus. It’s all SVE’s vocals. This is a painfully slow song, emotionally tortured. She simply has one of the most gorgeous voices I’ve ever heard, and she’s extremely adept at making incredibly melancholic songs with tragic vocal lines. I could say this is “more of the same,” but is that a bad thing? Try to listen to this one without weeping.
#8. Monobloc – “Line Of Feeling”
What’s with this post-punk revival that’s going on right now? It hasn’t gotten the attention that the shoegaze and nu-metal revivals have gotten, but there’s a ton of great post-punk bands out there right now. Monobloc is a very new one, with only a single EP out so far. The band is from NYC – something I only just found out, as they seem spiritually British. But it also checks out, because they really sound reminiscent of Interpol. This is a simple song, a three-note guitar lick and spoken-sung vocals make up the chorus. But something about it just really engrosses me every time I hear it, the same effect Interpol has. It is music that simultaneously feels emotionally cold while also sounds like a warm blanket wrapping around you. More of this band, please.
#7. The Convenience – “Western Pepsi Cola Town”
I’m a simple man. You put some guitars playing a fun rhythm very fast, and I’ll probably like it. This song sounds a lot like Parquet Courts. This song sounds a lot like Parquet Courts, with a guitar rhythm that’s only three chords, very fast, and very fun. The dual guitar work allows for some good licks to get thrown in too. This is another group I was unfamiliar with prior to 2025, but damn if I couldn’t ever get this one out of my head. Great if you like simple, punchy guitar rock.
#6. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory – “Idiot Box”
Unsurprisingly, there is a double dose of SVE. For her new album, she collaborated on songwriting with her tourmates for the first time. It shows best on “Idiot Box,” the closest thing to a “rock song” she’s done in a while. Her band is locked in, and it provides a different backing for her powerful vocals, as opposed to the traditional sparse music of her previous albums (and “Afterlife”). Good guitar licks and full drums complement the predictably great vocals. It’s a Sharon Van Etten song, but she takes a bit of a backseat in favor of musical melodies, too. It’s not as feel-bad as some of her other best songs.
#5. Smerz – “Roll the dice”
This song is oozing with coolness. Just listening to this feels like sunglasses and a leather jacket. A simple beat is matched with quiet but intricately spoken vocals in something that borders on hip-hop. Then a loud, jazzy piano line comes in, produced in a way that it dominates over everything else. This little tune is a melting pot, technically indie but effortlessly jazz and rap, too. Quite frankly, it’s too cool to really be indie. And the whole thing is over in two minutes.
#4. nurse joy – “without witness”
It was released in 2025, sure, but I first heard this song when I stumbled on nurse joy in the middle of the day at a festival in Somerville, MA in the summer of 2024. I was floored by the band immediately, and gobbled up their debut album when it was dropped in March. It’s a dance-punk odyssey, centered around a simply guitar rhythm and soothing synth line. But it all builds up to a raucous, screamed finale that has me punching the ceiling. There’s a lot of moving parts in this song, it’s sneakily complex. I’m lucky to have seen them play three more times since I stumbled on them, as the last time I saw them was their final gig. Long live nurse joy.
#3. Porridge Radio – “Don’t Want to Dance”
Is it best to go out on top? I was a very, very big fan of the British post-punk/indie group Porridge Radio, so I was distressed to learn that they would wrap up operations in 2025. It seemed like they were just picking up steam in America, only to bow out. I was happy to catch their first and last ever Boston show in January. They released one final EP in 2025, anchored by “Don’t Want to Dance,” possibly the best song they ever released. It incorporates everything great about the band – downtrodden lyrics that turn into a last-call singalong, coupled with music that feels very off-the-cuff and rough vocals. The band always sounded a little like The Cranberries, here it’s a lot. It would be great any time, but as a final song it sounds particularly haunting.
#2. Lucius – “Old Tape”
Yes, more Lucius. Like a few other songs on this list, this was not the first song on this album to really grab me. But once it did, I realized it’s going to be a personal all-timer. The chorus of this one is just huge, with some of the best vocals of the year and some instantly relatable lyrics. It’s a tune about briefly opening yourself up to playing the ‘old tapes’ from your brain for a loved one before shutting it all back down again. It’s a little bit country, a little bit pop, a little bit rock, a sort of genre-less exploration with some simple ideas done effectively well. Also Fred Armisen is in this video if that’s a thing you’re into, I guess.
#1. Model/Actriz – “Cinderella”
Oh boy. I talked heavily about the first M/A album and at least one song in my year-end coverage in 2023; it remains one of my favorite debut albums of the past few years. Their follow-up saw them shed some of the heavier elements in favor of something that edges on dancey-indie, in the most uncomfortable sense. The lyrics to this song are some of the rawest of any song all year, they are years of therapy sessions reduced to five minutes of music. You can choose to ignore them and enjoy the kinetic, frantic music and just dance to it. Or, you can lean into them, and realize this is what the inside of people’s brains sound like all the time. It’s an intensely personal song, and it sounds extremely cutting-edge. I liked it the first time I heard it, but it quietly crept further and further up this list until it dawned on me one day that it was a #1 lock.
And that’s a wrap on 2025 songs! Check back on this blog in the coming days for my top 100 (!) favorite albums of the year. Many of these acts will be represented, some will not, and some didn’t release an album. I hope every person that reads this discovers at least one song they didn’t know and now like, that makes it all worth it.
As is tradition, here’s a quick list of the songs that didn’t quite make the cut, in no order: ameokama – “izanami” | Yaeji & E Wata – “Pondeggi” | Modern Life Is War – “First Song On The Moon” | Wolf Alice – “Bloom Baby Bloom” | Tiberius – “Redwood” | Ada Rook – “Brackish”
And, since I mentioned it: Lucius – “Final Days” | Water From Your Eyes – “Playing Classics”
Hello and welcome to another edition of excessively long year-end coverage courtesy of me, someone who has had too much time on their hands lately. 2023 was a great year for music, yet again. My Spotify playlist where I dump all new songs I like is up to 563 (!!) tunes as of the time of writing. And while a condensed version of songs I loved is at 77 entries, I decided to cap it at 35 for my own sanity. I have a lot of album posts coming up.
These are 35 songs, from 30 artists, that I really enjoyed. I didn’t put a great deal of thought into these since there were so many to choose from, and I’ve left this list alphabetical. Also, I should note, much of the new music I discovered this year was thanks to the Sirius indie station I listened to on my commutes, so both my songs and albums lists are heavily indie-skewed this year.
100 Gecs – “Frog on the Floor”
I mean how else could this start? One of Gen Z’s most shining bands is out here reflecting their generation in shedding away any sort of musical norms. Is this a pop band dropping a ska song in the middle of the album? Yes. Is this just a song about a frog? Yes. Is it catchy as hell? Yes. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t one of my most-played songs this year, despite really sounding like a children’s song. Hell it’s basically made by children.
KEY FROG PUN: I heard he was telling croaks at the party.
Arlo Parks – “Devotion”
The sophomore Arlo Parks album was excellent, but it did see the alt-R&B singer move away from jazzy indie in favor of more rote pop beats. So it makes this song – which starts off as a sultry coital anthem before doing a hard reset into straight rock – all the more out of place. Catch a Deftones namedrop early as a hint of what’s to come. Loud and catchy R&B rock; it’s simple, yet unique.
KEY NAMEDROP: Shaking to Deftones, glitter in my bones
Big Thief – “Vampire Empire”
Even in a year where indie titans Big Thief have only released two songs, they make the list. The Best Band In Music is known primarily for disastrously sad songs, so this seemingly genuine love ode feels extra suspicious. But whether there’s a flipside to this one or not, it’s one of the band’s most inventive tracks yet, with some of Adrienne Lenker’s best-ever vocals.
KEY LYRIC: I wanted to be your woman, I wanted to be your man / I wanted to be the one that you could understand
Bully – “Days Move Slow” & “Lose You”
There’s a few instances on this list where I couldn’t narrow it down to one song per artist, and they always relate anyways (except one instance). Alicia Bognanno’s grunge-flavored indie has always been filled with a certain sense of ennui, but on her best-yet album, it comes with a purpose. The album is dedicated to Alicia’s late dog, Mezzi, and these two tracks about the impermanence of life – and the impermanence of grief – represent some genuine and complex emotion. Some assistance from Soccer Mommy bolsters the latter track, but they’re equally great.
KEY GOOD BOY: RIP Mezzi, the best boy
Cherry Glazerr – “Ready For You”
Cherry Glazerr have always been an indie group of the guns-a-blazing type, edging closer to straight rock than anything else. The second single off their new album is their best track yet, with heavy melodies and Clementine Creevy’s best-ever vocals. Her powerful vocal rhythm dominates this song and adds a hefty layer of confidence into the lyrics. Although the lyrics are actually quite vulnerable, they sound vaguely threatening under the guitars and vocals. Side note: catch this band live if you have the opportunity.
KEY I’M THE JOKER: Wish I could meet you with my eyes / I’m sick inside my twisted mind
Clark D – “It’s a Stickup!”
I didn’t listen to much rap this year, just wasn’t in the mood really! But this song by local rapper Clark D fell into my lap at the end of the year and hot damn is it one of the most fun tracks of 2023. An absolutely manic and tongue-in-cheek track with the highest possible energy. It’s a banger to the max, and doesn’t even stretch to 2:30. Add in a wild verse from kei and you’ve got a monster song. He cleaned up at the Boston Music Awards and proved that this song translates very, very well to a live setting.
KEY SCREAM IT: BITCH YOU GETTIN’ ROBBED
Death Cab For Cutie – “An Arrow in the Wall”
It’s been 15 years since I said “hey I really like this new Death Cab song,” and naturally this is the one that sounds the least like Death Cab. The Postal Service tour must have had a positive effect on Ben Gibbard’s primary indie group, as they trade in their guitars for a gloomy, minimalist beat. There’s a sense of foreboding in this that is totally foreign to DCFC, and it’s a welcome change.
KEY LYRIC: This machine was built to be broken
Faye Webster – “But Not Kiss”
Faye Webster exists in the same tragic indie-folk sad girl scene as, say, Phoebe Bridgers, but she’s always had a comical innocence to her music. That’s stripped away on this cold, baroque tune centered on a pounding, two-chord piano line and a simple but powerful “yeah yeah” in the chorus. It’s simple, but good luck getting it out of your head.
KEY LYRIC: I want to sleep in your arms………..but not kiss
feeble little horse – “Steamroller”
I’ve obviously been listening to mainly indie here this year, but there aren’t many indie bands like this anymore. These young upstarts are channeling the likes of Dino Jr. and Pixies in the way they layer their stuff under fountains of distortion. Underneath all the peels is a paranoid and apologetic tune about personal space, but it’s okay if you never make it that deep. Just enjoy the experience.
KEY RELATABLE PARANOIA: I’m the only one who sees me naked
Genesis Owusu – “Leaving the Light”
This list isn’t ordered at all (hopefully you’ve figured that out by now), but if it was, this would be #1. This absolute banger is my favorite song of the year, as it stands. It isn’t a particularly unique or wheel re-inventing song, but it is a paranoid dancehall banger. Owusu’s album STRUGGLER, which will be found on my albums list, is an album that is about a paradoxical concept – humans surviving an apocalypse. The song’s lyrics are simultaneously paranoid and prideful, and the music is blood-pumping synthy funk. It’s extremely easy to overlook the fact that the song is intended to be violent and depressing! The biggest party of the year is, in fact, the apocalypse.
KEY EARNED BOAST: Crush me with your holy hell, I feel no damage
The Hives – “The Bomb”
God bless the Hives. Their first album in 11 years sees the dance-punk legends stretching out a bit, crafting some songs that aren’t quite as high-energy as before. Logical – they’re in their mid-40’s now, even if Pelle Almqvist did split himself open and soldier on recently. But the Hives blueprint still works. “The Bomb” is a barely-two-minute track with a BPM of 1000 and the most ridiculous lyrics of the year. There isn’t a point to songs like this, it’s just extremely high-energy, goofy fun. And if the Hives can still do it this well, then they’re never going to lose it.
KEY PELLE ALMQVIST: What do you wanna do? Get down! What don’t you wanna do? Get up! What don’t you wanna not don’t do? Not get down! What don’t you wanna not don’t wanna not do? Not get up!
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – “Deathwish”
I’m a big fan of everything Isbell has done, but there’s something specific that permeates all of my favorite tracks of his – vocal melodies. This song, the first track off his country band’s “Weathervanes” album, starts immediately with a lengthy but simple and effective vocal rhythm. It’s something that runs through the course of the whole song, very repetitive but never tiring. Isbell’s songs are often lyrically despondent, but not necessarily sad songs – this one feels downtrodden immediately, which only adds to the effectiveness. This is downright hopelessness.
KEY EXTREMELY RELATABLE OPENING LINE TO YOUR ALBUM: Have you ever loved a woman with a deathwish?
Jenny Lewis – “Psychos”
I love dirtbag Jenny Lewis. Twenty years ago, she was singing youthful and introspective indie ballads about love and loneliness. Now, she recognizes that her era has passed, and is singing offhand country-folk songs like this one with vaguely problematic lyrics like a cool aunt. To be clear, the lyrics of this song are not good, but the 11pm-on-a-weeknight-in-a-bar vibe of this song is excellent. And, her voice has improved significantly since the Rilo Kiley days. I hate to say it, but she’s a lot cooler now than before.
KEY RELATABLE NONSENSE: This shit is crazy town
Jungle – “Back on ‘74”
I get that I have a broader spectrum of music than most people, but one of my hardest beliefs around music is that I can’t trust anyone who doesn’t like funk. The band’s latest hit, their biggest in both America and their native UK, is a smooth and sultry vocal song ripped out of the 70’s. The nostalgic lyrics touch on past innocence and lost opportunities, but it’s more than acceptable to shut the thoughts out and just enjoy the fluid melodies. This is a banger, after all. I believe this song has gotten big on The Tik Tok website, so here’s to a whole new generation getting into soul music. Oh, and if you’re only going to watch one video on this list, make it this one.
KEY CRY-DANCE: Never gonna cry anymore, where did it all go?
JW Francis – “Swooning”
Some of the artists on this list are ones I’m extremely knowledgeable on. This is not one of them. I know absolutely nothing about this guy, but I do know that this is one of the most well-constructed songs of the year. At its core, it is a simple indie song about struggling to find the words to tell someone you’ve fallen for them deeply. But there is a lot going on – a rumbling guitar rhythm backs a sweet synth, there’s a guitar freakout, there’s a riff that mimics a butterfly, and there’s a late-song octave change. For people who like to analyze individual elements of songs, this one is a goldmine. Really fun stuff.
KEY LYRIC THAT REFLECTS THE MUSIC: Oh my, I’m swooning / I think we hit the right chord, new tuning
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – “Gila Monster”
The second proper Gizz metal album is unlike the first, which was loose thrash. This album is dense, slow and heavy. But much like “Infest the Rat’s Nest,” it centers on an apocalypse and the animals that take over afterwards. In this one, we’re praising the new king, a Gila Monster, whose adorable face graces the album cover. This one is raw and catchy, bolstered by Ambrose taking over for vocals at the bridge and pumping things into a new gear.
I couldn’t keep these together. The second Gizz album of 2023, “The Silver Cord,” is an electronics one, cashing in their Kraftwerk tickets. Like “Gila” this one is just fun as hell. And like “Gila,” it kicks into high gear off a bridge where Ambrose loses his mind. There’s five different things going on at once musically, which doesn’t even address the cryptic lyrics about ancient Egypt. Everything here is manic. I didn’t think I would like electronic Gizz this much, but I was wrong.
KEY NONSENSE: Eighty years of conflict, crocodile dog birth, Lucifer inverted, slender usurper, piece of work
Lifeguard – “Alarm”
My, where did this one come from? One of the most rousing rock songs of the year comes out of these upstarts, literal children who are channeling the best days of Pixies and Bikini Kill. The song is intensity above all, but it remains extremely catchy too. It’s an absolute bruiser, and it makes the band sound both as youthful as they are, and far more experienced than it. Although I’ve heard this one on indie rock radio, I’d hesitantly call it punk.
KEY VAGUE BUT SCREAMABLE CHORUS: Switch! Switch! Trip or take me!
Lil Uzi Vert – “Nakamura”
Almost no one has a better entrance theme in the world of professional wrestling than Shinsuke Nakamura, so much so that he had to add Japanese lyrics to it to try and quell American audiences from singing it throughout his matches. It was also begging to be sampled. Well Uzi was of course the man to do it. That wildly memorable violin line serves as the foundation of this song, with Uzi rapping over it. This was an easy slam-dunk for any artist, and a shoo-in for this list.
KEY GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn from NXT Takeover: Dallas
Little Dragon – “Slugs of Love”
There isn’t much to say about this one other than it’s just one of the most fun bangers of the year. There’s a sax hit just seconds into the song that lets you know it’s gonna be a fun one. The music is fast and funky, the vocals are upbeat, and the lyrics are chaotically funny and sexual. Try getting this one out of your head.
KEY NO THANKS: Have a feast at the table / slugs of love
M83 – “Amnesia”
Easily one of my favorite songs of the year; I absolutely did not think that Anthony Gonzalez had songs like this one left him. The slow synth build-up feels ominous, building to one of the biggest cinematic choruses you’ll ever hear. It’s Kaela Sinclair’s short but powerful lines during the chorus that really make this one stand out. The song sounds like a late night drive through a crowded but sleepy city on a warm night. It’s got a fullness to it that feels free and warm, even with a touch of dread thrown in. It might be the best song of 2023.
KEY PHRASE I’VE BEEN SHOUTING IN MY CAR: Four minutes with you
Mandy, Indiana – “Pinking Shears”
One of the best new bands of 2023 is also one of the most confounding. Quite possibly the shortest song on this list, this Mandy, Indiana track mixes mechanical percussion, heavy synths and buried vocals into one burst of sound that is very catchy while still dense and wholly unique. Oh, and it’s all in French. The end result isn’t really classifiable, and it sounded out of place on indie rock radio. It isn’t quite my favorite song of the year, but it might be the new one I’ve listened to the most times.
PHRASE CLÉ: Je suis fatiguée, tu sais parce que je suis fatiguée
MJ Lenderman – “Rudolph”
It wasn’t enough for the band Wednesday to drop an all-timer album on us, the guitarist had to drop this excellent solo track too. A crisis of faith plagues the speaker, professing his love to someone from within the walls of a seminary. Throw in some self-doubt, Rudolph the Reindeer and a Pixar reference, and you get a rollicking spellbinder. As with his other solo songs, this is an americana-grunge tune, with rough guitar and loose vocals.
KEY LYRIC: I wouldn’t be in the seminary if I could be with you.
Model/Actriz – “Donkey Show”
The opening track from my favorite debut album of 2023 is a manic mess. The group starts hauntingly soft, with just a little synth line that sounds like a bug crawling around, until the rest of the band kicks in heavily. The song wastes no time in getting intense – singer Cole Haden sounds like a man who has just realized he is in deep trouble. On the first few listens of this song, I thought “wow this is heavy.” After a few more, I thought, “this is also….groovy.” It’s not like anything I’ve heard before. The song sounds comparable to “City Song” by Daughters, but it swaps out 50% of the paranoia in favor of funk. You can absolutely dance to this, but it might only happen in the nightclub from Blade.
KEY TROUBLING VAGUENESS: All night, me and my wretched device
The New Pornographers – “Really Really Light”
There’s hardly anything new about the pornographers, who admittedly wear out the formula a bit on their ninth album. But the opening track is an absolute delight of breezy indie. The lyrics are both poetic and empty, singing about nothingness. The fading guitar lick that runs the song sounds like wind entering your car windows on an empty Midwestern highway. There’s a certain listlessness to this song, like everything about it exists only to kill time, but it’s a pleasant feeling. A distinct balance that only a band this deep into the game can pull off.
KEY BOREDOM: We sit around and talk about the weather / My heart just like a feather / really, really light
Orbit Culture – “Vultures Of North” & “Descent”
Sometimes you just need some good death metal. Orbit Culture’s newest album is a victory lap and a breakthrough, with a bunch of great songs that do a lot with a little. These two songs feature rhythms that are, quite frankly, very simple! But they’re super fun and incredibly catchy while still being heavy and brooding. The growled vocals are top notch and the production is stellar. The metalheads probably have this band on radar already, but here’s a note in case you don’t.
KEY BROODING: The descent into madness is all I see, and it’s all I’ve seen
Palehound – “Eye on the Bat”
How much fun can one song be? Local legends Palehound hit an absolute home run (pun intended) on their latest album’s title track. The song kicks off with a fun and complex acoustic guitar line, with bright and cheery vocals and one quick slide guitar hit thrown in too. Although the song is ostensibly about how grueling a tour can be, the lyrics cherry-pick some nostalgic moments too. This feels like a song we’ll still be listening to in a decade. Spin it a couple times:
KEY SAME: Black Sabbath as the sun goes down ‘cause I like heavy metal / We’re the only people for miles around and we’re headbanging to Paranoid.
The Rolling Stones & Lady Gaga – “Sweet Sounds of Heaven”
I’m not gonna sit here and pretend that the new Stones album is anything really worth listening to, but you’re doing yourself a disservice if you skip this one. This 7+ minute track is possibly the best Stones song since…the 80’s? Gaga brings the best out of the Stones, who face down mortality on this apocalyptic track. Her background vocals provide a moving aura that earnestly feels akin to “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” There is also a vulnerability here that we don’t see from Mick much, though it’s still wrapped in ego too.
KEY LYRIC: No, I’m not goin’ to Hell, in some dusty motel / And I’m not goin’ down in the dirt.
Sleep Token – “The Summoning”
One of the first new songs I heard in 2023 ended up being one of the best, a heady and highly conceptual song that acts as metal, but dissuades any real classification. A simple and pounding riff comes and goes as huge choruses rise and fall, as the song meanders between radio rock and straight metal. The whole thing has this aura that there’s a great bridge coming, but where it ends up going is unpredictable – an extended ambient segment followed by a poppy, jazzy coda. The song messes around with genres and expectations, with supreme confidence.
KEY RADICAL TONAL SHIFT: Oh, and my love, did I mistake you for a sign from God?
Slowdive – “Alife”
This is aural Xanax. We should be so thankful that Slowdive reunited back in ~2015 because the niche they left behind had been imitated by countless bands, but never perfected. While many of their shoegaze contemporaries like My Bloody Valentine and Ride often searched for bliss and clarity in sheer volume, Slowdive did it in minimalism. “Alife” recaptures the stunning and cathartic aura of their original 90’s work. Everything is so slight that it feels improvised, but it’s all so polished that it could’ve only been done by perfectionists.
KEY LYRIC: Two lives are hard lives with you.
Slow Pulp – “Cramps”
Slow Pulp is an indie-pop group that would usually not get mistaken for doing anything heavy or edgy, but the first single off their newest album is just that. The song, which yes is about period cramps, comes complete with fuzzy guitar and full-to-the-brim vocals. It’s an extremely fun song, reminiscent of a more 90’s indie pedalboard sound, and helps the band expand their sound some. It’s a simple song, but I spun it a whole bunch this year.
KEY I AM NEVER JEALOUS OF PEOPLE WITH PERIODS: I play out the same scene, bleeding on my new sheets / I wanna bake out on the concrete
Wednesday – “Bull Believer,” “Chosen to Deserve,” “Quarry”
One of these things is not like the others! I couldn’t help but include three songs by the Band of the Year in here. For those unfamiliar, Wednesday deliver a brand of americana-infused indie with a healthy amount of heavy guitar, in a total package that feels similar to Neil Young on paper, though not in practice. “Chosen to Deserve” and “Quarry” are country-fried indie tunes that tell tales of American loneliness; the former is a first-person tale of two bored people forcing a relationship, the latter is a walk down a poor street deep in the suburbs. “Bull Believer,” meanwhile, is a 8+ minute dose of heavy grunge that culminates in minutes of screaming. You simply won’t believe it’s from the same album.
KEY STORYTELLING TIME: Somebody called the cops on Mandy and her boyfriend / When they busted in they found that her house was a front for a mob thing / Pulled guns and cocaine from the drywall wrapped in newspaper / We gathered in the tall grass and watched unblinking as they cuffed ’em and hauled ’em away
There were of course many, many other songs I wanted to write about for this list. Real quick, here’s five that just missed the cut: 26Fix – “Stonekiller” (electronic/indie), Full Body 2 – “wonder limit” (shoegaze/hyperpop), The Kills – “New York” (guitar indie), Nation of Language – “Sole Obsession” (electronic/indie/new wave), Slaughter to Prevail – “Viking” (deathcore)
Check back in tomorrow when I start my official countdown of *cough* my 100 favorite albums of 2023!
That time of year again! The time of year where the talking heads all list out their own “definitive” Best Of lists and drive up their ad revenue through rage clicks. Normally I love to participate, but this year I’ve decided not to do any sort of rankings and just list a bunch of albums I enjoyed. This is because 1) some of these bands I covered in other publications, and it feels weird to insert them into a ranked list, 2) how am I supposed to compare and contrast the house revival of Beyoncé with the industrial rap of Backxwash, the the disco pop of Charli XCX with the post-hardcore of Chat Pile, the low-key jazz of King Gizzard with the high-stakes prog of King Gizzard, and 3) I’m so tired, man. So these albums are ranked only alphabetically. However, I’ve thrown in some songs for some albums I do find particularly noteworthy. I finished the year having listened to 414 albums released between January 1st and mid-December. Yes, that’s a personal record. So without further adieu, here’s 75ish albums from this year I am simply excited to talk about!
Note: The original version of this list included the album Erebos by death metal group Venom Prison, but right before I edited it, the singer got outed with some transphobic nonsense. We don’t support that here. If you’re looking for good metal, stream their album on Spotify so they don’t get paid.
The 1975 – Being Funny In A Foreign Language
I’ve been pro-1975 for a while, but their biggest fault has always been bloat. Their albums – even at their best – have been overlong and suffering from inconsistent ambitions. This one is shorter, leaner and more scaled-down while still sounding distinctly 1975. It’s a nice surprise that’s well-needed after their previous, overlong ho-hum affair.
Actor|Observer – Songs For the Newly Reclusive
The first local entry on this list also gives me the opportunity to share the best piece of writing I did all year, when I premiered this album’s lead single. The whole album that follows is effortlessly brutal hardcore that shows both an urgency in its lyrics and a patience in the songwriting, a difficult balance to pull off. This is not hardcore for the sake of hardcore, this is a band that has a lot to say, and those messages are delivered successfully and angrily. Consistently one of the most underrated groups, Actor|Observer have done it again.
Alvvays – Blue Rev
The first two Alvvays albums were great little releases of radio-friendly powerpop, so it was a shock for their third to turn up the edge and turn down the song lengths into something that feels a little more punk-inspired. It helps to round out the band’s image and distance themselves from the overall bloat of bands they resemble. Even though it sounds smaller in scale, the album feels bigger than the ones they’ve done before.
Backxwash – His Happiness Shall Come First Even Though We Are Suffering
I’ve been a huge Backxwash fan since the moment I pressed play, so it’s no surprise that I loved her newest offering. The albums follows in the footsteps of her previous releases – finishing off a trilogy – with industrial rap/horrorcore that puts some absolute respect on the genre’s name. She’s backed up by some excellent features with Pupil Slicer and Ghais Guevara (more on him later), though as always her forceful rapping and controlled chaos beats are the focus. There’s simply no one else operating on her level.
Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti
Nothing to say that hasn’t been said already; Bad Bunny is just on another platform. The man has been releasing music like crazy, all of which manages to be breezy pop for the masses that has tons of depth and personality, and all in a language foreign to half of his American listeners (myself included). What a king.
Beach Bunny – Emotional Creature
Similar to Alvvays, Beach Bunny are one of the best in a bloated genre, and this album sees them breaking out. The album feels fuller and more mature, even though a youthful immaturity was their previous selling point. Beach Bunny are destined for megastardom, and this is another wonderful stepping stone. Pretty funny that we got two straight bunny entries, huh.
Beach House – Once Twice Melody
And right into two straight Beach entries. We gotta diversify these artist names. Anyways, Beach House had really fallen off the radar prior to 2022 – only one album in seven years, after a much more regular release schedule. That was undone with this sprawling 18-song, 84 minute sectioned album. There’s sections of classic shoegaze Beach House as well as parts that see the band dive into even more lush, dreamy territory. It’s certain to be one of their best albums, which is high praise, though anyone looking for bangers should seek elsewhere.
Beyoncé – Renaissance
The Queen was in a tough position after her album Lemonade, a decade-defining, genre-sprawling masterclass destined for the record books. No follow-up was going to feel as important or immediate, so she instead did a lower stakes house revival album. It was a necessary and perfect left turn; far from her best work, but it isn’t meant to be, and what it is still damn near perfect.
Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
Similar to Beach House, this is a behemoth, brass ring-grabbing mission statement of an album; it even came out the same week! Possibly the best indie release of the year, it sees the band take their normally reserved album ideas and stretch them into grander territory. Everything feels expanded and yet distinctly Big Thief – warm, earthy melodies accompanied by Adrienne Lenker’s tender voice and emotionally crippling lyrics. In an era where album bloat plagues every genre, Big Thief delivered an 80-minute album that still leaves the listener begging for more. They elevated themselves to Best Indie Band in 2019, a title that I believe they still hold.
billy woods – Aethiopes and Church
First double-entry! The Armand Hammer member has had a wildly prolific solo career, and both of his 2022 offerings are just great, low-stakes hip-hop albums. While the alphabetical and chronological antecedent was the better of the two albums, both showcase woods as a humble and intelligent master, unafraid to challenge rhythm and tropes.
Birds In Row – Gris Klein
Straight up one of my favorite groups, France’s Birds In Row have delivered another visceral, powerful and understated album of hardcore that establishes them as one of the genre’s most creative forces. Too many hardcore bands sound interchangeable, but Birds have always been sonically challenging, genre-defying and socially conscious, trends that have all kept up on Klein. One of the most criminally underrated groups in all of music, even if they set themselves up to have a limited audience.
Björk – Fossora
There’s a number of entries in this post that feel pointless to write – if you’re reading this on my blog, with the type of stuff I cover, then you’ve already heard Fossora. Björk rarely misses, and hasn’t missed in many years, but even for her this is a triumph. Few artists could think about the concept of mushrooms and produce an album that actually feels like the damp moss of a forest floor, but that’s what Fossora is. The mysteriousness of the forest – both innocent and unforgiving – litters this album in a way that’s pleasant and so entirely original. Quintessential Björk.
Black Dresses – Forget Your Own Face
Hyperpop is maybe the first thing to come around in music that makes me feel like I’m too old to understand, and truthfully I don’t really “get” all of this, but I do love it. This doesn’t so much move the goalposts of what “pop” can be but uproots and incinerates them. The chaotic outbursts of glitchy synth, the pessimistic lyrics and the demon-fueled screams from Ada Rook (one of the best screamers in the game today) all make this a brief album that’s equal parts fun and terrifying. Pretty good for a duo that’s technically broken up!
black midi – Hellfire
Coming into Hellfire I was hit and miss on black midi – literally, I thought their debut was a hit and the sophomore record was a miss. So I had a little trepidation, but this is easily my favorite of the three. This is extremely “me” music. Hellfire is a ton of absolutely chaotic, noisy indie songs that sound like a frustrated band taking it out in studio. I’m sure these songs are written precisely, but they often sound improvised. A little noisier and they could be mistaken for prime era Lightning Bolt. Really loved this one.
Bonny Light Horseman – Rolling Golden Holy
I’m not 100% positive this one would’ve made the list if I hadn’t just seen this band a couple weeks ago, but it’s totally deserving either way. The folk supergroup released their second album in November and it follows their debut exactly. Soft acoustic folk is met with gorgeous harmonized vocals in a collection of songs that you want to just disappear into forever. The group sounds like Fleet Foxes if they had less of an indie bend and didn’t subscribe to the concept of a frontman; the three musicians here all work equally and in tandem with one another. It’s quite possibly the prettiest album I heard all year.
Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loneliest Time
My my, there were a lot of B artists for some reason. Carly is here to dance us out of it with another album of pure pop bangers. Her previous album Dedicated was a moderately solid release, but a drop in the bucket to 2015’s game-changing E*MO*TION. This album feels closer to the latter, a self-contained collection of bangers and ballads that never tries to reinvent the wheel, just makes sure it runs as smoothly as it ever has. Anyone that doesn’t like Carly is either lying or just simply hates everything fun.
Chat Pile – God’s Country
My god, where did this one come from? The best debut album of the year is also maybe the best damn rock album of the year, too. An uncompromising, bold and enjoyable noise rock album that takes itself very seriously even if it closes with a song called “grimace_smoking_weed.jpg.” While most post-hardcore bands try to eschew any metal influences from their music, Chat Pile lean right into it with gnarly vocals, screams and – especially on “Pamela” – riffs. This is a major play by a fearsome young group.
The Chats – Get Fucked
The Australian drunk punk band is rising in popularity and facing the same issue that’s plagued many similar bands prior – soften the sound for a bigger audience, or lean into the niche. Well the album is titled Get Fucked so they sealed their own deal. This is just great, old school punk twisted through ridiculously delightful Aussie accents. Coming in at 13 songs and 28 minutes, with titles like “The Price of Smokes” and “I’ve Been Drunk in Every Pub in Brisbane,” this is a loud and raucous good time.
Danger Mouse & Black Thought – Cheat Codes
Danger Mouse, as both a producer and active musician, has always been one to ignore trends and musical climates. His full-album collaboration with arguably the most underrated rapper in the world is a very fun whirlwind that combines a lot of soul, prog and psychedelic influences that flies right by. It’s very much a throwback album to older hip-hop and something that sounds totally unique in 2022.
Demi Lovato – HOLY FVCK
Following up on the Chats is another album title that makes a statement. I’ve always had a soft spot for Lovato’s music, more so than most, and this turn back to a pop-punk/rock base is a very interesting one for her. There’s a distinct and intentional lack in subtlety, filling the album with confrontational statements that jump between honesty, heartbreak and horniness. It’s a great rebirth after a difficult period for the artist, and an album that I feel got buried too quickly.
Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez See Your Future
Curry is one of the most interesting and energetic rappers in the world today, which makes it all the more interesting that this album opens with some slower, reflective tunes. As it moves on, we get some of Curry’s more forceful songs, but it’s a surprising left turn by an artist that specializes in messing with the formula. All of Curry’s albums are great, but this is his best since TA13OO.
Diane Coffee – With People
This absolute indie gem from the former Foxygen drummer might end up being the most overlooked album of the year. Seven of the album’s ten tracks haven’t cracked 10,000 plays on Spotify yet, people are really missing out. It’s airy and fun in the way that Foxygen is, without any of the bloated ambition. It feels similar to some of Will Butler’s solo stuff – messy, low-stakes indie music that’s a lot more playful than you might expect. There’s some really fun stuff going on here.
Ethel Cain – Preacher’s Daughter
The very last album I listened to this year that made the list – listened to on 12/30! – is something I didn’t even realize I was sleeping on. This name was not on my radar until Obama of all people put it on his year end list. Cain is like Lana Del Rey filtered through the horror puritanism of Flannery O’Connor. Daughter is a lengthy, bold debut full of Southern gothic dream-pop ballads and old school Baptist existentialism. Every song sounds similar on paper, but there’s elements of everything from gospel to sludge metal across the album, a truly unpredictable concoction. That all of this was devised by a 24 year old is wild; the future is hers.
Florence & The Machine – Dance Fever
When it comes to the unique indie/baroque pop of Flo & co, there’s really nothing wrong with “more of the same.” This excellent album sees the group treading some similar waters, although there is blendings of many different facets; it’s as synthy and danceable as it is chamber pop, which still leads to some unpredictability. We can belabor about rankings, but this might be the most fun album from them.
foxtails – fawn
I went into this totally blind, and given the album’s title and very plains-inspired cover painting, I was expecting some soft indie. So credit me surprised when the screams started; this band is legit. Mixing classic screamo with post-hardcore, indie and even some jazz elements, this is stuff that’s supremely heavy and completely unique. I immediately ran through their other albums; not a bad song among them.
Gang of Youths – Angel in Realtime
The band name might imply some tongue-in-cheek rascalness, but this is a truly serious record written as an ode to the frontman’s father. The alternative band made an early AOTY contender with an impenetrable and difficult record, one that presents a ton of sonic ideas washed over by emotional lyrics. It’s too long – much too long – but it is super rewarding, comprehensive and effortlessly intelligent music.
Ghais Guevara – There Will Be No Super-Slave
One of the best underground releases of 2022 comes from experimental rapper Ghais Guevara, who litters his album with astounding beats, experimental structures and explicitly leftist lyrics. Songs like “This Ski Mask Ain’t For COVID” and “I Personally Wouldn’t Have Released John McCain” don’t just come out of nowhere. It’s witty, earnest, extremely loud and extremely engaging. Also, check out the “Breakfast in America” sample.
Gladie – Don’t Know What You’re In Until You’re Out
My big criticism of the bands that straddle the pop-punk/indie line is that they often play it safe and don’t explore their own energy. Gladie isn’t one of those bands. The band’s sophomore album (I have yet to hear the debut!) sees them masterfully navigate both tender pop songs and raucous punk, like in the fierce opener “Born Yesterday.” It’s simply a stellar record that is comprehensive and – most importantly – simply fun.
Harry Styles – Harry’s House
I still like his debut solo album more, but his third offering is such a delightful statement release. This is fun, humble and low-key pop, an album that was sorely needed in a year where his personal life was thrust into the spotlight (due to a bad film). He’s just great at this stuff!
Interpol – The Other Side of Make Believe
After the initial hot streak Interpol went on to start their career, it became apparent that they did slower ballads better than bangers (all exceptions to “The Rover”). Their last album, Marauder, was all bangers and it’s their only album I dislike. Thankfully they slowed things down for this somber, post-punk affair. They’ll never reclaim their highs again, but I do think this is genuinely one of their best records.
Ithaca – They Fear Us
Although I felt this year wasn’t as strong as most recent years in general, it was a standout for post-hardcore groups. This album blends those influences through traditional metal/hardcore into one of the rawest releases of the year. This is not music for the faint of heart, but it is a thrilling and emotional listen. Got this one via recommendation, I will be checking out their other releases.
Jack White – Fear of the Dawn
When Jack White announced two albums – a blistering blues record and an acoustic folk one – I knew I was going to like the former more. This packs all the punches of standard wild White stuff, from blues melodies to dizzying guitar licks. There’s even a Q-Tip feature, randomly. Some people might be tired of his schtick, but I’ll always take these records.
JID – The Forever Story
Many of the rap records on this list are here because they’re innovative, nostalgic or just different from anything mainstream. But for JID, this is just a good ass rap album. His flow is impeccable across The Forever Story, which helps bolster his convincingly autobiographical lyrics. It’s a soulful album too, and one complete with some guest spots from festival big-prints like Lil Wayne and Yasiin Bey. Top notch stuff!
Jobber – Hell In A Cell
This is a band called Jobber with an EP called Hell In A Cell, of course I’m into this. It’s an extension on the Mountain Goats album Beat The Champ in that it’s centered entirely around pro wrestling (more on them later). But even if you don’t have an appreciation for the art or aren’t familiar with the brilliance of Mankind, you can still appreciate the tunes. These are four energetic indie tunes with deceptively great vocals in a wonderfully fun debut. I’m not sure if the wrestling gimmick can stay fresh over time, but I’m positive the band can.
Julia, Julia – Derealization
The debut album from the lead singer of long-running punk band The Coathangers is anything but. The album tosses away all of the politically-charged punk energy in favor of soft folk. Most of these tracks are nothing but acoustic guitar and dreamy vocals from Julia. Hell it’s often barely audible! These songs mimic a soft spring day, a pleasant morning as the sun rises. This is probably the softest record on this list.
Kal Marks – My Name Is Hell
This is one of a handful of local entries on my list, but this list would be incomplete without it. Hell is simply one of the best rock albums of the year, filled with post-hardcore tracks that are both patient and angry, heavy and melodic. The band really lays into the same space occupied by IDLES on this one, and for good reason, as they pull the sound off completely. It’s urgent and bitter, but without sacrificing some tongue-in-cheek funk as well. Absolutely hard-hitting stuff and this album should serve as a firm rebuttal to any inane person saying “rock is dead.”
Kim Petras – Slut Pop
No comment.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – Omnium Gatherum and Changes
Another double entry, although in Gizz terms that’s a poor year – this is just two of the five albums they released this year (six if you count a remix album)! I enjoyed all five, though none were among the highs in their still-young, dummy prolific 23 album career so far. And the two albums selected could not be more different; Gatherum is their most expansive album yet, clocking in at 80 minutes and filled with heady concepts and challenging prog elements (sometimes). Changes meanwhile is a fun, lowkey album of breezy, jazzy pop that acts as a follow-up to their delightful Sketches of Brunswick East. Gizz celebrated their second five-album year, and while it wasn’t nearly as unmissable as 2017, there was still a lot to love.
L. S. Dunes – Past Lives
I am always a little weary of supergroups, especially emo supergroups – they often produce some ho-hum music that is a fun change of pace for the performers, but not necessarily enjoyable for the listener. But L. S. Dunes, comprised of members of My Chemical Romance, Thursday, Coheed and Cambria, and Saosin, gave us a mission statement debut album. It sounds like all of their respective bands distilled, combined, and refined, into something that is both familiar and progressive. The album hits a wide range from personal to raucous, and it’s a high recommendation if you like all – or any – of the bands that contributed members.
Leikeli47 – Shape Up
One of the best breakthroughs of the year was that of New York rapper Leikeli47, whose album Shape Up is filled top-to-bottom with short, loud bangers that all flow together in constant whiplash. You’ve probably heard the album’s first track “Chitty Bang” in a (car?) commercial, but it’s such a great track and indicative of the whole rest of the album. Though she performs behind a mask, she’s destined to breakthrough much further than she already has.
Little Simz – No Thank You
My favorite album from 2021 came from British rapper Little Simz, who pushed herself out of her comfort zone with an uncharacteristically bombastic, overstuffed mission statement album. But the spotlight wasn’t kind, and her follow-up is a much more cynical release aimed at the music industry and at the very fans that propped her up. It’s tough and fair, and an extremely deep record that does not sacrifice energy or melody for its goal. It was also released mid-December, probably to avoid all of the gun-jumping publications that publish their best of lists a month early. We wait til New Year’s Eve, here.
Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – The Harvest
I wrote in my songs post about the title track from this album and how it advances doom metal beyond its shriveling template. Well, the album follows it, an absolute sonic pummeling of riffs, synths, and dreamy moments. It feels like a record that is not supposed to take place on Earth, something from a space wasteland. It is, simply, really cool music. Plus ten points for having my favorite band name.
The Mars Volta – The Mars Volta
I don’t think anyone saw a full Mars Volta reunion & album coming, especially after a full At the Drive-In reunion and album. And if anyone did, they surely did not predict that the band would entirely leave their prog-rock comfort roots in favor of shorter, blunter pop songs with Latin flare. Naturally, the group pulled it off, a totally enjoyable clean slate of a record. The lyrics are also less cryptic and often deal with singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s wife’s battle with the Church of Scientology – a heartbreaking and disgusting story, should you choose to look into it.
Meat Wave – Malign Hex
I’m a sucker for any kind of fuzzed-out garage punk, from The Trashmen to Ty Segall, and this album more than scratches that itch for me. This band does one thing and they do it remarkably well, just a full sonic blast of pedal-heavy guitar and drums. The lyrics range from tongue-in-cheek to political to honest, though the band’s punk energy is what the listener is more directed towards, anyways.
MJ Lenderman – Boat Songs
Lenderman’s name has been on my radar for a while but I had never listened until this album, as I was expecting more of a tepid, sad boy indie schtick a la FJM. To my surprise, it was an album of fun, humorous and fuzzed-out indie that sounded closer to the days of Pavement than anything else. It feels unserious and off-the-cuff, in all the best ways.
The Mountain Goats – Bleed Out
The Goats are never bad, but in their current prolific period, they’ve released some albums that don’t stand against their best. Bleed Out does. Like some other recent Goats albums, this is one is hyper-focused on a concept John Darnielle finds interesting; this time around we get songs about action films. This is also the loudest Goats album – the first to center around electric guitar and rock-driven songs, courtesy of production from Alicia Bognanno, from one of my favorite groups Bully. It’s one of my favorites of the year, and I think it’s a contender for top 5 Goats albums; impressive when you remember it’s their 21st (!!) studio album.
Nerina Pallot – I Don’t Know What I’m Doing
One of the most talented and underrated songwriters in all of music delivered again on her seventh studio album, a work filled with homely, lush and self-reflective ballads. She’s a talented musician, but her strength has always been her beautiful voice and her brutally honest lyrics. Her music has remained popular in the UK but she’s never been even a blip here in the States, I yearn for that to change.
Nikki Lane – Denim & Diamonds
One of the joys of maturity is realizing how stupid I used to sound when I would say something dismissive like “I don’t like country music.” While it’s true that the country-pop that dominated the charts when I was a teen still doesn’t appeal to me, I’ve come to appreciate outlaw country. This is the best country release I heard all year, a collection of low-stakes, unassuming country tunes that are simply fun as hell. These songs are personal, but they’re bops. The album is earworms galore. It’s an album that may not leave a huge impression on first listen, but one that draws you back multiple times. Really fun stuff and a nice antidote to many of the other entries on my list.
Oceanator – Nothing’s Ever Fine
This one was a nice surprise! I checked this one out as sole Oceanator member Elise Okusami was on tour with Jeff Rosenstock, an automatic win in my book. It’s a ripping, fun and earnest indie debut with a bit of edge on some tracks. There’s still room for some folksy elements too. It sounds well-worn and patient, all the more impressive for a debut!
Orville Peck – Bronco
I think it’s no secret that I’m a devoted Peck-head, his debut album Pony rapidly became one of my all-time favorites. I was a little concerned after his follow-up EP was frustratingly saccharine, but the proper sophomore album picks up exactly where Pony left off: alt-country bangers and ballads, all sung from behind a mask, from a gravelly voice with the gravitas of an old West gunslinger. But also, it’s queer. If I really had to choose – and the point of this list is that I don’t – this might be my favorite album of the year.
Otoboke Beaver – Super Champon
I knew in my heart that a band like Otoboke Beaver existed, such a delight to finally find them. The group mixes Japanese pop and noise influences into a blend of punk that’s both absolutely ripping and completely fun. It’s a balance of J-pop and Melt Banana, with bouncy, gang vocals and lyrics inspired by both feminism and comedy, all delivered in a micro package. With song titles like “Dirty Old Fart Is Waiting For My Reaction” and only two songs over two minutes, this is an absolute riotous, unique blast.
Perennial – In the Midnight Hour
I had the immense pleasure of interviewing 2/3rds of this band and hosting the album premiere, so I am a little biased here, but 11 months later and this remains in my top 5 releases for the year. The band, inspired heavily by noise-punk groups like Be Your Own Pet, mesh punk, post-hardcore and experimental elements into something that is as chaotic as it is fun. This album is an unabashed good time, an apocalypse party, full of spooky influences. My only complaint is that it’s over too soon; 10 of the 12 tracks don’t hit the two minute mark!
Perfume Genius – Ugly Genius
Perfume Genius is always an automatic shoo-in for any best of lists, and this year’s offering is no different. After his surprisingly guitar-driven album Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, he tones things way down for a sparse, dreamy production. It’s as brilliant and heartbreaking as anything he’s done before, and by this point I think he’s incapable of producing something that isn’t like this.
Petrol Girls – Baby
This album is a pure refusal of complacency. Loud, brash, dissonant and angry, this is what hardcore punk is really about. The British group funnels explicitly feminist lyrics and harsh vocals through pumping drums and power chords. Not every track kicks into the highest gear, but every one does crack with earnest fury and political anxiety that resonates across the pond. Punk can never, and will never die.
Porridge Radio – Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky
I never know quite what to make of Porridge Radio. On paper, you can call them an indie band, but they rope in many outside influences from post-punk to pop. It’s often loud, and it’s horribly depressing. Their unique sound is on full display here, through melancholic ballads and rhythmic ennui. It’s a top-heavy album, but the good is very good. Not for someone with a cheery disposition.
Pretty Sick – Makes Me Sick Makes Me Smile
It’s always refreshing to me, a total grunge head, to hear any band that hearkens back to the cursed early 90’s. Pretty Sick sounds like one step forward from bands like Hole, Lunachicks and L7, with a messy, angry and riot grrrl-adjacent sound. Pretty Sick doesn’t always push up the volume here, but when they do, their curated sloppiness could mark a dead ringer for a band thirty years their prior. What I’m saying is, this is extremely me music.
PUP – The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND
Another contender for my favorite album of the whole damn year comes from Canada’s pop-punk-kinda group PUP, who stuck a necessary landing. Each album of theirs has seen increased visibility and fans, as well as just being better than the one prior. So for their fourth album to be a meta concept album about whether they should sell out and go big or make a weird concept punk album, and how it tears the band apart, is bold, brilliant and damn near perfect. It’s fierce and rough, tongue-in-cheek while also being brutally critical of the music industry. It warrants repeated listens, especially to catch little narrative details.
Saba – Few Good Things
One of the most flawless rap albums of the year comes from Saba, who spends each track on his album wearing his heart on his sleeve and masking it at the same time. These lyrics are brutally honest and deep in a way rap lyrics often aren’t (and don’t have to be!). And yet, the music is soft and dense, mimicking the flowers on the album’s cover. There’s an affirming warmness to this record that separates it from the year’s other rap records, even the ones on this list. It’s a shame this one has yet to pull in a wider audience.
SAULT – Today & Tomorrow
I’ve been preaching the gospel of SAULT to anyone who will listen for a couple years now, so imagine my childish grin when the anonymous R&B group released not one but six albums this year. They range from their standard R&B, to borderline gospel and even an atmospheric ambient album. The best was this one, which sees them take their standard crisply produced R&B and up the ante with funk, disco and even some punk elements. This one was a party album, which perfectly soundtracked me wrapped Christmas presents. Long Live SAULT.
Slipknot – The End, So Far
Well, it finally happened – Slipknot made their critical darling record. Their sound, and more importantly their misanthropic angst, was never going to keep up through all the years. This aptly-titled album could serve as a turning point, as it does feature some loud, abrasive metal tracks but a softer side as well. It doesn’t always work – quiet opener “Adderall” is ironically interminable – but the signs point to a changing band, one ready to experiment and embrace the adulthood that washes away all that juvenile anger. It should’ve happened a few albums ago, but hey the formula still worked.
The Smile – A Light For Attracting Attention
Yeah, yeah, Radiohead is my desert island band so naturally I loved this offshoot project. It allows Thom & Jonny et al to let loose and have fun, while also making some songs that would be minimalistic even by Radiohead standards. It’s tough not to compare it to Radiohead albums – it doesn’t stand up to most – but that’s a high grading curve. It’s a great debut and a record that has deserved more of my time this year.
Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
Credit to any band who can find a way to innovate within a scorned genre. Soul Glo are, by all descriptions, a rap-rock group, but one that play with full intensity and unpredictably. It’s part Death Grips, part 80’s experimentation, and no parts 00’s chuggy riffs and cringey lyrics. This is direct, honest and political stuff and it’s one of the most exciting records of 2022. It has no trouble getting abrasive and confrontational – it is supposed to be a shocking genre, after all.
Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa
One of the very first albums I heard in 2022 was a welcoming breath of, well, stale air. Spoon’s tenth album sees the band reverting back to the fundamental indie music of their mid-00’s heyday. It’s a welcome joy, as the band proves they can still write some indie bangers, and it’s their best album in years. Focused, pleasant and timeless, this is a high notch in their catalog. Spoon is back, baby.
Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen
The first Sudan Archives album was a patient and well-rounded R&B record that seemed to promise better things. Well, her sophomore album is the better thing. One of the best albums of the year sees the singer/violinist assume a first-person role in a concept album taking place in her Cincinnati hometown. It’s an overstuffed, comprehensive and funky release that never overstays its welcome and never teeters on self-indulgence when it could easily do both. It’s earnest and it’s refreshingly original. Truly remarkable piece of work.
Sylvan Esso – No Rules Sandy
This is easily the most ambitious album from the vibes-heavy indie band, a band who approach their albums with a “try anything” attitude. Although it rests at 16 tracks, it’s really made up of 5 or so sections with interludes, split into more bite-sized songs. It creates more of a nightclub DJ feel than their previous, minimalistic dance tracks. It’s still the same fun, warm and light-hearted music as always, though.
They Are Gutting A Body Of Water – s
This one was a wrench thrown into this list – I listened to it after 50+ of the entries in this post had already been written! I’d heard multiple people sing their praises but I jumped in totally blind. It’s shoegaze-based music, but with elements of trap, DNB and chiptune – really a hodgepodge of “off the beaten path” genres tossed into a blender. The result is something totally unique and nearly indescribable – all rules tossed out the window. I really dig this.
Titus Andronicus – The Will to Live
I wrote extensively about this album when I covered their live show, but what I’ll say here is that this is the first time Patty Stix et co. have successfully wrangled their ambitious side with their complying side; it’s really the first time they’ve even tried. This is a concept album, albeit a loose one, but not a hyper-inflated overlong grand affair like their other two concept albums (their best and worst releases, respectively). Instead, it’s a controlled record, one of a band recognizing their own heights but still reaching them. Seeing some of these tracks live helped me to contextualize how this is not a punk record but a rock and roll one, and even if this album was birthed from grief, they’re settling into adulthood surprisingly nicely.
Van Buren Records – DSM
Another local release that ranks among my very favorites from this year comes from Brockton MA’s rap collective. The album is bold and boisterous, with a cascade of different vocalists that allows each song and hell, each verse to sound fresh and fun. This album stays well within the realm of comfortability, and when the group is as good as they are, there’s no reason not to. It’s a blast, turn it up.
Vince Staples – Ramona Park Broke My Heart
Ramona Park acts as a follow-up to 2021’s weirdly disappointing self-titled release, and thankfully it reclaims the magic of older days. And yet, this doesn’t sound like Vince. Gone are the abrasive beats, experimental rhythms and worrying lyrics, replaced with beats and melodies that are crisp, fluid and conventional. Vince is still Vince though, and these tunes are grippingly reflective and earnest. This is as good as anything Staples has ever done. He barely misses.
Wet Leg – Wet Leg
I was absolutely delighted that the new duo Wet Leg was able to capitalize on their surprise debut hit “Chaise Longue” with a great first album. It did exactly what it needed to – prove the group wasn’t a one-trick pony, with a collection of songs that don’t exactly sound similar but feel similar. It’s infectious and hysterical, with tons of pop hooks and plenty of curveballs. The band sounds wise beyond their years, and yet songs like “Piece of Shit” and “Ur Mom” show off their playful immaturity. If by any chance you’re still reading this, then you’ve probably already heard this record, but what was I gonna do, not include it?
Weyes Blood – And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow
I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t like Titanic Rising as much as most, so I approached this one with caution. It floored me. This album is filled with stunningly beautiful chamber pop that feels warm despite the cold, cynical lyrics. It really is unpleasant stuff but presented in a more welcoming fashion. After some disappointments from the likes of Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen, we needed a late-year album of breathtaking ballads like this.
Wilco – Cruel Country
In a way, this is Wilco coming full circle. They toyed early on with country influences before mostly abandoning them for an indie sound. And now, twelve albums in, they’ve embraced it entirely. After a few albums of comfortable complacency, Wilco gifted us with a double album of moody country that welcomes the sound Wilco pushed off twenty years ago. It’s maybe too long and a bit unnecessary, but it stands as a fun and welcome outlier in the catalog – their best albums usually are.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cool It Down
What a relief this album was. The band’s quest for a total reinvention with each album petered out after 2013’s unlistenable record Mosquito. After nearly a decade of radio silence, they’ve done another full 180. Cool It Down, another in a series of aptly-named records on this list, comes close to ambient territory, with its atmospheric rhythms and airborne feel. It’s clearly a new territory for all members, and if the album had run beyond it’s short runtime it could’ve easily fallen repetitive, but the band keeps it tight. Fans looking for bruisers like “Man” are going to be severely disappointed, but this is a fascinating rebirth.
Zeal & Ardor – Zeal & Ardor
My favorite type of metal is usually “whatever would make the purists mad” and I figure this counts. Black metal, as much as I love it, has a storied history intertwined with full-on Nazism, so it is refreshing to hear a black metal artist who is, well, black. The album combines traditional black metal sounds with African influences, jazz, even a damn stomp-clap. It is sonically and lyrically subversive, a meting pot of influences determined to keep you guessing, especially in a genre where repetition is usually the biggest fault. I recommend this to anyone who even remotely likes metal.
Zola Jesus – Arkhon
Zola’s music expertly walks a line between conventional pop/indie and synthy goth throwback to the 80’s post-punk scene. Arkhon is no exception, as songs bounce to and from these competing influences to create a landscape that is hypnotically catchy and yet grim and moody. It’s often very fun and unpredictable, as some songs search for that catchy rhythm and others eschew it completely. This one flew well under the radar, and I wish it hadn’t.
Just for fun and self-indulgence, here’s some other albums I nearly included in this list:
Charli XCX – Crash (pop/hyperpop), Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia (indie/post-punk/Ireland), Froglord – Army of Frogs (stoner metal band that sings about frogs), Lizzo – Special (pop/R&B/it’s Lizzo), Sasami – Squeeze (indie/noise rock), Thee Oh Sees – A Foul Form (80’s thrash metal/hardcore throwback)
Post-Grad Music Reviews 