Top Albums of 2022
This took so long because at the end of January, I left the city I have lived in the past decade to return to my hometown across the country. To say its been surreal is an understatement, as I still feel as trapped in the limbo of travel and have no real insight into how 2023 will go. Regardless, these albums all made the nightmare of leaving behind a short lifes worth of memories feasible. A good chunk of these albums dive into the unbearable, as artists struggle with where they are in life compared to where and who they want to be. Any one of these could be a life-saving record, it just depends on the day and person, and that's what I want these lists to represent; different shades of struggle and triumph. You are not alone in feeling helpless and I hope this music serves to have your back like it did mine.
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15) PLAYGIRL — Lolo Zouai
Lolo Zouai’s take on pop is mature and subdued, often bringing light to the real-world obstacles she faces making her art while aiming for the stars. This self-awareness makes her well-suited to embodying the bright aesthetic of the genre without losing her relatability. On PLAYGIRL, She opens up with a bold future setting for the album’s tone but establishes that the currency in this world is still attention. The music loves playing with its artifice in real time, with songs like “VHS” Characterizing Zouai as a sentient perfect product, stuck in a loop of mundanity without hope for prospects. Thick synth bass and glittery keys morph around each other to make the albums musical foundation, always carrying with them a touch of bleakness. It’s in this space where the artist excels at showing us her vulnerability without appearing fragile. The haunting aura given off tracks like “Give Me a Kiss,” in which Zouai describes the comforting escape of a fling giving way to dread as she can’t shake her anxiety outside that partner. She has a tight grip on her story, owning even the moments where she has no direction. The music feels proud as she shows us her fears or mistakes, but also gives emotional context to her states of mind. In the process of setting up the perfect dream girl image, Zouai always leaves the curtain open enough for listeners to see the person molding the being you perceive as flawless.
14. V I N C E N T — FKJ
There’s an art to letting things sit with a listener, and multi-instrumentalist FKJ is a master at rewarding his listeners’ patience. On a sophomore album there usually comes the challenge of maintaining an identity rather than creating a new one. Once you have ears on you, how comfortable do you really feel progressing your sound? For FKJ the answer was simple: reaffirm his expertise in crafting layered jazzy grooves that demand listeners get lost in them. Tracks are often emphasizing the shifting instrumentals over spotlighting vocals, letting lyrics spill out in a dreamlike cadence. This gives songs a surface level simplicity before you realize just how many layers have blended atop each other and faded out with perfect precision. V I N C E N T is an album obsessed with this playful manipulation of its own vibes, stretching color and texture out of simple pristine loops. The structure is loose but bold; see “Brass Necklace” where the song is made up of splashes of string-laden crescendos that swell and disappear as quickly as they come. The album’s priority is giving listeners something to digest; how will this idea blend, how will this featured artist stand out, how far can we push this? FKJ attempts to exist in this space of constant wonder, encouraging his fans to search for that same spark in their own lives. In the closer “Stay a Child,” set to mellow guitar and key tones reminiscent of a child’s mobile, the artist yearns for the strength and confidence he had as a child. It’s a slow burn but holds such reverence for the freedom and creativity that blossoms in youth, urging you to do the same. The artist has no desire to remain stuck in a past time, but rather wants to appreciate that lens as he keeps creating musical playgrounds.
13.) Fantasy Gateway — Cuco
Cuco operates with an old soul, crafting pop music out of the skeletons of classic R&B/Soul chord progressions and adding his unique brand of pensive enthusiasm. Throughout the album’s runtime Cuco never shouts his intentions or wants, but rather lets them flow out naturally, with his music to handle embellishment. His soft-spoken performances on the album often serve as the most comforting part of a song, even during the album’s prettiest musical moments. This gives the record an adventurous energy as the instrumentation swirls into these funky or somber passages while Cuco’s grounded vocal tone keeps us anchored. The singer will also flow in and out singing in Spanish throughout the album, inviting listeners into these earnest discussions about what Cuco is looking for out of life. In magic moments like “Paraphonic,” you hear bombastic bass synth explosions contrasted with Cuco’s recalling of his own bruised heart, unable to move forward in the way he believes he should. These glimpses into Cuco’s conflicts with himself indicate the young artist is more troubled than his quiet performances would convey. In “Sweet Dissociation” we hear his desire to simply be and enjoy a present moment, swept away by his own overworking mind that never lets a day pass without being on the verge of a breakdown. Fantasy Gateway imagines a world where Cuco is enough, where he can navigate the emotional complexities of how people feel and know when to give them their space so things can just work out.
12.) AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS — MICHELLE
On MICHELLE’S Sophomore album, the 6-piece band presents a vivid exploration of inevitably, attempting to make sense of messy situations without compromising their emotional drive. Opening with the powerful “MESS U MADE,” we hear the band’s signature blend of vocal harmonies combine with the tight rhythm section to create a powerful swelling groove. This combines with the singer’s tales of picking up the pieces of themselves post relationship, declaring their independence even if they still seem shaken. This directness is one of MICHELLE’S greatest strengths as a group, songs focus on specific awkward entanglements and portray them without the stigma that could come with young artists figuring themselves out. There is no shame, even as the artists convey their uncertainty, the album remains an optimistic step forward for the group. They air grievances without harping on blame and stress self-reflection. Songs like “NO SIGNAL” address the importance of boundaries, especially when it comes to dealing with your loved ones. There are moments of dramatic flair; leaving your home city to escape to someone or something, brazenly dancing alone to love yourself, and wishing cartoonish plagues on former partners, but it’s all treated as a therapeutic release. The band fosters a small community that values the ugly truth and would rather confront their shared feelings of unease instead of ignoring them.
11.) Water Your Garden — Magic City Hippies
Magic City Hippies know exactly how to balance a fun vibe with funky instrumentation, sucking listeners with their insane charisma. The trio creates a fully rounded sound, punchy drums and strong basslines topped with ethereal synth lines that will force movement out of you. On their latest album, they focus on self-cultivation, and aim to inspire their listeners to put themselves first. Their energy is frantic, leading to high octane breakdowns like on “Diamond,” where the band gets to show off how clean their production chops are. There is a polish to Water Your Garden that the band does its best to hide, wanting the initial takeaway from the album to be its immense positive energy. Make no mistake though, songs like “Ghost On The Mend” convey the album’s secondary message of needing to feel the worst parts of life to move through them. This is all expressed without putting any undue stress on listeners, the band does great job in never letting the heavier thematic elements overpower their grooves. There’s a tenderness to that balance, MCH wants the music to move you and the message to resonate, letting the tunes become a safety net to some songs’ uncomfortable confrontations. The album wants listeners to celebrate themselves properly, by working on their weaker aspects so that they can become more holistic beings.
10.) Awakening:Sleeping — MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS
MotFD wastes no time luring you into their sound, opening with “Dramatic” and the soothing tones of surfy guitar progressions coinciding with dreamy vocals. The song feels like a collective inhale for the band, a way to ease listeners into some of the more wicked aspects of the album while reminding them they do in fact have a gorgeous tone. On a first listen you could conclude the band is trying to make a safe foray into the shoegaze genre, but the group is known for its club-shaking energy. Immediately following their wavy opening the band shows its second face, with crunchy guitars now droning over its driving rhythm section. After these two distinct colors are used to open the album, it then becomes a feverish fusion of the styles mixing, with sustained vocal passages over heavy instrumentation leading the charge. You feel this buildup and evolve on “1960,” as the band riffs over their trippy progress slowly leading to the cathartic harmonies, creating an unparalleled rush. It’s a mark of the band’s stellar performance that I can not speak their native language and still pick up on the thrilling energy they are exuding. MotFD is a band which is greater than the sum of its parts, having already disbanded once before, this new album sees the group not only back, but more ambitious and capable than ever.
9.) Air — Sault
Sault is one of the most mysterious bands currently in the public eye. Bursting onto the scene less than 5 years ago, the collective has dropped a staggering 10 albums in their short tenure. Their work has remained quality throughout, peppering Gospel and Funk influence into their strong R&B base and lyrically focusing on systematic inequality. Naturally then, it came as a complete shock to me when their 1st album drop of 2022 was Air, where funky bassline grooves have been swapped for classically arranged big orchestra music; a bigger scope than any of their previous projects while still keeping the themes personal. This change in style is fully committed to, with a full choir, horn, woodwind, and percussion ensemble giving life to Sault’s message. The transition into this new style is flawless, on ‘Heart’ we get the opening progression performed by a harp, with the choir section and horns kicking in to round out the swelling sound. The motif of a bouncy line is first played by horns, before repeating in intensity as the remaining winds and choir rise around it, creating a thumping back and forth that feels invigorating. More impressive than the emotions the music elicits is the ease of which it is performed, with the group showing no signs that this isn’t their first time crafting such expansive music. With “Time is Precious,” the band brings the message home, giving listeners a glimpse into why they arranged the album in the manner they did. After the harmonic wailing introduction via the choir, we get the only real verse of the album, a slow rising cry of “Don’t waste time ’cause time is precious, It’s your only time you’ve got here,” starting from hums and ending in a ghastly whisper. Sault as a group has nothing left to prove on the grounds of their musical chops, but clearly have no plans to stay in any predefined lane, choosing instead to continually rebirth themselves as their art calls them toward different destinations.
8.) Grotto — Wilma Vritra
As the follow-up album to my favorite project of 2019, Grotto does not disappoint. The rapper (Vritra) and producer (Wilma) combo made a remarkable debut blending world class string arrangements with a crushing thematic loneliness. Expanding on the unlikely duo’s sinister sound of warped woodwinds and thick synth bass, the record slow cooks it’s tunes with extended instrumental interludes that perfectly set up the songs verses. Theses a lax vocal tone that Vritra utilizes for his delivery, being articulate while coming off as drowsy and unconcerned. This lets the songs on the record flow effortlessly, with the duo never letting a song bake too long before drifting into the next tune. “One Under,” sees the artists struggling to keep up with their own expectations of themselves, with Vritra’s verses hitting the ear like hushed private thoughts that explode into the string line that serves as the song’s chorus. The album digs into this feeling, of being lost in the woods, and lets the listeners marinate there to feel wayward. The music isn’t bleak, but songs often invoke a sense of aimlessness, like the artists are still trying to find their own thread by the albums end. With “Overcast” we get the culmination of the group’s anxiety, as the erratic bell tones in the back evoke a sense of paranoia to match Vritra’s fear of losing all their hard work. Alluding to the sacrifices they have personally had to make as well as acknowledging their own luck to be known, you get the sense the duo is standing atop glass, aware of their shaky foundation. This album excels at refusing to provide listeners with closure, serving as the next experimental step in Wilma Vritra’s dark but potent worldbuilding.
7.) NOT TiGHT — DOMi & JD BECK
Over the past few years, Domi & JD Beck have been making rounds online as a young pianist/drummer power-duo whose breakneck pace and technicality defy reason. The two have insane chemistry, fully trusting each other through wild tempo changes and chord progressions, and even at times challenging the other to keep up. Between the two of them you get the range of a full band, with DOMi’s tight basslines and voice leading rounding out BECK’s clockwork precision. There are so many moments in their performance where it genuinely doesn’t feel like the arrangements would work with anyone else playing. Since the duo became known to the world there has existed an air of “oddity” around them, from their fashion to their shyness in some interviews vs their closeness with certain artists. This gives the duo a bit of an industry outsider appeal, even if they are wholly accepted by some of the biggest names in their respective genres. After a healthy cosign by modern greats Anderson .Paak and Thundercat, the two’s debut album explores their subdued version of cool via wild compositions and mature chops. As Jazz players the two are constantly pushing each other in the production, chasing after the sickest riff or fill without breaking flow. Songs like “TWO SHRiMPS” see the duo having their own musical dialogue beneath guest singer Mac DeMarco’s verse, highlighting both how well they work with others and the extent to which they need to challenge the other. Guest contributions on the album feel like the results of playful jam sessions where song structures locked into place after the session wrapped, leaving each song feeling fine-tuned with room to grow. Thematically the duo is coming to terms with their turn in the limelight, tackling life in the city while still aiming to retain their love of playing. Moments like “SNiFF” bring home the duo’s mission statement of making art that satisfies them first, even ending in live applause to showcase the different world they enter and exit when they play. While the two are no doubt proteges, it’s clear that title matters so little to them, instead choosing to start their career with a celebration of how they arrived here at all.
6.) NO THANK YOU — Little Simz
With now four banger albums under her belt, Little Simz is one of the strongest voices in this newer generation of rappers. The UK artist oozes confidence while making a point to divest from some traditional goalposts associated with the music industry. She established this rebel streak early, with her production grounded in live band performance and her message revolving around mental health and systemic inequality. On her latest album, she focuses directly on ownership and trust, allowing herself to confront aspects of intimacy that make her uncomfortable or wary. The opening “Angel” sees her questioning bluntly how to fight back against a system we were raised under, referring both to physical institutions that could ruin peoples lives and societal rules you absorb that can go against common empathy. During this she wonders if she can still find people to love unconditionally. Simz frames the question with appropriate context, without blaming anyone falling into complacency as she herself fights the conditioning. Its less the more common question of “whats wrong with me” and instead the more nuanced “is there anyone who works with me”. This struggle with self-reliance seems to lie at the core of her present artistry, trying to craft music in which she can retain her fight back mentality without the pressure of having to do so crushing her first. She touches on this in “X,” a thunderous anthem about the worth of your personal brand. As Sims recounts deals thrown at her in which she was expected to sign over all rights to her work, she comments on how any subversion from the expected music pipeline can give rise to enemies, as people who just want something from you twist the narrative. Simz obviously chose herself, and wants other artists to do the same, erasing the notion that artists exist for the higher ups that benefit from them. She acknowledges the road to finding said trust is murky and constant, but to not travel the road at all is to forever be at the mercy of people who don’t care about your best interests.
5.) SOS — SZA
In 2017 SZA shook the world with CTRL, a deep dive into the psyche of being the “other” girl in a relationship, gatekept from real affection by bad intentions and emotional immaturity. The album focused intensely on the shock and pain she felt not being “enough” for a given partner, and rounds out the album with the hope that she can learn to accept herself even as she’s given external reasons not to. SOS finds the artist firmly in the middle of navigating her own loneliness, dissecting what she wants from her partners while reflecting on how she hasn’t received said treatment. Fiery expressions of regret are replaced with cold declarations of intention, as heard on “Seek & Destroy”, wherein SZA bluntly expresses no remorse for cutting off a bad partner. The production of this album is sleek, with 808s and smooth bass lines or acoustic guitars creating the moody atmosphere for SZA’s vivid storytelling. A quality the artist retains in her work is how delicately she rides the line of pettiness when recounting situations. She can lash out at a hyper specific memory of one person before admitting her own fault in a situation. This energy gives the entire album a more palpable sense of weight, these are not the rambles of a naïve lovesick young person, they are reflections of an adult attempting and failing to connect with someone even with their level of self-awareness. As we hear on “I Hate U,” it’s not that relationships just fail out of nowhere, they deteriorate over time which can leave a partner feeling devastated and lost if they felt they either didn’t do enough or were the problem. Seeing how SZA frames herself as being both of the former at different points, her current headspace of being lost in the weeds makes perfect sense, and the album becomes a question of how to ever lean on people again. By its conclusion SZA finds the answer that works for her, needing to accept that every fault between lovers is not her own and proclaiming that a key to happiness is always leaving enough space to take care of your own mental health.
4.) Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers — Kendrick Lamar (Hip-Hop)
For over a decade now, west coast savant Kendrick Lamar has been changing the landscape of Hip-Hop. As his personal life remains a healthy distance from the media the albums he releases become cultural touchstones, addressing what cycles of poverty and violence to do impoverished communities and capturing both the joy and rage of the black condition. While by no means perfect, Kendrick has earned his reputation as a well-respected speaker of truth, having never shied away from being vulnerable on tracks. On his latest venture he shows us almost nothing but vulnerability, focusing on the many forms of generational abuse and trauma that affect him and his loved ones, in order to actually break the cycle. To accomplish this Kendrick sets a mood both compelling and uncomfortable, as “United in Grief” races between a breakneck drum beat and mellow jazzy piano chords, with the rapper notably keeping his pace even over both before the merge in the song’s climax. This early instrumental gives us the triangle of perspectives that Kendrick incorporates over the album; as he strives to come to terms with past abuse without letting the residual effects bleed into his present self. In many ways he admits this is impossible, as the more we grow into negative patterns the harder it is to see them as patterns and not just life. Whereas Kendricks previous albums used childhood memories to shine an empathic light on dysfunctional hood life, Mr.Morale looks at how that baggage stays rooted in people as they grow older. For POC specifically, he understands that trauma is multifaceted and can stem from a harsh survival sense instilled young that is never allowed to evolve. On “Father Time” he speaks on the confusion this creates, trying to become a man who is both wholly dependable but completely separated from his emotions. As he concludes, it doesn’t work, only leading to children who grow up unable to feel like their own struggles are valid. He openly critiques the time honored hood tradition of survival over everything without dehumanizing the folks who prioritize survival. The album goes so far to touch bouts with homophobia and transphobia inside his own family (conversations vastly needed within more pockets of POC), addressing his own journey to become more accepting and less bigoted. For Kendrick, adulthood has been a period of unlearning and conquering fears, and he chose to give his listeners a record not only of his growth, but also showcasing the dissonance along the way.
3.) SHUNKA RYOGEN — HARU NEMURI
Haru Nemuri wears her intensity on her sleeve, with songs that are focused torrents of emotions directed toward the atmosphere. She works toward these moments of musical catharsis, the explosion on “Deconstruction” mixing synths with horns for a wall of sound, to serve as the capstone to her thought process. This artist has talked about how music literally gave them a sense of self, and in turn we get a 1:1 connection of their feelings and a song’s texture. Along with the album’s staticky foundation of heavy distorted guitars, synths, and Bass, Nemuri often uses her vocals as part of the instrumentation. She runs the gambit of spoken monologues to screams, adlibs, and harmonies that infect the album and give it so many touches of Nemuri’s unique brand of combating meaninglessness. SHUNKA RYOGEN begs listeners to think about their place in the world, not just in the sense of personal fulfillment, but in how we interact with systems that actively hurt us or the planet. It’s less a judgement call and more a call to action, as we hear the artist struggle with a world on the brink in “Who the fuck is burning the forest,” using rage to cover for how powerless she feels about what she can affect. It’s in these expressions of rage where the album hits its strongest moments, as Nemuri’s guttural cries shoot past listeners and into the ether, pleading with or condemning some external force. By the end of its runtime, the album leaves you exhausted alongside the artist, lost in a haze of troubling paranoia concerning the future and drained from thinking about the uncertain. It is in this space however, as the album closes on the sounds of nature and no artist in sight, that we get our first sense of peace from Nemuri. The chaotic nature of her music seems to be the only way for her to achieve a moment of silence in her own mind, leaving everything on a track so she can slink back into a state feigning complacency for a burning world.
2.) Laughing So Hard, It Hurts — MAVI
No matter how far Hip-Hop comes as a global influence, its roots as a coping mechanism for trauma will always be present. For the young Charlotte based MC MAVI, this coping takes the form of reevaluating his career path and past relationships, latching onto tiny details to appreciate, and lamenting the drama that riddled it. MAVI’s flow ranges from mellow to frantic while remaining articulate, hastily recounting moments before examining every detail for a verse or chorus. The production consists of abstract chopped samples that spill over each other, supported by crispy drums and smooth chords. This creates a surreal aura for the album, allowing songs to feel like direct playbacks from MAVI’s memory. On ‘Baking Soda’ the rapper speaks on wanting music to be his only legacy, having bleakly accepted that this is the only way he can make a meaningful mark on the world. Partially because it’s what he desires, and partially because it’s all he can do given his city and systems. He understood the world’s difference between generational wealth and scraping the barrel but still admired the people around him who clawed at riches. Alongside the desolation of poverty, MAVI speaks on his own heartbreak, sprinkling details over various songs about a falling out with someone who, in his own words, truly understood him. Tracks like “Reason!” tell us the rapper knew the relationship was ill-fated, with the two adults looking for different things, but still feeling haunted by the decision to end it. We get a sense that the breakup caused MAVI to question his hustle, if for but a moment, and that pause sent him spiraling. The artist in his own mind has already died on the sword of his craft, fully dedicating himself to his music, but that doesn’t stop him from feeling the full weight of heartbreak and grief. As the artist’s emotional state erodes, the weight of the lifestyle he is barreling toward begins to overwhelm him, yet he is unable to give up his gift. At one point MAVI comments “the harder I work, the taller the gates,” and this feels like the lynchpin of his current headspace, blood bonded to rap music but fighting with the person he has to be to become the level of successful he wants to be. MAVI is not an artist who belittles the value of partnership or love, anguishing over his own past partner, but feels his place in the world is to provide escape through his prolific storytelling.
- ) TREES — Avantdale Bowling Club
At its core, TREES is an album about co-dependency and duty, and how the two can constantly fight for space inside a person’s daily life. “Trees” lays out where the lead vocalist/rapper has been since the groups debut, with him telling us he has a new child on the way, and the hustle that ensued to make sure his family can stay afloat. Set to lively Jazz instrumentation, the rapper divulges his financial insecurities and comments on how scared he was to lose his stability. Furthermore, he connects his struggle to those in his community, speaking on how unbearable it is to make ends meet in the modern age. While he fights to secure more capital, everything that he lists he needs currently is mundane and simple, but frustratingly not guaranteed. The album, despite its mostly calm production, is fueled by a rage toward an unfair society. In the midst of trying to provide for his loved ones, the rapper expresses being torn over his co-dependency on weed, having had it in his life for so long that trying to be without feels like its own heartbreak. The artist doesn’t just frame his issue from his own desire to smoke however, he speaks on how selling helped him start his career, which in turn became his reason for being, so he feels an unpayable debt to the substance. The most refreshing part of this discourse is the care that the artist makes sure to treat the topic of addiction with, never demonizing the folks to who partake and pointing a finger at the bigger systems that make people feel compelled to escape via drugs. “Friday Night @ The Liquor Store” brings this home, a driving bass and bongos lead the way the rapper talks about his own local pub that has its own gallery of locals ranging from working class stiffs to homeless alcoholics. The site has become the norm to him, but he can’t help but speculate on each person’s life and hope they are trying to survive, much like he is. At this point in his life, all the artist wants is to not have to break his back to keep his career alive and family fed, but is constantly being reminded how unlikely that is to work out. In his own words he comes from a line of “Broken Hearted Bastards,” and even in the moments he praises parts of his upbringing, he seems well aware that he is not supposed to amount to much. While he admits in his youth he wanted an unreal amount of riches, trying to secure just enough to be comfortable has proven a life-long endeavor that drains him (and most of us). What TREES does best is shine a light on how much artificial burden the average person has to carry on their shoulders to survive, as what is considered normal and attainable slips further and further out of the grasp of the current generation. He is working himself to the bone for something that has never been guaranteed, and that truth hits home harder now that more lives are literally depending on his craft. The album is a frustrated father’s way of speaking into existence a better world for his kids but doesn’t ignore all the broken glass bottles currently littering the path to success.
