2022 top 9
Here are, in somewhat particular order, my favorite albums released in 2022
Self Help by Future Teens
I found out about Future Teens from Hanif Abdurraqib, a Columbus native and award-winning writer slash all-around-cool-person. Since I was lucky enough to see them in Columbus in October (September? Time is a construct) at Big Room Bar, I got to hear a majority of the tracks on this album from a dreamy, front row view!!
Self-Help touches on a lot of tough themes including novice alcoholism, self-loathing, and seasoned heartbreak. The honest way they describe these experiences though offers solidarity and comfort, rather than the piercing shame that often trails self-deprecating thoughts. The details throughout their songs offer a personal, sometimes painful, portrayal of all the ways that life can turn what seem like hills into mountains in a matter of seconds, but with a most positive, self-affirming spin.
Becoming my own person is something I struggle with, but many of the songs on this album have given me a sense of relief knowing that there are others who have some of the same niche, not necessarily *good* habits I do (“I did nothing but skip another meal and walk around the Target” ??? I’ve never related to anything more).
There is a modesty in Future Teen lyrics, but I love when they go big:
“Feeling best when I feel nothing”
“When going pains this much we’ll make it a gift to be gone”
There’s just something about Future Teens music in general that’s really personal and approachable. Maybe it’s because I had a whole conversation with their lead singer Amy at the merch table without even knowing she was the lead singer. But it feels as if my closest friends were in a band, making a song journal inspired by my life. Lol. I love these songs, and if you’re looking for something honest, catchy, and comforting to listen to in the new year, make it Future Teens!!
My favorite tracks (I’m putting some not on this album too ur welcome):
“Well Enough” - One of my favorite songs this year (made a whole playlist based off it)
“Going Pains” - You’ll make it through the going I promise
“BYOB” - Bring your own bullshit!
“Smile with Your Teeth” - When you’re contemplating abandoning your entire way of life
“Guest Room” - For when you’re feeling behind on growing up
“Believe” - Cher cover, fucking amazing
“Swiped Out” - For when you’re over online dating because fuck online dating
Household Name by Momma
Household Name is Momma’s sophomore album and the lack of skips is truly astonishing, as there are none: every song is a windows down, year-round banger. “Medicine” was the first single off this album and right away I was drawn to the fun guitar riffs and grunge pop rock sounds. Something about this album is also oddly nostalgic and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is.
I got to see Momma open for Snail Mail when they were in Columbus a couple months ago–silly me didn’t even know until they got on stage and I was PUMPED. They’re lowkey performers and so is their music in a way, so it’s easy to bop your head along and pretend you’re just passenger seat vibing, cruising the coast somewhere. Or partake in light moshing if that’s your thing.
While we are all aware I love Taylor Swift, I’m kinda over Jack Antonoff pop and looking for similar content but different sounds. Momma solves this issue with brilliant and brash lyrics in deep, angry vocals set to loud, thrashing drums. Every song is really effortless–from the vocals to the guitar sounds to the almost too honest lyrics (can you tell I have a vulnerability problem), this record has certainly made Momma a household name in my home (har har).
Not a skip to be found, my favorites are:
“Speeding 72” - For head banging
“Brave” - For sad girl head banging
“Rip Off” - For pissed off rockstar head banging
“Tall Home” - For fun rockstar head banging
Pre-Pleasure by Julia Jacklin
There’s something ethereal about Julia Jacklin’s music. Between her voice, her lyricism, and the haunting sounds of the music itself, listening to Julia Jacklin is almost a transcendent experience. Almost like being in a different world, which is a really crazy thing for music to do. There are albums I associate with specific periods in my life, but it was as if Pre-Pleasure already had a definitive spot and had finally shown up to claim it.
So naturally when I saw she was performing at Brooklyn Steel while I’d be staying in Brooklyn I was floored. It was an incredible show–that day she had picked up a set of chimes from a music shop in Manhattan and it was quite literally magic to hear them live. The venue was packed and the vibes were immaculate. (Many thanks to my cousin Lucie for not only housing me for that weekend but accompanying me to the concert even though it wasn’t what she called “ass shaking music.” She’s a real one.)
This album is really powerful in a lot of ways. It’s a very candid portrayal of self-realization and accountability through the lens of getting older. It’s almost like a guide to understanding what you want out of life and relationships, with helpful guardrails to keep your past in the past but enough in the rearview to know you don’t want to go back there again.
So many incredible, candid, and beautiful songs on this album. Jacklin didn’t hold back when writing any of these songs and they are truly a joy to listen to, even if I am sobbing. Jacklin pulls you in for deeply important moments and feelings–and asks you to feel them for yourself if that means shedding a layer of pain in the process.
My favorite tracks:
Listen to the whole thing start to finish if you know what’s good for you.
AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS by MICHELLE
I heard MICHELLE for the first time mid-pandemic and the sunshine filled electro-pop bop ‘SUNRISE’ made me an instant fan. I was thrilled to see them on the bill to open for Arlo Parks last January and so greatly anticipated their sophomore album. It ended up one of my favorites of the year!
Every track off ADWTD is increasingly addicting–groovy but sad, both upbeat and devastating. I relate to the internal battle of enjoying being alone but deeply caring what others may think of your aloneness. Sometimes it feels shameful to want to be alone–but when I hear “POSE”, and see my stupid fucking ghost tattoo striking one, the shame turns into gratitude for giving myself the choice to be happy with me.
My favorite tracks:
“POSE” - For dancing in your pjs
“MESS U MADE” - For when ur pissed
“MY FRIENDS” - For after dinner talking dreams
MUNA by MUNA
My relationship with MUNA started as something I once listened to passively and shifted into a means of realizing and accepting myself for who I am. So yes “Silk Chiffon” made me a little gay. Only kidding, sort of. But every experience with this song was arguably a peak–the first time I heard it, the first time I watched the video (inspired by the cult classic “But I’m A Cheerleader” starring icon Natasha Lyonne), and the first time I heard it live WITH Phoebe Bridgers–that may be the peak to top all peaks.
I’ve seen MUNA five times in the past year-ish. Every performance is increasingly better and some of the best shows I’ve ever attended–stress free, good vibes, safe crowds. It’s gay church. The outside world doesn’t have spaces like that. MUNA shows provide a place to be yourself and feel safe. I wish we lived in a world where everywhere was like a MUNA show!!!
This isn’t about the shows though, lol sorry back on track. This self-titled album is, and I can’t make this up, skip-free. MUNA is different though because every track on this album checks off a gay sad girl mood: joyous, horny, frustrated, anxious, sad, happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time.
Every song is unique, both flawlessly written and produced. Like in terms of a well-made, thought out piece of work, this is it. It’s accessible in that there is something for everyone yet somehow personal to every person who listens to it. Whatever body you’re listening from, MUNA accepts you and loves you and understands you (unless you’re a homophobic, transphobic, racist, anti-semitic, xenophobic, capitalist asshole in which case, fuck off).
Their first two albums are incredibly good, don’t get me wrong. But I do think the switch from RCA or whatever Hollwood label they were on to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records really gave them new life to write songs without the unbearable pressure of corporate executives breathing down their necks to put out more palatable content.
Because that's just not who MUNA is, making themselves more palatable is not their brand. Acceptance, love and celebrating queer joy is their brand–and it’s become quite clear in America and a lot of other places, these ideals in their purest form are not palatable for everyone. MUNA presents a world in which maybe it is, or it could be, and at the very least starts to chip away at the walls that keep us from that reality.
My favorite tracks:
“Anything But Me” - My #1 played song on Spotify this year, rightfully so
“Kind Of Girl” - For a good cry when the patriarchy got you down
“Silk Chiffon” - For instant sunshine and love
“Runners High” - For refining your taste–this is a masterpiece
Running with the Hurricane by Camp Cope
Another band I was lucky to both find and see live this year. I love Camp Cope’s sound–there’s something really different and appealing about how they use the bass line to lead the melody. It adds a new depth while allowing the guitar to play a more relaxed tune that makes everything sound a bit softer. They’re also Australian and just have the greatest, thick as fuck accent (think naurrr) and are really fun to see live.
Camp Cope understands me because they’re just like “Oh you think women are emotional? Better fuckin buckle up.” The lyrics are so honest it’s almost like they’ve just pulled a stream of consciousness directly out of their brain and into a song. RWTH is written and performed in such a way that you’re like ‘wow that was both a work of art and a banger.’ It’s beautiful, vulnerable, and gut-wrenching at times.
I love acoustic guitars as the base of songs, and many tracks on this album feature the perfect intro including ‘Jealous,’ ‘Blue,’ and ‘The Mountain.’ All offer a definitive resource on what someone earlier this year described to me as ‘yallternative,’ a term I can’t seem to stop using (to my own dismay). It’s just too perfect–it’s my new favorite genre.
Notable tracks:
“Blue” - For when you want to listen to “Blue” by Joni but can’t because Spotify refuses to take down Joe Rogan’s fucking podcast, this is a good substitute
“Jealous” - Needy Natalie loves this one
“Sing Your Heart Out” - Everything about this is perfect
New Warm Mountain I Believe in You by Big Thief
I put this one off purely because there are so many songs. And they’re all long and so filled-with-beautiful-tidings-of-sweet-pondside-sitting-on-a-lilypad-enjoying-watching-the-butterflies-pass, I’m unsure how to even begin talking about it.
I wouldn’t consider myself like one with nature in any sense but listening to this album in the dead of summer soaked in sweat walking to parable to get an iced flower power is like nature letting me in on the fun without having to go camping.
These songs give me a real sense of nostalgia–they’re easy to strum on the guitar and so many remind me of the songs I learned to play when I first picked up a guitar in sixth grade.
As I write this, it’s December 8 and outside the temperature resembles a chilly spring day, rain falling instead of snow. Albums these days have to transcend not only seasons but global warming and DNWMIBIY does it quite effortlessly. The guitars are carefree in August yet thoughtful in December; in August I’m carefree–in December I’m given no choice but to be thoughtful. I relate.
I also love the solid range of songs. “Change”, “Certainty”,“The Only Place” are earnest yet sweet; “Spud Infinity” and “Love Love Love” are excessive and fun and impossible to overlook; and “12,000 Lines” is probably one of the reasons why Big Thief made it into my top 5 artists on Spotify this year.
This isn’t necessarily an album I wanted to listen to all the time, but when it came on I couldn’t turn it off. Not to mention at least a few tracks made it onto every playlist I made in the latter half of this year. It’s long, there’s a lot of content to disperse, but all a beautiful reminder of how impactful music can be in its purest form.
My favorite tracks:
“Wake Me Up To Drive” - For a short bike home from a dreamy summer night out
“12,000 Lines” - A sweet and easy tune to strum
“Little Things” - Head banging with heart <3
“The Only Place” - Please play at my funeral
Superache by Conan Gray
A killer sophomore album for Conan Gray, whose 2019 Kid Crow pierced my heart in the sharpest and purest of ways. Conan’s albums have amazing range, welcoming you in with mellow, enchanting tones before going off on maddening but enchanting tales of unabashed, (usually) unrequited love. I get it <3
Superache and Kid Krow are phenomenal in different ways: KK is sentimental and frustrated and purposefully loud while Superache is angry and contemplative, yet light. Transcendent, unhinged! even. But still graceful.
Everything on Superache probably needed to be said–and there’s a lot of really devastating moments. Especially the phenomenal trio of “Footnote”, “Memories”, and “The Exit” near the end–“Footnote” and “The Exit” as two heartbreaking ballads about one-sided, disposable love bookending the struggle of letting go in “Memories.”
Conan, self-proclaimed to never have fallen in love, sure is good at writing about falling out of it. But I know this little angel baby songwriting king will figure it out one day and I can’t wait to hear all that he has to say about that, too.
“Movies” - When u want a love like the movies
“Jigsaw” - I would advise listening to “Checkmate” from KK and then “Jigsaw” for the ultimate listening experience
“The Exit” - If you’re a slow mover on like yours truly
Nervous at Night by Charlie Hickey
This one grew on me immensely–I didn’t truly didn’t realize how much I love it until I listened to it start to finish for the first time on my way home for Thanksgiving. Charlie is signed to Phoebe Bridgers label, and Nervous At Night is produced by one of Phoebe’s bandmates Marshall Vore; I hear her all over this record in the best way.
One of the many reasons I love this album so dearly. Charlie has a comforting and candid way of describing the nuances and growing up, how that intersects with the way we were raised, accompanied by sweet melodies and candid lyrics (‘You gotta be fucking kidding’ being one of my favorites).
I graduated almost four years ago, but I don’t feel at all like what I thought an adult would. I live on my own and make my own living and manage to keep the cats and several plants alive and this is a shock to me more than anyone else. Nervous at Night reminds me of times that once seemed so unbearable– and the realization that everything that feels similar now will eventually be trivial.
“Thirteen” - One of my favorite songs this year
“Mid-Air” - For reminiscing on old times while sipping on a cup of tea
“Nervous at Night” - For happy sad bopping
“Gold Line” - For god sakes!!
A bonus because I can’t count (I don’t have this on vinyl either so it worked out)!!
SOS by SZA
I was simply not cool enough to listen to Ctrl when it came out but you know the Phoebe feature got me listening and now I can’t stop!!
Every song on this album, even the devastating ones, exude an envy inducing confidence most (me) can only dream of. I personally have never experienced such a seamless and soul-crushing blend of vulnerability, confidence, and longing on one album (if you have please point me in that direction).
It’s the willingness to air out her own issues that lend a lot of the songs an accessible quality that I really enjoyed and appreciated. Many make me feel like I need absolutely nobody and nothing but myself (see “Conceited”, “Low”), but others that feel like they’ve been pulled directly from the deepest, most painful part of my subconscious: “Special” tears me apart inside but I still listen to it multiple times a day, “Nobody Gets Me” is not only cathartic as fuck to scream in the car but also relatable for the most basic of level of heartbreak, and “Ghost in the Machine” featuring Phoebe Bridgers is the sad girl collab of the year.
SOS is a beautiful blend of honest lyricism, unique song range, and cultural significance. Iconic if we’re being transparent.
My favorite tracks:
“Special” - Sad girl hour top listen
“F2F” - For when you’re ovulating and need rough sex
“Kill Bill” - For when you're contemplating killing your ex (do it)
Honorable Mentions !!!
Farm to Table Bartees Strange
Gemini Rights Steve Lacy
Midnights Taylor Swift
Harry’s House Harry Styles
Are You Happy Now? Jensen McRae
Pure Chaos Lou Roy
Wet Leg Wet Leg
DECIDE DJO
Salt Circle Eliza McClamb
Surrender Maggie Rogers
