My Favorite Albums of 2022

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2022 was yet another great year for music! This list is made up of a mix of artists that are long-time favorites as well as many new discoveries across a range of genres. This is always my favorite post to write every year, I love looking back at all of the great art that was released in the past year and sharing some of the highlights with you. Several of these albums I also wrote dedicated long-form reviews for, which are linked throughout if you are interested in reading more!
Harry Styles delivered yet another incredible release that easily is my favorite album of the year. "Imagine it’s a day in my house or a day in my mind. What do I go through? I’m playing fun music. I’m playing sad music. I’m playing this, I’m playing that. I have doubts. I’m feeling stuff. And it’s all mine," Harry said in an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music earlier this year. Harry's House was the perfect next step for Harry and is a great evolution to the foundation he built with his first two records. Hearing this album come to life this year in New York City when he had his Harry's House Madison Square Garden residency also added a whole new layer of love that I have for it. I tried not to have any expectations going into this album, but it was everything I could've dreamed it would be and more! Throughout the past five years of his solo career, I have loved seeing him become one of the most captivating and important artists in pop music today, I can't wait to see what he will do next!

My Favorite Songs:
Music For A Sushi Restaurant
Grapejuice
As It Was
Matilda

Check out my full review here!

This is The 1975 at their very best! Their vision for this album was executed so well, it is by far the most clear, consistent and confident they have been yet. I have been a huge fan of The 1975 from the start and have been impacted by their music so greatly from that time. After a lackluster release in 2020, I really didn't know what to expect from the band moving forward, but they came back better than ever with some of their best work yet. Being Funny In A Foreign Language encapsulates everything that made me fall in love with their music years ago and surpassed all of my expectations!

My Favorite Songs:
Part Of The Band
I'm In Love With You
About You

Check out my full review here!

Crash // Charli XCX


Crash marks Charli's final album with her record label, so she decided to "end it all so legendary" with a bold, 80's influenced classic pop album. I've been obsessed with this album ever since it was released in early 2022 and it's been on constant repeat ever since. "I’ve always made pop music, but I think the past few projects I’ve definitely leaned into the more experimental end of that. This record, however, it’s definitely more classic..." she told Eazy 105.5 radio station. "I’ve been listening to a lot of Prince, a lot of Janet Jackson, I’ve been doing dance routines and just basically being a main pop girl, which is fun." Crash is a great example of what I would consider a perfect pop album, it is so smart and clever in the writing, while also being really fun and experimental in the production. 

My Favorite Songs:
Crash
Constant Repeat
Yuck

Midnights // Taylor Swift

Midnights is what Taylor Swift called "the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life" when she announced its release. In its entirety it feels like a retrospective of every album Taylor has released prior. All of her strengths as an artist are explored on this album with every single song having at least one moment, melody, or lyric that directly connects to something from her past work. In the midst of her Taylor's Version journey where she is revisiting her first six albums at a macro level, that aspect feels like it was a very intentional in that regard. On "Karma" she sings, "Ask me why so many fade, but I'm still here" - but the music she has released over the past couple of years is a true testament to her talents and longevity in the industry. After over fifteen years and ten albums, Taylor has always found a way to continuously evolve and reinvent her sound, and I am always looking forward to what she is going to do next!

My Favorite Songs:
Maroon
Snow On The Beach (featuring Lana Del Rey)
You're On Your Own Kid
Karma

Check out my full review here!
5SOS5 is 5 Seconds of Summer's fifth studio album, one that marks a new creative era for the band over a decade into their career. It is very obvious that they had more creative freedom while making this album than some of their previous releases, with it being largely self-written, produced and performed by every member of the band for the first time. I have been a huge fan of 5SOS since their debut album was released in 2014 and I have truly loved seeing how much their artistry has grown and evolved since that time. In many ways, 5SOS5 actually feels like a more mature version of their debut album, as if they are reintroducing themselves to their audience as the band they are today. It takes aspects of all of their individual musical influences and personal experiences and mixes it all together in a perfect way. There is such a varied sound when it comes to the track list and feels so representative of everything they have accomplished thus far, while still looking onward into the future of what the band is going to be. 

My Favorite Songs:
Bad Omens
CAROUSEL
BLENDER

Check out my full review here!

Dance Fever // Florence & The Machine

"You said that rock and roll is dead, but is that just because it has not been resurrected in your image?" Florence sings on my favorite track, "Choreomania". To me, that lyric fully represents what the message of Dance Fever is and the story it is telling, it's been on my mind ever since I first heard that song. A few of my favorite producers, Kid Harpoon and Jack Antonoff, worked on a large part of this album, which intrigued me to finally listen to Florence & The Machine for the first time earlier this year. I didn't even know what I was missing all this time, because I was truly blown away by the incredible lyricism and just how special this album is. Every song is so beautiful, so complex, so ornate. 

My Favorite Songs:
Choreomania
Girls Against God
Cassandra

RENAISSANCE // Beyoncé

Renaissance is a stunning piece of art that lets the listener escape into the dazzling universe Beyoncé
created. This album feels like a celebration of music and all of the artists that have come before her. It fuses dance, disco, house and R&B together in such a flawless way. Coming out of a pandemic, this album feels like it will serve as the soundtrack to the re-emergence of culture and will shape the next decade of music immensely. Of course, none of this is a surprise for anyone who has listened to the album, it absolutely deserves all of the praise it is getting. In her interview with Harper's Bazaar in Summer of 2021, she hinted at the upcoming album by saying, "With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think we are all ready to escape, travel, love, and laugh again. I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible." 

My Favorite Songs:
ALIEN SUPERSTAR
CUFF IT
SUMMER RENAISSANCE

The Hardest Part // Noah Cyrus

I have been looking forward to the eventual release of Noah Cyrus' debut album for literally years and years - I have absolutely loved all of the singles and EPs she has put out over the past seven years and her first full length album lived up to all of my expectations. It feels very rooted in her home and family, it is full of introspection and openly discussing hardships she has gone through. The beauty is in the simplicity of the lyrics and melodies. Every song is so personal and tells her life story up to this point. 

My Favorite Songs:
Mr. Percocet
I Just Want a Lover
I Burned LA Down

Hold The Girl // Rina Sawayama


Much like her debut, Hold The Girl covers a range of musical genres and incorporates so many different styles - pop, pop-punk, electronic, grunge rock, rock, country and more are all present. It is very evident that Rina had such a clear vision for the themes and aesthetics of Hold the Girl. It feels very conceptual and tells a complete story from beginning to end, mainly regarding her childhood, past traumas and coming to terms with her past now as an adult. Some of these songs are among her most personal yet and the songwriting is an aspect that is really strong throughout which sets her apart from a lot of other artists.

My Favorite Songs:
Holy (Til You Let Me Go)
Imagining
Frankenstein

MOTOMAMI // Rosalía

Motomami was an album that really surprised me. I never listened to Rosalía's music before this year but when it was released, I heard nothing but rave reviews of it. I'm so happy I decided to check it out. It is one of the most innovative and interesting in terms of production, paired with her stunning vocal performance on every song. She especially shines when it comes to the ballads on this album, which are just so beautiful. I have seen her being ranked at the top of so many music publication's lists as one of the best (if not the best) of the year, which it absolutely deserves.

My Favorite Songs:
CANDY
LA FAMA (featuring The Weeknd)
LA COMBI VERSACE (featuring Tokischa)

Minions: The Rise of Gru Soundtrack

When 2022 started, I definitely didn't anticipate a soundtrack for the Minions movie to make it onto the best albums of the year list, but here we are! This entire soundtrack was produced by one of my favorite artists ever, Jack Antonoff, so it was pretty much guaranteed to be a year-end highlight for me. It consists of covers of pop, funk and soul hits of the 1970s by a variety of artists. I don't remember the last time a soundtrack had a lineup of artists that is this stacked with the best of the best on every single song. There are so many gems on this soundtrack and is great from start to finish!

My Favorite Songs:
Funkytown // St. Vincent
Instant Karma! // Bleachers
You're No Good // Weyes Blood

Traumazine // Megan Thee Stallion

On Traumazine, Meg is taking back control of her narrative and setting the record straight on rumors being spread about her. On these songs she is powerful, strong, and unflinchingly honest. "I definitely hear so many people telling my story for me. And I feel like now is finally the time that I’m ready to talk about what I want to talk about and take control of my narrative and control of my story," she said. "So in my music this year, I feel like everybody will get to know me better and understand my feelings and thoughts on a lot of things that have happened to me over my career."

My Favorite Songs:
NDA
Budget (featuring Latto)
Gift & A Curse
Dawn FM takes the listener on an immersive musical journey, there is so much depth to the storyline and production on every single song. It follows a structure of a radio broadcast from purgatory, along with spoken-word narration and interludes from Jim Carey, Quincy Jones, and Abel himself throughout. Not to mention, the transitions between each are insane - I'm especially still not over the way "How Do I Make You Love Me" seamlessly flows into "Take My Breath"! He described the album best himself in the song, "Every Angel Is Terrifying" - "Intense... euphoric, provocative, edgy, thought-provoking, technically and visually stunning". 

My Favorite Songs:
How Do I Make You Love Me?
Take My Breath
Less Than Zero

As a whole, Twelve Carat Toothache it is quite a departure from a lot of Post Malone's past work, but in many ways is the album I was always hoping he would make one day. Aside from a few songs, it doesn't really feel like a mainstream album that is made to cater to trends or looking for virality, but instead is meant to show a different side of him as an artist. Some of the songs are quite heavy in subject matter but it is also him at his most vulnerable. He also deviated almost completely from rap, opting for a rock and pop sound instead - something which was always present in his music, especially his 2019 album Hollywood's Bleeding, but now takes center stage. Honestly, I always thought his voice would work better for rock music, so I'm happy to hear him slowly continue to make that transition with this album and I'm looking forward to hearing what he makes next! 

My Favorite Songs:
Reputation
Lemon Tree
When I'm Alone



Thanks for reading! Since this is my last post of 2022, I also want to thank everyone for their support this year. I'm looking forward to all that's to come in 2023! I hope you have a happy new year!




all photo credit to owners - header designed by Melissa Kacar



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