10. EUSEXUA/Afterglow by FKA Twigs
Five years after her last studio album, FKA Twigs returns with a heavily techno, electronica-inspired sound. Produced mainly by Koreless and Twigs herself, their own music expertise perfectly fuses together to create a futuristic, eclectic and slightly eccentric yet flawless record.
9. Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party by Hayley Williams
Hayley Williams’ impact on the pop-rock scene is permanently burned into its foundation following the emergence of Paramore. Now, 21 years after the band’s inception, Williams shines brighter than ever, lyrically and vocally, as she tells the story of its downfall — and the story is almost as compelling as the experimental pop production.
8. LANA by SZA
Everybody needed a new SZA album this year. This has been a monumental year in SZA’s career, and she clearly entered a state of focus when writing the words that show the same identity she had from before her rise. At the end of the day, the masses love the music because they fall in love with the girl who is narrating, whether helpless or unbothered.
7. Essex Honey by Blood Orange
After his hiatus, Devonte Hynes (Blood Orange) pushed the bounds of his lyrical ability to create this smooth, grief-stricken and deeply passionate LP. The clever instrumentation and strong personality all over is to be expected in Hynes’ music, but the special guests this time around – including Lorde, Caroline Polachek, Mustafa and Daniel Ceasar – take the listening experience to another level.
6. Baby by Dijon
Dijon rapidly entered the zeitgeist this year after Justin Bieber attempted to try on his sound like a costume with his albums SWAG and SWAG II. However, after taking a careful listen to this new project, it is obvious that nobody can properly replicate the mastermind behind the music. This specific avant-garde production style is completely flawless and truly the work of an innovative, dedicated artist.
5. SABLE, fABLE by Bon Iver
Justin Vernon famously got his start making woodsy folk music. Ever since, he’s remembered everything he learned from his previous projects to continue evolving his sound and to experiment further with folktronica. The production choices are often puzzling, yet somehow the genius shines all the way through.
4. DON’T TAP THE GLASS by Tyler, the Creator
Contrasting his aesthetic rebrand with last year’s CHROMAKOPIA, Tyler Okonma’s single mission this year was to make everybody dance and to shift away from the dark tones of his last record for his run of festivals this summer after completing his tour. Thankfully, the quality of the songs was not compromised after taking the storytelling aspect away, and it reminded us to not take everything so seriously all the time.
3. LUX by Rosalia
LUX is more than a record; it’s a state of mind. Any time Rosalia announces a new album, it’s impossible to predict what it will sound like. The music never sounds like anything else in modern pop music, and the symphonic, cathartic vibrations these tracks give out should be studied in a lab. It doesn’t fit into a genre because it doesn’t have to; that’s how special her artistry is.
2. DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS by Bad Bunny
After the global cultural impact of his record and the announcement that he’s playing the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, Bad Bunny is irrefutably on top of the world right now. This is no accident. The emotion and atmosphere transcend language barriers, and the references to his Puerto Rican heritage are especially poignant in our current political landscape.
1. Virgin by Lorde
There truly is nothing like a Lorde album release. No matter where she chooses to go next, the art and the craft just continue to evolve and improve. Pouring her entire existence into such a short run-time is slowly becoming her signature, but either way, we’ll just have to wait four more years to see what else Lorde has to give.