Can you believe 2022 is already coming to an end? This year brought along some incredible music from new and seasoned artists alike – check out our team’s favorite albums of this year!

From Jenna D, host of Theme for a Tuesday

Blood Red Shoes – Ghosts on Tape (released January 2022)

“Ghosts on Tape is a concept album of sorts, interspersed with Archive 81 style white noise and static, full of soaring tunes imbued with an unsettling pervasive atmosphere of being on the edge of…something sinister. It also proves that after nearly two decades in the game Blood Red Shoes remain a dark irresistible force.”      -Under the Radar

 

Mitski – Laurel Hell (released February 2022)

“‘Laurel Hell’ is a slim volume, one that relies on a roiling smear of electronic soundscape, thematically centers on uncertainty, and leaves lingering questions that strike to the core of what it means to be an artist — or a listener. Watching the arc of Mitski’s career, you might expect bombast, but ‘Laurel Hell’ instead highlights the singular insistence of self that made Mitski into the hero she became, even if it comes in the form of honest mid-tempo melancholy.”  -Variety

 

Harry Styles – Harry’s House (released May 2022)
“Harry’s House reinforces Styles’ signature sensitivity in an authentic way and shows he’s more than earned his place as one of music’s most innovative artists. More importantly, he reminds us that he’s a pop star playing by his own rules—and he’s here for the long haul.”  -Spin

 

Metric – Formentera (released July 2022)

“The whole album is pulsing with both those elements [energy and emotion] and comes across like the group’s most important album, only without the kind of pretension that kind of thing often entails. It’s more that Formentera captures the warring emotions, steady fears, and crushing uncertainty of the era it was made in and delivers it all wrapped up in triumphant and true songs that one will want to spin again and again.” –All Music

 

And Jenna’s personal number one of the year goes to….

 

Alvvays – Blue Rev (released October 2022)
“Blue Rev careens between the sublime and the extremely sick, soothing one moment and whipping you back against your seat the next. It is cool and righteous, it makes you feel cool and righteous, you hope that when other people hear it they feel cool and righteous. This is the old currency of pop music, and Blue Rev makes it feel new again.” – Pitchfork

From Brooke Carlson, host of Petit Dejeuner Club

Mil Coisas Invisiveis – Tim Bernardes

I fell for Brazilian artist Tim Bernardes after seeing him open for Fleet Foxes this summer at Edgefield. His 2022 album, Mil Coisas Invisveis, is a delicate, lilting exploration that pays homage to Bossa Nova and Tropicalia genres. This album has been my go-to pick for a slow weekend morning, and I think will continue to be far beyond 2022.

Sometimes, Forever – Soccer Mommy

Soccer Mommy has held a special place in my listening canon since I got hooked on their 2018 release, “Clean.” Their latest album, “Sometimes Forever” takes the listener on a deeper, more melancholy journey – one which is relatable to everyone thanks to her simple, yet universal lyrical themes.

From Ray Gill Jr., host of Rudeboy Radio

Solemn Brigham & L’Orange- Marlowe 3 (Released Oct. 28 2022)

Marlowe 3 is a high energy listen with jaw-dropping flows and luscious, high-quality production. It’s a must listen for hip-hop fans, boasting a 90s style in its flows and the grit of the beats whilst managing to push the genre forward at the same time with its more abstract and underground leanings at times. Hip-hop hasn’t sounded this futuristic and exciting since Deltron 3030 dropped their self-titled record almost a quarter of a century ago.

Patrice – Super Album (Released Oct. 6 2022)

Patrice Bart-Williams is an Afro-German reggae artist whose vocal strain gives an authentic Marley family vibe as he wails out his songs of passion and justice. From his social justice in the track “Hippies with guns” to his Bruno Mars style pop jam “Cry Cry Cry” that will have you clapping along and singing to the lyrics…even if you don’t know ‘em. – Ray Gill Jr

Iseo & Dodosound – Blossom (Released May 23, 2022)

Blossoms hypnotic psychedelic reggae is the kind of infusion that taps into more pleasure zones than should be legal. The smoky husk of lead singer, Leire Villanueva (Iseo) has the mesmerizing effects of a classic Portishead track with that island groove and bilingual flow putting this album on the podium of the best music 2022 had to offer. – Ray Gill Jr. 

From Cynthia Orlando, PRP contributor
Noah Kahan – Stick Season
Don’t miss American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season.”  This is an artist who knows how to write a song and build momentum within each arrangement in a way that’s absolutely captivating.
Folk-pop might be the best way to characterize this masterpiece. An instant classic, it’s themes include nostalgia, reflection, and identifying with a sense of place. It’s a shame this absolutely perfect album didn’t receive any Grammy nominations, but perhaps it’s late-in-the-year release date may have been part of the problem.

 

Wet Leg – Wet Leg
One of this year’s most delightful music highlights was Wet Leg’s debut album.
Band members Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers excel at catchy postpunk rock, with fun lyrics and great hooks. Seeing their first release enter U.K. charts at #1 was a thrill. Everything here is punchy, musically tight and engaging. Here’s wishing them a Grammy in the “Best New Artist” category!
From John Stringer, Revenue Development Manager

De Todas las Flores – Natalia Lafourcade 

Listening to music should be transformative. A great record can change the room. This is what happens once you drop the needle down on the lush and lovely De Todas las Flores from Natalia Lafourcade.  This new recording, released in October will stop you in your tracks as you consider the strength of her voice and the range of emotions she can convey.  For me, this beautiful album is easily the best of 2022, and probably any record in recent years. 

Lafourcade is a Grammy award winning recording artist nominated multiple times and winning Best Regional Mexican Music Album and Best Latin, Urban or Alternative album in 2023 and 2016 respectively.  Las Todas las Flores feels deeply personal and mysterious. At times it feels like her voice is so intimate it’s as though she is whispering in your ear as you dance a slow tango. Her emotional range is consuming and so visceral the listener travels through so many moods; nostalgia, passion, feelings of loss, personal defiance and pride come fully realized within a colorful landscape. 

De Todas las Flores is probably one of the best engineered recordings I’ve ever heard. There is a depth of sound and a kind of head space in the production that absolutely puts you in the room with the performers. 

You don’t listen to De Todas las Flores so much as you feel it.  It’s a record that is perfect for these short days and long nights.  Lafourcade is exploring love, death and the dizzying experience of being alive.  

From Veronica Bisesti, host of Subculture

Hoodoo Gurus – Chariot of the Gods
What can I say about the HG’s that I haven’t said a hundred times on Subculture? Bands that have survived the test of time –  bands that claim 40+ years together and continue to put out music that is well received – are not uncommon these days.  What is uncommon is when it’s obvious that they create and play new music because they love it.  Chariot of the Gods feels like musical home for any HG fan.  They still have something to say and easily pair those sentiments with their signature if-punk-and-garage-rock-had-a-baby musical stylings.  And yet, there is a freshness and immediacy to this album – they tackle modern politics without any hesitation – drawing in a new generation of fans.

 

Interpol – The Other Side of Make Believe
There are few bands that can engage my ears the way Interpol does.  Without fail, I find myself listening to their albums as a whole.  What does that mean?  I don’t hear the hit and move on to something else.  I stick around to absorb the whole experience.   Their 2022 release The Other Side of Make Believe is a worthwhile musical endeavor into their post-punk world with a bit of a twist.  Sit down, put headphones on and dive in.
From Jonny Polivka, host of Jonny’s Playlist

Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia

The first two singles ‘Jackie Down The Line’ and ‘I Love You’ are a little toned down from what they are known for, but you get the hint that they are a guitar post punk band. ‘Skinty Fia,’ which translates from Irish as “the damnation of the deer”, will be their third album.

Slang – Cockroach in a Ghost Town

“Slang’s debut album is a force of nature that came, seemingly, out of nowhere. Lyricist/singer/guitarist Drew Grow and drummer/singer Janet Weiss started the band over a decade ago in Portland, OR—both having spent more than half their lives dedicated to making and performing music. Through the years, Weiss has played with everyone from her bands Quasi, Wild Flag, and Sleater-Kinney, to collaborators like Elliott Smith, Stephen Malkmus, and others. Grow has fronted his own groups Modern Kin and the Pastors’ Wives, producing other bands along the way. Starting as a moonlighting collaboration, the meeting of this particular group was kismet if not totally cosmic.” – Kill Rock Stars

Reptaliens – Multiverse

“Their third release is a drifting, echoing journey laced with rolling hills of bass, carved by distorted guitar effects, illuminated by upbeat, snare-driven beats. Through the fog of distorted ambiance, atop the rolling green hills, are massive platforms drilling deep into the core of the Multiverse, mining copious amounts of nostalgia through the veins of mid-to-late-90s alt-rock.” – nanobot rock

Brooke Carlson
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