It's not too late to catch up on all the great music that came out of 2023! I'm especially excited to share my top 20 this year because of how versatile all of these albums are. Below you'll find works that embody styles of pop, rock, latin, disco, indie, country, and everything in between, but more importantly, albums that fall into something broader than one linear genre category. People are getting back into creating art for art, and less for the desire to be critically labeled as one thing or the other. Last year music was many things; exactly what we needed it to be.
Scroll to the end of this article for a playlist of the best songs from the best albums of 2023.
20. Red Moon In Venus - Kali Uchis
Kali Uchis remains grounded on this fantasy-feeling album. She transcends through the Red Moon In Venus with lightness and femininity as she analyzes her own views on love. This album is lush without sounding over-done, and is dreamy while being self-aware.
19. That! Feels Good! - Jessie Ware
This disco-funk album was a great change of pace for music in 2023. “Free Yourself,” a song title on the album, is more of an ongoing theme throughout the record which encourages all kinds of high-energy shaking and loving oneself. Jessie Ware proves she is equipped to explore the untouched territory within finding the balance between physical and emotional needs, and leaves all her discoveries on some sparkly, sticky dance floor.
18. Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan
It isn’t clear that this is a country album, but it’s clear why it’s thriving on country radio. The songs on Zach Bryan’s self-titled album are meaty; a touchy melody here, full-bodied lyrics there. Most of the songs land somewhere in the vicinity of soft 70s rock, with his raspy voice and long harmonica hums. The collaborations which include Kacey Musgraves and The Lumineers are especially gripping. Zach Bryan has certainly shown he is interested in more sounds than just the country-masculinity type.
17. My Soft Machine - Arlo Parks
My Soft Machine is sleepy bedroom pop begging to be blasted. Arlo Parks is an articulate writer with a fragile voice, which she uses to her advantage through poetic words in the style of spoken-word/slow rap. She rides a line between trip-hop and synth-pop that makes listening effortless.
16. Austin - Post Malone
Austin, better known as Post Malone, has Bob Dylan tattooed on his arm. He’s recorded and performed covers by artists from Nirvana to Hootie and the Blowfish. He has an intense love for Sheryl Crow, so much he has a shirt with her face all over it. Posty just couldn't help to release this “guitar record,” as she pinned it after playing guitar on every track. The guitar doesn’t necessarily make it a rock album- there are still plenty of pop moments on this record, but the growth he's shown since his past albums is refreshing.
15. Blondshell - Blondshell
What an enjoyable album of despair! Sabria Teitelbaum is bitter and it makes for great music. Her emotions soar fiercely on top of alt rock breakdowns and lead guitar licks. Teitelbaum explores tough topics like heartbreak and substance misuse in a way that encourages you to wipe your tears and bash your head through a window (as a healthy alternative).
14. With Love From - Aly & AJ
The sister-duo dubbed With Love From as a “series of postcards to fans, from each town they’ve seen on their journey.” Listening to this album truly feels like snapshots of life laid out along a sunset drive. The 70s rock and folk/americana influence on With Love From is relaxed but incredibly polished. They trade off on lead vocals and really hone in on harmonies that sound as perfectly blended as only those of family can.
13. Something To Give To Each Other - Troye Sivan
Something about Australians, huh? This album is a nod to both the lovers and the broken-hearted in da clurb. This album encapsulates an exhilarating journey of infatuation and seduction, but is also deeply personal; a skill of Sivan’s he seems to have perfected on this album.
12. The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We - Mitski
This album is like a warm exhale of an organic record. It is so quiet, yet full. There are many intimate and lonely moments, until the orchestra swoops in behind Mitski. There is a lavishness to this album, although its undertone is raw. Mitski is a unique storyteller, and ultimately, “king of all the land.” So, is it inhospitable after all?
11. 10,000 Gecs - 100 Gecs
This album is an abrasive mishmash of hyperpop beats. The producer/musician duo let their thoughts run loose through distorted irony and satire, but follow those thoughts and you’ll see they are far from random. 100 Gecs have something to say, even if it is chaotic.
10. Endless Summer Vacation - Miley Cyrus
Oh she’s just being Miley!!! Miley is one of my favorite genre-hoppers. She started off with Disney pop and knew she was meant to create so much more. She has since created full-length albums of dance-pop, psychedelic alt, country, and rock. On Endless Summer Vacation, Miley brings out the best of all her worlds. It’s got singer/songwriter ballads, dance tracks, country melodies, and rock inspiration. This genre rollercoaster somehow still flows beautifully.
9. Desire, I Want to Turn Into You - Caroline Polachek
A passionate pop project dipped in glitter and air dried. Caroline Polachek has worked with Beyonce and Dua Lipa- safe to say this girl knows pop. Still, this album is not predictable or familiar. Polacheck put a Mediterranean spin on this album, inspired in part by her relocation to Italy. It’s clear Polachek was doing her homework on 70s and 80s Italo-pop.
8. Javelin - Sufjan Stevens
Javelin is an album of contemplation and emotional contradictions. Stevens basically threw up all his deepest feelings, organized them into a perfect indie album, then wiped his mouth like configuring a masterpiece is no biggie. Some songs sing words like poetry, while others are more soundscapes, both styles packed with the same amount of feeling and effort.
7. Sunburn - Dominic Fike
Sunburn is a welcoming musical memoir. The upbeat summer style is what initially pulled me in, but the lyrics and stories are what kept me there, listening to this album all year long. On Sunburn, Fike’s sound has been compared to majorly opposing-in-sound artists- Sheryl Crow, Kane Brown, All American Rejects, Thundercat, and Childish Gambino to name a few- which just shows Fike’s eclectic way to reach different audiences. This album is guitar-driven with other electric layers that build when needed. Sunburn is easy listening, and an album I’ll be circling back to every summer.
6. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Chappell Roan
The Rise and Fall of a Midnight Princess is a bold and theatrical take on current pop music. Chappell Roan’s ability to flawlessly switch vocal tones accentuates different parts of the stories she tells throughout this album. Every song is an anthem and encourages the thought that we are ALL midnight princesses!
5. This Is Why - Paramore
Emo has no age limit, especially when you age as gracefully as Paramore. With 20 years of writing under their belt, the (now) trio has evolved in the rock and pop scene to become an inspiration for many of today’s biggest artists like Willow, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo. Paramore is constantly challenging themselves to explore new sounds and depth in lyrics, and This Is Why is no exception. Their sound has shifted from angsty teenage punk-pop to anxiously mature, alternative new wave. This album, like Paramore’s previous five projects, finds me air-moshing in my room, only pausing to cry a couple of times.
4. Guts - Olivia Rodrigo
I don’t recall being as articulate as Olivia Rodrigo is at 19, but I guess that’s why I’m not Olivia Rodrigo. Olivia’s got something, and to dismiss how impressive this album is is just silly. She seems to have found the perfect balance of alt rock and feminine pop- but don’t get it twisted, this album isn’t just for the girlies. I cannot tell you the rave reviews that have come from men. I think more guys can use some Olivia energy in their lives, and if they can’t relate to it maybe they can at least take notes.
3. The Age of Pleasure - Janelle Monae
The Age of Pleasure is a dopamine stimulation- a treat; A decadent dessert- and I’m not much of a sweets person but I’d lick the plate for sure. No crumbs left on this album. The Age of Pleasure brings anyone who wants to join on a freeing journey to a pleasure utopia where the champagne is cold, the people are hot, and everyone is just focused on love; mostly making it.
2. SOS - Sza
And we thought Cntrl was a masterpiece?? On only her second album within a decade, SZA explores the emotional space between confidence and independence, and loneliness and desperation. How can someone’s most intimate thoughts be so relatable? This album is not at all formulaic; it’s long and luxurious with several melodies weaving in and out of each song with a fusion of whatever the f*ck genres SZA felt like dipping into during her 6 album-less years. The cover of SOS depicts our beloved SZA, a former marine biology major, hovering over a wide open ocean via diving board, inspired by a 1997 photo of Princess Diana on a yacht to convey a certain brand of loneliness. Every inch of this album serves an artistic purpose.
1.The Record - Boygenius
Pre-The Record I was convinced the key to writing great rock songs just came down to having the perfect combination of two minds: Lennon and McCartney, Jagger and Richards, Elton and Bernie. Boygenius on The Record proved this theory wrong. Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus amplify one another's lyrics, music and emotions, bringing the absolute best of what they have to the trio’s musical altar. Their skills are woven perfectly together to tell a 42 minute and 18 second narrative on the 20-something female experience. Their vulnerable songwriting is assertive, and their musicality is unmatched.
Listen to the best of the best and discover something great with the original playlist below.
*To note: albums ranked 1-7 have 4 songs included on this playlist, ranks 8-14 have 3, and ranks 15-20 have 2.*