Rodeo Star by Cowgirl Clue- Normally, my end of year process is “do as little research as possible to not be influenced by other people’s lists” (leading me to take forever to finish anything) but a comment on Cowgirl Clue’s RYM comment box for this album summarized the album perfectly: it’s funny how the integration of country pop guitar riffs into icy club music winds up creating curiously lil peep-esque emo trap beats” Although her first album was drum n bass, not unlike a Diddy Kong racing instrumental, on this album she lives up to her Cowgirl moniker by introducing alt pop and country sounds to the album. She has a more varied, bratty tone on this album, singing about how she is fine being one of a kind. My favorites include Rodeo Star, switchblade, wildfire, and Hometown Hero.
This is Why by Paramore- this was their first album where it has hit me that they are truly a veteran group and not just for teens anymore. On this album, they ditch the 80’s flavored synth pop from their last 2 eras and go for a dance/post punk sound. The vocals are quieter, not unlike Hayley’s first 2 solo albums. Big Man, Llittle Dignity is atmospheric but packs a punch. Running out of time is my favorite with the background ad libs and the truly most “i feel seen” lyrics. You First, and Figure 8 have a more pop punk sound that reminds me of their first 2 albums but in a more mature way. Liar, Crave are also good.
Ooh Rap I Ya by George Clanton- Very nostalgia indebted album, to the point where the cover looks like a movie theater carpet (and not the new fancy dine in ones either!). Vaporwave but make it pop. Boy band vocals over electronic instrumentals. With the proper promo, it could’ve been the Currents for today. Justify Your Life, I Been Young, and Punching Down are my highlights.
10,000 Gecs by 100 gecs- When I first listened to 100 gecs, none of it outside the Ringtone remix stood out to me. I remember a lot of stan twitter promo felt very performative in a cringe way to me. It was like seeing “rawr I’m so random xD” multiplied by pretending to type like you’re drunk after 1 drink bad. All this for a band where I could only hum a remix carried by 3 collabs? But then this year I saw Doritos and Fritos on a WMX rock block and was genuinely surprised. No longer random in a forced way, 100 gecs truly took their hyperpop sound to the next level and worked with zolo on Doritos and Fritos, ska on Frog on the Floor and I got my Tooth Removed, and numetal on the Limp Bizkit sampling Billy knows Jamie. They still keep some of their original sound, like on Most Wanted Person in the United States. Listen if you want to feel like you and your friends are going to your town carnival and you pretend it’s ironic but you got on the rides and eat the fried oreos unironically
.Wallsocket by Underscores- Idiosyncratic unique concept album that blends everything from glitch pop to indie folk. Although the story of 3 teens dealing with class and gender in a dying Midwest town seems too convoluted to work, Underscores has a unique sound and vision that was successfully pulled off. My favorite songs include folk song You Don’t Even Know Who I Am, a song about parasocial relationships, Shoot to Kill, Kill Your Darlings, a glitch pop song about the military industrial complex, and Duh.
Rat Saw God by Wednesday- Alt country band with great lyrics and a shoegaze bent. I don’t know if they’re patient zero for the emo farm aesthetic from recent years (I don’t even know what I mean by that but it’s best personified by the goth tractor girl meme) but certainly they’ve benefitted the most from it. The first 3 tracks have a very strong wall of sound shoegaze sound. Chosen to Deserve and Quarry have the idiosyncratic small town lyrics. I really like this album because it’s not like Hillbilly Floppegy or a generic “we didn’t have much growing up, but we were happy” kind of storytelling but painting portraits about locals and small town life in an uncanny way like Gummo or an Appalachian Twin Peaks. Although Karly’s vocals are not traditionally strong, I find her voice endearing. Recommend if you like Dinosaur Jr or Jessica Lea Mayfield.
Gag Order by Kesha- Kesha had a daunting task with this album, to prove that Rainbow wasn’t a one time fluke and that the High Road was truly an experiment. On top of that, her fanbase is too all over the place with people who miss her 2009-2012 era (guiltily or unabashedly), people who were pleased with her authentic and vulnerable country songwriting on Rainbow, and want more of that authenticness, and dark alt pop fans convinced she was Iamwhoamiam. Surprisingly, she was able to do it all on this album and have a great, unique album. My favorites were Radiohead sounding Eat the Acid and singalong worthy Only Love can Save Us Now.
Softscars by Yeule- I thought Yeule’s last album was too inaccessible and experimental and weird for the sake of weird when I listened to it, with the song “Don’t be hard on your inner beauty” a misleading preview. Thankfully, I gave another listen to Yeule and was surprised although the album was still experimental, mixing electronic rock, shoegaze, and noise pop, it somehow all worked together. My favorites are 4U12 and Daziez.
This Land is Inhospitable and So Are We by Mitski- I’ve listened to Mitski for like 8 years and whether she’s been more rock or pop I’ve just taken the songs. I liked and left the album alone, bewildered by her Tiktok fandom. But lo and behold, a country album with her most viral hit yet is all she needed for an album to resonate with me. Besides countrypolitian My Love Mine All Mine, I don’t like My Mind and Buffalo Replaced are also highlights. Listen if you liked Weyes’ Blood album from last year 2022.
Good Luck by Debby Friday- Might have started it as a thesis but she is ready for her valedictorian moment. She covers a lot of ground with dreamy indie pop with Hard to tell, post industrial I Got It, Let U Down, and What a Man.
