No rankings. Just 50 projects that tell the story of music in 2022’s second half

By Ben Leshan

Wasteland- Brent Faiyaz

Brent Faiyaz has become one of the successful artists in modern rnb, and this album showcases the range of his abilities. Brent has risen to fame behind the juxtaposition of beautiful, soft melodies, with heartless lyrics, and he owns that dark persona on this record. His vocals are impeccable throughout, and he succeeds in creating a sonic world that invokes the feeling of a romantically desolate WASTELAND. You’ll find yourself getting lost in Brent’s confident delivery and incredibly catchy melodies on tracks like “JACKIE BROWN”, “ROLE MODEL”, and one of the best songs of the last few years in “GRAVITY” featuring Tyler, The Creator (to read our thoughts about “Gravity” when it first came out, click here).

You Can’t Kill Me- 070 Shake

You Can’t Kill Me shows off 070 Shake’s incredibly unique style, built on lush melodies both in the vocals and production, and on this album, crazy synth scapes that will get you immersed in the world she builds. Shake’s soulful vocal tone will draw you in, and emotionally vulnerable and thoughtfully crafted lyrics will make you stay. This album feels like a grand stadium record, with massive vocal and production moments and storytelling that feels cinematic. Some of the highlights of this record include the intro “Web”, “History”, and “Skin and Bones” (the latter of which was featured on our best songs of 2022 so far list).

MORE BLACK SUPERHEROES- Westside Boogie

LA rapper Westside Boogie is one of the most underrated emcees out at the moment, and this album, like his others, is an incredibly high quality effort. Boogie finds a balance between catchy bangers with chantable choruses and emotionally raw verses featuring top tier lyricism on this record, creating the kind of well-rounded rap record that bridges the gap between accessibility and artistry. Boogie also works in his collaborators tastefully on this album, and shows off one of the most recognizable voices in the rap game. Catch some of the best hip hop songs of the year like “AIGHT” feat. FKA DRAM, and “LOLSMHII” (which was featured on our Best Songs of 2022 Part 2) as you listen.

JAMIE- Montell Fish

JAMIE, the first of a billed album trilogy for Montell Fish, is a beautiful take on heartbreak. Built on sparse production and vividly painful and poetic lyrics delivered in his signature high pitched tone, Fish channels something like Frank Ocean on “White Ferrari” on this record. If any album on this list will make you cry, it’s probably this one, with gut-wrenching takes on the pain of losing someone who still means so much to you. Fish, one of our artists to watch in 2022, shows that he is one of the most exciting artists in music with this album, and we absolutely cannot wait to hear more of what he does in the future.

Emotional Creature- Beach Bunny

Emotional Creature takes alt-rock drums and guitars and meets them with the soft indie tone of Beach Bunny lead singer Lili Trifilio. As you might expect from the title, this project is very emotional. Vocally, Trifilio creates earworm melodic moments as she rises into her upper register on choruses, and the production creates the ideal backdrop for her vocals. The highlight of the album has to be “Oxygen”, an early single for the record that was featured on our Best Songs of 2021 list. Trifilio is very controlled in her vocals and keeps things dialed back on the verses, but in the moments where her voice has to strain and the drums get heavier, you will find yourself drowning in the emotion of the songwriting.

Honestly, Nevermind- Drake

Honestly, Nevermind has received mixed reviews, and it deserved them to some extent, but Drake’s take on a dance record is still one of the year’s better albums. Drizzy finally took the chance of not trying to please everybody and largely sticking to one sound on this record, and he deserves praise for that. Throughout his career Drake has made some very good dance tracks like “Take Care” and “One Dance”, and an album full of them made sense for him. While the commercial highlights of the album was the most rap-heavy track, “Jimmy Cooks” featuring 21 Savage, the dance tracks are executed quite well, with tracks like “Massive”, “Flight’s Booked”, and “Texts Go Green” showing that Drake can make a strong dance song. The sonics are really all there, and while the lyrics can be a bit corny at times, Drake comes through with an album with a lot of replay value.

Give Or Take- Giveon

Giveon is a bonafied star, and this album really takes him to new heights. There is still room for improvement, but we get to hear one of the best voices in modern popular music and some great songwriting here. Full of songs about relationship troubles and voicemails of advice from his mother, Give or Take has some repetitive elements, but it also shows more variety in production that previous Giveon records, and leans more into pop song styles even though it’s very rnb. On its best moments like “For Tonight”, “Lie Again”, or “Another Heartbreak” Giveon gives elite vocal performances on some of the best ballads we’ve heard in recent years.

MUNA- MUNA

LA-based indie band MUNA come to this album with a captivating energy that melds a sound reminiscent of The 1975 and lyrical themes about queer love and relationships. When it comes to production, this album is fun and bold, with bouncy synths, danceable drums, and infectious guitar licks. Lyrically, the songs discuss all parts of relationships, ranging from the joy of new love to the struggles of breaking up. This album is also made to get you up and dancing, but it has deeper content than the average dance record. Our highlight of the album is the Phoebe Bridgers assisted “Silk Chiffon”, which appeared on our Best Songs of 2022 list.

Dear Amelia- Renforshort

Dear Amelia is easily one of the best pop releases of the year 2022. Renforshort, one of our artists to watch this year, more than delivered with this one, coming with thoughtful, emotional songwriting and a concise, well-thought-out track list with this album. Songs like “Moshpit”, “hate the way you love me”, and “Don’t come back” are some of the best pop songs of the year, built on clever concepts and blending deeply emotional lyrics with catchy production and well-delivered vocals. At just 20, Ren has the makings of a star, and she is still just at the start of what should be an incredible career.

2000- Joey Bada$$

Joey Bada$$ is widely regarded as one of the best rappers in the world by modern day hip hop heads, but his album hiatus from 2017 to 2022 left many wondering how a new album would be received after so much time. The answer turns out to be quite well, as 2000 has received great reviews, and showcases some excellent rapping from Joey. This very much is the follow-up to Joey’s 2012 release 1999, featuring the same classic boom-bap rap style, but delivered this time by a mature adult rather than a growing teen. 2000 captures the moment of where Joey is in life right now quite well, and it shows that he is one of the best rappers in the world.

Survivor’s Guilt- Mozzy

Mozzy has been one of the most slept on rappers in the game over the last ten years, as the Sacramento rapper has made a series of good projects over the years, but never gotten the full mainstream recognition he deserves. After signing to Yo Gotti’s CMG label, this was Mozzy’s most high profile album rollout of his career, and this album went mainstream enough to warrant unprecedented commercial success while sticking true to his sound. With a fantastic rap voice and solid melodic abilities, a great ear for beats, and a pension for vulnerable street tracks packed with sneaky good lyricism, Mozzy shows off all of this best skills on this project.

Sometimes, Forever- Soccer Mommy

Soccer Mommy has been one of the more important voices in indie rock in recent years, and this record is another great piece to add to her catalog. Full of beatuiful vocals, engaging stories, raw emotionality, and avant-garde production choices, Sometimes, Forever does a lot in its 11 songs. There is a tone of melancholy throughout this record, but the production varies from lowkey acoustic guitar on “Still” to a clear drum and bass groove that elevates into big choruses on “Shotgun”. Soccer Mommy finds a way to balance variety and cohesion nicely on this record, and her song-writing shows to be top-quality throughout.

Summertime Blues- Zach Bryan

You know we can’t get enough of Zach Bryan at Moonlxte Melodies, and it seems like the rest of the world can’t either. The new country music star came with a truly excellent album in American Heartbreak earlier this year, and Summertime Blues is a very solid follow up (technically an EP, it has the feel of a short album at 9 songs). It is a little less consistent than American Heartbreak, but it has incredible moments, with fantastic tracks like “Twenty So”, and one of our favorite songs of the year by a mile, “Oklahoma Smokeshow”.

Love, Damini- Burna Boy

Burna Boy is one of the most important and popular singers in the world right now, but he does get the recognition he deserves whatsoever in mainstream American music media. Burna Boy is special, as the Nigerian singer has an incredibly smooth vocal tone, an obvious star power, and the ability to get new listeners immediately engaged with Afrobeats even if they aren’t familiar with the genre. You’ll find yourself grooving along to the rhythm and captivated by Burna’s vocals throughout the tracklist, and especially on highlights like “Last Last” and “For My Hand” with Ed Sheeran.

Surrender- Maggie Rogers

Surrender is the most complete project of Maggie Rogers’s career, and it showcases all the things she does so well. It’s rare to find a person more passionate about music that Rogers, and the depth of love she has for the art is evident in this project. There are a lot of singer-songwriter vibes with an incredible amount of attention put towards the lyrics, but we also get Rogers’ electronic influences making appearances to create massive moments in the production. Rogers is able to use her signature tone to tell engaging stories over excellent production on this album, and songs like “Want Want”, “Overdrive”, and “Anywhere With You” are some of the best of the year.

RENAISSANCE- Beyoncé

It feels like the world stops any time Beyoncé drops an album, and our collective cultural obsession with her is reinforced every time she drops another great record. RENAISSANCE is also special because it shows Bey can make a great dance album. This record is full of energy and confidence, but it doesn’t sacrifice the vocal quality we are used to from Beyoncé. It also accomplishes its goal of being inviting and creating an open and exciting space that mirrors the history of early electronic dance music. Beyond that, the album did not fall short commercially, spawning mega hits (and great songs) in “CUFF IT” and “BREAK MY SOUL”.

Traumazine- Megan Thee Stallion

“Traumazine” is a very solid commercial rap album. Megan sounds hungry as always on every single track, and she varies the production and features to keep things interesting over 18 tracks. As one of the most important artists in today’s rap game, Meg lived up to expectations here, selling well, and coming with multiple bangers including “NDA”, “Her”, “Scary” feat. Rico Nasty, and previously released singles “Plan B” and “Sweetest Pie” with Dua Lipa. Megan definitely has the ability to top this project, but she is consistently rapping at a high-level here and balancing artistry and commerciality well on this project.

The Forever Story- JID

The Forever Story is easily in the running for rap album of the year for us due to its incredible story-telling, touching emotionality, technically impeccable rapping, and stunning musicality. JID is one of the most refined, thoughtful, and skilled rappers in the game, and this album is his best yet in a very strong discography. The Atlanta-product and Dreamville signee comes with major bangers like “Dance Now” with Kenny Mason, fantastic stroytellings cuts like “Crack Sandwich”, emotional melodic tracks like “Better Days” with Johnta Austin, and a lot of vulnerability about his family and come-up on songs like “Sistanem”. Simply put, this album is absolutely amazing with something in the track list for everybody.

Last Night In The Bittersweet- Paolo Nutini

Scottish singer Paolo Nutini has been around for a while, with his breakout into the mainstream coming with the excellent effort that was 2007’s These Streets, and he’s still going strong in 2022. With one of the more unique vocal tones in popular music, Nutini’s vocals will immediately hit you, but his songwriting is the best part of this project. With multiple fantastic tracks on this record like “Radio”, “Through the Echoes”, and “Acid Eyes”, Nutini shows a lot of maturity and emotional intelligence in his lyrics, and he structures songs in a way that pushes norms while still including enough predictability to reward a listener’s anticipation. This album melds a lot of sounds from rock to soul to pop, and while the tracks vary a good amount, the quality is consistent.

Cheat Codes- Black Thought & Danger Mouse

At 49, Black Thought is still at the center of the conversation for best rapper alive based on his current output, and this project aligns with that assessment of his skill. A collaboration with legendary producer Danger Mouse, this project is a lyrical masterclass by Black Thought over some of the best sample work in the game. This is not a commercial rap album, it’s dense lyrically and thematically, but the sonics are on point, and the guest appearances are exciting (Raekwon, Joey Bada$$, MF Doom, A$AP Rocky, and more add verses to the album). On highlights like “The Darkest Part” with Kid Sister and Raekwon, we get thoughtful lyrics about racial injustice in the US from Black Thought and Raekwon over one of the best beats of the year.

Imposter Syndrome- AG Club

AG Club, one of the acts on our first ever rappers to watch list in 2021, have been elevating consistently, and Imposter Syndrome is their best effort yet. The first thing you’ll notice about this project is its genreless quality, with significant sections of both singing and rapping and highly varied production. It feels experimental, and shows that vocalists Baby Boy and Jody Fontaine are not just rappers who can sing, but truly well-rounded artists with huge ambitions. With highlights that stretch from the heavy rapping of “Bodega Bandit” to the luscious soundscape of “Candice” to one of our songs of the year last year in the rock-leaning “TRU RELIGION”, AG Club hit a lot of different sounds but are still able to come with a cohesive, quality project.

CHAOS NOW*- Jean Dawson

Jean Dawson, one of our first ever artists to watch in 2021, is one of the single most underrated artists in the game right now. Dawson’s mixing and matching of sonic elements and passionate delivery are incredibly gripping, and those elements are consistent on this project. Jean bounces between all kinds of sounds on this album, with a heavy and intense delivery that melds elements of rock and hip hop on tracks like “THREE HEADS*” and “SICK OF IT*”, a reflective and acoustic-leaning style on “BAD FRUIT*” with Earl Sweatshirt, and a soundscape not quite like anything you’ve ever heard before on “PIRATE RADIO*”. This might be one of the most sonically diverse albums of the year. Dawson’s artistic integrity is evident in every decision he makes, and he finds a great balance between innovation, appealing sonics, and intensely emotional messaging here.

Misery- Ekkstacy

Ekkstacy is miserable on this album, and it’s not a light listen, but the sonics and emotions are all there. One of our artists to watch in 2022, the 20-year-old artist is incredibly open about his struggles with depression and more on this project, but he also makes a fantastic sounding indie album. When it comes to production, the guitars and drums have an edge to them, but they never overpower Ekkstacy’s vocal. We get a lot of tracks driven by drums and bass that give Ekkstacy’s voice room to work on the verses, and guitars that bring the energy on the choruses. The sonics really are amazing, and the vocals are poetic and vulnerable as ever, diving into struggles with substance use, depression, and relationships. For lovers of sad indie music, this album is a must-listen.

Stick Season- Noah Kahan

Noah Kahan’s Stick Season is his best work to date, and that’s saying a lot for an artist who has been releasing quality for his entire career. Noah does a great job finding a balance on this album, mixing folkier sonic qualities with digestable melodies, infusing themes of depression and pain with hope, and creating tracks with mainstream hit potential as well as acoustic album cuts. The title track, “Stick Season”, might be the song of the year, but it is far from the only standout, with tracks like “Northern Attitude”, “Growing Sideways”, “All My Love”, and more existing in the same stratosphere. Kahan’s beautiful vocals are on display throughout the project, and the songwriting is absolutely top-tier, with vivid imagery from his smalltown upbringing in rural New England and sure-to-be relatable takes on romantic and family relationships. This album is the ultimate project to blast in the car as you take in fall foliage, but it’s sure to be a great listen in any context.

It’s Only Me- Lil Baby

Lil Baby has reached the point in his career where his every move is analyzed, and his music is picked apart by twitter critics across the world. While some of the criticism may ring true, as this record is a little long at 23 tracks and gets repetitive in sports, Baby still delivered one of the best commercial rap releases of the year. Baby hits us with a lot of catchy flows and cadences on this project, and his lyricism is consistently above average. We are missing a little bit of the introspection and emotionality of some of his best previous tracks like “Emotionally Scarred” or “Never Needed No Help”, but the hits and bangers are there. On tracks like “In a Minute”, “California Breeze”, “Perfect Time”, and “Never Hating” with Young Thug, Baby sounds like one of the best rappers in the game.

Gemini Rights- Steve Lacy

This is the album that took Steve Lacy from a favorite underrated name for music geeks to a global superstar, and it had that success for a reason. The general public may only be familiar with the album’s lead single, “Bad Habit”, which hit number one on the US charts, but this is a complete record from front to back. A super-producer before he was a big time artist, Steve’s experience producing as a part of band The Internet, and for major artists like Kendrick Lamar, gave him the tools to craft a sonic experience in his own work, and he does so here, mixing an eclectic mix of sounds and influences from rock to rnb to funk. “Bad Habit” is a certified banger as evidenced by its immense commercial success, but our highlight of the album has to be “Sunshine” with Fousheé, a track that will make you feel transported by a groovy baseline, killer drum groove, and beautiful vocals to match.

Beatopia- Beabadoobee

22-year-old Beabadoobee became a big name in the mainstream when producer and singer powfu sampled her 2017 song “Coffee” and put it on his song “death bed”, which went mega viral on TikTok, but it’s high time to get onto her own music if that’s all you’ve heard from her. Bea’s soft vocal tone immediately draws you in, but her songwriting and versatility show through as major strengths on this record. With variety from the heavy rock feel of “Talk” to the softer sound of tracks like “Lovesong”, she shows she can do it all on this record.

Emociones- Jay Wheeler

Jay Wheeler first achieved incredible global commercial success on his 2020 track “La Curiosidad” with DJ Nelson and Myke Towers, but Emociones is his best work to date, and it seems to be catapulting the 28-year-old Puerto Rican singer further into stardom. Listeners will immediately be struck by Wheeler’s voice on this album, as his vocals are consistently powerful and delivered with ear-catching rasp. Generally received as the best work of his career, this album lives up to its name with a lot of palpable emotion both in sound and lyrics, and songs that can comfortably played in a quiet room or a packed party. With sonics grounded in reggaetón but influenced by dancehall, EDM, American hip hop, and more, this project has a lot of variety and energy.

Hold The Girl- Rina Sawayama

Rina Sawayama comes with a great follow-up to a fantastic album in 2020’s SAWAYAMA with Hold The Girl. The 32-year-old British singer comes with some of the strongest vocals on any pop album this year, and mixes electronic dance elements with big ballads. One of our first artists to watch in 2021, Sawayama has been on the rise in recent years has shown continued growth in commercial performance and artistic vision. On this project, she is consistent with sonic quality and interesting song concepts, but finds a way to vary production and song structures to keep her listener engaged. This is easily one of the best pop albums of the year.

RUFFS- Kenny Mason

One of the most underrated rappers in the game and one of the world’s most exciting young artists, Mason delivers a great follow-up to his excellent 2021 record Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut with RUFFS. On this album, Mason proves to be a top tier lyrical emcee and a deeply creative experimental musician. On tracks like “Halos” Mason proves he can rap with the best of them, on “Halloween” he shows off high quality singing and a strong command of rock elements, and throughout the album, he bounces between genres and sounds with ease. There are few artists more talented than Kenny Mason, and we hear it through an excellent command of flow, introspective lyrics about his neighborhood and relationships, incredible vocal melodies, experimental production choices, and songs that mix and match traditional rock and rap sounds in inventive and sophisticated ways on this album.

Midnights- Taylor Swift

The album that created a ticket craze for the ensuing tour so intense that it exposed major flaws in ticket resellers and received national news attention did not receive that reaction for no reason. Midnights is a commercial juggernaut, and it has earned that status for good reason, as we get Taylor’s recent songwriting style mixed with the pop anthem feel of her earlier work. The album is jam packed with hits from start to finish, with standout chart topper “Anti Hero” as well as big tracks like “Lavender Haze” and “Midnight Rain”.

Twelve Carat Tooth Ache- Post Malone

Source: @postmalone

Post Malone is undeniably one of the most popular artists in the world, and he is still at the top of his game. While Twelve Carat Tooth Ache does not necessarily live up to the lofty heights of the rest of Posty’s discography, it is a solid pop album with a lot of commercial appeal and quality songwriting. It has smash hits like “One Right Now” with The Weeknd and “I Like You (A Happier Song)” with Doja Cat, and fun album cuts like “Wrapped Around Your Finger”. We get Post’s infectious vocal tone, unforgettable melodies, and vulnerable emotional moments throughout the track list, allowing this album to land as a quality effort.

Her Love Still Haunts Me Like A Ghost- Montell Fish

Source: @montellfish

Montell Fish’s second project of the year is a stark contrast to JAMIE, but the quality of the record is just as good. This album takes Fish in a completely new direction as he moves further away from his career beginnings as a Christian artist, centering on themes of drugs, sex, and mental health struggles over moody and brooding production. This record has traces of the Weeknd’s iconic 2011 project House of Balloons with its falsetto rnb vocals, heavy synths, and dark lyrical themes. This album shows that Fish has incredible range, and the ability to create songs that lend themselves quite well to live performance. It has also quietly earned significant commercial success, with standout track and single “Hotel” earning over 60 million Spotify streams to date.

Marginalia- ella jane

Source: @ellajanemusic

20-year-old Ella Jane shows off a lot of skill and potential on her second album Marginalia. Full of indie rock sounds and lyrics about love and growing up, we get emotionally thoughtful songwriting with standout lines packed with imagery on this record. At just 9 songs this is a short album, and it has not reached high-level mainstream commercial success, but it shows tons of potential. Highlights here include “Time On”, a great indie song about wanting a relationship despite being able to anticipate its end, and “Warhol”, which touches on trying to be someone other than yourself to win someone over.

Dirt Femme- Tove Lo

Source: @tovelo

Swedish singer Tove Lo is known for releasing smash singles in the 2010s, but her first album of 2022 shows lots of growth and quality. With a full commitment to dance pop production, she plays with the duality between bubbly electro production sounds and heavier lyrical themes. This project is very danceable, the vocals are consistently high quality, and it does not lack depth in theme or in sound. The cohesive and consistent vision expressed through this album is impressive, and the record marks a reinvention of Tove Lo as an artist. Hits like “No One Dies From Love” and “2 Die 4” show the widespread appeal of this quality effort.

<COPING MECHANISM>- WILLOW

Source: @willowsmith

WILLOW’s <COPING MECHANISM> is a fantastic record that shows Willow is one of the best artists to watch in the modern rock scene. Black women are almost never appropriately credited for their contributions to rock as a genre, and Willow deserves more love within the scene for her high quality releases. She certainly delivers a high quality vision here, filled with excellent vocals and thoughtful song structures. This project is vulnerable, but also has the rebellious expressiveness of punk, and it lands somewhere that feels pop punk without shamelessly looking for commercial attention like some recent releases in the subgenre.

Her Loss- Drake & 21 Savage

Source: @champagnepapi

Her Loss is the first Drake album in a long time to receive overwhelmingly positive public reactions upon its release, and that speaks to what the Toronto veteran and his collaborator 21 Savage did well on this record. The duo bring the hard sounds and aggressive bars of their earlier collaborative tracks and create many opportunities for viral moments. For Drake, his commitment to lyricism and refusal to veer too far outside rap on this project earned him praise. That being said, this project earned fair criticism for not living up to its billing as a collaborative album (internet critics hilariously noted that the album featured “21% Savage”, with Drake dominating much of the play time), and for the harmful and unnecessary jab Drake takes at Megan Thee Stallion on “Circo Loco”.

Sonder- Dermot Kennedy

Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy already has one incredible album under his belt in 2019’s Without Fear, and the follow-up has proven to be another quality effort in Sonder. On this album his sound is more pop and less folk, but the backbone of poetic and emotionally contemplative songwriting remains the same. Kennedy describes the album concept as realizing that everyone is living just as full of a life as you are, and throughout the tracklist he tries and succeeds in appeals to emotional relatability. Singles like “Better Days” and “Kiss Me” have had incredible commercial success, but there are quality moments throughout the tracklist.

age/sex/location- Ari Lennox

Source: @arilennox

Dreamville rnb star Ari Lennox is widely regarded as one of the best artists in the genre, and this record further reaffirms that status. Ari’s classic tone will draw you in on every track, and the production and features from Chloë, Summer Walker, and Lucky Daye nicely compliment her work. Thematically, this record explores Ari’s personal growth when it comes to relationships, describing how she learned to set boundaries and put herself first. The album is sure to resonate for many, and includes one of the best rnb songs in recent memory in “Pressure”.

This is What I Mean- Stormzy

Source: @stormzy

There are many excellent UK rappers doing their thing right now, but Stormzy might be the biggest artist in modern British hip hop. The 29-year-old London emcee shows off intricate lyricism, command of melody, diverse flows, and one of the best voices in the game on this record. Stormz is introspective and thoughtful in his raps, creating the sense that this album is made for him, rather than being meant to please everyone. He also bounces between styles on this record, often using soft pianos and drums to sing over on tracks like “Firebabe” and “Fire + Water”, but we also get heavy rapping on tracks like “This is What I Mean” and “My Presidents are Black”. This is What I Mean is a fantastic example of a rapper at the top of his game delivering the album the people needed.

Special- Lizzo 

Source: @lizzobeeating

Lizzo is one of the best-regarded artists in modern popular music, and that comes with expectations. On Special she was able to meet those sky high expectations by maintaining the fun-loving sound, personable lyrics, and high quality vocal performances that got her to this point. While this album hasn’t quite hit the commercial highs of her 2019 effort Cuz I Love You, this record has spawned major hits like “About Damn Time” and “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)”, and has quality from front to back. Lizzo is able to make self-love chic rather than corny yet again with this record, and the musical quality lives up to the hype.

The Hardest Part- Noah Cyrus 

Source: @noahcyrus

Noah Cyrus has not matched her older sister Miley when it comes to fame or success quite yet, but her artistry is undeniable. The 22-year-old singer mixes elements of country, folk, pop, and more on this record as she sings about relationship issues, mental illness, substance abuse, and getting older. Cyrus’s voice stands out as unique in tone, built for a country-leaning sound, and her songwriting skills are on display better than ever on this project. Highlights like the folky “Noah (Stand Still)”, “Ready To Go”, and “I Burned LA Down” show that she has all the skill necessary to be one of the biggest stars in the industry.

Feed Tha Streets III- Roddy Ricch

Source: @roddyricch

Roddy Ricch received warranted criticism for his underwhelming 2021 LP Live Life Fast, but he has shown resilience bouncing back with a strong effort in Feed Tha Streets III. Roddy was seen as one of the single most promising rappers in the world after the release of his 2019 album Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, and he shows he can live up to that hype with this effort. Getting back to the kinds of flows and melodic sounds that made him blow up, Roddy comes with the heat on tracks like “Just Because” and “Aston Martin Truck”. Roddy showed that he still can write hits and deliver some of the best melodies in the game on this effort that matches the quality of previous releases in his Feed Tha Streets mixtape series.

Unwanted- Pale Waves

Source: @palewaves

Unwanted sees Manchester-based band Pale Waves dive into a punk-leaning sound. From the first track “Lies”, the heavy production elements and in-your-face vocal delivery create a danceable and edgy take on pop punk. You can hear not-so-small traces of Paramore throughout the tracklist, and the vocals from lead singer Heather Baron-Gracie have some undeniable elements of Avril Lavigne. The tracks are packed with edgy guitars and prominent drum beats while Baron-Gracie’s vocals cut through to take command. Standout tracks like “Unwanted” and “Clean” show the great songwriting and strong production that make this one of the better rock projects released this year.

Yesterday is Heavy- Lil Silva

Source: @lil_silva

UK DJ and producer Lil Silva has seen a lot of success in his career, and this project gives us a view into what a full length effort can look like from him. Electronic dance music with clear UK grime influences, Silva’s sound is very much his own on this record. He shows off quality singing throughout the effort, and collaborates with a number of vocalists to bring his vision to life. Tracks like “Another Sketch” and “Leave It” with Charlotte Day Wilson stand out as highlights of the record. There is a lot of soul in Silva’s dance music that is often missing from modern EDM party cuts, and his attention-to-detail and mastery of integrating a variety of complex instrumentation into cohesive tracks is impressive. Silva is outside the scope of what many American music fans would give a try, but those who haven’t checked out this project are missing out.

Playboy- Fireboy DML

Source: @fireboydml

Nigerian singer Fireboy DML may not be familiar yet to a lot of American listeners, but he should be. This effort shows tons of charisma and a fantastic command of melody. Global hits like “Peru” (which received a remix from Ed Sheeran) and “Bandana” show off Fireboy’s immense potential and skill, but the project is consistent from front to back. From the vocal chops he shows off on the album’s intro “Change” to the vibey rhythms of “All of Us” with Ashawo to the incredibly catchy nature of the chorus on “Peru”, Fireboy sounds like a star-in-the-making throughout this effort. The album is accessible for new afrobeats listeners, and shows off a range of emotions and sounds that will be sure to resonate with listeners.

Pastlife- Day Wave

Source: @daywave

Jackson Phillips, the voice behind Day Wave, creates the feel of entire band with his work on this record. Pastlife is full of nostalgic feelings and a cinematic sensibility, with the vocal mixing and indie drums giving the listener a dual sense of distance and closeness from Phillips’s vocal. Throughout the tracklist, we get songs about the sad and difficult parts of romantic relationships, but also somewhat of a romanticization of that sadness. Phillips creates a sonic and emotional world where the listener can get up and dance to his sad songs. From the incredibly catchy, yet depressing “Pastlife” to the fantastic collaboration that is “See You When The End’s Near” with KennyHoopla, this album hits the mark as a fantastic indie album.

Anyways, Lifes Great- GloRilla

Source: @Glorillapimp

Memphis rapper GloRilla has exploded onto the scene as a major name to watch in 2022, gaining significant momentum and following throughout this year. Known for her deep and assertive delivery marked by a heavy Memphis accent, GloRilla has differentiated herself, and this project has reinforced her status as a unique young rapper with immense potential. This record is labeled an EP at 9 songs, but it has the feel of a breakout mixtape that will surely lead into a major debut album. On this album GloRilla keeps the tracks short and focuses on creating memorable choruses and to-the-point verses that display good flashes of lyricism. GloRilla is definitely one of the most important rappers to watch after this release.

Girl of My Dreams- FLETCHER

Source: @findingxfletcher

New Jersey born and LA-based singer FLETCHER showed a lot of range and hit-making skill on this record. As the title suggests, this album is full of themes of self-love and queer identity delivered through pop anthems. FLETCHER’s chosen style of song allows her to celebrate her identity and self-love with boldness and excitement that comes through for her listener. While there are moments where the lyricism and song structures get a little bit repetitive or unoriginal, the overall effort has a lot of commercial-appeal and makes big and important emotions accessible.

The Family- Brockhampton

Source: @brckhmptn

Billed as the last album from one of the most successful guy groups of the 2010s, The Family sees Brockhampton return to a full commitment to hip hop. The first thing you’ll notice when giving this record a spin are the beats, full of ear-catching vocal samples and boom-bap drums. The production gives the ideal backdrop for the main star of the group, rapper Kevin Abstract, to do his thing. Abstract is actually the only vocalist to appear on the project, as the band had largely broken up before the creation of this record. That being said, this might not be an ideal Brockhampton album for old fans, but it absolutely shows that Abstract is a star in his own right with a lot of potential to grow even bigger as a solo artist.

Enjoyed the post? Check out our playlist with one song from each of these amazing projects

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