By Hughes Herrington
2022 was full of new releases from big-name artists to more underground and up-and-coming projects. Artists made their way back into the groove of touring as COVID-19 restrictions relaxed, and we the listeners joined in as we listened to the albums and singles dropped throughout the year. 2022 also marked a year heavy in social media trends after the lockdown era, and the music we heard online leaped out of our phones and into the real world.
The year was ripe with new music, and it is impossible to include every great album that was released. Our top albums of 2022 were curated by the staff of Bonkers! Magazine ranked one through ten.
10. HORSESHIT ON ROUTE 66 - The Garden
Released in September, HORSESHIT ON ROUTE 66 continues to explore The Garden’s unique sound, dubbed “vada-vada” by twins and band members Wyatt and Fletcher Shears. The album combines elements of punk, electronic and pop genres with samples from phone calls and YouTubers to create an album that builds upon their previous work in a smooth yet pleasantly eclectic transition between artistic eras. With heavy guitars and drums and a touch of Californian surf rock melodies, HORSESHIT ON ROUTE 66 is an entertaining listen and a kooky and artful development to The Garden’s sound.
9. Laurel Hell - Mitski
Laurel Hell is Mitski’s sixth full-length album, and it does not stray from the whimsical and emotional sound her work embodies. Laurel Hell takes a darker tone than her 2018 album, Be The Cowboy, taking on themes of dissatisfaction with her musical career and the industry, but also continues to speak on topics of heartbreak and relationships that were seen in her other releases. With lilting guitars, steady beats and Mitski’s ethereal vocals and lyricism, Laurel Hell whisks you away into the world of her mind to see the inner workings of her creative process.
8. Gemini Rights - Steve Lacy
Gemini Rights is excitingly subtle, embracing both vintage and indie elements to create irresistible pop and R&B hooks. Filled with smooth keys and soulful guitars, Lacy’s soft and relaxed vocals flow across the instrumentals that implant themselves in your head. “Bad Habit” and “Static” became some of 2022’s most prominent ear-worms, their catchy choruses claimed by TikTok trends. But the album’s quality cannot be attributed to snippets of a couple of singles on TikTok. Gemini Rights holds its own as a complete project, with each track holding onto its own sound while still creating a collective whole with airy synths and jazzy drums.
7. Preacher’s Daughter - Ethel Cain
Ethel Cain’s Preacher’s Daughter is one of the best concept albums of the decade, telling the story of Ethel Cain as a character and her journey through Americana, Christianity, love and death through catchy pop songs. Somehow, with the abrupt changes from upbeat to dark to acoustic, Cain manages to build a world out of words and music for her characters to navigate, perfect for the unexpected changes throughout the tale she spins. Ethel Cain’s journey is one for the listener, her character acting as a guide through the story of her life and gruesome end. You can read more on the story of Ethel Cain and Preacher’s Daughter here.
6. Beatopia - Beabadoobee
Beabadoobee’s second studio album, Beatopia, is a modern time capsule to the Y2K-era pop of the 2000s. With cute, youthful vocals reminiscent of Britney Spears’ iconic “baby voice,'' Beatopia draws the listener into the nostalgic world of growing up in the early 2000s, complete with acoustic guitars and soft vocals layered over peppy and straightforward drum machine beats. Themes of childhood, growing up and friendship join with transitions from acoustic to distortion and back again as she describes her experiences transitioning from child to teenager to adult, making this album a relatable and authentic snapshot of life through the eyes of Beabadoobee.
5. Spiderr - Bladee
Drain Gang’s Bladee extends the world of hyperpop and Internet-inspired rap with Spiderr, filled with heavy autotune and almost nonsensical synths. Spiderr manages to transition from otherworldly soundscapes to a robot’s version of pop punk, not seamlessly, but unexpectedly on purpose. With gliding synthesizers and bass-heavy beats, the Swedish rapper uses his mystical vocals to comment on being a pioneer in Internet-inspired music and his views on his life. Spiderr is a charming blend of genres that brings sincere insight into Bladee’s experiences, even while referencing superficial Internet scenes.
4. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You - Big Thief
Big Thief returns with their fifth studio album, bringing back the indie folk that sounds just like walking barefoot down a dirt road. Rich with twangy harmonies between vocalist Adrianne Lenker and her bandmates, the lyrics question modernity and humanity’s ability to stay in touch with itself and the people around it. Self-referential tracks harness antiquity, with a haze akin to the background noise of an old record hovering around Lenker’s vocals and the down-to-earth arrangements of acoustic guitar, bass and muted drums. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You is a throwback to a sepia-toned past that may never have existed, but that exists in the eyes of Big Thief.
3. Crest - Ecco2k and Bladee
Drain Gang makes the list again with Ecco2k and Bladee’s joint project Crest. The pair continue to showcase their unique idea of hyperpop and Internet rap with whimsical synths layered on drum beats creating an ethereal atmosphere around each track. Crest references Christian mythos, establishing that the album may not exist in the human realm. Ecco2k and Bladee combine humor and philosophy in their combinations of ironic samples and abstract lyricism to design an afterlife of their own, voices coated in their signature autotune falsetto.
2. God Save the Animals - Alex G
Alex G is known for his references to animals, and that is not lost in his newest release, God Save the Animals. In an album that is neither folk rock nor singer-songwriter, and yet somehow both at once, Alex G sees through the eyes of the animals and writes about their feelings instead of a human’s. God Save the Animals showcases cleaner sounds than his previous works, using autotune to tap into the inhuman impression of animalistic emotions. Alex G hangs onto his signature acoustic guitar, adding more complex instrumentation in his percussion that creates an enveloping soundscape for the listener. Through vocal editing, arrangement and lyricism, Alex G’s unique productional style lands God Save the Animals in second place.
1. Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers - Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar’s fifth album begins almost theatrically, a monologue of vocals running on top of singular piano chords before the arrangement builds into a jazzy and orchestral beat. The theatrical theme is carried throughout the album as it moves through interludes and parts, making it seem like the soundtrack to Lamar’s life. Lamar talks about his relationships with family, friends and lovers, moving into deep discussions about how his actions and feelings have affected his loved ones. Combining melancholy production with a litany of features, Lamar makes it clear that he both questions and understands how his experiences affect himself and those around him, touching on topics like growing up Black. Lamar presents a microcosm of his own life, the album closing with a hopeful and inspirational track as its ending credits. The theatrical feel to Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers as it presents the film of Lamar’s life earns its place at Number 1.
You can listen to our top picks here.
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