One day, I want to listen to every single album released within a year, within that year. However, today is not that day. But, let it be known that the music 2022 brought us was a bountiful harvest, with hundreds of critically acclaimed albums circling music streaming services. With iconic comebacks and impressive debuts, every sort of music fan got something new this year, including myself. I’ve recently become more unapologetic about being a pop fan after years of listening to music no one’s heard of just for indie kid clout, and my listening habits reflected this new found pop diva personality of mine. I listened to a few dozen albums from a few different genres, but most of the albums I listened to this year seemed to live within the world of pop. Although I didn’t get around to listening to every album on my “to listen” list, I certainly feel satisfied with what I did listen to. Although I’m not nearly qualified enough to be a music critic, I love being opinionated, so here are some of the albums that made my 2022.
Top 3:
There were three albums this year that took over my life and Spotify rotation unlike other albums. Those albums were:
- MUNA by MUNA
Best Track: What I Want
Best Lyric: “You’re gonna say that I’m on a high horse, I think that my horse is regular sized” (Anything But Me)
For fans of: 90s pop, alto tone, queer anthems
I fell in love with MUNA after I discovered them last year. I had been craving a specific type of pop music for a while, and MUNA scratched that itch perfectly. With heavy synth, classic electronic drums, and lyrics that perfectly describe the 21st century queer experience. This album explores a handful of different genres, with the pure pop sound of songs like “What I Want” and “Silk Chiffon”, the folksier and more country-like essence of “Kind of Girl” and the intense electronic production style of “Runner’s High”, there’s truly something for every sort of music fan. MUNA members Katie Galvin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson are without a doubt one of the greatest forces in pop music right now, and with their appearance as openers for a handful of nights on Taylor Swift’s upcoming “Eras” tour I’m sure we will begin to see much more of them in the future (and yes, I did manage to get tickets to see them at her concert in Kansas City).
- Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain
Best Track: Thoroughfare
Best Lyric: “Say what you want, but say it like you mean it with your fists for once” (American Teenager)
For fans of: Lana Del Rey, southern gothic, storytelling
Every blue moon, a musician emerges who makes me reimagine every album I’ve ever listened to. Ethel Cain is that musician. Her storytelling truly is a skill that is rarely found in such a young and new musician. “Preacher’s Daughter” tells the story of Ethel Cain, a young girl growing up in the American South who eventually flees her home and preacher father with the love of her life, only to meet a tragic end. The album ventures between pop, folk, and experimental genres unnamable, ranging from the synth-heavy and danceable “American Teenager” to the haunting ambiance of “Ptolomea”. This is not an album to be listened to casually–– it’s an experience.
- Midnights by Taylor Swift
Best Track: Karma
Best Lyric: “I’m damned if I do give a damn what people say” (Lavender Haze) For fans of: Indie sleaze, glitter gel pens, people who like Taylor Swift
If Taylor Swift has a million fans, I am one of them. If Taylor Swift has a hundred fans, I am one of them. If Taylor has one fan, that fan is probably my sister, but I am also someone who is proud to be a Swiftie. I’ve been following her since I was a kid, and had been patiently waiting for another album since the pandemic-born masterpieces that were “folklore” and “evermore”. The night “Midnights” dropped was an extremely sacred evening for me, and each song made me feel a different emotion than the one that came before. It was exactly what I would want from a Taylor Swift album: some lyrics that are really deep, some lyrics that really aren’t, and great Jack Antonoff production. I was immediately addicted, and listened to it over and over, quickly moving Taylor Swift into my top 5 Spotify Wrapped artists.
Honorable mentions:
1. Funny in a Foreign Language by The 1975
Best Track: I’m In Love With You
Best Lyric: “Vaccinista tote bag chic baristas sitting east on their communista kiesters” (Part of the Band)
For fans of: Mid-to-late Beatles, thick British accents, lovably pretentious men
2. The Loneliest Time by Carly Rae Jepsen
Best Track: Beach House or Talking to Yourself
Best Lyric: “I paid to toughen up in therapy, she said to me ‘soften up’” (Surrender My Heart)
For fans of: Gummy candy, classic upbeat pop, telling it as it is
3. Hold the Girl by Rina Sawayama
Best Track: This Hell
Best Lyric: ‘Cause I used to make my world so small, prisoner to my bedroom walls” (To Be Alive)
For fans of: “Born This Way” era Lady Gaga, horror movies, religious metaphors
4. Midnights by Taylor Swift
Best Track: Karma
Best Lyric: “I’m damned if I do give a damn what people say” (Lavender Haze) For fans of: Indie sleaze, glitter gel pens, people who like Taylor Swift
5. Surrender by Maggie Rogers
Best Track: Anywhere With You
Best Lyric: “If only she knew what it’s like to see the world with someone who is excited by everything” (I’ve Got A Friend)
For fans of: Running really fast, Florence + the Machine, self-reflection
6. I Can’t Let Go by Suki Waterhouse
Best Track: Melrose Meltdown
Best Lyric: “I wish I didn’t say what was in my head” (Put Me Through It) For fans of: sleazy Hollywood, fog, Mazzy Star
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