Platy's 25 Best Releases of 2022
Tis the season for rankings! Its been a fantastic year, and I've got 24 albums (and one EP) that serve as proof. Also, as a bonus, I've thrown in five honorable mentions + favorite songs of each thing on the list. Numbers 25 thru 11 get one song mentioned, 11 thru 4 gets two, and then the top three get three songs (how fitting!!). Enjoy the list! |
| 30 |  | Bad Omens
The Death of Peace of Mind
*HONORABLE MENTION* |
| 29 |  | Beach House
Once Twice Melody
*HONORABLE MENTION* |
| 28 |  | The Callous Daoboys
Celebrity Therapist
*HONORABLE MENTION* |
| 27 |  | Kendrick Lamar
Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers
*HONORABLE MENTION* |
| 26 |  | Vexes
Imagine What We Could Destroy / If Only Given Time
*HONORABLE MENTION* |
| 25 |  | Joyce Manor
40 oz. to Fresno
As terrific as parts of this are, it’s WAY too short to be ranked any higher than #25.
Check Out: Souvenir |
| 24 |  | Stray from the Path
Euthanasia
This is like if Rage Against the Machine had a child with the metalcore genre. It has its missteps but this album is a damn good (and angry) time.
Check Out: Chest Candy |
| 23 |  | The Devil Wears Prada
Color Decay
In my eyes, this album was a slight step back from their last few releases, but has enough highlights to warrant its place on this list. I just wish they’d cut down on the ballads a bit.
Check Out: Hallucinate |
| 22 |  | Rolo Tomassi
Where Myth Becomes Memory
As unfair as it is to Rolo Tomassi, the excellence of their previous record somewhat holds back ‘Where Myth Becomes Memory.’ Be that as it may, they’re still a hard hitting band worthy of this site’s love.
Check Out: Cloaked |
| 21 |  | Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Cool It Down
This isn’t at all what I would expect out of a Yeah Yeah Yeah’s album in 2022, but I was pleasantly surprised by what I heard.
Check Out: Burning |
| 20 |  | Sleeping With Sirens
Complete Collapse
Let’s face it, Sleeping With Sirens has never been a beloved band on this site, and their peak passed a LONG time ago. But this is the best they’ve sounded in years, and it’s awesome to see that Quinn & gang are still more than capable of creating earworms.
Check Out: Tyrants |
| 19 |  | L.S. Dunes
Past Lives
The best Circa Survive album to not be a Circa Survive album. It may not take many risks, but the album is remarkably consistent.
Check Out: Permanent Rebellion |
| 18 |  | He Is Legend
Endless Hallway
The second best “southern metal” album of the year, if you can call it that. I was never particularly fond of He Is Legend’s earlier work, but ‘Endless Hallway’ makes me want to go back and give them a second chance.
Check Out: LORD SLUG |
| 17 |  | PUP
The Unraveling of PUPTheBand
As others on this site have said many times, the production of this album is by far its biggest weakness. But it still sounds fine on my shitty knockoff airpod headphones, so it’s not like I care. Great pop-punk album all around!
Check Out: PUPTHEBAND Inc. Is Filing For Bankruptcy |
| 16 |  | Pale Waves
Unwanted
If there was a ‘Guilty Pleasure of the Year’ award, this would take the cake. Is it immature? Yes. Is it cringey at parts? Hell yes. But the hooks are simply too good to ignore, and I keep returning to this album and loving it a little more each time.
Check Out: Jealousy |
| 15 |  | Greyhaven
This Bright and Beautiful World
And this is the FIRST best “southern metal” album of the year! Shame on me, I still haven’t checked out their debut.
Check Out: A Painful and Necessary Action |
| 14 |  | Norma Jean
Deathrattle Sing for Me
Of Norma Jean’s last four albums, this is probably my least favorite. The songs kick ass but I feel like the flow of the album is sub-par. EVEN WITH THAT BEING SAID, it’s the 14th best release of the year, which says a lot about just how good Norma Jean is.
Check Out: Spearmint Revolt |
| 13 |  | Nova Twins
Supernova
This is one of the biggest surprises of the year for me, as I wasn’t a huge fan of Nova Twins prior to this release. But this feels like a rap-infused, female fronted version of Don Broco, and I’m all for it.
Check Out: A Dark Place For Something Beautiful |
| 12 |  | Alpha Wolf/Holding Absence
The Lost and the Longing
Last year I had three EP’s in the top 10 of my list of best releases. In 2022, this is the only EP to make the top 25. A little disappointing for sure, but Alpha Wolf and Holding Absence combine to make one of the most enjoyable and relistenable EP’s on the year. My only complaint is that it isn’t longer.
Check Out: Coffin |
| 11 |  | Gospel
The Loser
I had this album at #2 of my best midyear releases list, so it's definitely dropped a little bit with time. This still kicks absolute ass though, and I never would’ve imagined myself listening to a band that’s equal parts screamo and 70’s era prog rock.
Check Out: Deerghost |
| 10 |  | The Wonder Years
The Hum Goes on Forever
Can The Wonder Years do any wrong? I genuinely would like to know. They’re becoming the Chevelle of pop-punk, I swear.
Check Out: Cardinals II, Laura and the Beehive |
| 9 |  | Jack White
Fear of the Dawn
YES! I love it when Jack White cranks the weirdness up to eleven! It was a bit unrefined in ‘Boarding House Reach,’ but White really hits his stride with this release.
Check Out: Fear of the Dawn, What's the Trick? |
| 8 |  | Motionless in White
Scoring the End of the World
Okay, scratch what I said about Pale Waves, THIS is the winner of ‘Guilty Pleasure of the Year.’ It’s tacky, a bit overproduced, and has a lot of the same faults that prior Motionless in White albums have had. BUT IT’S SO MUCH FRICKING FUN! It checks all the boxes for things I love in metalcore. Yeah that’s right, I’ll say it: Metalcore is good. Stop trying to deny it and just have some damn fun.
Check Out: Slaughterhouse (feat. Brian Garris), Burned at Both Ends II |
| 7 |  | The Dear Hunter
Antimai
‘Antimai’ and the next album on this list fall under the same category of “progressive rock bands doing something a bit poppier,” and even though many were disappointed by this release, I enjoyed it almost as much as The Dear Hunter’s prior work. People have said this sounds like a broadway musical as if that’s some kind of insult; all these songs would sound terrific live and Casey sounds as great as he ever has. My only complaint is that some of the songs meander a little longer than they should. I little trimming of the fat would’ve likely had this album in my top 5.
Check Out: Ring 3 - Luxury, Ring 5 - Middle Class |
| 6 |  | Coheed and Cambria
Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
These are some of the best hooks Coheed and Cambria have ever written without a doubt. As unpopular of an opinion as this likely is, I’d rather listen to Vaxis II over its predecessor any day. If there’s anything I’ve learned about myself in 2022, it’s that I should stop being so cynical and critical and learn to start having fun with music. And like I’ve said with other albums on this list, I love this because of how raw fun and entertainment it provides.
Check Out: Rise, Naianasha (Cut the Cord), The Liars Club |
| 5 |  | Carly Rae Jepsen
The Loneliest Time
I was ready to proclaim this in 2019 after ‘Dedicated’ but now I’ll say it more definitively: Carly Rae Jepsen is the modern queen of pop. Tempertemperatue said it best by saying that she regularly churns out pop songs that would be career highlights of her contemporaries. Ending the album with a damn disco throwback is just *chefs kiss* perfection.
Check Out: Go Find Yourself or Whatever, The Loneliest Time (feat. Rufus Wainwright) |
| 4 |  | Gatherers
" ( mutilator. ) "
I feel like old-school post-hardcore had a bit of a renaissance in 2022, and it was capped off by this gem of an album. Though I only heard this album for the first time maybe two weeks ago, I’ve already gone back to it a number of times. Though there may not be a lot of clear-cut obvious standouts, it’s one of the most consistent releases of 2022.
Check Out: boxcutter, gift horse (feat. Geoff Rickly) |
| 3 |  | Nothing More
Spirits
This album is the audio equivalent to putting yourself in a microwave and pushing all the buttons at the same time (AND I LOVE IT!!) Also, why would dubstep-esque riffs in an alternative metal album be a bad thing? I don’t even know what that means but it sounds bad ass.
Check Out: FACE IT, DREAM WITH ME, SPIRITS |
| 2 |  | Alexisonfire
Otherness
This is my first Alexisonfire album, which means two things: one, I absolutely NEED to check out their discography to see what I’ve been missing, and two, I waited too damn long to discover this gem of a band. Their post-hardcore sound mixed with a strong sense of maturity in the band leads to this album being one of my favorite experiences of the year.
Check Out: Mistaken Information, Sweet Dreams of Otherness, Sans Soleil (Song of the Year BTW) |
| 1 |  | Static Dress
Rouge Carpet Disaster
This is the cherry on the aforementioned post-hardcore renaissance cake I mentioned before! When I first heard ‘Rouge Carpet Disaster,’ I had a strong and immediate feeling that this was going to be my album of the year, and I almost DARED any other release to even come close. Sadly, none of them did. Static Dress’s debut album is one of the best debuts I’ve heard since being a member of this site, and it’s the only perfect 5 I’ve handed out in 2022. This album blends terrific hooks with just the right amount of nostalgia, and I can already sense this being one of my favorite albums of the whole 2020’s decade.
Check Out: Fleahouse, …Maybe!!?, cubicle dialogue |
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