2023
All the notable stuff that came out this year that I checked out. List is no particular order except for #1. Give me your fave releases of the year in the comments |
| 1 |  | Yellowcard
Childhood Eyes
"It's like it never was over."
The greatest pop punk band of all time punctuate their unexpected return in the most thrilling way possible. Key's voice still soars, Mendez's riffs still sizzle, Mackin's violin still swells, and the whole thing is just a generous serving of vintage Yellowcard. "Hiding in the Light" in particular is one of their greatest moments *ever*. Easily my favorite thing that came out this year. |
| 2 |  | Vagabon
Sorry I Haven’t Called
Laetitia Tamko tackles brevity with levity on her third studio album. Her breezy brand of electropop (which also draws on her past rock influences) colors an album that sees her claiming a sense of agency ('I don't like myself when I'm with you,' she confesses on "Do Your Worst") and accepting what she can't change ('It's hard for me to let you go') on the dreamy and danceable "Lexicon". Definitely one of the best pop albums of the year. |
| 3 |  | Lauren Spencer-Smith
Mirror
Arguably the most commercially successful American Idol alum of this generation, Spencer-Smith seems to be another overly diaristic acolyte for Swiftian girl pop. It's certainly helped her multiple Hot 100 appearances, but her occasionally predictable and surface level lyrics prevent some of the stuff here from really standing out. "Fantasy" is a star studded collab (Gayle and Em Beihold) and Lauren's vocals on songs like "Love is an Overstatement" are sweet and also hefty at times. It's a good album, but not something you need to rush to grab off the shelf. |
| 4 |  | Paramore
This Is Why
If you thought the lilac-stenched trio that made "After Laughter" was going to oscillate back to their mall punk roots, then you must've been sorely disappointed when this album dropped. Meanwhile, I was disappointed because it's a cartoonishly dull, drab and flaccid pop rock affair with hostile lyrics and unflattering vocals and production. Hayley Williams and co dip their toes into the most overt political commentary of their career ("The News") but with the intellectual depth of a modern Three Days Grace song. Meanwhile, "Big Man, Little Dignity" plays like a B-side from Williams' underwhelming solo stuff. Paramore really has nothing meaningful left to say at this point. I assigned this album an average score upon release, but that 2.5 might become a 2 or lower upon the few, if any, future revisits I plan to make. |
| 5 |  | Cliffside
Deeper Water
Canada loves blessing us with metalcore greatness, and the debut full-length from this Vancouver trio is awesome. Taylor Thomas and Joel Issler share vocal duties, and their multi-faceted talents carry a sludgy and punishing breakdown-heavy jaunt. Tracks like "Endless Wells" land like sledgehammers while still making room for glossy cleans and fun solos. If the world makes enough sense, Cliffside should break out as one of the new powers of the metalcore revival wave. |
| 6 |  | NSYNC
Better Place
The legendary boy band we thought we'd never hear from again finally appeased the legions of white, geriatric soccer moms pining for a comeback. Serving as the lead single from "Trolls Band Together", which stars the voice of Justin Timberlake, this funky disco pop banger honors the legacy of one of pop's most consequential groups, and treats us to a healthy dose of JC Chasez (the real star of the show imo). Even if this is just a flash in the pan and they don't reunite for the long haul, this was a highlight of the year for pop culture. |
| 7 |  | Pierce the Veil
The Jaws of Life
It's not blindly cathartic like their earlier, heavier material, but you'd be foolish to write Pierce off. Their first album in almost seven years is rollicking and fun grunge-tinged trippiness, with some tender moments mixed in for good measure. Had it released earlier in their career, I might have written it off as them "selling out," but "Jaws" advances PTV's sound without turning them into something they're not. |
| 8 |  | Olivia Rodrigo
Guts
Sophomore slump? Dream on. One of girl pop's newest powerhouses follows up her debut "Sour" with an album that leans even more into guitar rock tendencies. It's humorous, it's bratty, it's vulnerable and it fucking *slaps*. Possibly *the* pop album of 2023. |
| 9 |  | The Belair Lip Bombs
Lush Life
The Australian based indie rock newcomers craft an interesting and vivacious effort. It's chilled out at times, even bordering on melancholic, but it's got plenty of groove, plenty of driving instrumentals, reverb-coated vocals from Maisie Everett, and consistently dynamic presentation. Looking forward to hearing more from these guys. |
| 10 |  | Maroon 5
Middle Ground
This surprisingly stellar soft rock gem comes about 7-8 years too late for a band with longevity they had no business attaining. Their nosedive into Walmart pop prevented them from flaming out into obscurity a lot sooner, but at the cost of most of what made their early music so fun and special. "Middle Ground" offers a glimpse back into that older time, with plain but purposeful acoustic guitars, and Adam Levine nixing his trademark falsetto for a tenor that actually carries a bit of humanity with it. If they choose to base an entire album on this kind of approach, it'll likely be their best since "Songs About Jane." |
| 11 |  | Jason Aldean
Highway Desperado
This album fucking blows. Aldean's repeated vacant brays about needing whiskey to drown her memory (Jesus Christ dude, sing about a n y t h i n g else) would be bad enough without the intentionally ugly lead single "Try That In A Small Town," which doesn't need to be combed over another second longer. One of the guys who played a big hand in turning mainstream country music into the unrecognizable beast its become churns out an album that is repugnant and terrible even by his standards. |
| 12 |  | Maren Morris
The Bridge
Botox Barbie responds to Aldean specifically with a 2-song EP that marks her official farewell to country music. The end result is an almost equally cheap political statement, just on the opposite end of the spectrum. Morris isn't risking anything by "getting the hell out of here," so this amounts to neither a Dixie Chicks level display of courage, nor a Taylor Swift "1989" level display of artistic metamorphosis. She leaves a format that never really embraced her, and (big shocker) nobody gave a shit. |
| 13 |  | Bonnie Montgomery
River
Now this. THIS is country music. Montgomery is a classically trained powerhouse vocalist whose timbering voice and intelligent lyrics make her a much more worthy heir to Swift's mantle. Fiddles swell all throughout, and sometimes the plainer moments are the most charming. Country music could definitely use more Arkansas apples and *way* less jelly rolls. |
| 14 |  | Daughtry
Artificial
Your mom's favorite band (no seriously) continues their resurgent and enthralling return to hard rock and post-grunge with another despondent piece of political commentary that features....a fucking *breakdown*???!!! Dock points for leaning into what some would call butt rock, but not too many. Chris Daughtry is making the music he was born to make, that best utilizes his otherworldly voice. |
| 15 |  | Thirty Seconds to Mars
It's the End of the World But It's a Beautiful Day
lol |
| 16 |  | Kelsea Ballerini
Rolling Up the Welcome Mat
Another Swift copycat, but one of the few who has actually mastered country pop as an artistic vision and not a chart format. This solemn 6-track EP chronicles Kelsea's messy divorce from fellow country singer Morgan Evans and the steps she takes to reclaim her independence. The tired but triumphant "Penthouse" will make you ugly cry and "Just Married" will illustrate how a love falls from grace in painfully poignant detail. |
| 17 |  | Hope Blanchard
Whole Lotta Love
Hope is actually a friend of mine, so I might be biased, but this Nashville-based beauty is a true Renaissance woman. Influenced not only by Swift, but more recent successes like Lainey Wilson, Blanchard offers up "Whole Lotta Love", which celebrates a romance that basks in the mundane and the prosaic. Car payments, cinnamon rolls and bi-weekly paychecks (which should be weekly but that's a can of worms) color this cute and endearing story, which calls to past landmark singles like Phil Vassar's "Just Another Day in Paradise." If you encounter her in your social media travels, tell her I sent you. |
| 18 |  | DeVonte Singh
Hope U Ready
Another friend of mine who consistently puts out great material, DeVonte is a rapper and R&B crooner from right here in Scranton. He prefers dropping singles to full albums, and this one showcases some of his best attributes. His brand of R&B is seductive and sexually unruly, and he employs a bevy of skittering beats and vocal layers. Check him out if you have the time and once again, tell him I sent you! |
| 19 |  | Ashland
On My Life
The last of Shamus' Shameless Plugs™, my friends in Ashland were signed to Rise Records for one album cycle before going independent. They're planted closer to pop rock than pop punk ala classic Paramore, but frontwoman Asia Marie's powerful voice color lyrics of moving on from relationships gone sour ("I swear on my life I'm leaving you today," she purposefully proclaims) |
| 20 |  | Asking Alexandria
Where Do We Go from Here?
Another late aughts Warped Tour regular that needs to stop. This latest collection of Sirius Octane fodder from the former pop-metalcore stalwarts reek of age, desperation, trend-hopping and an aimless search for a new identity. I can't tell you much about it other than that, because each song individually is hilariously forgettable. |
| 21 |  | BOI WHAT
PLAN Z
It's literally a metalcore song about the Spongebob movie with Plankton AI vocals. Fucking iconic. |
| 22 |  | Cat Valley
Bingo Queen
I considered strongly omitting this from the list, because I was pretty harsh in my review and don't want to drag people through the mud, but this was one of the worst albums I encountered all year. The lyrics are hackneyed and the vocals are painfully unflattering and unorthodox. Perhaps that's what the garage punk vibe is calling for, but this album is just devoid of any cleverness, wit or chasmic thought. |
| 23 |  | Paul Cherry
Pure Grooves Vol. 1
"Taffer's Goodbye" has to be about Bar Rescue getting cancelled. I refuse to stop making that joke. On a serious note, it's pleasant instrumental jazz. |
| 24 |  | K-Riz
One Way Ticket
Some enjoyable and interesting stuff from the Canadian based rapper. One of many Bandcamp finds from this year. |
| 25 |  | Zach Bryan
Zach Bryan
Lol wtaf do y'all see in this guy? |
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