favorite albums for each year

Since 2012.

I’m a music nerd and always make music summaries. (suggested genres referenced from RateYourMusic)

2025:

It’s really hard to choose from the incredible records released this year, especially since it’s been such a huge year for electronic music. The first few picks came easily, but narrowing it down to a Top 10 was extremely difficult…

  • PinkPantheress, Fancy That (Dance-Pop, UK Garage)
  • Rochelle Jordan, Through the Wall (Deep House, Alternative R&B, Dance-Pop)
  • Ninajirachi, I Love My Computer (Electro House)
  • Blawan, SickElicir (Deconstructed Club, UK Bass)
  • Oneohtrix Point Never, Tranquilizer (Progressive Electronic, Ambient, Sound College, Glitch, Vapor)

Honorable Mention:

  • Oklou, choke enough (Alt-Pop, Electronic)
  • FKA twigs, EUSEXUA Afterglow (Electronic Dance Music, Alternative R&B)
  • CMAT, EURO-COUNTRY (Country Pop, Soft Rock)
  • Swans, Birthing (Post-Rock, Experimental Rock)
  • Squid, Cowards (Post-Rock, Art Rock, Experimental Rock)

2024:

  • Charli xcx, Brat (and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not) (Electropop, Electronic Dance Music)
  • Cindy Lee, Diamond Jubilee (Hypnagogic Pop, Psychedelic Pop, Indie Rock)
  • Floating Points, Cascade (Tech House, IDM)
  • Magdalena Bay, Imaginal Disk (Neo-Psychedelia, Synthpop)
  • Jamie xx, In Waves (House, Future Garage)

2023:

  • Amaarae, Fountain Baby (Alt R&B, Alté)
  • Lana Del Rey, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd (Singer-Songwriter, Art Pop)
  • Caroline Polachek, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (Alt-Pop, Art Pop)
  • Kelela, Raven (Alternative R&B, Electronic)
  • Mitski, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We (Singer-Songwriter, Indie Folk)

2022:

  • Alvvays, Blue Rev (Indie Pop, Shoegaze)
  • Hatchie, Giving the World Away (Dream Pop, Alt Dance)
  • Sudan Archives, Natural Brown Prom Queen (Alternative R&B, Art Pop)
  • Weyes Blood, And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow (Baroque Pop, Singer-Songwriter)
  • Beyoncé, RENAISSANCE (Dance-Pop, House)

2021:

  • Wolf Alice, Blue Weekend (Alt Rock, Dream Pop)
  • SPELLLING, The Turning Wheel (Art Pop, Baroque Pop)
  • Magdalena Bay, Mercurial World (Synthpop, Dance-Pop)
  • Iglooghost, Lei Line Eon (UK Bass)
  • Erika de Casier, Sensational (Comptemporary R&B)

2020:

  • Jessie Ware, What’s Your Pleasure? (Dance-Pop, Disco)
  • Låpsley, Through Water (Art Pop, Ambient Pop)
  • Moses Sumney, græ (Art Pop)
  • Róisín Murphy, Róisín Machine (Nu-Disco, House)
  • Eartheater, Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin (Avant-Folk, Chamber Folk)

2019:

  • Lana Del Rey, Norman Fucking Rockwell! (Singer-Songwriter, Art Pop)
  • Weyes Blood, Titanic Rising (Baroque Pop, Art Pop)
  • FKA twigs, MAGDALENE (Art Pop, Glitch Pop)
  • Flume, Hi This Is Flume (Wonky)
  • Jai Paul, Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) (Alternative R&B, Indietronica)

2018:

  • Beach House, 7 (Dream Pop, Neo-Psychedelia)
  • Robyn, Honey (Dance-Pop, Electropop, House)
  • Let’s Eat Grandma, I’m All Ears (Synthpop, Art Pop, Electropop)
  • Ben Howard, Noonday Dream (Indie Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Ambient Pop)
  • Janelle Monáe, Dirty Computer (Compemporary R&B, Art Pop)

2017:

  • Wolf Alice, Visions of a Life (Dream Pop, Indie Rock)
  • Alvvays, Antisocialities (Indie Pop, Jangle Pop)
  • Fleet Foxes, Crack-Up (Progressive Folk, Chamber Folk)
  • SZA, Ctrl (Alt R&B, Neo-Soul)
  • Loreen, Ride (Alt Rock, Dream Pop, Art Pop)

2016:

  • Blood Orange, Freetown Sound (Alt R&B, Synth Funk)
  • Shura, Nothing’s Real (Synthpop, Dance-Pop, Alt-Pop)
  • Solange, A Seat at the Table (Neo-Soul)
  • The Avalanches, Wildflower (Plunderphonics, Neo-Psychedelia)
  • David Bowie, Blackstar (Art Rock)

2015 (Hardest Choice Ever):

  • Jamie xx, In Colour (UK Bass) [To me this is the greatest of all time and it has become part of my aesthetics lol]
  • Wolf Alice, My Love Is Cool (Indie Rock, Alt Rock)
  • Björk, Vulnicura (Art Pop, Electronic)
  • Beach House, Depression Cherry (Dream Pop)
  • Sufjan Stevens, Carrie & Lowell (Indie Folk, Singer-Songwriter)

2014:

  • FKA twigs, LP1 (Art Pop, Alt R&B., Glitch Pop)
  • Alvvays, Alvvays (Twee Pop, Jangle Pop, Indie Pop)
  • Ben Howard, I Forget Where We Were (Indie Folk, Singer-Songwriter)
  • Lana Del Rey, Ultraviolence (Dream Pop, Art Pop, Neo-Psychedelia)
  • Freddie Gibbs & Madilb, Piñata (Gangsta Rap)

2013:

  • Beyoncé, BEYONCÉ (Contemporary R&B, Pop)
  • London Grammar, If You Wait (Art Pop, Alt-Pop, Indie Pop)
  • CHVRCHES, The Bones of What You Believe (Synthpop, Electropop)
  • Goldfrapp, Tales of Us (Art Pop, Chamber Pop, Chamber Folk)
  • James Blake, Overgrown (Art Pop, Alt R&B)

2012:

  • Lana Del Rey, Born to Die (Paradise Edition) (Alt-Pop, Chamber Pop)
  • Grimes, Visions (Synthpop)
  • Beach House, Bloom (Dream Pop, Indie Pop)
  • Frank Ocean, channel ORANGE (Alt R&B, Contemporary R&B)
  • Death Grips, The Money Store (Industrial Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Pop, Experimental Hip Pop)

Honorable Mentions: Before 2012

These are the ones released before I ever had a concept about what is music. Undoubtedly we have way too many masterpieces and classics in history, here I just want to mention five of them - if I can only list five. And you can actually get to know what kind of music I prefer from this list.

  • Massive Attack, Mezzanine [1998] (Trip Hop)
  • The Avalanches, Since I Left You [2000] (Plunderphonics, Dance, Nu-Disco)
  • Björk, Vespertine [2001] (Art Pop, Electronic, Glitch Pop)
  • Interpol, Turn On the Bright Lights [2002] (Post-Punk Revival)
  • Sufjan Stevens, Illinois [2005] (Chamber Pop, Singer-Songwriter)

Where are these albums from? (origins of the musicians - allow multiple copies):

  • United States: 32
    • California: 7
    • New York: 7
    • Maryland: 3
    • Texas: 3
    • Michigan: 2
    • Florida: 2
    • Indiana: 1
    • Kansas: 1
    • Massachusetts: 1
    • Missouri: 1
    • Ohio: 1
    • Pennsylvania: 1
    • Washington: 1
    • Washington D.C.: 1
  • United Kingdom: 26
    • England: 25
    • Scotland: 1
  • Australia: 5
    • Victoria: 3
    • New South Wales: 1
    • Queensland: 1
  • Canada: 5
    • Prince Edward Island: 3
    • British Columbia: 2

  • Iceland: 2

  • Sweden: 2

  • Ireland: 1

  • Portugal: 1

  • Japan: 1