A curious, cutting-edge and conflicting year, 2022 has brought us countless new albums which we’ve enjoyed immensely as live music has fully returned.
Platform tradition, award-winning and respected as it is, dictates that this time of year brings the return of our ‘Albums of the Year’ list, which always bring some surprises and plenty of treats.
Without further ado, let’s begin our festive feast by diving into the list!
Louise Walt, Music Editor: Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia
The band’s fourth album has been their strongest to date.
This was my stand-out album for the year as it incorporates powerful vocals with lyrics portraying the group’s longing for home and their love of Ireland.
My song of the year was ‘I Love You’, which is a masterpiece; the progressive instrumentals accompanying the harsher-sounding vocals climax to a peaceful tone.
Singer Grian Chatten’s broad Irish accent is displayed in several songs including ‘Nabokov’ and ‘In ar gCroithe go deo’, making for an authentic effect.
Cool-toned indie songs like ‘Jackie Down The Line’ and ‘Roman Holiday’ have been on repeat for hours on end.
The effortless indie rock instrumentals and catchy lyrics make for an award-winning album.
Skinty Fia has been recognised for its excellence by both fans and music critics for its refreshing indie sound and the band’s ability to create tune after tune.
Will Hugall, Deputy Editor: Wet Leg – Wet Leg and George Ezra – Gold Rush Kid
I know exactly what you’re thinking, that picking two albums for ‘Album of the Year’ is extremely indulgent of me.
And you’re not wrong.
Quite frankly, though, I don’t care; these two albums are inseparable for me.
Both have soundtracked large parts of my 2022 and represent key emotions and moments, with the indie-alt-pop breakthrough of Wet Leg pairing superbly with Ezra’s increasingly irresistible pop-rock hits.
Honestly, I don’t think either album has a bad song or missed moment, which with similar running times of 36 and 38 minutes respectively is particularly impressive.
Released in April, Wet Leg’s self-titled debut came off the back of stupendous hype from 2021 and proved to be a sensational expansion of their quirky universe.
The Isle of Wight duo added to the roaring success of singles‘Wet Dream’ and ‘Chaise Longue’ with the outrageous ‘Ur Mum’, infectious ‘Oh No’ and uber-cool ‘Angelica’, whilst the album’s slower and more introspective cuts offered real substance.
Gold Rush Kid, meanwhile, arrived in June to further cement the often-media-shy Ezra as the absolute king of the summer tune.
As his third album now, GRK saw Ezra perfect a winning formula that combines earworm singles with sincere and heartfelt album tracks.
The maturity of the songwriting, which balances themes of mortality, life achievement and self-image and treats them with a trademark sunny attitude, has really spoken to me this year.
‘Fell In Love At The End of The World’ and ‘Sweetest Human Being Alive’, for example, are two of the finest songs Ezra has ever penned.
Neither album pushes its message too far, nor leaves you begging for more, which is a key barometer of success for me.
A shout-out, meanwhile, to Yard Act’s ‘The Overload’, Sports Team’s ‘Gulp!’, Foals’ ‘Life Is Yours’ and Arctic Monkeys’ ‘The Car’ for their parts in my year too; all being excellent albums in their own respects.
George Palmer Soady: The 1975 – Being Funny In A Foreign Language
The 1975’s newest album may just be, as the title of the accompanying tour suggests, the band ‘at their very best.’
For the first time since their debut, it seems the boys have found the right balance between the 1980s-throwback, synth-infused, radio-friendly pop hits (‘Oh Caroline’, ‘I’m In Love With You’) and the folky, tender moments of acoustic bliss (‘Part Of The Band’, ‘When We Are Together’).
In their shortest – and most concise – album yet, the band also manage to squeeze in a few Prince-style ballads, a Christmas song reminiscent of Lindsay Buckingham’s ‘Holiday Roads’ and perhaps The 1975’s most stunning song yet: ‘About You’.
The album features Matty Healy’s best lyricism; the schoolchild-like boner jokes and moments of sheer vanity are still there, but beneath them lies some of the band’s most vulnerable lyrics put to record, accompanied beautifully by Jack Antonoff’s airy production.
The 1975 have always made great albums, but there have always been irrelevant songs and moments of utter self-indulgence in the form of six-minute garage-inspired instrumentals.
The band have smoothened out their edges, and the final result is one of the best albums of 2022 that is definitely my favourite.
Hannah Adams: Harry Styles – Harry’s House
My favourite album of the year was most definitely Harry Styles’ third solo studio album, ‘Harry’s House’.
Released at the end of May, this album perfectly defined my summer just as my first year of university was coming to a close.
This collection of songs allowed us to catch a glimpse into Harry’s House with his most personal and vulnerable lyrics to date.
With tracks including fan favourites ‘Satellite’ and ‘Keep Driving’, as well as global hits ‘As It Was’ and ‘Music For A Sushi Restaurant’, this album cemented Styles as the king of pop in today’s generation.
Getting the opportunity to hear this album from front to back at Harry’s ‘One Night Only’ event at Brixton Academy a week after its release, as well as at Wembley Stadium as part of ‘Love On Tour’ in June, was also what made this album such a poignant part of my 2022.
Akhila Thomas: Mitski – Laurel Hell
Mitski’s songs usually evoke a lot of emotions even for the most unaccustomed listener.
Her striking vocals which resonate with a raw, husky and earthy quality are often coupled with mellow instrumentals.
This album took all these traits and amplified them to create a haunting ambience of struggle and conflict that runs throughout.
The first track ‘Valentine, Texas’ sets the tone for the rest of the album.
The piano accompaniment sounds jarring at places but blends into the song as the lyrics explore an inner struggle painted with vivid imagery.
This song establishes the context for this album, which was the forceful result of a contract and not a creative pursuit and demonstrates this tumultuous relationship in several tracks.
‘Working for the Knife’ expressively conveys these feelings through lyrics like “I start the day lying and end with the truth / That I’m dying for the knife”.
There are hints of frustration, regret and mixed feelings about putting her career before herself which become evident in the lines “sometimes I think I am free / Until I find I’m back in line again” from the track ‘Everyone’.
The final tracks talk about attempting to find herself outside her career and music.
This emotion shines through lines like “And find a new you / Give her all the love you saved for it.”
With powerful lyrics and her signature dreamy, sad aesthetic, Mitski’s latest album was the perfect bittersweet farewell, which in her case will hopefully also be the beginning of a new chapter with her music.
Martha Wright: Taylor Swift – Midnights
There is no doubt that each of us has experienced at least one night where sleep stands firmly opposed to our exhaustion, and we’ve laid awake with a racing mind.
Then Taylor’s ‘Midnights’ dropped in October like an unsought miracle and gave us someone to share these nights with.
Midnights takes us on the journey of twenty sleepless nights of Taylor’s life (if you’re listening to the 3 AM edition, which is more than recommended) inspired by self-loathing, falling in love, and falling apart.
This album strays from the sounds delivered on her previous albums, ‘Evermore’ and ‘Folklore’, and turns back to the nostalgia of 2019.
It may not resonate with some, but Midnights gifts us some of the best music of 2022.
An individual mention has to be given to ‘You’re On Your Own, Kid’, which has the strongest ending to a track in Taylor’s entire discography.
I will forever remember the complete elation I felt during my first listen, with this song alone a contender for the best experience I’ve had listening to new music.
The album features an exciting collaboration with Lana Del Rey on ‘Snow on the Beach’, and several other tracks offer something interesting too.
It may not be Taylor’s strongest album to date, but Midnights delivers exactly what it’s supposed to – Taylor’s unapologetic nature to display herself in a raw and vulnerable way.
Feature Image Credit: Louise Walt