Music of 2020

The Long Goodbye Riz Ahmed (March)

“I personally feel that if someone gives me the microphone or a pen and pad and says, ‘Speak your truth now’, I need to engage with my brownness, that external definition of brownness that is being put on me,” Ahmed told NME from his home in lockdown. Every album lyric is a poignant statement, pressing question and frequently, a simple middle-finger to contemporary Britain: "I'll go back home if you tell me where I'm from", he spits in 'Can I Live'. Sonically, Ahmed is unafraid to try something new - he crafts a lyrical essay in 'Where You From', and intermittent clips from phone-calls weave a complex narrative, a combination that makes The Long Goodbye one of the most refreshing rap albums in recent years.

West of Eden HMLTD (February)

HMLTD are irrefutably and provocatively fun. From their vivid, character-building lyrics ("I took a drop of methadone and took a taxi to her home/Spilt the blood of our first born") to their glam-rock image, West of Eden brings even more of the riotous, wacky energy that fans have come to love. They tell stories in 'Joanna' and '149' and pack rocky punches in 'Death Drive' and 'LOADED': it's an album that, despite it's heavy beats, feels light in it's hedonistic, taking-nothing-too-seriously delivery.

How I'm Feeling Now Charli XCX (May)

"On How I’m Feeling Now, Charli jettisons the chaff that comes with such a long album and has zero features. Rather than looking outwards towards what she can do to the pop scene, in this time of turmoil she instead looks at what pop can do for her. Gone is the perfunctory foreplay of ‘Next Level Charli’: instead, you’re thrown in at the deep end with the monstrous bass of ‘pink diamond’. All the trademarks of Charli’s sound are in full evidence here – the overly processed vocals, the noisy basslines, but it feels more cohesive now. It’s not here to make a point and usher these sounds into the mainstream: it’s here because it’s now her method of expression"

Read Max Gents' full 5 star review here

Pray For Paris Westside Gunn (April)

Opening with an expensive auction on '400 Million Plus Tax', decadence is filtered through Westside Gunn's latest record. From piano-backing on 'No Vacancy' to stylish declarations of bravado on 'Versace' ("Margiela at Jummah, the half-roof Porsche Ayo (Ah), neck Lorraine, full-length mink at the Sabres game"), just like the wine he raps about on 'Eurostep', Gunn proves he only gets better with age. Collaborations abound, features from Benny The Butcher and Kiesha Plum add the needed variation to give Pray For Paris both its lyrical bite and sonic flair.

The New Abnormal The Strokes (April)

Casablancas' crooning vocals on the track melt into the mix and the dreamy chorus is as infectious as it is melancholic. The call and response created between Albert Hammond Jr and Nick Valensi’s guitars in the post-chorus bridge is perfectly executed and produced, drenched in reverb with opposing panning creating a woozy surround sound. Despite the lush and carefully placed instrumentation, it is truly Casablanca's vocal talent that makes The New Abnormal something more than a pure 80's homage, using his signature straining mid register, as well his insanely consistent falsetto, all along with the crooning tone that cemented the band as the cornerstones of cool at the turn of the millennium.

Read Dara Hughes' full 4 star review here

Song For Our Daughter Laura Marling (April)

"‘Song For Our Daughter’, the ballad from which the album takes its title, strays from the intimate expression that as we see in ‘Blow By Blow’ and ‘Hope We Meet Again’, and instead tells a more public narrative. She makes clear allusions to the 'Me Too' movement, with the poignant line repeating throughout - “do you remember what I said, the book I left by your bed, the words that some survivor read”. The album truly feels like a catalogue of emotional lessons. Marling reveals one of her intentions behind the album was for us to explore the complicated trauma of what it means to be a woman in today’s society. How do we distinguish what womanhood is in music?"

Read Millie Woodrow's review here

Bebey Theophilus London (January)

If the Trinidadian-born hadn't proven himself to be a jack-of-all-trades on previous works - such as his stellar 2011 debut or the stripped-back sophomore energy of Vibes - Bebey is a master of his craft. His third album sees collaborations from Tame Impala to Giggs: the Caribbean influences of it's titular track and the easy-listening of 'Revenge' makes this winter album ideal for summer. Bebey is stuffed with highlights. However, the mellow agony of 'Seals (Solo)' - a heart-breaking, devotional love song (you can hear his pain when he sings 'take all of me/ Eat me alive") - is certainly a favourite, sitting comfortably next to it's collaborative reprise featured earlier in the golden track-listing. It flew under the radars in terms of mainstream critical and commercial success, an injustice considering its one the best of London's discography and the year itself.

Heaven To A Tortured Mind Yves Tumor (April)

Psychedelia and seduction combine on Tumor's fourth studio album. Following up from 2018's avant-garde Safe In The Hands of Love, Tumor's latest release sees their sonic, playful energy get even more experimental. The ambience and erotic jazz tones of tracks like 'Kerosene!' and 'A Greater Love' juxtapose against violent lyricism: "Severed heads on the mental guillotine/Life of blasphemy a room full of kings" ('Identity Theft'). Listening to Heaven To A Tortured Mind enables you to see colour and taste sound, as classic blues and rock, a testament to Tumor's mystifying artistry.

The Death Of Me Polaris (February)

Providing some of the down under's best metalcore, Polaris returned with a much anticipated bang after a three year wait following their impressive 2017 debut. The Death Of Me harnesses all the intensity of deep emotion, not only in frontman Jamie Hail's forceful vocals, but equally in its lyrics: "I've lost the plot from losing so much sleep/ Oh can you tell me, can you tell me how to save my soul?" ('Hypermania') From the hard-rock of 'All This Is Fleeting' to their classic screamo sounds in 'Landmine', Polaris' sophomore album proves their success to not only be promising but inevitable.

Nothing Is True And Everything Is Possible Enter Shikari (April)

"Witnessing a band who are known for heavy-rock experiment with classical is incredibly refreshing - their sixth album acts as an example of how to push the boundaries, remove yourself from the indie rut. The contrast between big, sweeping classical pieces like 'Elegy for Extinction' and 'Waltzing off the Face of the Earth (I. Crescendo)' to gritty devotions to early electronica like 'Apocaholics Anonymous' and 'T.I.N.A' are examples of Nothing Is True's paradoxical nature: Enter Shikari provide both the organic beauty of symphony with electronic artifice, all powered with their signature rock rage."

Read Cerys Turner's full 5 star review here

Future Nostalgia Dua Lipa (March)

"From braggadocio assertions of “female alpha” through to the swaggering bassline and faux-rapped vocal delivery, the title track makes it clear that this is the work of an artist at the top of her game: 'Future Nostalgia' oozes with bold, daring grooves and dancefloor- filling drum patterns. "Lead single 'Don’t Start Now', still sitting comfortably in the Top 10 after some 25 weeks, is probably the closest this album comes to her self-titled debut, but it’s executed with significantly more finesse and class. Meanwhile, follow-up 'Physical' has racked up over 200 million streams on Spotify. It’s a behemoth of a pop gem, a timeless dance anthem that will easily outlive everything currently surrounding it on the Spotify Top 50. "

Read Charlie Peter's 5 star review here

After Hours The Weeknd (March)

"The record dissects The Weeknd’s emotions and desires succeeding his separation from on-off girlfriend and bonafide super-model, Bella Hadid. As excessively documented by the press, the sporadic breaking-up-getting-back-together cycle of their relationship has allowed the impassioned lyrics and self-reflection on his past. (...) These hedonistic themes of sex, drugs and fame appear to be the catalyst for his more melancholic moments and have been touched upon in past hits like the breakout ‘Can’t Feel My Face’. They are hallmarks of The Weeknd’s discography, yet After Hours is an even more in-depth, honest investigation of their impact."

Read Molly Powell's 4 star review here

Chromatica Lady Gaga (May)

"Lady Gaga’s sixth studio album is a journey not only to the fictional Chromatica, but to the root of pain and anguish. Chromatica serves as a reminder that Gaga is still the daring and visionary creator that she was when we first met her. Don’t let the Oscar-baiting of A Star is Born or the tame demeanour of Joanne fool you; Lady Gaga is still completely and utterly Gaga. Chromatica opens with a grand orchestral arrangement that transports us to the eponymous planet. You can’t help but imagine the desert landscape, seen in the ‘Stupid Love’ music video, as strings rise up to deliver a truly cinematic opening to Gaga’s first dance-pop album in almost seven years." 

Read Bailey Agbai's 4 star review

SAWAYAMA Rina Sawayama (April)

"SAWAYAMA's fast tempo from start to finish only takes one momentary pause on its penultimate track, “Chosen Family”: a heartfelt message to the LGBTQ community and the support she’s received from them over the years.  Throughout the album, Sawayama feels so confident in who she is but it comes across as though that’s because she has no other choice. She has to be confident in order to protect herself from all the pain she feels inside. On “Chosen Family” and within the LGBTQ community, she has found a safe place in which she is welcome. As a pop album, Sawayama is one of the best of the year's and, dare I say it, the century."

Read our 5 star review here

925 Sorry (April)

One of the best indie bands to emerge from London's small venue circuit, Sorry's debut confirms them as one to watch. The smooth monotone of duo-vocalists Asha Lorenz and Louis O'Bryen along with the luscious instrumentalation of tracks like 'Snake' epitomises capital cool, and explains why they've become the latest critical darlings. From the jazzy 'Right Around The Clock' and summer-playlist staple 'Perfect' to low-tempo songs like 'Ode To A Boy' and 'As The Sun Sets' show Sorry have mastered the magic behind a five-star debut.

Notes On A Conditional Form The 1975 (May)

"Nostalgia and youth are major themes throughout the album and ‘Guys’ emulates this beautifully. “The moment that we started a band was the best thing that ever happened” is a lovely expression of gratitude for how much the band has grown and learned over the years. Although this song is the album’s last, it feels like the reason for the Music For Cars era. Appreciation for the band’s friendship is the driving force behind their nostalgic look back at their youth and past lives. “This has got a lot of our identity in it”, said Matty in an interview with BBC Radio 1. Especially when so many of us are missing our friends right now, ‘Guys’ is an ode to the beauty of friendship and really brings a tear to the eye."

Read Lucy Martin's full 5 star review

Fetch The Bolt Cutters Fiona Apple (April)

One of the more unexpected releases of the year, turn of the century song-writer Fiona Apple returns after laying low for most of the 2010's. Fetch The Bolt Cutters reintroduces the candid and often uber-revealing lyricism (“I resent you for presenting your life like a fucking propaganda brochure”) that modern music lacks, whilst the tenderness of an ageing voice peals through in 'Cosmonauts' and 'Shameika. Apple is defiant in 'Under The Table', subversive in 'His Rack', and angsty in 'Newspaper': Fetch The Bolt Cutters cuts through chart-noise and the clinging hands of misogyny.

Architecture Ist Ist (May)

"The album itself is certainly evidence of the distinct lack of 'good stuff' in our current climate. Whilst paying homage to the built-up skyline of their home ground Manchester, Architecture also reflects the structure of the human mind, with topics on mental health running throughout the dark and often nihilistic lyrics. Andy makes it clear that it’s not a concept album, however. Based off of the ‘raw feelings and thought’ of their own personal experiences, Ist Ist's latest release reflects their typical gloom: ‘It seems that we naturally gravitate towards that (...) the world’s not an easy place to be and it hasn’t been for a while.’"

Read our interview with Ist Ist's Andy Keating here