In Review: Top 10 Albums of 2023
In Review: Top 10 Albums of 2023
A list of my favourite albums of the year.
This is the big one, folks. More End-of-Year list season shenanigans and my list for the Top Albums of 2023.
Now, to be clear, “top” is doing some significant heavy lifting here. I didn’t use “best” because I’m not your Dad, and I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life. These were just the albums that rose to the top of a very large and ever-precarious pile of new music this year. So, think of this list more as an indicator of repeat-value listening and staying power versus the definitive objective opinion of a music journalist with a newsletter and an internet connection.
Anyway. Enough rambling. On with the list!
Top 10 Albums of 2023
Home Front – Games Of Power
“On the propulsive debut full-length from Edmonton’s Home Front, shimmering new wave (“Overtime”) and fist-pumping punk (“Nation”) collide with jagged krautrock (“Crisis”) and thrumming gothic synthpop (“Quiet World”). If the Stone Roses covered Killing Joke at CBGBs and someone survived to bootleg the set, it would sound like this: euphoric post-punk permanence that lingers with frostbite on the soul.” (Exclaim!’s 50 Best Albums of 2023)
Movements – RUCKUS!
Watching Californian post-hardcore alt-rockers Movements mutate and evolve over the last not-quite decade (ever since I randomly stumbled upon their video for “Protection” off their 2015 demo) has been quite the journey. On their third LP, RUCKUS!, the Orange County quartet continue to flex “their creative muscles” and make the most of their continued collaboration with man-of-the-hour producer Will Yip. Expect gritty verses, fuzzed-out choruses, moody bridges, and straightforward rock numbers.
Existence – Go to Heaven
“Sweden’s Existence peddle metallic hardcore that’s on a big thrash/crossover kick. Think hard riffs, classic acoustic breaks, and gruff, commanding vocals. It’s the stuff violent spinkick dreams are made of, and there’s also one track that pairs a hard-as-nails, unsheathed sword sample into a huge stomping breakdown. It’s sick (just like the artwork).” (Best of the Year)
Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust
“In a recent interview with NME, frontman and guitarist Patrick Stump states: “I wanted to imagine what it would have sounded like if we had made a record right after Folie à Deux instead of taking a break for a few years. It was like exploring the multiverse.” This is, to me, an accurate assessment of the album’s best tracks. “Hold Me Like a Grudge” and “What a Time To Be Alive” harness a fun, swaggering energy that leans on soul, funk and disco influences with a Timberlake-like strut. And, honestly, folks, if Fall Out Boy had gone down this path in the 2010s instead of venturing into the EDM meets Maroon 5 landfill pop that dominated their post-hiatus career, then I think we’d all be better off.” (Weekly Roundup)
Johnny Booth – Moments Elsewhere
“The quintet’s previous effort, 2019’s Firsthand Accounts, is one of my favourite albums of the 2010s and was the shot in the arm metalcore so desperately needed in its third decade of existence. On their stunning full-length follow-up, the quintet have levelled up their songwriting yet again, pushing their dynamic sound into striking new territory. Tracks like album centrepieces “Only by Name” and “Why Becomes How” exemplify Johnny Booth’s ability to evolve and innovate, effortlessly folding in melodic, ambient, and post-hardcore textures while retaining their penchant for hard-hitting breakdowns and quaking heaviness.” (Weekly Roundup)
Listen to my chat with Andrew Herman on The Pitch pod here. (Spotify)
Trophy Eyes – Suicide and Sunshine
“On their fourth studio album, Suicide and Sunshine, out now via Hopeless Records, [Trophy Eyes] continue to push beyond their roots in hardcore punk, delving ever further into alternative and pop territory with the introduction of sharp synths, dark modern pop influences, and tasteful electronic flourishes courtesy of co-producer Fletcher Matthews.” (Best of the Year)
Sleep Token – Take Me Back To Eden
“Littered with haunting synths, cavernous ambience, and sledgehammer breakdowns, the twelve-track album contrasts moments of quaking catharsis with sensual R&B textures, glistening hyperpop recitations, and sweeping piano ballads. As a testament to the enduring power of the desire to transcend the self, Take Me Back To Eden stands as Sleep Token’s most sprawling and emotional work to date.” (Weekly Roundup)
Crime In Stereo – House & Trance
“What we got instead is House & Trance: the band’s first full-length in 13 years and a fierce rebuke to the seductive allure of romanticised nostalgia. Across their phenomenal catalogue, Crime In Stereo have evolved from a scrappy, melodic hardcore outfit into something darker, more cerebral and broadly anthemic. No two albums sound alike, and each feels like a snapshot expression of collective will: desirous, honest, and resolutely idiosyncratic.” (Weekly Roundup)
Gunship – Unicorn
“It’s been a long wait, but synthwave trailblazers Gunship are finally back with a new studio record. Unicorn acts as the full-length follow-up to 2018’s incredible Dark All Day and drops on September 29th through Horsie In The Hedge. The group—comprised of Dan Haigh, Alex Westaway, and Alex Gingell—have packaged their new album with the tagline: Imagination Is A Weapon.” (Weekly Roundup)
Koyo – Would You Miss It?
“This is how Koyo came to embody the sound and sensibility of groups like Silent Majority, The Movielife, and early Taking Back Sunday, bridging catchy and immediate pop-punk with the energy of melodic hardcore and the earnest, heartfelt delivery of iconic emo. And it’s the synthesis of these elements that make Would You Miss It?, the band’s debut full-length for Pure Noise Records, one of my most anticipated albums of the year. Highly recommended.” (Weekly Roundup)
Honourable Mentions
C.O.F.F.I.N –Australia Stops
AGLO – Build Fear
Harms Way – Common Suffering
Kvelertak – Endling
Tomb Mold – The Enduring Spirit
Spirit Adrift – Ghost at the Gallows
Future Static – Liminality
Dying Wish – Symptoms of Survival
Svalbard – The Weight of the Mask