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(I can already tell I'm going to hate this font / colour combination in a few days so don't be surprised if it changes)

 

Welcome to my end of year countdown! It's been a huge year for so many artists, including Charli XCX, ROSALÍA, MUNA, and The Weeknd - all of whom will feature very prominently in this thread (spoilers x). I'll be counting down my favourite artists, albums, and songs of 2022, along with commentary and some chart stats if you're into that sort of thing B-) but before all of that, I'll be revisiting my 2021 EOY top ten to see how well it stands up a year later!

 

For a hint of what's on the way, here are all my 2022 #1s:

1. MisterWives - Stepped On A Bee [3 weeks]

2. Cast of tick, tick... BOOM! - 30/90

3. Charli XCX ft. Rina Sawayama - Beg For You [2 weeks]

4. Caroline Polachek - Billions [2 weeks]

5. Stars - Pretenders

6. Charli XCX - Baby [2 weeks]

7. Charli XCX - Every Rule [2 weeks]

8. MUNA - Anything But Me [2 weeks]

9. Stars - Patterns [3 weeks]

10. Tove Lo - No One Dies From Love

11. Kalush Orchestra - Stefania

12. Rina Sawayama - This Hell [2 weeks]

13. Shygirl - Firefly [3 weeks]

14. MUNA - Home By Now [5 weeks]

15. Jessie Ware - Free Yourself

16. ROSALÍA - DESPECHÁ [2 weeks]

17. Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl [3 weeks]

18. MisterWives - Wrongside

19. Rina Sawayama - Catch Me In The Air [2 weeks]

20. Paramore - This Is Why

21. Måneskin - THE LONELIEST

22. Carly Rae Jepsen ft. Rufus Wainwright - The Loneliest Time

23. Taylor Swift - Anti-Hero [5 weeks]

24. Caroline Polachek - Sunset

25. RAYE ft. 070 Shake - Escapism.

 

EOY summary:

Top artists:

1. Charli XCX

2. MUNA

3. Rina Sawayama

4. Taylor Swift

5. ROSALÍA

6. Carly Rae Jepsen

7. Stars

8. Shygirl

9. The Weeknd

10. FKA twigs

 

Top new artists:

1. Tove Lo

2. piri & tommy

3. Rema

4. FLO

5. Dora Jar

 

Top albums:

1. Charli XCX - CRASH

2. Beyoncé - RENAISSANCE

3. Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl

4. Taylor Swift - Midnights

5. The Weeknd - Dawn FM

6. MUNA - MUNA

7. ROSALÍA - MOTOMAMI

8. Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loneliest Time

9. Shygirl - Nymph

10. Harry Styles - Harry's House

11. Tove Lo - Dirt Femme

12. FKA twigs - CAPRISONGS

13. Stars - From Capelton Hill

 

Top songs:

1. Shygirl - Firefly

2. MUNA - Home By Now

3. Tove Lo - No One Dies From Love

4. Caroline Polachek - Billions

5. ROSALÍA - DESPECHÁ

6. The Weeknd - Less Than Zero

7. Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl

8. Jessie Ware - Free Yourself

9. Stars - Pretenders

10. MUNA - What I Want

11. King Princess ft. Fousheé - Little Bother

12. El Columpio Asesino - Preparada

13. Rina Sawayama - Catch Me In The Air

14. Stars - Patterns

15. Taylor Swift - Anti-Hero

16. Cast of tick, tick... BOOM! - 30/90

17. Mitski - Love Me More

18. King Princess - For My Friends

19. The Weeknd - Sacrifice

20. Rina Sawayama - This Hell

21. MUNA - Anything But Me

22. Yeah Yeah Yeahs ft. Perfume Genius - Spitting Off the Edge of the World

23. FKA twigs ft. Jorja Smith & Unknown T - darjeeling

24. ROSALÍA - CHICKEN TERIYAKI

25. Charli XCX ft. Rina Sawayama - Beg For You

26. Caroline Polachek - Sunset

27. Charli XCX - Baby

28. Carly Rae Jepsen - Western Wind

29. Charli XCX - Used To Know Me

30. MisterWives - Wrongside

31. Taylor Swift - Karma

32. Rose Gray - Prettier Than You

33. Beyoncé - ALIEN SUPERSTAR

34. Carly Rae Jepsen ft. Rufus Wainwright - The Loneliest Time

35. Beyoncé - PURE/HONEY

36. Carly Rae Jepsen - Anxious

37. Taylor Swift - The Great War

38. Rose Gray - Cupid

39. Charli XCX - Every Rule

40. Taylor Swift - You're On Your Own, Kid

41. Carly Rae Jepsen - Talking To Yourself

42. Kurs Valüt - Nomer

43. Måneskin - SUPERMODEL

44. Charli XCX - Yuck

45. Beyoncé - BREAK MY SOUL

46. Charli XCX - Crash

47. Taylor Swift ft. Lana Del Rey - Snow On The Beach

48. Kalush Orchestra - Stefania

49. The Weeknd - Out Of Time

50. beabadoobee - Talk

51. Rina Sawayama - Imagining

52. MisterWives - Stepped On A Bee

53. Mareux - The Perfect Girl

54. Sigrid - A Driver Saved My Life

55. SG Lewis ft. Tove Lo - Pineapple Slice

56. Paramore - This Is Why

57. Calvin Harris with Tinashe, Normani & Offset - New To You

58. First Aid Kit - Angel

59. Charli XCX - Constant Repeat

60. Phoebe Bridgers - Sidelines

61. Måneskin - THE LONELIEST

62. Arlo Parks - Softly

63. Charli XCX - Lightning

64. Taylor Swift - Labyrinth

65. FKA twigs ft. Rema - jealousy

66. Kiesza - Bitch I Care

67. piri & tommy - beachin

68. Taylor Swift - Bigger Than The Whole Sky

69. Pale Waves - Lies

70. MUNA - Kind Of Girl

71. Kali Uchis - NO HAY LEY

72. AURORA - A Temporary High

73. Conan Gray - Jigsaw

74. Kiesza - Vicious Circle

75. Rose Gray - Promise Me

76. Mahmood & BLANCO - Brividi

77. Stars - Build A Fire

78. Christine and the Queens - Je te vois enfin

79. Soccer Mommy - Shotgun

80. Charli XCX - Twice

81. FKA twigs ft. Shygirl - papi bones

82. MØ - Spaceman

83. Khalid - Skyline

84. Steve Lacy - Bad Habit

85. Bree Runway - Somebody Like You

86. Conan Gray - Memories

87. Kiesza - Passenger

88. Lana Del Rey - Watercolor Eyes

89. Bree Runway - THAT GIRL

90. KAYTRANADA ft. Anderson .Paak - Twin Flame

91. ROSALÍA - SAOKO

92. FLO - Cardboard Box

93. Leony - Remedy

94. Tove Lo - How Long

95. Bree Runway - Pressure

96. Caroline Polachek - Welcome To My Island

97. RAYE ft. 070 Shake - Escapism.

98. My Chemical Romance - The Foundations of Decay

99. 100 gecs - Doritos & Fritos

100. Harry Styles - As It Was

Edited by Ansel

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Exciting! Stefania and THE LONELIEST are my favourite of your #1s so hope they do well here.

Glad you're a fan of those two! Without spoiling too much though, they might be coming sooner than later in my countdown :kink:

  • Author

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Before starting on 2022, let's remember how my EOY looked in 2021:

 

1. Clairo - Amoeba

2. Kito ft. VanJess & Channel Tres - Recap

3. Dua Lipa - That Kind Of Woman

4. SZA - Good Days

5. VanJess ft. Phony Ppl - Caught Up

6. Tinashe ft. Buddy - Pasadena

7. Måneskin - Torna a casa

8. MUNA ft. Phoebe Bridgers - Silk Chiffon

9. Charli XCX - Good Ones

10. Wolf Alice - The Last Man On Earth

 

My #1 song of the year was Amoeba by Clairo. This song still holds up really well, it's absolutely beautiful. In second place was Recap by Kito/VanJess/Channel Tres - this was a huge hit for me at the time, but tbh I've not listened to it much this year and I don't think it'd be quite so high anymore! A lot of songs also suffered from being released late in the year, so they didn't appear that high on my list at the time. To show how my 2021 favourites have shifted over the past year, I've used last.fm to find out my most streamed songs released in 2021 (including streams this year):

 

1. Clairo - Amoeba

2. Kito ft. VanJess & Channel Tres - Recap

3. MUNA ft. Phoebe Bridgers - Silk Chiffon

4. Angèle - Bruxelles je t'aime

5. Charli XCX - Good Ones

6. Wolf Alice - The Last Man On Earth

7. SZA - Good Days

8. Dua Lipa - That Kind Of Woman

9. Kali Uchis - telepatía

10. VanJess ft. Phony Ppl - Caught Up

 

I actually do prefer this list, it does mean saying goodbye to Tinashe and Måneskin (who would be at #13 and #15 respectively) but gaining Angèle and Kali Uchis is a big win! Silk Chiffon and Bruxelles je t'aime are a LOT higher as I've just not stopped playing them, it wouldn't surprise me if they both eventually climbed above Amoeba too. So overall I wouldn't make too many changes to last year's top ten but there's definitely a couple of songs that deserved better.

  • Author
This should be interesting! I'm starting to make my Year-End list for the year as well.

Hopefully you'll see some songs you like here! Looking forward to your list too ^_^

  • Author

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Now it's time to start counting down my biggest artists of the year! Here's the first five - after I've finished my top ten, I'll then name my top 'new' artists of the year (based on me not having listened to them before, not necessarily them being completely new artists). For each one, I've also picked a song recommendation!

 

10. FKA twigs

Twigs kicked off the year with one of 2022's first releases, the mixtape CAPRISONGS. It's more commercial-sounding than her usual output and spawned 3 top ten hits! My favourite HAS to be darjeeling - I'll talk about this a bit more when CAPRISONGS shows up in my albums list :kink:

 

FKA twigs' 2022 chart history:

2022 03 papi bones (ft. Shygirl)

2022 05 jealousy (ft. Rema)

2022 02 darjeeling (ft. Jorja Smith & Unknown T)

2022 35 killer

 

9. The Weeknd

The Weeknd also had a big year, with his album Dawn FM earning him 3 top tens. Recently he's scored another with Creepin', a track that should prove a big post-Christmas hit! Despite it not being his highest peak here, Less Than Zero is my absolute fave of his 2022 releases, definitely the smash that got away.

 

The Weeknd's 2022 chart history:

2022 02 Sacrifice

2022 03 Out Of Time

2022 06 Less Than Zero

2022 11 Here We Go... Again (ft. Tyler, The Creator)

2022 04 Creepin' (with Metro Boomin & 21 Savage)

 

8. Shygirl

Shygirl started off the year with a few big-name collabs before launching her own album era. The lead single Firefly spent 3 weeks at #1, while follow-up single Coochie (or Cutie, if your name is Radio 1) peaked at #6. I'll have more to say about Shy's album later so for now I'll leave you with Firefly, a brilliant piece of 00s-inspired R&B pop.

 

Shygirl's 2022 chart history:

2022 03 papi bones (with FKA twigs)

2022 09 bbycakes (with Mura Masa, Lil Uzi Vert & PinkPantheress)

2022 01 Firefly

2022 10 hollaback bitch (with Mura Masa & Channel Tres)

2022 06 Coochie (a bedtime story)

2022 12 Nike

2022 18 Shlut

2022 25 Heaven

2022 29 Poison

 

7. Stars

Stars have been one of my favourite bands for a long time now - they really deserve to be one of the biggest indie bands out there. After releasing their 2017 album There Is No Love In Fluorescent light, they went quiet, only releasing a few singles since then. That all changed earlier this year with the uplifting song Pretenders, the lead single from On Capelton Hill. Follow-up single Patterns took a more low-tempo route but proved another massive success, spending 3 weeks at #1. Again I'll be sharing my thoughts on the album later on, but for now all I'll say is that while it's far from my favourite of theirs, moments like Pretenders show that they're still as brilliant as ever.

 

Stars' 2022 chart history:

2022 01 Pretenders

2022 01 Patterns

2022 08 Build A Fire

2022 16 Capelton Hill

2022 14 Palmistry

2022 24 The Theory Of Relativity

2022 35 Counting Stars On The Ceiling

2022 37 Christmas Anyway

 

6. Carly Rae Jepsen

I went into this year wondering if Carly had lost her appeal for me. For years she was my all-time favourite but recently other artists (Taylor, Kylie, Gaga) have sort of taken her place. But Carly proved that she belongs alongside those names with her latest album, The Loneliest Time. It's a mix of genres so there really is something for everyone, and it was a big hit on my chart with 5 top tens including a #1 in the form of its title track.

 

Carly Rae Jepsen's 2022 chart history:

2022 03 Western Wind

2022 10 Beach House

2022 02 Talking To Yourself

2022 01 The Loneliest Time (ft. Rufus Wainwright)

2022 04 Anxious

2022 13 Surrender My Heart

2022 28 So Nice

2022 27 Shooting Star

Already some great No.1s and artists here (Charli, Shygirl, Weeknd). Really looking forwards to the full list.

 

  • Author
Already some great No.1s and artists here (Charli, Shygirl, Weeknd). Really looking forwards to the full list.

Glad you think so! All of those artists will be featuring heavily later on ^_^

  • Author

5. ROSALÍA

 

ROSALÍA had a massive year thanks to the release of MOTOMAMI, which spawned 2 #1 hits (one being LA FAMA in 2021) and really demonstrated her versatility across a range of sounds. The most fun thing about listening to ROSALÍA for me in 2022 has been moving from the UK, where she is hugely underrated, to Spain where I literally cannot escape her. Like, I don't think a day has passed since moving here that I haven't heard either her on the radio or some of the students I work with singing DESPECHÁ. It's a hit!

 

ROSALÍA's 2022 chart history:

2022 04 CHICKEN TERIYAKI

2022 07 SAOKO

2022 13 CANDY

2022 17 LA COMBI VERSACE (ft. Tokischa)

2022 01 DESPECHÁ

2022 14 Besos Moja2 (with Wisin & Yandel)

 

4. Taylor Swift

 

A few months ago, it seemed like this was going to be a quiet year for Taylor - all the rerecording hints were adding up to nothing and her biggest hit of the year looked to be the updated version of a 1989 track. All that changed in October with Midnights storming onto the scene, producing a 5-week #1 in the form of Anti-Hero and a further 4 top tens. Obviously Midnights is going to be in my albums countdown so I'll cover that properly later but I think this year we've learnt once and for all (if folklore/evermore/literally everything hadn't already taught us) you can never underestimate Taylor.

 

Taylor Swift's 2022 chart history:

2022 02 This Love

2022 06 Carolina

2022 01 Anti-Hero

2022 02 Karma

2022 04 Snow On The Beach (ft. Lana Del Rey)

2022 05 You're On Your Own, Kid

2022 04 The Great War

2022 12 Would've, Could've, Should've

2022 16 Question...?

2022 18 Labyrinth

2022 20 Bigger Than The Whole Sky

2022 27 High Infidelity

2022 35 Paris

2022 37 Dear Reader

2022 20 Bejeweled

3. Rina Sawayama

 

Rina had 4 consecutive #1s this year, three of which come from her second album Hold The Girl. As you can see from Rina's chart history below, this was a massive era with 7 top ten hits. Rina has such a talent for crafting the perfect pop song and this year was no exception.

 

Rina Sawayama's 2022 chart history:

2022 01 Beg For You (with Charli XCX)

2022 01 This Hell

2022 01 Catch Me In The Air

2022 01 Hold The Girl

2022 04 Phantom

2022 03 Imagining

2022 06 Frankenstein

2022 04 Hurricanes

2022 18 Holy (Til You Let Me Go)

2022 21 Your Age

2022 22 Forgiveness

2022 36 Send My Love To John

2022 37 To Be Alive

 

2. MUNA

 

MUNA had the joint-longest running #1 of the year (and of all time!) with Home By Now, so of course they'd be high up here. Their self-titled album was absolutely huge for me, perhaps their best work to date? And I'm so pleased they seem to be getting more popular by the day (thank you Phoebe Bridgers!).

 

MUNA's 2022 chart history:

2022 01 Anything But Me

2022 07 Kind Of Girl

2022 01 Home By Now

2022 08 Sometimes

2022 02 What I Want

2022 20 Handle Me

2022 28 No Idea

 

1. Charli XCX

 

And my #1 artist of the year is... Charli XCX! This one should be fairly predictable, I mean I did give her 3 consecutive #1s and a further 7 top ten hits :kink: CRASH really was the Teenage Dream era of my chart, spawning 5 #1 singles (more than any other album) and 10 top tens. It's also the only 2022 album to chart every single track. It goes without saying that this will be showing up in my albums countdown!

 

Charli XCX's 2022 chart history:

2022 01 Beg For You (ft. Rina Sawayama)

2022 01 Baby

2022 01 Every Rule

2022 04 Lightning

2022 03 Yuck

2022 07 Constant Repeat

2022 11 Crash

2022 12 Twice

2022 08 Used To Know Me

2022 28 Move Me

2022 10 Selfish Girl

2022 21 What You Think About Me

2022 22 Sorry If I Hurt You

2022 08 Hot In It (with Tiësto)

2022 10 Hot Girl

Yay for the most artists!

Especially for Rina Sawayama, Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen and The Weeknd!

Great so far.

Yaaaass my fave Shygirl did that. She's had a huge year with the Nymph era. ROSALÍA is a fab pick too (CANDY and DESPECHA were both big hits for me), and Charli of course
  • Author
Yay for the most artists!

Especially for Rina Sawayama, Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen and The Weeknd!

Great so far.

Yay I'm glad you're a fan of all those ^_^ they'll all be showing up quite a lot later on!

 

I should listen to more of MUNA as I've liked the little that I've heard - giving Home By Now a listen now and it's sounding rather nice!

Ah I'm glad you gave it a go! Hmm I'm trying to think which of their songs I think you'd like best - from their latest album maybe Silk Chiffon, Kind Of Girl, Anything But Me? Their first album (About U) is also absolutely stunning :heart:

 

Yaaaass my fave Shygirl did that. She's had a huge year with the Nymph era. ROSALÍA is a fab pick too (CANDY and DESPECHA were both big hits for me), and Charli of course

2022 was the year of Shygirl :clap: I'm glad she's getting all the love she deserves! And with ROSALÍA honestly I'm still obsessed with DESPECHÁ, such a banger.

  • Author

BEST NEW ARTIST

(i forgot to make a banner for this one, oops x)

 

Now I'm going to a quick top 5 countdown of the biggest new artists for me this year! This basically means anyone I didn't listen to before 2022, but have really started to love this year. I feel like I've been a bit less adventurous this year because it was lowkey quite hard to choose 5? But anyway...

 

5. Dora Jar

 

Dora Jar is responsible for one of my biggest BJSC flops but I forgive her! The only reason I actually know her is because someone on ATRL said Katy Perry should try her sound if she wants to smash again :tearsmile: But anyway, the song I've linked above is quite different from Polly (my BJSC entry), very triphop, very 90s, honestly obsessed.

Dora Jar's 2022 chart history:

2022 02 Polly

2022 17 Bump

 

4. FLO

 

This wouldn't be a Buzzjack thread without FLO showing up somewhere :kink: I really hope they can get some mainstream success soon, their throwback R&B sound is so fun and I think we're overdue a new successful girl group tbh.

FLO's 2022 chart history:

2022 15 Cardboard Box

2022 35 Not My Job

 

3. Rema

 

I first heard of Rema because of his feature on FKA twigs' recent mixtape, and later really enjoyed his own track Calm Down too. I'm glad that it's become such a big hit too, I didn't see that coming at all!

Rema's 2022 chart history:

2022 05 jealousy (with FKA twigs)

2022 05 Calm Down (ft. Selena Gomez)

 

2. piri & tommy

 

Confession: I still haven't listened to their album! But I absolutely love the PinkPantheress-style sound that piri & tommy do, 'beachin' is such a great summery tune.

piri & tommy's 2022 chart history:

2022 08 beachin

2022 14 words

2022 24 on & on

 

1. Tove Lo

 

Ok hear me out - I *know* Tove isn't a new artist at all, but I wasn't listening to her until this year so she gets to be here! Maybe slightly unfair giving her the title of #1 new artist but idc. The whole Dirt Femme album is full of infectious pop bangers - special shoutout to No One Dies From Love and Pineapple Slice.

Tove Lo's 2022 chart history:

2022 28 How Long

2022 01 No One Dies From Love

2022 23 True Romance

2022 05 2 Die 4

2022 10 Call On Me (with SG Lewis)

2022 23 Attention Whore (ft. Channel Tres)

2022 03 Pineapple Slice (ft. SG Lewis)

2022 28 Cute & Cruel (ft. First Aid Kit)

  • Author

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~ albums time ~

 

13. From Capelton Hill - Stars

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The first album in my countdown is the long-awaited (by me at least x) return of Stars. For me, it's very much a later-stage album which doesn't entirely manage to capture the feeling their earlier work did - albums like Set Yourself On Fire and In Our Bedroom After The War created their own unique worlds and that same worldbuilding isn't present here, as far as I see it. Having said that, it has some real highlights - Pretenders is a great tune (strong Kirsty MacColl vibes!) and Patterns is the sort of uplifting slow song that Stars do so well.

 

Biggest hit: Patterns (pk: #1 for 3 weeks)

Also worth a listen: Pretenders, Build A Fire, Capelton Hill

 

12. CAPRISONGS - FKA twigs

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CAPRISONGS is probably twigs's most commercial work to date, drawing influences from hyperpop, R&B and drill, amongst other genres. The highlight for me is the aforementioned drill-influenced track, 'darjeeling'. Featuring Jorja Smith & Unknown T, it deals with the idea of finding a home and the feeling of not belonging. Every time I come back to it, I remember just how good it is. For me the collabs on this album are the best tracks, but the whole thing is worth a try.

 

Biggest hit: darjeeling (pk: #2)

Also worth a listen: tears in the club, papi bones, jealousy

 

11. Dirt Femme - Tove Lo

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Dirt Femme has been a great introduction to Tove for me. I fell in love with No One Dies For Love, and 2 Die 4 was a massive banger. There's also more vulnerable sides expressed on songs like Grapefruit and True Romance. Post-album, I'm absolutely loving Pineapple Slice (nutritious bop!) and Call On Me, both collabs with SG Lewis.

 

Biggest hit: No One Dies From Love (pk: #1)

Also worth a listen: Pineapple Slice, Call On Me, True Romance

 

10. Harry's House - Harry Styles

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Harry's third album is a more lowkey affair than Fine Line - definitely less hit potential here, in favour of a chilled out slow sound (for the most part). There's still some upbeat moments like the corporate-friendly Music For A Sushi Restaurant and Daydreaming, but I'm glad Harry chose to give us something a bit different rather than rehashing Adore You / Watermelon Sugar which would've been an easy choice.

 

Biggest hit: As It Was (pk: #2)

Also worth a listen: Daydreaming, Satellite, Keep Driving

 

9. Nymph - Shygirl

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Shygirl world domination is on its way and Nymph is going to take her there. Firefly is a 00s-style BOP which absolutely demolished my Spotify Wrapped (spoilers for what might happen here x) and follow-up singles Coochie and Nike were equally :cheeseblock: -worthy. Generally this album is a bit of a change of direction for Shy, who I associate with a dark underground dance sound a la SLIME / Cleo (speaking of which, why on earth isn't Cleo on this album??). But she's proven her versatility with a new range of sounds and there's still classic Shy here in the form of Nike, a song which has HUGELY grown on me.

 

Biggest hit: Shygirl (pk: #1 for 3 weeks)

Also worth a listen: Nike, Poison, Heaven

Really like FLO, Piri & Tommy and Tove Lo in your top 5 new artists, especially Tove Lo at #1!

I also like "Dirt Femme" and "Harry's House" in your album of the year charts!

  • Author
Really like FLO, Piri & Tommy and Tove Lo in your top 5 new artists, especially Tove Lo at #1!

I also like "Dirt Femme" and "Harry's House" in your album of the year charts!

Ah I'm glad you think so! All 3 have become instant favourites for me :wub: and great album choices too!

  • Author

8. The Loneliest Time - Carly Rae Jepsen

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The lead single from this album, Western Wind, had me really intrigued about what sort of album this would end up being. Western Wind is a beautiful laid-back era opener which feels reminiscent of Carly's debut album. However, what came next couldn't be more different! Beach House is a heavily tongue-in-cheek pop banger about questionable exes. It's jarring, especially when the lyrics start talking about harvesting organs. But the title track, a gorgeously constructed solar system anthem, soon proved this was an era of pop excellence. Also we NEED to talk about the injustice of Anxious being just a bonus track?? While it'll never be my favourite CRJ project, it's a great addition to her discography.

 

Biggest hit: for now, Western Wind, but soon to be overtaken by The Loneliest Time (pk: 1)

Also worth a listen: Anxious, So Nice, Shooting Star

 

7. MOTOMAMI - ROSALÍA

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La Rosalía did not disappoint with her latest album, moving further into an experimental sound that mixes reggaeton with hyperpop and flamenco. LA FAMA (a #1 hit in 2021) managed to tack on a Weeknd feature without feeling hit-chasing, and while CHICKEN TERIYAKI might be a long way from the traditional flamenco Rosalía debuted with, it's a straight up banger. The re-release MOTOMAMI+ gave us DESPECHÁ, the song of the summer, and a very deserving smash hit.

 

Biggest hit: LA FAMA (pk: 1)

Also worth a listen: CHICKEN TERIYAKI, DESPECHÁ, SAOKO

 

6. MUNA - MUNA

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MUNA's first two albums were incredible, but unfortunately they were dropped from their label soon after. Luckily Phoebe Bridgers gave us the ultimate pop justice by signing them to her record label - and this move from major to indie seems to have been their big breakthrough! Silk Chiffon, featuring their boss, is typical MUNA and was a huge hit for me. This year they've managed 2 more #1s, Anything But Me and Home By Now. I'm really glad they're finally getting the media attention they deserve, because they really do deserve everything.

 

Biggest hit: Silk Chiffon (pk: 1)

Also worth a listen: Home By Now, What I Want, Anything But Me

 

5. Dawn FM - The Weeknd

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It's a real shame this era wasn't an After Hours sized hit for Abel, because this is a great expansion of the world he created there. For me, obviously it was a big hit! Take My Breath and Sacrifice were great single choices, absolutely infectious 80s-influenced pop. I really love the whole radio station theme running through the album, and getting Jim Carrey as the radio presenter was a surprising but brilliant choice! I'm still holding out hope for a Less Than Zero push because that sounds so big to me.

 

Biggest hit: Less Than Zero (pk: 6)

Also worth a listen: Here We Go Again, Best Friends, Take My Breath

 

4. Midnights - Taylor Swift

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Midnights was yet another surprise from Taylor, and a very welcome one! I'm so glad this has been such a massive success on both the singles and albums chart - it's like a total career repeak which I feel has definitely proven once and for all that Taylor is the biggest artist out there right now. Anti-Hero was a great choice for the lead, seeing Taylor open up honestly about her mental health. There are some really heartbreaking moments among the more fun pop songs - You're On Your Own Kid, Bigger Than the Whole Sky and Would've Could've Should've are hugely emotional but definitely highlights. For me, folklore is Taylor's magnum opus and that'll probably always be the case, so some of my favourite songs on Midnights are the most folklore-style ones (Labyrinth and Bigger Than The Whole Sky). The 3am tracks are a great addition and I basically treat that version of the album as the main one. In just a couple of months it's already become a 2022 fave!

 

Biggest hit: Anti-Hero (pk: 1)

Also worth a listen: You're On Your Own Kid, Bigger Than The Whole Sky, The Great War

 

Yay for Charli being your #1 artist. Crash was such a brilliant album and really won me back after not really hearing any of her music when she fell out of the charts for a few years. I've since gone back and fell in love with her hyperpop era too. She was my most played artist on my Spotify Wrapped for this year but has already dropped to 3rd according to my Last.FM.

 

Dawn FM and Midnights are both great albums! I gave the ROSALÍA album a listen recently too. My favourite track was Bizcochito.

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