The best albums of 2018

Each week of 2018, we’ve listened to as much new music as possible — not just because we love new music, but also to help our readers separate the best and brightest from the so-so. Each week, our post of the best songs to stream serves up the most enticing new music we’ve come across. In the process, we’ve slowly assembled a master playlist of our favorite albums of the year.

50. Jay Rock — Redemption

From Kendrick Lamar to SZA, the Top Dawg Entertainment label has brought us some of the biggest names in hip-hop over the past few years. But its the label’s original artist Jay Rock that helped build the foundation for its modern success. On his latest album, Redemption, we hear a West Coast take on Southern trap music, with hard-hitting and inspirational lyrics from Jay Rock that are interspersed with near-comedic levels of hubris. It’s a fun journey, this one, the kind of thing you should listen to before your next workout, or blast before you attempt something that’s just at the edge of your ability.

49. Spiritualized — And Nothing Hurt

And Nothing Hurt is among the most incredible home recordings in recent memory. A series of gorgeous wall-of-sound compositions crafted with tasteful, brick-by-brick precision by songwriter Jason Pierce (aka J. Spaceman), the album recalls classic records by Wilco, The Velvet Underground, and other classic songsmiths.

48. Earl Sweatshirt — Some Rap Songs

Fans of underground hip-hop from the likes of Madlib, J Dilla, and the Stones Throw label will find a welcome addition to their catalog in Earl Sweathshirt’s latest release, a hazy, low-fi album with more soul than “A sock with a hole,” as renowned underground rapper MF Doom would say. Fifteen short tracks showcase the rapper’s deepest thoughts (and on at least one occasion the voices of his actual parents), with jagged, sample-heavy beats that form one of the finest hip-hop albums of the year.

47. Sandy’s — Chime

San Francisco surf band Sandy’s Chime is a hidden gem of an album that we’ve found ourselves turning to when we need a change of musical scenery. Like a deep musical breath, soaring vocals and shimmering guitars transport you to the Northern California shore, where the band holed up in lead singer Alexi Glickman’s beachside cabin to live, eat, and make this spectacularly vibey album.

46. Sam Evian — You, Forever

If You, Forever and its like-minded predecessor are any indication, Sam Owens has no qualms about dishing out the kind of easygoing indie-pop that helped build labels such as Sub Pop. His solo efforts, in comparison to his work as the singer-guitarist for Brooklyn’s Celestial Shore, have always been languorous without ever sounding stagnant, buoyant without feeling bouncy. The same thing applies to Forever. It’s a record that rocks, albeit subtly, and explores many a vulnerability with brushed percussion and a host of silvery, ‘60s-inspired guitar work. There’s even a sax solo or two thrown in for good measure, as if the swirls of psychedelia and Owen’s wistful crooning weren’t enough to carry it.

45. Parquet Courts — Wide Awake

This Danger Mouse-produced rock record offers a rollicking listening experience that recalls the classic, no-holds-barred releases of the 1970s and ’80s. With apathetic speech-song vocals and punchy beats, the production is clean but not shiny, with the legendary producer bringing his gritty experience working with bands like the Black Keys and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to the forefront, and the band delivering its most vibrant songs to date.

44. Jeff Tweedy — WARM

It seems odd that, more than 30 years into a career littered with blue-ribbon albums and accolades, Jeff Tweedy only has one proper solo album to his name. However, WARM, the collection in question, is just as moving and insightful as anything the Wilco frontman has put forth before. At the same time, it’s easily his most personal and direct recording to date, an 11-part series on fatherhood, addiction, death, and the surefire inevitabilities we all will face before the end. Tweedy tackles these topics with aplomb, resulting in a breezy, threadbare set of country-leaning musings that put his own insecurities—and those of most of us—on blast. Apparently, rehashing your anxieties doesn’t have to ruin you.

43. Anderson .Paak — Oxnard

Lush beats and fully fleshed-out arrangements lay a mesmerizing musical foundation for California rapper/vocalist/instrumentalist Anderson .Paak’s Oxnard, his major label debut on Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label. The same driving beats and joyful speech-song vocals that fans loved on 2016’s Malibu are back in full force, but the rhythms are a bit slower and funkier on the follow-up, making this a more of a sunset record, where Malibu seemed purpose-written to wake up to.

42. Father John Misty — God’s Favorite Customer

Father John Misty is self-absorbed, cynical, and one hell of a songwriter. With God’s Favorite Customer, however, Josh Tillman (Misty’s given name) has added something unexpected to his repertoire: Empathy. His fourth LP as Father John is as heartbreaking as it is honed, rooted in naked vulnerability and folkier, Harry Nilsson-esque arrangements built on a bed of acoustic guitar, shattered piano, and wry lyricism. Whether it’s a blacked-out exchange with the hotel concierge or an episode in which he examines his wife’s renewed longing for normalcy, the album’s many narratives present Father John at his most exposed.

41. Ambrose Akinmusire — Origami Harvest

Musical activism remains at the core of trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire’s latest work, which ties together themes from the Black Lives Matter movement, and various other modern protests in spoken word segments, classical interludes, and beat breaks. Origami Harvest folds together numerous art forms, musical outlooks, and dispositions, offering one of the most forward-thinking works of sheer art music we heard in 2018.

40. Nils Frahm — All Melody

Nils Frahm’s ninth solo effort might be the most aptly titled album of the year, if not one of the most somber. With All Melody, the German composer seeks to marry his usual keyboard-dense instrumentation — think pipe organs, synthesizers, and the like — with something more natural, including rich strings, touches of brass, and even a small choir centered at its core. Like his previous work, it’s cohesive and highly contemplative despite its marathon length, though the fact it crawls at a snail’s pace is no slight. The way the piano chords flutter amid Frahm’s brilliant ambient-electro soundscapes is enthralling, and helps to create a sound that feels as grand as the universe he seeks to evoke.

39. Sleep — The Sciences

It’s been nearly two decades since stoner metal legends Sleep released the genre-defining work Dopesmoker and disbanded shortly thereafter, but the riff-master trio surprised us all on 4/20 with an unexpected release this year. While The Sciences has subtle tinges of the projects Matt Pike, Al Cisneros, and Jason Roeder have been involved in post-Sleep, any concerns that they would struggle to recapture the magic brought into the world 20 years ago are immediately extinguished by the album’s opening riffs. Sleep is at once a mature progression and worthy successor to the band’s now-mythical legacy and easily ranks as one of the most exciting releases of the year.

38. Kurt Vile — Bottle It In

Over the last decade, Kurt Vile has built a reputation as a casual modern guitar hero, the kind of slacker rock virtuoso who went out of style decades ago. On Bottle It In, he both cements his legacy and expands on it, experimenting with new sounds and laying down some slick licks. Opener Loading Zones is a rapid rock ode to Philadelphia built on twangy guitars and a talk box. On Check Baby, a pulsing synth and steady drumbeat provide a canvas for Vile to paint intricate riffs on. But it’s the title track that showcases Vile at his most eclectic, with his guitar taking a backseat to Mary Lattimore’s enchanting harp and the low murmur of horns. Clocking in at nearly 90 minutes, Bottle It In is a sonic odyssey, with Vile sailing listeners through modern classics one after the other.

37. Courtney Barnett — Tell Me How You Really Feel

Minutes into her second full-length album, Courtney Barnett puts the notion of the “sophomore slump” to rest. Like her previous work, Tell Me How You Really Feel is riddled with deep-seated anxieties and the kind of self-deprecating malaise that keeps you up at night. At the same time, however, it’s more barbarous and direct than what came before. A raucous blend of post-punk and ‘90s-inspired garage rock lays the foundation for it all, but it’s Barnett’s deadpan lines about anonymous hecklers and her caustic admissions regarding everything she doesn’t know that really give the album its teeth. A scathing Margaret Atwood quote midway through is just the kicker — and an apt one at that.

36. Ólafur Arnalds — re:member

Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds ties together modern classical and electronic music on re:member, blending strings, keyboards, voices, and electronics into a beautiful tapestry of music that transports your mind to fantastical places. But even at its most forward-thinking, re:member remains touching and hyper-personal, fantastic evidence that European classical music still has countless new frontiers to explore.

35. The Beths — Future Me Hates Me

Crisp indie-pop arrangements and pitch-perfect vocals make Aukland, New Zealand-based band The Beths’ Future Me Hates Me one of the best executed albums of the year. With driving rhythms and introspective lyrics about the self-consciousness of the social media age, there is something special about this hidden gem of a record the keeps you coming back — akin to what we heard from Canadian wunderkinds Alvvays in 2017. We hope that more bands follow this trend, but we don’t imagine that many others are capable of blending mainstream-palatable songwriting with actual grit and depth. For that, we applaud them.

34. Kali Uchis — Isolation

Kail Uchis’ masterful debut proves the Columbian-American singer is no Amy Winehouse — and that’s no slight. Isolation is an album six years in the making, one crafted by a 24-year-old artist who’s privy to just how difficult, delectable, and downright unpredictable this world can be. She struts from genre to genre throughout the album, with her lush, dreamy alto pirouetting atop dollops of reggaetón, bossa nova, and art-pop, before settling somewhere in the realm of neo-soul. Thankfully, the guest spots by everyone from Jorja Smith to Damon Albarn buoy, rather than detract from an artist with an undeniable presence and penchant for groove.

33. The Armed — Only Love

Detroit’s experimental hardcore outfit The Armed have always been an enigma, known for playing unannounced and covert shows and rarely featuring actual band members in press photos. But their music has always been upfront and honest about what it is: Youthful, chaotic hardcore — until they wrote and released Only Love, that is, which somehow successfully marries pop synth and noise influences to their metallic sound. The result is one of the most challenging and unique heavy-music efforts of the year.

32. Mount Eerie — Now Only

This follow-up to A Crow Looked At Me — the widely lauded and deeply intimate 2017 release from songwriter Phil Elverum that was written immediately following the death of his wife — is both more thoughtful and less agonizing than its predecessor. It is dominated by the same sparse, nylon-stringed guitar and poetic vocals, but both the musical elements and Elverum himself sound as though they have now had time to breathe, reflect, and cry it out in even more poetic form. That makes Now Only a less shocking release than A Crow Looked At Me, but a more beautiful one in both form and structure.

31. Black Belt Eagle Scout — Mother of My Children

A deep sense of mourning underpins this debut from Native American musician Katherine Paul, which is fueled by the death of a friend, ongoing protests, and deep questions about modern love. Sparse and thoughtful arrangements with lush background vocals bring you inside Paul’s cloudy Pacific Northwest world, transporting you inside the mind of one of the most poetic and unique voices in music today. This is the kind of record that never fades into the background, one that’s impossible to ignore once that play button is pushed.

30. Jim James — Uniform Clarity

Tape hiss and mid-lyric chuckles abound on Uniform Clarity, the latest solo record from My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James, an album that recalls a perfect Polaroid smile. The acoustic-and-vocals production is lo-fi but the songwriting is not, with James offering listeners a vast assortment of gorgeously composed songs in the raw — something that too many artists are reticent to do in the Pro Tools era.

29. Phosphorescent — C’est La Vie

Since first emerging among the greats of the home-recording generation 15 years ago, Matthew Houk has built a vibrant assortment of recordings that quietly ranks among the best of anyone in his wall-of-sound generation (including commercially massive outfits like Bon Iver and Iron & Wine). On C’est La Vie, the songwriter offers some of his most compelling and bright works to date, forming the kind of album that is both real and upbeat — just what we need in these trying times.

28. Pinegrove — Skylight

Skylight is an album marred by controversy, but it’s not defined by it. In late 2017, founder-guitarist Evan Stephens Hall was accused of “sexual coercion.” The band shelved the album in the wake of the news, Hall entered therapy, and — after his accuser gave her consent — Skylight was released to little fanfare. Despite having been recorded prior to the band’s temporary hiatus, it remains an album that brims with fragile remorse and coming-of-age accountability, and is wrapped in an Americana sheen that owes as much to the early days of Wilco as it does singer-songwriters like Gillian Welch. Hall’s oft-dense, pedal steel-draped imagery can take new meaning given recent events, yes, but there’s no denying the beauty of a record so fraught with unabashed intimacy.

27. Damien Jurado — The Horizon Just Laughed

Washington state-based songwriter Damien Jurado is the king of the slow burn, who has churned out a steady slew of excellent albums for over two decades. Unfortunately, with so much classic older material still being chewed through by music nerds around the globe, many people forget that he’s still on top of his musical game. On The Horizon Just Laughed we hear the gentle, calming wisdom of one of the most compelling songwriters of his generation, with wistful, breathy lyrics, and supple acoustic guitar that rides its way into your soul.

26. Colter Wall — Songs of the Plains

A wirey 23-year-old from Saskatchewan, Colter Wall is the proud owner of one of the most astonishing baritones in country music history. But its his classic country songwriting — which evokes easy comparisons to icons like Johnny Cash — that culminates in of the best albums we had the pleasure of listening to this year. Songs of the Plains is a musical time capsule that is well worth your time, and offers some of the best traditional-style compositions (and performances) that we’ve heard in years. As with any great country songwriter, we can’t wait for the next one, and the one after that, ad infinitum.

25. Boygenius — Boygenius EP

Forming an indie rock supergroup is a risky proposition. In a genre where egos run wild, putting a bunch of creative voices in the same studio can be explosive. The members of Boygenius — acclaimed songwriters Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker — have achieved a wondrous chemistry on their self-titled EP, with each bringing her unique style while perfectly meshing with the others. Whether the three trade verses (as on the slow-burning Souvenir) or weave their voices together in gorgeous harmonies (in the chorus of Ketchum, ID), it’s a project where they all get their chance to shine. The real highlight of the group’s brief debut EP is Me & My Dog, which begins with Bridgers crooning over gentle guitar drumming as the tension builds to a banjo striding in and guiding the song to an early climax, which doesn’t let up until the end.

24. Hop Along — Bark Your Head Off, Dog

Hop Along’s most recognizable instrument is Frances Quinlan’s voice. Raspy yet melodious, she moves from clenched whisper to impassioned scream with ease, and that dynamism is characteristic of Bark Your Head Off, Dog, a tight collection of nine songs that pushes the boundaries of the band’s past sounds. In just the first three tracks, we hear all sides of the band: The propulsive, catchy How Simple, the staccato rhythm of Somewhere a Judge, and the stripped-down, acoustic diss-track How You Got Your Limp. Hop Along’s songs are built around a– classic guitars, vocals, bass, and drums, but the band works in wrinkles like string arrangements and even whistling to give the album a fuller, more majestic sound.

23. Beach House — 7

Over the course of a decade making music together, Beach House has been evolving from the eerie, claustrophobic sound of their early albums to the lush anthems of their recent works. If 7 is any indication, the group won’t be running out of ideas anytime soon. Beach House’s latest is the most diverse collection of songs they’ve put out — the choppy synths of Lemon Glow dance between the woozy ballad Pay No Mind and the ominous of L’Inconnue. Despite the dynamism of 7, the familiar elements of Beach House are still there, including Victoria Legrand’s rich voice, Alex Scally’s elegant guitar, and plenty of beautiful melodies.

22. Black Thought — Streams of Thought, Vol. 1

When Black Thought linked with 9th Wonder for the 2016 single Making a Murderer, hip-hop fans salivated at the idea of a full-length album from the industry vets. Fast-forward two years and the music world got what it wanted in Streams of Thought Vol. 1, a five-track collaborative album that showcases the duo’s strengths: Lyricism and production. A concise 17 minutes in length, Black Thought wastes no time putting storytelling on full display, infusing vivid anecdotes and analogies into each bar. Though Rapsody, Kirby, and Styles P make appearances, Streams of Thought Vol. 1 shines brightest when it’s just Black Thought and a beat, something fans of The Roots have known for decades.

21. Blood Orange — Negro Swan

You could argue that there are two kinds of albums in this world: Those that are timeless and those that are made for a time and place. Negro Swan, Devonté Hynes fourth LP under the Blood Orange moniker, is the latter. It’s a stunning, genre-hopping examination of Black depression in America and abroad, and how today’s heteronormative culture continues to further marginalize the queer community. Still, Hynes’ vision is one of optimism, rooted in self-help and set to the sultry fusion of R&B, funk, and hip-hop, with glossy electronics popping up around every corner. This general, grab-bag structure makes Negro Swan difficult to label, but perhaps that’s precisely the point Hynes wants to make.

20. Adrianne Lenker — Abysskiss

Big Thief frontwoman Adrianna Lenker has had an extremely prolific decade, releasing a seemingly endless onslaught of dark and wonderful compositions that has=ve an uncanny ability to capture both your ears and imagination. Her latest solo record, Abysskiss, is a poetic investigation of the human condition, providing fans of her stark and honest songwriting a more intimate look inside Lenker’s head, while still retaining the same astonishing, enigmatic beauty of her many other releases.

19. Forth Wanderers — Forth Wanderers

This year has given listeners a veritable pile of outstanding releases from female-fronted bands, but none of those voices reaches out to grab you with the same immediacy as Forth Wanderers’ Ava Trilling. Trilling’s casual, gravelly timbre drives this self-titled album to superb heights. Elegant guitar arrangments and hyper-tight drumming keep the pace throughout the 10 tracks of a release that (we hope) marks the first of many terrific alt-indie albums to come.

18. Julian Lage — Modern Lore

The raw, live energy exuded by guitarist Julian Lage and his trio (Kenny Wolleson on drums and Scott Colley on bass) on this outstanding jazz record is enough to make even the most die-hard haters of the genre sit back and bob their heads in bemusement. Lage’s jangly telecaster sings better than the finest lyricists, sharing tearful melodies and occasionally escalating to hype-inducing screams — it’s the work of a master with a virtuosic command of his sonic mouthpiece. Best of all, Lage doesn’t seem to feel the need to prove his ability; Modern Lore isn’t the kind of overwhelming and noodling contemporary jazz that requires a vast history of listening to the genre to truly appreciate it. The album is full of palatable, hyper-melodic improvisational music that anyone can get down to.

17. Haley Heynderickx — I Need To Start A Garden

Like Angel Olsen and Lucy Dacus, Haley Heynderickx ought to be a household name. On her debut album, the Portland, Oregon-based singer-songwriter harvests beauty from relative simplicity, creating a web of sinewy guitar and delicate orchestration that rests on little more than a few harmonies and her sublime, rhythmic fingerpicking. At times, her band fleshes out the details with percussion and brass — see the doo-wop-tinged Ooom Sha La La, as an example, but it’s really the intimacy of I Need to Start a Garden that makes Heynderickx’s candid talk of uncertainty, self-empowerment, and centipedes so damn transfixing. Non-sequiturs have never sounded so lovely.

16. Hovvdy — Cranberry

The disarming guitar melodies and washy vocals in Austin, Texas-based indie duo Hovvdy’s Cranberry greet you like an old friend giving you a big, heartfelt hug, and inviting you to share even your darkest and most honest self. At times fuzzy and surreal, this is a warm blanket of a record that you’ll put on while at your most raw and emotional. Cranberry is the kind of album that you might pass over during your most hectic moments, but that will live forever in your ears.

15. Pusha T — Daytona

The first of five Kanye West-produced projects to drop this year, Pusha T’s Daytona is superbly minimalistic, with staccato beats that perfectly complement the rapper’s venomous flow. From the moment the horns kick in on If You Know, You Know, the Clipse alumnus show’s he’s more focused than ever, offering tighter rhyme schemes and furious observations that vault Daytona to the very top of his oeuvre by nearly any estimation. West’s last-minute decision to use a photo of Whitney Houston’s drug-laden bathroom for the album cover remains questionable. The music does not.

14. Khruangbin — Con Todo El Mundo

Khruangbin’s Con Todo El Mundo has a sound at once familiar, yet peppered with unfamiliar twists. Like an old friend you haven’t seen in years, the three-piece band — Laura Lee (bass), Mark Speer (guitar), and Donald Johnson (drums) — has traveled and grown throughout their time together, drawing global inspiration for their (literally) global album. Funk, surf rock, ‘60s psychedelia, and even scales used in Persian music appear as musical accents, but rhythm is the backbone of this musical masterpiece. Johnson’s drumming is tighter than a metronome, and Lee’s fingers dance along the bass with the elegance of Fred Astaire. That leaves Speer, whose reverb-heavy melodies are allowed to slither or sprint depending on the song. In either instance, it’s impressive — just compare the slow, silky groove of Cómo Me Quieres to the frisky bounce of Evan Finds the Third Room.

13. Janelle Monáe — Dirty Computer

When Janelle Monae crash-landed as an android named Cindi Mayweather on her ambitious concept album The ArchAndroid in 2010, her mind was transformed into a theater for listeners to enjoy in silent rapture. On Dirty Computer, that theater has become a dance hall. The album invites everyone to get on stage, offering a party set to a groovy feminist manifesto that implores the world to “let the vagina have a monologue,” as Monae sings on Django Jane. There’s no way to stay still while listening to the rapturous joy of the Pharrell Williams-assisted I Got The Juice, the infectious bounce of Screwed, or the palpable sexiness of the Prince-inspired Make Me Feel. On Dirty Computer. Monae is able to teach lessons on sexual freedom and women’s plight that are empowering and communal — and we’re all better for them.

12. Superorganism — Superorganism

Ticking clocks, chirping birds, zooming cars, and effervescent soda pop offer a never-ending onslaught of endearing soundscapes on the debut album from Superorganism, an international amalgamation of young musicians from the United States (by way of Japan), New Zealand, and South Korea. The vast array of notes and influences that form this giant amoeba of sound can seem overwhelming at times, but they have been thoughtfully curated on the self-titled release. They are complemented by groovy synth bass and clean drumbeats, all glued together by the apathetic speech-song vocals of frontwoman Orono Noguci. It’s rare to hear such a vast musical collage that is also so cohesive, and we can’t help but compare this young outfit to the earth-shattering early days of Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz project.

11. Noname — Room 25

Chicago rapper Noname blends cosmic soul, slippery Midwest beat-breaks, and casual spoken word verses on her sophomore album, a combination that is easy to listen to both casually and critically. Noname’s Room 25 is takes a dark view of the United States’ current political and personal climates, but is perhaps most profound in its ability to remain hyper-personal. Witticisms about being a female rapper in the modern musical universe are less cutting than they are introspective investigations into her daily existence, in much the same way fellow modern Chicago giants like Chance The Rapper and Saba are able to share their views of the world without it feeling like a political stump speech. This is a beautifully composed album by a person about a person, and it’s easily one of our favorites of the year.

10. Frankie Cosmos — Vessel

Greta Kline (aka Frankie Cosmos) is a minimalist indie rock poet who speaks candidly with herself on Vessel. “I am not the only one/living in delusion/I go to the Cafeteria,” the New York-based songwriter declares, offering the kind of casual but elegantly juxtaposed wordplay you’d expect to read in a hardback novel. We’re not sure if it’s her youthful voice, the simple arrangments, or the time-shifting drumbeats, but we found ourselves digging ever-deeper into each track on this Sub Pop release, and were consistently enthralled by Kline’s ability to place her deepest, darkest thoughts inside otherwise mundane scenes.

9. Mitski — Be The Cowboy

Mitski’s Be the Cowboy is a collection of 14 songs that are all short (only two run longer than 3 minutes), but these are not easily digestible pop treats. Instead, Japanese American songwriter Mitski Miyawaki, uses her fifth studio album to explore musical and person nuance, often throwing curveballs at the listeners. On Blue Light, which sprints out of the gate as a boisterous rock anthem, listeners are treated to an abrupt change roughly 30 seconds in, when the song slows to a crawl, with Mitski’s voice calling out gently over a haunting chasm of sound. Some songs are more traditional, but still capture the imagination. Why Didn’t You Stop Me? is a vigorous breakup song built around around an eerie riff, but eventually, the song climaxes with a bright, brief guitar solo as the same riff erupts triumphantly from a horn section. Throughout the album, lyrics, melodies, and chord progressions build tension, but refuse to release it, instead letting the sounds of her personal and societal explorations linger like an unresolved argument.

8. Ty Segall — Freedom’s Goblin

Ty Segall is Jack White for those younger than 30 — a less-famous but equally prolific composer of rollicking rock masterpieces that showcase both low-fidelity grime and high-brow arrangement. And unlike White’s 2018 album Boarding House Reach, Freedom’s Goblin proves that Segall is still at the top of his game. On the 19-track double-album, the songwriter offers everything from heavy hype-rock to passionate Bowie-esque ballads, showcasing every bit of the talent that brought him to prominence in the first place. Party on, Ty.

7. Soccer Mommy — Clean

From the first strummed guitar note to the last, there is probably no recent album as simultaneously casual and catchy as Soccer Mommy’s Clean. The first studio-shiny release from 20-year-old Sophie Allison, who cut her teeth releasing music from a four-track Tascam cassette deck on Bandcamp shortly after high school, Clean offers higher fidelity but the same angst and hook-laden songwriting fans have been latching onto for years. This is pop from the grainy, hyper-personal universe of Elliott Smith, and it retains its honest reality even when given fully fleshed arrangements.

6. Lucy Dacus — Historian

“The first time I tasted somebody else’s spit/I had a coughing fit/I mistakenly called them by your name/I was let down/it wasn’t the same,” sings Lucy Dacus to open up Historian, which grabs your mind with an intimate lyrical image that develops into a dense portrait of heartbreak and youth. The music beneath the surface is equally enthralling, with everything from warm strings to hefty distorted guitars lifting the weight of varied storylines, and offering more than enough depth to warrant numerous repeat plays.

5. Michael Rault — It’s A New Day Tonight

Very few artists capture the raw sparkle of the 1970s as well as Michael Rault does on It’s A New Day Tonight. Within moments of pressing the play button or dropping the needle, the record offers fuzzed-out guitar lines, melodic interludes, and timeless vocal melodies that instantly transport you to a land of cheap beer, gas-guzzling engines, and shag carpets. It’s a fantastic time capsule that isn’t too glossy or self-important, the perfect record to play for your dad when he tells you they don’t make ’em like they used to.

4. Snail Mail — Lush

Teenage angst is well-trodden (often boring) territory when it comes to songwriting. But while Lush — a collection of songs by 18-year-old songwriter Lindsey Jordan — walks you through familiar woods, Jordan’s intimate lyricism and a highly personal approach jolt you back to your first tough break-up, drug-fueled weekends spent testing the limits of reality, and well-hidden terror at the long road ahead. Where others use distortion, heavy-handed wordplay, and various other tropes to share similar musical thoughts, Jordan writes honest songs with real stories behind them that are illuminated by simple arrangements and a fearless — and compellingly self-conscious — inner voice.

3. Amen Dunes — Freedom

Amen Dunes’ energetic new album conjures up the ghosts of grand rock songs past and gives them new life. Tracks like Time and Dracula run with the kind of relentless intensity that recalls a wolf chasing its prey. The songs often build to thrilling climaxes, but the album also exhibits a surprising (and admirable) amount of restraint. Riffs are catchy but focused, with guitars never straying into flamboyant noodling, and every instrument serving the greater whole of the song. Overall, Freedom is an album of triumphant peaks and somber valleys that’s perfectly exemplified by singer-songwriter Damon McMahon’s voice, which wavers or soars depending on the mood.

2. Kacey Musgraves — Golden Hour

From a brief, acid-fueled ballad about her mother (Mother) to various heartfelt singles about the harsh realities of love, country songwriter Kacey Musgraves operates from a pasture far beyond the four-on-the-floor dance halls of her vapid Nashville contemporaries. Delicate wordplay is joined by sparkling production on Golden Hour, an album that both dominates and defines pop-country songwriting in the same way that Taylor Swift did in the late-aughts. While the album offers the same amount of glitter in the foreground as Musgraves’ contemporaries, it offers a real-world backdrop instead of a plastic set.

1. Saba — Care for Me

Saba’s rap/R&B masterwork Care for Me offers listeners a lush and intimate portrait of grief, musical struggle, and the distorted ways in which we often think about those who have been touched by the limelight. Created following the stabbing of his close friend and cousin Walter Long Jr. and in the wake of high-profile collaborations with fellow Chicago native Chance The Rapper (who also appears on the album), Care for Me demonstrates that the most moving art is always the most personal, and that our most poignant thoughts often come in the face of the harshest realities.