The first quarter of 2022 is done with, and what do we have to show for it? A hell of a lot of great albums already, that's what. A year further on from the nasty shock of that first lockdown and it feels as though the release calendar is back up to full functioning excellence.
Here we look at the albums that have excited us the most this year so far...
deathcrash - Return
Key Track: 'Doomcrash'
Having spent two years on the curation of this album, Return glances at each band member's struggles through the globally turbulent years of 2020 and 2021. Conjuring feelings of sadness, loneliness, and the desire to spend time in solitude, across this album Deathcrash translucently push feelings of hopelessness. It isn’t often you stumble across an album that is this beautifully made, Return is a special project and a great offering as the group’s first full-length album. (Laviea Thomas)
Charli XCX - CRASH
Key Track: 'Good Ones'
So popular has Charli XCX become that if she were to release the music equivalent of her own bath water, her fans would lap it up. As it happens, her Angels have backed an artist who seems incapable of making anything but gleaming pop platinum—even and perhaps especially when she's prioritising pop purism over avant-gardism.
Everywhere you look on CRASH, there are songs that will—like the music they revere—be played in clubs for years and years to come. Be very, very excited about this release—and prepare to find it impossible to pick a favourite. (Jessie Atkinson)
Confidence Man - TILT
Key Track: 'Holiday'
Confidence Man’s TILT is a bridge between dancefloors—New York ballrooms, Berlin nightclubs and warehouse raves. The Aussie foursome’s second album—like 2018 debut Confident Music For Confident People—is a self-penned and produced electro pop romp through a span of interstellar disco, dance and electronic hallmarks, tantalising hooks and party positivity.
Sleek, sexy and banger-loaded, TILT is an affirming and exceptional record ready in time for an ostensibly virus-free and dance-heavy summer. (Miles Cooke)
Jamie Webster - Moments
Key Track: 'North End Kid'
When we were first plunged into social purgatory (lockdown) almost two years ago there was some chat around how much good music, from bands and artists alike, could eventually stem from that period. With everyone confined to their homes, it was something that offered a little glimmer of hope for the future to many music lovers.
Now, here we are in 2022 and that thesis has been proven to be true, as Jamie Webster returns in blistering form with the mother of all lockdown albums Moments. (Ryan McConnell)
Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There
Key Track: 'Concorde'
Black Country, New Road are about to go from a seven-piece musical collective to a six-piece. But not before they drop a sonic masterpiece in Ants From Up There. With vocalist Isaac Wood’s imminent resignation announced just four days prior to the record’s release, this is the final project that will come from the band in its original form.
As Isaac Wood steps away from Black Country, New Road and the band embark on a new path together, the release is bittersweet. Bitter because the trail ends here for the current incarnation of Black Country, New Road who have proved themselves as an exquisite musical unit. But, sweet because nothing could take away from the true artistry the sevem-piece achieve on Ants From Up There. (Bethan McConnell)
Mitski - Laurel Hell
Key Track: 'Love Me More'
Mitski has now earned her place in — arguably — the best genre there is: tragic pop songs that encourage you to dance away the pain. With upbeat tempos and buoyant melodies uplifting the hopeless heartbreak of being alive, Laurel Hell is surely destined to end up filling gay club dancefloors everywhere. It’s a wonderful album, with Mitski truly cementing herself as the darling indie dreamboat we all know her to be. (Tilly Foulkes)
Los Bitchos - Let The Festivities Begin!
Key Track: 'Pista (Fresh Start)'
Musical savants and casual listeners alike will find something spectacular in Let The Festivities Begin!, the debut album by pan-continental London four-piece Los Bitchos. Whether a seasoned cumbia listener or someone who rarely enjoys anything instrumental, Friday's (4 February) release is bound to become a turntable staple — and rich pickings for party playlists.
One of the most delightful things about Let The Festivities Begin! is the profound feeling of good living that emanates from it: listening to it has all of the pleasure of a solitary cigarette smoked after a filling meal, with none of the repercussions. It is pure joy. (Jessie Atkinson)
Hippo Campus - LP3
Key Track: 'Ride Or Die'
Almost four years on from their groundbreaking sophomore album Bambi, and Hippo Campus return with LP3, a record bursting with tender glee and intricate self-reflection. Subverting expectations as they always tend to do, this third outing is colourful, meaningful, and as existential as always, a real, real treat.
Standing firmly as perhaps their most beautiful body of work, LP3 possesses all the beauty that we’ve come to expect from Minnesota's greatest exports. Spiraling through the yearning, arresting, and often devastating aspects of growing up, it’s an unusual space, a beautiful space, and one that you could get lost in over and over again. (Joe Smith)
Foxes - The Kick
Key Track: 'Body Suit'
After being catapulted to the forefront of the pop stratosphere following the release and subsequent success of her Grammy-winning collaboration 'Clarity' with EDM giant Zedd, British singer-songwriter Foxes (real name Louisa Rose Allen) enjoyed a whirlwind five years of non-stop touring and recording, before taking a self-imposed time out from the fast-paced world of pop in 2017 to reconnect with essence of the artist she once dreamed she’d be.
Inspired by her own desire for freedom, and framed as a call for collective unity, The Kick serves as Foxes' defiant response to the current repressed nature of the world. Touching on themes of heartbreak, sorrow, sadness and loss, the record serves as testament to the strength of the human spirit, as Foxes narrates her way through painful spaces, and uncomfortable truths to arrive at a place of peace and understanding. (Philip Logan)
alt-J - The Dream
Key Track: 'Get Better'
In a lot of ways, it feels like everything alt-J have released thus far has been weighed down by some mystical intensity, one its difficult to put your finger upon. Of course, they’re award-winning albums for a reason; each is breathtaking in its own right. And yet, that feeling crept into each one: be it pressure, or a kind of darkness, it settled into the crevices of their tracks consistently. The Dream, their first release in five years, feels like a stepping into the light of sorts. For alt-J, their latest is a homecoming: that which weighed them down has been lifted, and love and brightness has rushed to fill in those gaps.
The Dream feels like an outpouring of instinctual, had-to-happen musical moments; it brims with pure enthusiasm and undimmable joy at being able to create such distinctive, magical tracks. (Neive McCarthy)
Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Key Track: 'Red Moon'
Extravagantly named Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, Big Thief's latest album is a gorgeous, folksy display of the extent of Big Thief’s ability. The record is fantastical both in title and in content, with the band experimenting with new sounds, structures and themes. Reportedly taken from a total of 45 tracks created in various locations (including the Rocky Mountains), the album could be both a soundtrack to a great adventure through the wilderness, or an evening of pure listening joy to experience alone. (Rebecca Hyde)
Bad Boy Chiller Crew - Disrespectful
Key Track: 'BMW'
Disrespectful is a turning point for the Bad Boy Chiller Crew. They’ve shown their chops as an exciting, pulse-pounding group with far more to offer than the typical Marshal Mathers LP-esque crudeness. Throughout the mixtape there are moments of true bassline brilliance and hooks that will be playing in your head for weeks on end. Make no mistake, the Bad Boy Chiller Crew are determined to take you for a ride: buckle up. (Tom Dibb)
Gang Of Youths - angel in realtime.
Key Track: 'in the wake of your leave'
Although angel in realtime is ultimately a personal story centred on Le’aupepe’s own loss, the themes and emotions that course through the record are universal. Not only does it succeed in being a touching and emotional tribute to his late father, but it also goes further than that by delivering a life-affirming work of art that touches on some of the major aspects of the human experience—life, love, death, grief and religion.
This is a beautiful and moving tribute that extends beyond Le’aupepe’s own experiences and allows the listener to connect with the human stories they find at the heart. With gorgeous writing, an emotional resonance, as well as magnificent, diverse compositions throughout, you can’t help but get completely swept away. (Karl Blakesley)
Nilüfer Yanya - PAINLESS
Key Track: 'stabilise'
Eschewing the interludes which turned Miss Universe into an 18-track concept album, PAINLESS plays it straight over twelve songs which demonstrate a more cohesive band-like sound than achieved on previous releases. With rock, grunge, indie, synth-pop and electronic among the labels which could be attributed to the twelve tracks, it plays like a compilation, yet the mainly oblique lyrics and Yanya’s unique voice—sometimes wispy, other times husky and even velvety—are a constant which underpin her original sound.
PAINLESS is a step forward from the excellent Miss Universe and will delight fans and new listeners alike. It's the kind of album you can listen to on repeat and discover new joys on each listen. An early album of the year contender. (Andrew Belt)
Peach Pit - From 2 To 3
Key Track: 'Vickie'
The Canadian four-piece are renowned for their blend of sombre vocals, clean guitar tones and flowery melodies, and this album assures us all that they haven’t lost their touch. While the whole world stood still during the pandemic, Peach Pit have evidently used this time to grow their sound and master their craft culminating in a beautiful album in From 2 to 3.
Peach Pit’s triumphant return comes as no surprise with their equally fun TikTok presence growing with a series of viral videos and behind the scenes clips. If you’re a big fan of this album you should definitely delve into their videos: if you’ve got a few hours to spare that is...you might get hooked. (Ross Carley)
