The 25 Best Albums of 2020
The albums of the past eleven months were devoid of any touring and in-person promotion. And yet, so many artists produced works of art that will make for live performances of a lifetime once the pandemic has passed. In our year of isolation, there was outstanding music that perfectly fit our new daily soundtrack. Well-established names and newer musicians produced their finest work. In their aloneness, they coped and battled by crafting some of the most beautiful, peaceful songs we’ve ever heard. There were few times when one could just get up and dance freely without seeing another somber headline. I especially found it difficult to keep myself from slipping into the darkness and disillusion from the year. Yet, there was comfort in all these artists reflecting on the same feelings I experienced: loneliness, rejection, disappointment. Some chose to stick to these feelings, while others crafted fictional escapes. All of them wrote songs I’ll play for a long time. These albums are the best albums of 2020.
25.
Swimmer | Tennis
Pop-Rock
The duo stays true to their soft rock and indie pop sound in their 2020 release. A lot of the tracks tend to go softer, but the best tracks are energized by conflict. “Need Your Love” battles and concedes itself. “How to Forgive” rocks to the indecisiveness of difficult relations. The album gives us a couple of indie pop songs that can’t go without mention as some of 2020’s best.
Best song: “How to Forgive”
24.
Puro Teatro | Daniela Spalla
Indie Pop
Daniela Spalla is already established in the Latin American indie scene (try “Prometí” and “Estábamos Tan Bien”). This year’s release became my favorite work from her. The themes are similar, but the songs are energized with the pop energy of the 70s and 80s. Though some of the songs are sad, Spalla sings through it powerfully, as in “Te Veo A La Salida” and “Ya Nos Vamos.” And how could you not dance along to “Provincia” and “Me Voy?”
Best Song: “Provincia”
23.
Eternal Atake | Lil Uzi Vert
Hip Hop
After a long wait for his fans, Lil Uzi is back. Not only did he drop his first studio album in three years, but he added fourteen tracks in the Deluxe version just days later. What’s evident throughout the album is that Lil Uzi never slowed down. His songs do actually zoom across the galaxy. Lil Uzi is here for the ride, and there’s no doubt he’s enjoying himself from the beginning.
Best song: “Baby Pluto”
22.
It Is What It Is | Thundercat
Electronic / R&B
Thundercat is already an impressive musician. He shows it off with groovy tracks that bounce around different speeds. Moving between quick, jazzy rhythms and smooth electronic arrangements, Thundercat brings out a complete album.
Best Song: “Black Qualls”
21.
I Feel Alive | TOPS
Indie Pop / Soft-Rock
TOPS is one of those reliable indie pop bands. Jane Penny’s voice is the perfect layer to the Canadian groups’ groovy rock. Spotify stats websites point out the danceability in lots of the tracks I listen to. I have to give TOPS credit for that. In early parts of the pandemic, when this album was released, Penny and the band dropped a record that radiated the energy we wish we could have in Spring.
Best songs: “I Feel Alive” and “Witching Hour”
20.
YHLQMDLG | Bad Bunny
Reggaeton / Rap
As someone who didn’t pay much attention to Bad Bunny before, I’m sold. His stardom brings the weight of the musical world on his shoulders, but Bad Bunny does whatever he wants (that’s basically the album title in Spanish). Unbound by genre labels, Bad Bunny commands the beats and crafts a new direction for music that only he has the moxie to accomplish. He pays homage to those that came before him, elevates his peers’ voices, and drops beats that should be at every club once we’re all vaccinated.
Best song: “25/8”
19.
Song for Our Daughter | Laura Marling
Folk
Marling is an impressive songwriter and even better storyteller. The tone of her singing is a warm hug surrounding heavy topics. The folk strumming of her guitars give her a platform to deliver poetic songs about perseverance and coping with the world around her.
Best song: “Held Down”
18.
SAWAYAMA | Rina Sawayama
Pop / Alternative
Rina’s first studio album departs from the singles from her early discography, and we’re here for it. Rina knows what she wants to say and she’s not holding back. “XS” is the strongest track; an allegory on consumerism and how we let ourselves be poisoned by a system that keeps us wanting more. “STFU” is an aggressive metal track attacking the stereotypes she faces. “Comme Des Garçons” sounds like a disco track, a commanding takedown of toxic male traits (that apparently started as a shot at Beto O’Rourke declaring himself ‘born to run’ for President).
Best song: “XS”
17.
Un Canto Por México, Vol. 1 | Natalia Lafourcade
Mexican Folk / Traditional
In the last few years, Natalia Lafourcade has ascended to be the keeper of traditional Mexican music. She’s already paid homage to Mexican folk in Musas and legendary songwriter Agustín Lara in Mujer Divina. In this record, Lafourcade reworks songs from her earlier pop discography into traditional regional Mexican sounds. Originally part of a fundraiser for a Veracruz cultural center, the project invited well-established and small, local artists to piece together this tribute. Lafourcade establishes herself as a cultural icon and representative of Mexican music.
Best song: “Nunca Es Suficiente”
16.
Truth or Consequences | Yumi Zouma
Indie Pop
Yumi Zouma has a sound. It’s consistent and it’s cool. The New Zealand based group give the best example of their sound in this album. Lyrically, it explores themes we’re familiar with: doubt in relationships, deciding how to act, wanting to belong. Yumi Zouma manage to wrap it in a layer that makes it easy to digest and bob your head to. Take a walk to “Magazine Bay” or “Right Track/Wrong Man” and you’ll know what I mean.
Best song: “My Palms Are Your Reference To Hold To Your Heart”
15.
LEMONS | Nick Leng
Alt-pop
I discovered Nick Leng three years ago, through a song that I couldn’t find until Spotify added it to one of my playlists. There was a personal nostalgia to some dark December day in 2017 when I heard “Playing with Fire.” Re-discovering Leng revealed a relaxing, enjoyable album for when the days become grey in the winter. You’ll hear soft pop songs like “Walking Home to You” and soulful tracks like “Sweet Thing.” Or maybe you’ll feel some of that nostalgia creep in with “LEMONS.”
Best song: “LEMONS”
14.
Mordechai | Khruangbin
Psychedelic Pop
This Houston group is already known for groovy instrumentals and emotive psych-rock songs. They bring even more energy in this release. “First Class” is a great primer, leading off slowly as the beats pick up. “Time (You and I)” brings things to speed before slowing down into a leisurely wave throughout most of the album. “Pelota,” sprinkled in the calmness, feels like the sun is imposing itself on the scene, but the party goes on. This album makes for something to put on in the summer while you sit out on your balcony.
Best song: “Pelota”
13.
Future Nostalgia | Dua Lipa
Dance-pop
Catchy, danceable tunes are key to a successful pop album. Dua Lipa continues to craft hits with writing that flows naturally without any drag. She’s in control at all parts, from verses to choruses. Future Nostalgia is fun, energetic, and certainly an everlasting pop record. It feels carefree, but still has the intensity to make sure you get up and dance.
Best song: “Break My Heart”
12.
Fetch the Bolt Cutters | Fiona Apple
Alternative / Experimental
Fiona Apple has to be one of the most talented singers of our generation. Not to use platitudes, but this album is truly unlike anything you’ll hear for a few years. It’s an exploration through some of Fiona Apple’s dark, traumatic memories presented in what feels like a playful, chaotic lens. The composition goes beyond just your typical pop instrumentation; percussion is all over the place and her voice is a Swiss Army knife. It’s being widely regarded as the best album of the year, and I can’t argue against that. It might just take you more than one listen, but that’s okay: This album deserves to be heard several times over.
Best song: “Cosmonauts”
11.
evermore | Taylor Swift
Indie Folk / Pop
This list was pretty set in stone until the morning of 10 December when Taylor Swift once again revealed a surprise release. This isn’t a collection of B-sides from folklore. It’s a standalone that highlights Swift’s impressive songwriting as she moves to become a generational storyteller. Instead of using herself as a protagonist, Swift sits by the fire, gives you a warm blanket, and compels you with tales you’ll want to pass down: A jealous daydream in “gold rush,” dangerous reconnections in “‘tis the damn season,” murderous revenge in “no body, no crime.”
Best song: “no body, no crime” ft. HAIM
10.
What We Drew | Yaeji
Electronic
It’s hard to find other albums that hit your ears with effortless confidence. Yaeji’s whisper-singing lets the beats take off how they want. There’s a chill energy that doesn’t let you just sit down. Whether it’s your body or your thoughts, something is always moving. Then she turns up the energy and makes sure you’re listening with tracks like “WAKING UP DOWN” and “WHEN I GROW UP.”
Best song: “SPELL” ft. YonYon and G.L.A.M.
9.
Lianne La Havas | Lianne La Havas
Soul / R&B
Lianne La Havas is a talented singer. If you didn’t know her before, she makes sure you won’t forget her after listening through this album. The accompanying composition is malleable, and La Havas takes full advantage by molding her stories to the sound of her voice. You might be tempted to put this on while lounging, but La Havas commands and controls the attention of the room. This is probably the smoothest album of 2020.
Best song: “Please Don’t Make Me Cry”
8.
Cape God | Allie X
Alt-pop / Electronic
This album surrounds the scene of a grimy party. Allie X is trying to figure out the characters around her and where she fits in. Naturally, there’s a lot of energy in the actions and reactions to all of it. She dips her toes in songs like “Devil I Know” and “Super Duper Party People.” Some songs try to slow things down and get a grip on what’s going on, like in “Regulars” and “Madame X.” There’s never a boring moment in this situation and Cape God’s variety makes sure of it. Oh, even better: there’s a Mitski feature.
Best song: “Susie Save Your Love” ft. Mitski
7.
BREACH | Fenne Lily
Indie Folk / Rock
This album definitely tugged at my emotions. It’s heavy and gloomy, like when the sun sets in late autumn before the grey clouds take over in winter. Lily explores people that entered and exited her life with quiet singing and comforting guitar riffs. There was a full week that I couldn’t stop playing this album. The heartbreaking waterfall of “Berlin,” “Elliott,” “I, Nietzsche” and “Birthday” back to back hit you like a truck. It’s beautifully painful and I love it.
Best song: “Birthday”
6.
Punisher | Phoebe Bridgers
Indie Rock / Indie Folk
So much has already been said about this album. There are so many details in each verse that it’s a disservice to speak on the themes of this album in a few sentences. Bridgers’ dread and regret in these songs are piercingly honest. Already one of indie rock’s biggest names, Bridgers establishes herself as an elite songwriter and performer in the field.
Best songs: “Savior Complex” and “Chinese Satellite”
5.
songs / instrumentals | Adrianne Lenker
Indie Folk / Instrumental
Adrianne Lenker experienced a breakup right as the pandemic sent us all into isolation. She took herself to a cabin in western Massachusetts and wrote, recorded and produced one of the most beautiful albums of 2020. Almost exclusively strumming on an acoustic guitar, Lenker echoes feelings of solitude that many of us have become more familiar with recently. She recalls memories in vivid, poetic detail in “ingydar” and “half return”. The tracks that are most striking are the ones still reeling in heartbreak. “anything” tugs at your heart, begging to return to days lost in love. “zombie girl” is even more bare: Lenker describes life-like dreams of a lover now gone and the emptiness of an empty bed when you finally wake up. instrumentals, released separately, should not be ignored. “music for indigo” paints the gentle scenes of quarantine’s still, lonely afternoons. In its written turmoil, Lenker still creates peace in her sound.
Best song: “anything”
4.
Sucker’s Lunch | Madeline Kenney
Indie Folk / Soft Rock
This album captures the nostalgia you might feel when you return home a lot sooner than expected. Kenney reflects on mistakes and regret. Her voice aches at watching the sun set sooner than she hoped. You can feel the sky turn to lavender as the sun sets in “Tell You Everything” and “Picture of You.” There’s a sense of hope in “Cut The Real” and the confident beat of “Jenny,” followed by the defeated shrug of “Sucker.” If you feel your bones chill thinking about where things went wrong, this album is here to sit next to you with a cup of coffee.
Best song: “Sucker”
3.
Someone New | Helena Deland
Alternative
From the beginning, the listener can hear Deland’s energy beneath the darkness. The album explores the effect of a relationship that loses its luster, but maybe has something to still take away. There’s a pulse that drives this to a brooding cliff on songs like “Someone New” and “Comfort, Edge.” Some sit and wonder what’s worth it, as in “Lylz” and “Dog.” Some songs sit at the end of the bed, ready to get up and go for once like in “Truth Nugget.” There’s a palpable darkness throughout this album. Deland’s singing and composition surround the cold agitation in just enough warmth.
Best song: “Comfort, Edge”
2.
folklore | Taylor Swift
Indie folk
Writing, composing, and recording from home allowed Swift to create her seminal work. A departure from the pop persona that came from her last four albums, folklore wanders into the woods and uncovers the gentle sounds that set her imagination free. Swift opens a cabin door to let you into her mind. “august” feels like the last days of summer slipping away, taking the memories with it. “seven” creates the imagery of a humid summer afternoon beneath the trees. “this is me trying” is figuring out who it’s becoming. Taylor’s 8th album is appropriately titled. Her stories wander beneath tall canopies and become a magical collection that gets passed down like folk songs.
Best songs: “seven,” “august,” and “this is me trying”
1.
Women in Music Pt. III | HAIM
Indie Rock / Pop
You can tell that the Haim sisters are having the time of their lives on this album. Haim write and sing about taking care of themselves, brushing aside ignorant doubters, and loving themselves and the people around them. Some songs find an R&B-like groove, like “3 AM” and “Another Try.” Their best sound comes from the stripped-down rock in “Gasoline” and “I’ve Been Down.” They are vulnerable, but still enjoy the comfort they give each other in “Los Angeles” and “Leaning On You.” The best track, “The Steps,” sounds the warmth of a reminiscent sun on a winter day. The album runs smoothly, shifting between beats and instruments that don’t box the group into one clear genre. Danielle, Este, and Alana are having fun, and the listener will, too.
Best song: “The Steps”