PRIYA RAGU - DAMNSHESTAMIL

damnshestamil is a tour de force of a debut album from Tamil-Swiss singer-songwriter Priya Ragu. She effortlessly moves between R&B, soul, pop and Tamil music, creating a world of infinite sonic possibilities. For me, the standout song unfortunately is listed as the bonus track at the end of the album. ‘Santhosam,’ which was written by her parents and features them as backing vocals is a beautiful blend of classic Tamil influences with modern soundscapes creating a stunning exploration of her heritage. Personally, it takes me right back to me as a child, sitting in the backseat of my parent’s minivan listening to classic hindi songs, and I can’t think of any higher praise for an album than that.

Listen to: Santhosam

DAYGLOW - HARMONY HOUSE

While Dayglow’s Sloane Struble wrote his first album in 2019 in his bedroom at the tail end of highschool, this second album is all about another stage of his life. Written pre-pandemic, Harmony House draws inspiration from listening to soft rock from the ‘70s and ‘80s and binging classic sitcoms like Cheers. And while each track on the album is able to stand out on its own, they’re tied together in a cohesive package of vintage influences and upbeat vibes, signalling a maturation in Struble’s songwriting and production chops.

Listen to: Crying on the Dancefloor

DANTE ELEPHANTE - MID-CENTURY MODERN ROMANCE

While being his third album, 2021 was the first time I had come across Dante and it quickly became an album that I kept coming back to, especially during the summer months. This album is loaded to the brim with absolutely infection riffs and rich textures that evoke in me the breezy feeling of cruising around the coast with your windows down on a clear sunny day. A standout album from top to bottom with legitimately no bad tracks.

Listen To: Find Somebody to Love

ANGELS & AIRWAVES - LIFEFORMS

The songwriting on this album is simply too good to ignore. Whether you enjoy the slower ballads of We Don’t Need to Whisper, the upbeat tempos of I-Empire, or the more methodical blend of the two on LOVE, long-time fans will find something to sink their teeth into on this album. In each song, I can clearly feel the influence of what they’ve done before mixed beautifully with a lot of new and fresh sounds. So, if you’re looking for a well-made rock album with all of the pop, punk, and new-wave trimmings, look no further than Lifeforms.

Listen to: Automatic

THE GREETING COMMITTEE - DANDELION

Dandelion is a marked departure from their 2018 debut album, leaving behind jangly indie chamber pop to something a bit more nostalgic with fuzzed-out soundscapes. This only makes sense when you realize that this album is a raw, heartbreaking, and at times beautiful portrayal of life post-breakup. This is album that will make you go through a wide spectrum of emotions, and I’m here for it.

Listen to: Ada

SENTINELS - COLLAPSE BY DESIGN

From start to finish, this album is unrelenting with obscenely heavy, earth-shattering breakdowns and guttural vocals blasted seemingly with ease. The chemistry between these two allows for a fluid composition that flows seamlessly from one track to the next, never losing momentum.

Coming in at 48 minutes of sheer brutal energy, Collapse By Design doesn’t reinvent the rulebook, but I don’t think that was ever the intent. Instead, this record presents itself as precise and calculated and easily cements the band as a frontrunner in the entire metalcore genre.

Listen To: Inertia

JETTY BONES - PUSHBACK

This is an album that at first pass sounds fun, upbeat, and energetic. However, after a second listen-through, it’s clear that this cheerful-sounding pop record tackles dark subjects head-on in the most substantial way. From tracks pulled straight out of the 80s to a country-styled ode to Dolly Parton, to the last track, which was actually penned as a suicide letter five years prior to this album’s release, Kelc Galluzzo let down her defenses and really let the listeners experience her raw emotions. And as a fan, I’m grateful for her vulnerability and I’m incredibly glad she stayed.

Push Back is one of the most unique pop albums I’ve heard in a long time, and I found comfort in a wonderful collection that is far from being filled with one-dimensional songs. This is a record I kept coming back to throughout 2022, and one you should absolutely check out as well.

Listen To: Nothing

WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS - ENJOY THE VIEW

Enjoy The View clearly shows that even 18 years after forming, this Scottish band has only just begun to hit its stride. This album is definitely less dense and riff-heavy than previous entries in their discography, but I think that that’s what makes this album really shine.

It’s a more restrained, refined, maturation to their signature sound. The delicately intricate guitar lines meander alongside the vocal melodies, which have long been the touchpoint with the rest of this band’s back catalogue. As frontman, Adam Thompson said, “It's rainy and miserable in Scotland and there are lots of angry people. In a way, that's a big part of why our music sounds the way it does. It's music that sounds sort of like that.”

As a former emo kid myself (it’s not a phase, mom!) this album struck a particular chord in me, and I cannot wait to see where this takes WWPJ next.

Listen To: Fat Chance

SPIRITBOX - ETERNAL BLUE

Hailing from Vancouver, BC, Spiritbox first blew everyone’s collective minds in July 2020 with their first single, Holy Roller. The quartet have found a way to meld unyielding heaviness with intricate (at times atmospheric) soundscapes to carve out a truly unique sound. Each song is there for a reason, and arguably, Eternal Blue saves it’s best for last with the one-two punch that is Circle With Me (my personal favourite track along with Secret Garden) and Constance (a song that never fails to make me deeply emotional). There is no other band that sounds like this, and I’m okay with that.

Spiritbox is the face of metal in 2021.

Listen to: Circle With Me

ONE MORNING LEFT - HYPERACTIVE

One Morning Left have always sat somewhere between early Asking Alexandria and modern Eskimo Callboy, at least in terms of sound and general playfulness. If you know the metalcore scene, you know what to expect here: plenty of chugs, a healthy mix of screams and sung choruses, heavy breakdowns and all of the synth melodies you could ever want.

With this album, One Morning Left has given them self an 80s inspired paintjob, seemingly influenced from Dragonforce, The Galvatrons, and Blessed By a Broken Heart all in the same breath. Shifting from hair metal to videogame influenced songs, the Finnish outfit have found a way to inject fun into an otherwise hyper serious and dreary scene (i.e. every other band in the genre talking about drowning). And after the last year, I think we could use a bit of fun in our lives.

Listen to: Ruby Dragon

Honourable Mentions: ABBA, Erra, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, Grids & Dots