Top 10 Albums of 2023
Dying Wish - Symptoms of Survival
To say that I’m obsessed with Dying Wish is a bit of an understatement. 2000s melodic metalcore has seen a resurgence in recent years, with the five-member band from Oregon coming out as the clear front-runner. This album shows just how much they’ve grown since their first album in 2021, and are undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with. tl;dr - this album rips.
FFO: Killswitch Engage, Knocked Loose, SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Counterparts
Priya Ragu - Santhosam
This album is more than just a sequel to 2021’s damnshestamil. It takes the soulful vocals, warm tabla rhythms, and melodic Tamil music found on her first album to even more adventurous, hip-shaking, and head-bopping heights.
FFO: Janelle Monáe, Solange, SVDP
The Chemical Brothers - For That Beautiful Feeling
The 10th album from the Manchester duo absolutely shines with its exploration of psychadelic elements and dancefloor smashes. It does, at times had some admittedly jarring composition (I like to think of this album has having three distinct sections), The Chemical Brothers have proven once again that they still have plenty of fuel left in the tank.
FFO: Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Cut Copy, Digitalism
Johnny Booth - Moments Elsewhere
What do you do when you have something that works? In the case of Johnny Booth, it was to create an album far more ambitious than the first two singles let on, creating an album that is bone-crushingly heavy and shockingly breathaking without ever taking their foot off the pedals. They didn’t just make an upgraded sequel; they expanded on what it means to be Johnny Booth.
FFO: END, Sentinels, Structures, Great American Ghost
Slowdive - everything is alive
For a band celebrating their 35th year together, everything is alive seems like an album that is far more interested in fuzzy electronic textures and ambient gothic sensibilities than they did back in the 90s. And it works, refreshingly so, further cementing the Brits as the gods of shoegaze.
FFO: Mazzy Star, Jesus and Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins, Galaxie 500
Spiritbox - The Fear of Fear EP
Spiritbox’s first album, Eternal Blue, immediately turned the Canadian band into a metalcore household name, and yet, pound for pound, The Fear of Fear EP absolutely elevates an already seemingly untouchable band to new heights. It effortlessly flows from pure, rabid aggression into something that’s vastly different; upbeat with shimmering drums and spiraling guitars. They are a band unaffected by the weight of expectation, and I cannot wait to see where they go next.
FFO: ERRA, Northlane, Alpha Wolf, Dayseeker
Kaytranada & Aminé - KAYTRAMINÉ
While absolutely not a masterpiece from either artist, KAYTRAMINÉ is a fun, breezy summer time pop-rap album that has some great features, a handful of pretty clever bars, and doesn’t overstay its welcome. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but then again, it doesn’t have to either.
FFO: Thundercat, Toro y Moi, Flying Lotus, BROCKHAMPTON
Black Honey - A Fistful of Peaches
This album immediately gets your attention by starting off with a heavily distorted guitar riff. The tracklist goes from indie banger to indie banger, effortlessly fluctuating from the immediate heaviness to laid-back ethereal moments, keeping you on your toes the entire time.
FFO: Metric, Bully, The Greeting Committee, Soccer Mommy
Free Throw - Lessons That We Swear To Keep
Despite this being their fifth album, this was my first time coming to know Free Throw as a band, and wow, what an introduction! This album encapsulates life’s next stages; dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing older and beautifully covering topics such as addiction, mental health, existential crises, and how we learn to manage those uneasy parts of life. And all of this comes in a mid-western emo-flavoured package. Can’t ask for much more than that!
FFO: Koyo, Dikembe, Dowsing, Pet Symmetry
swim school - duality EP
Hailing from Edinburgh, swim school is honestly hard to describe. This EP features the saturated sounds of riffy guitars and trendy synths across two songs driven by anger, and another two that are more light-hearted in nature, lending to the EP’s title. Definitely a band to keep an eye on.
FFO: Blondshell, Horsegirl, Wet Leg, Wolf Alice
