From Taylor Swift to Phoebe Bridgers to Lil Uzi Vert, artists pushed through a difficult year to make impactful new music.
We all lead different lives, especially now, when the modern world is increasingly able to cater to our niche interests and allow us to get absorbed in our own cultural bubbles. Shared experiences aren’t as common as they used to be, but a giant one has rocked every aspect of the world this year. It can be easy to dwell on the situation and spiral down into a bad place, but there’s also much joy to be found by focusing on the good. Artists have used 2020 to deliver some of the best and most impactful music in recent memory. This feels especially important now, since music can be a valuable tool for helping people both escape from their troubles and better understand what’s going on in the world. Artists like Taylor Swift and Adrianne Lenker used their newly free time to make introspective albums, Dua Lipa and The Weeknd got us dancing when we most needed to, and rising figures established themselves as leaders in this new world.2020 hasn’t been an ideal year, but it still produced exemplary new albums, so check out our ranking of the year’s best below. When it was announced that The Strokes were working with Rick Rubin, it was natural to assume that The New Abnormal would be a deliberate evocation of Is This It. But The New Abnormal, thankfully, is not that. It sounds, in fact, like an amalgam of the ’80s synth-pop and stoner-experimental chicanery of the previous two Strokes albums, but with stronger songs, like “The Adults Are Talking” and “At The Door.”–Steven Hyden From top to bottom, Don Toliver’s debut album Heaven Or Hell is an entire draped-up and dripped-out vibe. The chop not slop version helmed by DJ Candlestick and the legendary OG Ron C offers another level of audio experience supercharged-up with Houston culture, where the phenomenal melodic rapper is from. All 2020, H-Town folklore invaded TikTok with his Sonny Digital-produced track “After Party” in both versions of the song — regular and slowed up, thanks to Donny. Tracks such as “Cardigan” and “No Idea” also found a loving home on the TikTok platform as well. The way Toliver inflects his voice, giving a variety of emotions and sounds to immerse in, it’s hard not to fall deep into his world and want to stay there for the album’s entirety.–Cherise Johnson Cementing their spot among pop boundary-pushers, Dorian Electra’s My Agenda is a wild ride through the darkest corners of the internet. The hyperpop artist is known for subverting normalized aspects of our culture, and that’s exactly what they do on their sophomore effort. The record explores problematic internet communities through tongue-in-cheek lyrics, disruptive beats, jarring synths, and distorted vocals.–Carolyn Droke The debut effort from Beabadoobee sounds like it could be the soundtrack to a teen movie, and that’s exactly what 20-year-old Bea Kristi was going for. Taking equal inspiration from the biggest grunge acts and lo-fi indie staples, Fake It Flowers is an epic film score for growing up, with moments ripe for a party, and others that beg for introspection.–Zac Gelfand In 2020, the sheer abundance of surprising news desensitized us to surprising news. Still, the release of A Written Testimony is a shocker. Jay promised it several times over the 2010s, and finally delivered — with Jay-Z. Fans could anticipate moments like “Ezekiel’s Wheel” and “The Neverending Story,” but the invigorating “Flux Capacitor” and “The Blinding” indicated that he had the versatility to be a one of a kind presence all along — if he wanted to be.–Andre Gee Although it might feel like decades at this point, the latest effort from Kevin Parker was released only a few months ago. Awash in blissful soundscapes and dissonant reverb-soaked guitars, The Slow Rush boasts Parker’s refined and increasingly undeniable pop hooks that make Tame Impala one of the most revered acts in modern indie.–Z.G. The biggest moment of Burna Boy’s career came with his 2019 album, African Giant. The project launched the afro-fusion singer into a higher level of mainstream acclaim. However, this success failed to bring in the accolade Burna truly desired: a Grammy. He lost in the World Music category and a year removed from that career-boosting album, he shared his fifth album Twice As Tall to emphatically prove that his defeat simply made him stronger than ever.–Wongo Okon This year, Mulatto came through with much assertion and confidence on her debut project Queen Of Da Souf. It’s expected, though. Big Latto has been rapping since she was Little Latto and it’s evident in her Southern-charged delivery on tracks such as “Youngest N Richest” and “Muwop” with Gucci Mane. On “Pull Up,” Latto shows how she can switch up her flow, keeping her debut fresh, while songs like “In-N-Out” featuring City Girls and “On God” offer something for all the strip club trappers of the world. There are a lot of women in rap on the come up, Latto however, has been doing this for a long time and it’s clear as day this young lady is here to stay. “From the jump, I was like, ‘I know I’m here to say,’” she told Uproxx in an exclusive interview. “‘Nobody can convince me otherwise.”–C.J. Atlanta’s Deante Hitchcock gained some acclaim with his invitation to the 2019 Dreamville recording sessions in his hometown and paid off that promise in full on Better — with interest. He smoothly runs the gamut of rap mainstays — the club banger (“Gimmie Yo Money” with Yung Baby Tate), the relationship drama song (“How TF” with 6lack), the triumphant celebration of his move from ashy to classy (“I Got Money Now“) — but he does so with a poise and panache few rappers can carry off for a full project.–Aaron Williams Blackpink in your area. Even when global quarantines rendered this infamous tagline necessarily false, Blackpink still encroached on new territory all year. With their boisterous debut, unceremoniously dubbed The Album, this Korean girl group became the highest-charting act of their kind with a Selena Gomez assist on “Ice Cream” and seven other tracks that wield aggression like it’s a necessary accessory for rising pop stars. Why should they be sweet when hostile sounds this inviting?–Caitlin White When Jay-Z “said goodbye” to rap in 2005, he made a farewell album. Westside Gunn has made three and counting. Pray For Paris made our list because it’s his best reflection of Westside at his best: danger and designer over stick-to-your-ribs soul samples. From top-to-bottom, Pray For Paris’ soundscape makes his buoyant boasts all the more captivating, showing that he’ll still be an impactful presence in rap as an A&R.–A.G. It’s no secret that Big Thief vocalist Adrianne Lenker is an incredibly prolific artist but the past year has confirmed the notion. After the lockdown put the band’s two-album tour plans on hold, Lenker retreated to an isolated cabin in western Massachusetts. Her time in quarantine resulted in the tender album Songs, which showcases Lenker’s poetic songwriting while bringing her wooded surroundings to life through samples of babbling creeks and chirping birds.–C.D. The Killers have never been a band to be recognized by critics in the moment, with their albums gaining more esteem with each passing year. But the fans have always seen through that, with the Vegas rockers now showing more of a cultural footprint and influence than many of their “cooler” peers. So it’s nice to see their return to anthemic form, Imploding The Mirage, getting its deserved due from both sides of the aisle, as the band smartly looked to both collaborators and their own history to craft one of the most delightful and sturdy efforts of 2020.–Philip Cosores Kehlani’s It Was Good Until It Wasn’t is a phenomenal body of work in the sense that it eloquently shows how normal of a lover she is. Songs like “Serial Lover” and “Hate The Club” highlight the pretty and ugly sides of her relationships, but they’re all situations many of us have dealt with at some point. Unfortunately, due to her fame, her love life gets much more attention than necessary, but this album proves that at the end of the day, Kehlani loves with a heart just like ours.–W.O. Khruangbin tried something different this year by linking up with Leon Bridges for the collaborative Texas Sun EP, but they had another project that was more in their traditional wheelhouse. Their wheelhouse isn’t exactly traditional, though, as they continued to develop their increasingly successful incorporation of disparate rock influences.–Derrick Rossignol If you don’t know the name, you will soon. Rina Sawayama was born in Japan but grew up in London, bringing the best of both worlds into her global pop sound. This year’s self-titled debut Sawayama manages to include a nod to practically every sonic era of pop, with standouts like “Commes Des Garcon” leaning heavy into house. Incorporating commentary on everything from sexism to friendship to chosen family, Rina is on her way up. You can come along or watch her rise, up to you.–C.W. The marketing rollout for Wunna reflected Gunna’s newfound appreciation for astrology. But he didn’t pivot into experimental, soul-searching Neo Soul or anything, he stuck to his script of slinky harmonies over murky,808-based production. Astrology, more than anything, is all about knowing who you are. And Gunna was firmly in tune with his greatness on tracks like “Nasty Girl / On Camera,” “Skybox,” and “Dollaz On My Head” with Young Thug.–A.G. Nothing can stop Megan Thee Stallion’s reign. Not a pandemic, not a bullet. Her debut album Good News is proof of her triumph, which landed at No.2 on the Billboard 200. Hot Girl Meg offered her fans an assortment of sounds to dig into on this project including TikTok’s favorite “Body” and the pop-leaning track “Don’t Rock Me To Sleep.” Megan is showing everyone that she can make more than music to make that ass shake. She can make feel-good songs made for sunny trips to the beach, too. “Freaky Girls” featuring SZA, which samples Adina Howard’s ’90s hit “Freak Like Me,” is one of the Good News standouts produced by Juicy J and is one of many tracks on the album that samples music from the nostalgic ’90s and ’00s eras. Good News is Megan Thee Stallion’s victorious collection of songs that offer a variety of positive vibes, despite the tragedy she went through this year.
