Here, I share the albums and EPs that helped me get through this year. These records soundtracked my life in 2023 through both the good and the bad times. I also write about my new favorites, ones I wish I had known about sooner. I hope this list scores your world, no matter your mood.
I went over a month without listening to music. That’s right. Seems odd for a music journalist, doesn’t it? I can assure you that it wasn’t by choice.
On July 1st, I suffered a fall, resulting in a head trauma that, according to my neurologist, should have left me dead. Don’t worry, though. I’ve fully recovered, even at a remarkable rate. However, it was one of the most challenging times in my life.
Many things were stripped away from me, and one of the hardest was music. I couldn’t listen to music. I couldn’t go to concerts. Both are among the things I enjoy the most. It was soul-crushing.
Music is something that gets me through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in life. It’s always there for me. Without it, I was lost. Thankfully, I found it again a little over a month after the accident. And, like always, it was there for me.
I never felt more grateful to be able to jam out to my favorite tunes and discover new records. Sadly, I would have to wait almost four months until I could dance at a concert again. My first show back was Fred again.. at Forest Hills Stadium. I was on the verge of tears the whole time, not only because his music moved me that much but because I was so happy to be at a live event once again.
I always knew music was important to me, but I never truly realized how much until it was taken away from me. My time healing from the brain trauma was one of the saddest moments in my life, not only because I couldn’t listen to music but because I couldn’t read, watch television, write, go to restaurants and bars, hang out with friends due to the amount of stimulation it causes, text the people I care about, talk on the phone with my loved ones and much more. But once I was able to listen to music again, it all felt better. I may have had many of my simple pleasures ripped away from me, but at least I had music.
Here, I share the albums and EPs that helped me get through 2023. These records soundtracked my life this year through both the good and the bad times. I also write about my new favorites, ones I wish I had known about sooner. I hope this list scores your world, no matter your mood.
And always remember, don’t take music for granted. It’s one of life’s simple pleasures as well as one of the most complex things humans can create. To make numerous instruments and sounds combine to form beauty is no small feat. The easiest part of it is taking it in, relishing in the splendor of it all.
There’s so much good music out there. All you have to do is listen.
Overmono – Good Lies
There are a lot of things I wish I had done differently this year. One of them is wanting to have discovered Good Lies sooner.
Once I heard the first song, I knew this album would have my heart. And, wow. It certainly does. Upon tuning in, melomaniacs will find experimental sounds, glitchy and shimmering synths, percolating beats, airy atmospheres, catchy lyrics, tinkering tunes, celestial buildups and sensations of desire, nostalgia and pure elation. The LP seamlessly balances curating dancefloor moments with songs meant for at-home enjoyment. Indeed, Good Lies proves to be a captivating and masterfully produced album.
Mija – No Rules
On repeat. That’s exactly how I listened to this EP in 2023.
The four-track body of work boasts pounding, bouncy and deep basslines, samples from poets and drag queens, funky and swiveling synths, catchy toplines and a nod to ballroom culture—a late 20th-century underground queer subculture where people walked, competed, performed, danced, lip-synced and modeled in different categories. Mija says in a previous interview with Forbes that the title of the EP is based on her “fk a genre” ethos, which has given her the space to explore and release different styles of music throughout her illustrious career.
LP Giobbi – Light Places
LP Giobbi stuns with her debut album, Light Places. The long play features captivating piano, tinkling synths, catchy lyrics, uplifting sounds, bubbly and rebounding basslines, soothing tones and more. The body of work represents a dichotomy of sounds as some tracks provide a sense of longing while others are dancefloor-ready.
In a previous interview with Forbes, LP Giobbi says the album’s name is a nod to lyrics from “Scarlet Begonias” by Grateful Dead: “Once in a while, you get shown the light, in the strangest of places, if you look at it right.” LP Giobbi says her mother and father are self-proclaimed “deadheads,” meaning they’re avid lovers of the band.
