The best music of 2022

It’s time for the follow-up to my 2021 year-end music list. I listened to a similar amount of albums as last year (a lot), except I more relentlessly skipped albums that didn’t seem promising. Overall I liked this year’s music less than last year’s, but that was an incredibly high bar to meet. Everything listed here is still very much worth checking out. This list is based solely on my opinion, so it is unsullied by ‘respectability’ and other weaknesses.

Albums

1. Can Opener’s Notebook: Fish Whisperer by Vylet Pony
2. The Loneliest Time by Carly Rae Jepsen
3. It’s Hard to See Color [When You’re so Impossibly Far Away*] by Jaron
4. Blue Rev by Alvvays
5. PLASMA by Perfume
6. Quality Over Opinion by Louis Cole
7. Beatopia by beabadoobee
8. Expert in a Dying Field by The Beths
9. Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road
10. Giving the World Away by Hatchie

EPs

1. White Ceiling / Black Dots Wandering Around by Parannoul
2. Off Cuts by Frou Frou
3. I’ve Seen Better Days by amaii¹
4. 001 by Maude Latour
5. Nisemono by Ginger Root

Songs

1. 再生 (Saisei) by Perfume
2. No Reason by Big Thief
3. Hold the Girl by Rina Sawayama
4. Complicated by Whethan, aldn, and 8485
5. Doritos & Fritos by 100 gecs
6. Love Me More by Mitski
7. Guitar Song (Demo) by Frou Frou
8. Fly Around by Bill Wurtz
9. Broken Hearted by Revenge Wife
10. Best Friend (Best I’ve Ever Had) by wylie hopkins
11. Ptolemaea by Ethel Cain
12. Cake by Remi Wolf
13. The Place Where He Inserted the Blade by Black Country, New Road
14. C’mon Loretta by Trixie Mattel
15. Shotgun by Soccer Mommy

The fact that no artist has multiple entries is intentional, although it wouldn’t have made much difference. Basketball Shoes by Black Country, New Road was a borderline repeat inclusion.

Briefly I will highlight my favorite mainstream songs of the year:

• Glimpse of Us by Joji
• About Damn Time by Lizzo
• SAOKO by Rosalía
• MOVE by Beyoncé, Grace Jones, and Tems
• The News by Paramore

I didn’t listen to all that much mainstream music, because I don’t respect sellouts. And finally, I will praise the best music video I saw this year, which was: Choose Your Fighter by Nova Twins.

Anyhow, that’s the list. If your favorite artist wasn’t mentioned here, it’s probably because you like bad music :)

Footnotes