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5 Albums I Can’t Live Without: Charlie Hall of The War on Drugs
Pleasure Pill’s Timeless Pop Rock Is Destined for Stadium Success
WHO IS YOUNG SUMMER

BEST OF SO FAR, LISTS

THE 30 BEST ALBUMS OF 2022 (SO FAR)

From ‘Lucifer on the Sofa’ to ‘Laurel Hell,’ from ‘Wet Leg’ to ‘It’s Almost Dry’
* Written By SPIN Staff
* | June 7, 2022 - 9:30 am | Updated June 7, 2022 - 11:15 am

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Home » Lists » The 30 Best Albums of 2022 (So Far)

The following acts released quality albums in May 2022 alone: Radiohead
off-shoot The Smile, Kendrick Lamar, Wilco, Arcade Fire, Sharon Van Etten, The
Black Keys, Florence + the Machine, Harry Styles — we’ll stop there for space
reasons. It’s been such a wild music year so far, only some of them made the
following list.

Maybe 2022 was just front-loaded and the final six months will be less eventful.
(Judging by the release calendar, that’s probably a bad prediction.) Either way,
we had trouble even narrowing this down to 30. Let’s meet back here at year’s
end and see how things shake out.

30. CARACARA – NEW PREOCCUPATIONS

Fans of classic 2000s emo — Say Anything, Dashboard Confessional, or Circa
Survive, for example — are sure to find something to love in Caracara’s New
Preoccupations (and not least because it features an awesome guest appearance
from the latter’s Anthony Green on “Colorglut”). There are a lot of musical
turns across the album, but all of them are truly affecting, giving you that
instant heartache that the best emotive music does. Singer Will Lindsay writes
with a deep melancholy and nostalgia, exploring the complexities of substance
abuse from a personal and newly sober perspective. It’s an album for a lonesome,
night-time drive. – Mia Hughes

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29. SILVANA ESTRADA – MARCHITA

With a poetic soul and spellbinding voice, Silvana Estrada makes an
unforgettable impression on her debut solo LP. The 25-year-old singer from
Veracruz, Mexico has said that Marchita is her attempt to understand sorrow — if
these 11 songs are any indication, she’s arrived at a deep and intimate
comprehension. Estrada sings with a beguiling combination of potency and
restraint, sometimes in the same breath. Her voice is the focal point of songs
with minimalist arrangements featuring Venezuelan cuatro or piano, accompanied
here and there by percussion and strings. If sorrow was her starting point, she
reaches a clarity of vision that borders on rapturous. – Eric R. Danton

28. VÉHÉMENCE – ORDALIES

French melodic black metal trio Véhémence do nothing by halves — their third
album, Ordalies, is an exemplar of the style, rivaling some of its Swedish
forebears like Dissection’s The Somberlain and Vinterland’s Welcome My Last
Chapter. Melodies are more sweeping (obviously); the chorus chants feel like the
angelic battlecries of millions; the constant battery is the ideal balance of
modern velocity and classic feel. It’s not huge for the sake of huge — it’s
their essence, just more. Véhémence made this record to recount mythological
strifes of old. For you, this is what you may need for your perpetual campaign:
to annihilate this week. – Andy O’Connor

27. TORO Y MOI – MAHAL

Chillwave wizard Chaz Bear, better known as Toro y Moi, took his guitar off the
wall and made one of 2022’s most memorable albums to date. Mahal, his seventh
LP, is named after the Tagalog for “love,” and the title demonstrates the
passion poured into it. Bear weaves psych-rock, funk, and jazz-fusion, into a
warm and tactile vintage sound, highlighted by the dreamy sounds of “Magazine.”
the body-moving grooves of “Postman,” and the soulful, laid-back “The Loop.”
Uniting every track is the sense that, above all else, Bear is prioritizing fun.
– M.H.

26. ALDOUS HARDING – WARM CHRIS

“Genre-defying” is an overused term, but Aldous Harding’s music seems to float
just above the usual boundaries that fence off music categories. On Warm Chris,
the New Zealand singer dabbles in folk, understated pop, and a hint of
avant-garde that throws the rest just slightly out of whack. Harding’s lyrics
are evocative but oblique enough to be enigmatic, and she surrounds them with
arrangements that can veer gracefully in unexpected directions: the little burst
of electric guitar on the title track or the trance-like modal horn and piano
part that repeats for a few bars in the middle of “Fever.” Add in her
shape-shifting vocal approach — brassy and hard here, breathy and soft there —
Harding’s fourth LP is a work of unrestrained creativity. – E.R.D.

25. EMPATH – VISITOR

Visitor is a record you could literally get lost in. Like the album sleeve
depicting a long hallway full of open doors to unknown destinations, these 11
songs bleed into each other as if listening to one giant glob of noisy
psychedelic punk-pop; that Empath bothered to include song titles seems to be
beside the point. It’s not as immediately ear-catching or versatile as 2019’s
Active Listening: Night on Earth, and that matters very little when an indie
release like this has so much focus and a drummer who can actually play. This is
a record you’ll want to crank as loud as possible. – Brady Gerber

24. VINCE STAPLES – RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART

Named for the neighborhood where Staples grew up, Ramona Park Broke My Heart is
another introspective, smooth-as-ice LP from the Long Beach rapper — easily one
of the most affecting west coast emcees of the last decade (especially for those
operating beyond the Kendrick circle). Staples’ fifth LP, forged around the same
time as his 2021 self-titled album, hinges on moments of unsavory nostalgia
(“East Point Prayer” featuring Lil Baby, “DJ Quik,” and the hooky lead single
“Magic”). Silky cuts like “Aye! (Free The Homies)” and “Lemonade” fit Staples’
bill as surface party music hiding deeper, more somber notes to reward closer
listening. Unsurprisingly, it’s one of the most replayable hip-hop albums so far
this year. – Bobby Olivier

23. ARCADE FIRE – WE

Let’s get one thing straight: WE is not some beaming statement of solidarity,
like “We are in this together.” It’s more like “we screwed up big time” — Arcade
Fire’s grandiose sixth album is named after a 1921 Russian dystopian novel about
life under perpetual surveillance. In that way, WE is a logical successor to
2017’s polarizing Everything Now, both records commenting on technological
mayhem, doom-scrolling, and the immolation of human contact. We, though, is a
more thoughtful, rock-steady crack at the world at hand, split into two halves.
The first is all sweeping apocalyptic gloom, with Win Butler declaring “We
unsubscribe … fuck season five” during the Lennon-esque, nine-minute opus “End
of an Empire (I-IV).” But then some clouds lift on “Lightning (I, II),” an
arena-worthy Springsteenian thumper searching for hope. In totality, the album
is a big swing that mostly hits, returning the group to a place of prowess
somewhere near its The Suburbs heyday a decade ago. – B.O.

22. DRUG CHURCH – HYGIENE

Drug Church’s Patrick Kindlon is one of the most commanding frontpeople in
modern punk rock, and he’s reliably scathing on the band’s fourth album,
Hygiene. He sets his sights on American politics on “Plucked,” artistic
integrity on “Piss & Quiet,” and judgemental fake friends on “Premium Offer.”
His best-articulated and most polarizing lyrical statement is on “Detective
Lieutenant,” exploring what it means to separate art from the artist. Backing
him up is some truly energizing post-hardcore, which emulates the melodic
heaviness of ‘90s greats like Helmet or Quicksand — and will psych you up for a
stagedive like little else this year. – M.H.

21. KENDRICK LAMAR – MR. MORALE & THE BIG STEPPERS

On “The Heart Part 5,” the lead single from Kendrick Lamar’s fifth LP, Mr.
Morale & The Big Steppers, the Pulitzer Prize-winning emcee examines the
complexity of the Black male experience. And that song previewed the rapper’s
most ambitious project to date, a double album examining his deepest turmoil.
Mr. Morale did cause a fair share of controversy: commenting on “cancel
culture,” clumsily expressing trans acceptance on “Auntie Diaries,” and
recruiting Kodak Black for a cameo on “Silent Hill.” (The Florida rapper pleaded
guilty to first-degree assault and battery in a 2021 plea deal, stemming from a
sexual assault case.) Still, between the blunders, Lamar remains one of rap’s
most thought-provoking and sonically ambitious artists, reaching new levels of
introspection on standout cuts like “Mother I Sober.” – Candace McDuffie

20. CATE LE BON – POMPEII

Despite the distance it covers, Cate Le Bon’s hazy, mournful Pompeii demands
that listeners approach it instead of meeting them anywhere — certainly not in
the middle. “Dirt on the Bed” is a typically languid, off-kilter opener, while
the ’80s pop of “Moderation,” the Bowie-esque title track, and the bouncy
“Harbour” are proof she can solidly out-write most of her indie peers. In the
studio, the Welsh singer-producer draws a jagged line, sprinkling in detuned
synths, heavily treated percussion and flanged guitars. It’s not quite art-rock,
not quite indie-pop, and utterly Le Bon. – John Wenzel

19. BILLY WOODS – AETHIOPES

Billy Woods effectively raps in buckshot; he opens his mouth and impressionistic
streaks of storytelling spray out. Whether or not any of these stories are true
seems besides the point. What matters: Is your mind now reeling? What matters:
Did he link up with the right beatsmith? The NYC-based woods finds a kindred
spirit in Preservation, a veteran producer who’s laced everyone from KRS One to
RZA to Mach Hommy. On Aethiopes, Preservation lays down swatch after unnerving
swatch of Earth-tone jazz and bummer boom-bap — bleak, cinematic scenery for
woods and his guests to chew on. I’m especially partial to spoken word excursion
“The Doldrums,” police-siren struck lope “Versailles,” and the tense, stirring
drug misadventure “No Hard Feelings.” Any accusations of negativity and
speciousness that might attend this vision of hip-hop overlook its author’s
bottomless, emotive well of visions. – Raymond Cummings

18. MITSKI – LAUREL HELL

Laurel Hell is a contractual obligation album made at a moment when Mitski
wanted to leave music for good, but it’s often more inspired than that
description suggests. The singer-songwriter submitted to Dead Oceans a languid,
Lynchian, sensuous, experimental pop/country/glam rock one-woman show — and it
feels like a triumph, whether or not it was submitted under legal duress. Some
songs feel like Mitski alone under a spotlight, her voice rising to reach a
quiet audience in the mezzanine. Others transport us to different scenes: a
desert highway or a city street. She’s telling stories in all of them, painfully
human and profoundly existential, like a peak-power Joni Mitchell. Here’s hoping
it isn’t really her farewell to the stage. – Beverly Bryan

17. THE WEEKND – DAWN FM

Following his infamous After Hours era, Dawn FM serves as a natural sonic
progression for The Weeknd, with sleek ‘80s synths (“Take My Breath”) and
old-school R&B melodies (“Out of Time”) complimenting Abel Tesfaye’s sweltry
croon. The album also highlights his lyrical evolution over the last decade —
from past anthems reveling in drug-fueled escapades to, well, having Jim Carrey
chronicle a desolate trek into the afterlife, contextualizing the dark themes
Tesfaye is desperate to explore. Dawn FM isn’t just one of 2022’s best albums;
it also displays The Weeknd’s innovative approach to pop construction. – C.M.

16. DENZEL CURRY – MELT MY EYEZ SEE YOUR FUTURE

The combined length of Denzel Curry’s previous two albums is just a hair over 45
minutes — the Florida rapper’s never needed a large plot of real estate to plant
his flag. But on Melt My Eyez See Your Future, Curry allows himself the luxury
of exploration — using extra space to grow into an even stronger artist. Here he
(mostly) trades the hard-hitting 808 beats and Carol City place names of ZUU for
jazz-rap loops and samurai flicks. Curry keeps good company, joined by the likes
of slowthai, T-Pain, and Thundercat on several album highlights. But Melt My
Eyez hinges on some of his most intimately personal reflections; the first song
alone is a dispatch from a therapy session, and he only digs deeper from there.
– Jeff Terich

15. BEACH HOUSE – ONCE TWICE MELODY

On this 18-song stunner, Baltimore-bred duo Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally
sink deeper into their whirlpool of creamy synth-pop, leaving any hint of air
behind. The husky twilight vibes and key-change aerobics have faded in favor of
Legrand’s inches-close vocals, backed by David Campbell’s lush strings and
Scally’s carousel of fuzz. Soft-peddling their sinister vibes has brought out
the influences, from Misery Is a Butterfly-era Blonde Redhead and late-’90s
Stereolab to Lynchian sadcore (which, to be fair, they’ve helped create). But
tug at the threads and you’ll get nothing but spacey, fluid bliss. It’s vintage
Beach House, mansion-sized. – J.W.

14. MESSA – CLOSE

Doom, Badalamenti-esque dark jazz, Mediterranean seaside guitar, and even
grindcore come to a head on Messa’s third album, Close, which cements their
status as one of metal’s most exciting new acts. As the Italian band has become
more adventurous and wandered just a little closer to sunlight, vocalist Sara
Bianchin remains their anchor, her performances defining every song. Closer
“Serving Him” best represents their dynamic, as the band surges and falls at her
whim: matching guitar crashes with unbridled release, creating stars and
galaxies in the space when the band lays back to serene drones. – A.O.

13. LUCKY DAYE – CANDYDRIP

The sleekness that saturates Lucky Daye’s second album, Candydrip, complements
his expansive songwriting and vocal skills. The New Orleans native got a taste
of mainstream success with his 2019 debut, Painted, and Daye’s 2022 Grammy win
for Best Progressive R&B Album (2021’s Table for Two EP) corroborated his
undeniable talent. Candydrip goes even deeper: The singer experiments with his
inner Prince on “Feels Like” and indulges his status as a lovelorn suitor on
“Over” (which samples neo-soul veteran Musiq Soulchild). With every track, Daye
is sprightly and unpredictable in the best way possible, embodying the no-rules
aesthetic of modern-day R&B. – C.M.

12. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE – TIME SKIFFS

The dream of 2010 was alive and well in February 2022, when Beach House, Spoon,
and Animal Collective released good-to-great albums on three consecutive
Fridays. You may not have expected Time Skiffs to be the best of that bunch, but
it turned out to be a revelation. The first AC album in a decade to involve all
four members, it peels back the queasy synths and overcompressed arrangements to
reveal a harmonious inspiration missing from their recent work. The kitchen-sink
arrangement of “Walker,” named in honor of the late Scott Walker, proves
Deakin’s return to the fold is a glorious thing, while the woozy, all-American
travelog “Cherokee” offers up eight minutes of reflective, road-trippin’ bliss.
– Zach Schonfeld

11. OSO OSO – SORE THUMB

Oso Oso’s Jade Lilitri has an ear for hooks and a deep vulnerability, and his
knack for combining the two has made him a force in the Long Island emo scene.
Sore Thumb is considerably looser and more eclectic than 2019’s crossover
classic Basking in the Glow; its highlights include lo-fi acoustic psychedelia
(“All Love”) and Britpoppy character study (“Pensacola”). As it turns out, the
album’s off-the-cuff feel has a tragic meaning: Lilitri put these songs to tape
with his cousin and collaborator, guitarist Tavish Maloney, in early 2021. He
considered them demos, with a proper album to be recorded later. When Maloney
died suddenly a month later, Lilitri decided to release the album as is, a
poignant and charged monument to the memories and music he shared with his late
bandmate. – Z.S.

10. WET LEG – WET LEG

Formed on the far-off Isle of Wight, Wet Leg went from nobodies to viral
sensation to Domino signees to indie darlings faster than you could say “Is your
muffin buttered?” It’s endearing how little the duo seemed to expect it,
approaching every sold-out show or television appearance with the same bemused
astonishment. If Wet Leg doesn’t sound like an album burdened by the pressures
of sudden fame, that’s because it isn’t. It was recorded last spring before the
devilishly addictive “Chaise Longue” triggered the band’s rise, and Wet Leg’s
cheeky odes to bad boyfriends, bad parties, and generally bad vibes are
uniformly hooky and unpretentious. A rejoinder to the weepiness of
much-acclaimed indie-rock of late, Wet Leg calls back to new wave textures and
smirky mid-2000s blog rock, placing a spotlight on Rhian Teasdale’s almost
Phair-ian wit: “You say you think about me in the midnight hour / I know that
you’re just rubbing one out up in the shower,” she croons in “Loving You.”
– Z.S.

9. PUSHA T – IT’S ALMOST DRY

Pusha T has built a sizable vault of rhymes waxing poetic about being “cocaine’s
Dr. Seuss.” And on his first album in four years, the Virginia native continues
to prophesize the perils of coke rap with impeccable precision. Top-notch
production from Pharrell (“Neck and Wrist,” “Brambleton”) and Kanye West (“Diet
Coke,” “Just So You Remember”) get Pusha to reach new lyrical heights, while
still relishing the subject that dictates the bulk of his discography. It’s
Almost Dry, his first solo project to top the Billboard 200 chart, is a decadent
one — here, the emcee’s flow is the most aggrandized it’s ever been. – C.M.

8. ROSALÍA – MOTOMAMI

Even the fiercest of skeptics were suddenly silenced upon hearing Rosalía’s
third LP, MOTOMAMI, which showcases her consecration by deviating from pure
flamenco into more experimental territory. The Catalan singer claims her own
voice and narrative through progressive fusion and improvisation, proving both
forward-looking and sophisticated as she pulls from reggaeton, jazz,
electro-pop, and hip-hop. Gathering reflections from the whirlwind of her life
since the 2018 breakthrough of El Mal Querer, MOTOMAMI emerges as Rosalía’s tour
de force, solidifying her international relevance following the crossover. – Ana
Leorne

7. SOUL GLO – DIASPORA PROBLEMS

Saying that a band is saving its genre is a good way to sound out of touch with
the genre in question. You usually aren’t doing the band any favors either. Oh,
but sometimes a band will tempt you. Soul Glo’s second album, Diaspora Problems,
opens with “Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmyass?)” — after the sound of a
respectable bong rip, it unleashes some galloping, rough-and-ready punk in the
style of Japandroids, The Men, and unhinged Suicidal Tendencies worship. That
sets the standard on one of the most thrillingly thrashy, brilliantly based, and
convincingly punk hardcore albums in years. Are they saving punk? Maybe not. But
this album might save your life. – B.B.

6. SPOON – LUCIFER ON THE SOFA

The five-year gap since 2017’s sharp, dance-ready Hot Thoughts shows in the
stitching of this Austin group’s 10th album. Despite propulsive sing-alongs like
“The Hardest Cut” and the Jack White-aping, octave pedal-abusing “Feels
Alright,” there’s renewed patience in “The Devil and Mr. Jones” (shockingly, not
a cover) and the brushed hum of “Astral Jacket.” Uniting it is Britt Daniel’s
wrestling match with his isolation and demons, although the unmistakably chipper
Jack Antonoff drops by to co-write an expansive “Wild,” and the opening
track/Smog cover “Held” struts improbably high. It ends with the heartbreaking
eponymous track, all skittering synths and whispered sax and Jim Eno’s drum
sophisticated fills. God love ’em. – J.W.

5. SABA – FEW GOOD THINGS

Saba may be the most versatile emcee from Chicago’s contemplative new wave,
joining artists like Chance the Rapper and Noname who came to prominence
parallel to the 2010s drill scene. On his third album, Few Good Things, Saba
proves he can hang with rap veterans as different as Black Thought and Krayzie
Bone. He also takes a brief break from his gentle, jazzy aesthetic for a harsh
drill banger, “Survivor’s Guilt” with G Herbo, while still asking complicated
questions about finding success after growing up in poverty: “What’s really
eatin’ when you from a food desert?” – Al Shipley

4. BIG THIEF – DRAGON NEW WARM MOUNTAIN I BELIEVE IN YOU

Big Thief are a once-in-a-generation kind of band, and they cemented that with
the release of Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You. It’s a massive,
sprawling double-LP that never drags, thanks to its palpable warmth and joy. It
feels like a mixtape, given its range of styles and moods, from the folk
balladry of “Change” to the brooding electronics of “Blurred View” to the rock
stomp of “Love Love Love.” As always, Adrianne Lenker’s lyrics mix the
pedestrian with the otherworldly in her trademark poetic way — you can find the
meaning of life in “Spud Infinity” if you listen close enough. – M.H.

3. BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD – ANTS FROM UP HERE

It’s hard to imagine Black Country, New Road without singer-guitarist Isaac
Wood, who quit the band for mental health reasons. It’s especially hard to
imagine after Ants From Up There. While their 2020 debut positioned the
seven-piece as their era’s elite revivalists of talky post-punk, the second
album took a gentle turn toward melody. BCNR created a romantic, pastoral
landscape out of their jazz-flavored noise rock, even hinting at folk and
chamber music while drawing on just a bit of Revolution Summer fire. Wood sang
the lyrics outright this time, revealing a U.S.-style emo warble that gave the
album much of its tender tone. The band may continue, but without him, they may
never recapture such fragile beauty. – B.B.

2. FKA TWIGS – CAPRISONGS

A lockdown album billed as a mixtape, Caprisongs showed a less guarded and
precise side of FKA Twigs. Perhaps that conceit served a deeper purpose, helping
spur on some of her most playful and satisfying material. Throughout, she fully
embraces genres she’s only flirted with in the past: rapping on “honda” and
“darjeeling,” dabbling in dancehall on “papi bones,” going full hyper-pop on
“pamplemousse.” It’s fun to hear her cut loose, experimenting without being
experimental. The fire of Caprisongs is merely joyous, a treat both she and her
audience have earned. Twigs can go back to bending the definition of pop on her
next official album cycle. – B.B.

1. THE SMILE – A LIGHT FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION

Born into a world ravaged by COVID, supply-chain shortages, and a six-year
drought of new Radiohead music, A Light for Attracting Attention offered an
alluring solution for one out of three: What if Radiohead, but different? Thom
Yorke and Jonny Greenwood sound remarkably invigorated on a heady, eclectic
album whose high points rank with anything they’ve done this side of In
Rainbows. Brooding, majestic gems like “Open the Floodgates” and “Skrting on the
Surface” are definitive versions of decade-old Yorke rarities, while jittery
art-rock outbursts like “The Smoke” and “Thin Thing” are clearly new creations,
steeped in drummer Tom Skinner’s off-kilter grooves. Mangled riffs and odd time
signatures abound, and Yorke’s lifelong dread has never sounded more in tune
with the outside world. A Light for Attracting Attention is so good, it almost
makes you want to send Radiohead’s other three members a sympathy card. – Z.S.

SPIN STAFF

www.spin.com Open in urlscan Pro 2606:4700:10::6816:2bb5 Public Scan

Form analysis 3 forms found in the DOM

GET https://www.spin.com

GET https://www.spin.com

Name: New Form — POST

Text Content

www.spin.com Open in urlscan Pro
2606:4700:10::6816:2bb5 Public Scan

Form analysis
3 forms found in the DOM