With 2023 coming to a close, music fans will always be eager to look back on the year of releases that they fell in love with.
Whether it be the wooziness of King Krule’s ‘Space Heavy’, or Noel Gallagher showing his songwriting prowess on ‘Council Skies’; excellent indie pop on The Japanese House’s, ‘In The End It Always Does’, and exquisite sophomore attempts with Inhalers, ‘Cuts & Bruises’ and The Lathums, ‘From Nothing To A Little Bit More’. To put it short, there was a little bit of something for everyone.
Now for our list, curated from weeks of disagreements with many ‘this is better than that’ arguments ensuing, there was one thing that could be agreed on, and that was that 2023 has been a tremendous year for music. Both upcoming artists and bands we’ve grown to love over the years showed immense musicianship and artistic expertise with all of their releases.
Here are our picks for the 10 best albums of 2023.
10. Grian Chatten — ‘Chaos for the Fly’
Who would have predicted a Grian Chatten solo album at the start of the year?
The Fontaines D.C. frontman was fresh from the award winning Skinty Fia’s album tour, and all would have expected a moment of reset for the post-punk outfit. However, that wasn’t the case, as Chatten treated his unexpecting fans to nine tracks all cut from the misty air of Dublin’s Stoney Beach.
‘Fairlies’ is notably the biggest ‘banger’ with its energetic and furious acoustic strumming, meanwhile ‘All Of The People’ is sobering in its own tenderness and fragility.
While fans can hopefully look forward to more Fontaines D.C in 2024, there may be fans also holding for more Chatten…
Listen to: The Score
9. Zach Bryan — ‘Zach Bryan’
Potentially the biggest artist on our list, 2023 was the year that made Zach Bryan into the powerhouse name that he has become. The face of his genre, and rightfully so, blowing the dust off American country and birthing a new sound for the next generation.
His 5th album being self titled may be seen as a sign of reflection. Bryan has come a long way from his debut, but in many ways he still hasn’t changed. His six-stringed acoustic is still his weapon of choice on the popular, ‘I Remember Everything’ and ‘Oklahoman Son’, meanwhile ‘Fear and Friday’s’ is sure to get everyone clapping along.
Listen to: Hey Driver
8. Foo Fighters — ‘But Here We Are’
Amidst their grief, Grohl and co found something within themselves to produce a complete and tender piece of art. Following the heartbreaking passing of drummer Taylor Hawkins, fans were worried for all of those in the band and what would follow.
However, Grohl wasted little time in returning to his notebook to make sense of his grief, inevitably producing spellbinding songwriting that we’ve all learned to associate with the band.
‘Rescued’ is euphoric and the 10 minute long ‘The Teacher’ length is justified in its storytelling and intricacies. If you can hope for anything, it would be that making this album was cathartic for the Foos.
Listen to: Under You
7. Slowdive – ‘everything is alive’
Born amongst a backdrop of grief, Slowdive’s fifth album is beautiful in all of its reverb and hazy instrumentals. The shoegaze outfit from Reading are by now leaders in their own sound, consistently reinventing themselves and their craft, and ‘everything is alive’ is no different.
Listen to: alife
6. Blur — ‘The Ballad of Darren’
It’s hard not to get caught up in the immersive experience that has been handcrafted by Blur on their belated 9th album. Albarn and co flirt with ideas of mortality, middle-life, and possibly allude to the record being the band’s final album. If so, The Ballad of Darren offers a perfect and poignant full stop on the band’s legacy.
Opener ‘The Ballad’ is an excellent tone setter, meanwhile lead single ‘The Narcissist’ succeeds in showcasing the band’s mature and super songwriting.
Listen to: Barbaric
5. Shame — ‘Food For Worms’
Always a highlight on any festival bill, the alternative London outfit Shame recorded their third album live in an attempt to capture that furious energy they have become synonymous with.
Evident on the highlight ‘Adderall’, where Steen’s performance encapsulates the band’s grit and appeal. Follow-up ‘Orchid’ has luscious acoustic and electric instrumentals blending together, backed up with lyrics of friendship and nostalgia. There’s an inherent feeling of togetherness throughout the entire record, and the energy radiates from musicians to listeners with ease.
Listen to: Adderall
4. Boygenius — ‘The Record’
‘Always an angel, never a God’, may be how the eclectic trio of Boygenius see themselves, but their fans will tell you otherwise – and rightfully so. Their long-awaited LP, ‘The Record’ is nothing short of a majestic attempt at indie-folk.
Unapologetic in its lyricism, themes of friendship and vulnerability are seen throughout, specifically on the excellent, ‘Cool About It’, “I’ll pretend being with you doesn’t feel like drowning”. Meanwhile ‘True Blue’ is earnest and mellow in its nature and instrumentation.
Outside of bonus EP, ‘The Rest’, it’s uncertain whether collective or solo music will follow ‘The Record’. Fans can be assured that the trio’s overwhelming talent will prevail in any form.
Listen to: Not Strong Enough
3. The Royston Club — ‘Shaking Hips and Crashing Cars’
What a year for the Wrexham boys. With support acts for Miles Kane and Jamie Webster and a sold out tour for their debut album, the group may be forgiven if part of them doesn’t want the year to end.
Their debut album speaks to a subgenre of indie that feels untouched since Catfish and the Bottlemen last released. Unrelenting energy and catchy melodies are evident on opener ‘The Deep End’, meanwhile ‘A Tender Curiosity’ is easily one of the songs of the year with its singing strings and fragility.
Listen to: 52
2. Paramore — This Is Why
Hayley Williams and co have conjured a spellbinding return to form with ‘This Is Why’, an expressive and jittery alt-rock journey, drawing in fans outside of their pop-punk roots, or previous synth-pop outing ‘After Laughter’
The title track and opener features the LP’s best chorus, starting the album off with an angsty bang, and the steam doesn’t stop anytime soon, continuing throughout with ‘Running Out Of Time’ and ‘You First’ showcasing a spectrum of garage rock tones and captivating vocal performances from Williams.
‘This Is Why’ is Paramore at their best, showcasing all the traits fans have grown to associate them with. Bold, theatrical and unapologetically loud; the Tennessee band have given fans to sing along to for years to come.
Listen to: Big Man, Little Dignity
1. The Murder Capital — ‘Gigi’s Recovery’
The Murder Capital’s, ‘Gigi’s Recovery’ is both a meditation of healing and a muscular display of post-punk prowess. Following their delicate and critically acclaimed debut will have been no easy task, yet the Dublin based outfit played their way to victory with an excellent palette of sound and palpable instrumentation.
The heart of the album lies with the single ‘Ethel’, featuring a driving bassline and a bursting, climactic chorus. The final minute of it is awe inspiring and raw, showcasing a band who know exactly what they’re doing.
‘Gigi’s Recovery’ is The Murder Capital at their finest. Muscular in its instrumentals and tender with its lyrics, all elements of the quintet’s musicianship blend together perfectly to create an LP that grows and improves with each listen.
Listen to: ‘A Thousand Lives’
Words by Niall McGreevy
