As unpredictable as the world is, circa 2022, it’s nice to know that there are still some things we can count on. Music, for example. Even if we don’t know the specifics (mostly, what’s going to deliver that certain je ne sais quois for us and what isn’t?), music still finds a way. Chaos and uncertainty be damned, bands will keep forming, songs will keep being written, music will keep being recorded. It will keep moving us and making us move, bringing us good songs (sometimes great) to balance out bad days, and helping us make human connections in a world often defined by division.
All of that said, the first six months of 2022 has been an incredibly strong time for recorded music by any measure. We’ve seen familiar names returning with some of their best work; hyped new artists proving that they’re perhaps worth all of the buzz after all; and names we’d never heard before the year started. Are we approaching something like normalcy yet? Who knows? Here we are gathered together again, halfway through another year, to take stock of the music we’ve heard so far. What’s surprised us? What’s delighted us? What’s grabbed us and wouldn’t let go?
We once again asked our staff about their favorite releases (full length albums or EPs) of the year so far – what in 2022 has stood out, grabbed and/or moved them most?
Demi Harvey, Digital and Social Media Editor/Host
Mitski and Laurel Hell
Ravyn Lenae / HYPNOS
Syd / Broken Hearts Club
Charlie XCX / CRASH
Bad Bunny / Un Verano Sin Ti