the 50 best albums of 2023 according to us
Yes, we waited until the last possible minute to release our album of the year list. most AOTY articles have already been released; pitchfork and stereogum both put out their lists in the first week of december. that being said, the artists we like to cover typically aren’t bound to the schedule of the broader music industry, and for our AOTY list a few last-minute additions were worth waiting until the actual end of the year.
50. Don’t Let Your Love Life Get You Down by Jaye Jayle
For Jaye Jayle, the classic blues sound contains within it this vastness which only properly comes into focus with a high production value, sludgy tempos, and a wide array of processing effects. Using these methods to augment the blues’ tendency for repetitious, spoken-ish vocals and off-kilter guitar work, you arrive at something similar to the post-hiatus Swans sound.
49 Vanished Pleasures by The Ghost
Free jazz inherently appeals to our desire for interpersonal connections, as we witness a group of musicians construct something beautiful out of nothing but nonverbal communication. From this launching point, The Ghost steers their meandering, improvised craft towards the discussion and celebration of queer sexual interpersonal relationships.
48 They Thought of Us by A Lady Named Isaac
A Lady Named Isaac is bursting at the seams musically and emotionally, grasping at a sense of security and failing to reach it before falling into unfiltered chaos. Their sincere lack of half-assery is at times subversive, showing a level of vulnerability that challenges our expectations of irony and emotional distance.
47 Mucha Mujer by Maria Raquel
It is rare to find a debut album as explosive and captivating as Mucha Mujer. But already a legend in New York’s salsa scene, it doesn’t feel like a complete surprise from Maria Raquel. Recorded to analog tape, Mucha Mujer embodies the classic sounds of cumbia and bolero music that feels nostalgic, even if you aren’t familiar with these genres.
46 New World Artifacts by Unschooling
Despite its dissonance and unpredictability, New World Artifacts is by no means careless; each track is thought out and driven even if its trajectory isn’t always clear. Unschooling is clearly confident enough to experiment, feverishly stitching together familiar influences with an energetic yet lofi sound that inspires repeated listening.
45 Angel Tape by Islaja
This collection of experimental ambient pieces is inspired by the artist’s childhood memories of listening to her mother’s angel tape, a recording passed around in religious groups believed to have been the authentic and hallowed sound of angels singing hymns. Islaja describes being transfixed not by the songs themselves, but rather the ever-shifting overtones found in the static of distorted tape, evoking divinity in their delicacy and power to transform the original sounds.
44 Supercrush by Blush
Simultaneously noisy and melodious, catchy and novel, Supercrush by Blush unites the most potent pop elements of shoegaze, slowcore, and noise rock to create a record that won’t leave your weekly rotation anytime soon. Each song focuses on a set of riffs that would have set radio waves on fire in the mid 90s, throwing all of the band’s energy behind these impressively well-produced instrumentals that give each song an instant memorable identity.
43 SCARING THE HOES by Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA
42 What Good’s the Medicine? by Croy and the Boys
This concise release serves up anticapitalist Texan americana inspired by classic country music and cowboy culture while incorporating introspective lyrics that demand answers for the ways life fails us. What Good’s the Medicine? is by no means an outlaw country stampede, but rather a gentle afternoon stroll as Croy and the Boys explore both personal hardships and injustice on a societal scale.
41 Return to Archive by Matmos
Digging deep into the so-called “non music” folder of Folkways’ catalog, Baltimore-based experimental duo Matmos crafted their new record Return to Archive, flipping peculiar samples into something vaguely akin to dance music. Stretching the limits of so-called “non music,” Matmos encourages us to move through life making music out of the mundane and seeing art in every conceivable space.
40 Hearth Room by Frost Children
With energy and finesse, Angel and Lulu take their own unique approach to mid aughts tweemo with songs that start out as tender acoustic confessions and bloom in intensity and emotionality. Frost Children proves they clearly know how to construct songs outside of a hyper/glitch context, making this release even more compelling.
39 STRUGGLER by Genesis Owusu
STRUGGLER is an excellent followup to the Aussie-Ghanaian artist's 2021 debut album Smiling With No Teeth, showcasing Owusu's impressive ability to experiment with genre expectations and pull from a wide range of influences. Whether he's rapping over retro new wave synths or crooning in falsetto over jazzy neo-soul basslines, the result is an infectiously fun pop rap release with an indie rock attitude.
38 Shadows from the Walls of Death by Nonconnah
Nonconnah’s record Shadows from the Walls of Death recounts the process of learning that the Victorian era’s beloved ornate wallpapers actually contained debilitating levels of arsenic. Throughout the record, the experimental duo puts us in the shoes of Icarus as he feels his wingtips get grazed by the sun, crystallizing the feeling that at some point everything extraordinary and beautiful eventually starts doing more harm than good.
37 KKUURRSSEE by Talpah
On his new album KKUURRSSEE, Italian producer Talpah explores a sound so cold and violent, it undoubtedly surpasses the intensity of any previous Trap release. Pulling elements from industrial music and dark techno, these sounds are deconstructed down to their base elements and reformed to create highly textured beats and an atmosphere of unrestrained chaos.
36 Pariah by Among the Rocks and Roots
In a return to traditional no wave themes with a fresh take on the genre’s sound, Among the Rocks and Roots has released Pariah, a ninety minute epic that focuses on the daily struggle against relapse. Dissonant to the core and deeply committed to discomfort, this album reminds us of all the worst parts of having a body, riding the highs and lows as we cave, find resolve, and cave again.
35 Girl With Fish by Feeble Little Horse
Delightfully fun, bright, and energetic, this record brings us playful yet heartfelt lyrics backed by radio-ready guitar leads that make everything about this project endlessly consumable.
34 Body Songs by Circuit Circuit
Punk rising stars Circuit Circuit use their new EP Body Songs to rail against the abandonment of the body in favor of digital identity, subjecting the listener to a five-alarm wake-up call. Despite their efforts to avoid the pitfalls of digital dissociation, the vast majority of people who find this album will exclusively listen to it via mp3 files, removing us from any permanent form of the music.
33 Playa Sola by Puerta Negra
With the release of their second EP, the duo immerses listeners in a lush soundscape right out of an 80’s goth club. Even for true fans of old-school darkwave, this release is a must-listen, capturing an authentic retro sound in every track.
32 That! Feels Good! by Jessie Ware
31 SUCCUBUS by COBRAH
Proudly featuring her signature intoxicating mix of thrumming synths, driving bass, and industrial ornamentation, COBRAH continues to showcase liberated feminine sexuality to the tune of high-energy club bangers. SUCCUBUS also boasts a stunning visual aesthetic, an element of her artistry that has become more precise with each new release.
30 A Leisurely Swim To Everlasting Life by Ki Oni
While reflecting on portraits of a life well lived, this album does not portray death as a painful event for the dying nor for the living. Ethereal and meditative, A Leisurely Swim To Everlasting Life is the perfect guidebook for floating away into the good death.
29 Tender Membranes by Marja Ahti
Exploring boundaries and separation, vulnerability and permeability, Tender Membranes casts off barriers between natural and synthetic sound. The album moves at its own pace between these liminal scenes, but avoids lingering long enough to make its home in them.
28 The Elusive Flexure by Joseph Hammer, Joe Potts, and John Wiese
Even at its noisiest this album feels alive, its breath constantly transitioning between states of calm, exertion, and arousal. Where many of the albums we write about force you to think, this one forces you to feel the blood moving through your veins as a meditative exercise in simply existing as a body.
27 Death Poems by Messier 16
With a heart-wrenching atmosphere and expressive lyrics portraying four distinct vignettes, this mournful release is a must-listen for fans of DSBM. This album is effective because of the artists’ genuine anguish, highlighting the painful impact that suicide has on the living.
26 every day is sOmeOne's speciaL day by OLTH
Blending skramz, powerviolence, mathcore, and more, OLTH presents a cacophony of low-fi old-school emo chaos on their debut album. This project feels like a throwback to a classic era of alternative music, embodying an underground 90s sound presented for a new generation.
25 Sundial by Noname
Sundial is bitingly socially conscious, with lyrics that tackle important subjects from relationship dynamics to white settler colonialism. Musically, the beats here give us that wonderfully wonky, off-kilter cadence that we hope for with each jazz rap release.
24 Public Phone School by Public Phone School
Described as “An unholy marriage of '90s Nickelodeon nostalgia and synth punk,” Public Phone School’s debut is 12 minutes of unrelenting glitchy chaos. Without a weak moment, it is hard to resist spinning on repeat.
23 Swatta by Chepang
This impactful record channels memories of the chaos experienced firsthand during the Nepalese Civil War, and the anger towards the continued government corruption in modern-day Nepal. This unflinching portrait of war-torn Nepal is jagged and venomous, but isn’t afraid to reach past the grindcore genre into moments of melody and transcendence.
22 Hold Your Horses by Houndsteeth
As the market becomes saturated, a bicoastal experimental band accepts the challenge to put a more adventurous twist on the indie vocal pop sound. By introducing just the slightest bit of intentional, skillful dissonance, Houndsteeth injects an unexpected dose of energy into this tired subgenre, all while enhancing the personal and confessional elements that drew so many people to this sound in the first place.
21 Systemic by Divide and Dissolve
Profound and transcendent, the record stands like an ancient towering monolith, subverting expectations and going beyond the brutal agony or self-indulgent melancholy typical of its genre. Oscillating between heavy droning riffs, buzzy cut-up synth, and shimmering orchestral accompaniment, this must-listen release is dense with cultural significance and unrelenting power.
20 PARTY GATOR PURGATORY by TEMPS
Nothing about this album makes any sense, in the best way. It features British comedian James Acaster at the creative helm and a ton of great alt rappers like Quelle Chris and Open Mike Eagle. It flies back and forth from thuddy, grimy underground rap, to free jazz, to neosoul— it's a total rollercoaster.
19 Soaring through a World That Is New, That Is Free by ava
Soaring through a World That Is New, That Is Free by British post-rock band ava hits a sweet spot in this style of sound art through their use of interesting and engaging composition. The artist uses blown-out, looping guitar, piano, and drum parts that, while repeating themselves, feel complex, dynamic, and dizzying.
18 I Killed Your Dog by L’Rain
The L'Rain project launched in the wake of the artist watching her DIY community get bulldozed by New York's rampant gentrification, and the latent lonliness and rootlessness that resulted still figures prominently in the themes of I Killed Your Dog. Through emotionally complicated compositions and varied production that shades each song in its own satisfying tint, this record shows us twenty first century malaise from every angle, combined with L'Rain's personal experiences of grief that feel so familiar to so many of us.
17 The Beggar by Swans
NYC's Swans leave the distinct fingerprint of band leader Michael Gira on everything they touch, creating their trademark pulsating, hypnotic sound that constantly reflects upon the worst that humanity has to offer. We don't know for sure that this is the last Swans album, but hearing The Beggar after considering where the band started this epic journey really does seem like the logical conclusion; the bite is finally almost gone, leaving behind the immaculately beautiful foundation beneath.
16 Agriculture by Agriculture
Agriculture grips your head in its hands and forces you to face the incredible world outside that we so often neglect, begging you to take it all in before it’s too late. Pleading with you with teary eyes and limbs thrashing against the dirt, this record won’t give up on opening your eyes no matter how tightly you squeeze them closed.
15 Elite Terrorism Modulus by Elite Terrorism Modulus
The self-titled release from this Ohio Power Electronics group ferries listeners from this realm to somewhere much, much stranger. Between wailing saxophones, cut-up noise samples, there is a Burroughsian quality that lends an otherworldly atmosphere to this experimental album.
14 The Rime Of Memory by Panopticon
When you really know a part of the land and watch it slowly decay and become barren, it’s like watching a loved one grow weaker with age and disease. The Rime of Memory captures these mournful moments through melancholic blackened folk, steeped in memories of when there was still hope for the world.
13 i’ve seen a way by Mandy, Indiana
12 CYRM by OXN
Haunting, sorrowful, and rooted in tradition, CYRM exhumes these forgotten songs and presents them in a way that feels wholly modern yet wholly authentic. Yet by taking a heavier and more experimental approach, ØXN breathes new life into these folk ballads.
11 Tall Vision-of-the-Voyage by Delmer Darion
Listening to this record feels like the sensation of remembering a strange dream from last night’s sleep, and not being able to tell if it was all one long, meandering storyline, or if two separate dreams occurred. With a sense of romantic tragedy, the album explores the tumultuous relationship between humans and nature, and the sometimes awe-inspiring, sometimes terrifying, reality of those environmental forces outside of our control.
10 Phantasea pharm by cumgirl8
At times flippantly carefree while at others tragically romantic, Cumgirl8 seems torn by the internal will to make self-destructive decisions and the crushing weight of the ramifications that follow. When the time comes to celebrate meaningless celebrations and their resulting hangovers, the music of Cumgirl8 will always serve you well.
9 Birdnoise by Sucks to be you, Nigel
An absolute whirlwind alternative rock album styled like a desperate final journal entry, Birdnoise blesses us with the rare pure synergy between musical style and emotional content. No other record could’ve gotten this band’s thoughts and dispositions onto tape like this one could, and in a sense there’s no higher aim to art than that.
8 Javelin by Sufjan Stevens
Infectious, cozy melodies support classicly Sufjan lyrics that paint the world as this supreme object of curiosity and wonder. Like some of his great earlier work, each song glides along on a gale of airy instrumentation that makes this record force a tear of joy and sorrow out of each eye simultaneously.
7 The Lamb as Effigy by Sprain
Nihilism often gets an unfairly positive, quirky, and fun reputation in pop culture, a values misalignment that The Lamb as Effigy by Sprain thoroughly dismantles. Sprain writhes in unparallelled suffering as their closely-held belief that none of their decisions bear any consequences careens head-on into their soul-shredding guilt for their past mistakes.
6 Wallsocket by Underscores
With the rage of a thousand suns and a sweet splash of humor, Wallsocket by Underscores rails against emotional abusers, the aging process, one-way communication, and above all else rich people who pretend to be poor.
5 Hive Mind Narcosis by Thantifaxath
There’s a new classic to add to the North American black metal pantheon. Thantifaxath’s Hive Mind Narcosis presents the ultimate statement on chaos, presented by a speaker who is absolutely shattered into a million pieces. For those of us experiencing a similar oscillation between nihilistic acceptance of meaninglessness and a deep desire to restore order to our surroundings, Hive Mind Narcosis provides an irreplaceable channel for catharsis.
4 First Aid Kit by Big Blood
People often misrepresent psychedelic experiences with over-the-top maximalist art, but in reality Big Blood’s understated and elegant new avant-folk record First Aid Kit really strikes at the heart of psychedelia. Just as in the case of a bizarre dream, First Aid Kit will haunt you throughout your entire day as your brain struggles to pull these catchy melodies apart from the bizarre soup that they’re slow-cooked in. This record sounds familiar yet alien, proving that even in our most established sounds there’s room for adventure.
3 SAVED! by Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter
In her exploration of pentecostal traditions, Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter, the artist formerly known as Lingua Ignotia, released SAVED!, an epoch-defining experiment in spiritual music. We hear Hayter speak in tongues several times on the record, most notably with the indescribable, transcendent performance at the end of the album; she coughs, sobs, and retches, her body gasping for air under the weight of its role as a conduit for divinity. In our humanist era, witnessing someone prostrate themselves so completely before God inspires emotions that many of us have never felt before. SAVED! By Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter will go down in history as one of the great religious testaments of our time.
2 Laurels of the End of History by Cime
Described by the artist as “a scathing indictment of neoliberalism”, this avant folk record longs for the birth of a new latinefuturistic utopia. With an expansive, explosive sound that defies simple categorization into one genre, Laurels of the End of History must be heard to be truly understood. A true piece of outsider art, this controversial record won’t be for everyone. But it isn’t meant to be palatable. Brazenly political, fanatically spiritual, and unapologetically hopeful, this record urges listeners to dream of a better future after the end of history.
1 DON’T FALL ASLEEP by My Wife’s An Angel
How do you go about picking your #1 album of the year? Do you prioritize thoughtful songwriting, the best production value, the catchiest riffs? These components have merit, of course, but we at Outside Noise selected a record that represents the general mood of the year as well. A record that gives us an anchor point for the chaos and banality we face. Released in October this year, Don’t Fall Asleep by My Wife’s An Angel barrels forward at full-speed towards a cliff's edge, capturing the inevitable burnout and burn-down through turbulent, panicked no wave. This strung-out album is meant to be played fast and loud enough to drown out any anxieties about running out of cigarettes or not making your rent this month.
