10 Best Albums of 2020
Our editor, Kamala, narrows down her favourite releases from 2020.
We can all agree that 2020 has been a tumultuous journey from beginning to end, never failing to provide one disappointment after the other. Seemingly, the only rewarding thing about 2020 has been the music made in lockdown, the albums we’ve been blessed with, or, for some people, it’s Taylor Swift releasing not one but two full-length albums this year. Musicians haven’t been able to perform live, meaning The Night Cafe’s 2019 tour is set to take place in 2030 if they’re lucky.
I’ll have to admit, I’ve been a bit behind. It’ll take me a good few months to sit down and properly listen to an album unless a miracle happens and I listen to it the day it’s released. You’ll notice that the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Rina Sawayama aren’t on here and, it isn’t because I’m not a fan, I’m just the worst kind of procrastinator. I’m sure all of your favourites deserve a spot on here, so I’m going to cement my apology before I continue.
Before we get started, I’d like to give a special mention to The 1975’s Notes On A Conditional Form for being the worst album of 2020. It’s a hard title to earn, but someone had to do it.
10. A Hero's Death – Fontaine's D.C.
Now I should start this off by saying if I wanted to order this extremely accurately I’d be here till 2022 trying to work out which album deserves each place. I had to kick Sports Team’s debut album, Deep Down Happy, off the list just to take it down to 10 and that alone was a difficult decision to make.
First up, and by no means the worst or my least favourite (in other words: please don’t hate me), is the Irish post-punk revival outfit with their highly anticipated follow-up album to 2019’s incredible Dogrel. Their offering, released earlier this year and nominated for a Grammy, is an exciting new step up for the band and shows how far they’ve excelled within a year. If you’d like to read my in-depth review, you can find it here.
9. Walking Like We Do – The Big Moon
The Big Moon, consisting of Juliette Jackson, Fern Ford, Celia Archer, and Soph Nathan, are not only the kindest and most considerate band I’ve ever had the pleasure to talk to, but have also come a long way since their 2017 debut Love In The 4th Dimension. In my opinion, their debut is a masterpiece for just that: a debut. Every song on the LP exhibits the incredible song-writing behind the band, with lead singer Juliette recently joining forces with Phoebe Green on the latter’s two singles: 2019’s Easy Peeler and 2020’s Reinvent. She’s one of the best songwriters of our generation and Walking Like We Do conveys that with ease.
8. Zeros – Declan McKenna
If you’ve been part of the ‘indie’ community for over three or so years (or consider yourself well versed on the newest indie acts), then you’ll remember when Declan McKenna became the artist everyone was talking about at just 17. From the release of EPs to the eventual debut album released in 2017, What Do You Think About The Car?, the 21-year-old has some impressive accolades under his belt at such a young age. While his fans eagerly waited for any hint of a follow-up album, he teased them with jokes and wind-ups before finally delivering the hotly anticipated Zeros.
7. Fetch The Bolt Cutters – Fiona Apple
I’m going to admit something before I continue: I’d never heard of Fiona Apple before she released the album fans had been waiting eight years for. With the release of her fifth studio album came an influx of my Twitter feed getting flooded with talk of new Fiona Apple after ‘so long’. Naturally, this piqued my interest, especially after reading several rave reviews and, after giving it a listen, it just had to have a place on this list. Very interestingly, however, is that most of the album was actually recorded on GarageBand over the course of the last five years, with the vocals left unedited and a heavy focus on experimentation (including using her dead dog Janet’s bones for percussion).
6. Death of the Party – The Magic Gang
The Magic Gang are a band that just gets it right every time. From the EPs they released back in 2016 (which are really good, btw), to the debut self-titled album, and now eventually revealing the extent of how talented they are with their latest offering. Somehow they just manage to pull incredibly catchy, cathartic, and narrative songs out of the bag with every release, and the second album is no different. If you're a fan of The Beach Boys then I have no doubt you'll enjoy this quartet, check out the album and give their newest song – released in October and sounding something reminiscent of Billy Ocean – Somebody Like You a whirl.
5. K.G. – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
There is no other band on this planet whose work ethic I admire more than that of King Gizzards. This is their sixteenth studio album. Sixteenth! That’s a lot of music and a lot of seriously good albums. How do they do it? I’ll probably never know but clearly whatever they're doing seems to be working incredibly well for them. I hadn’t listened to the Australian six-person band in a little while so when I saw they’d released yet another album, I thought I’d delve back in and find my love for them once more. Check it out here and, if you’re not a big fan of that one, there are fifteen others waiting to be discovered.
4. Working Men’s Club (Self Titled)
The first song I’d heard from the Yorkshire (and Italian) trio, who met at college in Manchester, was Suburban Heights and they’ve been on my radar ever since. When I saw that they had released their debut album, I knew it was going to be good but it still managed to exceed my expectations. I genuinely believe it is without a doubt one of the best offerings of 2020 and by far one of the best debuts I’ve heard in a couple of years. Check it out here and keep an eye out for what they treat us to next.
3. The Slow Rush – Tame Impala
If you know me, you probably knew that this album was going to find its way onto this list one way or another. The top three albums on this list are the ones I’ve consistently listened to this year, with the top spot being my favourite album at the moment. It was a no brainer for me that Kevin Parker’s fourth studio album would be up there as one of my favourites from this year, with it being a big step up from the critically acclaimed Currents. Borderline, off this album, just so happened to be my favourite, until it was changed and no longer had the same effect on me anymore. So, if you want to listen to the original Borderline, it's best you turn to YouTube. Check out the album here.
2. The New Abnormal – The Strokes
After the release of everyone and their father’s favourite indie rock album, Is This It (2001), The Strokes became the rock band of the noughties and, with the release of their sixth studio album, they’ve cemented themselves firmly as the rock band of the tens. They’re to thank for inspiring Alex Turner and thus inspiring the creation of Arctic Monkeys and many of their earlier works (and, obviously, Alex gives a nod to The Strokes in the first line of their last album: “I just wanted to be one of The Strokes”). It’s safe to say that 19 years since their debut album, with five studio albums since then, the Julian Casablancas-led five-piece have produced a well-received and dynamic new offering. Give it a listen here.
1. Every Bad – Porridge Radio
First off, I’ll start by saying that this album is what I can confidently declare as my favourite of this year. I mean, just listen to it. Maybe it’s not your cup of tea, maybe it’ll be your new favourite. The album, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize Album of the Year and was up against some big names (Stormzy, Dua Lipa, etc), paves the way for indie rock bands with its distinct, textured yet raw, yearning sound. Give the album a listen and see what you think.
Honourable mentions:
So When You Gonna… by Dream Wife
Deep Down Happy by Sports Team
Disco Volador by The Orielles
Check out all the songs in one place:
