Pop

Hyperpop pioneers Dylan Brady and Laura Les, better known as duo 100 Gecs, proved the tongue-in-cheek subgenre to be limitless with their sophomore album 10,000 Gecs. While the term was understood in the late 2010s to describe a maximalist, campy take on bubblegum pop, 10,000 Gecs pushed past that, colonizing new genre influences like thrash metal, emo and children’s music in standouts like “Hollywood Baby,” “Frog on the Floor,” and “Dumbest Girl Alive.” No territory is off limits here, no sound too strange, no expectations beyond subversion. It’s no wonder that in a time when TikTok users can only pay attention to the video they’re watching if Subway Surfers is also running in split screen that the overstimulating world of 10,000 Gecs should become a comfort, and perhaps one of the most culture-defining projects of the year. — KRISTIN ROBINSON

Agony, ecstasy and burning desire take center stage in Alex Anwandter’s visceral dance album, El Diablo en el Cuerpo. Armed with anthems for weekend reveries, the singer/producer unleashes unbridled freedom, with a dash of deviance. The provocative-yet-alluring opener “Maricoteca” boasts menacing wordplay (“Don’t look for your mother/ No one will save you here,” he pleads) and his collab with Puerto Rican indie-pop duo Buscabulla sees the duet amplifying avant-garde disco to euphoric richness, with the help of Raquel Berrios’ heavenly pipes. Over 14 tracks, the Chilean pop iconoclast draws from quiet storm, Latin American ballads, synth pop and more sounds — immersing himself in bodily pleasures, with dazzling effects. — ISABELA RAYGOZA

If there is one thing you can always count on with Alex Lahey, it’s that the Melbourne-born indie singer-songwriter is going to provide fans with a hell of a good time. It does not matter that her third studio album, The Answer Is Always Yes, covers heavy topics like heartbreak, discrimination, gentrification and some good ole s—t-talking, because every song is delivered with the signature wit and joyous guitar riffs Lahey has become known for. From the first lines of album opener “Good Times” (“everyone’s a bit f–ked up, but they think they are okay”) to the hilarious “You’ll Never Get Your Money Back” (“I just got the letter you shouldn’t have sent/ You said a lot of s–t, but still owe me rent”), every track feels anthemic and is impossible to get out of your head. — TAYLOR MIMS

After releasing an album as critically lauded as her debut Collapsed in Sunbeams, Arlo Parks set the bar as high as possible for her follow-up — yet, somehow, My Soft Machine managed to clear it with ease. This wistful, wide-ranging album about the trials and tribulations of her 20-something years lets Parks play around with her sound, delving into more dance-fueled motifs on album standouts like “Weightless” and “Devotion.” My Soft Machine is the ascendant singer-songwriter’s proof of concept that she’s only going further up from here. — STEPHEN DAW

Avalon Emerson is best known for her prowess as a DJ, and for releasing her own room-galvanizing electronic productions. But she told Pitchfork that her musical ideal “is a Cocteau Twins record, things that are soft and beautiful.” That’s certainly a fitting description of this year’s Avalon Emerson & the Charm, a handsome, soothing album shot through with chiming guitars and serene washes of synthesizer. The best songs are gently euphoric — like “A Vision,” where she pushes for respite as the bass squiggles playfully beneath her. “I know the race, it makes you tired,” she sings. “Couldn’t it just let up for a while?” — ELIAS LEIGHT

The Record; The Tour; The Film: everything the trio of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus have put out related to their debut studio album this year has sounded casually definitive, and for good reason. While their first EP five years ago felt like magic in a bottle — quickly assembled, creatively alchemical, almost too good to be true — the record shows off not a winking supergroup but a straight-up solid rock band, still comprised of distinct individuals (see the three lead singles, each a perfect reflection of its lead singer’s essence) but buzzing with the energy and clear point of view of an artistic team that’s more than “strong enough” to last. — REBECCA MILZOFF

In this 18-track set, which includes collaborations with Camilo, Pablo Alborán and Ángela Aguilar, Carin León fuses traditional Regional Mexican with soul, flamenco, pop and salsa melodies, marking a new musical era “in all aspects, especially in my way of thinking,” he told Billboard. Titled after the Mexican analogy of a milk tooth, the album’s concept represents that sometimes we may think we are experienced in life, but unexpected events can quickly change our perspective. The set earned León his first top 10 entry on any Billboard albums chart, bowing at No. 10 on the Top Latin Albums chart and No. 5 on Regional Mexican Albums. — JESSICA ROIZ

Caroline Polachek’s long-awaited sophomore album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You is an ode to, well, desire. Equally so, it’s the singer’s way of manifesting it, willing it to overcome life’s inherent mundanity. A masterful follow up to 2019’s Pang, the album carries over the alt-pop singer-songwriter’s trademark vocal style, but pushes her work to even further embrace the playful lust that first established her solo stardom (via breakout hit “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings”). Fervorous like a prayer, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You builds upwards throughout — ending at its highest crest, “Billions,” which stands as monument to the bounties of burning desire: success, excess and pleasure. “Yeah my cup overfloweth,” she sings with a wink. — K.R.

It’s one of 2023’s most unexpected artistic pivots — or, it would have been if not for that eye-catching album title, which clearly shows something new is up with country hitmaker Chase Rice this time around. The album title is a lie (as revealed across the two partial title tracks), but the makeover is sincere: Rice has done away with the radio-ready gloss and safe hooks that made him a mid-’10s star, in favor of being more open in both his sound and songwriting. “Way Down Yonder” and “Bad Day to Be a Cold Beer” are still catchy and clever enough to be hits, but the production’s just a little dustier, the performance just a little more patient, the lyrics a little more detailed than past Country Airplay smashes. And then there’s album centerpiece “Oklahoma,” a heartfelt 7:38-long guitar epic that sounds like a potential signature song for an artist who’s somehow managed to totally change his handwriting a decade in. — A.U.

Ushering in his return to the spotlight, Daniel Caesar’s stellar third album refreshes the R&B scene with its balance of laid-back bops (“Valentina,” “Do You Like Me?” and “Disillusioned” with serpentwithfeet) and introspective ballads (“Let Me Go,” “Always,” “Cool”). The 15-song record reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and features Caesar’s signature stripped-back, bass-driven production paired with his peerless falsetto — making for the perfect soundtrack for a cool summer day. — CYDNEY LEE

Coming from of the titans of Afrobeats, Davido’s latest album is a masterpiece of the umbrella genre, incorporating Afropop, dancehall, high life, amapiano and hip-hop into the mix for a statement project that is arguably the finest of his career. The textures and production tie the album together and make it flow seamlessly through its milieu of styles without any feeling out of place. There are moments of true beauty as well, like on the Morravey-assisted “In the Garden,” “Na Money” with The Cavemen and Angélique Kidjo and the standout “No Competition” with Asake. It is, simply, the most accomplished Afrobeats album of 2023 thus far. — DAN RYS

Though the status of his long-awaited Astroworld follow-up Utopia remains unknown, Travis Scott and his Cactus Jack label aren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet on their mainstream takeover, as proven by the release of Don Toliver’s Love Sick. Armed with slick hooks and syrupy melodies, Love Sick finds Toliver dishing out amorous advances to his queen Kali Uchis on “4 Me,” putting a spin on Beenie Man and Mya’s 2000 collaboration “Girls Dem Suga,” while the burst of nostalgia continues when Don tags in R&B legend Charlie Wilson for “If I Had.” Love Sick was a much-needed wintry mix of pain and passion for the frigid months of ‘23. — CARL LAMARRE

In his first solo effort since launching Durand Jones & The Indications, Jones gives fans everything they’ve come to expect from gospel and soul to tenderly sung ballads and feet-pounding anthems. Jones’ vocal range is on full display with the exuberant “Lord Have Mercy” and the heart-wrenching “That Feeling.” Wait Til I Get Over is an intimate look at an artist – through untold love stories and tales about his hometown of Hillaryville, La., which was founded via reparations – who has been buttressed by a stellar band until this year, when he stood firmly on his own and delivered a collection of deeply-felt reflections of his lived experience. — T.M.

Much was made of Ellie Goulding calling Higher Than Heaven her “least personal” album, but by trading straightforward confessions for slick, textural dance pop and lyrical sweet nothings about dim lights and easy lovers, the U.K. star delivered one of her best (and most club-friendly) albums to date. Goulding’s singular delivery — indeed one of the defining voices of dance music over the last decade — serves as both centerpiece and through line over 11 tracks spanning synth-pop to nu-disco, which indeed altogether foster a sense of blissful dancefloor anonymity. — KATIE BAIN

The Mexican music group’s sixth studio album, a stunning guitar-driven production led by Eslabon frontman Pedro Tovar, is packed with hidden gems that might not seem like obvious hits (yet) but will definitely grow on you. Yes, the blockbuster “Ella Baila Sola” with Peso Pluma is included — but if you liked that one, you’ll probably want to listen to norteña-tinged cumbia “Quédate Conmigo” with Grupo Frontera, the cathartic sad sierreño “Me Decepcionaste” with DannyLux and “Tomando Tequila,” Eslabon’s groundbreaking collab with Jhayco. — GRISELDA FLORES

Longtime fans of The Knife were exhilarated by the first four songs of Karin Dreijer’s latest Fever Ray album, with their brother Olof joining them to re-create the steely, propulsive magic of the groundbreaking duo. Yet Radical Romantics is, first and foremost, a statement of purpose from a singular perspective: Dreijer’s songwriting, focused primarily on queer love and the complexities of adult connection here, speeds up into dance breaks and slows down into mournful dirges, but never loses the gravity of its audacious creator. — JASON LIPSHUTZ

“I have the motives to be the devil/ Of a b–ch life and bitter moments,” howls Jesús Ortíz Paz against a sinister corridos backdrop in “Mi Vecindario.” A grim look at the history of the chart-topping troupe from San Bernardino, Calif. — which was released within days of sibling set Sigan Hablando in the waning days of 2022, though both albums first reached the Billboard charts in 2023 — Pa Que Hablen shows how Fuerza’s no-holds-barred approach to songwriting makes it a force to be reckoned with. Through contemporary storytelling that displays the group’s devotion to the grind, the album equally showcases Fuerza’s party side (“Whisky con Agua”) and pays respect to its roots (“Igualito a Mi Apá”). Spanning banda, norteñas, cumbia and more styles, with a hip-hop flavor, Pa Que Hablen straddles Mexican tradition and street-oriented SoCal life, elevating its biculturalism with massive appeal. — I.R.

After giving fans a taste of her singular style with breakout 2022 single “Munch (Feelin U),” Ice Spice served a proper appetizer with her debut EP Like..?. She takes the rap throne on “Princess Diana,” flips a Diddy classic for her first Hot 100 hit with the Lil Tjay-assisted “Gangsta Boo,” and introduces phrases like “maddie,” “baddie friend” and “smoochie” to the pop culture lexicon, while breathlessly bouncing off RIOTUSA’s rollicking drill production. With Like..?, Ice Spice proves she’s not a one-hit wonder — not even a two-hit wonder — but rather, a ubiquitous hitmaker, one who has unsurprisingly continued to dominate 2023. — HERAN MAMO 

With this semi-surprise album, titled after his given name, Harlow successfully strips back some of the glitz and glamour that populated last year’s Come Home the Kids Miss You and trades it in for songs that yearn for a less polished lifestyle (“F–k buffing my nails, dawg, I’m tryna get buff,” he raps on “They Don’t Love It”). He grapples with the consequences of fame throughout, be it burnout from an overextended press run or the weightiness of how to navigate difficult relationships with both friends and family. With only one song eclipsing three minutes, it’s a brisk listen — but still yields him the opportunity to effectively flex his writing chops, with some of his most vulnerable work to date. — JOSH GLICKSMAN

Jelly Roll first hit Billboard’s charts as a rapper in 2011, but a dozen years later, his country album debut shows he’s bringing the same scorching honesty to Nashville. Whitsitt Chapel is a searing, often gut-wrenching, look at man’s fallibility and the search for redemption in a world where sinners outnumber saints. Jelly Roll laments on “Save Me” that he is “damaged beyond repair,” while he hopes for salvation on “Need a Favor” — even as he admits “I only pray when I ain’t got a prayer.” Legendary songwriter Harlan Howard famously observed that country music is about “three chords and the truth,” and it doesn’t get more real than Jelly Roll’s raw brand of country. — MELINDA NEWMAN

Longtime U.K. pop favorite Jessie Ware completes her pivot from soulful melancholy to dancefloor liberation on That! Feels Good!, an album that more than earns two exclamations points in its title thanks to the absurdly good vibes it delivers over 10 tracks of funky, lush disco. From the swirling rush of “Begin Again” to the luscious romance (for one night, at least) of “These Lips,” Ware deftly dances on the line separating wry camp and sensual earnestness. – JOE LYNCH

With Mercy, John Cale turns what could have been a passing lark of an album – underground rock forefather teams up with indie artists indebted to him – into a quiet yet vital assemblage of electronic soundscapes. When you consider his work with Lou Reed, Brian Eno, The Stooges and Patti Smith, it’s clear that Cale is the rare musical multi-hyphenate you would never accuse of being a chameleon. On Mercy, the 81-year-old demonstrates that his deft collaborative skills continue to draw fresh ideas out of others as he pulls them into his idiosyncratic orbit. – J. Lynch

Scaring the Hoes, the first collaborative release from JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown, has two different cover images: the streaming visual sends up the poster for the 1973 blaxploitation flick Sweet Jesus, Preacherman, while the Bandcamp version bears a photograph of then-President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un meeting. The dichotomy encapsulates the project’s disorienting, trollish swirl, where eclectic samples of classic soul, orchestral gospel and ’00s pop coexist uneasily with found-footage sound effects from old Nintendo commercials, cellphone notifications, and YouTube videos. It’s further evidence that rapper/producer JPEGMAFIA is among the most creative beatsmiths currently working, and the instrumentals underscore the absurdist verses he and Brown trade off: “First off, f— Elon Musk!” JPEG exclaims at the top of the album. “Eight dollars too much, bitch, that’s expensive.” — ERIC RENNER BROWN

Love may well be the most tired subject matter in pop music history, but Kali Uchis manages to bring an entirely new energy to it on Red Moon in Venus. Her romantic sophomore project studies the emotion as a jeweler studies a gem through their loupe; with precision and single-minded focus. Whether demanding to be treated right with Don Tolliver on “Fantasy,” or inventing entire relationships out of thin air on “Hasta Cuando,” Uchis speaks every love language fluently and beautifully on this moving project. — S.D.

An emotions-first album that narrates the Colombian star’s post-breakup journey, Mañana Será Bonito shines a light on a liberated-yet-vulnerable Karol G. With tracks like the empowered reggaetón anthem “TQG” with Shakira and the blissful “Mientras Me Curo del Cora,” the 17-track album covers many sides of Karol, while staying true to her sophisticated lyrics and bold musical palate. Along the way, Mañana Será Bonito also made history as the first fully Spanish-language album by a female artist to top the Billboard 200. — G.F.

Haitian-Canadian DJ/producer Kaytranada and Ethiopian-American rapper Aminé orchestrated the soundtrack of the summer with their clever 11-track collaboration, KAYTRAMINÉ. Aminé delivers charismatic and crude bars over Kaytra’s groovy, gleaming production — sampling everything from Busta Rhymes to Bollywood — making for a combination that’s refreshing as an ice-cold drink (pinkies up!) on a hot afternoon. Pharrell’s pulsating, lightweight hook and production assist on lead single “4EVA” and Amaarae’s pitched-up, scrumptiously snide verse on “Sossaup” stand out from the project’s star-studded features. Arriving almost a decade after Kaytra and Aminé’s relationship first flourished on SoundCloud, KAYTRAMINÉ proves that their musical blend has aged like fine wine. — H.M.

Bolstered by a braintrust from electronic music’s vanguard – Kaytranada, LSDXOXO, OCA, AceMo, Bambii, and more contribute production – Raven continues Kelela’s visionary exploration of the place where R&B and club music collide. Near-ambient passages connect slithering soul, brisk breakbeats, and pulsating low-end, as Kelela’s ethereal vocals adapt to each sonic setting. The 40-year-old musician has spoken about how, particularly in the wake of 2020’s mass protests regarding racism and police brutality, she wanted to use her new album to honor electronic music’s queer, Black lineage; here, she not only achieves that, but boldly pushes the genre’s rich history forward. — E.R.B.

You could say that Gag Order is the sound of Kesha learning to truly not give a f–k — about her haters, about top 40, about the legal mess that stole a half-decade from her career — but it’d be more accurate to say that it’s the sound of her reorienting the things she chooses to give a f–k about. Mainly, she sounds like an artist who’s lost too much time she’s not getting back to continue to chase anyone else’s idea of success: Instead, she’s gonna make stunning, confrontational, freaky-ass pop records with Rick Rubin about all the screwed-up s–t in her life and in her head. Gag Order was the least-surprising chart flop of 2023’s first half, but it’s still as much of a triumph as the Billboard 200-topping Rainbow — for captivatingly asserting a veteran pop artist’s right to follow their muse where it leads, and to simply instruct their audience to “get into it, or gеt the f–k out.” — A.U.

“Number one rule, get that money — man, I got this s–t from Dolph,” Key Glock raps into the opening minutes of Glockoma 2. In the process, the Memphis fixture confirms that, following the tragic death of his frequent collaborator Young Dolph and the musical tributes that followed, he was always destined to get back to work, keep his head down and grind out more Tennessee-honeyed bangers. Glockoma 2 is not particularly intense — Glock always operates with a relaxed flow — but remains unrelenting in its approach, hooks blending into verses and warm soul samples bubbling underneath the surface of Glock’s laser-focused chill. — J. Lipshutz

Khea’s ultra-personal Seratonina (his first studio album in three years) is the result of his very own battle with mental health, which included him disconnecting from his art and falling into severe depression during the pandemic. But thanks to his support system and understanding record label, the Argentine artist released a 13-track set that’s musically charged with R&B, salsa, and EDM fusions, and grounded in some weighty lyrical themes. “I was already distancing myself from this world … I really thought that one of the things that caused me to be like this was that I was no longer connecting with what my art said,” he told Billboard. “So this whole process also went beyond a search to grow personally, and it was rediscovering my musical self.” — J.R.

As the name implies, Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd reveals the deeper realities of the singer-songwriter’s personal life, making it being one of her most sincere and well-crafted albums to date. Arriving eleven years after debut album Born to Die, Del Rey’s Ocean Blvd excels in its self-referential postmodernism. She places her family at the set’s central axis and calls back to melodies, themes and images from albums past, with songs like “Taco Truck x VB” (weaving in elements of 2019’s “Venice B–ch,” and perhaps even callbacks to earlier favorites “Lolita” and “Radio”) and “Fingertips” (continuing stories begun in 2021’s Blue Banisters) further expanding her world-building. Ocean Blvd shows how Del Rey has her own distinct universe of songs, one that’s increasingly well-defined with each project and constantly building on top of itself. — K.R.

In 2022, Larry June played the role of spoiler to the A-listers when he became a main-event draw with his album of the year contender Spaceships on the Blade. Looking to evolve from his underdog days, June partners with producer The Alchemist for his biggest heist yet: The Great Escape. With venerated hip-hop vet Alch piloting the ship, June glides through songs like “Orange Village” and “Palisades, CA” with seamless precision. And when paired with fellow lyrical warriors like Big Sean, Action Bronson and Joey Bada$$, June relishes the challenge and punches in high-quality verses for his day-one fans. — C. Lamarre

It’s a shame that Lil Yachty’s press tour for Let’s Start Here ultimately clouded reception of the album with discourse about whether or not an album carries more artistic heft for being primarily rock-based rather than rap-based (of course it doesn’t). What we should have been talking about is how fun it is to have a veteran rapper making the leap into the fifth dimension; doing so not only with an all-star indie-psych supporting cast, but both the sonic scope and melodic instincts to make the trip convincing, even as a first-timer. Or we could have talked about how dope the the outro to “the BLACK seminole” is, how unshakeable the falsetto howls of “pRETTy” are, how random the total pop perfection of “drive ME crazy!” and “sAy sOMETHINg” feel amid all the warp-speed-jumping. Or we could have just talked about how good music rules, always, no further context needed. — A.U.

“My brain don’t go, One, two, three, four,” Dallas do-everything artist Liv.e explained to Vulture earlier this year that she learned of herself when trying to study music in school. That’s not surprising from a trip through Girl in the Half Pearl: a 17-track, 40-minute float down the winding path of Lake Psilocybin, where beats, lyrics, instruments and ideas flit in and out seemingly on their own whims, intriguing, tantalizing and frustrating before making way for the next turn. It’s intoxicatingly frenzied, but never totally out of control, and often completely spellbinding — like on the elliptical breakup epiphany “Find Out,” where the intro synth hook from “Da Rockwilder” blares like an alarm clock, or on the clubhound kiss-off “Wild Animals,” which even her junior high teacher would have to admit is a pretty damn good pop song. — A.U.

The companion to 2022’s Growin’ Up finds Combs further examining his move toward middle age, with opener “Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old” serving as the bridge between the two sets. Married and a dad now, Combs addresses the juggling act that is his life, as he expresses gratitude on songs like first single “Love You Anyway” and “5 Leaf Clover.” As he’s gotten older, Combs’ already stellar voice has adapted a little more of a rasp, which he uses to great effect on the bluesy “Fox in the Henhouse” and on his stellar cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” — M.N.

Price proudly branded herself with the title of her compelling 2016 debut album as a “Midwest Farmer’s Daughter,” but you’d need to have witnessed the hell-breaking-loose energy of her live shows to be properly prepped for Strays. Crediting her use of psilocybin mushrooms to quit alcohol and take a “mind declares Price’s wild and edgy fourth album features her declaring on opening track “Been to the Mountain” that she’s “going straight in the fire,” and then blazes through a 10-track musical “Change of Heart” that is both genre-defying and exhilarating. — THOM DUFFY

This young rock trio’s debut album wastes little time addressing the naysayers: “I’m a b–ch and my band is an industry plant/ Least that’s what it says on the internet,” frontwoman Edith Victoria sings on opener “Say It (To My Face).” As its tense-themed title suggests, the 30-minute project weaves together songs brimming with crunchy guitar licks and rambunctious choruses that feel at home both in the latest iteration of the pop-punk movement as well as the last — all while laying the foundation to experiment in every corner of the genre with future releases. — J.G.

It’s tempting to just spout stats when it comes to writing about Wallen’s third album: The 36-track extravaganza has spent the most weeks atop the Billboard 200 of any country album in 30 years and “Last Night” became the first song to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 and Country Airplay charts simultaneously.  But to do so would ignore the wealth of insanely grabbing songs on the set. Though it’s debatable whether anyone needs three dozen tracks in one sitting, the collection shows off Wallen’s agility as he nimbly tackles different styles on songs marked by their often clever wordplay. He easily glides from the poppy, toe-tapping title track to the retro, chugging “Everything I Love” to the introspective “Don’t Think Jesus” and shows off a range only hinted at on his previous two sets. — M.N.

Breaking through to wider cultural attention for their 2018 album You Will Not Die, South African singer-songwriter Nakhane was once associated with beautifully tragic songs, bathing their music in wistful emotions and somber songwriting. But with Bastard Jargon, Nakhane rejected the narrative that they created for themselves. Ping-ponging between sex, anger and ecstasy, Bastard Jargon revels in its own indulgence, letting the performer try their hand and whatever else they feel like exploring. Sure, that melancholy still breaks through (especially on standout single “Hold Me Down”), but Bastard Jargon thrives thanks to its diverse array of soul-affirming songs, redefining the expectations placed on its author bit by bit. — S.D.

Paramore didn’t blindly stumble into their longevity. From the Warped circuit to the rollicking guitar licks of “This Is Why,” the Tennessee-bred outfit have stuck around through so many musical and cultural eras because of their steadfast commitment to growing with the times. The band’s latest album harnessed the innumerable COVID-19-induced anxieties that continue to plague our collective consciousness and used them to anchor the trio’s own reflections on their childhoods, their relationship to change, and the possibilities of progress. Whether they’re dissecting the immobilizing nature of toxic relationships (“Liar”) or finding peace in accepting their most annoying habits (“C’est Comme Ça”), Paramore spends This Is Why filtering the messiness of contemporary life through their own new wave-tinged glasses. –KYLE DENIS

The product of an equally hellish and transformative experience at her former label, Raye’s My 21st Century Blues is a kaleidoscopic vision of pop music’s potential in 2023. The British singer-songwriter’s gorgeous debut album hurtles through several of her most formative influences: There are nods to Amy Winehouse in the funk and blues-infused “The Thrill Is Gone,” while a righteous fusion of gospel melodies and secular quips powers “Buss It Down.” And, of course, there’s breakout single “Escapism,” which blends hints of boom-bap into a moody recollection of depressing nights on the town. Above all, RAYE’s debut LP is a stunning reminder of what happens when artists reclaim their voice and achieve true catharsis through their music. — K.D.

With “Friday” now a dozen years in the rearview, accidental teen phenom Rebecca Black has grown into one of adult pop’s most clever and creative purveyors. If you hadn’t noticed from her singles and EPs, full-length debut Let Her Burn makes it abundantly obvious: 10 tracks of smart, detailed and timely-but-not-trendy pop music, bursting at the seams with hooks and ideas and tied together with the nervy energy of an artistic voice determined to prove itself worth paying attention to. Most arresting might be heartbreaking closer “Performer,” a fragile ballad about getting stuck under layers of persona in a relationship (or maybe in a false-started music career): “Multiple versions/ Of the same person/ All of them hurtin’/ Don’t think the performance is workin’.” — A.U.

Though boasting a lead single in “Unholy” that flaunted radio conventions and still topped the Hot 100 (making Smith and featured act Kim Petras the first nonbinary and trans artists, respectively, to top the chart), Gloria is more introspective than exhibitionist. Sam Smith grapples with their identity and celebrates their sexuality over an assured, smooth mélange of soul-pop, with occasional flourishes of disco (“I’m Not Here to Make Friends”), dancehall (“Gimme”) and even church choir music (“Gloria”). – J. Lynch

The second LP from U.K. live electronic artist SG Lewis, Audiolust & Higherlove is a concept album exploring what Lewis himself called “the darker, lusty, infatuated, short-lived and ego-driven version of love” — and then, starting with track nine, “a much deeper, actualized and fulfilled version of love.” Both frameworks function equally well, with Lewis delivering 15 tight, slick, urgent and often very cool productions that weave in yacht rock influences with the occasional floor-filling jam (check the eight-plus-minute “Epiphany”), and altogether emphasize that dance music can be simultaneously sophisticated and fun. — K.B.

Skrillex came hot out the gates in the new year, releasing a litany of singles starting in early January that all eventually landed on February’s extremely buzzed-about Quest for Fire. The album got a release party for the ages via a series of surprise b2b2bs with Four Tet and Fred again.. over the course of the week in New York City, culminating in a sold-out, five-hour Madison Square Garden show. Skrillex has always been divisive, and both this LP and its showy rollout had its predictable haters, but did the music live up to all this hype? Certainly: Lead single “Rumble” is a frontrunner for biggest dance song of the year, while the rest of the album is a textural, often thrilling, sometimes challenging collection of tracks that showcase the current sounds of electronic music, a crew of very of-the-moment collaborators and the latest phase of Skrillex’s own singular creative trajectory. — K.B.

Nigerian DJ and producer Spinall has put together a number of compilation albums in the past decade, but Top Boy might just be the best of them. Having rolled out singles slowly yet steadily for the last few years, Spinall presents a collection here that includes moments of real magic — like on the Adekunle Gold track “Cloud 9” and the Asake collaboration “PALAZZO,” both earlier standouts. But this isn’t just a compendium of hits — each track brings something new to the table, with star turns from Stefflon Don, BNXN and Olamide rounding out a solid production. — D.R..

Summer Walker’s biggest hits may come from what she refers to as “Auto-Tune-packed radio joints,” but, more often than not, her best songs come from her stripped-down sessions. Clear 2: Soft Life, sequel to her 2021 Clear EP, finds Walker expanding her Erykah Badu influences into a vulnerable analysis of the state of contemporary Black romance. On “Mind Yo Mouth,” she deconstructs age-old advice that prioritizes the comfort of men over the self-expression of women, and “Hardlife” finds her encouraging solidarity amongst Black women in the face of intracommunal and intercommunal emotional abuse. Featuring a standout guest verse from J. Cole and some of her most heartbreaking melodies yet, Clear 2 is a stunning, self-assured statement from an artist who is unafraid of evolution. — K.D.

Tucker was her own tough act to follow with Sweet Western Sound, successor to her 2019 comeback set While I’m Livin’. But collaborating again with producers Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings, in her husky, twanging alto, Tucker lives up to that Grammy-winning set’s standard with the nine classic country tracks here — not counting the voicemail poem “Tanya,” from the late Billy Joe Shaver, which opens the album on a sweetly emotional note. Carlile shares writing credits and vocals with Tucker on the lead single “Breakfast In Birmingham,” an imagery-rich love song from the open road. With Sweet Western Sound, Tucker has once more created an album that is reflective, wise and wonderful. — T.D.

Glow is proof that the U.K. indie artist Wesley Joseph is a jack of all trades — and also a master of all. He sings, raps, produces and creatively directs nearly all of his music and visuals, and while the newcomer is still forging a path in the American music landscape, he has earned a spot on this list due to his precision and ability to effortlessly weave through genres like hip-hop (“Cold Summer”), dance (“Sugar Dive”) and alt-R&B (“Light Light”). “The feeling the record gives is almost like a warm glow in the darkness,” Joseph accurately summarized to Billboard about the set earlier this year. — C. Lee

Yves Tumor wields the tools of ’80s post-punk — guitar chopping like rusty hatchets, bass chugging in long lines — with vicious effectiveness on this rousing album. Its title may be ungainly, but the songs land like a jab to the throat, summoning the fire-breathing spirit of Public Image Ltd. Nothing here is more potent than “Operator,” which ratchets up tension until exploding into chants of “be aggressive, be-be aggressive.” “Fear Evil Like Fire” is breathless and adrenalized, while the buzzing “Lovely Sewer” races toward a dire warning: “You’re always so fly/ But you can’t start a war just for the feeling.” — E.L.