Top 10 Albums of 2022

Alright, here it is. My top 10 albums of 2022. And before I get canceled, I’m only ranking albums that I feel like I know quite well. For example, I loved SZA’s album, but I haven’t listened to it enough to give it a proper ranking. Okay, cool, now that I’ve covered my bases let’s get into this.

** Before we get into this, I would like to do some honorary mentions for albums that didn’t quite make my top 10, but I still loved:

Can You Afford to Lose Me - Holly Humberstone

Wet Leg - Wet Leg

Being Funny in a Foreign Language - The 1975

Last Night In The Bittersweet - Paolo Nutini

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10. Surrender - Maggie Rogers

It feels like this album came out so long ago, but in reality, it came out in July. It’s one of the albums on the list that I’m least familiar with, but there were a few stand out songs.

First, “I’ve Got a Friend” sent me spiraling. I love when artists include talking at the beginning or the end of the song, and that’s exactly how this song starts and ends. It makes the song come alive.

“What it’s like to see the world with someone who / Is excited by everything / Fashion sense of a king living in the fifteenth century,” describes my best friend to a T. This whole song feels like an ode to my best friend, which is fitting considering the title.

“That’s Where I Am,” is another favorite from the album. It was a staple on my summer playlist. Even though the song is upbeat, I found a lot of myself in this song that didn’t make me feel quite so upbeat! Maybe hindsight will make this song less of a punch in the gut, but for now I’ll just take the song as it is.

“I told you I loved you when we were just friends / You kept me waiting and I hated you then / Gave it a few years, you settled your debts.” I mean, come on.

The last thing I want to say about this album is that it reminds me of a very odd time of my life. Not a bad type of odd, but I just can’t listen to it all the time. So, don’t hate me if this was your #1 album of the year.

Listen to Surrender.

9. Burn the Empire - The Snuts

An indie rock band from the UK. What else do I have to say? Originally, I found The Snuts through Louis Tomlinson because they opened for Louis during a leg of his world tour. Louis also said their record was one of his current favorites, so naturally I had to listen. And I loved it.

Indie rock is such a fun genre. It’s not too overwhelming, but it still has the original rock charm. Burn the Empire focuses on political corruption, dependency on technology, and quite literally burning the empire. Accompanying the rock tunes is a ribbon of hope weaved throughout the tracks.

My favorite song from the album has to be “Zuckerpunch.” This song is great for Shein and fast fashion haters (me). With lines like “All your clothes from sweatshops / And their saviour is your labour / Social handcuff enslavement,” this is a blatant call-out to the insane culture that is fast fashion (among other things). As the song goes on, it hits on the dependency we have on technology and social media, “It’s tweet this, snap that.”

Another favorite is “Hallelujah Moment.” It’s an upbeat feel-good song. It veers off the message of the album, but if you made an album about all the shitty things in the world it would get pretty heavy. So, this is a nice little break in the album. I wasn’t going to mention this song, but I’m listening to the album as I’m writing, and “Knuckles” must be mentioned. “Kind of like when you fight your way out, show me your knuckles, baby.” Slayed.

Listen to Burn the Empire.

8. emails i can’t send - Sabrina Carpenter

I’m not going to lie; I didn't really think I would like this album when it came out. I was never Sabrina Carpenter’s biggest fan. I never watched any of the Disney shows she was in and really did not like the song “Skin.” (I realize now that I was too loyal to miss Olivia Rodrigo). But after listening to emails i can’t send I realized something: if there’s a breakup album written about Joshua Bassett I will be in the front row.

So, emails i can’t send made me love Sabrina. In fact, I’m going to see her this spring in concert, and I am so very excited to hear this album live.

Honestly, starting an album with the words, “It’s times like these I wish I had a time machine / So I could see what you did October thirteenth / At 10:15, were you really asleep? / Were you lying to me and the family?” is insane, and I love it (and not only because on October 13th at 10:15 I was in the same room as Harry Styles).

“emails i can’t send” and “skinny dipping,” are my two favorites from the album. The titular song is the lead song on the album, and every single word is like a slap to the face. “When I’m forty-five, someone calls me their wife / And he fucks our lives in one selfish night / Don’t think I’ll find forgiveness as fast as mom did.” I wish you all could’ve seen my face the first time I heard those lines.

To my core, I am a “skinny dipping” stan. I love how the lyrics in the verses feel like they are constantly trying to catch up to the beat. It feels like running into someone you used to know and trying to catch up. But it’s a little bit awkward. And you both don’t really know what to say. And there’s a lot of rambling.

This is the perfect pop album to just chill to. Whether I was doing homework, in the shower, or just walking around campus this album was on repeat for a couple of weeks.

Listen to emails i can’t send.

7. 5SOS5 - 5 Seconds of Summer

Another day, another boyband. No one is surprised. But funnily enough, I didn’t really get into 5SOS until this album. 19 songs of pure bliss. It’s the perfect album for that first day of spring when the temperature is above 55 degrees, and the sun is shining.

None of my friends really listen to 5SOS, except for one (shoutout Jenna <3). So, I didn’t really get to talk to anyone about this masterpiece.

Choosing only a few favorites from this album is hard. But without a doubt, my favorite song from this album is “Bleach.” I can’t even give a specific reason (besides the fact that Luke Hemmings has the voice of a literal angel) of why it’s my favorite, but it scratches my brain in a perfect way. “It’s so hard to watch everythin’ I want / Everythin’ I want is spillin’ down the drain,” repeating to end the song always gives me goosebumps.

My other favorite is the second least streamed on the album according to Spotify, which hurts my feelings. “Emotions” deserves more respect than that. 5SOS has the innate talent of creating really relaxed yet up-tempo beats while singing the most heart wrenching lyrics you’ve ever heard.

5SOS5 was a breath of fresh air. I love you, Ashton Irwin. That is all.

Listen to 5SOS5.

6. Midnights - Taylor Swift

I KNOW. I know this album is probably not as high on my list as you would think. I love Taylor Alison Swift. And I love this album. But there were too many good albums this year that I just simply liked more than Midnights. I’m sorry.

This is one of three albums I stayed up until midnight to listen as soon as it was released. Me and my two best friends ate brownies with icing as Taylor tore our hearts out and stomped on them. The gasp when we heard “Meet me at midnight” was audible.

What to even say about this album. God. Taylor Swift is the closest thing to God in the music industry. I genuinely cannot think of anyone else who has stayed relevant for so many years and albums.

My favorite song from the album has to be “Mastermind.” Something about Taylor is that she’s going to write a bridge that gives you goosebumps every single time. This bridge alone is in my top three bridges in the Taylor Universe.

“No one wanted to play with me as a little kid / So I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since / To make them love me and make it seem effortless / This is the first time I’ve felt the need to confess / And I swear / I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian / ‘Cause I care.”

I’m so afraid of her, but in the best way. Especially after she dropped seven more songs at 3 A.M. She is truly insane. And don’t even get me started on “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve.” “God rest my soul, I miss who I used to be / The tomb won’t close, stained glass windows in my mind / I regret you all the time.” John Mayer, count your days.

I could genuinely talk about this album forever, but I’ll leave you with my other favorites from the album: “You’re On Your Own Kid,” “High Infidelity,” and “Bejeweled.” See you in the summer, Taylor!

Listen to Midnights.

5. Everything To Everyone - Reneé Rapp

Ask yourself the question: What can’t Reneé Rapp do? She was Regina George in the Broadway musical, Mean Girls. She is lesbian icon Leighton Murray in HBO’s Sex Lives of College Girls. And in real life she is a bisexual icon giving us some of the most gut wrenching music we’ve ever heard.

When her first song, “Tattoos,” came out I listened to it on repeat for weeks. Sadly, that song is not in the EP, but I’ve been a fan of Reneé since song one.

The EP starts out with a catchy, one minute intro. It’s breathy and fresh and captures Reneé’s style perfectly.

“In The Kitchen,” was a single and when it came out my roommate (shoutout Zoee) and I went absolutely feral. The beginning of the chorus gets me every time: “But now it’s just me / And a hundred square feet of bittersweet memories / Deleted the playlist / But I still hear all your favorite melodies / Strangers, to lovers, to enemies.”

Another one of my favorites is “What Can I Do,” which tells the story of Reneé being in love with her friend who has a boyfriend. “I know all about you, all your favorite things / I listen to your stories, all your wildest dreams / And you go on for hours, say he’s not what you need / You know you’re too good for him, but if it were me, I’d give you everything.” She really gave the LGBTQ+ community an anthem with this one.

I’m excited to see what the future holds for Reneé. I’m calling it now; she’s the next big thing in music.

Listen to Everything To Everyone.

4. Stick Season - Noah Kahan

I was late on the train for this album. I listened to a few Noah Kahan songs before this album came out, but it was never anything too serious.

I did an album listen the day after Stick Season came out and then waited about a month to actually dive into the album. Maybe it was because Taylor’s album dropped a week later, and I didn’t really have time to appreciate Noah’s album yet. Who knows.

This album has no skips for me. It’s rare that I find an album that doesn’t have at least one song that makes me immediately skip. This album feels like if indie, folk, and a splash of country music had a love child. And it’s amazing.

It’s the perfect amount of angst. And if you know me, you know I love angst.

The album starts out guitar heavy and simple with “Northern Attitude.” With lines like “If I get too close / And I’m not how you hoped / Forgive my northern attitude / Oh, I was raised out in the cold,” it’s hard to not fall in love with Noah’s storytelling.

My favorite song on the album is “She Calls Me Back.” That was the song that made me go back to the album and listen to it. The song starts out slow and then steadily gains momentum until it hits the punchy chorus.

“Does it bite at your edges? / Do you lie awake restless? / Why am I so obsessive? / Hanging onto every sentence / This town’s the same as you left it / Your page was blank, but I read it / I still dial 822-993-167.” No notes.

I managed to snag tickets to his sold out show in Columbus, and I am so so so excited to scream this album with the crowd.

Listen to Stick Season.

3. five seconds flat - Lizzy McAlpine

Alright, here we go!!!! Top three!!!!!!!

Lizzy McAlpine. My sad girl of the year. Last semester I worked at an arena as a janitor of sorts, so I had lots of free time to listen to music. This album got me through every shift.

To me, Lizzy exists in the world of Gracie Abrams, Phoebe Bridgers, and Maisie Peters. My sad girl queens.

To start an album with a song like “doomsday” is unhinged. And I love an unhinged moment. With this bridge, “It was so quiet / No friends and family allowed / Only my murderer, you, and the priest who told you to go to Hell / And the funny thing is I would’ve married you / If you’d have stuck around / I feel more free than I have in years / Six feet underground,” it’s hard to not fall head over heels for the album. “doomsday” lays the groundwork for the album: knowing the relationship is toxic and already doomed, but still having to live through it.

My favorite song from the album is “ceilings.” It’s about being delusional. So fitting. The song ends with the verse, “But it’s not real / And you don’t exist / And I can’t recall the last time I was kissed / It hits me in the car / And it feels like the end of a movie I’ve seen before, before.”

A standout song from the album is “chemtrails.” The song touches on the passing of Lizzy’s father in 2020. It’s a beautiful tribute to her father and gives us a glimpse into the unspoken grief of losing a parent.

“I moved out, and I made some new friends / Sometimes when I shout, it feels like no one hears it / And there are some days when I think that, somewhere, you’re watching / As I grow up without you / I miss it, I miss you.”

Lizzy cements herself into the sad girl universe with an album full of songs that make you want to tear your hair out strand by strand. I’m seeing her in April with one of my friends (shoutout Laura), and I can’t wait to cry to every song.

Listen to five seconds flat.

2. Faith In The Future - Louis Tomlinson

Louis William Tomlinson. This was the album I was most excited for this year. And I was not disappointed.

This album is the perfect mix of pop and punk and rock. Louis has found his style, and it’s evident in the way this record sounds.

Every song has a personal story weaved in, but still maintains a certain type of ambiguity that allows the listeners to mold the song to their own lives.

To me, that’s always the tell of a great album. With lines like “I’ve been wonderin’ about what you’re up to / Not for the first time / Not for the last time,” in the song “Saturdays,” and “I’m on my way with some time to borrow / If every star is an eye in the sky / You’ll see angels fly,” in “Angels Fly,” Louis cements himself as a quality songwriter.

My best friend and I stayed up for this one. We had just gotten back from a Sun Room concert and ordered a pizza and by time we knew it, it was midnight. I cried during the first listen. Honestly, if you stay up until midnight for an album and don’t cry that’s concerning.

My favorite song from the album is “She is Beauty, We Are World Class.” The name itself is just gorgeous. With lines like “Are we one, or are we two? / Are we me, or are we you?” and “Escape the inevitable / Fade into light / Soak up the empathy / ‘Cause I’m with you tonight,” it’s easy for this funky song to be a standout.

I could genuinely talk about every single song in detail, but all you need to know is that my other favorites are “Angels Fly,” “Holding On To Heartache,” and “Lucky Again.”

Tickets for Louis’ second solo world tour went on sale the day after his album came out. He has three dates in Ohio (I swooned), and my best friend and I managed to get tickets to his Columbus and Cincinnati show. So, if anyone wants to rock out with me, my best friend, and Louis Tomlinson under the moon and stars, feel free to check out the album and get tickets!

1. Harry’s House - Harry Styles

#1. The crowd cheered. No one is surprised. Best album of the year. Hands down. No competition. No notes.

God, this album. I genuinely do not even know how to begin describing what this album means to me. (For a more professional review, you can read my Harry’s House album review).

My best friend (shoutout Margaret) and I made a cake for the occasion. We cut out little pictures of Harry and stuck them on toothpicks to put on the cake. We made a strawberry cake because of Margaret’s adoration of the fruit and also the iconic Coachella outfit Harry wore that April.

Around 11 at night, we got in my car and drove around the lake that’s close to my house and listened to Fine Line one more time before we got the new album. It was bittersweet. I’m sure I’ll write a piece about how much Fine Line means to me, but it was hard to let go of that album and embrace a new one.

We debated recording ourselves the first time we listened, but I never liked doing that because it makes the reactions seem less genuine. I’m glad we didn’t, although I would pay good money to see a video of our reaction the first time we heard “Matilda.”

This is the perfect album for any occasion. Do you want to go for a walk? Listen to Harry’s House. Do you want to drown yourself in the shower? Listen to Harry’s House. Do you want to drive with the windows down? Listen to Harry’s House.

I have two favorite songs from the album, and I’d genuinely rather walk into oncoming traffic before picking one over the other. “Satellite” and “Matilda” are my two superstars.

“Satellite” starts slow and gains speed as Harry sings about waiting for someone. We’ve all been there, yeah? Towards the end of the song, there is an insanely synth, sick beat. At his shows, Harry does the “Satellite tippy taps” where he hits every single beat, and it is the most entertaining thing to watch.

Going into the album, I didn’t have any hopes for “Satellite” because I thought the name was dumb. There, I admitted it. But thankfully Harry never led me astray.

“Matilda” is one that makes me tear up every single time I hear it. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, there will be tears forming in my eyes. I’m sure I’ll also be writing a piece about the significance of “Matilda.”

The lines that get me the most are “You don’t have to be sorry for leaving and growing up,” “You can see the world, following the seasons / Anywhere you go, you don’t need a reason,” and “You can start a family who will always show you love.” I cannot wait to write more about this song because it honestly deserves an entire article on its own.

Harry inducted Stevie Nicks into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, (for the second time. I love you, Stevie Nicks) and in his speech he said something that hit home for a lot of Harry’s own fans.

“However you feel or want to feel, there is a Stevie Nicks song that will meet you there. Each song is a dance, it’s an emotional ballet, it’s a letter to a lover or friend, and every single year she gains more momentum,” Harry said.

That’s what Harry’s House feels like to me. It feels like home. It was a no brainer #1 album of the year.

Listen to Harry’s House.

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So, there you have it! My top 10 albums of the year. Let me know if you agree or disagree. Let me know your top 10 or 5 or 2 or whatever you want. I’m always available. Thank you for reading!

Loads of Love,

Lauren