Top 10 Albums of 2023
- laurenmox12
- Jan 4, 2024
- 22 min read
Updated: Jan 30, 2024
Another year passed is another year of artists creating life altering music for us to dive into. As I was looking back at all the albums released this year, I was taken aback by how big my list had gotten. As someone who measures time by album releases, I forgot how long a year really was. A lot of these albums got me through good times, tough times, and weird times.
As always, let’s start with the honorable mentions.
1989 Taylor’s Version by Taylor Swift (considering Taylor’s rereleases honorable mentions since they only had a handful of new songs).
The vault songs on this album are my favorite group of vault songs. They are all so insane in the best way. I listened to “Is It Over Now?” so much that it was in my top 10 songs of the year. The album was released on October 27, and Spotify Wrapped came out on November 29. The entire song had me so gagged. Sorry Harry, but Taylor ate you up with this one.
Favorite lyrics from the vault:
- And did you think I didn’t see you? / There were flashing lights / At least I had the decency / To keep my nights out of sight / Only rumors ‘bout my hips and thighs / And my whispered sighs / Oh, Lord, I think about / Jumping off of very tall somethings / Just to see you come running / And say the one thing I’ve been wanting / But no – “Is It Over Now?”
- You part the crowd like the Red Sea / Don’t even get me started – “Now That We Don’t Talk”
I’ve always loved this album, but the vault songs weren’t my absolute favorite. I really loved “Castles Crumbling” with Hayley Williams (I’m looking at you, Emilie Keiser Hausch) and “I Can See You.”
This album is so nostalgic and I’m going to be so annoying when I say it didn’t hit the way it did when it first came out. It felt very emotionless which makes sense considering there’s a 13-year difference between the original and Taylor’s Version. The production was also so crisp it almost sounded robotic. But don’t get it twisted, Speak Now Taylor’s Version still ate it up.
Favorite lyrics from the vault:
- And you don’t want to know me / I will just let you down / You don’t wanna know me now – “Castles Crumbling”
- I’ll get your longing glances, but she’ll get your ring / And you will say you had the best of intentions / And maybe I will finally learn my lesson – “Foolish One”
Since this is the deluxe version of the album that came out in 2022, this perfect album is being placed in my honorable mentions. This is one of my favorite albums of all time, so it hurts me to put her on honorable mentions, but she was on last year’s list.
Noah Kahan was created to make music for people from small towns who constantly feel guilty and a little bit out of place. His music calms me down in a way that very few albums can. I like to listen to this album before bed (along with folklore and evermore).
The song “No Complaints” really did me in. It’s one of my favorite Noah songs. I remember the first time he posted a snippet of the song on TikTok. From the lyrics that he posted, I could tell this song would do irreversible damage to my psyche. And I was right!
Noah’s folky storytelling is so compelling. He creates such a world with his words that is a rarity among today’s artists. I love him dearly.
Favorite lyrics from the deluxe songs:
- Yes, I’m young and living dreams / In love with being noticed and afraid of being seen / But I can finally eat, and I can fall asleep / It’s fine, fine, fine – “No Complaints”
- So, pack up your car, put a hand on your heart / Say whatever you feel, be wherever you are / We ain’t angry at you, love / You’re the greatest thing we’ve lost – “You’re Gonna Go Far”
- I ain’t proud of all the punches that I’ve thrown / In the name of someone I no longer know – “Dial Drunk”
I had a two-week hyper fixation on this album towards the end of summer. The first song on the album, “Positive Spin,” immediately drew me in. This album feels like junior high to me. I wish I could explain more, but it just feels like an album I would sing in the mirror of my childhood ocean themed bathroom.
Favorite lyrics from the album:
- It is wretched to know yourself – “Loving Somebody”
- So, embrace a new era / Settled in your skin / Easily the coolest / That you’ve ever been – “Positive Spin”
Okay, those are my honorable mentions. Let’s get into the real stuff.
10. Cuts & Bruises by Inhaler
I started listening to Inhaler this year and immediately fell in love with this album. I’m so weak when it comes to Irish musicians (see also: Niall Horan, Hozier, and The Academic), so I knew this album was going to be fun.
The indie rockers have moments of brilliance in this album, but it’s nothing cutting edge. It’s an easy listen, and I enjoyed it. I think a lot of time people think music must be completely life altering to be good, but contrary to popular belief, every song doesn’t have to be emotionally gutting or have some super deep meaning. This is a super fun album to jump around to in your room.
Some of my favorite songs from this album are “Love Will Get You There” and “If You’re Gonna Break My Heart.”
I really don’t have too much else to say about this album. It’s a great album for prancing around your house or going on a walk, but it’s not super deep. Which, as we’ve discussed, is totally fine. More than fine.
Favorite lyrics from the album:
- Settle into my cage / Until the wind blows me through – “Valentine”
- You think I love / What you do to me / I guess I’ll tell you what it feels like – “So Far So Good”
9. AURORA by Daisy Jones and The Six
Daisy Jones and The Six aren’t a real band? Then why did they make an album that’s better than most real bands can make? I need everyone to get so serious and believe me when I say this fictional band’s album is so scrumptious.
Every song feels so different, but they’re all inextricably woven together to tell an epic love/hate story from longing to angst to desperation to acceptance.
Daisy Jones and The Six is originally a book by Taylor Jenkins Reid (one of my favorite authors) that is loosely based off Fleetwood Mac. The interview-style book delves into the past of the band and the underlying tension that caused the band to split up after making one smash hit album. The book then got adapted into a television show starring Riley Keough (Elvis Presley’s granddaughter) and Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair). Both actors never had previous professional singing experience, but still managed to lead a fictional band with one of the best albums of the year.
As you could guess, this album mimics Fleetwood Mac’s style. That was an issue for some people, but I’m not one of those people. I’m in the majority of people who believe Rumours is one of the best albums ever made, so AURORA was a smash hit for me.
The two main characters, Daisy and Billy, manage to bring out the best and worst in each other. I don’t want to spoil anything if you haven’t seen it, but their delicate relationship is what makes the entire album so compelling.
I loved this album so much that “Look At Us Now (Honeycomb)” was my fifth most listened song in my Spotify Wrapped. Some of my other favorites from the album are “Please” and “The River.”
Sam's and Riley’s voices blend so easily together that it’s staggering to remember that neither of them were really singers prior to filming.
“Please” highlights Billy’s struggles with addiction. Nothing has happened yet, but Billy croons lines like “Merged with a terrible urge every night” and “Please, I’m down on my knees / I have a family / Please, it’s an awful disease / And it’s getting me.” It’s evident that there would have to be little temptation for him to cross the line.
Production wise, this song is simple. There’s a steady dynamic with a few guitars thrown in there for good measure. Sonically, it seems a little out of place on the album, but it makes the album a tad bit more complex.
Favorite lyrics from the album:
- I’m a slippage in the system, and I’m perfectly ready to strike – “Regret Me”
- If I follow you to the river / Send my blues out to the sea / Will you stay with me forever? / Will you chase me in my dreams? – “The River”
8. Good Riddance by Gracie Abrams
Gracie Abrams has to be one of my favorite nepotism babies. I love this album.
Does every song sound relatively similar? Yes. Am I still eating this album up? Absolutely.
This is another great album to listen to before bed or when you’re trying to wind down. My favorite thing about albums that have the same sound throughout is that I know what I’m getting myself into. It’s not like in Harry Styles’ self-titled album where it can go from the devastation that is “Ever Since New York” to the head banging, runway strutting “Kiwi.” Don’t get me wrong, I love albums like that, but can also appreciate an album like Good Riddance where I won’t be jerked awake by a fast-paced, in your face song.
The production is simple and is brought to life to Gracie’s wispy vocals and detailed, storytelling lyrics. You can see Aaron Dessner (producer and co-writer) in the album. This is a great thing. I adore Aaron Dessner; he’s like one of my uncles.
Gracie fits in the same category as Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, and Lizzy McAlpine. Sad, slow, soft indie/pop music with honest lyricism. As you can probably tell, I am a fan of this type of music. It doesn’t excite everyone, but there’s something in the shaky vulnerability of young women that makes me appreciate these types of singer-songwriters.
Some of my favorites from the album are “Right now,” “This is what the drugs are for,” and “Amelie.”
“Right now” doesn’t get the flowers she deserves. So, I’m here to give them to her. The angst dripping from this song is devastating. If you know me, you know I’m constantly eating up angst (see also: Lucas Scott and Peyton Sawyer).
With the angst, comes the guilt: “Am I losin’ my family / Every minute I’m gone? / What if my little brother / Thinks my leaving was wrong?” As someone who doesn’t have an interest of living in the same town as my family, these lines really dug themselves under my skin.
The homesickness for a place that isn’t even your home anymore, physically or metaphorically stands out in “Right now.” It really feels like Gracie was crawling around in my head when she wrote this song.
I truly don’t get homesick all that often, but the opening lines to this song, “Look at me, I feel homesick / Want my dog in the door / And the light in the kitchen / From the fridge on the floor / And the faint overhearing / Of my mom on the phone,” always feel heavy.
After the angst and the guilt, comes the light: “Left my past life on the ground / Think I’m more alive, somehow / I feel like myself right now.” Ah, the taste of the sweet acceptance that doing what’s best for you won’t always come with no strings attached.
Favorite lyrics from the album:
- I met a girl once / She sort of ripped me open / She doesn’t even know it – “Amelie”
- I’ll say whatever you want, but I’ve become such a liar – “Block me out”
- I still get emotional / When I think about your old house – “This is what the drugs are for”
7. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan, the woman that you are. One of her songs came on my Spotify Discover playlist last year, and I’ve been hooked on her ever since.
Chappell’s debut album is stunning. It’s surprising that this is her first album. It’s bubbly, bold, and striking. It’s an LGBTQ+ anthem album that is full of songs about experiencing sexuality at different points in life.
“I’ve stopped trying to impress the music industry and started trying to impress gay people,” Chappell said. Couldn’t have said it better myself!
“Pink Pony Club,” the first song released from the album, is inspired by Chappell’s experience going to a gay club and coming into her sexuality in her twenties. This synth-heavy track is the most popular on her album, with almost twice as many streams as any of her other songs.
Chappell grew up in a small town in the Midwest and got signed to a record label when she was 17. Coming from a small town in the Midwest usually comes with some sort of expectation, which the album explores: “Won’t make my mama proud / It’s gonna cause a scene / She sees her baby girl / I know she’s gonna scream / God, what have you done / You’re a pink pony girl / And you dance at the club.” I’m allowed to say that because I’m from a small town in the Midwest.
My favorite song from this album is “California.” It’s the perfect song for people who appreciate having four seasons (me). The song grows sonically as it gets to the bridge and there’s almost a sense of desperation as the song quiets back down during the bridge.
Chappell’s honest voice lilts out the last chorus, “Come get me out of California / No leaves are brown / I miss the seasons in Missouri / My dying town / Thought I’d be cool in California / I’d make you proud / To think I almost had it going / But I let you down.”
Favorite lyrics from the album:
- I hate that I let this drag on so long, now I hate myself / Hate that I let this drag on so long / You can go to hell – “Casual”
- Mean Girls, we watch it every night / And we both have a crush on Regina George – “Naked in Manhattan”
6. The Show by Niall Horan
Niall James Horan. One of my Baby Boys. 1/5 of The Boys. Pookie angel. Irish Princess. I love this man so much.
The Show was a fun, short, tight album with only 10 songs coming in at 30 minutes and 38 seconds. The deluxe didn’t have any new songs, just different versions of the same songs, a cover of Zach Bryan’s “Something In The Orange,” and a mash-up of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “If You Leave Me.”
An album chock-full of love songs is right up alley, so I knew this album would be great. Niall sings about a relationship that is stable, loving, and still surprising even though they’ve been dating for years. Amelia Woolley, you are a lucky girl.
The album feels like the love child of Niall’s previous two albums, Flicker and Heartbreak Weather. I love both of those albums so much. The Show is full of mellow pop with guitars, piano, and even harmonica. This album feels very Niall: light, heartfelt, and lively.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t hyper fixate on this album like I have on his others. Heartbreak Weather was my perfect no-skip album. My favorite kid. Heartbreak Weather is very much more my style, but I still loved The Show. (Okay, I’m looking at the track list for Heartbreak Weather, and there really is not a single skip. One of my favorite solo albums from one of The Boys).
Some of my favorite songs from this album are “Meltdown – Stripped” and “If You Leave Me.” The stripped-down version of “Meltdown” scratches my brain so perfectly. His voice is so delicate and calming. It feels like sitting by a campfire with an open sky. Niall is the epitome of a campfire song. One of my favorite phrases is “this too shall pass,” which appears in the song, so naturally this song is one of my favorites.
The opening of “If You Leave Me” is so funky that it immediately drew me in. Such a good song to dance around your bedroom to. The song flows perfectly and is the perfect kind of groovy. I hope one day I’m as in love as Niall is with his girlfriend because this album is just so lovely.
Favorite lyrics from the album:
- If you leave me / Hope you know that you’re sentencing me to a life on my knees / Don’t know who I would be – “If You Leave Me”
- Wantin’ your summer skin pressed on mine / Fallin’ like rain, ripplin’ on by / Supermoon watch it dance in your eyes / My wildest of dreams, takin’ on a new life – “On A Night Like Tonight”
5. Unreal Unearth by Hozier
This album lights something up in my chest that no other album can. Unreal Unearth weaves a devastating tale about Hozier’s experiences during the pandemic. He took them and twisted them into a 14th century story. This album is told through the lens of Dante Alighieri’s famous poem, Inferno; the poem highlights Dante’s journey through the nine circles of Hell. What a brilliant theme for an album.
Do you know how insanely talented you must be to do something like that? Hozier is so intelligent which makes his music that much better.
I read a really cool article that goes more in depth about how Hozier incorporated Dante’s poem into the album that is more articulate than I could ever be.
The first time I heard this album, I listened to it for three days straight and didn’t listen to any other artist. Hozier’s ability to write the most devastating lyrics honestly needs to be studied. “The last time I felt your weight on my chest, you said, ‘We didn’t get it right, but, love, we did our best’” from “All Things End” and “Heaven is not fit to house a love like you and I” from “Francesca” are just a couple examples of this man’s marvelous mind.
When you read or watch interviews with Hozier, you can immediately tell how important this man’s art is to him. It’s so inspiring to see artists who know and feel their art in a way that’s almost not comprehensible.
Some of my favorite songs from the album are “Damage Gets Done,” “Who We Are,” and “Abstract (Psychopomp).”
“Damage Gets Done” makes me want to go outside and skip down the sidewalk. It’s skipping personified. Brandi Carlile features always make me so happy. Give that woman her flowers.
“Who We Are” makes me yearn. Yearn for what? Literally anything to make me feel the way this song makes me feel. The song sounds so nostalgic to me. In an alternate universe this song was released when I was twelve years old, and I listened to it at least twice a day for ten years. That’s how it feels.
Hozier, kiss your brain for this album.
Favorite lyrics from the album:
- I remember the view, streetlights in the dark blue / The moment I knew I’d no choice but to love you – “Abstract (Psychopomp)”
- It ain’t the being alone / It ain’t the empty home, baby / You know I’m good on my own / Sha-la-la, baby, you know, it’s more the being unknown / And there are some people, love, who are better unknown – “Unknown/Nth”
4. GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo
GUTS wasn’t what I was expecting it to be, but I loved her. There is a stark difference between her first album, SOUR. Olivia’s second album flirts more with the rock genre than anything else.
This album was highly so highly anticipated, I can’t even imagine the pressure she felt to deliver. GUTS feels like watching Olivia grow up, and I think that’s the coolest thing to witness with young artists growing into their career.
I’ve been an Olivia stan since the first episode of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. In 2020, 4/5 of my top songs on Spotify Wrapped were Olivia songs from the show. In 2021, 3/5 of my top songs on Spotify Wrapped were from SOUR. So, I’ll defend this woman until the day I die (unless she says or does some wack ass shit).
My favorite songs on this album are “making the bed,” “all-american bitch,” and “the grudge.”
The first I heard “making the bed” I had to sit in silence afterwards. Every single word is like a knife to the chest, and it’s the Olivia song I feel in my bones the most. (besides “traitor,” of course!)
So many lyrics in “making the bed” make me to rip out every single hair in my head strand by strand. I’d love to share those lyrics with you:
“Every good thing has turned into somethin’ I dread / And I’m playing the victim so well in my head / But it’s me who’s been makin’ the bed”
“And I tell someone I love them just as a distraction / They tell me that they love me like I’m some tourist attraction”
THEY TELL ME THAT THEY LOVE ME LIKE I’M SOME TOURIST ATTRACTION. Are you all hearing this? This line makes me so ill. I have so many thoughts about it that I simply just can’t share. This song does not get the recognition it deserves, so I’m here to shine the brightest light on her.
“all-american bitch” is the same energy as Taylor Swift’s “The Man.” I scream it with an ironic smile on my face. This song is like if America Ferrera’s feminist speech in Barbie was a song. I’ll eat up a song about feminine rage any single day. When women get mad, it’s “that time of the month” (God forbid a man says the word “period”). When men get mad, they are strong. I could go on and on and on.
“All the time / I’m grateful all the time / I’m sexy and I’m kind / I’m pretty when I cry / Oh, all the time / I’m grateful all the fucking time / I’m sexy and I’m kind / I’m pretty when I cry,” Olivia quietly sings after screaming for twenty seconds straight. I love her mind. I love her. Fuck the patriarchy!
Favorite lyrics from the album:
- Yeah, I’m so tough when I’m alone, and I make you feel so guilty / And I fantasize about a time you’re a little fuckin’ sorry / And I try to understand why you would do this all to me – “the grudge”
- But I am my father’s daughter so maybe I could fix him – “get him back!”
3. the record by boygenius
Having an album with this many songs that are actually insane should be illegal. There’s a reason this album is up for Album of the Year at the Grammys.
The raw emotion pouring out of all three of their angelic voices during certain parts of songs is a critical piece of what makes the album so compelling. All great music comes from real emotion. For example, “We’re in Love” is one of my favorite songs on the album because of Lucy Dacus’ delivery.
Some of my other favorite songs (there’s a lot) are “Leonard Cohen,” True Blue,” “Cool About It,” “Not Strong Enough,” and “Emily I’m Sorry.”
“Leonard Cohen” had a little invisible string moment for me. When Harry was promoting Harry’s House, he used a Leonard Cohen song lyric from “Anthem” that stuck with me for a while.
“There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
In “Leonard Cohen” there are lyrics that say, “Leonard Cohen once said / There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.’” Hearing this song for the first time made me think of Harry. And the song ending with “I never thought you’d happen to me” is such a full circle moment.
“True Blue” always makes me think of Zoee. “And it feels good to be known so well / I can’t hide from you like I hide from myself.”
“Cool About It” is like how I felt for the last two years. “I’ll pretend being with you doesn’t feel like drowning / Tellin’ you it’s nice to see how good you’re doing / Even though we know it isn’t true.” Don’t recommend feeling like this. Boygenius, count your days for this one.
“Not Strong Enough” is another one that is like if someone came up to me and punched me right in the gut with no warning. The bridge to this song makes me see the angels and God. Mostly the angels, though. Always an angel, never a god!
This album means so much to me.
Favorite lyrics from the album:
- When you moved to Chicago, you were spinning out / When you don’t know who you are / You fuck around and find out – “True Blue"
- And I’ll be feeling lonely, so I’ll walk to karaoke / Sing the song you wrote about me, never once checking the words / I hope that no one sings along, I hope that I’m not a regular – “We’re In Love”
- I don’t know why I am the way I am / There’s something in the static, I think I’ve been having revelations – “Not Strong Enough”
2. Snow Angel by Reneé Rapp
I have loved Reneé ever since I saw her lovely face on the HBO Max show Sex Lives of College Girls. And then she released “Tattoos,” and I knew I’d love her forever.
The lead single of the album was the titular track, “Snow Angel.” The second I heard it, I knew I was going to fall so in love with the entire album. Reneé wrote the song about a very traumatic experience and the emotion radiating through her graceful voice is enough to make anyone tear up.
Her album mixes a lot of genres while leaning towards R&B. She is not someone who labels her music as one genre, which I really respect. Why force yourself into a lane? Into a label? I’ve always had issues with labeling most things about myself. Why would I want to box myself in like that? Reneé feels the same way. I think that’s why I admire her as a person and artist so much.
I had a really cool moment where I got to be on a Zoom call with her while she answered questions about her album. Talking with her showed me how genuine of a person she truly is and how much her music means to her.
She called “Pretty Girls” one of her most devastating songs on the album even though the beat of the song suggests otherwise. “Pretty Girls” tells the story of the fetishization of bisexual women. “Tell me if you were gonna / That I would be the one you tried / So you inch a little closer / Say your boyfriend, he wouldn’t mind.”
Some of my favorite songs from this album are “Gemini Moon,” “I Hate Boston,” and “I Do.”
To me, “Gemini Moon” tells the story of never knowing exactly how you’re feeling or feeling a lot of contradictory things at once. This song is wrapped around every fiber of my being. It’s one of my favorites to scream in the car. “Never know who you’re gonna get / We’re in love or we never met” and “I bet you’re sick of it / Believe me, so am I / Always the problem kid, I could never pick a side” are two of my favorite lyrics. As someone who has often mood changes, this song made me feel very validated and very much inside Reneé’s brain.
“I Hate Boston” is another cult classic in my car. It’s probably played every single time I’m in my car. My favorite lyric from this song HAS to be, “Family confrontation / Probably started ‘cause my name was mentioned.” We’ve all been there, yeah?
“I Do” is like the sister song of “What Can I Do?” I wish I could tell you my favorite lyrics, but every single lyric is so good it’s haunting that she went into my brain to write this. If you told me that 2022 Lauren Mox wrote this song I would believe you. Not because I can write good music (I can’t), but because it’s pretty much verbatim what was going through my head 24/7.
I lied; I will tell you some of my favorite lyrics from the song because I can’t not share. “We fall asleep on the couch, I refuse to move / ‘Cause it’s the only time that I’m ever sleeping next to you” and “When you go on and on about the things that you believe / Yeah, that’s the closest to God that I will ever be” takes the cake for my favorite lyrics, but trust and believe I’ll be adding another one at the bottom.
My favorite lyrics from the album:
- It’s like we’re both looking up, and I’m under a storm / And you’re seeing sky-blue / When we’re saying, “I love you” / I mean it a different way than you do – “I Do”
- I exist on a pendulum / Swingin’ high or swingin’ low – “Gemini Moon”
- Ah, just shut the fuck up! – “Talk Too Much”
And Lauren Mox’s favorite album of 2023 is………
1. The Good Witch by Maisie Peters
What an album. What a woman. What a mind.
This is one of my favorite albums of all time. Every single song is a masterpiece. Lyrically, Maisie Peters doesn’t miss.
I’ve been a Maisie fan since high school when “Feels Like This” was on my Spotify Discover playlist. That was in 2018. I finally saw Maisie in concert in August, and it was life changing. Hearing The Good Witch album performed live was such a fun experience. I went alone and had the time of my life.
This album is genuinely a no skip album.
There are so many types of love depicted in this album. Romantic, friendship, and unrequited. The three branches of government!
Let’s just get right into my favorite songs on the album. There’s quite a few. “Yoko,” “Wendy,” “History of Man,” BSC,” and “There It Goes.” There are a lot, I know, but give me a break it’s the album of the year.
“Yoko” came out on her deluxe album that came out on the same day as 1989 Taylor’s Version. That was a wonderful day for me and Zoee. “Yoko” is about Yoko Ono and how she “broke up The Beatles” (lies). Let’s blame the woman for the band full of men that split up, yeah sounds about right! There are several themes that mimic the message of “Yoko” (see also: “Wendy” and “History of Man”).
Some of my favorite lyrics from “Yoko” are “I gave you the answer, it was in all of the songs / Did you even listen to the playlist?” and “And Paul McCartney is not the villain / Sometimes you can’t be the hero and tell the truth / And you misunderstood me leaving as something I wanted / I didn’t want it at all / You should’ve put me above those people you didn’t even know / You have a phone you should’ve called.” The whole song is genuinely a masterpiece. The harmonies are so perfect. “Yoko” is my favorite Maisie song. So, you should listen to it. That goes for every song I’ve ever recommended.
“Wendy” has some lyrics that honestly left me gob smacked the first time I heard it. It tells the story of a girl waiting around for someone to love her back. It also hits on the big, scary thing that is changing yourself to stay with someone. “What about my wings? / What about Wendy?” is a line that haunts me at night. One of my biggest fears is not being able to have the freedom to pursue my life and this song kind of nails the anxiety inducing feeling of waiting for someone or being trapped in a relationship that clips your wings.
Some of my other favorite lyrics from this song are “And you’re pretty like a girl / ‘Til you’re vicious like a man,” “If I’m not careful, I’ll wake up and we’ll be married / And I’ll still flinch at the sound of the door,” and how could I ever forget this haunting bridge, “Take the hand and go with him / Be the clock that he watches / Wait until he gets bored and / Wanders back to the forest / Lose the world that you live in / Pretend that it’s what you wanted / It’s a life I could have, I know.” That last line sounds like such a surrender.
“History of Man” paints a portrait about heartbreak throughout history. Maisie mentions Jericho, Samson & Delilah, Easter Island, and Troy & Helen in her story about the historical events all revolving around the universal theme of heartache. This is another great song to angry scream in the car.
Some of my favorite lyrics from this masterpiece are, “She stays up, he’s sleeping like a lamb / She begs him, he says he doesn’t understand,” “He stole our youth and promised heaven / The men start wars yet Troy hates Helen / Women’s hearts are lethal weapons / Did you hold mine and feel threatened? / Hear my lyrics, taste my venom / You are still my great obsession,” and “I save you a seat, and then you say you wanna stand / So you’ll lose me, the best you’ll ever have.” Take a moment and let that sink in, I promise it won’t emotionally wreck you for days!
“There It Goes” is a song that makes me feel like the first warm day of spring. It’s all about a fresh start and coming alive again. This is one of my all-time favorite songs. The verses are so refreshing and filled with life as Maisie navigates the feeling of freedom you have when truly getting over something.
Some of my favorite lyrics from this gorgeous piece of art are, “I hang all my art and I dance with the coven,” “The universe is shifting and it’s all for me,” and “The witching hours of Stockholm that you won’t see.”
This album is truly so well produced and lyrically perfect. Maisie really did the world a favor by sharing her art with us. I love love love this album so much.
Favorite lyrics from the album:
- Loving you was easy, that’s why it hurts now / The worst way to love somebody is to watch them love somebody else and it work out – “Body Better” (I couldn’t write about this song because it is… Wow!)
- Still King’s Cross / And pulling heartbreak out of hats / Still argue like my mother and suppress stuff like my dad / Still miss you but I know now it’ll pass – “The Good Witch”
- I can write you out the way I wrote you in – "BSC"
Those are my favorite albums of 2023. I cannot wait to see all the art in store for us in 2024. Manifesting a Harry album in 2024. Yeah, I said it. Cheers xx
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