This is the tenth time I've sat in front of an empty page and tried to write an introduction to our list of the 50 best albums of the year.
I learned long ago that it's futile to try and encapsulate the varied creative ambitions of those who created these great works of art. Nor is it possible to encapsulate what these albums mean to us, what kind of emotional salve or pre-party excitement they've provided.
Given this is our tenth list, I feel it's worth going back to one sentence I wrote way back in December 2014:
"To anyone who thinks the album is dead, we implore you to sit down with any of these records and acknowledge the artistry of our modern performers."
Few would consider the global social and political landscape to be in better shape now than it was then.
Surely this means there's a greater need than ever for meaningful art to help us escape (like Barry Can't Swim did this year with When Will We Land?) or make sense of what's happening (like ANOHNI & The Johnsons did on My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross).
Thank you, as always, to any artist who created and shared any music at all with us this year. It takes courage and drive to do that, and the results always make someone's lives richer.
While it's harder to sustain a creative practice than ever right now, the work you do is truly of immense value, and you don't need to appear on any list to celebrate that.
– Dan Condon
Listen to the 50 best albums of 2023 on Double J from 9am AEDT. Tune in here.
50. Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
Dave Grohl is no stranger to grief. Nearly 30 years ago, Kurt Cobain's death spurred his transformation from Nirvana drummer to frontman of one of the biggest rock bands to ever do it. So, it seemed a particularly cruel fate when Taylor Hawkins – as crucial a presence to Foo Fighters as Grohl – suddenly died last year.
However, the question wasn't so much if Foo Fighters would soldier on, but how. The real surprise? The tragedy prompted Grohl and the band to sound more vital than ever on their strongest set of songs in ages.
From the roaring 'Rescued' to the shoegaze-y 'Show Me How' and closing cathartic one-two of 'The Teacher' and 'Rest', But Here We Are is a return to career-best form. – Al Newstead
49. Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure
'No, I'm not the same/I think I done changed' genre-and-gender fluid auteur Janelle Monáe proclaims at the outset of her first album in five years. Stripping away the sci-fi metaphors and messiah alter-ego of her previous work, Monáe sounds more direct than ever.
The Age Of Pleasure is a sweaty, 30-minute romp that merges the R&B-soul-funk fusion that's been their calling card with Afrobeat, reggae, dancehall, dembow beats and sex. Lots of sex.
In a year where parts of the USA were passing anti-drag legislation and diminishing LGBTQ+ and trans rights, Monáe's musical expressions of sexual freedom, self-love and joy was an act of empowerment. Are you down for the "freeassmuthaf**ka" party? – Al Newstead
48. The Murlocs – Calm Ya Farm
Being a big King Gizzard fan, I've kept a careful ear out across the years for anything The Murlocs release. Led by Ambrose Kenny-Smith, and also featuring fellow Gizz member Cook Craig, The Murlocs mine a far more confined musical turf compared to their higher profile band. And that turf is the rich Australian blues rock scene of the '70s.
It's in Ambrose's blood, being the son of the late Broderick Smith. And this seventh album from The Murlocs is one of their best, with those rhythms marching to their own beat, and that wonderful harmonica chugging away on many tracks. – Richard Kingsmill
47. Killer Mike – Michael
There's something irresistible about the way Killer Mike can deliver a verse. His sound, cadence and flow has made him one of the genre's most recognisable and respected voices. On his sixth solo offering, Michael, we witness a new stage of the artist's evolution.
At 48, he proves his words and messages are as sharp and relevant than ever. Similarly, his presence on the beat right throughout this record reinforces his dynamism as a performer. Killer Mike isn't portrayed here as an elder of hip hop, or an old head seeking rejuvenation. The power and presence he exudes redefines him as one of U.S. hip hop's best lyrical architects.
Michael is a work of self-examination; work that is as unafraid to be vulnerable and open as it is to be proud. Proud of oneself, proud of one's city, proud of an unwavering sense of resilience that is carried in every project – musical or personal. – Sose Fuamoli
46. Frenzal Rhomb – The Cup Of Pestilence
Frenzal Rhomb have been making short, fast and very funny songs for more than 30 years. Once again they've captured a moment – chewing it up and spitting it back at us in 19 perfect punk vignettes.
The Cup Of Pestilence is loud, aggressive, playful and catchy: all the things that make this band such a beloved institution.
With tracks like 'I Think My Neighbour Is Planning To Kill Me', 'Where Drug Dealers Take Their Kids' and 'Thought It Was Yoga But It Was Ketamine', their social commentary is on point and their riffs might actually be getting better as they get into their fourth decade.
When Jay and Lindsay from the band joined Zan earlier this year they gave an insight into their winning formula: "It's like making a good wedding speech, it's levity brevity and sincerity… If you haven't said everything you need to say in the first verse, what's going on?" – Dylan Saville
45. Slowdive – Everything Is Alive
Slowdive's immersive new album sees the British shoegaze royalty at the top of their game. Neil Halstead's hushed vocals and Rachel Goswell's lovely harmonies sit deep in the hypnotic swirl of sound where every song is gorgeous and dreamy, drenched in reverb, fuzz, glowing synths and stunning melody.
The album is dedicated to close family members who passed away and the sadness is palpable. But Slowdive's emotional range has always been many layered and songs like 'kisses' feel hopeful and life affirming.
It's an ageless album and their best yet. – Karen Leng
44. Mo'Ju – ORO, PLATA, MATA
Experiencing Mo'Ju's continuing evolution as an artist has been such a rewarding journey. On ORO, PLATA, MATA, they venture into the realms of neo-soul and progressive jazz with stunning results, delivering their always generous and considered perspectives over a sparse and stunning musical backdrop.
The power of their voice has always been apparent, but Mo'Ju's ambition from a conceptual standpoint, and the words they craft when telling their story, are becoming more and more impressive.
Singles like 'Change Has To Come' and 'Money' are immediately striking pieces of intelligent pop, but don't sleep on album tracks like 'The Future' and startling opener 'Gold', which further demonstrate the breadth of this always-incredible artist. – Dan Condon
43. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Weathervanes
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit emerged from a post-pandemic world with Isbell's ninth studio album Weathervanes. He retains his trademark reverence for dichotomies, holding both brutality and beauty in unison with infinite, poised vulnerability.
The album opens with the harrowing yet hopeful 'Death Wish', a striking, string-laden, anthemic rock song that finds Isbell genuflecting at the altar of love and addiction. Isbell's capacity to write earnestly from both the male and female perspectives is unmatched, on display in 'Cast Iron Skillet' and 'White Beretta'.
Weaving a tapestry of blues, folk, Americana and rock-fused arrangements, whilst celebrating and honouring themes of pain and peace, strength and weakness, disparity and similarity, love and loss, faith and doubt, all instilled with Isbell's careful and intentional prose, is what makes his work so unique and crucial to the social and sonic artistry of this and future generations. – Kath Devaney
42. Hannah Cameron – Holding Pattern
Hannah Cameron's Holding Pattern has a unique and streadfast organic pulse. The whole record has a unified sonic backbone that is innovative, yet familiar.
The combination of baritone guitar, bass, warm rolling drums and lush harmony singing will hold you close in its architecture and see you rest easy in the palm of Hannah's skilful songwriting hand.
I'm swept away by the dynamic of songs like 'Take the Blame', with its sparse, angular opening, through to its epic saxophone-driven outro. – Henry Wagons
41. Sofia Kourtesis – Madres
An album's backstory can put you in the artists shoes, helping you hear as they hear and feel as they feel. Learning the story behind Madres, the debut album from Sofia Kourtesis, had this effect on me. It's a moving story, in which Kourtesis' mother was saved from cancer after a longshot attempt to gain the help of a world-renowned neurosurgeon via Instagram.
Knowing this, I feel like I can hear both the fear and hope Kourtesis must have been feeling while writing Madres. Her pairing of organic textured samples with bass heavy beats lends a sense of a heightened awareness, like you'd feel during a mindfulness meditation, while bittersweet melodies colour those sensory experiences.
It's a powerful example of how story and emotion shapes how we interpret our own experiences, and those of others. – Stephen Goodhew
40. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – Council Skies
Noel Gallagher's latest album title is a tell. From the get-go, he’s reflecting on his past more so than he has in yonks.
A childhood in Manchester’s council flats gave way to Noel writing some of the biggest songs of our generation with Oasis, and he returns to those foundations to ruminate on it all, with a beauty and hope that makes this his best solo album yet.
You'll hear the hooks that made his band soar, and stunning moments like 'Dead to the World' that’ll floor you. The strings only add to the emotion of this stunner. – Zan Rowe
39. Nakhane – Bastard Jargon
Nakhane taps into their most ebullient selves on their third album Bastard Jargon. The intensity of 2018's You Will Not Die hasn't completely vanished; it's just delivered with a brighter perspective that lines up with where the South African artist's life is at right now.
The album is packed with euphoric moments, like soon to be iconic anthem 'Do You Well' – shared with the excellent Perfume Genius – and charming paean to a friend 'You've Got Me (Living Again)'.
Even moments like the intimate 'Hold Me Down' and the confronting 'My Ma Was Good' feel more loving than depressing, Nakhane's intent made clear through their expressive performances and clever production.
A triumphant chapter in an already extraordinary career. – Dan Condon
38. Ta-Ku – Songs To Come Home To
After the success of his mixtapes 50 Days For Dilla, 25 Nights For Nujabes and his EPs Songs to Break Up To and Songs to Make Up To, Perth producer Ta-ku has made us wait seven years for new music.
Songs to Come Home To, his debut album, is Ta-ku's most ambitious and sound-rich project yet, combining his emotionally led signature style with the talent of the new friends he's found along the journey.
Collaborating with some of the most exciting artists like 1300, Becca Hatch and music veterans like ?uestlove and James Poyser, Ta-ku really brought it home on this one. – Bernie Nguyen
37. The Hives – The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons
Sometimes you want artists that can move things forward and be in a continual state of reinvention. Other times, you want bands like The Hives, who have perfected a sound so completely that to hear them doing something else would invite social unrest, or at the very least, some mild annoyance.
The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons is the sound of a band who know what they do best and aren't afraid to do it really, really well. What is that exactly? It's sing-along, fist in the air rock and roll that never takes itself too seriously. This is a big, fun and welcome return to form for the soon to be franchised Swedish act, and I couldn't be happier to have them back. – Stephen Goodhew
36. Nas – Magic 3
I feel André 3000 needs to have a sit down with Nas. While I appreciate that André continues to do whatever he likes, making a flute album because he feels that he has nothing to rap about at his age slightly annoys me. Especially because someone like Nas, who has been in the game a little longer than André has, is experiencing the best run of projects not only in his own career, but in music in general.
Nas and Hit-Boy have collaborated on six projects in just three years. Yes, it's always quality over quantity, but in this instance, you get both.
From the opening track 'Fever' to the closing track '1-800-Nas&Hit' the two men are like a well-oiled machine in the factory of hip hop. You can tell Nas is enjoying himself, because he doesn't have the financial pressure of recouping any advances and isn't concerned with charting. Like Nas raps, 'Whether we went diamond or hardly sold, we did it for our soul.' The GOAT. – Hau Latukefu
35. Carla Geneve – Hertz
West Australian singer songwriter Carla Geneve only released her debut album Learn To Like It last year, so we're lucky to have follow-up Hertz so soon. With more focused composition and sparser alt-country instrumentation, her powerful voice and personal lyrics hit me even harder this time around.
Hertz marks a shift personally as well as musically, with Geneve revealing a bipolar II disorder diagnosis. This experience has shaped the sound of the record—upbeat songs (earworms 'Jesus Take The Wheel' and 'Bills') contrast with moments of penetrating sadness ('Play School' and 'Spilt Milk'), balanced in the middle with gentle 'Euthymia' (a word meaning tranquil mood). – Ellie Parnell
34. Barry Can't Swim – When Will We Land?
It's been a very good year for dance albums. Not just from legends of the game, but also an impressive debut by an Edinburgh-born, English-based producer/DJ.
I'm a sucker for house music with that little extra magic dust. Italo-house piano, jazzy tones, exotic samples and soulful voices blend seamlessly with playfulness and obvious love. Barry Can't Swim but he can deliver various states of euphoria: whether nailing the drops ('Sunsleeper', 'Dance of the Crab') or lost in wistful moments ('Woman', 'Tell Me What You Need').
And then there's the brilliant 'Deadbeat Gospel', the 2023 version of 'Marea (we've lost dancing)'. – Dorothy Markek
33. Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We
What a woozy, widescreen dream Mitski landed us in this year. She's danced across so many genres that it was entirely unsurprising that a slide guitar filled cinematic universe would be her next adventure.
This is my favourite Mitski yet; her voice is so beautifully suited to this soaring vision of songs, and the characters she inhabits on each feel like scenes or rooms you’re moving between. I want to see this on stage, with a dusty old house, a pioneering woman, and an endless sunset. This is an album to get lost in. – Zan Rowe
32. Wednesday – Rat Saw God
Prior to 2023 I didn't know anything about Asheville, North Carolina band Wednesday. Now I have a very deep and respectful crush on this excellent indie rock band and their intriguingly titled fifth album Rat Saw God.
Instantly classic and gloriously familiar, I've been totally sucked in by the charismatic and emotionally rich songwriting from Karly Hartzman, not to mention the explosive Weezer-esque guitars and the lush Americana vibes.
It is simultaneously scrappy and polished, intimate and paint-strippingly noisy. Every song delivers, from the sprawling 'Bull Believer', grungy 'Bath Country', bubble-gum earworm 'Quarry' through the alt-country infused 'Chosen to Deserve' and 'Formula One'. Easily one of the finest indie-rock releases of the year, if not the decade so far. – Ryan Egan
31. Gabriels – Angels & Queens
Gabriels wanted to share the sessions for this debut album as soon as they started laying down tracks last year, hence why the album came in two parts across that past 15 months. An immediate sense of excitement in what they were creating had also already been felt by the likes of Elton John and Celeste.
I defy you to not hang on every syllable of singer Jacob Lusk, a vocalist who steers a beautiful path between Cee-Lo Green and Anohni, but who actually is a living embodiment of so many greats of yesteryear. I'm convinced so many of their songs will only continue to grow with time. – Richard Kingsmill
30. Bombay Bicycle Club – My Big Day
One of life's simple pleasures is hearing a band at their creative peak. On Bombay Bicycle Club's fifth album they offer wide-eyed curiosity about life, the world, and relationships, and distil it with finely crafted songwriting.
The band know not to over-egg the songs. The production is sublime, and songs pour out with infuriating ease. It's infectious from start to finish. I question anyone who doesn't find themselves smiling at some point.
Overshadowed by flashier, rockier and sexier bands, Bombay Bicycle Club have quietly set the benchmark for British pop and indie rock of the last 15 years. – Dorothy Markek
29. G Flip – DRUMMER
An album that gives you exactly what it says on the label and so, so much more. This sophomore full length from G Flip is brimming with hooky earworms, infectious melodies, and singalong moments, all built on a solid foundation of their impressive percussive skills.
Like a sonic autobiography, DRUMMER gives us an insight into the G Flip in front of us in 2023: one in full flight and with a double-handed grip on their potential and purpose. With bold moments like 'The Worst Person Alive' to funky experimentations on 'Kevin' and 'Baked' and the more vulnerable softness of 'Australia', G Flip flexes the light and shade of their craft.
And what better way to close it all off than with a drum solo for the ages? – Courtney Fry
28. Sufjan Stevens – Javelin
Javelin is among the most stunning displays of sonic architecture that Sufjan Stevens has crafted. That's largely because the US singer-songwriter's 10th 'proper' solo album feels like a summation of everything he's mapped out over his nearly 25-year-career.
All the hallmarks are there: the hushed, expressive voice; the elaborate and awe-inspiring arrangements; deep, sometimes harrowing reflections on mortality and religion that achieve catharsis through awe-inspiring compositions.
However, the context in which Javelin arrived gives it particular poignance. After going through a gruelling month of rehab after a "very scary" incident where he was diagnosed with rare auto-immune disorder Guillain-Barré syndrome, Stevens revealed the album was dedicated to his partner Evans Richardson, who had died back in April. As a result, Javelin feels like a high achievement that reckons with both tragedy and triumph. – Al Newstead
27. Skeleten – Under Utopia
With one of the most impressively promising Australian debut albums of the year, Skeleten – the solo project of Sydney-based producer Russell Fitzgibbon – conjures hypnotic, invitingly tender electronic jams.
Animated by nocturnal beats and slippery bass, cuts like 'Sharing The Fire' and 'No Drones In The Afterlife' are illuminated by murmuring synths and Fitzgibbon's thoughtful lyrics, delivered in a musky, low-stakes middle range.
The comforting tone of Under Utopia was shaped by the current dystopia we find ourselves in, but the album's halcyon song-tronica and idyllic yearning for camaraderie and community demonstrates that with just one record, Skeleten is off to an inspiring start. – Al Newstead
26. This Is The Kit – Careful of Your Keepers
Paris-based, UK-born singer-songwriter Kate Stables has been making music as This Is The Kit since 2008. Six albums in, she possesses a formidable toolkit with which to inhabit and refract the human condition: a voice that is humble and clear; a playful musical sensibility that is gently provocative but never feels forced; and a band of simpatico friends who flesh each song out with deeply likeable contributions.
Where others might use eccentricity and surrealism to push listeners away, Kate uses the slipperiness of language to invite us to reflect on how malleable our inner worlds actually are.
In the company of This Is The Kit, I feel like I can hear a way through, a way to exist in the 21st century without becoming overwhelmed – to approach ambiguity with warmth, compassion and good humour, to stay grounded but not ground down. – Tim Shiel
25. C.O.F.F.I.N. – Australia Stops
If you've never heard of C.O.F.F.I.N. – that's Children of Finland Fighting in Norway – their fifth album Australia Stops is the perfect jumping-off point. They've been onto this for a while now, playing hundreds of gigs here and overseas over the years, and you can hear they've bottled that raw and rampant energy from their live shows into their most complete album yet.
It storms in with a hectic surge of pub rock adrenaline led by pit-worthy riffs and blistering beats — all under the authoritative barks of drummer and singer Ben Portnoy. From those throaty gargled growls reminiscent of Motörhead to the gritty, pub rock ethos of the Cosmic Psychos, Portnoy's lyrical punches take on Australian high flyers and call out Indigenous disadvantage.
Produced and recorded by the right honourable Jason Whalley of Frenzal Rhomb, Australia Stops is the breakout moment they've been building toward for nearly two decades. – Dylan Saville
24. CHIKA – Samson: The Album
The moment I heard her crunchy hard-hitting banger 'Prodigy' I had to know more about CHIKA. And at 20 songs and almost an hour long, Samson: The Album is one ambitious debut!
Using theatrical flourishes like 'interludes' and 'overtures', we witness the ascent, demise and recovery of CHIKA and her ego. She spits and sings over a mind-boggling mix of genres: from hip-hop beats to gospel, to R&B, to trap and even classical.
This is a conceptual piece of art. CHIKA has written her opus and is here to prove that she's worthy of the hype from her big industry fans. – Corynne Tait
23. Leah Senior – The Music That I Make
Leah Senior's album The Music That I Make takes me straight to a crackling fireplace and a thick knit jumper. A cup of tea and a bookshelf full of second-hand books. It's a record that feels as though Leah is sharing with you, open and rarely filtered. She is next to you, in her space.
Songs like 'Springtime Studio' and 'Where Am I Now?' give the listener an immediate warmth that further reveals a complex, kind and self-reflective songwriter steeped in folk tradition, but also paving her own way forward. – Henry Wagons
22. The Chemical Brothers – For That Beautiful Feeling
Three decades in and English electronic duo The Chemical Brothers continue to create music that makes you want to dance.
Their 10th studio album, For That Beautiful Feeling, serves arena sized jams that still go off in a tiny sweaty club, with their usual touch of acid house, psychedelia, and wonky, hybrid hip hop.
Tom Rowlands, one half of the duo, told Karen Leng: "We always want to be bold, always want it to feel like we don't know what we're doing – this far into it." That curiosity can be felt from beginning to end of this record, keeping it fresh but quintessentially The Chemical Brothers. – Bernie Nguyen
21. Margo Price – Strays
'I got nothing to prove, I got nothing to sell…'
Margo Price has battled the music industry, the patriarchy, and her own demons. She's one of the hardest fought and most deserved success stories of recent years, yet she calls herself lucky. The Nashville based artist launches into her fourth album with the defiant 'Been to the Mountain'. I like to imagine it was on the shortlist of titles for her memoir, released a few months earlier.
Weaving through sounds and moods, Strays begins with power and bravado ('Change of Heart') and ends on a sombre, compassionate note, with a life unravelling, and dreams piled up like landfill ('Lydia', 'Landfill').
Margo Price is a fearless storyteller who forges her own path. For that, we're the lucky ones. – Dorothy Markek
20. Ezra Collective – Where I'm Meant To Be
Ezra Collective have consistently been the go-to party band in the London jazz scene for over a decade. On their second album, Where I'm Meant to Be, they mark a refined evolution of everything they've learnt to this point.
It's a mature exploration of Afrobeats, funk, dub, jazz and vibrant Afro-Cuban rhythms that give you an open invitation to groove and try out some new dance moves on the dancefloor. Featuring powerhouse voices like Emeli Sandé, Sampa The Great, and Kojey Radical, the group refuses to fade into the background, elevating their instrumental hive mind as a crucial element in each track they lay down.
Where I'm Meant to Be is a thumping celebration of life, an effortless blend of genres that's just pure musical fun – I can't wait to see where they're meant to be next. – Dylan Saville
19. Romy – Mid Air
The unabashed joyfulness of Romy Madley Croft's first solo LP has been a huge delight this year. While intimacy and minimalism have been cornerstones of her work with The xx, on Mid Air Romy steps on to the dance floor to embrace the communion of clubbing and the dance music she fell in love with as a teenager.
These songs sweep us up in the ecstasy of it too, like the loved up sunshine disco of 'She's On My Mind', the euro trance vibes of 'Strong' (with Fred again..) and the housey jam 'Enjoy Your Life' (with Jamie xx).
But the rewards of Mid Air are more than just excellent dance pop. It's Romy's tenderness, love, vulnerability, and strength that give her songs pure heart and elevates Mid Air to great heights. – Karen Leng
18. Dan Sultan – Dan Sultan
The stories, as he says in the opening moments of his self-titled album, are truly his to tell, but we've never heard Dan Sultan quite like this before.
Even if you knew nothing of his personal struggles in recent times, you get a very definite sense of an artist tapping an impassioned resolve ('Won't Give You That', 'Rise Up'), an infectious blue sky optimism ('Ringing In My Ears') and the heartfelt spaces he invites us into on songs like 'Wait In Love', 'Fortress' and 'Chance to Lose Control' will have your hairs standing on end.
Most artists will say their most recent work is their best. In Dan Sultan's case, there's no question his self-titled is a personal and artistic triumph, and one of the year's standout releases. – Caz Tran
17. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – V
An hour-long cruise spanning hooky yacht rock, hallucinogenic soul-funk, and coastal instrumental grooves, the fifth album from Unknown Mortal Orchestra isn't a revolution so much as a natural extension of the sonic world bandleader Ruban Neilson has been crafting over 13 years.
Recorded between Palm Springs, California and Hilo, Hawai'i (where Neilson and his family convened to aid his sick uncle, Bruddah Waltah, aka 'The Father of Hawai'ian reggae') V contains some of the group's most unapologetically pleasurable hits ('That Life', 'Weekend Run', 'Nadja') and a deeper connection to Nielson's heritage (on the palm-swaying 'Layla' and acoustic 'I Killed Captain Cook').
You can simply bliss out to its breeziest moments, but there's rewarding details to obsess over should you dive into the darker depths beneath the smooth surface of songcraft that's consistently satisfying yet surprising. – Al Newstead
16. Babitha – Brighter Side Of Blue
Babitha, the moniker of NSW highlands' Imogen Grist, borrows from an eclectic blend of influences like Bob Dylan, Cate Le Bon, Weyes Blood and the Pretenders, yet has honed a rounded, resonant, fully formed and singular sound on her debut album.
'Only Fair' is like a soundtrack to a Tarantino directed spaghetti western starring Nico, the title track is akin to an Adalita penned indie rock ballad, while 'Fade Away' is a sealing kiss of the album's quest to deliver this poignant piece of sonic art.
Few albums, let alone debuts, have encapsulated the zeitgeist like Brighter Side of Blue. – Kath Devaney
15. Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!
Jessie Ware has been edging into the disco revival for a hot minute, but her fifth album dives straight in and finds an authentic home, so much so that you feel completely transported to Studio 54.
It helps that Ware has one of the strongest voices of our time, scaling the euphoric highs of love, self-love, and determination. Disco was born in queer black spaces, and Jessie has plenty of winks to the community that gave rise to this unstoppable force. Ably helped by slick production from Stuart Price and James Ford, the strings, synths, and basslines amplify the authenticity.
Disco never died, but its constant revival can be patchy in the wrong hands. Jessie Ware holds it close to her heart and as such it feels real. And good! – Zan Rowe
14. Palehound – Eye On The Bat
Painful memories, revelations, regrets, scars and haunting moments of a big break up are what drives the songs on Ellen Kempner's thrilling and emotionally raw fourth album as Palehound. We're reminded to 'Keep your eye on the bat' (not the ball!) on the title track with its loping, mesmeric guitar part reminiscent of Kurt Vile or Big Thief.
Elsewhere, songs are infused with Elliott Smith's melancholic DNA, like the pretty 'Route 22' and gentle 'Right About You'. 'The Clutch' is easily the highlight, a blazing indie-rock masterpiece with an explosive guitar solo, gut-punching riffs and heartbreaking lyrics about processing the inevitable end of something beautiful but fragile. One of the best songs of 2023 from an artist that is yet to disappoint. – Ryan Egan
13. Close Counters – SOULACOASTA II
SOULACOASTA II is a generous and joyful hour of sampledelica that blends sunshine synths and crate-dug nuggets with infectious rhythms drawn out of dance music's deep fractal niches.
This album's mission is to unashamedly spread warmth and love to anyone who hears it. When music executes its mission this effortlessly, often what is masked is the expert level of skill required to pull it off.
Close Counters have always had impeccable taste, and a deep intuition for what sounds make a body move and a face smile. With this album, they now humbly flex themselves into position as two of Australia's most skilful virtuosos of collage-driven production.
Go listen to this album right now – your day will instantly improve. – Tim Shiel
12. ANOHNI & The Johnsons – My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross
On this album, ANOHNI gives voice to the complex web of feelings that emerge when living under the shadow of crisis. As we all become more sensitive to tragedy, as we wake up to the desperate need for things to change, we need tools that can help us take care of ourselves and each other as that work gets done.
It's easy to turn away from tragedy, as human beings we aren't designed to live so deeply in it. So what do we do, once we 'know too much'? Listening to albums like this might be a place to start. What hums in every song — despite the grief, fear, and weariness in many of the songs — is that ANOHNI is practicing a form of fortified resilience. Her determination is to keep living, to face tragedy, be open to it, document her response and be a truth-teller through the music.
I listen to this album to fortify my own resilience, to be soothed, as an act of self-care, to feel relief and to feel less alone. – Tim Shiel
11. Noname – Sundial
It's been a long wait for us to get another taste of Noname's gentle wordsmithery. But don't let the cool flow fool you. On Sundial, the Chicago rapper throws blows at big targets and in the process, she hangs herself out to dry, and interrogates her own self-reflection.
She raps about power, money, corruption, struggle, and beauty standards. She pulls apart a previous harmful relationship on 'toxic' and throws shade at Beyonce, Rihanna and Kendrick Lamar on 'namesake'. It's gutsy, but the amplification of her own flaws alongside this makes it a fearless flow of critical thinking.
It's peppered with some epic gospel vocals, jazzy neo-soul, and symphonic R&B. As she says, 'it's a dog-eat-dog world' so if you fancy searching deep within, pulling apart inconsistencies and getting a bit messy then this one's for you. – Phoebe Bennett
10. Overmono – Good Lies
I remember first hearing the title track and thinking, 'Who is this?' and Welsh brothers Overmono did not disappoint with their debut album.
Good Lies is a beautiful balance of peaks and troughs – it makes you feel like you're experiencing the wide breadth of emotions in life, but crammed into 48 minutes of goodness.
Like the boys said in their chat with Karen Leng, "You wanna feel like the wheels are about to fall off, and then they don't." The tension and release of this album is perfectly crafted, with just enough room to breathe. On top of this, their dreamy imagery and visuals of Dobermans just having fun is faultless. – Bernie Nguyen
9. Angie McMahon – Light, Dark, Light Again
Opening with a track called 'Saturn Returning' couldn't be more apt for Angie McMahon's Light, Dark, Light Again. An album that feels like an exhale after a few years of holding your breath, McMahon delicately and deliberately wades through the experiences of closing the book of your 20s and looking ahead to a new era.
The lessons learned are what carries her messages through the light and dark (and light again) of the album, accepting we are all not without fault, but it's what we do with those mistakes that shape us as people. A mature and powerful offering from the Naarm-based singer-songwriter, as she moves through her own first Saturn return. – Courtney Fry
8. Sampha – LAHAI
Have you ever felt a nagging tension when outward appearances don't align with your inner experience? It's this dissonance that Sampha so perfectly captures on his second album.
As you'd expect, Sampha's voice takes centre stage – conveying strength, tenderness, anxiety, hope and so much more. He sings cryptically of fatherhood, therapy, pain, and growth throughout, but it's in his arrangements that he amplifies this tension. With skittering, glitchy and repetitive Reich-like beats and melodic patterns, Sampha injects a sense of disquiet into the beauty.
LAHAI's groundedness in the duality of experience – how joy and pain, hope and fear, beauty and ugliness are interconnected – is what makes this album so enjoyable and relatable. – Stephen Goodhew
7. boygenius – the record
These three singer-songwriters, who have individually captured the angst and imagination of a generation, first teamed up for a brilliant EP in 2018.
Now, one of the most anticipated debut full-length albums from the combined powers of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker is finally here.
They let us peek into the ruins of a relationship (Bridgers' 'Emily I'm Sorry'), self-destructive tendencies (Baker's '$20') and the strength of their friendship (Dacus' 'We're In Love').
But it's the co-writes (like 'Not Strong Enough') and the harmonies, blistering guitar parts and lyrical tweaks that they bring to each other's songs that makes this album even better than the sum of its parts. – Ellie Parnell
6. Genesis Owusu – STRUGGLER
Having once been "trapped in the void", Genesis Owusu is booked and busy. His ARIA award-winning Smiling With No Teeth put him on the map, and he's since opened for Paramore, landed US Late Night performances, and global acclaim.
Somehow in between pinch-me milestones, he's effortlessly pelted out a banger of a follow-up.
Spiritually, this record feels in the vein of Ye's Graduation, in the sense that every song is a confident hit. Genesis is doing what he loves, playing with genres that he's genuinely enthusiastic about, and maintains exciting conceptual songwriting with stakes that reflect life and death. – James Brennan
5. Jen Cloher – I Am The River, The River Is Me
Jen Cloher's fifth album covers a lot of ground: the spirit of community; ancestry; connection to home; queer identity; Māori culture; politics; and a deeper understanding of self.
Recorded in Aotearoa and Naarm, this is the first time Jen sings in both English and te reo Māori. It is beautiful, the ease of their delivery feels like a warm hug. It's political too — there is strength and knowledge in every lyric.
Community is at the heart of the record. Not only is it steeped in collaboration, but it focuses in on those who make up the fabric of Jen's existence. Their music is a gateway into the continual journey to figure out who we are and what gives us life and love, to feel whole. With every glimpse we get of Cloher through their albums we come closer to the whole picture. – Phoebe Bennett
4. Little Simz – NO THANK YOU
On NO THANK YOU, Little Simz works through the frustrations of being commodified by the music industry, processes personal loss, and puts the wider societal failures that allowed it all to happen in the centre of her scope.
She ties all of this together by rapping as if her life depended on it with witty, smart, and charming prose. Simz has an intricate sense of what sounds good and what's technically mesmerising. Combine this with the fact that she knows exactly what needs to be said and when to say it... you've got yourself one hell of an artist.
She is, bar for bar, one of the most impressive lyricists on the planet right now, and has been for quite some time. – James Brennan
3. RVG – Brain Worms
The defining hallmark of Romy Vager's writing has been her willingness to be emotionally exposed and happy to work through her challenges in full view, hopeful fans can either relate to or learn from her experiences.
This continues on RVG's astounding third album, where Vager's vivid and affecting words are again matched with a broad and consistently strong take on indie rock. Those words cover issues both broad and intimate, doing so with a natural, plainspoken, deeply relatable ease. That music pulses with energy, sparking where it needs to, adding further heft to Vager's librettos.
Brain Worms is RVG's best album yet, achieved by sticking with what they know and executing it with passion, sincerity, and courage. – Dan Condon
2. Bad//Dreems – HOO HA!
There's so much to be pissed off about. We're not talking about mere irritation. Anger – genuine, heartfelt anger – is what I mean. The kind that makes you just want to shout at the top of your lungs. That's the anger you'll hear on HOO HA!, the fourth album by Bad//Dreems.
Their most pointed and direct album by far, the band excoriate the cultures of bigotry, xenophobia, greed, and hypocrisy that abound in our great southern land.
What makes the album truly great though is the complete absence of self-righteousness. Instead, the boys embrace the fact that, as products of the culture, they – and we – need to engage in a little self-exorcism from time to time.
It's cathartic as fuck, and I love it. – Stephen Goodhew
1. Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
Having seen Chairlift on their final tour, I've watched with fascination (and often surprise) how singer Caroline Polachek's solo career has unfolded. Her seamless marriage of art and pop has elevated both her critical and commercial appeal.
Working once again with Danny L Harle, the ease with which Polachek incorporates and owns so many influences is remarkable.
There are small touches of Harle's hyper PC past, but also echoes of Madonna's work with William Orbit ('Blood and Butter'), trip hop ('Pretty In Possible'), breakbeat ('Smoke'), Kate Bush ('Billions'), and even straight up flamenco ('Sunset').
Polachek's ambition and vision has never been captured better. Stunning stuff. – Richard Kingsmill
Check out every Double J Feature Album right here.
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