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The Best of Albums of 2022 (So Far)

Posted by Jason Tate
Best of 2022

We’re now a little over halfway through the year, but some staff commitments (and a COVID infection) ended up delaying the publication of our mid-year lists. Below, you will find both our combined staff top 30, as well as individual lists from our contributors and moderators. We hope you find something new to love.

Note: You can share your own list in our music forum.

The Top Albums of 2022 (So Far)

  1. Bartees Strange – Farm to Table
  2. Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
  3. Coheed & Cambria – Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
  4. MUNA – MUNA
  5. Cold Years – Goodbye to Misery
  6. Dashboard Confessional – All the Truth That I Can Tell
  7. Joyce Manor – 40 oz. to Fresno
  8. Silverstein – Misery Made Me
  9. Underoath – Voyeurist
  10. Avril Lavigne – Love Sux
  11. The Weeknd – Dawn FM
  12. Gang of Youths – Angel in Realtime
  13. Anxious – Little Green House
  14. Caracara – New Preoccupations
  15. Alexisonfire – Otherness
  16. Valleyheart – Heal My Head
  17. Charli XCX – CRASH
  18. PUP – The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND
  19. A Wilhelm Scream – Lose Your Delusion
  20. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
  21. Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
  22. Maren Morris – Humble Quest
  23. Mandy Moore – In Real Life
  24. Cave In – Heavy Pendulum
  25. Sigrid – How to Let Go
  26. Saba – Few Good Things
  27. Spanish Love Songs – Brave Faces, Etc.
  28. Jack White – Fear of the Dawn
  29. Camp Cope – Running with the Hurricane
  30. Perfume Genius – Ugly Season

The Playlist

Looking for an easy way to check out all of the albums in our top thirty? We’ve got a playlist for that. You’ll find one on Apple Music and one on Spotify with one great song from each great album.

The Nerd Stat Stuff

Our final compiled list was put together using our ranking algorithm. There were 8 contributors and 129 unique albums across all of the lists. In total, 39 albums out of the 129 were on more than one list with the number one album appearing on 6 of the 8 lists.

Contributor Lists

Jason Tate

  1. Cold Years – Goodbye to Misery
  2. Coheed and Cambria – Vaxis II: A window of the Waking Mind
  3. Dashboard Confessional – All the Truth That I Can Tell
  4. MUNA – MUNA
  5. Underoath – Voyeurist
  6. Gang of Youths – Angel in Realtime
  7. The Weeknd – Dawn FM
  8. Caracara – New Preoccupations
  9. A Wilhelm Scream – Lose Your Delusion
  10. Anxious – Little Green House
  11. Comeback Kid – Heavy Steps
  12. Sigrid – How to Let Go
  13. Stand Atlantic – FEAR
  14. Greyhaven – This Bright and Beautiful World
  15. Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
  16. Sasha Alex Sloan – I Blame the World
  17. Olivver the Kid – Puke Blue
  18. Valleyheart – Heal My Head
  19. Bartees Strange – Farm to Table
  20. Prince Daddy & The Hyena – Prince Daddy & The Hyena
  21. Spanish Love Songs – Brave Faces Etc.
  22. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
  23. Rolo Tomassi – Where Myth Becomes Memory
  24. Elway – The Best of All Possible Worlds
  25. Harry Styles – Harry’s House
  26. Charli XCX – CRASH
  27. Hippo Campus – LP3
  28. Vein.fm – This World is Going to Ruin You
  29. Hatchie – Giving The World Away
  30. Charlie Simpson – Hope is a Drug

The Stats: For the first half of the year, I’ve listened to 935 albums, 403 artists, and 7,949 songs (14,887 scrobbles). My most played album so far has been Cold Years’ Goodbye to Misery, which I loved so much I actually wrote a long-form review for it. My most played artist has been The Ataris (I went on a huge rediscovery in March), and if you’d like to follow my weekly listening habits, please subscribe to my newsletter.

Craig Manning

  1. Gang of Youths – angel in realtime
  2. Maren Morris – Humble Quest
  3. Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa
  4. Zach Bryan – American Heartbreak
  5. Valleyheart – Heal My Head
  6. Ken Yates – Cerulean
  7. MUNA – MUNA
  8. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Unlimited Love
  9. Mandy Moore – In Real Life
  10. Anxious – Little Green House
  11. Dashboard Confessional – All The Truth That I Can Tell
  12. Sigrid – How to Let Go
  13. Jillian Jacqueline – Honestly
  14. Tree River – Time Being
  15. Avril Lavigne – Love Sux
  16. Cold Years – Goodbye to Misery
  17. Tyler Meacham – Into the Fray
  18. Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
  19. Anais Mitchell – Anais Mitchell
  20. Miranda Lambert – Palomino
  21. Wilco – Cruel Country
  22. Jack Johnson – Meet the Moonlight

EPs:
Caitlyn Smith – High
Maddie & Tae – Through the Madness, Vol. 1
Donovan Woods – Big Hurt Boy
Tenille Townes – Masquerades

Garrett Lemons

  1. Underoath – Voyeurist
  2. Alexisonfire – Otherness
  3. Joyce Manor – 40 oz. to Fresno
  4. Silverstein – Misery Made Me
  5. Spanish Love Songs – Brave Faces, Etc.
  6. Gang of Youths – angel in realtime
  7. Coheed & Cambria – Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
  8. Mandy Moore – In Real Life
  9. Dashboard Confessional – All The Truth That I Can Tell
  10. Bartees Strange – Farm to Table
  11. Emery – Rub Some Dirt On It
  12. Cold Years – Goodbye to Misery
  13. Avril Lavigne – Luv Sux
  14. Maren Morris – Humble Quest
  15. A Wilhelm Scream – Lose Your Delusion
  16. Saba – Few Good Things
  17. Carrie Underwood – Denim & Rhinestones
  18. The Lumineers – Brightside
  19. MUNA – MUNA
  20. The Weeknd – Dawn FM

Mary Varvaris

  1. The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention
  2. Placebo – Never Let Me Go
  3. Jaguar Jonze – Bunny Mode
  4. Nilüfer Yanya – Painless
  5. Alexisonfire – Otherness
  6. Warpaint – Radiate Like This
  7. Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia
  8. Northlane – Obsidian
  9. Rosalía – Motomami
  10. Cave In – Heavy Pendulum
  11. Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
  12. Tasman Keith – A Colour Undone
  13. Momma – Household Name
  14. HEALTH – DISCO4 :: PART II
  15. Petrol Girls – Baby
  16. Ethel Cain – Preacher’s Daughter
  17. Crows – Beware Believers
  18. Camp Cope – Running with the Hurricane
  19. Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
  20. Perfume Genius – Ugly Season
  21. Porcupine Tree – Closure / Continuation
  22. Midnight Oil – Resist
  23. Aurora – The Gods We Can Touch
  24. The Weeknd – Dawn FM
  25. Wet Leg – Wet Leg

Adam Grundy

  1. Bartees Strange – Farm To Table
  2. Charli XCX – Crash
  3. Coheed & Cambria – Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
  4. Cold Years – Goodbye To Misery
  5. Silverstein – Misery Made Me
  6. Eliza and the Delusionals – Now & Then
  7. Caracara – New Preoccupations
  8. Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
  9. Avril Lavigne – Love Sux
  10. Dashboard Confessional – All The Truth That I Can Tell
  11. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers
  12. Oso Oso – Sore Thumb
  13. Underoath – Voyeurist
  14. Wet Leg – Wet Leg
  15. Out of Service – The Ground Beneath Me
  16. Riverby – Absolution
  17. The Weeknd – Dawn FM
  18. Aunt Kelly – Remember
  19. MUNA – MUNA
  20. Hippo Campus – LP3
  21. The Injured List – Blue 32
  22. Mitski – Laurel Hell
  23. Father John Misty – Chloe and the Next 20th Century
  24. Beach House – Once Twice Melody
  25. Bad Suns – Apocalypse Whenever
  26. Dead American – New Nostalgia
  27. Simple Plan – Harder Than It Looks
  28. Wild Rivers – Sidelines
  29. Wallows – Tell Me That It’s Over
  30. Papa Roach – Ego Trip

Trevor Graham

  1. Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
  2. Caracara – New Preoccupations
  3. Japanese Heart Software – Soft
  4. fanclubwallet – You Have Got To Be Kidding Me
  5. Tobi Lou – Non-Perishable
  6. Yumi Zouma – Present Tense
  7. Charli XCX – CRASH
  8. redveil – learn 2 swim
  9. Sadurn – Radiator
  10. Saba – Few Good Things
  11. Murkage Dave – The City Needs A Hero
  12. Bartees Strange – Farm To Table
  13. Earl Sweatshirt – SICK!
  14. Valleyheart – Heal My Head
  15. Ivy Sole – Candid
  16. Day Wave – Pastlife
  17. SOAK – If I Never Know You Like This Again
  18. Bread Pilot – New To You
  19. UMI – Forest In The City
  20. MJ Lenderman – Boat Songs
  21. Letting Up Despite Great Faults – IV
  22. Widowspeak – The Jacket
  23. Ravyn Lenae – HYPNOS
  24. All Get Out – Kodak
  25. A Wilhelm Scream – Lose Your Delusion
  26. Anxious – Little Green House
  27. Che Noir – Food For Thought
  28. Young Prisms – Drifter
  29. Horse Jumper Of Love – Natural Part
  30. Stray Fossa – Closer Than We’ll Ever Know

Brett Bodner

  1. Cold Years – Goodbye to Misery
  2. Silverstein – Misery Made Me
  3. PUP – THE UNRAVELING OF THE PUPTHEBAND
  4. Joyce Manor – 40 Oz. to Fresno
  5. Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
  6. Bartees Strange – Farm to Table
  7. Coheed & Cambria – Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
  8. Jack White – Fear of the Dawn
  9. Gregor Barnett – Don’t Go Throwing Roses in My Gave
  10. Avril Lavigne – Love Sux
  11. MUNA – MUNA
  12. Alexisonfire – Otherness
  13. Dashboard Confessional – All the Truth That I Can Tell
  14. Camp Cope – Running With the Hurricane
  15. Papa Roach – Ego Trip
  16. Arcade Fire – WE
  17. Underoath – Voyeurist
  18. Prince Daddy & the Hyena – Prince Daddy & the Hyena
  19. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers
  20. Simple Plan – Harder Than it Looks
  21. State Champs – Kings of the New Age
  22. Oso Oso – Sore Thumb
  23. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Unlimited Love
  24. Motionless in White – Scoring the End of the World
  25. Bowling for Soup – Pop Drunk Snot Bread
  26. Lit – Tastes Like Gold
  27. Eddie Vedder – Earthling
  28. Grin & Bear – Naturally Goes
  29. The Weeknd – Dawn FM
  30. Gang of Youths – angel in realtime

Drew Beringer

  1. Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
  2. Bartees Strange – Farm to Table
  3. Undeath – It’s Time…To Rise From The Grave
  4. Joyce Manor – 40oz to Fresno
  5. Praise – All in a Dream
  6. Tomberlin – i don’t know who needs to hear this…
  7. PUP – The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND
  8. Angel Olsen – Big Time
  9. Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
  10. Drug Church – Hygiene
  11. Cloakroom – Dissolution Wave
  12. Cave In – Heavy Pendulum
  13. Anxious – Little Green House
  14. Perfume Genius – Ugly Season
  15. MUNA – MUNA
  16. Father John Misty – Chloe and the Next 20th Century
  17. Vein.fm – This World Is Going to Ruin You
  18. CANDY – Heaven is Here
  19. Forests – Get in Losers, We’re Going to Eternal Damnation
  20. Jack White – Fear of the Dawn
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