I think I say this every year but fuck it – the music 2018 has blessed us with in its first six months has been extraordinary. With all the insane shit happening around us and to us in this day and age, it feels like music is the only sane thing we have. So below we have our top 20 favorite releases of the year thus far. If you can’t find something to love on this list then you just aren’t trying hard enough – this is an eclectic list that encompasses multiple genres and styles. I can’t wait to see what the next six months brings to our ears.
Note: You can share your own list in our music forum.
The Top Albums of 2018 (So Far)
1. Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
Brian Fallon came up in the New Jersey punk scene writing nostalgic rock songs about ferris wheels and that old house in Asbury Park and sleeping on the beach. He did it all so damn well that his band, The Gaslight Anthem, famously earned the Springsteen seal of approval. Fallon is a Jersey boy through and through, which makes the idea of his new departure of a solo record—an organ-led, British-invasion-influenced solo record recorded in New Orleans—so fascinating. That he completely pulled it off, continuing his incredible hot streak of albums that began with 2008’s The ’59 Sound, proves that Brian Fallon is among America’s greatest living songwriters.
Following his solo debut, 2016’s great if slightly by-the-numbers Painkillers, Sleepwalkers feels far more confident and mature, as Brian Fallon stretches his skillset into a dozen interesting new territories. The NOLA flavor shows up when Fallon experiments with sultry new rhythms in “Come Wander With Me” and the horn-driven title track. “Forget Me Not” references the Beatles in the bridge to signal to listeners that, yes, this is a ‘60s pop song. There is a sizable dose of Pearl Jam in the grungy guitar tones on “My Name Is The Night (Color Me Black),” and there is just enough Barry Manilow flavor in stadium-sized ballad “Etta James,” which sounds like if “Mandy” were performed by a guy with neck tattoos. Still, despite the rampant experimentation, Sleepwalkers is as cohesive a record as we’ve come to expect from Fallon over the past decade, making it one of the most exciting moments in his impressive discography and one of 2018’s most well-crafted records. [JB]
2. The Wonder Years – Sister Cities
“I feel like if you’ve been following The Wonder Years, this is where it’s been going,” frontman Dan Campbell states in the teaser trailer for Sister Cities, and he’s spot on. This is the band’s most dynamic album yet, which says a lot considering how much the band has grown with every release. “Raining in Kyoto”, one of the heavier songs the band has written, introduces the central theme of the record, which is that no matter how far apart we may be physically, we’re all connected by our shared humanity: “an older man stood close by and smiled at me / I rung the bell like he did, I told you I’m sorry / a makeshift funeral, I tried setting you free.” On the other side of the world during his grandfather’s funeral, Campbell found solace in a place that didn’t share a spoken language, but a language of grief and love.
The album’s closer, “The Ocean Grew Hands to Hold Me,” is The Wonder Years at their most vulnerable: “when I was in shambles / when I got too weak / the ocean grew hands to hold me.” The song, and the album as a whole, is about darkness and loss, but it’s also triumphant. It’s about realizing that our individual struggles are our collective struggles. At our lowest points, our humanity—the ocean—lifts us up and carries us home. [SS]
3. Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
While Kacy Musgraves is a country artist, it’s hard to characterize Golden Hour as a strictly country album. She’s been bending the genre since her release of Same Trailer Different Park in 2013. Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me what genre Golden Hour is placed into because it’s just a good album. Some song on the record (“Slow Burn,” namely) require warming up to them before you can enjoy them in the full context of the album, but I didn’t mind giving this a few spins before it sank in.
“High Horse” is a catchy tune and it’s not the only one on the record. With each song, you get the sense that Kacey just wants to do her own thing without focusing on what it’s going to be labeled as. Her personality shines through and that’s what makes this album a fun one to listen to. [DC]
4. Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz
Spanish Love Songs are a band that play a particular brand of denim-jacket-punk that feels informed in equal parts by Against Me!…As The Eternal Cowboy and “The Authority Song” by John Mellancamp. Many of their songs contain lyrics where lead vocalist Dylan Slocum fears out loud that he will be killed in an act of random gun violence. This is to say that Spanish Love Songs are an American rock band.
Schmaltz is greater than the sum of its parts. At first take, Spanish Love Songs sound a lot like The Menzingers, but that comparison is far too simple to leave unexamined. Compared to the Americana-influenced punk bands that preceded them, Spanish Love Songs’ choruses are more immediate with a notable to well-crafted vocal melodies and the inclusion of synthesizers to punch up the pop elements. The vocals are more frantic and anxious, as Slocum agonizes about the intersection of the aging process, the death of loved ones, and the definite timeline of his own life. Sure, the music Spanish Love Songs make may sound familiar, but the band have nailed the execution to the extent that Schmaltz is handily one of 2018’s most exciting releases from a new band. [JB]
5. Now, Now – Saved
Every once in a while the perfect album seems to come along at the perfect time for me. I hear it, it just clicks, and it becomes not only my soundtrack for a few weeks, but my soundtrack for the year. Right now, that’s been the newest album from Now, Now. I find myself returning to Saved when I’m looking for a pick-me-up, when I’m looking to get into my feels on a late night, and when I’m just trying to zone out after a long day at work. The kind of album that just feels perfectly made for where I’m at and what I’m looking for from a record right now.
I’m a sucker for pop-music that retains a strong emotional resonance. For music that is full of huge choruses and melodies while maintaining an emotional core. By and large, I think that’s the thread that’s followed me through my entire musical journey. It’s what really draws me to music in the first place. As we reflect on the albums that have made the first part of the year so special for us, I think about what’s going to stay with me through the rest of the year as well. I’ll be playing “SGL” while the sun’s out all summer, listening to “Knowme” as the leaves start to change colors, and have “P0WDER” on repeat in my headphones by the fire this winter. It’s an album for all seasons, for all moods, and it’s been my runaway favorite of the year so far. [JT]
6. Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait For Love
After spending the last three Pianos Become The Teeth records recounting the life, love, pain, and loss of his father from multiple sclerosis, the band’s latest album Wait For Love features frontman Kyle Durfey exploring his own fatherhood, as he got married and had a child after finding some sort of closure on 2014’s Keep You.
Wait For Love isn’t a happy record nor a sad record – it’s a realistic one that beautifully and painfully captures all the intoxicating highs and devastating lows of being a husband and father. The record is as emotionally complex as you’d expect from a Pianos record, but Durfey’s melodies have never been more powerful, surrounded by the band’s increased gracefulness in their musicianship and enhanced by David Haik’s pulsating and brilliant drumming.
From the initial euphoric wave of “Fake Lighting” to the gorgeously intense closer “Blue,” Wait For Love is bursting with some of 2018’s most heartfelt, vulnerable tracks as Pianos Become The Teeth earnestly march into the next exhilarating phase of their career. (DB)
7. Pusha T – DAYTONA
It’s been a long season for hip-hop, filled with new releases and controversy in equal measure. While many have taken Kanye West to task for his inane infatuation with Trump and a number of right-wing pundits, there was a certain curiousness ascribed to the announcement of his ambitious Wyoming Sessions. West set out to release five G.O.O.D Music albums within a month, and while ye may be polarizing enough to finally keep some listeners from buying into the producer’s schtick, the first release of these sessions, Pusha T’s DAYTONA, may be the best of the bunch.
DAYTONA is as close as it gets to an instant classic, and the publicity surrounding the release, for better or worse, fuels that fact. In some ways, DAYTONA is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Pusha T – that is, luxury drug raps – but in another way, the album pushes new boundaries for the rapper. From the melodicism of opening single “If You Know You Know” to the stunning guitar samples on “The Games We Play” and “Santeria,” King Push manages to mix more braggadocio and quotables in just seven tracks than most rappers are capable of in an hour-plus. [AM]
8. Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog
There is no voice in modern rock and roll as unique and indescribable as Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan. A constant see-saw between something beautiful and ugly, she undertakes a variety of different approaches, as if her voice is assuming a different character each time.
And it’s so very apparent on the band’s incredible third album, Bark Your Head Off, Dog – a record that encapsulates a catharsis in the most imperfect yet perfect ways. Tracks like “How You Got Your Limp” and “Not Abel” prove that you don’t need to be abrasive to be impactful, each song channeling the tender yet spastic density of the band’s music. Bark Your Head Off, Dog may be the most visceral record of 2018, innately sticking with you long after the final track has finished playing. [DB]
9. Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer
Josh Tillman is one of the most divisive voices in indie-rock, for reasons that are clear, but also somewhat silly. It seems many can’t stand the performer’s growing penchant for satire and theatrics, and if that’s the case, many will rejoice upon hearing his shortest and least ironic offering under the moniker yet. Taking sonic cues from his entire discography, God’s Favorite Customer is a piano record, a comparatively minimalist affair that often bursts into lavish compositions that would make a Beatle blush.
Rooted in heartbreak and isolation, Gods Favorite Customer offers the unique songwriting chops fans have come to love as well as an unbridled and often bleak look at this particular songwriter’s process. An album of pleas, Tillman chastises himself on “Just Dumb Enough to Try” (“But I’m just dumb enough to try/To keep you in my life/For a little while longer”), but also switches places with his partner on standouts “Please Don’t Die” (“And honey, I’m worried ’bout you/Put yourself in my shoes/You’re all that I have/So please don’t die, wherever you are tonight”) and “The Songwriter.” Saving its least performative bits for the B-side, God’s Favorite Customer is the unfortunately common high point of an artist’s career mirroring a low point in their personal life. [AM]
10. Jeff Rosenstock – POST-
If Jeff Rosenstock’s We Cool? is about the internally-directed disquiet that comes when an anxious person starts noticing the aging process, and if WORRY. is about the externally-directed disquiet that comes when an anxious person decides to get married and settle down in a troubled political climate, POST- is about that same anxious person trying their absolute hardest to keep it together in the era of Donald Trump.
While POST- doesn’t shake up the WORRY. sound all that much (discounting some experimentation with longer song structures in the opening and closing tracks), Rosenstock has clearly gone through significant changes since Inauguration Day. Specifically, he’s writing from a much lower place. While Jeff postured himself as the flag-bearer in the movement against all that is fucked up in the world on WORRY., POST- finds the singer full of anxiety and paranoia with nothing but questions to offer. Did my friends and neighbors vote for him? How can I speak out against this? Is there really any point in doing so? Can I start a new life in Australia or something? And while “Let Them Win” doesn’t begin to start answering these questions, it does present the only possible conclusion, the only mantra that feels within reach: no matter how bad things get, we’re not gonna let them win. [JB]
11. Fall Out Boy – MANIA
If you could put me in a time machine that looks like a DeLorean and shoot me back to the release of Fall Out Boy’s Take This To Your Grave, and let me tell myself that in 15 years the band would still be going strong, and, in fact, may have just released their best album? I’d probably believe time-traveling-Jason. I’ve always believed that this band is special and it’s thrilling for me to watch their career unfold. The constant has been the band’s ability to write very good songs. They’ve walked through a variety of different genres and branched out their sound, but I’d argue that the the underlying “Fall Out Boy-ness” has always remained. (Uh, ditto for people arguing about them on my forums.)
MANIA has quickly grown to be one of my favorite Fall Out Boy albums. I’m drawn to this brash confidence I can feel in the songs. It’s got a pulsing soul that reverberates through a razor-tight 36 minutes. Between foot-stomping choruses and soul-baring ballads, it’s the amount of pure fun that I find in the album I’m drawn most to. In a world that feels more hellish each day, there’s a comfort to this record. I’m not surprised this band is still cranking out great songs all these years later, but I’m always pleasantly surprised when I not only find something to like, but something I genuinely want to listen to. Well done you little pleasing purple record you. [JT]
12. Lord Huron – Vide Noir
Lord Huron, the indie rock group from Los Angeles, have had quite a few years to grow into their trademark sound of atmospheric landscapes and wandering journeys. Vide Noir, the third studio album and their first on a major label, was mixed by Dave Fridmann (Tame Impala, The Flaming Lips) and self-produced by front-man Ben Schneider, in which he has crafted his early career masterpiece. Schneider recently credited this album to a new habit of taking nighttime drives around LA and the “search for meaning amidst the cold indifference of the universe,” according to his recent social media posts. This album in particular speaks to the late night journeys that Schneider had become accustomed to and takes the listener on a rewarding path of self discovery. Lord Huron are at their most comfortable when they experiment with these sonic landscapes and there’s plenty of this apparent on this LP. [AG]
13. Caitlyn Smith – Starfire
Some artists just have those voices that you can’t deny. You might not usually listen to the genre they hail from, and you might not even love the songs, but you can hear them sing and understand why people love their music. Adele is one of those artists. Chris Stapleton is one of those artists. Jeff Buckley, when he was alive, was one of those artists. And Caitlyn Smith is one of those artists, too. For my money, Smith’s debut, titled Starfire, is one of the two or three most well-sung LPs of the decade so far. I’m guessing that one listen to the theatrical tour-de-force “East Side Restaurant” will be enough to tell you why.
While Smith’s voice is the centerpiece, though, Starfire is what it is because of the songwriting. Smith has been waiting for this moment for a long time, releasing a series of EPs and writing songs for everyone from Garth Brooks to Dolly Parton to Meghan Trainor and John Legend. Starfire encapsulates that long-haul story into a record about chasing a dream until it breaks your heart—and then chasing it even harder. Songs like “Don’t Give up on My Love” and “This Town Is Killing Me” ache with the sting of everything you sacrifice when you gamble your life on a fool’s hope of music industry success. “They buried my granddad without me/’Cause I was out on the road at some one-off show in Tupelo/And I can’t take that one back,” Smith sings in the latter. Starfire is an album built on a lot of miles, a lot of lonely nights in shitty motel rooms, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. You can hear every ounce of what the journey cost in the songs, so when Smith belts something like the rafter-shaking key change at the climax of “Tacoma,” it feels like nothing less than a triumph of the human spirit. [CM]
14. Camp Cope – How To Socialise and Make Friends
There’s a renaissance of primal, emotionally-charged punk rock coming out of Melbourne, Australia right now (roo-rock?) and the all-female Camp Cope is leading the charge. Lead singer Georgia Maq started as a solo artist, but added Kelso Hellmrich and Sarah Thompson to great effect on their second studio album, How to Socialize & Make Friends, a loose reference to the classic Dan Carnegie self-help book published in the 30’s.
Maq is equal parts sincere, sarcastic, bitter, and brazen singing about gender politics (“And all my success has got nothing to do with me/Yeah, tell me again how there just aren’t that many girls in the music scene”) and just surviving in a world not built for sensitive people (“But sometimes it’s hard to go outside/And I’ve been driving way too much/I’ve been too lazy to fix my bike”). Her beautiful banshee scream is reminiscent of Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan’s, but nothing about Camp Cope is purely derivative. Now in their prime as a band, they have created a place for themselves all their own. [DK]
15. Underoath – Erase Me
The first time I heard “rase Me, I was let down—but somehow totally vibing with album standout “No Frame.” And then I listened again. And again. The songs started wiggling their way into my head. And then I listened again. The next thing I knew, I was belting every song for weeks on end. I’d trusted Underoath for fifteen years, and they delivered again, despite my initial reaction. Listening to an album “freed from religion” was listening to the catharsis of a man not afraid to address God from a place of vulnerability and honesty unafraid of how he was perceived in the asking, conquering the addiction demons of his past, and coming to a new sense of identity—all while exploring new avenues of sound for the band. Some defined these new sounds as selling out—and while I would’ve preferred more “Hold Your Breath”-type songs to “Rapture”-type songs—I’m all for bands writing what they want to write.
This will never be remembered as their greatest album, but with enough time, it becomes an intensely personal album if you let it. The soaring chorus of “In Motion” or the absolutely crushing bridge of “ihateit” spoke directly to my life experiences. Spencer sang words echoing the thoughts I’ve kept on scraps of paper only I see. When I come to music, I just like to be seen. Thirteen years after “Young and Aspiring” changed my life, Underoath still makes music that sees me. And I still see them. I’m so happy for the continued success and happiness they’ve found along the way. Erase Me is an album about the journey, and I’m already excited for what the destination of a next album promises. [GL]
16. Soccer Mommy – Clean
Perhaps no other artist understands coming of age in the 2010s the way Soccer Mommy’s Sophie Allison does. Her first proper full-length, Clean, displays her knack for chronicling the uncertainties of young love, feeling misunderstood, and avoiding one’s parents in a way that feels far more mature than the subject matter would suggest. Take “Flaw”’s honest retelling of a relationship gone sour, culminating in the self-aware line: “I choose to blame it all on you, ‘cause I don’t like the truth.” Or listen to the rollicking, defiant single “Your Dog,” a screed against a controlling boyfriend that turns into a positive affirmation of her autonomy. It’ll be exciting to watch Allison grow, but for now, Clean is a hell of a first step. [ZD]
17. Animal Flag – Void Ripper
Animal Flag’s latest full-length, Void Ripper, is aptly named. It’s the band’s darkest and heaviest release yet, and the music is every bit as crushing and apocalyptic as Matt Politoski’s lyrics behind it – lyrics like, “everyone I know will die” and “life is short, it always ends.” While Politoski’s lyrics are admittedly depressing, they’re also his most personal and thought-provoking yet. He and the rest of Animal Flag have torn through the void, and what they discovered on the other side was something beautiful. [ZD]
18. Frank Turner – Be More Kind
Frank Turner is an Englishman, dutifully touring his way around the world and then back again, racking up a whopping 2,202 shows under his belt. So if anyone knows what might help our country right now, it’s probably the very world-weary Frank Turner. On Be More Kind he prescribes one part decency (“Be more kind, my friends/Try to be more kind”) , one part rage (“Let’s make America great again/By making racists ashamed again.”), and one part persistence (“Put on your brave face, honey, your brave face/It’s funny how fear can bring your focus in tight”). It’s a winning formula and the subject matter forces Turner to slow down in way he’s never done before.
He leans in hard on the end-of-the-world theme with titles like “21st Century Survival Blues” and “Making America Great Again,” but mostly gone are the fast guitars and punk power chords, replaced instead with sensitive acoustic strumming and even, on standout track “Blackout”, a clubby dance beat. Turner crafts a surprisingly mellow, insightful album, one that feels, more than ever, like one he’s been wanting to make. And if takes an Englishman with four chords to save our country, well, we’ll take it any way we can get it. [DK]
19. The Republic of Wolves – Shrine
After my first listen of Shrine I knew that this was a very special record. On their 3rd LP The Republic of Wolves return to their roots. This record delivers an album full of dynamic dark alt rock songs that are sure to fill a void for some. Lyrically, Shrine is a concept album that centers around Japanese folklore while still touching on relatable themes such as heartbreak (Birdless Cage) and spiritual conflict (Bask) . One of the album’s highlights is the centerpiece “Dialogues,” which takes the listener through a musical journey of both loud and soft dynamics, while also containing a call back a track on the bands first LP “Monologues.” The production on shrine is fantastic and contains some of the best guitar tones I’ve heard this year. This record delivers on many layers and is a must listen for fans of dynamic alternative rock. [Teebs41]
20. Turnstile – Time & Space
If you’re looking for 2018’s most wild ride look no further than Turnstile’s Roadrunner Records debut, Time & Space. Blending the perfect mix of shout-along choruses, super groovy musicianship, and just the right amount of heavy to get the pit moving (thanks to Will Yip’s crisp production), the Baltimore quintet is the most exciting and unique band to emerge from the hardcore scene in years. “Generator” flows like an out-of-body experience, elevating above any and all distractions, while the fuzzy crunch of “Moon” features a guest turn from Sheer Mag’s Tina Halladay and the blistering “Right To Be” features added production from none other than Diplo. Clocking in with 13 tracks at just under a half hour, Time & Space proves that the tired ideas of what hardcore should be will not stop Turnstile from getting freaky and releasing one of the best albums of the year. [DB]
Contributor Key
- [CM]: Craig Manning
- [JT]: Jason Tate
- [AM]: Aaron Mook
- [SS]: Scott Surette
- [ZD]: Zac Djamoos
- [DC]: Deanna Chapman
- [DB]: Drew Beringer
- [AG]: Adam Grundy
- [GL]: Garrett Lemons
- [JB]: John Bazley
- [DK]: David Kallison
Contributor Lists
Jason Tate
- Now, Now – Saved
- Fickle Friends – You Are Someone Else
- Fall Out Boy – Mania
- Half Waif – Lavender
- Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
- Dessa – Chime
- The Neighbourhood – The Neighbourhood
- Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
- Natalie Prass – The Future and the Past
- Pennywise – Never Gonna Die
- Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer
- Soccer Mommy – Clean
- Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz
- Nathan Gray – Feral Hymns
- Illuminati Hotties – Kiss Yr Frenemies
- The Republic of Wolves – Shrine
- Lykke Li – So Sad So Sexy
- The Longshot – Love is For Losers
- Annie-Marie – Speak Your Mind
- Tonight Alive – Underworld
Drew Beringer
- Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer
- The Wonder Years – Sister Cities
- Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog
- Turnstile – Time & Space
- Petal – Magic Gone
- Self Defense Family – Have You Considered Punk Music
- Beach House – 7
- Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait For Love
- Sleep – The Sciences
- Tiny Moving Parts – Swell
- Jeff Rosenstock – POST-
- Culture Abuse – Bay Dream
- Rolling Blackouts C.F. – Hope Downs
- Dance Gavin Dance – Artificial Selection
- Wax Idols – Happy Ending
- Now, Now – Saved
- Hurry – Every Little Thought
- Drowse – Cold Air
- Wye Oak – The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs
- Anthony Green – Would You Still Be In Love
Adam Grundy
- Lord Huron – Vide Noir
- Middle Kids – Lost Friends
- The Aces – When my heart felt volcanic
- CHVRCHES – Love is Dead
- The Neighbourhood – S/T
- Moon Taxi – Let the record play
- Car Seat Headrest- Twin Fantasy
- Kendrick Lamar/VA – Black panther soundtrack
- Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
- Senses Fail – If there is light…
- Dashboard Confessional – Crooked Shadows
- Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night sweats – Tearing at the Seams
- Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
- The Voidz – Virtue
- Underoath – Erase Me
- Superorganism – S/T
- Ben Howard – Noonday Dream
- Pennywise – Never Gonna Die
- Father John misty – Gods favorite customer
- The Longshot – Love is for Losers
Craig Manning
- Caitlyn Smith – Starfire
- Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
- Tenille Townes – The Living Room Worktapes
- Dawes – Passwords
- Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
- Donovan Woods – Both Ways
- Field Report – Summertime Songs
- Brothers Osborne – Port Saint Joe
- Steve Moakler – Born Ready
- Dierks Bentley – The Mountain
- LANCO – Hallelujah Nights
- Ashley Monroe – Sparrow
- Brandi Carlile – By the Way, I Forgive You
- Courtney Marie Andrews – May Your Kindness Remain
- Parker Millsap – Other Arrangements
- The Dangerous Summer – The Dangerous Summer
- The Church Sisters – A Night at the Opry
- Snow Patrol – Wildness
- Ashley McBryde – Girl Going Nowhere
- American Aquarium – Things Change
Scott Surette
- the wonder years — sister cities
- the republic of wolves — shrine
- pusha t — daytona
- dance gavin dance — artificial selection
- hop along — bark your head off, dog
- jeff rosenstock — post-
- pianos become the teeth — wait for love
- turnstile — time and space
- cardi b — invasion of privacy
- soccer mommy — clean
- jpegmafia — veteran
- tiny moving parts — swell
- the dangerous summer — the dangerous summer
- senses fail — if there is a light, it will find you
- pennywise — never gonna die
Deanna Chapman
- Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
- Hidden Hospitals – Liars
- Marian Hill – Unusual
- Caitlyn Smith – Starfire
- Brothers Osborne – Port Saint Joe
- The XCERTS – Hold On To Your Heart
- Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
- Hurry – Every Little Thought
- Elder Brother – Stay Inside
- The Longshot – Love Is for Lovers
Zac Djamoos
- Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz
- The Wonder Years – Sister Cities
- Soccer Mommy – Clean
- Animal Flag – Void Ripper
- Camp Cope – How to Socialise and Make Friends
- Long Neck – Will This Do
- awakebutstillinbed – what people call low self-esteem…
- Pianos Become the Teeth – Wait for Love
- illuminati Hotties – Kiss Yr Frenemies 1
- Mighty – Mighty
- The Republic of Wolves – shrine
- No Thank You – All It Takes to Ruin It All
- Black Foxxes – Reidi 14. Runaway Brother – New Pocket
- Speak Low If You Speak Love – Nearsighted
- Jeff Rosenstock – Post-
- Toy Cars – Paint Brain
- Late Bloomer – Waiting
- Barely Civil – We Can Live Here Forever
- Casey – Where I Go When I Am Sleeping
Aaron Mook
- Caroline Rose – LONER
- Porches – The House
- Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer
- The Sidekicks – Happiness Hours
- Pusha T – DAYTONA
- Beach House – 7
- American Pleasure Club – A Whole Fucking Lifetime of This
- Donovan Wolfington – Waves
- Kraus – Path
- Mount Eerie – Now Only
Chrisanne Grise
- Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
- Franz Ferdinand – Always Ascending
- Lord Huron – Vide Noir
- Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
- Leon Bridges – Good Thing
- David Byrne – American Utopia
- Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer
- Frank Turner – Be More Kind
- The Longshot – Love is for Losers
- Kate Nash – Yesterday Was Forever
David Kallison
- Camp Cope – How to Socialize and Make Friends
- Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
- Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz
- Sorority Noise – YNAAT
- Frank Turner – Be More Kind
- Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog
- illuminati hotties – Kiss Yr Frenemies
- Coach Phillips – Learning How To Swim EP
- Pelafina – Sorry In Advance
- Wonder Years – Sister Cities
- Tiny Little Houses – Idiot Proverbs
- The Penske File – Salvation
- Childish Gambino – “This is America” single
- Juice WRLD – Goodbye and Good Riddance
- Pllush – Stranger to the Pain
- Nahan Gray – Feral Hymns
- Animal Flag – Void Ripper
John Bazley
- Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz
- The Wonder Years – Sister Cities
- Staten – I don’t want to be alone anymore
- Now, Now – Saved
- Pusha T – Daytona
- Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
- Kevin Gates – Chained to the City EP
- Kississippi – Sunset Blush
- Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer
- Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog
- The HIRS Collective – Friends. Lovers. Favorites.
- Jeff Rosenstock – POST-
- A Will Away – Hear Again EP
- J Cole – KOD
- Saba – Care For Me
- Tiny Moving Parts – Swell
- Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel
- Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
- Animal Flag – Void Ripper
- Zaytoven – Trap Holizay
Garrett Lemons
- Underoath – Erase Me
- The Wonder Years – Sister Cities
- Beyonce & Jay-Z — Love Is Everything
- Jeff Rosenstock – POST-
- The Weeknd – My Dear Melancholy
- Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
- Frank Turner – Be More Kind
- Shawn Mendes – Shawn Mendes
- Dashboard Confessional – Crooked Shadows
- Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait For Love
- The Dangerous Summer – The Dangerous Summer
- Senses Fail – If There Is A Light…
- The Republic of Wolves – Shrine
- Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
- Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
- Janelle Monae – Dirty Computer
- Migos – Culture II
- Now, Now – Saved
- Justin Timberlake – Man of the Woods
- Pusha T – Daytona
Ryan Gardner
- The Wonder Years – Sister Cities
- Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz
- Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
- Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait For Love
- Now, Now – Saved
- The Sidekicks – Happiness Hours
- Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
- The Dangerous Summer – The Dangerous Summer
- Underoath – Erase Me
- Turnstile – Time & Space
- Soccer Mommy – Clean
- Harms Way – Posthuman
Tommy Monroe
- Pusha T – Daytona
- Anne-Marie – Speak Your Mind
- Charlie Puth – Voicenotes
- Cozz – Effected
- First Aid Kit – Ruins
- Vance Joy – Nation Of Two
- Princess Nokia – A Girl Cried Red
- Fall Out Boy – Mania
- Camila Cabello – CAMILA
- Jay Rock – Redemption
- Beyoncé & Jay-Z – Everything Is Love
- Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer
- Cardi B – Invasion Of Privacy
- Royce da 5’9 – Book Of Ryan
- Migos – culture 2
- J. Cole – KOD
- The Dangerous Summer – The Dangerous Summer
- Julie Bergan – Turn On The Lights
- Kids See Ghosts – KIDS SEE GHOSTS
- Kanye West – Ye
Aj LaGambina
- Now, Now – Saved
- Pianos Become The Teeth – Wait for Love
- Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
- Animal Flag – Void Ripper
- Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog
- Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
- Jeff Rosenstock – Post-
- Tiny Moving Parts – Swell
- Fall Out Boy – Mania
- MGMT – Little Dark Age
Eric Wilson
- Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
- Brian Fallon – Sleepwalkers
- Mayday Parade – Sunnyland
- Camila Cabello – Camila
- Mike Shinoda – Post Traumatic
- Fall Out Boy – MANIA
- Mat Kearney – Crazytalk
- Dashboard Confessional – Crooked Shadows
- Tonight Alive – Underworld
- State Champs – Living Proof