The Genius Community’s 50 Best Albums of 2022

RM, who has been on the music scene for over a decade, calls Indigo an archive of his twenties. It shows him without the weight of fame that comes with being a member of the biggest music group in the world, a crucial part of his life, but not what entirely represents who he is as an individual. The album is led with an artistic theme. With the title, artwork, and the first song, “Yun” ft. Erykah Badu, he pays tribute to one of his favorite South Korean artists but also provides the key to understanding it as the entirety—“I wanna be a human ‘fore I do some art.” Funky “Still Life” ft. Anderson .Paak brings the message of liberation from regrets and the motivation to move forward. In “Lonely”, he uses roughness to reflect on alienation and looking for relief. The lead single, powerful “Wild Flower” ft. youjeen, reflects on why RM started making music in the first place, while the metaphor of the exploding blossom represents hope and encourages to shine across the sky like “flowerworks.” Indigo shows RM’s versatility, and that is not about setting records or keeping up with trends—it is about the art of music. —Siannve

Mitski has a knack for completely exploding the human condition so that we may see all of its unspoken, gritty, and simultaneously beautiful parts. Her sixth album Laurel Hell is no exception, yet released two years after her fateful hiatus from music, it sits at a complex crossroads in her career. As Mitski grapples with loving what kills you on the industrial-leaning “Working For The Knife”, she interrogates her complicated nature as a working artist, romantic conflict without power struggles, and crucially: was it all worth it? Offset by the light of hyperbolic 80s-styled synthpop and new wave, she explores this existential darkness as a site of comfort and familiarity, as well as intrigue and the unknown. There’s an air of finality to “That’s Our Lamp”, its closing lines “That’s where you loved me” containing in short, simple words mountains of interpretations and emotional weight, just as Mitski does best. —Rhett Logan

Celebrating their seventh anniversary and fresh off their contract renewal, SEVENTEEN entered their new era with a fourth studio album, Face the Sun. Through the album, they confront their past, fears, and vulnerabilities to present a more mature and ambitious tone. The pre-released first English single—the warm and mellow “Darl+ing”—doesn’t prepare for the tonal change that’s to come with the bold and daring lead single, “HOT”, which serves as their proclamation of a change and a new beginning. This album’s true versatility and strength come with the B-sides. Rock-heavy “March” and “Don Quixote” tell the story of SEVENTEEN’s personal journey, while “Shadow” focuses on accepting the darker parts of it. The album closer, “Ash,” finds the group capturing their own metamorphosis after burning their past selves to the ground, evoking the image of a phoenix. Without losing thematic coherence, SEVENTEEN wrote and produced an album that offers a wide variety of musical styles and gives a sense of growth. With over 2.2 million physical copies sold in pre-orders worldwide, the album is also their biggest commercial success to date, proving that they’ve become a complete powerhouse in K-pop.​ —Siannve

The multi-faceted Smino returns with his third studio release. If NOIR was an experiment, then Luv 4 Rent is a tried-and-true science. An album that exemplifies how confident Smino is sonically, Luv 4 Rent brings back long-time collaborators Phoelix and Ravyn Lenae while also enlisting hip-hop heavyweights J. Cole and Lil Uzi Vert, all seamlessly brought together by audio engineer Elton “L10MixedIt” Chueng. Sway recently congratulated Smino for reaching the same frequencies as “Earth, Wind, and Fire; The Commodores; and Bootsy Collins,” and indeed, the St. Louis native’s music is a must listen for people looking to find a trailblazer in harmonious rap. —Leonardo Merino

2022 will be remembered for countless reasons but few will stand as iconic as when Big Thief sent a jug band into space—metaphorically anyway. Songs like “Spud Infinity,” “Time Escaping,” and “Simulation Swarm” all walk a beautiful line between sci-fi lyricism and folk tradition that speak to the anxieties of a world where we all hug our smartphones for dear life.

The band’s hope with Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You was to showcase the many aspects of lead singer Adrianne Lenker’s songwriting, and despite a near hour and thirty run time, the album never drags, constantly switching up approaches to production while being united by nuanced stories and weird, entrancing concepts. Most potently, on the album’s title track epic, Lenker manages to sing of dragons, space, and true love, deftly pushing the boundaries of a band already known for consistently making waves in indie rock. —@wizard

“When people look at me, they need to understand that I can do this forever.”. Over the past three decades, Pusha T has solidified himself as hip-hop’s force to be reckoned with. With resentful energy, It’s Almost Dry sees a troubled Pusha explore the dichotomies between his unsettling past and his present opulent lifestyle: from cocaine and cars to falsity and firearms, the album illustrates his life experiences. Sonically, Ye and Pharrell oscillate between production, utilizing iconic samples and signature four-count starts to encompass Pusha’s complexity. Notable features on the album include Jay-Z on the braggadocious “Neck & Wrist”, Kid Cudi, Lil Uzi Vert, Don Toliver, Nigo, Labrinth, and No Malice on “I Pray For You”, sure to make Clipse fans rejoice. It’s Almost Dry proves artistic growth can be achieved with a metronomic flow paired with a personal niche, and to limit Pusha as a “coke rapper” would be an injustice to his ever-growing legacy. —Jyoti Amrita

Out of the doom and gloom of deep Americana, Ethel Cain’s debut album, Preacher’s Daughter, plays like a gripping horror film—a breath of haunting fresh air in an era of digital singles and streaming. Utilizing heavy reverb and ominous sonic textures, the singer-songwriter from Florida blurs fiction and reality by drawing on her own Baptist upbringing to craft a narrative dealing with intergenerational trauma, sexuality, family, and God that ends in (spoiler alert) literal murder and carnage. It’s a beautifully realized concept album that still manages to not beat you over the head with its subject matter despite its long-ish run time. Ethel Cain is defiantly taking nouveau-goth-indie-folk-ethereal-pop-wave to new dreamy/nightmarish places, and it’s a truly stunning effort for a debut album. Thoughtful and meticulously arranged, it’s well worth a proper sit-down and listen-through—just as one would sit and read the next great American novel. —Kevin Loo

Very rarely do you ever see an artist’s catalog as consistent as Future’s. In April, the Atlanta rapper who was named “The best rapper alive” by GQ this year, released his ninth studio album with I NEVER LIKED YOU and once again, it did not disappoint. Influence oozes out from this effortless trap adventure from Hendrix. I NEVER LIKED YOU features some surprisingly heartfelt and emotional tracks like “LOVE YOU BETTER” and “WAIT FOR U.” The album continues to further impress with some stellar hype lyrical trap cuts found in “KEEP IT BURNIN” and “HOLY GHOST.” Let’s also not forget how the project began with one of the best intro tracks of the year, “712PM” either. It’s clear that Future is comfortable in his lane, continuing to make music with his closest collaborators who are not shy about making the occasional hit song. —Joseph Haske

Carly’s fifth album was inspired by her response to the loneliness and yearning that characterized her life during the pandemic. It’s the ultimate love child of lockdown and the great master of pop that Carly is. Combining her famous synth-infused sound with acoustic instruments and a pinch of disco, the album plays almost like a soundtrack to the raw reality of life in solitude.

With themes that include longing for family (“Western Wind”), terrible dating experiences (“Beach House”), and new beginnings (the end of the title track), the album takes listeners on a journey of self-reflection. It shows how being alone can cause a turbulent rush of emotions, which don’t always have to be a negative thing. Even though it’s not her magnum opus third album, E•MO•TION, it definitely provides a future career marking point of pre– and post–The Loneliest Time Carly. —Dušan

Coming off the career-defining project of apocalypse that was Titanic Rising (2019), Weyes Blood nimbly steps into the spotlight again with And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow. The revival of baroque pop has made it a unique and effective (though not efficient—see the five six-minute tracks) vehicle to address the malaise and fatalism so characteristic of life in the 2020s. Indeed, she traces the ills of toxic narcissism (“God Turn Me Into a Flower”), masculinist egoism (“Grapevine”), and the rotting effects of hyper-isolation (“The Worst is Done”) in elegant, swelling order. Though the whole record is a work of finery, its crown jewel is opening track “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody,” a fable about just how universal suffering has been in a world committed to our loneliness. By the time the curtain closes, guitar and orchestra ribboning gracefully, the body inhabits only restless peace, a shaken quiet. —Max Zhang

There’s a certain kind of broken heart that only a SZA record can mend—a few wounds only her stitches, some spiteful and some lonesome, can make whole again. Five years after her decade-defining debut, the return of SZA feels mythical, her lyrics expected to be, yet again, a kind of modern gospel. (Per Bowen Yang: A Joni Mitchell for the times?) She delivers: vocals and verses excellent as ever, SOS is so diaristic, so honest about navigating grief, self-destruction, privacy, and devotion without ornament. It also manages to be one of the most genre-ambitious records of the year; it shapeshifts easily from a contemporary lo-fi R&B joint to a river of pop-punk, rap, balladry, and more. Some might’ve walked into SOS hoping for a second Ctrl. Me, I’m just happy to see SZA win—and this record, closing with a proclamation by Ol’ Dirty Bastard of sheer love, is a victory. —Max Zhang

Former “iPhone producer” Steve Lacy gave us the breakup album of the summer—a neo-soul journey that only adds to his solo discography. Having come a long way from Apollo XXI, Gemini Rights seems like a fine-tuning of his unique sound, mixing gritty instrumentals (like in “Mercury”) and ethereal production (like in “Cody Freestyle”).

Across 10 tracks and 35 minutes, Steve says more with less, detailing his process of coping with a breakup from his biased perspective, making a real connection with the listener. Tracks like “Buttons” and “Give You the World” show Steve’s conflicting feelings towards his ex-boyfriend, portraying his emotions perfectly. On this record, Steve describes two sides of the same coin, like a true Gemini. —Martim Luz

“I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser,” Taylor Swift admits on the synth-pop anthem “Anti-Hero,” but the rest of the song and the other 19 tracks on her Midnights album would beg to differ. Midnights is a concept album exploring various sleepless nights Swift has experienced in her life, ranging from devastating to downright dazzling—all while offering new context, closure, and conclusions about past moments in her public-facing life and discography. Her songwriting has never felt more intimate or harrowing, with moments like the anti-abuse reflection “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” and the underdog anthem “You’re On Your Own, Kid” offering some of the most satisfying lyrical twists and quips of her career. With so many references and connections to Swift’s past work, Midnights can be seen as the ultimate companion to her Taylor’s Version project—which sees her rerecording her first six albums to regain creative control over her catalog—while she literally and figuratively combs back through the decades and reminds us, “So many fade, but I’m still here.” —Madison Murray​

Unlike the title of the album, none of the songs on emails i can’t send sound like unsent drafts. Instead, the album is one of Sabrina Carpenter’s most introspective projects. The singer-songwriter showcases her more vulnerable side on the album as she shares her inner thoughts regarding a very public relationship. The album’s lyrics tap into Carpenter’s regrets and thoughts about what could’ve been, as she contemplates the choices she made. On songs like the bouncy synth-pop track, “Tornado Warnings,” Carpenter prioritizes herself, whereas on “Already Over,” she seeks closure from a failed relationship even though her ex-lover has already moved on. Carpenter turns her reflective thoughts into a shimmering pop record, making emails i can’t send one of the best albums of the year. —Saquib Syed

On SMITHEREENS, Joji’s reverent language speaks through his habitual somber and atmospheric soundscape. The brand-new, two-disc project combines his specialized alternative pop sound and commonplace mellow attitude to create a woebegone, harrowing 24-minute experience that touches on heavy emotions and themed allusions while also providing very magnificent peaks that highlight dreamy, pleasant, and glossy components.

Disc A is rather sweet, polished, and intimate—housing more of the hotter album tracks. “Glimpse Of Us,” “Die For You,” and “Before The Day Is Over” are all sweet-to-the-touch balladry with different artistic styles ranging from robust, vintage, and molasses-like musical confection. Side B is slightly more dark and granular, ultimately closing off the album with “1AM FREESTYLE,” a cut that leaves Joji transcending with harmonic keys and vocals.

The emotional content on SMITHEREENS, musically and lyrically, has an all-time melodramatic grandeur. The album’s material is frequently lauded for its capacity to elicit strong feelings and depth, as well as its appealing melodies and captivating rhythms throughout its play. SMITHEREENS not only sees Joji’s development by virtue of successfully sharpening his instrumentation to craft beautiful, idyllic pieces that he’s been previously missing the mark on, but showcases his technical sublimation of honesty and vulnerability. —Kwame Hodge

With every new era, Björk seems to always surprise us from leftfield. After the dramatic breakup/healing saga of Vulnicura and Utopia, who would’ve guessed her next album would be mushroom-fuelled clarinet gabber? It’s clear, however, that the endlessly inventive creativity on her 10th album, Fossora, is the culmination of over 40 years of music making. Dizzyingly visceral beats meet elegant harmonies and esoteric lyrics as Björk shows off her prowess as a composer, performer, and producer with the sprawling serpentine maximalism of “Atopos”; the cathartic orchestral grandeur of “Ancestress”, in tribute to her late mother; and the pure, entrancing wonder of “Fungal City”.

It’s easy to say Björk pushes the boundaries of pop, but even truer than that, Fossora shows us that music has no boundaries, that even in the restriction of isolation, something highly communal, emotional, and completely groundbreaking is waiting to be made. —Rhett Logan

Taking a slight departure from her abrasive yet glassy hyperpop roots, Charli XCX pervades the scene with her fifth studio album, CRASH, a project heavily influenced by disco, trance, new jack swing, and some throwback ’80s flare to inspire its core makeup.

Whether it be the star-studded and anthemic “New Shapes,” the overly kittenish and sexy “Baby,” or the disco-infused banger “Yuck,” it’s very telling that Ms. XCX knows how to work her way around instrumentation that goes beyond contemporary realms. But even lyrically, CRASH has a preponderance of sentimental gems in its tracklist: case in point, “Twice” broaches the fugacious elements potentially ruining our lives while “Every Rule” tells the story of a blossoming relationship.

Unequivocally, CRASH is a victorious and vivacious record in Charli’s catalog, and though it may not be the linchpin of her discography—like Pop 2, Charli, and even how i’m feeling now—its conceptual standpoint of conventionality is an ultimate breath of fresh air as she offers her take on “sellout mainstream pop.” —Kwame Hodge

Bad Bunny’s fourth studio album, Un Verano Sin Ti has something for everyone, craftily fusing different Latin rhythms like reggaeton, disco and dembow. Un Verano Sin Ti has fun moments like summer anthems “Callaita” and “Titi Me Preguntó”, but also explores much more serious topics on songs like “Andrea”, where he sheds light on gender-based violence.

The chart-topping album may have been inspired by a break-up, but for Bad Bunny, heartache is the perfect time to find peace, heal, and represent his Puerto Rican heritage. —@thousandeyes

Dawn FM is an introspective and sardonic examination of mortality. From its conceptual framework of a radio station broadcasting to/from purgatory to its striking artwork featuring an aged Abel looking out soberly, this album feels like a statement: There is more to The Weeknd than parties, love, and lust—although of course, those are never in short supply.
Abel’s ability to navigate darkness and light in his music is magnetic. In the opening arc of the album, the boppy drums and uplifting synths of “Gasoline” contrast with unsettling lyrics: “It’s 5 am, I’m nihilist, I know there’s nothing after this.” This line serves a mission statement as Dawn FM swerves through a narrative about life, death, and the beyond. On the skit “Every Angel is Terrifying,” Abel offers a cheeky meta-self-review, perfectly apt for this record and his career thus far: “Intense, graphic, sexy, euphoric, provocative, edgy, thought-provoking.” —Kevin Loo

Denzel Curry’s fifth studio album, Melt My Eyez, See Your Future, is a welcome two-pronged discovery for fans old and new. An album that has Curry reflecting on his own behavior and mulling over the flaws within society is wrapped within the reinvention of the South Florida rapper’s sound with admitted influences from jazz. In the opening track, “Melt Session #1,” Denzel tells us that “being aware is my definition of melt,” and this theme of not only awareness but an active self-observation of habits, vices, and behavior from himself and others is eloquently intertwined in this work. Sonically, Curry’s foundational intensity and passion for rap is unwavering within the album and evident on “Sanjuro,” where he collaborates with fellow Floridian 454. Denzel has shown us again that he is not to be put in a box, and Melt My Eyez, See Your Future illustrates that notion once again—masterfully. —Leonardo Merino

From offbeat pop to glitchy R&B to flamenco and reggaetón, ROSALÍA has once again proven her ability to navigate multiple musical styles and influences. The Spanish singer has made ‘diversity’ the keyword of her third studio album, MOTOMAMI.

ROSALÍA opens the record by singing about her transformation and ends it with a well-deserved round of applause. In between, there are forty minutes of the most exciting and forward-thinking music to be heard this year. MOTOMAMI is structured through two contrasting energies: “MOTO” is the more experimental and aggressive part, with powerful tracks like “SAOKO” and “CHICKEN TERIYAKI,” “MAMI” is the more personal and vulnerable part, with slower tracks like “HENTAI” and “SAKURA.” It is ROSALÍA’s most personal and transparent album to date, with lyrical themes about sexuality, heartbreak, celebration and spirituality.

Like a butterfly, the Catalan continues to create what she knows best while transforming herself. Awarded Album of the Year at the 2022 Latin Grammy Awards, MOTOMAMI will surely continue to thrill us in 2023. —Layla

Kendrick’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers encapsulates what it is to be human and encourages rumination and introspection. Through it, Lamar relinquishes his cherished privacy to expose all his once-veiled truths, sharing his imperfections so that his audience might accept and address theirs. Simultaneously, with the support of his life partner, Whitney Alford, and spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle, Lamar learns to renounce his long-held savior complex and instead focus on rebuilding his world, motivated by paternal responsibility. This evolutionary and occasionally confrontational lyrical journey is powered by an evocative and unpredictable soundscape composed by a 30-strong production powerhouse. With his team, Lamar creates a template for forgiving, growing, and bookending generational trauma for the betterment of your world at the micro and macro level. “Kendrick made you think about it,” he raps at one point, “but he is not your savior”. —Skhills​

“Please. Motherfuckers ain’t stopping me!” With the very first line of her seventh studio album, Beyoncé establishes her universe. One: She is indisputably unstoppable. Two: By sampling female hip-hop pioneer Princess Loko, it’s even more clear that this album is by, for, and in celebration of Black women.

The result, as implied by its name, is a true rebirth of sound, style, and boldness. It’s all the more impressive coming from an artist who’s known for consistent innovation and constant confidence. Songs transition between each other seamlessly, as do the genres within them: Beyoncé noted that the album was made as a safe place of escapism and freedom, and it’s impossible to disagree when hearing the transition between “PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA” and “VIRGO’S GROOVE” or the beat switch in “PURE/HONEY.” In a time of uncertainty, RENAISSANCE provided joy; sometimes, dancing through pain is the most powerful thing you can do. —Babu Chatterjee

Following her vulnerable second studio album, MAGDALENE, FKA twigs takes a deep-dive into herself with the astro-themed mixtape Caprisongs. Made during 2020 lockdown with Spanish producer El Guincho, the daring mixtape is exquisitely infused with a variety of collaborators like The Weeknd, Rema, and Jorja Smith.
Opening with the click of a cassette player, “ride the dragon” is a reintroduction to herself preceded by the fan-favorite track “meta angel,” where twigs seeks guidance from a “higher power”.

If anything defines this project, it’s the eight collaborators with whom she has merged her unique style. The dancehall track “papi bones” with Shygirl contrasts the perfectly harmonized “careless” with Daniel Caesar, making the mixtape a true rollercoaster. Although it’s her most eclectic project to date, twigs stays true to her emotional roots by closing the project with “thank you song,” where she claims, “'Cause you care, I made it through today”. —@thousandeyes

Rap fans rejoiced when JID released the long-awaited sequel to his debut album in August of this year. The Forever Story is a love letter to hip-hop that excels in every category. On the record, JID spits rhymes with vivid imagery and impressive ease. On top of being one of the most versatile and gifted MCs currently rapping, the Atlanta native has a knack for choosing samples and instrumentals. Tracks like “Dance Now” and “Surround Sound” will have you adopting his braggadocious persona. Even when going hard, JID remains unfazed, calm, and in his element—qualities that shine when he touches upon his family life, rough upbringing, or the exploitation of Black voices. Among all of the projects released this year, The Forever Story shows the most improvement—across every facet—for a single artist. It documents a story of influence that should be heard forever. —Joseph Haske