We are somehow halfway through 2023 and it has dropped many highlights already. Albums that are sure to become modern classics, debuts that launch new artists to the top of the anticipated lists, and others from established artists that prove why they really are good at what they do. Here is a modest selection of some of our favourite albums of the year (so far), and why you should probably check them out if you haven’t done so already! Enjoy.
Gaz Coombes – Turn the Car Around (by Lee B)
I remember saying on release of this album in January that this was an early contender for album of the year. Four months later, I still stand by that statement. Gaz is four albums into his solo career and is going from strength to strength.
With songs that echo sadness in ‘Sonny the Strong’ and heartfelt songs such as ‘Don’t Say It’s Over’ and ‘Not the Only Things’ – this is an album that showcases Gaz’s versatility.
There are shades of Supergrass in ‘Long Love the Strange’ and the title track is just dreamy.
It’s an album with so many different influences but also unmistakably Gaz. With the album charting at number six and having seen him play a fantastic sold-out live show in April in Manchester, it’s clear that Gaz is getting the commercial success he so richly deserves.
Metallica – 72 Seasons (by Maebh S)
If you’re not a hardcore fan, you’ve heard of this band. If, by some miracle, you haven’t heard their name, you’ve seen a t-shirt with iconic saw-toothed lettering. I’m talking of course about Metallica who have produced the best album of 2023 so far: 72 Seasons. April saw the release of the rock legends’ eleventh studio album with their own label, Blackened Recordings. Over six years have passed since their double LP Hardwired…To Self-Destruct, cited by many as the Californians’ return to their former 80s glory, and again, twelve songs is all Metallica needs to construct a heavy metal marathon.
The best tracks are the ones which stretch into oblivion, like ‘You Must Burn!’ and title track ’72 Seasons’, while ‘Lux Æterna’, with its impossibly tight grooves and finger-pulverising riffs, flies past your ear like a bullet. Be prepared to embrace a shift in subject across the album. Gone are the days of the nihilistic ‘Kill ‘Em All’, this year Metallica brought the retrospect of a group of seasoned musicians who have been around for over forty years. James Hetfield pieces together past trauma and confronts inner demons in an album which spans 18 years (or 72 seasons) in 77 minutes.
Boygenius – the record (by Adam R)
The record is an excellent album, comprised of a supergroup that just happens to be a supergroup. What makes it great is that it exists purely because each member are friends. There’s no expectation or pressure to deliver the goods because of each individual’s status, this is just a chance for some friends to get together and be creative. The result is a record that highlights each artist’s quality while showcasing how good they work together – creating bangers and heartbreakers along the way.
Sir Chloe – I Am The Dog (by Sam M)
Sir Chloe’s latest album, I Am The Dog, is a journey through desire and temptation; feeling consumed by life and so devouring it from the source. Released on 19 May this year, this album sees the band take a grunge hook to the mouth of their previous release Party Favors (2020). The marrying of traditional lyrics and metaphorical lines capture the very essence of basic feeling and the mind’s way of turning it into something else entirely.
DMA’S – How Many Dreams? (by Emma E)
Overall, How Many Dreams? is an evolution of sound and style for DMA’S whilst they simultaneously stay true to their roots- the Britpop-tinged guitar tracks that attracted them to making music in the first place. It’s easily their most ambitious album to date, and they’ve successfully created an enjoyable blend of pulsing electronic dance and anthemic guitar music that will exhilarate their crowds this festival season.
M(h)aol – Attachment Styles (by Adam R)
Attachment Styles is a superb record. It tackles the complexity of heavy subjects with open-hearted honestly and illustrates them with a musicality that is equally challenging. Leaving all emotion, wit and experience for us to hear. It absolutely warrants your attention, shining a light on the big topics while also shattering the taboo on songs like the near-eight minutes of ‘Period Sex’. It is enthralling, eye-opening and an excellent listen. An early contender for album of the year? For sure.
Paramore – This Is Why
Five years after the release of the colourful After Laughter, Paramore returned to their roots. This Is Why brings the guitars back to their best: scatting about the place to deliver grooves and riffs that certainly hit hard. The title track is a gloriously wonky descent into madness that delivers hooks to the ears and a chorus that sounds like an introvert’s dream. It leads the way for the remaining tracks on the album to let loose and do their thing too – often creating memorable moments that have continued to impress since its release in February.
Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
Arguably the most emotional release of the year so far. Foo Fighters returned to the studio following the unexpected death of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins, and Dave Grohl also lost his mother last year too. The result is their eleventh studio album, But Here We Are. An album that feels like if Wasting Light’s ‘Walk’ was stretched into album form. It is defiant in the face of trauma and showcases a solid band performance that delivers on all fronts.
It offers humanity in its purest form, filtered through the traditional Foo Fighters sound. There are the well-layered, hook-heavy singles in ‘Rescued’ and the late-summer vibes of ‘Under You’. All filled with powerful vocals and lyrics. It is unashamedly vulnerable, yet strong-willed and full of gusto too.