December 31, 2019
It’s that time of year again where I talk passionately about my favourite releases of the year for an unreasonably large amount of time! I normally complete this list in a video format (I say normally as if it’s been a tradition of mine for longer than two years), but working two jobs, going to school, and managing a magazine doesn’t exactly leave very much time to write a script, record, and edit. So instead, we’ll be trying this out in a written format this year, which is what I do best anyways!
Before beginning, I’d like to take a moment to recognize a few runner-ups to my top-10 list. 2019 was an excellent year for music, so I definitely had a difficult time narrowing down my favourite albums and EPs of the year to only ten. A few records that I absolutely loved this year that didn’t quite make my final cut include Logos by Selfish Things, An Invitation to an Alternate Reality by New Politics, FANDOM by Waterparks, thank u, nextby Ariana Grande, Heard It In A Past Life by Maggie Rogers, Flashbacks & Fantasies by Ralph, you ruined new york city for me by FLETCHER, How To Talk To Strangers by Twin XL, amo by Bring Me The Horizon, Berkeley’s on Fire by SWMRS, Romance by Camila Cabello, and Clarity by Kim Petras.
Everything mentioned above and everything I’m going to talk further in depth about quite literally soundtracked my year through all the changes, hardships, and good times I experienced. Each song means something different, and each one reminds me of a moment or a state of mind that I went through at some point during 2019. Sharing my top-10 record list every year is my own way of sharing with the world just a small piece of my taste and my mind. I choose to define myself and my life through music, and these records are just the stepping stones that shape me into the person I come out of each year as. With that all being said, the following ten albums and EPs resonated within me in incredible ways throughout 2019, and I am incredibly excited to share what they meant to me. Without further ado, presenting my top ten records released this year:
10. The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change by Nina Nesbitt
Released on February 1st, The Sun Will Come Up is one of Nesbitt’s first attempts at a full-length release. I’ve been following the artist since around 2015, so it has been a very exciting experience to watch her gaining traction and developing her style even further as time goes on. Though emerging into the mainstream scene among an army of other new artists in the digital age where one single viral hit can launch an artist into stardom (take Lil Nas X with “Old Town Road,” for example), Nesbitt stands out with her eerily calming voice mixed in with modern pop and indie melodies. She quickly skyrocketed from an artist under the radar to one of the top 500 most-streamed Spotify artists with upwards of 75k streams on some of her album singles.
Nesbitt’s breakthrough is well-deserved, and there’s no secret as to why it began with this release. The Sun Will Come Up has a little bit of everything, be it girl power (“Loyal To Me”), falling in love (“Things I Say When You Sleep,” “Somebody Special”), falling out of love (“Love Letter”), self-growth (“Sacred,” “The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change”), self-doubt (“Chloe,” “The Best You Had”), or just pure nostalgia (“The Moments I’m Missing”). Each theme explored is something that can resonate deeply within any young woman growing up today. Nesbitt bravely shares her experiences with the world, opening her own personal journal to anyone else who may need to hear those words.
Tying together her beautiful lyricism and melodies is her distinct voice, which brands each of her tracks as her own. Soft, soulful, and a powerhouse all at once, Nesbitt uses her astonishing vocal capabilities to her advantage when telling her stories. Tracks such as “Is It Really Me You’re Missing” and “Last December” could probably sing you to sleep, but she always incorporates higher notes and verses that show off her range. Needless to say, this record has been heavily featured on my 2019 soundtrack and has not left my top-10 list since its release near the beginning of the year. The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change is only the beginning for Nina Nesbitt, and I look forward to seeing where her career takes her in 2020.
9. WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? by Billie Eilish
If you don’t know who Billie Eilish is at this point, you’ve probably been living under a rock. However, this was not the case in the beginning of the year. The teenage star released her debut single, “ocean eyes,” in late 2016. Though the heartbreaking track went viral, Eilish’s name didn’t begin growing quite as much until after the release of her debut EP, dont smile at me. Throughout 2018, the star slowly but surely grew more and more popular, selling out a couple smaller tours in a row. Early 2019 is when she had her biggest break, though. After releasing fan-favourite tracks “you should see me in a crown,” “when the party’s over,” and “bury a friend,” she announced the March 29 release of WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP. Immediately upon its release, every single track except for the few-second intro charted, and the singer was sent on a headlining arena tour that sold out in its entirety the same hour that tickets went on sale. The record also produced the inescapable single, “bad guy.”
Eilish’s mainstream breakthrough was a strange, but warranted spectacle. There is not one single other artist who can create songs quite like hers — whether you’re a fan or not, this is an undeniable fact. Eilish has stated in several interviews that she lives in her head a lot of the time, so each release she puts forth is very authentically produced and original to only herself. This is why so many of her songs explore such dark themes, such as suicide on “listen before i go,” peers abusing drugs on “xanny,” and God vs. the devil tied together with climate change on “all the good girls go to hell.” She writes and produces all her music alongside her brother, the only other person who understands exactly how her mind works. Because of all this, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP makes for an incredibly unique and intriguing piece of work that helped to define 2019 popular culture and resonated with teens around the world who look up to Eilish as a voice for their struggles.
This album is equal amounts heart-wrenching as it is fun. Eilish may be best known for her sad anthems, but she also knows just how to write a danceable track in her own style. Notable tracks include personal favourites “my strange addiction” and “ilomilo,” both of which include popular culture references to the likes of video games and The Office. Other standout tracks that are guaranteed to make you sob include “i love you” and previously mentioned “when the party’s over.” Eilish’s self-defined artistry will continue to leave an impact on the world throughout 2020. She has found the perfect formula to create songs that both represent her and feed the general public exactly what they’ve been looking for — a new voice in the mainstream with something completely new and different to say.
8. Dedicated by Carly Rae Jepsen
Canadian queen of pop music did not come to play in 2019. Following the worldwide success of her 2015 record E•mo•tion, she produced yet another sugary-sweet masterpiece entitled Dedicated. Carly Rae Jepsen is undoubtedly one of Canada’s greatest music exports, and this album continues to prove how she serves as a voice for our country within popular culture. Dedicated is truly stunning in every way, and the 15-track record provides a flawless follow-up to her last piece of pop perfection, something that not every artist is able to pull off quite so well.
As Dedicated released in mid-May, it naturally soundtracked a lot of my spring and summer, and it ended up finding itself in all my fall playlists as Jepsen toured the album and I attended one of her shows in September. One thing I’m drawn to in music is diversity within a piece of work, and this record satisfies my every wish in this category. Standout tracks such as “Want You In My Room,” “I’ll Be Your Girl,” and “Automatically In Love” are punchy and carefree, whereas “For Sure” and “The Sound” provide the closest thing to a ballad that Jepsen will ever reach. Though the album mostly tackles love and relationships, it absolutely shows multiple perspectives on the topic. Just try comparing “No Drug Like Me,” a provocative anthem, “Happy Not Knowing,” a reminiscent ode to a crush who will never become more than that, “Right Words Wrong Time,” a regretful breakup jam, and “Party For One” or “Everything He Needs,” which can both be described as self-love parties in and of themselves.
If any artist has shown progression over the years, it’s Carly Rae Jepsen. Her debut in 2008 took much more of a folk direction, but Dedicated is as far from that as possible. Jepsen has undoubtedly learned to embrace her artistry and use her musical capabilities to both express herself and create earwormy top-40 hits. I fell head-over-heels in love with this record, and it is easily one of the most underrated releases of 2019. Though Dedicated charted, especially in its homeland, the unfortunate truth is that Jepsen will likely never write another song that tops the outbreak of “Call Me Maybe,” even though her discography consists of dozens of hidden gems that are objectively much better than said 2011 hit. My only wish is that the general public soon discovers these incredible album tracks, but for now, rumours have already begun to rise that Jepsen may release a Side B to Dedicated in the new year, and all we can do is hope for more discarded tracks to fill our playlists.
7. Norman Fucking Rockwell! by Lana Del Rey
It admittedly took me a long time to hop on the Lana Del Rey train. But when I fell for her music, I fell hard. Shortly after Norman Fucking Rockwell! released, my timeline on every single social media platform was flooded with love for the album, and I had classmates and coworkers recommending the record at every turn. I got a chance to listen for the first time in a hotel room in Ottawa, giving me the opportunity to connect certain tracks with the stunning view of the city’s skyline from outside my window. Needless to say, listening to this record in full for the first time made me realize what I’d been missing out on since Del Rey’s debut in 2011, and I soon found her full discography heavily featured on all my go-to playlists.
Despite falling in love with her entire catalogue, I can still confidently say that Norman Fucking Rockwell! is Del Rey's best work yet. The fact that it was produced by Jack Antonoff — legendary indie artist responsible for a lot of Lorde and Taylor Swift’s work, as well as his own band, Bleachers — probably explains a lot of its excellence. Del Rey takes the sad, soft, and slow tracks that she’s known for and expands upon their style to create something that flows together seamlessly and shows off both her vocal and writing capabilities in a way that they’ve never been shown before. Take 9-minute “Venice Bitch” for example; not a moment of this lengthy track leaves the listeners bored, and it truly helps to set the tone for the rest of the album.
Throughout the course of her 2019 record, Lana Del Rey references a large pile of olden-time creators. Norman Rockwell himself is an American author and artist who reached his prime in the early 1900’s. Other names mentioned include Laurel Canyon, music industry icon from the 60’s who is alluded to in the title track, a subtle Elton John reference in “Mariners Apartment Complex,” and both photographer Slim Aarons and poet Sylvia Plath who receive a nod in “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but i have it.” The album also includes one non-original single — “Doin’ Time,” an original by 90’s band Sublime, whose track Del Rey modernized and personalized. Throughout all these references, Del Rey also manages to reference her own tracks and lyrics in multiple instances, which really takes her branding to a whole new level.
In retrospect, Norman Fucking Rockwell! tends to lean towards classical influences, both in the music itself, as well as the album’s overall aesthetic. But this is something Del Rey has always gravitated towards — the only difference is that it is carried out in a much cleaner and more artistically put-together method than anything we’ve ever seen from her. Few artists have the power to make a highly impactful album that runs for over an hour and is not primarily single-based, but Del Rey’s fans crave her unique style, which is why NFR! is now a Grammy-nominated record. Personal favourite tracks include “Cinnamon Girl,” “Fuck it I love you,” “Happiness is a butterfly,” “The greatest,” and “California.” However, it’s hard to pick only a few top tracks when the whole album flows together so seamlessly. Whether you’re a fan of Lana Del Rey or not, I encourage you to give this album a listen — after all, it did take me Norman Fucking Rockwell! to finally become a fan. I can guarantee you’ll have the album on your radar in no time if indie-pop sad girl vibes are what you’re striving for.
6. - by Jetty Bones
Only one EP made my entire top-10 list this year, and this was the fabulous work of Jetty Bones. A bit of a shift from the rest of my list thus far, - uses primarily modern rock, pop punk, and edgy pop influences in sound. It is also the smallest-scale release I’ve talked about yet, but it’s one of the most important messages I’ve heard in music this year. Jetty Bones is the solo project of Kelc Galluzzo. The EP (title pronounced ‘Hyphen’) is her third piece of work, and it takes listeners through a journey of her healing process through a traumatic experience described as a sexual assault. There is truly not a single way to listen to this EP except for sequential order, as each track sees Galluzzo in a slightly progressed state of mind. I’m also obsessed with the way that the formatting of each song’s title shifts as the story moves along. All in all, - is a genre-blending must-hear for anyone, and the message behind the songs is so incredibly impactful that it will blow away any first-time listener.
Opening with ““better”” (yes, the track title is stylized with its own set of quotations), the EP starts right where Galluzzo’s story starts. Though it’s obvious her trauma is difficult to talk about, she recounts her experience with her abuser and discusses how she was blind to the way she was treated until she began to find a way out of the abusive situation. She goes into detail and describes feeling weak and powerless. Moving into “Bringing It Up,” Galluzzo adopts a compulsive state of mind where she can’t stop talking about what happened to her rather than remaining isolated through it all. It’s clear that it’s impossible for her to get past the trauma, and all she needs is a friend to listen and connect with her. However, she doesn’t really seem to be getting that on “Bringing It Up.” Next, we move into my personal favourite, “the part:.” This is also the most recently released single from the EP. This track continues the theme from the last track, except now her relationship with the person she was speaking with is falling apart as well. Galluzzo is having a hard time gaining the sympathy and understanding she requires, and in turn, she’s losing people because they just can’t grasp why she feels the way she does.
“(jogging)” is where the biggest shift in character comes into play for Galluzzo. With this track, she grows increasingly more self-aware and accepting of her situation, realizing she’s been “trying too hard.” The mostly-acoustic track takes us into “To Know You...,” which almost feels as if Galluzzo is telling the story of “Bringing It Up” from the opposite perspective — which could quite possibly be why she gives a nod towards the second track’s title in the lyrics. She has finally received the connection she was striving for earlier in the EP, and she is able to reciprocate the need to just be there for someone who thinks like her. Finally, “The Rest Of Them.” closes the EP with Galluzzo stronger than she’s been yet. She has finally come to terms with what she’s been through, and she is able to hold the people who have hurt her accountable for their actions rather than blaming herself. She references some of the lyrics from the first track, but turns them around into something positive that shows her self-growth and shift in perception. This happier track gives a sense of closure to the EP and to Galluzzo’s own trauma.
Sharing your trauma with the world is a terrifying experience, but Galluzzo welcomes her audience into her world with open arms, teaching those around her a message of personal growth. By opening up, she hopes to help heal herself and others from any situation her listeners may be able to connect her words with from their own life. - is very successful in making its listeners feel a little less alone as it takes us through a full journey of all the stages of grief, finalizing in acceptance. Jetty Bones is a name you should know as Kelc Galluzzo continues to make waves in the indie/rock scene. Having recently signed with Rise Records, things are only looking up for the previously independent artist, and I truly cannot wait to see what topic she’ll choose to tackle next. With -, the message is clear — take care of yourself. Grow and learn from your past. It may be difficult, but it will come with time. And that’s something that everyone needs to hear sometimes.
5. Neotheater by AJR
Anyone who knows me knows that I connect with AJR, their lyrics, their live shows, and their artistry in a different way than I do with any other artist. But I had genuinely worried that I wouldn’t be a fan of Neotheaterbefore the album released, just because I wasn’t digging the singles as much as I had their previous record, The Click. Boy, was I ever proven wrong. Neotheater is one of those albums that reminds me of an incredibly specific time and place, and it takes me back to that feeling every time I listen. The album was released on April 26, and I just so happened to be leaving on a flight to Arizona the following day. I stayed up to celebrate the album drop at midnight on the 26th and listened for the first time, and of course, was immediately blown away from the start of “Next Up Forever.” I fell totally in love with the entire record, even the singles that took me some time to get into, by the end of the full 45 minutes. Then I couldn’t take it off repeat. Throughout my whole travel day on the 27th, I literally did not turn the album off for more than an hour or two. And it stayed that way for the rest of the trip whenever I got the opportunity to plug in some tunes. So listening to Neotheater just takes me back to that feeling of being on top of the world and looking down on the clouds and the cities below me — which I think is a really similar feeling to what the album is meant to provide to listeners regardless.
Embrace every part of yourself. That’s AJR’s message. They came into my life with The Click when I needed it most, which is why I resonated so hard with that record. I found myself in every lyric and every song and every story. It felt like I was being spoken to directly. Neotheater feels the exact same way. Digging deep into the insecurities that come with growing up and being your own person, Neotheater makes its mark as another stepping stone in the band’s career in more than one way. AJR is both physically and mentally growing up, and though the record is heavily centered around this theme, it relates both to the maturity of the band itself and the brothers’ own personal lives. The further you analyze the album, you also begin to see somewhat of a meaning behind the ordering of the tracklist. Whether it was a subconscious or intentional decision, tracks such as “Birthday Party” and “Don’t Throw Out My Legos” which echo youth are placed near the beginning of Neotheater, but “Dear Winter” and “Karma” are a couple examples of tracks in the latter half which tackle a bit more mature topics.
The general consensus that I’ve picked up on is that the album tells a complete story from start to finish. The orchestral, pyrotechnical, and quite frankly breathtaking “Next Up Forever” is definitely coming from a place of self-doubt and anxiety. While the rest of the record absolutely still comes from this place, the narrator evidently learns about themselves and comes to terms with the fact that they’re growing up throughout the 12 tracks. The bulk of the album is sandwiched between this intro track and “Finale (Can’t Wait to See What You Do Next),” which concludes the album by reflecting on all the changes and growth that has been experienced for the duration of the time period captured.
Regardless of the start and end points, Neotheater is proof that growth is not linear and insecurities don’t stop at any certain age. Standout tracks include “The Entertainment’s Here,” a song that seems like pure fun on the surface, but it actually discusses society’s need to be constantly entertained and distracted from the world around them with things that are actually of lesser importance. The song’s appearance is representative of its message about our media-based world, which is just pure genius. Another standout is “Turning Out Pt. ii,” a continuation of “Turning Out” from The Click. While part one discusses insecurities heading into a relationship with a new lover, part two takes the stance of the opposite side, where things have ended and all that’s left is reflection upon the relationship and how the insecurities going in shouldn’t have been ignored. Finally, “Karma” is my personal favourite. This track takes the perspective of a therapy session where lead singer Jack Met just pours out raw emotion. Through lying and saying he’s fine to begging for an answer to his problems, it’s clear that his mind is running all over the place, which illustrates the setting incredibly effectively. Towards the end of the song, the therapy session comes to an end, and Jack comes to the realization that he isn’t ready for it to end and still needs someone to talk to. The final verse comes out in a rushed breath of air, feeling as if it’s all the built-up emotions in Jack’s body letting themselves out all at once. The verse feels almost impossible to sing as quickly as it is, but it leaves the audience in awe and completes the whole desperate therapy session effect.
Neotheater is an incredibly important album, as is everything else AJR releases. There’s no other band out there doing it like them, that’s for sure. The three brothers work incredibly together to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind art out of their shared experiences growing up. Rather than straying from the unusual and unheard of, they welcome it into all of their music. Neotheater soundtracked a lot of my year, especially that previously mentioned trip to Arizona, and helped me feel a little less alone in my growing pains. And of course, picking apart and analyzing the whole album was a blast.
4. Midnight by Set It Off
I have a lot to say about this record, and I honestly kind of hurt myself by not ranking it higher on my list, but there were just so many great albums released this year that it became so incredibly hard to narrow everything down! Even more so than the music itself, this album holds a special place in my heart because it got me through a lot of really difficult times I went through this year. But musically, it’s also one of the strongest releases from Set It Off. Though I loved their 2016 record Upside Down, it took a much more mainstream-pop direction than anything the band had done before, and it just didn’t quite have that touch that made it exclusively theirs. Prior to Upside Down, the band released Duality, which was probably their most commercially successful and self-defining record at that time. For Midnight, the group managed to tie together the best elements of each of these records and create a pop-rock masterpiece that incorporates everything you could ever expect from a Set It Off record. Undoubtedly their best release since 2014, Midnight is an incredibly therapeutic and personal album that should be heard by everyone.
2019 was a difficult year for me, and in the summer, I lost a couple people who once meant the entire world to me, one of them being someone I associated with Set It Off since we both loved them and traveled to see them together. Lucky for me, Midnight is an angry album, and I was able to detach those memories from the songs very quickly and turn them into “fuck you” anthems to get myself through. Immediately, tracks such as “I Want You (Gone)” resonated hard within me, as it basically word-for-word described the situation I was going through. “No Disrespect” and “Raise No Fool” blared through my speakers and taught me how to stand up for and take care of myself again. “Happy All The Time” reminded me that it was okay to feel low and that things would soon start to look up. As a whole, the album tackles common human emotions that aren’t always the most spoken about in music and serves as an outlet for those who have been wronged by someone they placed their trust in.
As previously mentioned, Midnight takes both the band’s pop and rock tendencies and merged them together to create one mega-genre. Upbeat tracks such as “Hourglass,” “Different Songs,” and “Criminal Minds” include the hooks and melodies commonly found in pop music as well as the rock edge that brings a little more of the undertone to the tracks. You’ve also got your odd songs like “Dancing With The Devil” that move so fast that you can’t quite peg any genre to it. Mixed in with the danceable and commonly relatable tracks, we have one piano ballad that’s incredibly close to lead singer Cody Carson’s heart — “Unopened Windows.” This song is about the passing of Carson’s father, and it samples the melody of a song the two used to sing together. While Carson knows this isn’t something that everyone can relate to, it’s still a very important song to get off his chest and sing every night, and he creates a personal experience for every audience member by encouraging them to put their arms around each other and rock back and forth to just live in the moment. This element of their live shows is a personal favourite, and it really echoes the theme of healing that the entirety of Midnight captures.
Overall, Midnight is a record that meant a whole lot to me this year. Seeing it live four times and being able to later connect it to my healing process after everything in my life went wrong at once helped me further connect to this album that I was already in love with. Each song from the record came from a deep place within each member of the band’s hearts, and it’s so clear to see that their writing styles have never been so personal before. Starting with lead single “Killer In The Mirror,” a fast-paced and angry anthem, and closing with the musical number-esque and carefree “Happy All The Time,” Midnight is a full-force launch into the range of emotions that we often stray from discussing rationally. Taking anger and making it into art is a beautiful thing, and that’s exactly what Set It Off did in 2019, which is why Midnight is their strongest release yet.
3. Phantoms by Marianas Trench
I have never seen a better comeback from the weakest album in a band’s discography than what Marianas Trench performed when they released Phantoms four years after Astoria. Marianas are best known for their incredible concept albums, completed with interludes and theatrical sounds that match the record’s theme, which is a large portion of the reason why I love the band so much. Astoria was a great concept album and a great record for the general public, but as a long-time fan of the band, it was drastically unexpected after the sounds that Ever After brought us. It was clear the band was beginning to take a sharp left turn into the mainstream, and Astoria served as the experimental test subject for the crossover. After Phantoms’ debut single “I Knew You When'' was released, it could be seen that the band would be sticking to the pop sound, but with a much more smooth and clean-sounding production style, which allowed them to appeal to the mainstream while sticking to their roots. This being said, their 4-year gap allowed them to reflect and create one of their strongest pieces of work yet.
While Phantoms carries on the band’s common theme of a grand opening and closing track for their albums, its opener “Eleonora” clocks in at under two minutes, making it their shortest opening track yet. The haunting, vocally-focused track leaves the perfect first impression on listeners and just begins to dip our toes into the paranormal themes explored throughout the record. A lot of singles such as “Only the Lonely Survive” and “Glimmer” may be radio-oriented, but they are highly reminiscent upon the band’s 2008 Masterpiece Theatre days. Rather than taking Astoria’s approach and diving straight into mainstream elements, any mainstream-sounding tracks from Phantoms still include Marianas Trench-esque elements such as Josh Ramsay’s infamous high notes, killer bridges, and ear-piercing intros and transitions. Personal favourites include the haunting “Echoes Of You,” an upbeat but thematically stunning track with the most insane outro I’ve ever heard in my life, as well as “Wish You Were Here,” another highly choreographed, danceable track that focuses more on the band’s ability to create harmonies together than anything else.
The real hidden gem of the album is the closing track, “The Killing Kind.” This is arguably the best song in Marianas’ discography. All fans expect the opener and closer of each album to be highly theatrical, but “The Killing Kind” took this to an even larger level than anything we’ve heard from the band in the past. It tests Ramsay’s vocals to a new degree, expands on the spine-chilling and paranormal elements found throughout the entire record, and references older tracks in the most subtle yet recognizable ways while not keeping one consistent tempo for more than a minute at once out of the full 7-minute track. If any song the band has ever created shows off all of their artistic capabilities and self-defining traits as a musical entity, it’s this one.
Phantoms includes quite a few other remarkable standout songs that still rank near the top of their discography in my favourite tracks they’ve released. “Don’t Miss Me?” and “The Death of Me” are just a couple that I haven’t gotten a chance to mention yet, but they carry on the haunting theme and each bring their own magnificence to the table. Though I’ve obviously got my preferred tracks, I truly cannot recommend listening to this album in order for your first listen enough. When it comes to Marianas Trench’s music, listening to a full record in order is crucial. You’ll be blown away by the transitions between each song that can either drag out and create anticipation and set the mood or waste no time switching track from one beat to the next, all in the same tempo.
If you’re going to introduce yourself to Marianas Trench, Phantoms is where to start. It’s hands-down the band’s best release since 2011, and it’ll give you a taste of what a concept album in the modern media-based world looks like. In order to be a mainstream artist, you must have the ability to create a primarily single-based record or have a fanbase big enough that it doesn’t matter, but Marianas Trench have taught themselves how to merge these two worlds and be able to produce authentic albums that tell a story and appeal to the general public world of consumers. This is rare, but it’s real, and the gap between Astoria and Phantoms evidently allowed the band to design a foolproof formula. Your new favourite paranormal-themed record is here, and it’s called Phantoms.
2. Lover by Taylor Swift
Once again, I cannot believe this record didn’t make my number one spot. Who am I?! No matter what, Lover was one of my favourite records of 2019 and the entire decade itself, for that matter. I’ve loved Taylor Swift since the very beginning of her career, and while most have watched her grow in the public eye whether they’re a fan or not, I’ve had the opportunity to invest my time into watching her develop her musical styles and inspirations since 2006. Lover is yet another piece of proof that this woman is capable of creating a hit in any genre, with any materials and any amount of time given to her. Swift is an absolute prodigy when it comes to the music industry, and if the fact that her 2019 record consists of 18 tracks, clocks in at just over one hour in length, and explores a new genre and theme in nearly every song doesn’t show you this, then I don’t know what will.
Love her or hate her, you have to admit that there’s at least one Taylor Swift song out there that makes you want to dance when it comes on the radio. She’s also had at least one Billboard hit per album, overall averaging around 4-5 per record — and she’s onto her seventh. That’s a pretty impressive career, and it’s not slowing down for a second with Lover. As a matter of fact, her fanbase has grown, if anything. reputation was a healing process for Swift. After experiencing trauma from her pressure in the public eye and disappearing for a few years, she came back on the radar with a black-and-white record surrounded by snake imagery. This comeback came in the form of reputation. Though the songs themselves aren’t quite as dark as the colour scheme would suggest, it does dig deep into some of Swift’s greatest insecurities, relationships, and public feuds. Releasing reputation was her way of getting everything off her chest and showing the world that she was back and unafraid of what would be thrown at her next.
This resilience has been an incredibly common theme during the Lover era. Over a year ago, Swift finally gathered the confidence to become explicitly political on social media for the first time. Though she’s always showed support for causes that would reasonably place her towards the left politically, she conquered her fear of flat-out telling the world, “This is who I am and these are my beliefs.” Since then, she has released an LGBTQ+ advocacy anthem (“You Need To Calm Down”), encouraged a plethora of young fans to register to vote, stood up for fellow women in the music industry and served as a voice for their concerns, and even engaged in her own battle with industry mastermind Scooter Braun, who has purchased Swift’s catalogue as a means of manipulating her career. And while this is quite a lot for one woman to take on and advocate for all on her own, Swift just continues to show that she’s stronger than ever and won’t be held back by fear of raising her voice anymore.
Lover is a continuation of the healing process that begun with reputation, but it sees her in an even healthier mindset. Lead single “ME!” is probably the most bubblegum-pop, carefree anthem she’s ever released, and that was the first taste we got as to what Lover was going to sound like. The track is placed towards the latter half of the album, but the way it hardly takes itself seriously but just sees Swift in a happy state of mind is a perfect representation of the other 17 tracks. The album opens with “I Forgot That You Existed,” which can be best described as a sarcastic diss track. Unlike reputation’s “Look What You Made Me Do,” which describes an all too well-known feud and claims dominance over Swift’s antagonist, the Lover opening track relates to that same feud but simply shrugs off the situation and tells all that Swift isn’t concerned with the drama anymore.
The carefree, windows down and screaming lyrics while driving down the highway type of tracks don’t stop at “ME!” and “I Forgot That You Existed,” though. Fan-favourite “Cruel Summer” and suggestive “I Think He Knows” fit this same criteria, further emphasizing the fact that this is the first Taylor Swift album that’s been released in the summer rather than the fall. Other tracks such as “The Man” and “Afterglow” are similar in sound to these, but they tackle slightly heavier subjects (sexism in the music industry and taking the blame in a fight with a lover). Of course, as the album is entitled Lover, we’ve got a few adorable, cheesy love songs dedicated to Swift’s boyfriend, like title track “Lover,” “London Boy,” “Cornelia Street,” and “Paper Rings.”
Finally, we’ve got a handful of tracks that sound nothing like each other, but come together to create this beautiful piece of art. “The Archer” comes in as track five, which is well-known as Swift’s track placement for her most vulnerable song on each album. The soft track from Lover once again relates to her insecurities in a relationship while being heavily watched by the media. Then, we’ve got dark indie-pop “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” which both tells a love story and speaks of politics and the state of America. “Death By A Thousand Cuts” may be the first song in Swift’s discography that is inspired by a film (Someone Great) rather than her own personal experiences. “Soon You’ll Get Better” is another soft ballad, this time regarding Swift’s mother and her battle with cancer. It’s followed by “False God,” an indie/R&B beat. R&B is a style that Swift has never explored before, and it is very faintly touched upon in this track. While R&B isn’t a personal favourite genre of mine, I actually found this track to be my favourite on the record due to the mystery and indie edge it includes. “It’s Nice To Have A Friend” is another favourite of mine, and another incredibly unique track featuring a children’s choir and telling the story of a pair going from childhood best friends to lovers. Finally, the record closes with “Daylight,” which reflects on Swift’s healing process once more and compares it to stepping into the light and gaining freedom.
Lover is the most honest, transforming, and experimental work that Swift has ever put forth, and that’s why it will continue to be celebrated by the fanbase as one of the best records in her discography. Through 18 tracks, it discusses countless topics and uses a multitude of genre blending tactics to tell its full story. As Swift continues to fight for herself and other women in the music industry to have ownership over their work, she still serves as one of the most influential voices in the world 13 years after her career began. Lover is album seven, but it’s so clear that it’s just the start of a brand new Taylor Swift that’s being born as we speak — let’s see what she’s got up her sleeve next.
1. Charli by Charli XCX
All the artists that every single person associates me with released albums this year, but despite falling in love with all those incredible records, Charli by Charli XCX was the most unforgettable album that I could not take off repeat since its September release. I’m a huge advocate for feminism, especially within the music industry, and Charli is a perfect example of just that. After creating a handful of experimental albums that played around with different genres, collaborations, and production styles, it seems as if Charli has finally found her sound in 2019. Charli mostly takes in elements from her 2017 mixtape Pop 2, but it also throws us back to her mainstream pop introductory days with tracks like “White Mercedes” and “Blame It On Your Love.” The whole album is much cleaner and carefully planned than anything we’ve ever heard from the pop star before, and it feels as if the world is seeing who she truly is as an artist for the first time.
This 15-track record consists of nine collaborations and six solo tracks, including a killer album opener entitled “Next Level Charli.” She has been best-known for her iconic genre-blending, sugary sweet collaborations since Pop 2, so it comes as no surprise that such a high volume is featured on the new album. Charli collaborators range from Lizzo to Clairo and from HAIM to Big Freedia. Though a large number of other artists obviously play a role in the album, Charli ensures that she chooses her collaborators carefully and uses them to enhance her songs and bring her stories to life using another voice. While she features some of her friends and frequent collaborators such as Troye Sivan and Kim Petras, she also worked with some other artists for the very first time on this record. Some collaborations that we never could’ve dreamed would spark any sort of chemistry did, and they live on Charli.
The album was announced to the world after the release of a series of singles, the first being “1999,” featuring Troye Sivan. I think it’s hard to try claiming that this track wasn’t one of the most iconic parts of 2018. No matter how many listens you give it, “1999” never stops being fun and impossible to sing along to. On her full album, Charli and Sivan give a sequel to this anthem, and it’s almost better than the first track. “2099” is the futuristic, heavily technical second half of “1999.” While the first track yearns for a taste of the past, “2099” looks towards the future and imagines what a life will be like at the end of the century — but in Charli XCX style, of course.
Besides “1999,” Charli also produced the single “Gone,” which made its mark in popular culture as one of the best singles of 2019, as ranked by multiple reputable media outlets. The four minute track featuring Christine and the Queens dropped in July and immediately made waves in both the pop and indie scenes. After all, it includes all the criteria required for a hit in either of these categories — a danceable beat, an iconic collaboration, a chorus that won’t leave your head, and a mind-blowing outro/breakdown. And so officially began the Charli era, as the success of this track brought on a stream of even more promotional singles leading up to the full album release in September.
While each track on the record is a standout, which is how it ended up in my number one spot this year, each track brings its own individual charm to the table, which all comes together in the end to create Charli. If you’re looking for fun times only with a radio-oriented track featuring another top-40 artist and leaning more towards Charli’s pop side than her experimental side, “Blame It On Your Love” with Lizzo has got you covered. But if you want to delve more into her electronic experimentation and get to know what sets her apart from other rising pop stars, check out a couple of her solo tracks like “Silver Cross” and “Thoughts,” which are borderline between both genres. If you want to dip your feet all the way in and listen to a few tracks that test her experimentation to a further level than anything else she’s done, give a listen to “Click (feat. Kim Petras and Tommy Cash)” and “Shake It (feat. Big Freedia, CupcakKe, Brooke Candy, and Pabllo Vittar).” Be sure to prepare yourself for the “Click” outro, which is basically 30 seconds of pure electronic madness.
Of course, you can’t have an album without a few sad jams — even a Charli XCX album. Slower and more sincere tracks include “Official,” “Warm (feat. HAIM),” and “I Don’t Wanna Know.” All of these somewhat stripped-down tracks show pure emotion more than they display their technical side, which is quite a rarity for Charli. “February 2017 (feat. Clairo and Yaeji)” is arguably the saddest song on the album as it tells an incredibly personal story, but the sadness is masked by the technical production. One of my personal favourite tracks on the album is “White Mercedes,” a solo track that dabbles in both sadness and freedom, a difficult feeling to tackle. Telling the story of a tainted love, “White Mercedes” was released as a single after the album release due to the overwhelming amount of love from fans, including myself. I quickly became mesmerized in the story the track tells with its tempo that might be somewhat slower than the average Billboard hit, but still sounds like a flawless pop song.
I had high expectations for this record as I’ve always been obsessed with Charli’s artistry and she seemed more excited to release this album than any of her previous work, but I wasn’t expecting to fall so in love with it that it became my top album of the year. Every time I listen, I’m blown away by Charli’s ability to defy pop music standards and still create amazing pop music on her own terms. Experimentation is a beautiful ability to have, and Charli seems to have been gifted with this talent. As she continues to grow in popularity, she will be a major influence on music in the 2020’s as consumers discover her unique production style and fall in love with it. Charli is only the beginning for Charli’s project, as her sound has never been so clean and self-defining as it is in 2019. I strongly recommend giving this record a listen now and familiarizing yourself with the loveable, experimental pop star who is certain to become an influential voice during the next decade.