The first half of 2023 has been nothing but prolific when it comes to the release of new music! I realized not only did I need a way to keep track of it all, but I wanted to be able to share it with others. So here is my “best of” list for 2023 (so far): including a playlist (below), and highlights of some of my favorites (read more).
Kiltro, Underbelly
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This Denver-based band is one of my all-time favorites. They released their long-awaited second album in June of 2023. Favorite tracks: “Errasuriz” and "What Gives."
When Chris Bowers Castillo sings, “There’s always a part of us that quietly / Is vanishing / How I love to see me go,” in the title track, I like to think that it’s the band's expectations of themselves, their fears, and their holdups. Because not only have they succeeded with their sophomore album in, once again, creating the kind of music that we don't hear anywhere else, but in trying to come to terms with the way the world has changed since their debut release in 2019, Kiltro is helping the rest of us do the same. They help find the feelings I have somewhere deep inside me, and allow me to feel them—which is no small feat in 2023. |
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Rose Gray, Higher Than The Sun EP
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I know almost nothing about this British dance/pop musician, but she is setting the soundtrack to my summer! There's a throwback vibe to her work, inspired by 90’s indie, dance and alternative, and I'm into it.
I'll have to dive more into the rest of her earlier music, but already I’ve had a couple songs from this EP on repeat during my commute, and stuck in my head at home. Favorite tracks: “Ecstasy” and “Prettier Than You.” |
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Jessie Ware, That! Feels Good!
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Jessie, WHERE have you been all my life?!?
I’ve been sleeping on Ware for some time now, as her 70s influenced work hasn’t always meshed with my music taste. But finally, I gave her another chance, and I’m so glad I did! Her voice is a talent to behold, and the entire album is a celebration of one’s self and living freely. Get your groove on and give this one a listen! Favorite tracks: “Freak Me Now” and “Free Yourself.” |
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Arlo Parks, My Soft Machine
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I wasn’t the biggest fan of Arlo Parks’ first album, besides her big single ("Hope"). But this second album is a solid listen the whole way through! She’s gotten more confident in both her voice and songwriting, and it’s a fantastic journey through sound and storytelling. The first track is even a piece of poetry come to life in music more than it is a song. She doesn’t hold back on vulnerability and honesty, and it’s impossible to resist joining her. One of the best albums of the entire year, most likely.
Favorite tracks: “Blades” and “Dog Rose.” |
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Miss Grit, Follow The Cyborg
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I found this album on another list for best music of 2023 so far, and I have to include it on mine. New York-based musician Margaret Sohn self-produced this entire album in their home studio: a conceptual album about communication from a cyborg to its human. (Source: Beggars Music.) Yet while its subject matter explores the robotic and artificial, Follow the Cyborg is a fully human, emotional listen. While some tracks are immersed in electronics, others are stripped down and vulnerable in a way that requires you to unplug from anything else in that moment. When Sohn sings "People change twice a year / And I'm afraid I'm nowhere near / Where you'll be / When we sync up," in the closing track, it's nothing but electric.
Favorite tracks: “Perfect Blue” and “Syncing." |
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Billie Marten, Drop Cherries
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This spring has been a breeding ground for releases by moody, soft-sung female vocalists, and so I was initially hesitant about English folk-pop singer-songwriter Billie Marten. Would this release just be another Phoebe Bridgers genre sound-alike? To my pleasant surprise, it is not. In her fourth album at only age 23, Marten takes the best of many popular trends, new and old, and does them better. She is Feist 2.0, the modern female version of Nick Drake, and a complementary rival to New Zealand's Nadia Reid. Drop Cherries is lush, warm, and perfectly produced. If you like piano, acoustic guitar, poetic lyrics, and one of the best voices of the past 5 years, hit play.
Favorite tracks, "I Can't Get My Head Around You," "Just Us," and "Nothing But Mine." |
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Susanne Sundfør, Blómi
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The is the artist behind one of my favorite songs of all time to belt out late at night at home: “When.”
Sundfør may be one of the most talented singers and songwriters of our time, and on this album, she delivers an innovative, alternative set of songs that playfully blend classical and modern genres, all while showcasing her showstopping voice. You may not initially think this release is for you, but I suggest you dedicate some alone time and put on some high-quality headphones before you make up your mind. Favorite tracks: “Blómi” and “alyosha.” (If "alyosha" doesn't give you chills by the end, I don't know how to help you.) |
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Other albums released in the first half of 2023 that I'm enjoying:
That's all for now! Stay tuned for the full 2023 "best of" article and playlist in December or January.
- Miya Folick, ROACH
- The Japanese House, In The End It Always Does
- Local Natives, Time Will Wait For No One
- SG Lewis, AudioLust & HigherLove
- Ava Max, Diamonds and Dancefloors
- Daughter, Stereo Mind Game
- Lapsley, Cautionary Tales of Youth
- Foo Fighters, But Here We Are
- Indigo De Souza, All of This Will End
- Samia, Honey
- Andy Shauf, Norm
- BC Camplight, The Last Rotation of Earth
- Unknown Mortal Orchestra, V
- Feist, Multitudes
- Joel Ansett, Layers
- Bebe Rexha, Bebe
- M83, Fantasy
- Astronaut Husband, Down the Road
- Tiny Ruins, Ceremony
- Weval, Don’t Lose Time
- Kimbra, A Reckoning
- Paramore, This Is Why
- Yellow Ostrich, Make It Make Sense
- Great Lake Swimmers, Uncertain Country
- Janelle Monáe, The Age of Pleasure
That's all for now! Stay tuned for the full 2023 "best of" article and playlist in December or January.
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