Best Albums of 2023

Greg Mendez – Greg Mendez 

To me, this is a perfect record. The way Greg Mendez crafts lyrics and melodies is so evocative. It’s lonely, nostalgic, beautiful, sad. The easy comparison to Elliot Smith could be made, but unlike others who’s imitations are exactly that, Mendez has created a wholly original work that is reminiscent to Smith in the way it makes people feel and how they’re connected to it. Greg Mendez is an examination and reflection of self and composed of varying snapshots over the course of several years. Through dealing with addiction and coming clean, falling in love for what will be the last time, the listener has the privilege of experiencing these apex moments of life through the thoughtful, clever, and, at points, sarcastic point of view of Mendez. I think the best pieces of art make you feel something, and Greg Mendez does exactly that. – Lauren Khalfayan

All of This Will End – Indigo De Souza

An album that had to grow on me, that then consumed my life, Indigo De Souza’s All of This Will End is my 2023 soundtrack. De Souza’s mesmerizing voice grounds the album, while letting the production shine through when it counts. 

Despite, or perhaps because of the heavier and intensely synthetic feel of tracks like “Wasting Your Time” and “Smog” the album in its entirety is an easy listen, with enough diversity of sound to stay engaging for its entirety.

There is not a song on the album that doesn’t contain a hidden gut punch. My favorite, “You Can Be Mean” is an honest and blunt foray into the specific crossover between anger and apathy that comes with hooking up with all the wrong people. The title track “All of This Will End ” is an anthem to doubt and acceptance that through a buoyant back track somehow keeps your head bopping. – Mia Romanoff 

Blondshell – Blondshell

Blondshell is another record that made me feel a lot of things. What can I say. Sabrina Teitelbaum is our modern day Liz Phair. I have no skill at writing music, but if I did, this is the kind of music I’d like to write. The singles hit so strongly on their own — I remember distinctly upon each individual release them marking their place in time and space in my mind. “Veronica Mars” is such a clever and unusual lead track, “Salad” is almost out of place with how theatrical it is, “Kiss City” is understatedly sexy, “Joiner” is deceptively euphoric with its melody, the breakdown of “Sepsis” will never get old. Other tracks like “Dangerous” and “Tarmac” burned slowly but intensely over time. It’s an album you can experience heartbreak to, the throws of new love, loneliness, rage. It’s an album you want to sing along to at the top of your lungs, out the window of your car, driving to the beach at night. – Lauren Khalfayan

Dogsbody – Model/Actriz

What a debut. What a band. There is truly nothing and no one like Model/Actriz. If the whole album isn’t for you, at least the first four tracks should be. The transition between “Crossing Guard” and “Slate” is one of my favorite moments on the record. Frontman Cole Haden is essentially edging the listener through the record and we are all at his mercy — clinging to every single word, whisper, grasping breath. While the more energetic, pulsating tracks might be the most emblematic of what people might think of when they think of Model/Actriz, the more intimate moments of the record are equally compelling. The fact that there are only three instruments making this music will never cease to astound me. Seeing the band live is an unmissable experience as well and one you should take advantage of if given the opportunity. This is a band that I truly believe you could take anyone with any taste in music to and they’d have an amazing time. – Lauren Khalfayan

Miranda and The Beat – Miranda and The Beat

Endorsed by the undisputed “Emperor of RnB” his royal highness King Khan, Miranda and The Beat experienced a true banner year in 2023 that included a coast-to-coast tour supporting King Khan and BBQ Show and the release of their hotly anticipated debut full-length LP, self-produced by the band and mixed by Nick Zinner.

The band’s uniquely intimate take on smoky rock-n-soul is on full display, sharing a spiritual lineage with dive-bar divas Detroit Cobras that stretches as far back into foundational sounds to rub shoulders with the more rockin’ end of the legendary Philles Records roster. Kicking off with the thick humidity of “Sweat,” Miranda and The Beat quickly establish their perspective as one of gritty authenticity, offering an unvarnished interpretation of life under the neon-lit back alleyways where this rough-and-tumble gang earned their stripes. Frontwoman Miranda Zipse is possessed of a vocal presence that bears the weight of love and loss with the unbowed shoulders of a street survivor and resolute romantic, supported by textural arrangements that run the gamut from skittering percussion on “Concrete” to a deliciously funky keyboard breakdown on “When Are You Coming Home.” Anthemic hooks on “Out Of My Head” and “Let You Go” swing for the fences with gusto and thrum with the unquenchable fire of a wounded heart refusing to break. – Clayton Pacelli

Check out our boozy 2020 interview with the band in episode 2 of Altered States.

Islands In The Sky – Death Valley Girls

On their fifth LP, Death Valley Girls continue to delve deeper into the concepts of individuality and community with a clear-eyed sense of candor. Islands In The Sky is a celestial set of self-love anthems set to some of the most psychedelic arrangements the band has recorded to date, punctuated by their characteristic combination of driving rhythms and buzzsaw guitar. By celebrating the One, Death Valley Girls find deeper meaning as part of the Many, a glittering congregation of souls made stronger by the invisible bonds of harmonious co-existence. – Clayton Pacelli

Check out the full album review, here.

Headspace – H31R

H31R (the joint project of JWords and maassai) released their sophomore album HeadSpace in November, swooping in at the last minute to be one of the most interesting albums of the year. An electronic-rap album that begs you to get lost in it, the tight twenty-five minute project is teeming with smooth lyrics and buzzy beats. 

Producer JWords’ rich otherworldly sound gives HeadSpace its base. This foundation provides maassai with the perfect space for her entrancing, rhythmic rapping. Throughout the album there are repetitive, almost mantra-like sections to hold you in place even as the music pushes you through.

Highlights include “Reflection”, a slow moving heavy track that feels like wading through honey and distorted strobe lights. “Train of Thought” is another stand-out track, with smart lyrics and a punchy sound full of visceral clicks and pops that tunes out everything else, manufacturing hyperfocus. – Mia Romanoff

Honorable Mentions

Versions Of You – Rocket

Rocket’s debut EP, Versions Of You, embraces the stadium-sized emotive sincerity of 00s alternative rock to deliver a remarkably cohesive set of songs showcasing the band’s dexterous playing and multifaceted songwriting. Elements of shoegaze and psychedelia simmer beneath the surface, but Rocket never submerges themselves completely beneath cascading walls of obfuscating feedback and fuzz. Striking a brilliant balance between volume and clarity, confidence and vulnerability, each track on Versions Of You bursts with a level of conductive energy that electrifies the mind and stirs the soul. – Clayton Pacelli

Check out our complete interview with the band.