We’re back! A bit of a format change this year before we dive deep into the top 20 albums of the year + the 5 runner ups. At the request of many (ok, really just a few) I am including a short list of my favorite EPs of the year, my biggest miss of last year, and my most anticipated artist (or three) heading into the ‘22.
Before we start — just a few reminder points regarding the top 20 + 5. Albums from December 2020 - November 2021 are considered across all genres. EPs are 3-6 songs. Anything over falls into ‘album’ in the book of Mark. Overall, 1005 albums were tracked throughout the year, each one being listened to/sampled, and then tracked with a personal rating system. Of those 1005 albums, 111 made the cut to be considered ‘best of the best’, and then trimmed down to the 20 + 5 you see below. Playlist on spotify is here and at the bottom.
2020 Biggest Miss of the Year: Christian Lee Hutson’s Beginners
EPs of the Year: Holly Humberstone The Walls Are Way Too Thin, Castells Viola, Jake Wesley Rogers Pluto, Toledo Jockeys of Love
Most Anticipated Artists / Artists to Watch 2022: Holly Humberstone, Winnetka Bowling League, Mosa Wild
25. Dawson Hollow – Even When It Doesn’t Rhyme
RIYL: The Lumineers, Milo Greene, Local Natives
Standout Track(s): “Dawn (Wild Eyes)”, “Tomorrow”
Folk-rock from the Ozarks. The family band known as Dawson Hollow shined with their follow up to 2018s debut Boy of my Youth. With more soul, more old school appeal yet still fitting nicely in the modern day folk pop rock stomp holler genre that continues to produce, this is a lovely follow up and one that should get the band touring and on some opening slots across the Midwest. (Label: Independent)
24. Turnstile – GLOW ON
RIYL: Title Fight, Ceremony, Touché Amoré
Standout Track(s): “Mystery”, “Blackout”
The album that helped save punk in a lot of peoples eyes. Not really, as there are a lot of quality bands out there doing it and punk never really dies, but Turnstile put everyone on notice and brought the genre to the limelight again with this brilliant album. Fun as punk can be, and really just a well-written, well-produced album that will make its way on a number of lists to end of the year. (Label: Roadrunner)
23. Jon Wolfe – Dos Corazones
RIYL: Wade Bowen, Aaron Watson
Standout Track(s): “Tequila Sundown”, “Two Hearts in Terlingua”
Texas country troubadour Jon Wolfe returns with a baja-soaked album that will leave even the less interested country fan intrigued. “Tequila Sundown” was an anthem for a few weeks period for me, and the whole story behind the album is fascinating if you want something to research. (Label: Fool Hearted)
22. Neal Francis – In Plain Sight
RIYL: Robert Ellis, 60s Psychedelic Songwriters
Standout Track(s): “Can’t Stop the Rain”, “Alameda Apartments”
Falling somewhere between the indigo twang of Robert Ellis, the wildfire spirit of solo Lennon, Mirage-era Fleetwood and the more trippy tunes of The Byrds or The Yardbirds, Chicagoan Neal Francis dazzled with his album recorded in an old church entirely on tape. There is spirit in these songs, and they truly live on their own. Twin Cities Media put it best: “Think New Orleans meets the Midwest with a little bit of California sun shining in the background.” (Label: ATO)
21. Charley Crockett – Music City USA
RIYL: Joshua Hedley, Colter Wall, Orville Peck
Standout Track(s): “I Need Your Love”, “Muddy Water”
Charley is a talent that I am lucky enough to have watched from the beginning. When I was working / living in Dallas back around 2016, Charley dropped In The Night, shot a music video at the venue I was working with, and played one of his first sold out shows in the venue. It was his welcoming party of sorts. Now with 7 additional albums under his belt, Music City USA may be one of his best yet. His voice sounds stable, the album is tight, and it’s a lovely natural step from 2020’s Hard Times. This is the album that officially moves Charley into that upper echelon of folky americana troubadour in my eyes, and it couldn’t happen to a better guy. (Label: Son of Davy / Thirty Tigers)
20. Dirty Honey – Self-Titled
RIYL: Rival Sons, Black Pistol Fire, Wolfmother
Standout Track(s): “California Dreamin’”, “Another Last Time”, “No Warning”
Rock returns. I’ll say it again, but louder for those in the back: ROCK RETURNS! It hasn’t been since Greta where I heard an album and felt that way. While the torchbearers of GnR, Foo, Pearl, and the lesser known Black Pistol Fire, Rival Sons have kept the flame alive, Dirty Honey succeed in the gritty, lustful rock that reminds me of 70s Cali rock made famous by Van Halen and the east coast grime that Aerosmith once had pre-Armageddon soft down. “California Dreamin’” sounds like it is primed for the Almost Famous - Tour ‘73. Will this hit radio? We can hope, but if not (okay, high probability it won’t), I am thankful we have it at our fingertips and that some semblance of rock and roll is still around, even if sliding down the underbelly of the industry. Check them on tour in ‘22 with Mammoth WVH, the band of Eddie Van Halen’s son. (Label: Dirt Records)
19. Josiah and the Bonnevilles – Motel Mayday
RIYL: Augustana, Birdtalker, Houndmouth
Standout Track(s): “Hollywood Hills”, “Stolen Love”, “I Don’t Hate Your Friends”
Falling somewhere between later-era Augustana and the more roots sound of Houndmouth, Josiah and the Bonnevilles dropped this album right as things we starting to open back up in April, and it was a great soundtrack to have heading into the springtime. “Stolen Love” will win anyone over, but this is truly an album that has it all. Some twang, some harmonica, some rock, some piano. At the very least, give the first three songs a go. If you aren’t sold by then, you are soulless and may move on. (Label: Yucatan Records)
18. Del Water Gap – Self-Titled
RIYL: Briston Maroney, Hippo Campus, Mt. Joy
Standout Track(s): “Ode to Conversation”, “Better Than I Know Myself”, “Alone Together”
I was unaware of Del Water Gap for the majority of the year, and then his 2020 single “Ode to a Conversation..” fell to me. I loved what i heard, and checked some of the past catalog only to find that I dug most of everything he’d done from “High Tops” to his EP. Fast forward to October and this Self-Titled effort drops and hits just right for the indie rock lover. Of the 12 songs, I think there are 2 that I skip - otherwise I am sold on this youngster who calls Brooklyn home. (Label: Mom + Pop)
17. Dave East – HOFFA
RIYL: Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs, Smoke DZA
Standout Track(s): “Red Fox Restaurant”, “Diamonds”, “60 For the Lawyer”
Harlem MC and Nas signee/protégé Dave East did the best thing anyone can do that isn’t “team up with The Alchemist”: team up with Harry Fraud. This is only the first time Fraud shows up on my list, but HOFFA was an extraordinary effort. The whole albums theme loosely revolves around Jimmy Hoffa and his disappearance, but East does a solid job of blending in his own, New York story to that of Hoffa’s. Is it East’s best effort? No - give me Karma 3 most days. But something about the album found me coming back… and back… and back… and back again, and what started as a fringe favorite slid its way into my list by years end. (Label: SRFSCHL)
16. Halsey – If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
RIYL: Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross, Halsey but not Halsey
Standout Track(s): “Bells in Santa Fe”, “Lilith”, “Whispers”
I’d be lying if I said I loved anything Halsey has done. I think the only thing i’ve even remotely liked of hers was her “Tokyo Narita” freestyle she did with Lido back in ‘16. However, when you team with the dynamic duo of Reznor/Ross, I will at least give you a chance. “The Tradition” is an OK opener, but didn’t grab me. However, by the time “Bells in Santa Fe” was midway in, I was hooked and the rest of the album just kinda fell into place for me. Do I love it all? Not quite. Do I love 90% of it? Absolutely, and I can only hope that Halsey keeps on this trajectory. If not, it was nice having you on the list once, Halsey! (Label: Capitol)
15. Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR
RIYL: Paramore, Avril Lavigne, Lorde
Standout Track(s): “Drivers License”, “Favorite Crime”, “Enough For You”
Not often that a true pop/top 40 album will slide onto my list, but what Olivia gave us this year is nothing short of impressive and worth celebrating. When “Drivers License” dropped and took over the world for a month or so, and I was right there in the thick of it trying to understand it, wrestle with my nostalgic emotions being transported back to high school, and also trying to figure out who the hell this girl was. After digging in and finding out who she was (hello Disney) and that she was co-writing with Dan Nigro, a name I used to work with often back in the day when he was fronting As Tall As Lions in the early 00s, it all made sense. It all clicked. SOUR is to be taken for what it is, a pristine pop album pulling influence from numerous places. Paramore, Taylor Swift, Lorde at times. Even Avril and her pop punk attitude. It’s brilliant, it was marketed brilliantly, and Olivia will be the crown jewel of many fests this coming summer. She is the new ‘it’, and i’m here for it. (Label: Geffen)
14. Axel Flóvent – You Stay By the Sea
RIYL: Novo Amor, Gregory Alan Isakov, Andrew Belle
Standout Track(s): “Driving Hours”, “Tonight”, “You Stay by the Sea”
I have been an admirer of Axel for some time now. He first appeared on my weekly 15 back in 2015, and ever since i’ve eaten up most of what he has offered. Thankfully, this album dropped in the lull of a January winter, and it stayed as my most played for a good bit of time. The Icelandic songwriter spread his wings some with his first proper full length, adding in some layering, some electric guitars, yet still making sure that his gentle songwriter approach was at the forefront. If you need a good album for the holiday season and the winter ahead, get familiar with this one and the beauty that Axel provides. I’ll visit this album often for the next handful of years i’m sure. (Label: Nettwerk)
13. Conway the Machine – La Maquina
RIYL: Benny the Butcher, Ghostface Killa, Pusha T
Standout Track(s): “Scatter Brain”, “Clarity”, “200 Pies”
Cousin to personal favorite Benny The Butcher and half brother of Westside Gunn, another great talent, Conway has worked over the years with everyone from Method Man and Lloyd Banks to Freddie Gibbs. With La Maquina, Conway added to that list with the likes of 2 Chainz and Ludacris, and the result of said effort is maybe one of the best songs of the year with the latter in “Scatter Brain”. But outside of that, La Maquina is a pure pleasure ride from start to finish. The beats are fresh, Conway’s flow is on point, and if you are eating up the Buffalo sound that Griselda / Empire are throwing, then this is a powerhouse in a constantly steady string of releases from one of the hottest labels and collective in the game today. If you are unaware of what they doing, now is the time to hit the ole google machine. This one is an absolute must for any hip-hop fan. (Label: Griselda / Drumwork)
12. Mighty Oaks – Mexico
RIYL: Bear’s Den, Lord Huron, Bahamas
Standout Track(s): “Forever”, “Mexico”, “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”
Berlin-based folk-indie outfit Mighty Oaks have do it again. As one of the only bands to ever have an EP featured on the EOTY 20, the fellas return with another studded folk album jammed pack with hope. Recorded at their home studio in Berlin, the trio made up of an American, an Italian, and a Brit delivered the warm indie folk sounds that make them exactly that: them. “Mexico” was the lead single, and a perfect choice to introduce this album almost a year after their prior release dropped. While, at times, raw, that is anything but a knock on the album itself — in fact, it adds to the allure. Deep down, the best thing one can say is it’s just a really solid, really great folk pop album. No frills, no surprises. You get what you get and what you’d expect, but in that it’s perfectly pulled off and done. (Label: Sony / Howl)
11. Grayscale – Umbra
RIYL: All Time Low, Neck Deep, You Me at Six
Standout Track(s): “King of Everything”, “Dirty Bombs”, “Live Again”
Is it too much to say that i’ve been waiting for a pop-punk/emo revival since ‘07? While the genres never really died, the flame certainly did fade, not to mention my tastes morphed and I just stopped pursuing the new in those genres. However, Gen-Z has given a rebirth to pop-punk, and for that i’m grateful. 2019’s Nella Vita put Grayscale on the map for me, but it was this years Umbra that fully welcomed my emergence back into the world of pop-punk. “Dirty Bombs” sounds like something straight out of All Time Low’s early catalog, “Motown” could be a thrown away All American Rejects song from Move Along, and “King of Everything” blends more into the alt-punk scene that was so heavily influenced by the likes of Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World. It’s nothing short of ear candy with moments of light, fluffy pop-punk goodness and moments of more raw, darker guitar. For an elder emo, it’s a wonderful step to getting the feet wet back into the genre(s) that played such a major part in my high school and early college years. (Label: Fearless)
10. Tobe Nwigwe – Cincoriginals
RIYL: Big K.R.I.T., EARTHGANG, Saba
Standout Track(s): “Eat”, “Head Shots”, “Wildlings”
How this did not get a nom for The Grammys is beyond me. Tobe, a Nigerian-American rapper from a small-townHouston suburb (Alief to be exact), has humble beginnings that saw him escaping the rough streets to playing D1 college football, suffering an injury, then turning his focus to music and uploading songs for the first time in 2016. Fate and talent have led him to the BET Awards, collabs with Royce Da 5’9”, D Smoke, and Houston legend Paul Wall, and slots on the Billboard chart with his debut work. With all of that, Tobe is still relatively unknown - and for me, was unknown until my wife introduced him to me during the pandemic with his brilliant Pandemic Project album. Cincoriginals picks up where Pandemic left off, and it's an absolute gem of an album. “Eat”, a song he recorded with his wife Fat, is one of the best beats I heard of the year. What separates Tobe from a lot of the popular rap out there today is how autobiographical he makes his music. It’s the stories, the suffering, the hope that blasts Tobe into another universe. It’s certainly more along the lines of alt-hip-hop vs. Top 40 rap, but if that is your thing, give it a go and thank me (nay, my wife) later. (Label: Independent)
09. Big Red Machine – How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?
RIYL: Bon Iver, The National, Phoebe Bridgers
Standout Track(s): “Reese”, “Renegade”, “Magnolia”
The project of Justin Vernon (Bon Iver, Volcano Choir) and Aaron Dessner (The National) alone is a powerhouse collab between two well established artist who both have back catalogs that impress on their own. Throw in ‘19s Big Red Machine Self-Titled debut that went under the radar for many, and you have a good foundation for what one could expect from this album. To take it a step further, listen to either of Taylor Swift’s Folklore or Evermore (albums both artists had huge hands/influence in) and you’re a step further into understanding it before even listening. If you turned on your radio and heard “Renegade”, you fully understand it now. But this album is more than the featured song(s) that Swift appears on. In fact, I find the luxury in the tracks that just feature Aaron and Justin. “Reese” is brilliant, but outside of and not taking away from Swift, I much prefer the features that Ben Howard and Fleet Foxes contribute more. Quintessential album for those who like any of the aforementioned artists, and just a lovely album addressing everything from family dynamics to mental health to nostalgia. (Label: Jagjaguwar)
08. Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams
RIYL: Bakar, SAULT, Cautious Clay
Standout Track(s): “Eugene”, “Caroline”, “Bluish”
If you look at most any EOTY list for this year, Arlo will and should appear. This album is nothing short of a fantastic. Arlo has been quoted as saying her upbringing was, “…feeling like that black kid who couldn't dance for shit, listening to too much emo music and crushing on some girl in her Spanish class” and when you listen to this album, that spurned, confused adolescence shines through in her debut effort. It’s moving, it’s traumatic yet, through those veils, it’s versatile and a beautifully nostalgic nod to songwriters of old like Joni Mitchell and Tracy Chapman. Start with “Eugene” and proceed from there. If you are hooked after that one, you will be hooked to the entire album, which, by the way, is up for a Grammy Award this year. Arlo is the future, and Arlo is here to stay. (Label: Transgressive)
07. John R. Miller – Depreciated
RIYL: Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers, American Aquarium
Standout Track(s): “Shenandoah Shakedown”, “Fire Dancer”, “Lookin’ Over My Shoulder”
John R Miller, get to know the name if you don’t. The troubadour outlaw songwriter, fitting somewhere between the dark, neocountry of Tyler Childers and the quasi americana of Jason Isbell, has been on the road to some degree for the past fifteen years. In fact, Childers is a vocal fan of the rootsy wordsmith. Depreciated, Miller’s debut, first proper solo record is a cultivation of all those years on the road and his wistful Potomac River / West Virginia youth; a youth inspired by country legends who only need one name to be known: like Guy, Townes, Jerry Jeff, and Billy Joe. The influence of those influences is clear, and the beauty of this album revolves around the gritty throwback to those greats. Someone else wrote it much better than I could ever lay it out:
Depreciated is the hard-won result of years of self-education provided by life experiences that included arrests, a drunken knife-throwing incident, relationships both lost and long-term, and learning from the best of the singer-songwriters by listening.
Have I sold it enough yet? If not, just give the damn thing a listen. It’s great. It’s what country-folk should be. It talks about drinking motor oil, getting high, V8 engines, wheat, fairs, rivers and hills, and hiding from an ex - all with lap steel guitar, fiddle, and all the goods to make this one hellava throwback album that is perfect for floatin’ a river, eating BBQ, and just drinkin’ some fine American beers to. (Label: Rounder)
06. Benny The Butcher – The Plugs I Met 2
RIYL: Pusha T, Jay Rock, Wale
Standout Track(s): “Talkin’ Back”, “Plug Talk”, “When Tony Met Sosa”
…and he returns. 2019’s list saw the debut of Benny The Butcher on the Top 20 list with The Plugs I Met, and in ‘21 he released the second go around with The Plugs I Met 2. I would be lying if I said Benny The Butcher wasn’t my favorite rapper making music right now (close second goes to Freddie Gibbs), and in that, I am lucky because Benny is also one of the most prolific in the game right now, releasing three albums in 2021 alone. While the other two, Pyrex Picasso and Trust the Sopranos, were both great efforts and had their highlights, it was Harry Fraud’s (told you you’d see his name again) production that took The Plugs I Met 2 over the top and made it something special. I wouldn’t go as far as saying this is a Madlib/Dilla type of thing, but these two together are special. “Plug Talk” with 2 Chainz starts out a bit on the slow side, but once the flow kicks in around the :40 mark, the song elevates and is truly one of the best songs of the year. And what a way to open up an album with “When Tony Met Sosa”, it truly shows the young legends skill and with the horns and jazzy backing track that Fraud provides, it truly sets you up to know you’re in for a damn fine album experience. Benny is excelling and is a name that every. single. person. needs. to. know. right. now. He is here to stay, and he is the future of hip-hop. Only thing is — the future is right now and we’re just living in Benny’s world. (Label: Black Soprano Family)
05. The Snuts – W.L.
RIYL: The Wombats, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Inhaler
Standout Track(s): “Juan Belmonte”, “Glasgow”, “Always”
When I first saw The Snuts live in 2019 during SXSW at the British Music Embassy prior to Fatherson’s set, I saw potential in the young, fledgling Scottish band that had a handful of singles to their name at the time. Fast forward to 2020, their Mixtape EP was one of my favorites of the year, released a week before the world shut down. W.L., an album that the band had essentially sat on for three years and would ultimately wait to release once the p̶a̶n̶d̶e̶m̶i̶c̶ w̶a̶s̶ o̶̶v̶̶e̶̶r̶̶ the world was in a better place. When W.L. finally did come out in April, it took me about a month to fully get comfortable with it. The floor-shaking, reverb soaked and guitar burning sound that “Fatboy Slim” provided on the EP was something I was deeply looking forward to with this album. Some of the older singles that found their way on W.L., like “Juan Belmonte” hit right. But the rest of the album upon the first listen or two just wasn’t fully setting in for me. But the more time I spent with it, the more I fell in love with it. And, shockingly, it was the more ballad-like songs like “Glasgow” that got me there. It’s like being stuck in a fever dream listening to multiple radios playing Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, The Wombats, and The Kooks all at once, in the best way. For the indie rock fan, it’s a must try and one solid debut album. (Label: Parlophone)
04. The Wldlfe – Repaint My Mind
RIYL: The Band CAMINO, Bad Suns, COIN
Standout Track(s): “Forgive & Forget”, “Blood Orange”, “Anxious”
Confession: I had never heard of this band prior to “Blood Orange” getting recommended to me by a friend for my weekly 15 offering. I sat with the song for 2-3 weeks before finally adding it to the list, half-reluctantly. Same ole sob story, the more I listened to the song the more i really grew to love it. It became a milestone song of the 15 for me, truly one of my favorites, and the band became one to be featured on nbt.fm. With time and a newfound love for that song, I dove head first into their album and realized I nearly missed out on something so good. It’s damn fine pop alt-rock with an ever so subtle nod to post-rock and a riff-heavy facade. It is tactical, it is smart, and it is raw. However, it is not afraid to venture outside of that box when needed. The Indianapolis suburb product, co-headed by brothers Jansen and Carson Hogan, should be on every single music fans radar. They’ve toured with the likes of Nightly, COIN, and The Band CAMINO, and the influence is clearly in their music. If these guys aren’t signed to a label in the next year or two, I have a lot of questions coming your way, labels. Make it happen! (Label: Independent)
03. Luke Hemmings – When Facing the Things We Turn Away From
RIYL: Shawn Mendes, Bleachers, Bon Iver
Standout Track(s): “Starting Line”, “Place in Me”, “Comedown”
When I assumed Luke Hemmings was nothing more than a new artist on the scene, I took to “Starting Line” when it was released. Cool, hip, something that fit somewhere between a Shawn Mendes and Circa Waves. Pop rock with a skew towards indie rock. Lo and behold, time reveals all and my dumbass finds out Luke Hemmings is actually lead singer of Aussie boy band 5 Seconds of Summer, this is his solo debut, and it is NOTHING like i’d of imagined a boy band singer to release. It’s honest in the sense that you can tell Hemmings held these songs back for this moment in time, collected over numerous years. They are untraditional for a boy band frontman, chilled, relaxed, and a 360 from the uptempo sound one would expect. But other frontmen have done similar and done it with great success (Charlie Simpson, Harry Styles with his debut solo album, etc) and Luke now falls into the category of mold breakers. Singer/songerwriter fans, now is your time to dive in. (Label: Arista)
02. ISLAND – Yesterday Park
RIYL: The Vaccines, Young the Giant, Foals
Standout Track(s): “Octopus”, Do You Remember The Times”, “This Part of Town”
So a guitar-driven band from London drops an album wrapped in an elegy to nostalgia and the hazy blur of childhood and adolescence and you expect me not to have it on this list? Then you throw producer Mikko Gordon, who’s worked with Arcade Fire, Thom Yorke, and personal favorite indie act Colouring, and we have a recipe for success in the book of Mark, chapter 25: Music. Knowing i’d dig the album going into it, I think I was even surprised by how much I dug it. “Octopus”, the lead single off the album, sounds like something Holy Fire-era Foals would have dropped with it’s ambient guitar and rhythmic vocals, and it just kept getting better from there as the singles kept coming and finally, the album. Yesterday Park, as a whole, carries a unique undercurrent of “unrushed” - something so hard to find for a band only on their second album. Island seem to completely understand where their heart lies and where they want to go with a delicate appreciation for time. While the album, overall, shines - it does have its moments - as most albums do. One could argue the latter 1/4 of the album feels a bit repetitive. I, for one, don’t mind. It hit at the right time for me, and the album got stuck on spin cycle, hence why it made it as no.2 on my list. Long/short is this: If a fuzzy, reverb’d alternative album is what you are wanting then it’s pretty cut and dry — it’s what you get. (Label: Frenchkiss)
01. Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God
RIYL: Portugal. The Man, Frightened Rabbit, Band of Horses
Standout Track(s): “Bed Head”, “Let It Storm”, “Obstacle”
This one right here. Easily the biggest surprise of 2021. Manchester Orchestra is a band that has always been polarizing to me. I never really loved much of their stuff. Growing up, MO fit somewhere in that progressive rock / emo / indie filing for all intents and purposes. They were Brand New if Brand New was more alternative, and they were Built to Spill if Built to Spill were more emo and trying to decide where they sat on the God spectrum. All that to say, MO just never really hit like some of the others for me. I never fully got it, it being Manchester Orchestra as a whole. As the band soldiered on and side projects came about, I always found myself gravitating to Bad Books and the members solo works while keeping an eye on (and nothing more) what MO was doing/releasing. And that explains how we got here, now.
With The Million Masks of God, I went about it the usual way of rifling through the songs quickly enough to develop an opinion with the plan of moving onward rather quick as I often do with MO records. However, I remember shuffling through the first 2-3 songs before getting into “Bed Head” and was stopped on my tracks. The song had more of a Muse tilt to it and I dug it. A lot. At that time, I started anew with the entire album, committing to at least one full run through, in full with no rifling. Smart move, kid. The balance is one of steady composure, a mix of rock, alt-like ballads, and expansiveness. It’s a liner story looking at, in lead singer Andy Hull’s words, “the highs and lows of life and exploring what could possibly come next.” AKA the death and the afterlife. Themes woven so intently throughout the album, from the frenetic first half of the album to the somber, timid second half which NME so perfectly described as, “favours lush arrangements and soft acoustic guitars, representing a resolution to the album’s trauma.” This album alone encouraged me to revisit past works of the band, none of which held a candle to this one - but did resonate a tad more than years prior.
One thing to note that I didn’t realize until well after the fact of already being sucked in to this album was the credits. This album was produced by Ethan Gruska, who produced last years no.2 album for me (Phoebe Bridgers), which says something about both my tastes and Ethan’s production. All in all, The Million Masks of God is an epic journey with many hills, few valleys, and just an all around trip that hit right. If this is the angle Andy and Co. take future albums, consider MO a new staple in my roster of “loved bands”. If they transcend back, consider this a beautiful one album stand, if you will, that will fit nicely in my rotation of ‘albums I revisit often’ for the next handful of years and ultimately wrap my own personal nostalgia and memories around. (Label: Loma Vista)