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The year 2023 is here and it's time once again to round up last year's album releases, listing the favourites of our favourite genre. This list is not in some specific order, it's to be seen as more of a handy tool for you to perhaps discover something you might have missed during the past year.
This is our 2nd annual roundup, and you can find our picks for best rock albums of 2021 here.
What was your favourite album of 2022? - Comment down below!
Now let's get on with it!
Feeder - Torpedo
UK alt-rockers Feeder hails from the mid-90 and is one the bands on this list that I've followed the longest. Whether you're a new or old fan, 2022's Torpedo is a true fan service, mixing softer, melodic elements from their later material, with some heavier tunes that brings you back to the older, fuzzy grunge-esque days of Polythene. If you've been sleeping on Feeder over the last years, give it a shot, it could be their strongest effort since the '00s.
Devin Townsend - Lightwork
Canada's Devin Townsend is a true musical mastermind, who's proven over the years just how versatile he is, going between extreme metal, to acoustic western music, all the way to electronic.
Lightwork is a return to his more typical offering of grand, symphonic and progressive rock, however, and he put some additional effort in this time, to make an accessible album with good, structured songs on it. While the main album Lightwork is a bit softer than most of his earlier "prog-metal" albums, the bonus disc "Nightwork" is a lot more untamed and shows more of his aggressive, and sometimes, nutty side.
Also read our full review of Lightwork here!
Pale Waves - Unwanted
Last year, we featured Pale Waves' 2021 album "Who Am I?" on our best album roundup. In 2022, the prolific Manchester four-piece already had another album ready with more pop-rock gems. This time they seem to put a little more emphasis on the rock part as well, with more energy and louder guitars. The track "Only Problem" is a good example, sounding quite punk-rock. The track Jealousy also has a nice riff to it and is quite infectious. Lies is a very catchy and strong opener as well. Very solid album!
The Mysterines - Reeling
The Mysterines is a four-piece alternative rock band from Liverpool, UK. Reeling is their debut album and the songs on it are loud, raw and passionate, much like its cover. Some might draw parallels to early Nirvana and Hole to describe their sound, and the video to Dangerous filmed on some beach actually brings Hole's Malibu to my mind. The Mysterine's vocalist and guitar slinger Lia Metcalfe has a really deep voice as well and hearing The Mysterines before I had watched any of their videos I didn't even realise they had a female vocalist!
Placebo - Never Let Me Go
VICE described '90s brit-rockers Placebo's 2022 return as "a synthesizer-led soundtrack to the end of the world". And it's a quite fitting description of Never Let Me Go. The synths are fairly prominent on a lot of the tracks, but the guitars are also heavy as ever and the themes are as dramatic and angst-ridden as usual on a Placebo album. The band debuted in the mid-90s but still does a great job finding ways to renew itself enough to sound fresh and interesting while always managing to stay so true to its own, unique sound. Apart from synths and singer/guitarist Brian Molko now sporting a fancy pirate moustache, Placebo's blueprint is as always instantly recognisable the moment you hear their music.
White Lies - As I Try Not To Fall Apart
The track I Don't Want To Go To Mars took me by surprise this summer and reminded me of the band Failure with its massive chorus, with heavy guitars and space and sci-fi type of theme. It's one of my favourite songs of the year, for sure! The rest of the album is a bit different, however, and is more synth-driven and has more of an '80s sound to it. The title track is as memorable as "Mars", and also has a real cool beat and melody to it. Anyone new to the band should at least check those two songs out and if you like them, give the whole album a listen!
Giovannie and the Hired Guns - Tejano Punk Boyz
This is a fun band and that reminds me of '90s beach rockers Lit, who -to my surprise- also returned with a new album this year. Tejano Punk Boyz is a great upbeat, summery album with a lot of energy that puts you in a good mood. The band has a lot of humour as well and their videos are pretty corny (and horny) with a lot of chicas in skimpy outfits fornicating half the time. Give this one a listen and I dare you to try not to bang your head along!
Maggie Lindemann - Suckerpunch
Maggie Lindemann has quite an eclectic musical palette, and on her 2022 effort Suckerpunch, she moves seamlessly between alternative pop/rock and pop-punk, to heavier tracks with more of a metal flavour. The album sounds modern but also flirts quite a bit with the 2000's era of pop-punk. Especially the closing track Cages, which is accompanied by a music video that is nothing shy of a nod to Avril Lavigne's old banger Sk8er Boi. A personal favourite on the album is the song Self-Sabotage. Rather than making another boy-bashing song like other female artists often do, Lindemann actually takes some accountability which is both refreshing and respectable.
Suede - Autofiction
While your average '90s britpop fans argued over whether Oasis or Blur was the better band, the more hip indie kids listened to Suede and Pulp instead. Suede, or The London Suede as they're called in the US, made a comeback in 2013 and has since then been fairly productive. 2022's Autofiction is a back to basics and is quite a powerful record that rocks harder than you might expect, and it's impressive how hungry the band still sounds! The first single She Still Leads Me On is a nostalgic, personal and heartfelt tribute to singer Brett Anderson's late mother. Watch a live performance of it below!
Beauty School Dropout - We Made Plans & God Laughed
Spearheaded by none other than blink-182's Mark Hoppus under the new label Verswire with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz and Sherry Saeedi, Beauty School Dropout makes their grand debut, bridging the nostalgia and angst of guitar-driven rock with an undeniable modern flavour to it. Hoppus also lends some vocals on the track Almost Famous. The short 7-track album features some pretty catchy songs, such as the title track and A$$A$$IN.
Cassyette - Sad Girl Mixtape
Cassyette started out as a DJ and songwriter but has turned out to be a strong up-and-coming rock star with a lot of style and attitude. What's even more refreshing is she has the music to match her edgy looks with, unlike some other young quasi-rockers of today (*cough* Yungblud).
Demi Lovato - Holy Fvck
Actress and popstar Demi Lovato went back to her rock sound on 2022's Holy Fvck, and it has some real strong cuts on it, and pop-punk fans who don't mind raunchy lyrics and a lot of wailing will probably dig it!
I like that the first single's called Skin of My Teeth, similar to the old Megadeth song "Skin O' My Teeth", and that she's playing a flying V guitar in the video of it (like Megadeth's Dave Mustaine often does). Coincidence or not, as an old Megadeth fan I love seeing this!
The Hellacopters - Eyes of Oblivion
One of Sweden's finest, The Hellacopters, made a return in 2022 with their first album in 14 years. The seasoned action-rockers, now with Backyard Babies guitarist Dregen back in the lineup, still know how to rock, but have become more melodic throughout their career. Eyes of Oblivion continues in that direction, with retro-flavoured, melodic rock 'n roll.
Halestorm - Back From the Dead
Halestorm is among the more successful hard rock bands since the late '00s and probably doesn't need much of an introduction at this point. 2022's Back From the Dead is another hard-hitting album.
Thundermother - Black and Gold
Thundermother is another great Swedish band that plays a pretty classic type of hard rock, kind of similar to The Donnas and the aforementioned Halestorm. Black and Gold is another rifftastic, raw and energetic party record added to their discography.
Soul Blind - Feel it All Around
Soul Blind is a new band from New York. Musically, their 2022 debut Feel It All Around sits on the metallic side of post-grunge, and it brings early Silverchair to my mind. The songs are pretty infectious as well, with a nice blend of crushing riffs and melodic sweetness.
Momma - Household Name
Momma is a young band with a healthy dose of '90s influences including Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Breeders, and to my ears especially Veruca Salt. Household Name is their third album and it's a great listen for anyone that misses this sound. Apart from a super-hip and cool band name, they write genuinely good songs as well!
beabadoobee - Beatopia
Similar to Momma mentioned above, Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus, more commonly known as baebadoobee, is also raised on alternative '90s music, with a lot of noisy, fuzzy guitars mixed with her sugar-sweet and rather shy vocal approach. It's cute, it's noisy and nostalgic and fresh all at once!
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Cool it Down
A lot has happened with YYYs since the noisy garage rock of the debut album Fever To Tell, from 2003. 2022's Cool it Down follows their trend of a more synth-driven electronic sound, and even though they're not making clear-cut rock records these days, it should be one of those albums that probably appeal to a cross-section of rock listeners as well. I'm one to them anyway, and the song Wolf is especially enjoyable on this short 8-track album.
The Interrupters - In the Wild
When The Interrupters' music doesn't feature No Doubt-esque ska influences, they play pretty straight-up punk-rock following the tradition of bands like The Runaways and The Distillers. If a light-hearted, upbeat album sounds good, check this one out!
The Darling Fire - Distortions
The Darling Fire is a female-fronted band seamlessly combining elements of shoegaze, post-hardcore, and metal. 2022's Distortions is a solid album that should appeal to rockers and metalheads alike.
Yours Truly - Is This What I Look Like?
This 7-track release might be classified as an EP rather than a full-length, but thought it deserved an honourable mention. Punchy, female-fronted alternative rock from Australia. Pretty new, young band to definitely look out for going forward! You, Me At Six vocalist Josh Franceschi is also featured on one of the tracks on this release.
Charlotte Sands - Love and Other Lies
The first track I heard of Charlotte Sands was Tantrum - a punchy rock track about her going bananas and, well, throwing tantrums. As I continued listening to some other tracks, I found she seemed to be on the verge of a mental breakdown on most of them, LOL. In the Bad Day video seen below, she takes all of her frustration out on a poor old Mercedes. On Every Guy Ever she takes a dump on ALL men because she's only dating badboys and playaz, apparently. Maybe try dating a dorky music blogger instead, eyyy?
Lyrics aside, though, the songs are quite catchy pop-rock with a modern sound and contemporary influences with stuff like drum traps or whatever the heck they're called. The release is only 7 tracks short, though, so the album police might disqualify it from a "best album" list, but who cares.
False Heads - Sick Moon
Formed in 2016, punky brit-rockers False Heads is one of the newer bands on this list. Sick Moon is their second album, following up their 2020 debut "It's All There But You're Dreaming". The songs are quite catchy and their sound is raw and energetic and undeniably British.
The Anix - Revenge
We were excited about The Anix's new releases coming in the spring of 2021, and in early 2022 the full-length effort Revenge finally dropped with plenty of more futuristic electro-rock. Also, check out our spotlight of The Anix here.
Beverly Kills - Kaleido
Beverly Kills is a young post-punk band from Gothenburg, Sweden that I had the pleasure to see warm up for Wolf Alice some while back. Their debut album Kaleido offers plenty of lush melodies with shimmery synths and guitars, backed by a distorted bass. The tunes often have a sense of melancholy, yet quite energetic, especially live. The psychedelic Fantasia is a personal fave off the album where they really let themselves loose.
The Black Keys - Dropout Boogie
I'm usually not all that excited about old-school blues rock, but The Black Keys' single Wild Child featured below is pretty darn groovy and caught our attention a while back. There are some other fun tunes on the album as well, so why not give it a listen, especially if you like this type of retro sound!
Bush - The Art of Survival
While most of Bush called it a day after 2001's Golden State, frontman Gavin Rossdale reincarnated Bush with a new lineup a decade later and has since been highly prolific, dropping a new album every other year or so.
The current era of Bush replaces their old grungy sound with detuned guitars and breakdowns, giving it a heavier (in a way), modern metal-tinged type of sound. The 2022 album isn't as strong as 2020's The Kingdom, but hardcore fans will probably enjoy it.
Other Rock Albums of 2022
There were a lot of interesting releases in 2022, and I can't be bothered to write about all of them, but here's a list of a bunch of them at least. Enjoy!
3rd Secret (ft. members of Nirvana & Soundgarden) - (Self-titled)
Avril Lavigne - Love Sux
Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
Bloc Party - Alpha Games
Cheerbleederz - Even in Jest
Clutch - Sunrise On Slaughter Beach
Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind
Dorothy - Gifts From the Holy Ghost
Elder - Innate Passage
Fireside - Bin Juice
Five Finger Death Punch - AfterLife
Ghost - Impera
Jamie Lenman (of the band Reuben) - The Atheist
Johnny Marr - Fever Dreams Pts. 1-4
Kailee Morgue - Girl Next Door
Korn - Requiem
Kula Shaker - 1st Congregational Church Of Eternal Love And Free Hugs
Lit - Tastes Like Gold
Machine Gun Kelly - Mainstream Sellout
Magnolia Park - Baku's Revenge
Muse - Will of the People
Ozzy Osbourne - Patient Number 9
Palaye Royale - Fever Dream
Papa Roach - Ego Trip
Pure Reason Revolution - Above Cirrus
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Unlimited Love
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Return of the Dream Canteen
Shinedown - Planet Zero
Sick Joy - We're All Gonna F***ing Die
The Smile (members of Radiohead) - We Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings
The Rasmus - Rise
Three Days Grace - Explosions
Valley of the Sun - The Chariot
Wet Leg - (Self-titled)
Yungblud - (Self-titled)
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