Best Music of 2022 Recap
Well, it’s that time of year again. The time when the combination of “extended time off work at home” and a “self-imposed deadline” results in a delayed year-in-music retrospective. This time, we’re looking at the best releases of 2022.
Should we make this a tradition? I’d like to get caught up, because so much great music came out in 2023. And I have thoughts about it. But until I have more capacity for creative productivity alongside a demanding job, life maintenance, recovery from burnout, ADHD and seasonal depression, and a seemingly permanently taxing state of the world…I’m hesitant to promise anything specific.
This list has been a work in progress for a long time. I admire the output that friends, acquaintances, and other artists are able to achieve—and I have to accept that their brains, lives, and capacities are all different from mine. In a world where scrolling through algorithmically driven highlight-reel comparison apps is a routine part of life, this can be genuinely hard.
The Pittsburgh music scene still holds a special place in my heart, and always will. I just don’t have the bandwidth to be as creatively productive as others currently are. I have to try to make peace with that, and do what I can, when I can. Even if that doesn’t mean published writing. It can mean concert photography; working on my own songs and covers; performing at open mics; privately workshopping poems and other pieces; and taking on paid press release gigs. (All of which I did in 2023!)
Okay, enough preamble. One entry per artist per list. The non-local music is essentially ranked all the way through; local (Pittsburgh) music is ranked within the list for the top 5 entries only.
I’m sure I missed some highlights, but this is drawn from what I was able to hear about and seek out. And I still have no interest in Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo. They are not compelling artists to me. Without further ado…
Non-Local Albums/EP’s
Sad Night Dynamite – Volume II: What I said last year about their self-titled debut still holds true for Volume II. Sad Night Dynamite are true innovators. Their masterful blend of alternative R&B, trip-hop, psychedelia, and more, recalls Gorillaz but almost nothing else. The darkness and gloom they evoke, while still knowing their way around a high-gloss beat and an earworm hook, is consistently captivating. (Three of the top five songs in my 2022 Spotify Wrapped came from Volume II.)
Lyrically, the record seems to draw from more vulnerable, personal places than their debut. With that comes an expanded sonic palette to match. This includes the increased prominence of acoustic guitar (“Split Back” and “Psychedelic Views”), stripped-down piano (“Tramp”), and what appears to be harp (“Dropped Eyes.”) These ‘traditional’ touches are skillfully incorporated, and they don’t detract from SND’s forward-facing sound—they enhance it. High-energy features from Moonchild Sanelly and IDK pack an additional punch.
From heartbreakers to bangers and everywhere in between, Sad Night Dynamite can do it all. Don’t sleep on them. Listen on Spotify here.
Ethel Cain – Preacher’s Daughter: The indie girls were as right about Ethel Cain in 2022 as they turned out to be about boygenius in 2023. Preacher’s Daughter is a sweeping, cinematic, raw-yet-painstakingly-put-together concept album, equal parts bleeding heart and fine-tuned precision. Ethel is an incredible songwriter. Her voice blends Caroline Polachek and Lucy Dacus to gorgeous, deep, velvety effect, that still knows when and how to soar.
I admit I was late to this party. Still, I’m excited to hear the gems that future listens will surely reveal to me.
Florence + The Machine – Dance Fever: There’s a symphonic, mythologic grandiosity to Florence that feels missing in popular music at large. I’ve appreciated her filling that gap for over a decade now. And while I enjoyed the comparatively stripped-down quality of her more recent releases before this one (How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful and High as Hope), her louder, bigger, and more orchestral projects have always been my favorites (Lungs and Ceremonials.) In 2022, she turned up the volume again, to stirring and striking effect. The singles from this album are all outstanding (see my thoughts on the first one, “King,” in the Singles list below), but I can’t recommend a front-to-back listen of this album highly enough. She’s a modern-day siren, and I need to see her in concert before I die.
Teen Suicide – honeybee table at the butterfly feast: Sam Ray has been a singular talent and a prolific producer of quirky, deep, genre-bending indie rock for many years, under the Teen Suicide moniker and many others. It takes a strong sense of what works and what doesn’t to experiment as confidently and adeptly as he does. This album continues that storied legacy, shot through with a specifically-2020’s flavor of bleakness and doom. Perhaps it’s best summarized by a line from “new strategies for telemarketing through precognitive dreams”: “Always knew I’d live to see the world start to end/But I thought I’d feel something when it did.”
The varying energies and emotions of the track list flow well together: pretty and nostalgic, high energy (whether excitement or violence), sad/numb/hopeless, and back around again. Standout songs include “death wish,” “get high, breathe underwater (#3),” “coyote (2015-2021),” and “you can’t blame me.” And as grim as it gets in “complaining in dreams,” (“Maybe I just can’t exist so good/when they’ve destroyed every part of the world I’ve ever loved”), Ray still finds a way to extract some lemonade: “But despite it all, you can still fall in love with nearly everything.” Honeybee table at the butterfly feast is a must-listen for everyone who appreciates their indie rock on the experimental, boundary-pushing side.
Ky Vöss – The After: A new Ky Vöss release will always catch my attention. What I’ve said before about their incredible talent is just as true on their third album as it has been for their entire discography so far. Flawless, bouncing synthpop beats dance with darker elements: industrial-adjacent percussion hits and synth riffs, alongside sharply intelligent lyrics that tend to explore heavier emotions and experiences. This time around, those lyrics are drenched in more reverb and effects than ever before, intensifying Ky’s tightrope walk between robotic and human.
Something else is also more tangible: hope. In the last track, from which the album gets its name, Ky sings: “Once I made a countdown to a life beyond now/Said that I’d be safe and I’m not gonna fail her/Welcome to the after.” The After has an emotional arc that reaches from start to finish, and evolves at every step. From anxiety/dissociation at the beginning; through spiteful rage and righteous anger; devastating heartbreak; resigned confusion; wanting to improve despite the fear; reclamation of power; and finally, closure and acceptance, even as those positive feelings are themselves unfamiliar.
In a less crowded year, this would have topped the list. This album further cements Ky Vöss’ dazzling legacy. I can’t wait to hear what’s next…what comes after The After.
Destroyer – Labyrinthitis
Charli XCX – Crash
MUNA – MUNA
Hyd - CLEARING
Cannons – Fever Dream
Wet Leg – Wet Leg
Mitski – Laurel Hell
SZA - SOS
Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
Khruangbin and Leon Bridges – Texas Moon
Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever
CD Ghost – Night Music
fka twigs – Caprisongs
The Weeknd – Dawn FM
Polica - Madness
Purity Ring - graves
Local Albums/EP’s
Buffalo Rose – Again, Again, Again: Four long years, several singles, many shows, a lineup change, and a global pandemic separated Buffalo Rose’s first and second albums. Considering how much I enjoyed their first (2018’s The Soil and the Seed), it shouldn’t be surprising that their second tops this list.
From the escapist, slow-build-to-whirling-stunner of an opening track (“New World”) to the heart-rending vulnerability of the closer (“u up?”), Again, Again, Again sees Buffalo Rose exploring new lyrical and sonic territory. All while maintaining their trademark blend of alt-country, Americana, and folk, as well as their outstanding three-part vocal harmonies and masterful command of their stringed instruments. (It’s worth mentioning that another lineup change has happened since. Margot Jezerc fits perfectly in the soaring soprano space previously occupied by Rosanna Spindler and Mariko Reid.)
Buffalo Rose have always been particularly heart-on-their-sleeves artists. It’s clear that they deeply mean and care about what they’re saying. So it makes sense that this record sees more overt social commentary, and more abject despair and frustration, than their first. They tackle topics such as class divide (“I need a slice of production/I’m giving you my only life”); religious imposition and hypocrisy (“A promise of justice offered up but it’s a day too late/Don’t they know that it takes more than a prayer to be saved?”); and the desire to just rip it all down and start over (“The [world] we’ve built just saps our energy and time/I want to tear it down and make one like mine.”) While these addresses can be direct, the interweaving of more personal, emotional narratives—and the fact that it’s all sonically pleasing to listen to—prevents things from feeling preachy.
Not to imply that there’s no joy to be found, either. (If you’ve seen them live, you know this isn’t the case.) “Body Language” is fun and cheeky, and about exactly what you think it’s about. Despite its name, the instrumental “Cabin Fever” is a jaunty showcase of mandolin, dobro, and double bass expertly riffing. And other songs offer bouncing, energetic packaging, even if the lyrical tone is more complicated.
Personally, I also have to vouch for the emotional and musical peaks of the penultimate track, “Born.” It’s seriously beautiful. Pittsburgh should be proud to call Buffalo Rose their own—again and again and again.Surface Broadcast – Floating Off the Earth: Moody, dark, minor-chord atmospheric shoegaze. The layers of repeating guitar lines and echoing vocals are both infused with just the right amount of fuzz and grit, at the right times. Their song structures and percussion/rhythm choices don’t feel formulaic or predictable, while still flowing seamlessly from one part to the next. This is especially true on the nearly-nine-minute second track, “Can’t Touch the Ground.” Their songwriting instincts are sharp, as they have to be in order to portray sprawling expansiveness so well.
I’m surprised they’re not more well-known than they are. Throw this on during a candlelit night, when you’re a little sad or nostalgic and want to sink into something.
Same – Does It Go Any Faster?: Lightly psychedelic-affected indie rock that tends to shine in its slower, more atmospheric moments, such as “Where Did It Go? (I Want to Take it Home.)” I’ve been a fan of Same since I saw them at Howlers (RIP) sometime around 2018. Fans of Pinback, Alex G, Gaadge, and SLUGGS will find plenty to love on this enjoyable, thoughtful record.
String Machine – Hallelujah Hell Yeah
The Commonheart – For Work or Love: The Commonheart features some of Pittsburgh’s most talented musicians, and For Work or Love demonstrates a leveling up of their sound, as well as a sharper songwriting focus. It’s energetic, with vulnerable lyrics, solid harmonies, and supercharged guitar and horn lines throughout. Clinton Clegg’s voice, of course, is in a league of its own. His anguished yet incredibly controlled howls and pleas on “Josephine” rival some of the all-time soul greats. No doubt this album was a product of both hard work and love.
Danny Rectenwald – Cannon: Danny’s solo classical guitar work is truly unrivaled. I’ve admired his musicianship and talent for many years now. This works beautifully as both background and foreground music.
saltlick – this is the last one, thank you
Astrology Now – See God
Dan Styslinger – Greetings from Holiday Park
Sleeping Witch & Saturn – The Divine Madness of Spring
Non-Local Singles
Gorillaz ft. Thundercat – Cracker Island: Electric, high-energy, hard-hitting, badass—this track is the definition of a banger. (Which is more than I can say for the full album that it eventually appears on. But those thoughts are for another day.) Thundercat is a perfect match for Gorillaz at their funkiest. His higher, crooning vocals provide a perfect contrast to Damon Albarn’s lower, matter-of-fact delivery, especially in the song’s call-and-response verses. And those singular basslines add welcome variation and rhythmic texture to the undeniable, foot-stomping swagger of the song’s dominant beat. The lyrics establish the expensive, self-devouring world of Cracker Island as a setting for the album to come, “where the truth was auto-tuned.”
But, to be frank, they’re not terribly important to my enjoyment of this track. Turn it up and get dancing.
Phoebe Bridgers – Sidelines: A gorgeous emotional gut-punch of a song, delivered in soft, dreamy packaging and Phoebe’s immaculate, shimmering-yet-haunting vocals. She sings about both the numbness depression can bring (“I’m not afraid of living on a fault line/’Cause nothing ever shakes me, nothing makes me cry”), and the unfamiliarity of being pulled out of it by starting to care deeply about someone new (“Watched the world from the sidelines/Had nothing to prove/Till you came into my life/Gave me something to lose.”) Themes of maturing, changing priorities, and growing out of old habits also appear, subtly pointing to the inevitable passage of time—no matter what numbness, love, or grief we might experience. All of this is beautifully framed by the recurring keyboard riff and well-placed string sections and harmonies. It might make you cry, in the way that truly moving art does.
Florence + The Machine – King: Florence’s lyrical knack for poetic, evocative imagery and devastating self-awareness has been present since her debut. But—forged and refined by four years in a world effectively set on fire, as well as struggles with her own demons—that knack is sharper and more apparent than ever in this song. (And truthfully, on the entire Dance Fever album.)
“My Love” was a contender for this spot, and if you’re looking for something more upbeat and dance-friendly, I’d definitely recommend that. “Free” is also a standout single that beautifully articulates the experience of living with chronic anxiety. However, for a sheer statement—and demonstration—of intent, there’s no denying that “King” reigns supreme.
The quiet-to-loud and low-to-high dynamics in “King” stand out strongly and are executed perfectly. They reflect both the depths to which Florence dredges her life and soul to make art (“But you need your rotten heart/Your dazzling pain like diamond rings/You need to go to war to find material to sing”) and the soaring glory of the finished products (the reaching, powerful, extended “ohhh-oh-ooh’s” that serve as the bridge of the track.) Her intermittent growls and croaks seem to rebuke the traditional feminine expectations of always being soft, pleasing, and beautiful. This powerfully reinforces the thesis statement of the song: “I am no mother/I am no bride/I am king.”
At the end of the track, she sings, “And I was never as good/as I always thought I was/But I knew how to dress it up.”
Respectfully, Ms. Welch, I’d like to disagree—you ARE that good.
Sad Night Dynamite – Black & White: Another banger, but this time slightly restrained and with a darker, personal undertone. “Black & White” details an experience of being too fucked up on drugs—its peer-pressure motivations and life-threatening health effects, and the fear of never returning to normal. The higher, hazy, slightly muffled vocals in the chorus and their lower, pointed, direct counterparts in the verses reflect this experience, with SND’s typical finesse. The escape, elevation, and connection promised by the high ends up being all too real, frightening, and isolating: “You’re gon’ lose your wings when you wake up alone…Twenty years old, I overdosed so hard I nearly checked out/My brain was bleeding/I can’t believe this.”
It’s foreboding, but unmistakably catchy—a dark, gritty short film with a propulsive trip-hop beat. It’s lightning in a bottle.
100 gecs – Doritos & Fritos: Goddamn, this one is fun. A high-energy, cathartic, skillfully silly blend of hyperpop and rock that showcases the ethos of 100 gecs: music and its creation can be a good time, actually, and the rules don’t really matter that much.
While not an official single on Spotify, the music video came out in May 2022, ahead of the song’s appearance on 2023’s 10,000 gecs album. This has hyped me up for many workouts and nights out. I encourage you to give it a chance to do the same. 100 gecs’ sound might not be for everybody, but their talent and status as trailblazers is undeniable—and they’re only getting better with time.
PVRIS – Animal: I truly think PVRIS doesn’t get enough credit. Their electric combination of rock, pop, electronic, and trip-hop genres has consistently been on point for nearly a decade. Paired with Lynn Gunn’s sharp songwriting instincts and powerhouse vocals that are equal parts explosive and evocative, they stand apart from the crowd. “Animal” demonstrates this definitively, and will get you pumped up.
Paramore – This is Why: Kickass. Talk about a triumphant return.
Grimes – Shinigami Eyes: I hope this isn’t the last quality release we hear from Grimes (on her own, not as a collaborative effort or featured artist.) But it’s significantly better than “Player of Games,” and showcases her electronic production genius and unabashed weirdness to thrilling effect. It’s a reclamation of power, sonically and lyrically (“Rent free in your head/Missing from your bed/I know your secrets…/Are you ready to die?”) The visually stunning music video takes this reclamation to the next level.
Knowing what she’s capable of, it’s hard not to be disappointed when she falls short. (See: “I Wanna Be Software.”) Her music is better when generative AI and a soft spot for Elon are nowhere near it.
Charli XCX – Used to Know Me
Cannons – Purple Sun
Savej – KA
MAIKA - blackout
Mint Julep – If I Say Tomorrow
blackwinterwells ft. 8485 – halo3
Kendrick Lamar – The Heart Part 5
Movements – Barbed Wire Body
My Chemical Romance – The Foundations of Decay
Twin Pages – Impression (Stripped)
Arctic Monkeys – There’d Better Be a Mirrorball
Sam Smith ft. Kim Petras – Unholy: There are valid criticisms of this song, but damn if it’s not a good time.
Local Singles
Sad Girls Aquatics Club – Plastic & Pearl: Pittsburgh’s hazy indie pop queens re-emerged at the very end of 2022 with this charming track, the first single from their long-anticipated second album, 2023’s Easier. This mid-tempo character study features vocalists/songwriters Marie Mashyna and Chelsea Rumbaugh lamenting someone superficial who’s forever seeking fulfillment in material things, and focused on projecting an image of completeness and happiness that ultimately rings hollow.
Their lackadaisical, melancholic allure pairs well with the pity and disdain they have for such priorities: “Material expression/What’s it really mean?/ You try to hide/behind your pretty things/You’ve got it all/Tearing from the seam,” and “Plastic and pearl/It covers up your heart…/It’s all you’ve ever wanted.” Their signature, somewhat distant cool gets turned up with a just-animated-enough beat. This complements a twinkling key riff; vocal lines and harmonies that bloom and fall over each other like flower petals; and a slightly fuzzy guitar line that adds the right amount of heft. Take a listen if you haven’t yet.
Balloon Ride Fantasy – Wild Dream: With “Wild Dream,” local synthpop standouts Balloon Ride Fantasy lean into their slower side. Blissed out vocals alternatingly coo and command among psychedelic, honey-drip layers of synths, effects, and the occasional acoustic guitar. The lyrics revolve around the visceral intensity of being completely absorbed in a new love, evoking imagery of illness, consuming, and being consumed. For example: “Love/Ether/Losing sleep for days and weeks and months/Fever,” and “You gnaw and weaken me numbly/I feel your teeth surround me.” It’s an immersive and impressive track, with a gleaming surface and gorgeous depth.
Benji. (ft. Spillage Village) – Jorja: A summery, infectiously catchy love song. Sweet, straightforward lyrics and a gently descending repeated keyboard riff blend smoothly with a head-nodding, foot-tapping beat, and Benji.’s impressive vocal runs. Put simply, it’s undeniable.
To paraphrase the chorus, don’t be scared to love “Jorja”…from Pittsburgh out to California (and beyond), it’ll take you for a really pleasant ride.
Forestry Division – Are We Ready?
Buffalo Rose (ft. Tom Paxton) – I Give You the Morning
Moontown – Slow Song
Same – Motorcycle
Animal Scream – Cinnamon Blue
Carrie Collins – Pollyanna
The Moat Rats – Outta Sight
Caleb Kopta – Heart Attack
Kahone Concept – Amicably
Water Trash – Yellowstoned
If you’ve read this far, I really appreciate it! Thank you. It takes time for me to get these lists to a level of quality I’m happy with. Even though these releases dropped in 2022, they still hold up, and I hope you’ll consider checking some of them out.
Keep an eye on this space for my 2023 list and, with any luck, some shorter pieces here and there too! Wishing you all a happy 2024, filled with great memories and even more great music.