Every year, I like to highlight my favorite albums of said year. Sometimes, I like to be cynical and mean and highlight my least favorite, as well! However, 2023 brought some of the most thought-provoking and enjoyable music I’ve heard in recent years, and I truly have nothing bad to say about the year in music (Taylor Swift notwithstanding)! So now I invite you all to step into my mind palace, throw in some earbuds, and jam out to the five greatest albums released in 2023!

Cracker Island – Gorillaz

The first album I found myself falling in love with this year, Cracker Island was the most pleasant of surprises among this lineup. Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz project has left me rather skeptical as of late, with a lot of their recent releases being quite hit or miss. In fact, I called their Meanwhile EP one of my least favorite albums of 2021. That being said, Cracker Island brought back some of the flair that 2017’s HUMANZ had – this being the album that got me turned onto Gorillaz in the first place. I’m a big fan of their collaborative efforts, especially when they run the gamut of musical genres, allowing them to experiment with all kinds of sound. Cracker Island does this brilliantly, from synth pop vibes with Stevie Nicks to… more synth pop vibes with Tame Impala. Okay, it’s a very synth-heavy album, but it’s so damn good! Even the Gorillaz-only songs are great, like “Skinny Ape” and “Tarantula.” The biggest standouts, though, are “Silent Running” and “Captain Chicken” (exclusive to the deluxe album, but sees the return of Del The Funky Homosapien). All in all, Cracker Island is a fun romp, and ‘twas a lovely gift for Gorillaz fans last year.

Unreal Unearth – Hozier

If you know me and my musical tastes, it’s no surprise to see Hozier make this list. In fact, Hozier is so rarely in the public eye, he’s pretty much a guaranteed list addition whenever he returns to the surface. 2023 was a huge year for Hozier, with an enormous world tour that’s about to embark on a second US leg, a radio hit collaboration and appearances with folks like Noah Kahan and boygenius, and most importantly, his third studio album release: Unreal Unearth back in August. The bluesy crooner lays it all on the line with this album, providing more depth to his love songs and more poignancy to the concept of loss than ever seemed humanly possible. A true poet with his lyricism, Hozier never fails to draw out the rawest emotion from his listeners. Unsurprisingly, the fan base ate these new songs up, from singles we’d had for a while like “Eat Your Young” and “All Things End,” to brand new heartbreakers like “First Time” and “Abstract (Psychopomp).” Unreal Unearth continues Hozier’s trend of “chill songs to cry your eyes out to,” and I believe that’s what I’ll be doing for quite some time.

Revamped – Demi Lovato

This one may seem like a cop-out, because it’s not really a new album. Demi Lovato’s Revamped sees the transformed powerhouse vocalist shed their cookie-cutter pop skin and step into something they’ve always wanted to pursue: punk rock. Not only does Revamped tackle newer hits like “Tell Me You Love Me” and “Sorry Not Sorry,” but it delves into Demi’s discography from my youth, revitalizing classics like “Don’t Forget” and “La La Land.” All of these songs have been completely reimagined as punk anthems, adding electric guitars and heavy drum beats where there was once electronic sounds and drum pads. It’s a wild experience, hearing these songs you know and love in such a different way, but the joy and energy Lovato brings to every track fills them with such a flair that it still feels fresh and new. My only hope for Revamped is that it will be seen as a “Part One.” I came away wishing there were more tracks to the album, and I’d love to see even more of Demi’s classics reimagined in this punky way, such as “Gonna Get Caught” or “U Got Nothin’ On Me” (both heavy songs already, yes, but let’s see what Demi can do!)

The Maybe Man – AJR

Surprise surprise! AJR makes my list again, two years after their last album did the same. If these guys are good at one thing, it’s consistently making good music while also keeping their audience thinking. The songs of The Maybe Man are no different, taking the band in a new direction full of terrifying adult problems and a fair amount of explicit content. This is AJR’s first album where all but one song is explicit, and, while the swears are modestly used, I think this really drives the overall tone of stepping into a more adult world and leaving youth behind. My favorite AJR album is Neotheater for its focus on finally growing up and finding oneself in an ever-changing world. The Maybe Man speaks just as loudly as Neotheater did, but in a way that says “hey, you’re an adult now and things aren’t going to be easy!” From
“Touchy Feely Fool’s” harmonious realization of lost love to the in-your-face horn section of “Inertia” – accompanied with a lovely sprinkling of real-world problems that we all someday experience – this album holds nothing back in terms of being a brutally honest exploration of adult life, set to some certified AJR bangers.

So Much (for) Stardust – Fall Out Boy

Finally, we arrive at my absolute favorite album of the year! If you’d asked me at the start of the 2023, I never would’ve expected Fall Out Boy to take such a prize. I spent most of ’23 listening to the Chicago-based rock band’s entire discography, and wondering why it took me so long to do so. I’ve said for many years that Fall Out Boy is one of the last bastions of “rock music” among today’s artists, and with their most recent album, they carry said moniker with poise and dignity. So Much (for) Stardust has something for everybody, and I don’t use that cliche lightly. If you want something soft and ethereal, I’d suggest “Heaven, Iowa.” Looking for a more extreme rock anthem? Look no further than “Hold Me Like a Grudge” or “Love From The Other Side.” I truly can’t think of any songs on this album that I’d regularly skip, save for maybe the interlude by Ethan Hawke, but even that doesn’t feel out of place! The entire tone of So Much (for) Stardust just works as a complete product, delivering one of the best albums I’ve heard in recent years, and one I will hold on a high pedestal for years to come.

Honorable Mention

2 Start A New – Nicky G

Okay, this is kind of cheating, but there’s an album I must talk about in some capacity from this year that really blew me away. 2 Start A New is the debut album of Nicky G, one of my close friends who wrote this as a form of therapy for himself. They say all music can be healing, but what Nicky did with his “12 Step Program” of an album is absolutely incredible. I knew this was something truly special as I listened to each track and how they all sound so different from each other in terms of music and message. Some are about the people he holds dear in his life, some are about his struggles with addiction and his journey to recovery, and some are about his relationship with himself and how he’s changed as a person through rehabilitation and his own music. You feel as though you’re on a journey with Nick, and you start formulating who he is as a person, even if you’ve never met him in real life. I invite you to take a listen if you’re just a fan of rap, or if you’ve been through similar struggles in your life. I promote this album simply as a friend who has been touched by the music he’s created for the world. I’m really proud of you, man, and I’m happy you’re still here.

Thank you so much for reading, and for your patience! This piece is truly my favorite annual thing I write for the site, and it pained me to wait so long this year. But I’m so happy it’s finally out, and I’m super appreciative you read it! Please share it around, and let us know in the comments what music you loved in 2023. Let’s do this again next year!