Even with the lack of concerts and press tours, 2020 was a year of some great new music. There were so many surprise albums released, while also artists who had planned for albums. This year of music truly created something special with the lack of concerts. We wanted to recap on some of our favorites and share them with you!
Victoria’s favorites
My top 3 albums of 2020 include folklore by Taylor Swift, Kid Krow by Conan Gray, and mama’s boy by LANY. My honorable mention goes to Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus.
Folklore by Taylor Swift is by far my favorite album released in 2020, and possibly of all time. The magical storytelling heard throughout the song lyrics are immaculate. It is produced and co-written with Jack Antanoff, Joe Alwyn as a pseudonym, and Aaron Dressler. As Taylor usually writes from her own narrative, this album is a different direction where she is a storyteller of others including family members, a secret love triangle, and Rebekah Harkness.
Kid Krow by Conan Gray is another album that has stuck out to me this year. This album displays a range of emotions from the highest highs, to the lowest lows. This album has those poetic sad songs like the hit Heather, but then upbeat songs like Maniac.
mama’s boy written by LANY goes back to the band’s traditional values with portraying unconditional love and heartbreak. It is an emotional and sensitive album, although every song is not a ballad. This is my go to album to put on when I am driving.
My honorable mention is Plastic Hearts by Miley Cyrus. This album was released only a few weeks ago, but it made the cut to be one of my top this year. It truly identifies the change in Miley Cyrus’ persona from Hannah Montana to who she is now. It shows pain, guilt, suffering, frustrating, and the heat with powerful vocals.
Georgia’s favorites
My top 3 albums from this year are Fetch the Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple, Good News by Megan Thee Stallion, and Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers.
My favorite album from 2020 is without a doubt Fetch the Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple. Prior to this year, I’d never listened to Fiona Apple and didn’t really know who she was. This album was extremely well received and even received a rating of 10 from Pitchfork. The songs on this album are unique, intriguing, and empowering and they opened me up to a new side of music. I would say “Angry Woman” is an accurate description to how I feel when I listen to this album. This is my favorite album of 2020 because it got me through the first few months of quarantine and I found myself coming back to it.
My next favorite of the year is Good News by Megan Thee Stallion. I’d say that this year was pretty groundbreaking for Megan and females rappers in general. Because of sexism, seasoned rappers like Nicki Minaj are constantly bashed and hated on by the public. I’m not saying that Megan is the pioneer of female rap, but I believe that she opened up a lot of people’s minds this year. Her unapologetic and energetic attitude gives her music an attention-grabbing sound that is hard to ignore. Every single song on this record is outstanding and truly embodies the “Powerful Woman” spirit.
My final favorite album would probably be Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers. Phoebe’s melancholy and soft style of singing really shines on this album. She tells a story of how some things just fall apart through her songs and speaks to the “Sad Woman”. I love this album because it is soft and reminiscent, while still being hard-hitting.
Despite this being such a stressful and strange year, musicians delivered great albums that got their fans through some hard times. This was still a great year for music, even though artists can’t tour or hold concerts.