Editors’ Picks for the Best Albums of 2022

Take a look at some of the best albums of the past year, hand-picked by the Afterglow Editorial Staff.

Written by Afterglow Editorial Staff

Illustrated by Isabel Alvarez

Emerging from a tumultuous year of ups and mostly downs, artists have released groundbreaking and discography-defying albums in 2022. Reminisce on this year’s most memorable releases with our editors’ picks for the best albums of the year.

Natural Brown Prom Queen by Sudan Archives

Simply put, Natural Brown Prom Queen is Sudan Archives’ magnum opus. For her second effort, Brittney Parks doesn’t just avoid sophomore slump — she creates an R&B masterpiece that’s been lauded by the likes of Pitchfork and Consequence of Sound. The Cincinnati singer-violinist explores the depth of the Black femme experience, both in its pain and glory.

In the opener ,“Home Maker,” she revels in pandemic-era domesticity while engulfed by lo-fi piano keys and a swirling violin melody: “I just got a wall mount for my plants / And hoping that they'll thrive around the madness / Won't you step inside my lovely cottage?” Follow-up single “NBPQ (Topless)” takes the mindfuckery of her fusion production to the next level, gracefully maneuvering numerous beat switches as Parks delivers anthemic lines like “I’m not average” and “I just wanna have my titties out.”

But titles like “Selfish Soul” strip away this boastful persona, revealing the inner tumult of her mind. “I don't want no struggles, I don't want no fears / Does it make sense to you why I cut it off? / Okay, one time, if I grow it long / Am I good enough?” Parks expresses angst about her hair and self-worth in a stream-of-consciousness style. In other tracks, like “Milk Me” and “Freakalizer,” Parks tunes into her sexuality — which Black women are expected to repress — putting it on full display. The line “Lick on my titty / Tell me you love me again,” shows the tender love she demands from her partner. In closing track “#513,” the project’s themes come full circle as Parks once again reminisces about home life. “I'm goin', goin' back, back to Cincinnati,” she sings serenely over a boom-bap beat.

Natural Brown Prom Queen conquers new sonic territory for Sudan Archives’ discography, creating a colorful amalgamation of classical, alt-pop, and R&B that harmoniously complements the singer’s multi-faceted musings on Black life. And that’s what earns Brittney Parks the honor of “Natural Brown Prom Queen,” along with one of the best albums of the year. — C.S. Harper

MUNA by MUNA

Image courtesy of Saddest Factory Records

The third project in the band’s discography, MUNA’s self-titled album offers an experimental edge to their signature dreamy dark-pop sound. As the band’s first release since signing with Saddest Factory Records in 2021, themes of growth radiate from the record effortlessly.

The album opens with the bubblegum lead single, “Silk Chiffon,” featuring Phoebe Bridgers. Next is the powerhouse piece “What I Want,” where the trio combines ultrapop beats and resounding basslines to create the ultimate club anthem. Meanwhile, “Home By Now” tugs at the heartstrings with stuck-in-the-past lyrics disguised with bright synths. Lead vocalist Katie Gavin’s low vocals compliment the deceptive melodies as they sing, “I don’t know if I’d been okay with holding out hope for your stack of rain checks / If I’d been able to grin and bear it / Would we be home by now?”

Contrastingly, “No Idea” is a fearless funk-driven effort with sultry lyrics: “You have no idea / The things I think about you when you aren’t here.” But the pace slows with the poignant “Loose Garment,” where Gavin’s lush vocals blend into a string arrangement. Each verse reads like a sonnet as they acknowledge their growth following a failed relationship: “We’ve paid in pain now, we’ll keep the change / The blame is for the birds / I’ll break it up in pieces and feed it to them by the river.” While “Loose Garment” is about moving on, “Shooting Star” is about letting go. Atmospheric chords and drumbeats build with each verse until an apex of instrumentals brings the album to a close as Gavin sings about letting their lover go: “I wish I may, and I think I might regret this either way / If I let you in my heart or keep you in the dark / So I love you from afar / You, my shooting star.”

MUNA is a standout gem in the trio’s catalog, largely because of the album’s versatility. While some song’s might have you dancing and others might have you tearing up, it’s evident that each vignette was made with unadulterated candor and consideration. — Miranda Garza

Love Me Forever by Pinkshift

There is much to love about Love Me Forever, the stunning debut album from Baltimore punk trio Pinkshift. As the album’s artwork depicts, it doesn’t wear its heart on its sleeve — it’s served on a platter for all to see, passionately pulsating with every beat.

The album’s first two tracks, “i’m not crying you’re crying” and “nothing (in my head),” pack a powerful one-two punch of vibrance and vulnerability. The latter sees vocalist Ashrita Kumar plead: “Can I please be done? / I can’t stay trapped inside this box much longer,” over fast-paced percussion, while the former depicts an attempt to disguise such displays of emotion behind a hardened façade. Pinkshift indeed fits into many boxes — ‘90s hardcore and grunge influences bleed heavily into the band’s raucous sound, as do the anthemic choruses of early aughts pop punk — but it isn’t trapped in any of them. Whether performing the stripped down piano ballad “in a breath” or the metallic breakdown of the penultimate “let me drown,” Pinkshift’s excellence is always apparent.

That being said, don’t conflate the emotion of Love Me Forever with sadness. It’s a raw, unflinching record, whether members of Pinkshift perform songs about feeling powerless or when they fantasize about taking justice into their own hands. Standout track “Trust Fall” imagines an elaborate revenge fantasy, culminating with Kumar’s powerful vocals delivering a death blow to their abuser as they declare “I lost control, and I’m not sorry for you / I dug a deep hole to bury you,” while the grungy “BURN THE WITCH” criticizes bystanders by stating, “You’ve got two feet, why don’t you stand for something?”

Pinkshift’s raw lyrics and relentless performances make Love Me Forever stand out as one of the best alternative albums of 2022. It’s an album one can shed tears to, but above all else, it’s a rallying cry. — Audrey Vieira

Dance Fever by Florence + the Machine

It is no wonder that an album that opens with the lines “We argue in the kitchen about whether to have children / About the world ending and the scale of my ambition” is riddled with beautifully hard-hitting lyrics. Four years following their last record, Florence + the Machine released Dance Fever, which at its core is a reflection of how powerful music and dance can be in overcoming heavy feelings. The album’s concept was inspired by choreomania, the 17th century European phenomenon where people would compulsively dance in the street until they became hysterical and collapsed, with some even dying.

Beginning with “King,” frontwoman Florence Welch battles how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice for her art. The song changes pace in the bridge, when her screams join a feverish choir of drums, piano, acoustic guitar, violin, and harp, and she succumbs to accept that this is the life she built for herself.

The album also touches on rage, whether it be from not being able to perform live due to COVID-19 in “Girls Against God” or because of someone that made her feel destructive in “The Bomb.” In the occult-sounding “Dream Girl Evil,” Welch emphasizes her opposition to being put on a pedestal because of how much it magnifies her mistakes. The track ends with her crying out, “I am nobody's moral center,” and then chanting, “It cannot hold,” as drums and guitars parade out.

With a similar theme to “Free” and “My Love”, the album’s closer, “Morning Elvis,” is an ode to how performing saved Welch despite being something that used to pain her. She recalls how debilitating it felt when she was an alcoholic and how returning to stages now meant she kept surviving. Once the song goes quiet, all that’s left is faint cheering from her last show of the band’s High as Hope tour. Overall, the album feels like a homecoming for Welch, which in this case is to the sanctity of a live show. — Isabel Alvarez

PLAYGIRL by Lolo Zouaï

Image courtesy of Furmaan Ahmed and Vasso Vu

Lolo Zouaï brings the three archetypal goddesses of her hi-fi cyber dreamworld together on her sophomore effort, PLAYGIRL. She asks her audience to reach deep within and ask themselves if they identify most with the saucy and seductive playgirl, the introspective and guarded dreamgirl, or the wild and untameable partygirl. Zouaï ultimately proves that she’s all three, all the time; she contains multitudes no matter what — or who — she’s doing.

The playgirl’s personal tracks (“pl4yg1rl,” “Give Me a Kiss,” “Picking Berries,” and “Room”) have bouncy, percussive rhythms buoying sultry R&B melodies and man-eater lyrics. Every track that’s attributed to the dreamgirl (“VHS,” “Blur,” “Don’t Buy Me Flowers,” and “Skin & Bones”) looks within the singer, shedding light on her desire to be loved within a healthy relationship, showcasing a more earnest wording and softer tone of voice over hazy vocal riffs or heart-plucking raw instrumentals. Finally, the partygirl’s brash and confident manner is evident on “Crazy Sexy Dream Girl,” “Gummy Bear,” “Open the Door,” and “Free Trial,” where she balances spoken-word riffs and light vocals with overtly explicit lyrics and pop production. She splits her album in half with “Tamagotchi (intermission),” which evokes nostalgia through early aughts references and a purposefully blurred quality of sound.

The sirenic songstress’ most recent album brings order and organization to the inherent chaos that defines the styles and stages of lust and love. Her powerful vocals and blunt but beautiful lyricism are quickly making her an R&B and pop princess to look out for. — Arundhati Ghosh

Motomami by Rosalía

“Turn, and face the strange, ch-ch-changes,” sang David Bowie on the classic “Changes,” a song that Rosalía cites as inspiration on her latest release, Motomami. The Spanish-born singer sped her way into 2022 with her critically acclaimed third record, embracing the ever-changing life of an artist rising to fame. Over the past three years, Rosalía’s public image rapidly evolved from her roots as a flamenco singer, to a reggaeton hit-maker with the release of songs like “Con Altura'' and “A Palé.” With this album, the art-pop starlet accepted these changes and took a U-turn into different musical styles and genres.

Take the opener “SAOKO,” a braggadocious mixture of jazz, reggaeton, and bachata, accompanied by a heavy synthesizer resembling the revving of a motorcycle. Motorbikes tread throughout the record as a common motif, placing the listener on the back of Rosalía’s metaphoric Harley-Davidson with un-humble lyrics and a fierce attitude.

Thematically, Motomami goes beyond boastful confidence. “COMO UN G” and “G3 NIS” are emotional ballads that see Rosalía reflecting on her past relationships — both romantic and familial. The former reveals how she subverts classic musical tropes so well; metamorphosing a beautiful piano ballad into a music box-like, robotic keyboard croon over a creative use of vocal auto-tune. This record is more diverse than love, however, with other tracks like “CUUUUuuuuuute” and “Bulerías” showcasing the trained vocalist’s bias for the avant-garde with experimental instrumentation and an unexpectedly radical take on modern-pop. The singer returns to her flamenco roots with “Bulerías” through infectious percussion and stellar vocal runs.

Motomami molds and transforms itself: a record where each song effortlessly evolves into the next while being wildly different from the previous. It showcases the ever-transitioning life of Rosalía, while doing it flawlessly. — Adam Cherian

Faith in the Future by Louis Tomlinson

Image courtesy of Bertelsmann Music Group

Louis Tomlinson continues his streak of emotional and jam-out-worthy songwriting on his sophomore album, Faith in the Future. This comes as no surprise, as Tomlinson made a name for himself as a stellar songwriter through his contributions on One Direction’s albums.

The common theme throughout the tracklist is dealing with the pain of a relationship that was once perfect. In “Silver Tongues,” rock and roll-esque guitar chords pair with raw lyrics that show the singer’s ability to translate his pain into heartfelt words: “You said love was a pretty lie / And I choked when your smoke got in my eye / Bad logic and empty cans.” In “Headline” Tomlinson sings, “You used to read me like a headline / Oh, that’s the reason now you're not mine anymore,” alluding to his experiences with the press picking apart his romantic relationships.

The album’s sixth track, “Chicago,” builds musically and lyrically as Tomlinson craves a reconnection with his former lover. The track starts out slowly with just a strumming guitar, but the pace quickens and drums come in to accompany the singer’s pleas for a former partner to call if they get “lonely in Chicago.” The peak of the song comes during its final lines when Tomlinson repeats, “Oh, I didn't have to search 'cause I still know your number / I bet sometimes you still like to wear my jumper,” and a single beat drops just before he draws out one final “I still know your number.” Other songs, like “Lucky Again” and “The Greatest” take on more encouraging tones, reminiscing on the good days and hinting that they are not over. But album standout “Lucky Again” tells the story of bouncing back from hard times and seems to embody the album title: Have faith in the future because you “could be lucky again.” — Carolyn Parmer

Nymph by Shygirl

Blane Muise, known to the world by her stage name Shygirl, steadily rose to prominence over the last few years with singles like the bawdy “UCKERS” and the SOPHIE-produced “SLIME,” defining her artistry with an intoxicating combination of grooving beats and raunchy bars. She gained further attention with a feature on Arca’s “Watch” and stole the scene on Lady Gaga and BLACKPINK’s “Sour Candy” remix. Her entire career thus far culminates beautifully with her debut album Nymph, a testament to her versatility as a vocalist, writer, and producer.

From the hypnotic “coochie (a bedtime story),” where Muise serenades her hookup’s “coochie-coo” with a lovely little lullaby, to the strutting “Poison” that pumps with a steady, dancefloor-ready beat, the record brims with electronic artistry. She accents the album’s sonic flavors with assists from some of the most notable pop talent in the mix right now, from the aforementioned Arca to PC Music alum Danny L. Harle and producer to the stars BloodPop. Shygirl brings her signature sexuality to cuts like “Shlut,” evident in the couplet “Sex therapy, I can come if you wanna hit repeat / Nympho, yeah, boy, you know I never miss a beat.” There’s also “Nike,” exuding a sly cockiness: “He told me ‘Nike, just do it’ / Hands on my breast and my batty like he knew it / I tell him ‘Lay the pipe" and he blew it.’” Muise isn’t one-note, though. There’s a tangible sensitivity and vulnerability to “Heaven,” easily making it one of the album’s standouts. “I just wanna make it up to you / Never leave your side / Please ignore all the things I did / I'm here for more than the ride,” she pleads, in a stark contrast to the bulk of the album, where she carries herself with a horny stoicism.

Shygirl didn’t come into her debut with anything to prove; instead, her first album is an affirmation that she’s just that damn good, and an indication that she will continue to age like fine New Year’s champagne. — Felix Kalvesmaki

Honorable Mentions

Crash by Charli XCX

Sometimes, Forever by Soccer Mommy

CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

Laurel Hell by Mitski

RENAISSANCE by Beyonce