We’re back for the list of 2023! Even more discoveries came from good old radio this year (my staple choices The Current, KEXP, and 6 Music.)

On the streamers Apple Music got way better at the personalised and ‘more artists like’ thing, just as Spotify got dramatically worse (playing the same songs over and over.)

Narrowing these albums down was harder than ever with some perennial faves having to miss out. And you’ll just have to trust me that the expanded list would show my listening is more diverse 😉

1 Lucia & The Best Boys - Burning Castles

I first saw this Scottish band when they were known as just Lucia, playing a set at Latitude which was memorable as an introduction to their music and because it had Danny Boyle and a film crew wandering around the audience filming Himesh Patel for a scene in the abysmal Yesterday movie. (The scene didn’t make the final cut so I missed out on my cinema debut.)

By the time of this album their music has evolved to a more goth- poppy version of the indie rock I first heard those years ago

Chock full of catchy melodies, none more so than the title track, and with more of these earworms than any other this is my album of the year 🏆

2 Blondshell - Blondshell

It’s been given the ‘expanded deluxe’ treatment during the year with some excellent extra tracks but the original 9 track album is the business. Outstanding debut.

3 Nabihah Iqbal - DREAMER

A perfect title

4 Bleach Lab - Lost In A Rush Of Emptiness

A lush sound, moody with Disintegration era Cure guitar tones, and all the songs blend together gorgeously. Along with She’s In Parties (who supported them on tour) Bleach Lab are best of new British dreampop

5 Squirrel Flower - Tomorrow’s Fire

4th album from Ella O’Connor Williams and by some distance her best, undoubtedly due to my predilection for her electric guitar work over folky acoustic songs

6 Emily Breeze - Rapture

Her best album. I read a festival bio blurb that compared her with Baxter Dury, Nick Cave, and Pulp and it’s spot on.

7 Black Honey - A Fistful of Peaches

Album 3, the bangers continue, and I’m loving them more than ever

8 boygenius - the record

The side project that became a fully fledged album and tour. Three great individual artists and one magnificent band. Not Strong Enough was my fave song of the year..

9 Coach Party - KILLJOY

Kudos for not lifting tracks from their excellent EPs in 2022 for this banging LP proper in 2023. Wonderfully noisy. 10 songs. 28 minutes. Yes!

10 Samia - Honey

Outstanding follow up to 2020’s The Baby

11 Art School Girlfriend - Soft Landing

The cloudy artwork fits the electronica. Floaty.

12 Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy

Can’t adequately describe this band’s noise. Wikipedia lists their genres as Lo-fi, indie, should, alternative hip-hop, indietronica, art pop, avant-pop, and noise pop. It’s a good attempt but doesn’t do justice to this record or their live performances

13 Sophie Ellis-Bextor - HANA

The last decade of Sophie’s songwriting collaboration with Ed Harcourt reached a new high with HANA

14 Dream Wife - Social Lubrication

Much like Black Honey, Dream Wife continue the quality on album #3. Chock full of hooks and energetic indie rock

15 Black Belt Eagle Scout - The Land, The Water, The Sky

What a sound when the guitars kick in throughout this record

16 Slowdive - everything is alive

In 2017 I said I couldn’t quite believe they came back. I still can’t. I love how they’re rightly revered by new bands and still at the top of their craft. Forever the ultimate shoegazers.

17 Jenn Champion - The Last Night of Sadness

One of the most affecting records of the year. Some heavy lyrics here as exemplified by the beautiful song Jessica.

18 Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS

It’s in all the 2023 lists so it has to be in this one

19 Margo Price - Strays, Strays II

My list has to contain Americana and Country and Margo Price nailed it in 2023. Two albums for the price of one. II is the strongest overall but the first LP contains the excellent Been To The Mountain and the Sharon van Etten track, so probably a tie to be fair.