Reminiscing on 2022
There’s always something different in the air at the end of a calendar year and the start of a new one that provokes increased levels of nostalgia; the need to look back on the year on every memory shared, achievements made, the growth you’ve accomplished, and room for improvement. 2022 felt like a comeback year in many ways - clearing the pandemic fog, giving people more room to breathe (in the most literal sense), and allowing the ebbs and flows of life to feel somewhat restored.
In light of this emancipation, new content continued to be pushed out into the mediascape at overwhelming rates. Every day sparked the conversation of whether or not you had binge-watched the newest Netflix reality show or listened to the 10 newest albums that were released that Friday morning.
The music industry flourished and allowed new artists to finally scratch the surface with refreshing sounds, while other artists delivered highly anticipated bodies of work. Beyonce finally released a well-overdue album, while Kendrick Lamar yet again released a politically toned album with a beautiful narrative behind it. Other artists continued to push the boundaries which we saw through The Weeknd’s Dawn FM, not to mention being graced with two bodies of work by Drake, with Honestly, Nevermind being his most unique approach to music to date.
I’ve gone through tons of top albums of 2022 lists, most of which mentioned albums I really loved, hadn’t gotten the chance to fully digest, or never heard of at all. Smino, JID, and Brent Faiyaz are among a few hip-hop albums to mention whose albums I felt were mature and complete. On the other hand, rising artists like Yaya Bey and indie band Alvvays garnered a lot of high acclaim for their albums which I hadn’t had the chance to listen to until recently because of obsessing over so many other artists.
The beautiful thing about lists like this is that they’re all subjective - they’re based on different experiences with music and one’s degree of openness to exploring new artists. Maybe you were one of the few whose Spotify Wrapped claimed you as “The Adventurer” listening to thousands of new artists and genres. On the other hand, maybe you fixate on one or two artists and listen to nothing else but them for 6 months straight.
Regardless of what result you got from Spotify’s psychoanalysis of your music taste, it’s safe to say that 2022 was a musical buffet for me - packed with an abundance of new music and the only way to experience it all is to stuff your plate with a little bit of everything.
Without further adieu, here’s my little plate of albums that I thoroughly enjoyed from 2022:
SZA - SOS
Could be a little premature to call this my favorite album of the year, given that it came out a little over a month ago, but I’m sticking to my guns and claiming this long and highly anticipated album just that. An overall different feeling from Ctrl but unique in its own lane, SOS is SZA’s fun and explorative album. Ctrl was a time in life and is unique as a body of work in a more narrative sense, with song after song blending into each other and an overarching theme throughout the album. On the other hand, SZA opens the door on SOS to different sounds/genres, a little self-indulgent at times (as expected from SZA) but still true to her sound and to herself.
Favorites: Kill Bill, Ghost in the Machine, Too Late, Open Arms (Good Days would’ve made this list but it came out 2 years ago)
FKA Twigs - CAPRISONGS
Let’s call it Twigs’ most “consumable” album for a lack of better terms. Whereas Magdalene and LP1 were sonically very experimental and ethereal, they were also very niche and takes a particular ear to appreciate certain songs. On CAPRISONGS, Twigs takes all elements from her past sounds and puts together a body of beautifully written songs and “radio-ready” production. Twigs posted an Instagram post on the day of the release and shared how this album was a documentation of the journey back to herself through a variety of collaborators and the support of her friends, especially after losing inspiration during the lockdown.
Favorites: lightbeamers, oh my love, darjeeling (feat. Jorja Smith)
Omar Apollo - Ivory
A blend of different flavors through genre-hopping without making songs seem out of place or distasteful. This album marks Omar Apollo’s debut album and feels like a complete body of work and a demonstration of his matured sense of creativity when looking back on his emergence as a bedroom-pop artist. And let’s not forget his Tiny Desk performance which heightened my appreciation for the album. I’d even go as far as putting his Tiny Desk concert into my top 10 favorite performances.
Ravyn Lenae - HYPNOS
A long-overdue debut album by Ravyn Lenae with features and production credits on a number of songs from past collaborator Steve Lacy, as well as Kaytranada and vocals from Foushee. Lenae brings her eclectic R&B vocals and melodies to the forefront while blending them to create sound lending from neo-soul to dream pop. From the early days of Soulection, mostly being featured on songs by artists like Monte Booker, Lenae has come a long way as an independent artist and has made a lane of her own as an R&B and soul artist of this day and age.
Steve Lacy - Gemini Rights
The rise of Steve Lacy in 2022 was the most entertaining trajectory of an artist by far. It all started with Bad Habit which absolutely blew up on TikTok to the point that it became intolerable at times (even though I still enjoy listening to it every now and then because let’s face it, it’s a catchy song). All of the antics aside though, Gemini Rights seems like Steve Lacy’s way of showing how comfortable he is with himself as an artist and as a human being. We hear a maturity mostly in his songwriting. Steve puts his vocals at the forefront of most songs on Gemini Rights instead of production value as he’s done in the past, singing ballads about love, heartbreak, and regret.
Favorites: Sunshine (featuring Foushee), Give You the World, Buttons, Bad Habit.
And of course, some honorable mentions:beabadoobee - Beatopia
Luna Li - Duality
Nick Hakim - Cometa
Toro y Moi - Mahal
Kehlani - blue water road
Here are some upcoming albums I’m looking forward to this new year:
Liv.e - Girl in the Half Pearl (Feb 10)
Kelela - Raven (Feb 10)
Kali Uchis - Red Moon in Venus (March 3)
Yaeji - With a Hammer (April 7)
Thomas Bangalter (of Daft Punk) - Mythologies (April 7)
Mac Ayes - Title /Date TBA