Feature: The 50 Best Albums of 2023

Given how many people are likely to read this, the amount of time I spent deciding which albums made the cut this year is frankly ridiculous. I’ve listened to hundreds of albums this year, and barely feel like I’ve scratched the surface. And despite my best efforts, there’s still no metal.

My preference for meandering ambient, breathy female vocalists and nostalgia-inducing electronica still continues to dominate. If you’re into any of this, lucky you!

I’m genuinely relived to be putting my own selections out there so I can now start the far more enjoyable process of going through all the other end of year lists and finding everything I missed.

Here are my favourite albums of 2023.

TPW xx

50. Mondo Tempo – Freak Heat Waves

49. Cannons – Heartbeat Highway

48. Actress – LXXXVIII

47. Arthur Russell – Picture of Bunny Rabbit

46. Lee Gamble – Models

45. Tennis – Pollen

44. Evian Christ – Revanchist

43. Colin Stetson – When we were that what wept for the sea

42. Croatian Amor – A Part of You in Everything

41. Hinako Omori – stillness, softness…

40. Lil Yachty – Let’s Start Here

39. Lost Girls – Selvutsletter

38. Tirzah – trip9love…???

37. Shabazz Palaces – Robed In Rareness

36. Devendra Banhart – Flying Wig

35. L’Rain – I Killed Your Dog

34. Helena Deland – Goodnight Summerland

33. Noname – Sundial

32. Loraine James – Gentle Confrontation

31. Maria BC – Spike Field

30. Nina Kinert – Religious

29. Mary Lattimore – Goodbye, Hotel Arkada

28. Anthony Naples – Orbs

27. DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ – Destiny

26. Mitski – This land is inhospitable and so are we

25. Yves Tumor – Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume

24. Nadihah Iqbal – DREAMER

23. Andrea – Due In Color

22. Bianca Scout – The Heart of the Anchoress

21. Madeline Kenney – A New Reality Mind

20. Gia Margaret – Romantic Piano

19. Raw Poetic – Away Back In

18. Bayonne – Temporary Time

17. u-Ziq – 1977

16. Liv.e – Girl In The Half Pearl

15. Fever Ray – Radical Romantics

14. Cloth – Secret Measure

13. Lord of the Isles – My Noise Is Nothing

12. Nation of Language – Strange Disciple

11. Slowdive – everything is alive

10. James Holden – Imagine This Is A High Dimensional Space Of All Possibilities

09. Julie Byrne – The Greater Wings

08. ML Buch – Suntub05

07. Kelela – Raven

06. Beruit – Hadsel

05. Romance – Fade Into You

04. Rozi Plain – Prize

03. Sufjan Stevens – Javelin

02. Pale Jay – Bewilderment

01. 36 – Cold Ecstasy