Our Favorite Music of the Year (So Far)

As we anxiously await word for any hint of a boot-stomping Cowboy Carter world tour, we’ve had Beyoncé’s latest album on repeat. Although this isn’t her first foray into country music, Cowboy Carter is the first full length album to explore her Southern roots through folk, Americana, gospel and more, reminding us that this ain’t her first rodeo.  

The popstar, tour, and album that stunned the world. If you (somehow) haven’t been drawn into the world of Swiftie lore — easter eggs, in-depth lyrical analysis, and fan-theories galore — let The Tortured Poets Department act as a guide. With pop, folk, and heart-shattering bridges aplenty, we can’t stop listening to this record.  

Their first album in four years, Saviors is a culmination of Green Day’s history — as a rock band, their cultural legacy, and musicality. Saviors is a blend of their musical strengths, harkening back to their best 90s albums with heavy, power-chord driven guitar and delving into more political themes. Put this record on if you’re looking to reminisce on the punk scene of the early aughts.

Lush, green and gorgeous, Deeper Well is Kacey Musgraves’ sixth studio album, and one of her finest. With songs about deep introspection, existential curiosity and lamentations on life in the spotlight, Deeper Well’s careful acoustic ballads and sun-soaked lyricism is the perfect companion for any summertime road trip.  

Conan Gray’s career began with soft bedroom pop and acoustic indie ballads. Now, we’re introduced to Found Heaven, his third studio album that explodes with all-encompassing guttural choruses and 80s Euro-pop inspired synth. This album reminds us how rewarding it can be to step outside our comfort zones and find our own heaven.  

Released four years after her bestselling album, Positions, Eternal Sunshine is an ode to Grande’s favorite movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, as well as everything we love about her discography: vulnerable lyricism, show-stoppingvocals and music that makes us want to get up and dance.  

The Black Keys are back with their 12^th studio album, a blend of hip-hop, rock and R&B — an amalgamation created with the help of Beck, whose production the band enlists on over half of the album’s tracks. With a groovy, colorful feel, Ohio Players is a fresh, coherent body of work from a group who knows their fan base — and their sound — quite well.  

The unstoppable dynamic duo of Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas have rounded out their multi-award-winning discography with another home run. Hit Me Hard and Soft takes listeners on a journey of love and heartbreak, the woes of fame and the thrill of burgeoning sexuality. True to its name, the album combines heavy guitar riffs and rock influences with her signature quietly devastating, trance-inducing tracks.  

Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner have joined forces on another album — except this time, it isn’t Radiohead. The side-project-turned-full-force-band, The Smile, have released their second studio album, Wall of Eyes. Jazzy, hazy and completely immersive, this is a must-listen.