Peter’s Top Five Albums Of The Year
Lots to love this year.
It’s that time of year again. We’re a few weeks away from the new year. That means I’m going to start reflecting on my year in music. The first post of the bunch is the most opinionated one: my personal favorite albums of the year. This one isn’t stats based or anything. Just what I really loved this year.
If you’ve been following me on socials at all you’ll know that this will be a hard list. There was a lot released this year. Lots to love. But I did it, I managed to squeeze it down to just five.
So without further ado, here are my top five albums of the year.
Honorable Mentions
Okay, maybe not so fast. But like I said, there was a lot of music released this year. If you thought my top five albums were hard, the honorable mentions were a much tougher decision.
Ariana Grande - eternal sunshine
This album felt like it came out eons ago. But no, it was released in March of this year. I initially really loved this album, as per my reaction and review. However, as time went on, I found that I was playing it less and less.
It’s an interesting album for sure as some of my favorites probably aren’t ones you expect. And by that, it really boils down to two tracks: supernatural (feat. Troye Sivan) and bye.
The rest of the album is solid and I play it top to bottom from time to time. It’s a great overall album, however I typically skip the individual tracks when they come up on shuffle nowadays.
Zara Larsson - VENUS
Likewise, this was an album I really wanted to love. But it just drifted as time went on. Overall, I think I’m a pretty solid Zara Larsson fan. I like a lot of her music. Her live performances and stage presence is fantastic. However, this album just did not hit for me.
As it currently stands, I only have five tracks from this album still in my library. Can’t Tame Her is a fan favorite, and it’s one of my favorite tracks on the album as well. It’s a fantastic track with a lot of replayability. I also really loved You Love Who You Love and Nothing. Those were in heavy rotation this year.
But that’s just it. I think I’m a casual fan of Zara Larsson’s work and that’s okay. Actually, I’m more than okay with that. I’ll continue to support her work and check out her new stuff. But not everything will be in my taste.
Lawrence - Family Business
Family Business would’ve been number six if it was a top ten list. The album is definitely a vibe and fits in the R&B/soul genres very well. Practically speaking, I loved this album from top to bottom. I was introduced to it with the opening track Whatcha Want and I can’t say I’m disappointed.
It’s one of those albums that don’t really have any standout tracks, but it’s always a joy to listen to whenever I’m trying to find an album to play. Likewise, I’m always happy to see a track from this album appear when it comes up on my shuffle.
It’s a treat every single time. And if you haven’t given it a listen yet, I would highly suggest you do. It’s a great album, thematically.
The List
Now it’s time to get into the list. If you’ve been following me all year, this shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. But the order of the list may surprise some of you.
5. Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology
This one is arguably the most surprising given how big of a Taylor Swift fan I am. I’d take it a step further and argue TTPD almost didn’t make the list. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to love here. If I take a quick glance at the album in my library, there are a lot of hearts/favorites (20 out of 35, to be exact).
But I think TTPD has the same problem as Midnights for me. It just really feels like a singles album. And that’s probably the greatest compliment I can give it. Almost every single track on the album can stand on its own. But it’s an album I hardly play top to bottom. I’ll probably talk about this more when I start breaking down my most played songs/albums/artists coming later this month.
In terms of individual tracks, it’s a tough one. Topping the list is most definitely Florida!!!. I love Florence + The Machine, it’s no secret. It’s not a collaboration I expected, but it’s one that I welcome with open arms. From there, Down Bad, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?, The Alchemy, imgonnagetyouback, and I Look in People’s Windows are my next few favorites.
4. Various Artists - Wicked: The Soundtrack
There’s not much to say here. As I sit here and write this, the movie has been out for about two weeks. Of course, it was on Broadway and that’s where most people know it from. But this soundtrack is fantastic, even if it’s just the first part with a second part coming a year from now.
Popular holds a special place in my heart as it’s a full circle moment for Ariana Grande. Over a decade ago, she covered the song and was featured on Mika’s interpretation of the track. Defying Gravitiy is another one I absolutely love. It highlights both Cynthia Erivio and Ariana Grande’s vocal performances. The movie was excellent and the soundtrack is just an extension of its excellency. I can’t wait for part two.
The Wicked soundtrack is particularly special as the entire soundtrack was recorded live, during the production of the movie. I have no doubt they’ll be doing the same with part two, coming next year.
3. Gracie Abrams - The Secret of Us
The Secret of Us snuck up on me. I wasn’t the biggest Gracie Abrams fan before this album. Admittedly, I don’t have much of her music in my library nor have I heard much of her work outside of this. However, The Secret of Us has quietly become one of my favorite albums of the year.
The crazy thing is... none of the tracks really pop out at me. They’re all really good. I play this album quite often top to bottom. I’m almost surprised this album made my list for a few reasons. The biggest being that it was released in June of this year, but I didn’t get around to listening to it until October.
And that’s a big deal as I’ve practically only listened to the album for two months. I’m not sure there’s a higher level of praise than that.
2. Sabrina Carpenter - Short n’ Sweet
Short n’ Sweet is probably the least surprising thing on my list. The only thing that’s actually surprising is it’s not my number one. I’ve been a huge Sabrina Carpenter fan since the beginning.
My favorite tracks from the album are most certainly Good Graces, Lie To Girls and Don’t Smile. Although, Slim Pickins, Bed Chem, Juno, and Sharpest Tool are up there as well.
As usual, it’s a very well rounded album. She continues to prove that she’s a multi-genre artist. While many would be quick to classify her as a certified pop girlie, I think she has very strong dance/club, country, jazz, and R&B influence as well.
1. girl in red - I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!
Topping my list is I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY! by girl in red. This album being my number one really surprised me.
That’s mostly because I had literally never heard a single note of her work until this year. But to say I fell in love with this album is a massive understatement. It’s both an album where I hardly, if ever, skip any tracks on if I’m on shuffle, and one that I play top to album very frequently.
I don’t have any bad things to say about this album. It’s simply pop/indie perfection. Having to choose my favorite songs on this album would be impossible. What’s equally funny, I guess, is that I haven’t really divulged further. At the time of writing, this is her only work I’ve ever listened to.
I probably should change that, but I have so many more artists and albums I’d like to dive into. One day, hopefully.
You probably know the saying: "Your enemy’s enemy is your best friend." This is definitely the case here. I stumbled on the album and girl in red when she announced that the album would feature Sabrina Carpenter on one of the tracks. If not for that, I’m not sure I would’ve ever discovered this album. Thus, Short n’ Sweet probably would’ve been my number one.
Conclusion
If you’re not surprised, well guess what? I am. But I think that’s a side effect of this being my gig. I get to discover new and interesting music while also showing off my love for long term favorite artists releasing new material.
I suspect, as was the case last year, that my favorite albums of the year and what I actually ended up listening to won’t match up. Not even a little. I haven’t written that one yet, but that’s going to be my prediction.
Likewise, I wrote last year that I’ve started moving away from being a full library shuffler and that trend continues. I only really shuffle when I’m at home at my desk. Everywhere else, I’m proudly an album player now.
It’s been a great year for music. My list is just a small sample of all the great music that has been released this year. I expect we’ll get another great year for music in 2025. I’m most certainly looking forward to what’s to come.