As 2023 comes to an end, we’re excited to share our contributors’ picks for the best album of the year. From new artists bursting onto the scene to old favourites reminding us why we continue to listen, the Forge Music team have curated a list of the albums that made 2023 a memorable year for music. Join us in recapping the best albums of 2023 and celebrating another year of music discovery.
In no particular order, here are the Forge Press Music albums of 2023.
Healing Town – Iris Bilinksy, Charlie Davies
Healing Town is the emotional and raw third album from Iris Bilinsky, a young artist from Pennsylvania who released their first just two years prior.
Instrumentally, the album sounds as if it was a home recording project, similar to Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago. Both albums centre around alternatively-tuned acoustic guitars but Healing Town differs by including DIY percussion elements like an egg shaker, a tambourine, or the guitar itself being used as a drum. Strangely, the occasional kazoo reminds me of the brass elements found in some of Bon Iver’s tracks.
Bilinksy controls the album incredibly, seamlessly transitioning from the chaotic explosions of sounds at the end of the title track to the campfire-esque ‘Attack Dogs’. While the songwriting across the whole album is excellent, Bilinksy really flaunts their talent as a wordsmith on the album’s calmer tracks like ‘Attack Dogs’ or the closer ‘Little Fires Everywhere’. Using this gift, Bilinksy deals with their struggles with mental health, family relationships, and self-identity through songwriting that feels both targeted and random at the same time.
The Record – Boygenius, Tabitha Wilson
The debut studio album from indie rock supergroup boygenius has taken the world by storm this year, receiving critical acclaim and leading to commercial success for the band, consisting of Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers.
Their first release since 2018, The Record combines the artists’ individual talent and creates an instant classic with the tracks feeling fresh yet timeless. Highlights include the pensive, wistful ‘Emily I’m Sorry’, and the hauntingly sad ‘Letter To An Old Poet’. The trio write with such intense emotion that at times their music almost feels hard to listen to, with their vulnerability feeling relatable yet distant.
The glorious ‘Not Strong Enough’ pairs sustained, sharp vocals with cathartic lyricism; the track ends with the trio belting “I don’t know why I am / The way I am”. Credit must be given to Baker’s vocals in particular, with her heart-breaking, crackling crooning on ‘$20’, a highlight of the release.
As strong as they are as individual artists, The Record reaches new heights for Bridgers, Dacus, and Baker. With the release of a further EP this year, ‘the rest’, fans are hopeful that even more new music could be on the way.
But Here We Are- Foo Fighters, Tom Ford
Foo Fighters return just after a year from the loss of drummer Taylor Hawkins with their 11th record and the best album of 2023, But Here We Are.
Across ten tracks, Dave Grohl and the band pay tribute to both Hawkins and Grohl’s mother Virginia, lamenting on their tragic loss and looking to the future. This is perfectly exemplified by the album’s second track ‘Under You’ on which Grohl considers his friendship with Hawkins in personal detail through lyrics such as “pictures of us sharing songs and cigarettes”. The importance of relationships is heavily emphasised on the song as Grohl cries out “there are times that I need someone”, a lyric that embodies a sense of loss but also an acceptance that sometimes help is needed in life.
The album reaches its climax with the ten-minute-long epic ‘The Teacher’ that pays tribute to Virginia Grohl through a documentation of the sense of being lost. This is perfectly exemplified as Grohl sings “you showed me how to breathe you never showed me how to say goodbye”. The song ‘Show Me How’ demonstrates the foreward-looking message of the album, featuring a duet between Grohl and his daughter Violet.
But Here We Are is the ultimate statement of Foo Fighters, a band born of tragedy following the loss of Kurt Cobain, demonstrating their stoicism in the face of adversity and ability to build on tragedy yet look on to new horizons.
Cracker Island – Gorillaz, Sophie Johnson
Beginning with the days of Blur and now continually adapting and evolving his sound with Gorillaz, Damon Albarn has managed to maintain an incredible career; Cracker Island is the next step in the band’s musical journey and thoroughly deserves a spot in the album of the year consideration.
It is so interesting to see the development in sound from Gorrilaz’s first release, Demon Days, to their newer tracks where it feels like they have truly found themselves as a band. Considering Gorillaz have worked with so many legendary artists, including Lou Reed, Robert Smith, and Elton John, I was happy to see Stevie Nicks as a feature on the album’s second track ‘Oil’. I was equally impressed with the band’s collaborations with more contemporary — and just as talented — artists like Tame Impala, Thundercat and Bad Bunny. Each track on this album feels like a look at modern society with a particular focus on the role of technology in our lives. The notion that “we’re all in this together, ‘till the end” is a nice sentiment to end the album with and for me, it reflects the album’s balanced mix of introspective laments and upbeat tracks.
Stick Season (and we’ll all be here forever) – Noah Kahan, Charlotte Colley
“Pack up a car and put a hand on your heart, we ain’t angry at you love, you’re the greatest thing we’ve lost.” Kahan’s songs feel like a pocket of air as you’re wading through the depths of life’s lessons, you too trying to make peace with them. They don’t serve to camouflage pain but rather act as a friend that sits with you on the kerb until the early morning. Through the raw, authentic combination of the lyrics blended with folkish melodies, Kahan renders the harsh lessons of life something to dance to on Stick Season.
The album addresses the very real fears we all collectively hold within us, touching our imperfect souls that hold it together through life and creating a community of humans that love life regardless. The songs themselves are incredibly relevant to our society and collective mindset, poking at the very messy vulnerability we often conceal, while the music takes a comfort in being openly unkempt seen on songs such as ‘your needs my needs’.
Stick Season is simply a humble collective of life experiences accompanied by a guitar that truly touches the soul. This album is the perfect soundtrack to a life of ‘figuring it out’.
Gigi’s Recovery – The Murder Capital, Henry Noble
From the brutish and, at points, dismal nature of 2019’s When I Have Fears, The Murder Capital bounced back with a more alluring, contemplative record in the form of Gigi’s Recovery. Gone were the ferocious instrumentals and indignant vocals – instead, Gigi’s showed us tenderness and grace. ‘A Thousand Lives’ delivers a dreamy synth line intertwined with James McGovern’s words of boundless affection. On ‘Crying’, he fears that this love may not survive. ‘The Stars Will Leave Their Stage’ takes an abstract look at the fleeting nature of existence. This theme of existence is a cyclical one on Gigi’s, clearly expressed through its mellow opening and closing tracks. ‘Only Good Things’, perfectly twee in its instrumentals, focuses on finding solace in a complex world. That all said, the signature heaviness of the band’s sound is far from lost. ‘Return My Head’ is snappy and bullish and the crescendos of ‘Ethel’ and ‘A Thousand Lives’ are stirring and raucous in equal measure.
Each track on Gigi’s Recovery is packed with the intrigue of a post-punk band carving a fresh identity. Altogether, the record excitingly paints a portrait of the band in an elegant, romantic light.
Let’s Start Here – Lil Yachty, George Ginn
Let’s Start Here is a complete 180 for Lil Yachty; it is so refreshing to hear such a consistent album that breaks barriers within hip-hop whilst experimenting with the psychedelic rock sounds of bands like Pink Floyd. Not a single track from Let’s Start Here falls short. The standout tracks like ‘the BLACK seminole.’ and ‘drive ME crazy!’ are filled with fantastic energy that immediately grabs your attention. The instrumentals are flawless throughout and Yachty keeps up with some great vocalists on the feature list like Daniel Caesar and Diana Gordon. This album deserves a mention as one of the albums of the year for the clash of genres it represents and the bravery of Yachty to create such a wild genre-bending experience. It is a must-listen for any psychedelic rock fan as well as fans of Yachty’s previous work trying to expand their taste in genres.
Are We There Yet? – James Mariott, Will Lovatt
James Marriott’s Are We There Yet? combines the heavy textures of modern rock with softer melodies to explore social dilemmas and the emotions they produce. A common theme across the album is that of emotional detachment and abandonment, and the frustration that can arise from these feelings. Marriott manages to transpose this theme through the lyrics, tonality and dynamics of the album.
Highly contrasting sections within songs are used to allude to feelings of confusion and emotional turmoil, best shown on ‘Romanticise This’, in which contrast is used to highlight the glamorisation of dark places. There is a recurring theme of darker instincts and social isolation; on ‘Going Postal at the Party’, feelings of anger and discontent are masked by upbeat melodies yet still carry through the track’s powerful lyrics.
The explosion in popularity of ‘White Noise’ on social media led to the song being featured in the Genius Release Calendar for November 2023 and over 10,000 TikToks using the song being published less than a week after the release date.
Bauhaus Staircase – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Jack Davies
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark have again proved their mastery of engaging pop; Bauhaus Staircase is probably the ultimate culmination of OMD’s career. Written largely remotely during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys have produced what was described by the band themselves as their “most explicitly political record”, tackling issues such as the rise of right-wing populist politics and climate change.
Rumoured to be OMD’s final album, the band have certainly gone out with a bang. By drawing together influences from their own career and from others, OMD have crafted what in my opinion is the best album to be released this year. It might even be OMD’s best album ever. The poppiness of 1981’s Architecture And Morality, the electronic experimentalism of 1983’s Dazzle Ships, and the dance-pop feel of 1991’s Sugar Tax, mixed with a healthy dash of Kraftwerk come together to form possibly one of the best synth-pop records I’ve ever had the pleasure to listen to.
For such a fantastic album picking standouts was difficult. I eventually settled on the title track “Bauhaus Staircase”, the ecologically themed “Anthropocene”, the sombre “Veruschka”, the dance track “Don’t Go”, and the political “Kleptocracy” as my “must listens”, but if you’re listening to half the album just go and listen to the rest!
GUTS – Olivia Rodrigo, Keisha Myers
As someone separated in age from Rodrigo by a mere two months, she created my perfect soundtrack to being 18 when she released SOUR in 2021 and she’s managed it again with GUTS as I go into my twenties. Rodrigo manages to obtain the hearts of me and my peers, capturing in music what we are all too overwhelmed to put into words.
Her 2024 Grammy nominations, which include best pop solo performance for ‘vampire’ and best rock song for ‘ballad of a homeschooled girl’, demonstrate Rodrigo’s versatility and her ability to capture both the angst and the heartbreak of being a young woman in the 2020’s. GUTS blends pop and rock into one album, perfectly capturing Rodrigo’s whirlwind of emotions and showing how Rodrigo plans to be inexplicably herself in the music industry. My personal highlights on the album are the emotional ballad ‘lacy’, a guaranteed tear-jerker showcasing Rodrigo’s beautiful vocals and ‘all-american bitch’, a tale of jealousy that will undoubtedly get everyone dancing. GUTS is truly a no-skip album and the perfect eclectic mix of tales of girlhood and heartbreak for every young person to cry, laugh and dance to. GUTS truly excites me to see how Rodrigo will reinvent herself again for a third album.
Hackney Diamonds – Rolling Stones, Chloe Boden
The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds is their first album of original material in 18 years. A tight 48 minutes, it encapsulates the sharp, scratchy imperfection of their irreplicable sound that has made the band so precious since their formation in 1962.
For a band that has been active for over half a century, there was a risk of Hackney Diamonds sounding like a juke box of B-side rejects but it manages to allude to their previous work whilst still offering something new.
It’s star-studded from start to finish, featuring Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney and more, along with the final contributions from the late Charlie Watts. Alluding to the turbid blues of Let it Bleed, the hard rock of Tattoo You and the country western romance of Some Girls, it’s got everything an old Stones fan will remember and a newer fan will love.
Wrapping up with the self-titled song ‘Rolling Stone Blues’, Hackney Diamonds captures the Stones’ unique style of blues-rock that will forever be special to them, almost an epitome of their lives’ work. It can’t help but feel a little bit like a goodbye but if it is, they’ve certainly gone out with a bang.
Something to Give Each Other – Troye Sivan, Emily Mawson
Something To Give Each Other by Australian singer Troye Sivan is a shining spectacle of the artist at his very best. Kick-started by blazing summer dance anthem ‘Rush’, the album marks the unmissable reintroduction of a singer who has been hiding in the shelter of the underground bedroom-pop scene since his debut EP in 2014. Despite its release falling later on in the year, the album’s addictive beats keep listeners intoxicated; the dream-team combination of a serenading, electro-pop sound and a star-studded music video gave Sivan his first viral TikTok hit with ‘One of Your Girls’.
More than just a career-definer, though, this celebration of sexuality and human connection contains creative samples (notably the joyful nostalgia infused within the Bag Raiders sample on ‘Got Me Started’), melodic vocals and intricate composition, complete with psychedelic highs in tracks like ‘Silly’ and ‘Honey’ and more tender lows like ‘Still Got It’ and ‘Can’t Go Back, Baby’. The album holds a spotlight over some exciting featured artists too, with Spanish singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente adding entrancing flavour to the dreamy ‘In My Room’ and the melancholic vocals of Jessica Pratt undertoning ‘Can’t Go Back’ perfectly.
The album is a joy from start to finish and with its concise 10-track duration, fans are left in withdrawal, pining for another hit of this exhilarating pop masterpiece.
1989 (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift, Elisabeth Chan
2023 is, hands down, the year of Taylor Swift. From her sold-out worldwide Eras Tour to the release of two of her album re-recordings, it’s undeniable that Swift is at the apex of the music industry; 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is a testament to that fact.
Musically, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is a refreshment of the most iconic album in Swift’s catalogue. Her vocals have clearly improved since the release of the (stolen) original version of 1989 and we see more of Swift’s personality in the five previously-unreleased ‘from the vault’ tracks.
The release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) marked another record-breaking moment in Swift’s multifaceted career. She has replaced herself at the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 multiple times since the release of the album and has recently become the most streamed artist in the world on Spotify. Her relatable lyrics create exceptionally personal breakup stories, with the heart-wrenching instrumentals of ‘Is It Over Now?’ creating one of the most viral TikTok dance trends of 2023. We are in the age of social media and Swift’s music has been a huge part of online culture in 2023. Hence, “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” deserves a spot on any list of 2023’s most iconic albums.
Contributed by: Charlie Davies, Charlotte Colley, Chloe Boden, Elizabeth Chan, Emily Mawson, George Ginn, Henry Noble, Jack Davies, Keisha Myers, Sophie Johnson, Tabitha Wilson, Tom Ford and Will Lovatt.