13. 2023 in music. one of my favourite years yet.
a round-up of my favourite albums, EPs and singles of the year, my most anticipated releases for 2024 and my favourite vinyl I’ve added to my collection.
Albums of the Year
boygenius - the record
top 3 tracks: True Blue, Not Strong Enough and $20 (special mention for Letter To An Old Poet)
vinyl in my collection: custard yellow, orange and pink ‘beige swirl’ (+ signed print)
Black Honey - A Fistful Of Peaches
top 3 tracks: OK, Heavy and Out Of My Mind
vinyl in my collection: orange/red smash (signed in person) and picture disc (signed)
Coach Party - KILLJOY
top 3 tracks: Parasite, Micro Aggression and All I Wanna Do Is Hate
vinyl in my collection: black test pressing (signed), clear (signed in person), red splatter and white (signed in person)
Paramore - This Is Why
top 3 tracks: You First, The News and This Is Why
vinyl in my collection: green
Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS
top 3 tracks: all-american bitch, bad idea right? and ballad of a homeschooled girl
vinyl in my collection: lavender and magenta (+ signed art card and signed print)
PVRIS - EVERGREEN
top 3 tracks: I DON’T WANNA DO THIS ANYMORE, ANYWHERE BUT HERE and LOVE IS A…
vinyl in my collection: emerald
The Japanese House - In The End It Always Does
top 3 tracks: Sunshine Baby, Boyhood and Touching Yourself
vinyl in my collection: blue (personally signed) and blue in clear
Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We
top 3 tracks: Bug Like An Angel, Buffalo Replaced and My Love Mine All Mine
vinyl in my collection: blue with pink sleeve
Arlo Parks - My Soft Machine
top 3 tracks: Weightless, Devotion and Pegasus (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
vinyl in my collection: blue with black splatter (signed in person) and green (signed in person)
Leith Ross - To Learn
top 3 tracks: You (On My Arm), I Just Don’t Think That You Like Me That Much Anymore and We’ll Never Have Sex
vinyl in my collection: none currently, but hoping to buy the white!
yeule - softscars
top 3 tracks: x w x, dazies and aphex twin flame
vinyl in my collection: blue/white smash (signed in person)
Baby Queen - Quarter Life Crisis
top 3 tracks: 23, We Can Be Anything and Quarter Life Crisis
vinyl in my collection: purple (personally signed) and purple with pink splatter with gel sleeve
The Aces - I’ve Loved You For So Long
top 3 tracks: Always Get This Way, I’ve Loved You For So Long and Suburban Blues
vinyl in my collection: none yet but I love the translucent olive green!
Claud - Supermodels
top 3 tracks: Every Fucking Time, Dirt and Paul Rudd
vinyl in my collection: none but the marble pressing is gorgeous!
Honourable mentions
Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
top 3 tracks: Out Of The Woods, All You Had To Do Was Stay and New Romantics
best vault track: Now That We Don’t Talk
vinyl in my collection: blue crystal skies, green aquamarine and pink rose garden
Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
top 3 tracks: The Story Of Us, Mine and Better Than Revenge
best vault track: I Can See You
vinyl in my collection: violet
Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
top 3 tracks: Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, A&W and Peppers (feat. Tommy Genesis)
vinyl in my collection: none yet as I’m only starting to appreciate this album in full!
N-Dubz - Timeless
top 3 tracks: London, February and Play Your Part
vinyl in my collection: clear (signed)
Daughter - Stereo Mind Game
top 3 tracks: Be On Your Way, Party and Swim Back
vinyl in my collection: not a strong enough album for me to purchase one, but the ones I have seen are so creative and pretty!
Paramore - Re: This Is Why
top 3 tracks: Figure 8 (Re: Bartees Strange), Thick Skull (Re: Julien Baker) and Sanity (demo)
EPs of the Year
girli - why am i like this??
favourite track: Imposter Syndrome
boygenius - the rest
favourite track: Voyager
Slaney Bay - Why Does Love Mean Loss?
favourite track: EST
daine - shapeless
favourite track: shapeless
Softcult - See You In The Dark
favourite track: Drain
SPIDER - HELL OR HIGH WATER
favourite track: AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL
Boyish - Little Demon Boy
favourite track: Kill Your Pain (feat. King Princess)
Live EPs of the Year
Clairo - Live at Electric Lady
favourite track: Bags - Recorded At Electric Lady Studios
The Japanese House - ITEIAD Sessions
favourite track: Sunshine Baby (ITEIAD Sessions)
Singles of the Year
Delilah Bon - I Wish A Bitch Would
GIRLI - Matriarchy/Nothing Hurts Like a Girl
NewDad - Let Go
Labrinth - Never Felt So Alone
Olivia Rodrigo - Can’t Catch Me Now
Bring Me the Horizon, Lil Uzi Vert and Daryl Palumbo - AmEN!
Charli XCX - Speed Drive
Dua Lipa - Houdini
G Flip - The Worst Person Alive
Dua Lipa - Dance the Night
Black Honey - Lemonade
Eliza McLamb - Mythologize Me
Bruses, Pale Waves - She’s So Cool
Gossip - Crazy Again
BITTERS - Don’t You Want Me
Favourite Vinyl Releases of the Year
Arlo Parks - My Soft Machine (Blood Records blue with black splatter)
Baby Queen - Quarter Life Crisis (Blood Records purple with pink splatter and glitter gel filled sleeve)
Black Honey - A Fistful Of Peaches (Blood Records picture disc)
Coach Party - KILLJOY (Blood Records red splatter with ‘red reveal’ sleeve)
Bring Me the Horizon - Sempiternal (10th Anniversary zoetrope)
Clairo - Diary 001 (Turntable Lab ‘lime peach’)
Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (violet)
yeule - softscars (‘ink spill’ white and blue smash)
Charli XCX - Pop 2 (5th Anniversary purple with mirror sleeve)
Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS: The Secret Tracks (Record Store Day Black Friday purple with butterfly etching)
Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (rose garden pink)
Most anticipated releases of 2024
girli - Matriarchy
NewDad - Madra
Eliza McLamb - Going Through It
Bring Me The Horizon - POST HUMAN: NeX GEn (if we ever actually get it)
Gossip - Real Power
Dua Lipa - DL3
Green Day - Saviors
With new music confirmed from Pale Waves, and rumours swirling around new material from some of my favourite artists, including Wolf Alice, Charli XCX, Lorde and Halsey, and the two remaining Taylor Swift re-recordings, 2024 is sure to live up to the insanely good plethora of music that 2023 produced.
I’m always keen to hear others’ favourite releases of the year and if there’s anything I missed which I need to get on to!
Here’s my full 2023 playlist on Spotify:
Thank you to my very small readership who joined me in 2023, every click on my writing is exciting to me and I’m grateful anyone at all wants to read what I have to say. May 2024 be an even better year in music (even if it has much to live up to!)
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love, jess scarlett 💌