GSC’s 100 Favorite Albums of 2023

Welcome to the Grandma Sophia’s Cookies 100 Favorite Albums of the Year List! I have some thoughts on the year I’ll spill below but I find that people generally go to these lists, control F for their favorite albums, and only come to the blurb up top when they’re mad their favorite albums aren’t there, so I’ll explain the list first. We do our album rankings in a top 13! fashion where there is one album ranked first, two ranked second, and three ranked third, all the way down to 12 being ranked 12th, with a few more than 13 albums tied for 13th. I always feel like an ass trying to rank two albums from different genres I enjoyed equally, and this tiered approach more accurately reflects how we feel about the albums represented. Also, who wants to share that they got ranked like seventy fifth on a list from a blog nobody has heard of? We like these albums after all so our rankings reflect how much we like them. If that annoys you please have your lawyers reach out to ours. If your favorite album is not on this list and the artist has more than like 50,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, please give us a break. If you are reading this I am assuming you’ve already got beat over the head with write ups on Boygenius (there is a 10/10 EP in that album somewhere) and Bar Italia (all the shitty post punk has as much to do with the decline of England as Brexit and the Tories imho). There are a million albums that come out every day so anything we saw get a lot of coverage that we didn’t really care for didn’t make the list. If you are a smaller group or artist who’d genuinely like to be on the list for a record you put out last year, feel free to send it to us and I’ll give it a listen and if I like it I’ll update the list with the record, especially if you are from NJ or NY. We greatly appreciate the artists who appreciate our writing and genuinely want to do whatever we can to help and support smaller artists in our music community. We could not be less precious about this list, we see it as a fun exercise to celebrate some of the great music that came out this year and to stamp in time how we felt in the moment. With that out of the way, I am gonna do some pontificating on the State of The Music Industry, so feel free to just skip to the list from here if you want, idc. We do it ranked #1 at the top so you don’t have to scroll forever to see who won. 

It was a strange year for the music industry to say the least. The streaming system has clearly completely failed artists financially and artistically. The majority of artists see pennies from streaming and their only hope of seeing revenue is getting thrown on a popular playlist. Even then who knows if you can retain that listener, or if they even know they listened to your song. All so that 100,000 streams can get you a measly $200. Touring, which artists especially needed to be financially lucrative in a post-pandemic world, has been a shitshow economically and logistically for everyone involved. While it has technologically never been easier to make art, it feels as hard as ever to make money off it.

It has also become more than apparent that the powers that be in the major label system have no idea what they’re doing and have no idea how to create stars these days, something they’re very openly concerned about. There was much hand-wringing about hip hop being “stagnant” because the genre failed to produce a chart topping album until Uzi dropped The Pink Tape in July, partially on the back of “I Just Wanna Rock” which dropped in 2022. That conversation felt less about the art being made than the economics of the situation. It seemed to be a concern that like rock music and many a tech startup before it, hip hop was no longer in its endless continual growth period. For all the worries about the genre however, it seemed like rap was at the center of the cultural zeitgeist as much as it ever has been. The ascendance of Ice Spice and Sexxy Red was exciting in particular, genuine stars can still find themselves in the spotlight. There are still exciting regional scenes all across the country that are producing some of the most forward thinking music in the genre, it was genuinely exciting seeing the ascendance of Detroit rap and Jersey Club into popular rap’s sonic landscape. Also the idea that billy woods was big enough to be a genuine meme figure strangely feels like a good sign for the genre too, even the underground feels popping. I cannot imagine a future where kids on SoundCloud aren’t putting out the weirdest stuff their minds can conjure up, so I think ultimately rap will be fine, it is just going to continue to sound different than it once did. After all, what genre is less stagnant than rap by comparison? 
It was also a strong year for rock music, particularly hardcore, if you chose to look at it like that. Turnstile proved last year there is a market for heavy and catchy rock and bands like Militarie Gun and MS Paint took advantage. Also, I am not going to be the thousandth person writing about shoegaze, but that even being a joke shows what a genuine market there is for that kind of music, and for all the jokes the genre still produced amazing records from the likes of Hotline TNT and Parannoul. While many claimed that it was a stagnant year for emo, it saw several landmark releases from bands who permanently solidified their space in the genre’s history like Home is Where and AwakeButStillInBed. Hate and pessimism drive clicks way more than optimism, but there were still plenty of success stories across music this year, even if no label involved knew how to properly market them as such.   

The music industry also saw a further collapse of its media ecosystem as even more publications shuttered. It seems like everyone has “Blogging” on their In’s for 2024 as a way of avoiding putting “Getting paid for writing about music” on their Out’s. People love to deride Pitchfork but the music industry is so desperately missing genuine tastemakers that can make or break artists like they did in the 2000s. This year’s Blog Era podcast was particularly illuminating for how much blogs like NahRight and TwoDopeBoys did to break new rappers in the 2000s and how in response to all their hard work making stars of their artists, the labels got litigious and tried to have many of the blogs shut down. While it is ultimately no publication’s fault that the music industry doesn’t appreciate the role of the music press enough, or that Google and Facebook teamed up to drain 99.9% revenue from online advertising for themselves, or that there are just so many media consumption options these days that less people seem to be regularly reading articles about music than ever, it is just so depressing watching talented artists need to get in on the trend of the week on TikTok to try and get their album cycle going. I saw a tweet recently where someone was looking for a Keith Lee for music, but the mainstream music media can’t afford to let their tastemakers be seen as “stars” or they’d have to pay them as stars. So you either have to go independent with your work or find a way to hack it out underpaid and underappreciated at the few legacy publications left. It’s a cruel world out there, but I find myself encouraged by how many good new music blogs I see gaining traction. Hopefully GSC can gain some traction ourselves in 2024 lolol.

Things being so dire for the music press does give GSC a lovely opportunity to interview musicians who have no business talking with us though. For all the artists who trusted Grandma Sophia’s Cookies with helping tell your story this year, we are eternally grateful for the time you took to chat with us. Easily the best part of running this website is all the incredible people I have had the opportunity to meet and connect with over a shared love of music. I couldn’t be more excited to continue our work on this blog regardless of the media landscape and couldn’t be more appreciative for anyone reading, so from the bottom of my heart to anyone reading this, thank you. Yes, you! As always, the first person to send a screenshot of this part of the blurb to the GSC twitter will get a free custom piece of exclusive GSC merch as reward for actually reading all this crap. God bless and here’s to a great 2024 🥳🥳🥳

1. Infinite Victory Loop – Roper Williams (Ft. AKAI SOLO, Fatboi Sharif, YL, & Pootie)

This was the album I always had at the top of the list, partially because its title is begging for it and partially because it was the record I found myself playing in full most frequently this year, though I figured in the process of putting together the list some other record would ascend in my eyes as the undeniable #1 record of the year. What I realized is I should just go with my gut. Infinite Victory Loop is a celebration of this specific moment in this specific rap scene. The tape was recorded in a hectic twenty four hour period at Roper Williams’ legendary Jersey City studio on a day where Fatboi Sharif, Pootie, YL, and AKAI SOLO all happened to be recording. The record has the loose energy of one of those infamous studio days where half a dozen rappers are desperate to get in the booth. The tape sounds like Roper just laid down their beats and challenged whoever was in the room to hop on the mic, which to my understanding is more or less exactly how it happened. There are no choruses to be found here, just a group of friends rapping one after the other, trying to out-do whoever happened to go last. “Blow My Mind” and “From Lords” are among my absolute favorite beats I’ve heard this year and while all four rappers kill the tape AKAI SOLO’s verse on “Sunday Morning Funeral” where he drops the line “Death on my mind like a captivating rap line,” is my favorite verse of the year, the ground he covers in course of a verse is gobsmacking. I find something new to love every listen too. I found myself mesmerized by album closer “Hooptie” on my last listen. YL is hilarious as always, dropping dimes like “I’m so sick fuck a Neyo song, Y is looking for a Nia Long,” then Pootie kicks a verse that’ll make you go “Who that?” before Fatboi closes the track sounding like a zombified Project Pat. The best part is Roper letting the drum patter out at the end of the song, like he could keep going if anyone had another verse. It is a record that just me feel happy every time I put it on, and appreciative for this amazing rap scene that we have had the pleasure of covering for Grandma Sophia’s Cookies. It is without a doubt our favorite record to come out this year.

2. Hood Hottest Princess – Sexxy Red

I am kind of shocked that this record isn’t getting more attention as a potential record of the year choice. These tracks were EVERYWHERE this year, soundtracking every TikTok, every dance floor, blasting out of every car window. Sexyy even had the Jets bumping on Hard Knocks, she legit mighta been the highlight of their whole season. Especially in a year where so much ink was spilled deriding how hip hop can’t conjure stars like it used to, Sexyy appeared with a fire album, ready for the spotlight and the country wide tour. All while pregnant! And doing everything in good humor! Truly one of the most impressive runs of anyone on this list, I don’t know that anyone on earth had a better year than Sexyy Red.

2. Maps – Billy Woods & Kenny Segal

I don’t know that anyone in any medium is on a better run than billy woods has been the past few years. On Maps billy reconnects with LA producer Kenny Segal, who he last worked with on 2019’s Hiding Places. You could argue billy’s life has completely flipped in the time since. He dropped six records which helped him ascend to one of the most respected pen’s in rap, and Maps is a living travelogue for his time on the road. It is less stop and smell the roses and more writing from the blur of setting up camp, performing, and getting out of town day after day. Kenny Segal does a phenomenal job of making sure that energy feels the right amount of manic. Every track has a bar or ten that you’ll be thinking about for the rest of your life.

3. HeadSpace – H31R (maassai & JWords)

There is a quiet intensity to HeadSpace that reminded me music doesn’t have to feel loud to get your heart and your feet moving. Maasai and JWords sound in perfect lockstep as H31R, as the beats often feel like they’re responding to the verses. While the single “Backwards” has become among my most played songs of the year, I really enjoyed tracks like “Shadow Self” where maassai sings and hope we hear more of that from the group in the future. In a world where everyone sounds like they’re cribbing from someone, these songs really, truly sound like nobody else out right now.

3. Back in The Day – Swami Sound

Last year Soundcloud named Swami Sound the Father of NYC garage and with Back in the Day he more than lived up to that title. The record is a combination of UK garage with pulls from sounds Swami fell in love with growing up in the Bronx, from Spanish music to drill to early 2000s R&B. The album is without a miss, but my favorite right now has to be “Hallesches Tor” a touching tribute to Swami’s late mother that will have you shedding a tear and busting a move. Also if you get the chance, you need to see this man perform live, he is one of the most fun and dynamic live performers working right now.

3. The Whaler – Home Is Where

In 2021 Brandon MacDonald had a nervous breakdown. There is a relentlessness to modern life where every day we need to shoulder another incomprehensible evil or burden and find ways to move forward in the face of everything happening everyday. She channeled that energy into The Whaler an album whose core tracks are the furious “everyday feels like 9/11” where MacDonald contends with the hell we live in the midst of and “9/12” where she deals with going back to work the next day. It is furious and angry and maddening and catchy as all motherfucking hell. Home is where would have been monumentally important for the emo genre if all they did was define Fifth Wave for the world, but with The Whaler the group showed that through becoming true students of the genre, they ended up as one of the absolute best bands of their generation.

4. DOMINO – Diners

DOMINO is twenty five minutes of absolutely prestine power pop and feels like the most fully realized record of Diner’s career. These tracks are crisp and clean and catchy as all hell, I found the album to be extremely moving in ways that continue to surprise me. For starters every time I listen to “Someday I’ll Go Surfing” I just really want her to go surfing!! Somebody buy this girl a surfboard and get her on a wave!! Made me think about what my version of surfing was and why I am not doing it and damn wow would you look at that, is that the moving power of music that I see right there.

4. chaos takes the wheel and i am the passenger – Awakebutstillinbed

It may sound weird to say about an album named chaos takes the wheel and i am the passenger, but Shannon Taylor sounds refreshingly happier about her life on this record. On songs like “Airplane” she laments the difficulty of travel and how she can’t connect to the person she used to be as she tells her life story to a stranger, but the conclusion to the track seems less concern than relief. While becoming a moderately successful musician has made music a job in a way that is depressing, it has also brought so much joy into her life which pokes through much more so than it did on the band’s first record. There is still sadness and regret and emotional conflict being sung about in spades, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. She’s destroying the person she used to be and building back anew, brick by brick.

4. Captain Jazz – Captain Jazz

Every year there is an album that comes out of nowhere in December and just kicks my fucking ass. I didn’t know what to make of the record at first, seeing as the band is obviously cribbing their name from Cap’n Jazz and crib song titles from all over, these tracks are just too furious to not take seriously. Little did you know that a song called “Oh Sussy Life” could make you want to commit arson and flip eighteen wheelers. It is an album both making fun of the idea that the American Football house could be seen as a cathedral at all and a celebration of all us psychos who treat emo like a religion. An album so angry at the state of things where everyone has to have a simultaneously ridiculous and derivative band name to both stand out and fit in that they just went right to the source of it all for their band name. Though whether you like the joke or not, and believe me some people really don’t like the joke, is almost besides the point. This would be an undeniable release under any bandname. After all, as Shakespeare put it, that which we call a rose, by any other word would smell as sweet.

4. Girls Love Jungle – gum.mp3 & Dazegxd

If you haven’t been to Mi Sabor Cafe it really is a magical place. The bartenders are all so nice and the food is great if you get there while they’re still serving and you can always get a table with a hookah. And through the smoke gum.mp3, Dazegxd, or one of their Eldia peers will be ripping the sticks as everyone floats slightly above the dancefloor. gum.mp3 and Dazegxd’s collaborative project Girls Love Jungle features the legendary Brooklyn venue on the cover and sounds like two friends having fun trying to see which one of them can make the people there dance the hardest. The two leave it all on the table on their respective solo tracks at the end of the tape but my favorite is without a doubt “Thinking About U” which is a great song to both send to your crush and then play once you hit the dancefloor.

5. So Beautiful So Lonely & SBSL -REMIX- EP – FiFi Zhang

Shanghai born, NYC based singer and electronic producer Fifi Zhang burst onto the scene early this year with her So Beautiful So Lonely EP. The tape features four jungle inspired dance tracks each anchored by her siren like singing voice. These tracks were phenomenal in their own right, however on the SBSL -REMIX- EP Fifi’s friends distr4k, Swami Sound, Dazegxd, and gum.mp3 flipped the four tracks on their head. The “Nobody – Dazegxd Club Mix” gave the track a Jersey Club bounce that propelled it to one of my most played songs of the year.

5. Another Planet 4 & Planet X – Phiik & Lungs

Nobody on earth is rapping like Phiik or Lungs right now. Each takes a slightly different approach in their attempt to rhyme as many sylables in as short a period of time as their mouths can move. Where Lungs has a machine gun fury and a monotone that comes off as effortless, Phiik bobs and weaves his way through tracks like he just stole a package and is trying to make his escape through the crowded city streets. Lungs’ production work on Another Planet is prestine, but I feel like the two really shined Planet X as NoFace seemed to be equally interested in giving the pair beats tailor made for their rapid fire appraoch as he was throwing them insane curveballs. “HEADCRACK (RIDE UP)” has a haunt to it that makes me think NoFace got the sample from a Yakuza flick set in the year 3000, and Phiik and Lungs just make it sound like any other beat. Truly otherworldly.

5. Till You Return – Teenage Halloween

Teenage Halloween has been rocking around the Garden State for a while now. While Till You Return is their sophomore record, the group has played with a number different line ups for almost a decade. The record sounds like a group of seasoned, road tested musicians continuing to find new and interesting nooks and crannies of their sound. The album features some of the catchiest tracks in the bands discography, including “Good Time” and the real banger “Armageddon Now”. Bassist Tricia Marshall also shines as a vocalist both backing up Luk and on her own tracks like “Getting Bitter”. A great collection of tracks from a group that seems to be getting better and better.

5. Win&Lose – Chinese Football

This is my SZA because this did come out December 31, 2022 but no record moved me this year like this record. Win&Lose was the Wuhan band’s first record since 2015 and their first music of any kind since 2019’s Continue? EP. The band hoped to capture the pain of the last three years with this record and joyfully and hopefully leave it all in the past, charting forward optimistically into the future. “April Story” is among the most beauitful songs in the band’s discography, starting off quiet and small before opening up like a flower into a gargantuan bridge, opening and closing as the song demands. The real barn burner though has to be the massive 7:13 minute “Wuhan” whose soaring triumphant close left me in tears the first time I heard it.

5. Greg Mendez – Greg Mendez

“Maria” is the softest and sweetest song ever recorded where the singer recounts getting arrested at a crack den. Greg Mendez has been a stalwart of the Philly DIY scene for a decade now and he sings with the same nonchalance with which he tells his stories. These are sparse but deeply meaningful tracks, packed to the brim with detail for those who care to search it out. Like if someone took apart the whole one man singer/songwriter aesthetic and put it back together piece by piece.

6. Ganger – Veeze

Veeze went from underground Detroit favorite to everywhere with Ganger, delivering on the promise everyone saw in his “Law and Order Freestyle”. Veeze both sounds like he’s in total command of the track and like he’s barely hanging on, both floating and slurring his way through the tape. “GOMD” has not left my rotation since I first heard it and is among the best rap songs anyone put out this year. Lotta peoples album of the year and they aren’t wrong for that opinion.

6. Heaven Knows – Pinkpanthress

I was kinda sad this didn’t get more of a massive fanfare because I was really impressed with this project. Pinkpanthress was inescapable with “Boys a Liar” and that is like the fifth best track on this tape at best! The people need to be doing coordinated dances to “feel complete” too! The Cash Cobain produced “Nice to meet you” is without a doubt the best track, even if it almost sounds like Central Cee is on a whole other song.

6. We Buy Diabetic Test Strips – Armand Hammer

We Buy Diabetic Test Strips is more of a family affair than your regular Armand Hammer album. Half the tracks feature stand out performances from friends in the Backwoodz family. Junglepussy knocks you on your ass on both “Y’all Can’t Stand Right Here” and “Empire BLVD” which also features a killer verse from Curly Castro. Baltimore’s JPEGMAFIA pops in for bars on a few tracks and production on several more, helping give the sullen urban landscape that Armand Hammer occupy a glitched out touch.

6. FORREST GUMP & breeze – Vayda

Vayda’s music was a revelation for me this year, as FORREST GUMP and Breeze featured some of the most fun and bubbly rap tracks of the year. “Bingo” was featured in GSC’s best songs of the year for a reason, it sounds like Vayda was trying to beat anyone who might try and 1.5 speed her tracks to the punch.

6. Girl in the Half Pearl – Liv.e

Liv.e’s music sounds as freeflowing and effortless as the wind. Girl in the Half Pearl builds on the momentum of her first record, as her breezy voice carries tracks that thrive on R&Bs experimental edge. Give “Wild Animals” a spin and then start from the top.

6. Erotomania – Rest Ashore

For an album whose title focuses on the maddening aspects of romantic love, it is remarkable how comfortable Rest Ashore sound on Erotomania. The record saw the group in the midst of a reformation where they feel stronger coming out of the recording process than they did going in. Similarly, Erotomania charts the highs and lows of romantic pursuit, with the comfort of knowing that the relationship she is singing about worked out in the end. Erica is belting on this record harder than she has in the bands tenure, as “Nostalgia” is a particular barnburner. A new high water mark from one of the most consistently excellent bands working.

7. HELLMODE – Jeff Rosenstock

Jeff Rosenstock has had such a successful past couple of years where he is already at the point where he can put out an absolutely kick ass record and have it get taken for granted. A lot peppier than his previous few endeavors but the man has a whole lot more to be peppier about in his life. Still chocked full of unforgettable lines.

7. Decay – Fatboi Sharif & Steel Tipped Dove

The world is crumbling all around Fatbou Sharif and Steel Tipped Dove on Decay but there is still light poking through the cracks. Fatboi’s dynamic vocal work and lugubrious lyrics pair perfectly with the Backwoodz Studios veteran’s hard hitting if not proudly aberrant production work. “Designer Drugs” and “Ash Wednesday” have stayed in my rotation since the project dropped.

7. Burning Desire – MIKE

Hard to even call Mike lofi these days because this record sounds crispy clear. The King of NYC’s Underground held tightly to his crown with another phenomenal installment of his Young World festival and by dropping one of the world’s best rap albums, something he’s made a habit of doing the past few years. Burning Desire is longer and more playful than your average MIKE record, and he brought more than a handful of friends along for the ride. Highlights include “African Sex Fantasy” and the Earl Sweatshirt assisted “plz don’t cut my wings”.

7. Sundial – Noname

On Sundial Noname came for everyone. J Cole, Dranke, Jay Z, Beyonce, the NFL, hell even herself. She is most harshly coming for the way that corporate America commodifies the Black struggle, repackages it, and sells it right back. She doesn’t cast herself as a revolutionary perse and is clearly very wary of what the spotlight has brought her, but she comes off well adjusted in spite of it all. Noname raps her ass off throughout the tape and invited $ilkmoney to the party for “gospel?” on which he dropped one of my absolte favorite verses of the year. I just hope we don’t have to wait another five years for another Noname project.

7. Defiant Presents: Jiggy in Jersey – Sha Ek & Bandmanrill

Jersey Club was EVERYWHERE in 2023 and two rappers who were at the very forefront of the trend were none other than Bronx’s Sha Ek and Newark’s Bandmanrill. The songs featured here were among the first songs to make the genre popping and the two rappers play off one another well even on the non-Jersey Club enfused tracks. A tape I never got tired of no matter how often I heard it.

7. False Lankum – Lankum

There is this hilarious thing going around the Irish press right now where some blog called this record the OK Computer of Irish folk music, and they all keep going “Can you believe someone called this the OK Computer of Irish folk music! What a crazy comparison to make, to say it is such a towering acchievement! We’d never be so bold. That being said it’s the best Irish folk record in a hundred years and charts the genre in new and interesting directions, but is it OK Computer, well I am not sure there!”

7. As a Sketch Pad – As a Sketch Pad

As a Sketch Pad is a side project most notably featuring Andy from Worst Party Ever, with sevreal friends he has made in the Japanese emo scene, most notably Ko Nakagawa who runs Ungulates Records and plays in seemingly a hundred different bands. They released a well recieved EP back in 2020 but dropped this LP relatively outta nowhere, and it is a major step up for the band. The LP is filled to the brim with quick hitting bangers, one chorus one verse and we’re outta here. “Now On” and “Blood Money Transfer” are the bigger hits but for my money “Vault It” is among the best opening songs on a record this year.

8. Verticality /// Singularity & Only The Strong Remain – AKAI SOLO

AKAI SOLO reminded anyone trying to wrap up their AOTY list that plenty of great projects drop in December by dropping two excellent tapes on the same day. He continues to be a singular talent on the mic, an inimitable cadence and delivery. Rhyming only when necessary, charging forward with thought provoking bar after thought provoking bar. The two albums are different and deserve to be discected seperately, even putting them together here feels like a bit of a cop out. Highlights include the bouncy Wavy Bagel’s produced “Murphy’s Law”.

8. Southeast of Somewhere – Kerosene Heights

We interviewed Kerosene Heights after they dropped their excellent first EP, and Southeast of Somewhere more than lives up to the promises the band made with no more bad dreams. These tracks are furious and catchy as all hell. If you wished there were more bands trying to sound like Snowing and Glocca Morra, well give “Kathryn” a spin and get ready to fall in love. These songs all sound like they’d translate well live and I am happy to confirm they do.

8. Where the Water Takes Me – xoKeegan Prod. DriveBy

The water has been good to xoKeegan. The rapper and singer grew up on the beaches of Trinidad came to New York via a college swimming scholarship, the water has always been a place of security and safety. He tapped Jersey City producer on the rise DriveBy for a project about the water finally failing him, and whether he’d be able to sink or swim. This is one of the best produced tapes of the year and Keegan absolutely slides on Driveby’s production, from the bombastic “Mayday” to the languid “Ashes on the Ground”. The track that has stayed in my rotation though is the excellent Freddie Stone assisted “Come Alive”.

8. Even God Has A Sense of Humor & Debbie’s Son – Maxo

Maxo opened and closed the year with extremely solid albums. The first, Even God Has a Sense of Humor is chocked to the brim with introspective bars, like he’s leaving the book of his life open on the table for you to read. Debbie’s Son is still introspective but a little more focused on the slaps and sees Maxo being a little more experimental with his production choices. The Zelooperz assisted single “PlayDis” is among the hardest hitting tracks in Maxo’s discography. An extremely solid year from one of the most consistent rappers working.

8. moreward(FOREWARD) – Jordan Ward

Jordan Ward dedicated this record to his family, and I’d have to imagine they’re all more than proud of the tape he put out. Atmospheric and funky R&B that is heavy on the hooks. My favorite track had to be the odd “FAMJAM4000” which is in particular for all the Wards present past and future.

8. PAP on P.E.D.’s – Papo2oo4 & Subjxct5

Papo2004 and Subjxct have been locked in for several projects now and they clearly know how to bring out the best in one another. This tape is full of hard hitting and often hilarious bars filled with sports references from a Jersey loudmouth who sounds like 50 Cent’s long lost son over stellar old school feeling production work with a good modern bounce to it, what more can a rap fan ask for? Highlights include the second track “Money and Green” a track that should be used as the intro song if they made a modern Shaft TV show, and the Monday Night assisted “Kurt Rambis”.

8. ABSINTHE – Jazzz & TenTen

Maybe my favorite surprise smash album of the year. Nigerian R&B songstress Jazzz’s voice is absolutely prestine, this is one of the most gorgeously sung records of the year. Zimbabwe born, NJ based producer TenTen’s lush soundscapes give her voice the space to shine. In our interview TenTen said he hoped to give Jazzz some beats she could have some fun with and did he ever, from the pulsing album opener “Rave” to the Lungs assisted smash “Aye B See” to the closer “Cradle”.

8. Life Under the Gun – Militarie Gun

Last year everyone said we needed more bands like Turnstile and Militarie Gun said why yes we definitely do. Hardcore smashes with pop sensibility. In a better world there would be a rom com or childrens movie that used “Do It Faster” to soundtrack some kind of goofy chase scene.

9. pleasant, sadness, and… – 7th Jet Balloon

7th Jet Balloon were nicknamed Nagano’s Origami Angel because they are also a two piece emo band who knows their way around a mathy riff, and their new EP shows 7th Jet Balloon is as catchy and ferocious as their Washington DC counterparts. pleasant, sadness, and… is a five track EP where every song brings something slightly different to the table. “MGDYRKRNI” is the hit here, among the catchiest emo songs to come out this year, but the real barnburner is the gargantuan album closer “Japanese Gateball” where ANORAK!’s Tomoho Maeda provides some gutteral screaming that sets the band up for one ripper of a close. As fun and fierce an EP you’ll hear this year, it makes me extremely excited to hear their proper debut album.

9. In Stereo – No Good With Secrets

Ogbert the Nerd’s Madison James has had a myriad of side projects over the years, though none as crisp and well considered as In Stereo. This is a pristine sounding power pop record where, as Madison puts it in the band’s Spotify description, they “cut the bullshit and get to the hooks.” The record’s lead single “Paul and Shelby” is about two cats that just won’t get along. It is tight and bright and bubbly and ends up stuck in my head every time I see two cats together now. Because of this album, every pair of cats is now Paul and Shelby to me. That is the power of music right there. That isn’t even my favorite track on the record either, late album hit “Whatever You Want” has a scrappy punk edge to it that’ll leave you involuntarily clapping along by the end.

9. Dontay’s Inferno – Niontay

Every smart and well considered rap writer I know has “THANK ALLAH” as one of their five best tracks of the year and I can’t say I disagree. The Florida rapper is the first major non-MIKE rapper to break through for 10k, and he even showed he can hang with the label boss on “WHEREDEYAT???” Excited to see where he goes from here, an exciting debut from someone I expect to be around a while.

9. AMAR – BigXthaPlug

BigXthaPlug exploded onto the scene this year with AMAR. BigX to me feels like a Texas answer to Big KRIT, which particularly shines through on the country twinged banger “Texas” which deserved to be ten times bigger than it was, like how did the Rangers not use that bad boy on their World Series run? Its clear he’s a funny dude from the music and I think he just needs a good music video moment or something to blow him up to the next level.

9. Oblivion Will Own Me and Death Alone Will Love Me – Short Fictions

Pittsburg’s finest emo rock and rollers got a little less twee and mathy and a little more raw and raucous for Oblivion Will Own Me and Death Alone Will Love Me (Void Filler), but fans of the band will be hooked right from album opener “Self Betterment in a Time of Lonliness”. Single “Wasting” starts relatively restrained before the band opens up and the room starts to shake, a really fun one to drum along to in the car.

9. Alt. Account – Equipment

On Alt Account Equiptment lean into the poppier aspects of their songwriting for an album full of bops. They stay true to their emo roots but like and I mean this as a compliment of course, this is the perfect record to give to someone in your life who is an Olivia Rodrigo fan, tracks like “Hollister Henleys” are every bit as fun and bubbly as Liv with just a touch more of an edge.

9. Auto Locator – Del Paxton

After six years since they released their debut All Day, Every Day, All Night Buffalo’s Del Paxton showed they didn’t miss a step in the time since. Tracks like album opener “Freight Train Metaphor” take their time opening up, usually exploding when they finally do. Album single “Up With a Twist” is one track however that gets the fury going from the start.

9. 10,000 gecs – 100 gecs

“Dumbest Girl Alive” has the best use of the Dolby intro music ever and the words “Interior gas station McDonalds” will never leave my brain either thanks to “757”. However, all things considered, it coulda used a couple more gecs. Just like 6 or 7, 10,007 gecs I think would have been the perfect 10/10 album imo.

9. Leather Blvd. – B Cool-Aid, Pink Siifu, & Ahwlee

The underground’s response to Silk Sonic, B Cool-Aid, Pink Siifu, & Ahwlee brought their musical talents together for a jazz tinged collage of neo-soul and rap. A lotta friends come along for the ride, I’d love to see a touring version of this album where they go to Jazz Clubs and other leather couched lounges. Really fun and unique record from some of the most interesting artists working.

9. After the Magic – Parannoul

The pseudonymous Seoul based musician had a records come out this year that saw the pseudonymous Korean singer taking on new sounds. After the Magic eschews much of the shoegaze and emo tendencies from his previous records for a record that sounds more indie pop than sheogaze, seeing Parannoul with an acoustic guitar and what he can come up with on the computer. The band also released After the Night where they play many of the album’s songs live, it is similarly essential listening. “Polaris” will have you hooked from the moment this record begins.

10. Let me Update My Status – TisaKorean

Houston’s silliest rapper, maybe the silliest man working, combines the sounds of Soulja Boy and Lil B the Basedgod with Houston crunk and snap music for a record that both sounds like a throwback and like nothing else out right now. Chocked full of hits all emblazened with the .mp3 tag to give them a proper mixtape feel. “SiLlY MoAn.mp3” might be the most streamed track, but “uHhH HuH.Mp3” has not left my rotation since I first heard it.

10. Ways of Knowing – Navy Blue

On his Def Jam debut Navy Blue doesn’t flip his script, just uses the extra budget to make his soulful soundscapes sound even more lush. Album opener “The Medium” sets the tone with this choir of back up singers and live piano work. His love for his family continues to be at the center of his writing, working its way into seamingly every track. The record has more of a gospel tinge than his previous work and Navy sounds appreciative for his lot in life and the people around him who make it possible. I sure am appreciative that he keeps dropping all these bangers.

10. Hatched Caviar – OneShotOnce & Roper Williams

OneShotOnce and Roper Williams have grown a great deal since they first dropped a tape together as high schoolers in 2012. While not an installment in his racecar series, OsO keeps up that 100MPH intensity starting immediately with the opening track “Silver Mercedes”. Roper slows things down on “Evlyn” where OsO makes time to pray to St. Bartholomew as he’s dealing with all these cockatoos before letting Fatboi Sharfi lend a helping hand.

10. The Brightest Days – Origami Angel

Man do Origami Angel sound happy on this record! “Thank You New Jersey” has so much bubblegum and love for the state you’d think they were angling for a residency at an Atlantic City casino, the song sounds like the intro music for the Disney Channel version of Boardwalk Empire (compliment). Fun bright bubbly math rock tunes to celebrate this “PG County Summer” and every one after.

10. Aftërlyfe – Yeat

So funny that my favorite songs on this record are either called “Shmunk” or feature a man named Kranky Kranky. What an artist Yeat is. He can pop out relatively conventional sounding hits like “Split” and “How it go” in his spare time too. Where so many rappers from the past five years can sound dated almost immediately and have a hard time pushing forward after breaking thru, Yeat has no such failure to launch.

10. Gumbo – Young Nudy

Nudy heard everyone say that all his best songs are about food and said, bet, you’re getting a full 13 course meal for your next album. Nobody on earth has a better ear for production than Nudy, every beat knocks. You’ve heard “Peaches and Eggplants” all over TikTok but go hear what Pierre did on the Key Glock assisted “Pot Roast”.

10. Victory Music – RealYungPhil

Connecticut’s finest RealYungPhil linked with producers Gud, Sherman, & Woesum of the Yung Lean’s Sad Boys collective for the most inspired tape of his career. Phil keeps a deadpan steady moving cadence over sparse plugnb tinged r&B flips. “Talk of the Town” is so light and so straightforward but is so goddamn electrifying at the same time. This album is like the perfect chicken parm, stick to the recipe and just use the best ingredients available.

10. A New Tomorrow – Zulu

The Los Angelas hardcore group put out another record full of kick ass tracks striving for racial justice. They chose to focus less on Black suffering and more on Black love, interspersing moments of reggae and dub throughout, and sounding confident and hell when they’re tearing shit to shreds. It is a record about facing the evils of the world head on and chosing to be happy and create a better world for yourself and all people despite of those insurmountable odds.

10. Like…?– Ice Spice

Like… imagine if this was the first time someone heard about this record? Unless you are living under a rock you are well aquainted with Miss Ice Spice, we love every track here from “In Ha Mood” down.

11. Catch&Release – S!LENCE & Lungs

Tase Grip generals S!LENCE and Lungs try and out rap one another for twelve tracks straight. The tape is filled with bars you’ll need to rewind a couple times to get all the entendres. “Bay Ridge Sleeping Arangements” is a favorite and not just because I was born in Maimonides, as is the Semiratruth assisted “Jacket Full of Goose”.

11. Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd – Lana Del Ray

Did you know that Lana Del Ray put out a really good album this year? You do not need me to tell you that “A&W” is one of the songs of the year. For the girls working Waffle House double shifts and the girls who just need good IG captions.

11. homeless n*gga pop music – Jim Legxacy

Rare you can truly say a record feels like it has everything but the barrage of sound collages that rapper/producer Jim Legxcy hits you with can feel damn near close to everything. A product of a man who grew up getting music from every single corner of the internet, even Nigerian streaming website Iroking.com who gets a shoutout before Jim flips Miley Cyrus’ “Ordinary Girl” into an Afrobeats bop on “mileys riddim”. Such a cool, fun, and inventive album, you’ll find a different reference or texture to appreciate with every listen.

11. Trapper of the Year – Certified Trapper

**clapclapclapclap** congrats to Miluakee’s own Certified Trapper for being formally named Trapper of The Year. He became the centerpiece of the Miluakee rap scene this year with a relentless output of high quality tracks, from the titular “Trapper of the Year” to the BLP Kosher assisted “Kosher Certified”.

11. THE DEMO – NO MODEL

NO MODEL exploded onot the New Jersey hardcore scene with their four song EP. Six minutes of fury dedicated to the Asian American diaspora and the many hardships they have faced as a result of the American government and white evangelicals. Barnburning opener “KILL HARRY HOLT” is dedicated to one such evangelical, and “EASTERN REVENGE” ends with a furious shout of “USA USA GET OUT OF ASIA”.

11. Never Been Camping – camping

Singapore’s emo scene has gained massive traction in the past decade and camping is comprised of three veterans of the scene, with members having previously been in Terrible People, Bethari, and Charm. They have both a male and female singers in a way that reminds me of Tigers Jaw if they were trying to sound like Jimmy Eat World.

11. About The Weather – mauve

Portland’s resident fifth wave emo rockers bursted onto the scene with this excellent debut record. Their sound reminds me a lot of scene veterans Riley! full of massive sacchrine hooks. Highlights include the rolicking “20,000 Degrees”.

11. Celebration Guns / A Place for Owls(SPLIT EP) – Celebration Guns / A Place for Owls

Two phenomenal songs each from two of my favorite emo bands, what more could a person ask for? “Whatever Gets You Through The Day” is the hit from Arizona’s finest and “17/24/33” is the hit from the boys from Denver.

11. If We Fall Asleep Too Early – The Merrier

Somewhere between bedroom pop and emo with a feature on every record, If We Fall Asleep Too Early doesn’t feel like anything else on this list. I loved the Equiptment supercharged “Lightsleeper” and the Hey, Ily! assisted “Pokemmo”.

11. Medium Gnarly – Swiss Army Wife

One of the best band names and Spotify band descriptions of all time. “Sporting an average height of 6’2” Swiss Army Wife is the tallest emo band in Portland, Oregon – Perhaps the world. They are pretty good at math and have been described as “Weezer””. Absolutely hilarious. Tracks like album opener “This # is no longer in service” and “FLCL” reach such soaring heights.

11. Intent – Farseek

I don’t know why I always thought Farseek was just from Florida but they have members from Georgia, North Carolina, and damn even New England, though it is ultimately the brainchild of Cameron Harrison. They seem to perfer the EP format to the LP and once again delivered four excellent indie rock tracks with a country twang here and an emo flourish there. I can’t stop listening to “Thanks for Saving My House from Burning Down” a great song to send to someone if they ever save your house from burning down.

12. FinalBossFight! – FBF!

FinalBossFight! builds off the momentum of their excellent 2022 record If You Don’t Mind with FBF! easily the most realized record of the Flint, MI groups career so far. The group cut their teeth playing in the Lansing, MI emo DIY scene since the pandemic lifted and the record feels properly battle-tested. My favorite track has to be the heavy hitting and hilariously named “Escape from Roku City”.

12. No One Said This Would Be Easy – Dowsing

They’re fuckin back baby! The Chicago emo stalwarts dropped their first proper record since 2019’s Sky Coffin and sound refreshed on Nobody Said This Would Be Easy. I absolutely loved album opener “It Was Easy”.

12. THUNDER GIRL – CHINESE HOODIE

This Tokyo trio describes their music as “quick pop punk” which to my ears plays like surf rock played at 200 miles an hour, there is some ferocious drumming on this tape which really gives the music its propulsive edge. Such a fun EP I really cannot reccomend it highly enough, “BANDIT” might be their most played but I think “CITY LIGHTS” is the hit.

12. S – Starship

Starship is one of the many excellent emo bands coming out of Japan this year. Their sound is shouty emo with great technical proficiency, especially on the drums. I had the chance to see the group earlier this year and “Close Up” blew me away.

12. Tomorrow’s Fire – Squirrel Flower

Ella Williams sounds bigger bolder and better than ever on her excellent third record. On easily her most ambitious album yet Squirrel Flower delivered atmospheric indie rock that both seems to be shouting to the void and filling all the space.

12. Supraliminal – Nothingness

Nothingness started the year off right with a good ole fashioned death metal album with enough off kilter twists and turns to keep you guessing. This thing is collassal riff after riff after riff after riff.

12. The Aux – Blockhead

Silky smooth production work with some of the most ecclectic names in rap trying to one up each other, what more can you ask for? The only record where you can hear Navy Blue and billy woods on the same track and then hear RXKNephew and Fatboi Sharif on back to back tracks. A record that really shows off the breadth of Blockhead’s sonic range.

12. Halfway There – 03 Greedo

It is so so sooooo good to have Greedo free and making music again. How can you help but have a massive smile on your face listening to “Bacc Like I Never Left” because the song proves its thesis, the man clearly did not lose a step during his five years locked up. He has been absolutely hilarious on twitter to boot, just so happy to have Greedo free making music living his life.

12. …So Unknown – Jesus Piece

Jesus Piece kept things heavy on their excellent sophomore release. The Philly group continued to hone their metal tinged hardcore sound with a rollercoaster like bounce, giving you enough time to catch your breath before sending you for another few flips.

12. BARDO – Rabbit

Ten minutes of pure fury from one of NYC’s most exciting hardcore acts. “Dharmarama” will have you wanting to run through a miles worth of concrete.

12. FAST 5 – SURF GANG & 454

The NYC rap collective SURF GANG felt like they were everywhere in 2023, and Florida’s 454 showed he could more than keep up with the team on their joint tape. Five glitched out earworms, though “GANGSTER PARTY” was my absolute fave.

12. DAT BOY DEN – Sauce Walka

Sauce Walka is always making me laugh. One of my favorite personalities in rap dropped another solid project, bringing along many of his Sauce Factory affiliates along for the ride. Highlights include the Peezy assisted “Uh Uh”.

13. Glockoma 2 – Key Glock

While it is clear Key Glock carries pain in his heart after losing his cousin and closest artist collaborator Young Dolph in 2021, he has stayed among the most consistent and prolific rappers out in the years since, dropping at least a tape of Memphis shit talk a year. Single “No Hook” was a favorite, as was “Ratchet” off the Deluxe.

13. Microphone Fiend – Zelooperz

Zelooperz is rediculous in the best way, these beats hit so hard and sound like nothing else out right now. I love both the gong like rining he gets from the bell on “Bustin Jeiber. The best track is the 454 assisted “Eway” where the two bounce off one another in a filter that has them sounding like Alvin and Theodore.

13. Heaven is a Junkyard – Youth Lagoon

Trevor Powers continues to reinvent himself on his first album as Youth Lagoon in eight years, sounding truly refreshed on songs like “Idaho Alien”. An album written in the wake of a medical emergency where Powers lost his voice for months on end, it is brimming with appreciation for the life he leads.

13. Don’t Feed the Pigeons – YL

YL tweeted out recently that he drops an album of the year every year and the man has a point. He is featured prominently on GSC’s AOTY and killed it on his record Don’t Feed The Pigeons where the Chelsea rapper dropped his patented shit talk, braggadocia, and jokes over smooth lightly touched soul samples.

13. YUSFUL MUSIC – YKB

YKB showed why he is one of the most promising Afrobeats artists coming out of Nigeria with this excellent EP. The slippery bounce of “san siro” will have you unvoluntarily shaking your hips thirty seconds in.

13. stash muzik da ep – xaviersobased

2023 might have been the best year for rap music from the Upper West Side in history. While xaviersobased grew up blocks from The Sweepers his music comes from an entirely other sonic universe. The Novagang general had a banner 2023 not just as a rapper but also as a producer, as the collectives glitched out haze truly took the internet by storm. Their music sounded like rap’s equivalent to what is going on with bedroom pop and shoegaze right now, a chili of ingredients from every corner of the electronic universe. Throw on “u say u saw me” and feel like 20 years older in five seconds.

13. Asking for a Ride – White Reaper

Play “Fog Machine” for your Dad and ask him if he saw White Reaper while they were still touring in the 80s and he might think he saw them. The fact that this record dropped this year feels like a mistake, I didn’t know guitars will still allowed to chug like that.

13. Virtuoso – Valee & Harry Fraud

Solid tape from two stalwarts of their respective scene. While this tape really would have made the internet explode in like 2015 it was still a welcomed addition to the 2023 slate. The Action Bronson assisted “Vibrant” and the RXKNephew assisted “Not Right Now” are the stand outs.

13. The Enduring Sprit – Tomb Mold

The Canadian extreme metal quartet came back with easily their most accomplished record to date with The Enduring Spirit. Things start brutal enough with the first two songs before the band makes room for some really free wheeling experimentation. Great record from one of the best groups doing it.

13. Dead Meat – The Tubs

Ex Joanna Gruesome members come together for a record fully of jangly pop rock hits. Really fun hearing a Welsh accent over these tracks, I know they are Scottish but it reminded me of if The Proclaimers were from Wales and tryna make Gin Blossoms songs.

13. Gigi’s Recovery – The Murder Capital

The Murder Capital had a great deal of buzz after their 2019 album When I Have Fears helped put the Dublin punk scene on the map, their new record Gigi’s Recovery is a soaring acchievment, showing massive growth in songwriting and songcraft. “Retun My Head” what a fucking track man, just stops you in your tracks. A record to lift a pint to in spite of how cursed the earth is.

13. Jonny – The Drums

On Jonny The Drums lead singer explores his “cult like” religious upbringing and the impact it had on his life. He returned to his childhood home for inspiration and said he saw the world reflected back at him, which you can hear on the record. The record starts strong with single “I Want It All” and never lets up.

13. Greater Than or Equal to the Bonk – The Bonk

With so many boring British bands releasing the same tired talky post punk, The Bonk are doing something geuninely different. Philip Christine does some talking on Greater or Equal to The Bonk over jazzy improvisational garage rock. So loose so fun and sooooo different, I don’t know why it reminds me of like the kind of music from television shows twenty years ago but it really just puts me in a strange place this record. And just one of the best named records of the year to boot.

13. tx3k – Texas 3000

Texas3000 is a freewheeling and often glitched out emo band from Nakano City, Japan inspired by Glocca Morra and Spirit and the Beehive. The leadoff track lives up to its incredible title “Connector Fuck Man” and the fun never lets up from there. Japan has without a doubt had the best emo scene in the world this year, and this record stood at among the country’s best.

13. Infinite Spring – Superviolet

Five years after he hung things up for good as The Sidekicks, Steve Ciolek is back cooking up something new with Superviolet. He opts for a quieter singer songwriter style on the record that suits him well, its nice to hear him rip with a few of his old friends on some peppier sounding tracks. “Big Songbirds Don’t Cry” is the most peaceful song I can imagine describing as a ripper.

13. Javelin – Sufjan Stevens

Crazy to think Sufjan Stevens is living in NYC right now. Like I could leave my desk and go get a coffee and stumble into the dude who wrote “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” If I did I think I’d tell him Everybody loves you Sufjan Stevens! Everybody who knows your music loves it. Anyway another great record from a fella who only makes good ones it seems.

13. Fathoms – Stephen Shannon

While he has released music under a number of names, from his band Halfset to his work with Cillian McDonnell in Mount Alaska to his solo work as Strands. He also has made a career composing film and television scores, and on Fathoms Stephen Shannon steps into his own name and combines his love of rich orchestration with electronic music for an atmospheric mirage of an album. Very easy to get lost in this one and appreciate the smaller moments.

13. I’m So Lucky EP – Spirit of the Beehive

Everyone had the same reaction to the news that Spirit of the Beehive had a new EP out: Holy shit wait didn’t they break up I thought they broke up??? The group was not sure if they’d continue after members Rivka Ravede and Zack Schwartz were no longer a romantic couple, but the group decided they still made sense as a musical family. After taking an ever brief reset the Philadelphia group sounds refreshed on the i’m so lucky EP, as these are among the happiest sounding songs in the band’s discography.

13. ABYSS – Socha

Socha says that she makes soft songs about hard feelings and on “ABYSS” she quite literally confronts the pit in her stomach, goes “Hi how ya doin, are you ever going to leave or are you going to be here forever?” Her lyrics can be funny as hell and these tracks are catchy as hell.

13. Yard – Slow Pulp

Shoegaze flavored indie rock with a slight country twang coming out of Chicago with massive soaring hooks, and a silly silly cover, Slow Pulp are maybe the most 2023 band of 2023. The record is called Yard and all the best songs are things you can find in the yard, like “Slugs”, “Mud”, and “Cramps”.

13. Excelsior – Slauson Malone 1

While many tracks remain dedicated to the noisy electronic soundscapes he put together on previous records, Slauson Malone 1 is most impressive on Excelsior when he gets playful with his genre experimentations, most notably the playful psych rock of tracks like “New Joy”.

13. Laughing, Crying, Waving, Smiling – Slaughter Beach, Dog

Jake Ewald channels the blues and folk rock on his band’s rollicking new album. “Surfin, New Jersey” is a bop but “My Sister and Jesus Christ” is among my favorite songs of the year.

13. 2 MM DON’T JUST STAND THERE – Sideshow

The glitched out samples that Alexander Spit and Popstar Benny warped make for a perfect vessel for Sideshow’s emotion soaked bars, both hitting joyous highs and stultifying lows. A major step up from his already excellent 2020 tape Farley.

13. Salimata Presents – OUCH! – Salimata

Great storytelling over light and bright production from this Brooklyn rising star. Highlights include the Ohbliv produced “20 Frévrier”.

13. playing w/ fire – redviel

While only 19 the Maryland artist made a name for himself with his breakout 2021 album learn 2 swim where he meditated on his raucous and confusing teenage years. In comparison redviel sounds self-assured on his new EP playing w/ fire, earned confidence after a few years testing things out on the road. I loved the JPEGMAFIA assisted “black enuff” and the Mekdelawit assisted “f2g”.

13. The Window – Ratboys

Ratboys may be the coolest thing to come out of the University of Notre Dame since Knute Rockney. This is the richest and most lush sounding record the group has put out yet, a more grandiouse take on their modestly midwestern twinged indie rock. The real asskicker is the eight and a half minute “Black Earth, WI” which features one of the most kickass guitar solos of the year.

13. Remember Me EP – Rachel Rose

Rachel Rose will have you stunned with her unforgettable voice on the Remember Me EP. So deep, so rich, so much soul in her voice, especially on the barnburner opener “Remember Me” though the reflective “Back to the Beginning” is my favorite track of the bunch.

13. University! – Popstar Benny

Popstar Benny is accepting enrollment ot his University for the upcoming spring semester! This tape is filled to the brim with his borderline chiptune sounding sample flips over absolutely blown out bass lines and jittering, bodering on Jersey Club drums. “All the Girls <3” featuring the always hilarious Tony Shhnow is a definite highlight.

13. Mercury – Poltergeist.

Three lifelong friends from New Jersey came together to form a fast and furious rock and roll group and ended up sounding like the second coming of Thursday (Friday I guess? bad joke there my b). Three massive tracks with mantra like choruses that’ll become one with your subconsious as your fists become one with the wall.

13. GENESIS – Peso Pluma

What a year for Peso Pluma. Even with all the cartel stuff you gotta imagine his parents and grandparents and whatnot are so proud he’s brining that traditional Mexican sound to the international spotlight. And most importantly these shits slap! Hope this is only the beginning for this dude.

13. Osama Season – OsamaSon

Nepotism hits all entertainment sectors, but OsamaSon showed with his first tape that he can drop bombs every bit as good as his old man. Rage rap that doesn’t let the atmosphere and vibes carry things, a real attention to choruses and song structure here. Osamason sounds effortless on tracks like “Lil O” even if it sounds like the beat is working overtime. The bright and bubbly “Werkin” is easily my favorite track here.

13. Erotic Probiotic 2 – Nourished By Time

A synth pop throw back to the 80s with easily the best album name of the year. Sounds like if the Eddie Murphy songs were modern and cool and done by a guy from Baltimore living in London and not Eddie Murphy.

13. Flood City Tracks – Nondi_

It makes sense that Nondi_ named this tape Flood City Tracks because they sound like the kind of footwork that the trendiest underwater night clubs in Atlantis would be bubbling up. “Sentimental Juke” is my favorite track but this one is best experienced in full, letting it all wash over you.

13. DREAMER – Nabihah Iqbal

Five years since her last record, Nabihah Iqbal came back with her rawest and most self reflective work to date. A record packed full of tracks that work both curled up in bed or on the dancefloor.

13. Post-American – MSPAINT

Hardcore record that is really more of a synth punk record that funnily enough has some absolutely amazing features. Loved the Militarie Gun assisted “Delete It” and “Decapitated Reality” where Soul Glo’s Pierce Jordan pinch hits.

13. 23 – Mkyfm

2023 has been a great year for producer tapes and 23 was among my absolute favorite. The Washington DC producer brought some of his 10k friends along for a tape that does a great job of showing off Mkyfm’s sonic range. “Home Court Advantage” with Niontay is a smash, but “Like Mike” with MIKE himself is the real hit.

13. ROACH – Miya Folick

Really tight and catchy pop hits from top to bottom, stands toe to toe with her excellent debut Premonitions. “Bad Thing” really felt poised for a massive crossover in a way that I am surprised it didn’t have more of.

13. The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We – Mitski

Are we taking Mitski for granted? It was strange how this record almost seemed like above the discorse. Everyone I know who likes this kinda music loved this record and sang its praises when it came up but idk it didn’t feel like it was coming up as much as it should have been coming up in conversations? I see why she doesn’t wanna do interviews and whatnot, gotta be stressful being her. “My Love Mine All Mine” is among the most beatiful songs in Mitski’s discography and deserved some of that love that “A&W” has been getting.

13. Faith Is A Rock – MIKE, Wiki, & The Alchemist

While MIKE and Wiki have charted very different career paths, the two have been among the most prolific and consistent rappers in the NYC underground for the past decade. On Faith is a Rock they sound like they’ve been rapping together for the entire time, bouncing off one another like a veteran rap duo, as The Alchemist’s buttery smooth soul samples are the perfect conduit for their bars.

13. The Patience – Mick Jenkins

Mick Jenkins surprised me with one of the absolute best records in his discography with The Patience. It is a record about exactly that, just doing good work and staying consistent; not worrying about when your time in the spotlight will be just appreciating every moment you have on this earth. Highlights include the Freddie Gibbs assisted “”Show & Tell” and the JID assisted “Smoke Dance Break”.

13. Pain Infiltration – Malegoat

So glad I got to catch this legendary Japanese emo group live to hear them play these songs before they called it quits this year. The band is ending things like John Elway with among the absolute best work of their career. “Resistance Activity of the Brain” will have you desperate for a good mosh pit.

13. Constant Springtime – Magazine Beach

DC’s Magazine Beach exploded onto the DIY rock scene with a rollicking debut where they, as they put it, distill the sounds of emo, hardcore, folk, and power pop. “Totally Cool” is among the catchiest songs about pretending to be okay with getting treated like crap.

13. SISTERHOOD – lostrushi

Lostrushi came up in the sigilkore scene but was able to clean up his sound enough for an excellent plugnb enfused rap record in SISTERHOOD. These tracks move a mile a minute, filled with glitched out sounds and samples from anime and video games. Like David Shawty for people who like to say they have good taste.

13. Highly Favored / I’ve Really Never Been Better – Lord Jah Monte Ogbon

Charlottte underground rap stalwart Lord Jah Monte Ogbon had a phenomenal 2023 with two excellent tapes, Highly Favored and I’ve Really Never Been Better. Jah Monte kicks the speed up a little faster than he usually does on these tapes, though they’re still filled with his hilarious breed of shit talk and braggadocia over gorgeous soul samples. “Angela Basset” is a song every bit as beautiful as the titular actress.

13. All of This Is Chance – Lisa O’Neill

Slow and steady, full of rich detail sung with her tender voice, All of This is Chance is Irish folk singer Lisa O’Neil’s most realized work to date. “Old Note” continues to sit with me.

13. PHANTOM OF THE AFTERS – Kojaque

Kojaque sounds homesick as hell on PHANTOM OF THE AFTERS. Like many Irish people before him he left his home of Dublin hoping for better prospects as an artist in London, but the streets of Dublin line this record. Highlights include the Biig Piig assisted “WOOF” and the knocking “JOHNNY MCENROE” where Kojaque hops over to NYC for a few Guiness with Wiki.

13. Marquis – KEY!

Key! has lived a million lives since he first came to the spotlight a decade ago as a kingpin of the New Atlanta scene with hits like “Look at Wrist” and “Bitch U Guessed It”. He’s reinvented himself in recent years by pairing up with one producer for a whole tape, usually filled with shit talk and lovelorn blues in equal measure. He paired with Atlanta producer DJ Marc B for a tour through the years of his career with tracks inspired by sounds of years past. Highlights include the bumping Red Smash assisted “Crank Dat”.

13. Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? – Kara Jackson

Gorgeously arranged tracks with rich detailed storytelling, this does not feel like a debut record. Chicago singer/songwriter exploded onto the scene with Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? She’ll have you crying on “no fun/party” and then cracking up on “dickhead blues” a song later.

13. Raven – Kalela

A record equal parts ambeint and dancy all held together by Kelela’s ethereal, siren like voice. Wild this is only her second record because Kelela feels like a certified force to be reckoned with.

13. Volcano – Jungle

This record felt like it was everywhere this year, from like your normie friends to real music people. Sounds like The Avalanches without the samples which I mean as a compliment of course.

13. Scaring The Hoes – JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown

This got a funny reaction from people, many of who were quick to let ppl know they were definitely too cool for it, but idk I think it’d be really funny if these guys did like a Run the Jewels run committed to that as their group name. Definitely feels like a specific moment in time, been a fantastic year for Danny Brown and JPEG is one of the most interesting producers working.

13. ROCK’N’RAVE – Jordan Adetunji

High energy rap music that channels the energy of hyperpop and Jersey club, the Belfast artist shines on his debut record. “YOU & I” will make your heart beat just a little bit faster.

13. I WANT YOU TO BELIEVE – John Cozz

John Cozz is a man of boundless ambition. This year, in between running his coffee company he found the time to record an EP and short film that connect four legends about the Garden State’s local folklore, the Jersey Devil. The EP builds off the momentum Cozz had from his excellent 2022 album Sunday Sauced, with four rollicking tracks. Highlights include the power pop ripper “Take Me Home Tonight” and the industrial “friend of the jersey devil”.

13. Hell of a Life & Autumn in Yonkers – Jay Cinema

It was a hell of a year for Yonker’s raised and Harlem based rapper Jay Cinema, who dropped two excellent projects in 2023. “What Can I Say” is among my favorite tracks of the year, with Jedos’ beachy bounce. Jay told GSC in an interview that the track has that name because that was how he reacted to the beat, how could he find something to say to do this beat justice, luckily him and Antoine Sand droped more than justifiable bars. Densely packed bars over buttery smooth production.

13. Census Designated – Jane Remover

I am so proud to be from New Jersey, and I don’t know that Jane Remover could be from anywhere else. After defining the microgenre digicore she has moved on to a sound that is equal parts dream pop and shoegaze. Highlights include the soaring “Backseat Girl”.

13. Alexandria – Izaya Tiji

High quality atmospheric hip hop that knows when to turn the abrasiveness up. “I EAT HUMANS” does exactly that, but I enjoyed the more lowkey cuts like “Fritos” where Izaya sounds relatively relaxed.

13. Cartwheel – Hotline TNT

Hotline TNT lead the charge on the year’s shoegaze revolution. Really funky and full of killer hooks, if you somehow are this deep in this list and have not heard this record before give “I Thought You’d Change” and get ready to fall in love.

13. going…going…GONE! – hemlocke spings

This 80s inspired pop record, and by 80s inspired I mean that you could legit sneak “girlfriend” into half of John Hughes movies and not only would it make sense but it’d improve the scene. Really exciting debut, wonder where she’ll go from here. Maybe the 90s? Time will tell!

13. Time Well Spent – Halogens

A record that literally made me go visit my Grandma, Halogens celebrated the good times while we still can on Time Well Spent. “Never Laugh Again” is a much peppier track than the title would suggest and has stayed in my rotation since I heard it in October.

13. Chaos for the Fly – Grian Chatten

The first solo album from Fontains DC front man Grain Chatten is decidedly quieter and more restrained than his band’s post punk output, at times feeling almost like a modern take on an Irish folk album. Shows a range I didn’t realize the singer had.

13. Head of the Love Club – Gretel Hänlyn

Excellent gothic tinged indie pop from London songstress Gretel Hänlyn. “Drive” is begging for a major auto manufacturer to flip it into a billion dollar commercial campaign.

13. On Ice! – Goalie Fight

Goalie Fight have the unique honor of having been the only band (I know of, from my brief research) to tour the entire NHL Metropolitian Devision this year. Lead singer Mark Dempsey told GSC in an interview that he used his Roy Orbison EP as a recruiting tool to try and find other likeminded New Jersians who wanted to rock and add their flavor to the emo stew he was making, and On Ice is a freewheeling record as a result. Dan Taggart for example was an advocate for massive vocal harmonies all over the record, which help tracks like “Kids Table” sound absoltely gargantuan. The kind of record that’d make the Jersey Devil himself proud.

13. Only Constant – GEL

Say it with me gang: all the best music comes from New Jersey! Gel was originally a sideproject for powerviolence band Sick Shit but has surpassed its old group in recent years with some of the heaviest hitting records coming out of the Jersey hardcore scene. Not a single second to be skipped on this record, it is fast paced hit after hit as Sami Kaiser sings like a siren calling you into the mosh pit.

13. When No Birds Sang – Full of Hell / Nothing

So cool whenever Full of Hell takes the time away from their grindcore records to collab with another band on a record, what a cool concept. More bands should try their hand at collabs, I always find stuff like this fascinating. They help Nothing sound even heavier and dirtier with their shoegaze on this record. What a fun one.

13. The Holey Bible – Florry

A DIY take on the twangiest country rock you can imagine, what a fun record The Holey Bible is. Philadelphia singer-songwriter Francie Medosch left it all on the page with some of the best written rock music to come out this year. “Take My Heart” is as beautiful as it gets for a country girl like me.

13. Planet Unfaithful – Fatboi Sharif & Roper Williams

One of the most consistent rapper and producer duos working started the year right with this phenomenal six track EP. “Scrabble Board Pieces” sounds like the big band playing as the Titanic sinks. Fatboi sounds like he is welcoming them to the underworld, playing an undead Virgil to ELUCID’s Dante. “Cinnamon” meanwhile sounds like a radio broadcast from a distant planet that Roper was lucky enough to capture to tape.

13. Fuzzy – Evangeline

Great fuzzy Boygenius-core bedroom pop record, “Mystic” is really fun and sounds like if you whispered a chart topping singer songwriter hit. And look at that cover! Awww what a good lil piggie he’ll be flying soon enough.

13. Heat Death 4 – Ethereal

The aptly named Atlanta producer dropped his long awaited fourth installment to his Heat Death series, as 4 was teased as early as 2020. This is another phenomenal ambient R&B record. “Girls_tequila (Kiss in the club)” is my favorite track but its best to go for a run or something and just let this record wash over you.

13. Duwap So Based – Duwap Kaine

Jerk flavored rage rap by one of the most exciting newcomers to pop up in 2023. I especially loved the ode to Steven Malkmus “Pavement” and “NYC” which he dedicated to his favorite ASICS model.

13. Living Proof – DRAIN

LIVING PROOF is as fun and light as a hardcore album can be, taking time for detours with a rap verse from Shakewell here and a pop punk breakdown there. Drain is led by former Gulch drummer Sammy Ciaramitaro, and the band seems to be built for the longhaul in a way that Gulch unfortunately was not.

13. Squall – Downhaul

The Virginia rock and rollers followed up their excellent 2021 record Proof with four beautifully written tracks that stand with Proof‘s best. They continue to sharpen in on their unique blend of indie rock with a country twang and emo’s bleeding heart with every release, and show that the EP format won’t restrain their sound at all. Opener “Fracture” is among the most ambitious and dynamic tracks in the band’s discography, and closes with maybe my favorite guitar solo of the year.

13. Destiny (Spells On The Telly) – DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ

A four hour long dance mix that somehow doesn’t get old. There is no reason to listen to it all at once, just pop in for a hour or so at a time on a walk or on the subway and let Sabrina bring you to her universe for a little while. Nice too bc if you aren’t feeling something in the moment just skip it, the next song will prolly slap.

13. Americana – DJ Lucas

I thought I couldn’t enjoy DJ Lucas anymore and then I found out the dude has been living in Jersey for the past couple years, I am sure the Western Mass rapper feels right at home with all the weirdos in the Garden State. One of the few people fighting for the thrown of the craziest white boy going right now. My favorite track has to be when he reconnected with his old friend Papo2004 for the rocking “100 Miles to Boston”.

13. dSX.fm – Dazegxd & quinn

The digicore scene veterans came together for fourteen minutes of fast paced 90s inspired digipop. “say so” will have your local dancefloor moving for the entire duration, some of the most fun drum n bass music to come out this year.

13. Hotel 1105 – D2x

Chicago rapper D2x came back even harder with his sophomore release Hotel 1105. The project feels more focused than its predecessor, a tape chocked full of heartfelt bars over lively and dynamic production work. Songs like “Waves and Moonlights” sound like D2x is crooning in front of a live band in a jazz lounge in a far away resort, where the synth line on “Suite Life” could soundtrack a film noir from the year 2094. This album did great for D2x becuase that dude has been working his ass off making sure that happens, great seeing him reap the fruits of his labor this year.

13. Crazymad, For Me – CMAT

CMAT is hilarious. Who else is going to name the most emotionally gutting song on a tape full of pop smashes “I…Hate Who I Am When I’m Horny”? Catchy as hell, funny as hell, memorable as hell.

13. Split Decision – Central Cee & Dave

This tape would be on the list even if it was just “Sprinter” but the other four tracks slap too. But I mean we’re all here for “Sprinter”. When we all heard “With bae through thick and thin, she’s already thick so I’m halfway there” for the first time we knew we were all Dave fans for life.

13. Lucky for You – Bully

Just some kick ass indie rock tracks that sound like they got transported out of 1995. Play your mom “Days Move Slow” and she’ll swear that she’s heard this track before and that she liked the band so much she saw them at the first Lollapolooza.

13. One More Time… – Blink-182

Tom is back and all is right in Blink 182 world. The album sounded a whole lot better than it deserved to, probably because Tom and Mark seemed to have a little too much fun making things as sophomorish as possible. They earned it though.

13. Bubblegum – Biig Piig

Bubblegum sounds like the music that’d be playing in the nightclub in my sweetest and most pleasant dreams. Biig Piig’s voice plays like ASMR over some of the most lush production work of the year. Play “Kerosene” to light the dancefloor on fire.

13. SORRY I G’D ON YOU – Big Yaya

High energy sample drill from one of my favorite rappers working, Yaya is always good for a quietly delivered punchline that has me cracking up for weeks. Highlights include the Shawny Bin Laden assisted “Speedboat”.

13. KOBE & SHAQ – BIG GLTAOW & Shawny Binladen

Big GLTAOW has started to set himself apart as maybe the strongest non Shawny rapper in YTB and on KOBE & SHAQ the two showed they play off each other well to boot. Sleepier delivery from these two but that doesn’t stop them from keeping up the intensity. “Hashtag” has stayed with me since I first heard it.

13. STONE – Baroness

Long Island metal stalwarts Baroness keep things heavy on their sixth record STONE. The record is both a welcomed return to form for the band and among the most ambitious records in their discography. Highlights include the ripping “Last Word”.

13. babyxsosa – babyxsosa

Its wild how much of babyxsosa’s self-titled feels like digital crooning. This tape is yet another curveball from an artist chocked full of them, babyxsosa lets the autotune wash over her voice over sparse production. The tape is anchored by the eight minute long “I’m Over This Level of Live My Love” where she sounds like a siren calling your digital avatar out to the high seas to risk a computer virus.

13. Summer’s Mine – Babyface Ray

The summer was indeed Babyface Ray’s as the rapper fully established himself as the biggest rapper coming out of Detroit. I am only now realizing it did not have the 42Dugg assisted “Ron Artest” on it which was one of my favorite songs of the year. I guess that was just a loosie and not on this record?? Well luckily “Donda Bag” and the hilariously named “Luh Tyler Flow” with Los and Nutty slap too.

13. My Back Was a Bridge For You To Cross – ANOHNI and The Johhsons

AHOHNI first got The Johnsons together three years after Masha P Johnson passed to celebrate her life and the lives of so many gay and trans people who lived fulfilling lives in a cruel world that didn’t support them. ANOHNI brought the group together for the first time in thirteen years for a meditation on how our world has not got a shred less cruel, particularly in regards to how we are torching our planet to death daily. “It Must Change” is an anthem for so many aspects of this godawful world we all live in.

13. Take What You Need – Amindi

Inglewood singer/songwriter Amindi showcases the breadth of her sound. She billed the project as a mixtape, saying it was a collection of her favorite tracks she’d recorded the past two years with a few of her favorite musical friends helping her tell the story. Her angelic voice carries the record, particularly on highlights like the Jordan Ward assisted “Bake”.

13. Fountain Baby – Amaarae

A record as sexy as the cover suggests, hundred mile an hour moving pop with the lushest and most extravagant sounding instrumentation. “Angels in Tibet” has not left my rotation since I first heard it.

13. At The End of the Day… Its Night – Aby Coulibaly

The Dublin artist skyrocket when her debut single “Taurus” went viral in 2020, and with her debut album At The End of the Day… It’s Night shows that Aby Coulibaly is more than just a flash in the pan. “Weekdays” both sounds like a sound that’d be on an episode of Insecure if it was still on and whose lyrics could make up a solid B plot for Molly.

13. FUCK SCHOOL – 2Sdxrt3all

I can’t listen to this tape without laughing about Alphonse’s breakdown on 2Sdxrt3all’s gamertag ass name, but these tracks are no joke. He must be a Pixies fan as he loves to play with the loud and the quiet, repeating bars with a whisper or screaming them at the top of his lungs. His repeated “LEBRON JAMES” refrain on “Signed a Deal” took Atlanta and all of the internet by storm this summer. Like nothing else I heard this year, something that could absolutely only come from Atlanta.

13. OTHERBODY – DAZY

DAZY followed up the momentum of their excellent OUTOFBODY with OTHERBODY, eight songs they had recorded during their initial album sessions that didn’t make the cut. These tracks stand with the best from their first record, especially “I Know Nothing At All” which feels like a throwback that woulda fit in on like the Dazed and Confused soundtrack. It leaves me extremely excited for whatever the group has around the corner.

13. Drought – Guitar Fight From Fooly Cooly

Guitar Fight from Fooly Cooly love to bludgen listeners over the head while finding time for the twinkly riffs too. “Pyramid” will leave you wanting to duke it out in a mosh pit so bad you might end up punching a hole in your wall. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

11. Seney Stretch – Charmer

The Michigan fourpiece hit us with a four pack of tracks that is a bit lighter than Charmer’s previous offerings but still hit all the same. The dynamic “Devil’s Knight” is my favorite of the bunch.