Esquire's (UK) 50 Best Albums of 2020

The month's best releases and what to skip to

Published: December 11, 2020 10:38 Source

Rank Album Artist Info
#1 Punisher Phoebe Bridgers Jun-18-2020, Singer-Songwriter
#2 Saint Cloud Waxahatchee Mar-27-2020, Singer-Songwriter
#3 Set My Heart On Fire Immediately Perfume Genius May-15-2020, Art Pop
#4 Cold Water Medhane May-26-2020, Abstract Hip Hop
#5 græ Moses Sumney May-15-2020, Art Pop
#6 RTJ4 Run The Jewels Jun-03-2020, Hardcore Hip Hop
#7 Suddenly Caribou Feb-28-2020, Indietronica
#8 What's Your Pleasure? Jessie Ware Jun-26-2020, Dance-Pop
#9 Women In Music Pt. III HAIM Feb-19-2021, Indie Pop
#10 Live Forever Bartees Strange Oct-02-2020, Indie Rock
#11 songs Adrianne Lenker Oct-23-2020, Singer-Songwriter
#12 color theory Soccer Mommy Feb-28-2020, Singer-Songwriter
#13 YHLQMDLG Bad Bunny Feb-29-2020,
#14 Workaround Beatrice Dillon Feb-07-2020, Electroacoustic
#15 Forever, Ya Girl KeiyaA Mar-27-2020, Neo-Soul
#16 Hannah Lomelda Sep-04-2020, Indie Folk
#17 A Written Testimony Jay Electronica Mar-13-2020, Conscious Hip Hop
#18 folklore Taylor Swift Jul-24-2020, Singer-Songwriter
#19 THE ANGEL YOU DON'T KNOW Amaarae Nov-12-2020, Afrobeats
#20 Heaven To a Tortured Mind Yves Tumor Apr-03-2020, Neo-Psychedelia
#21 Fetch The Bolt Cutters Fiona Apple Apr-17-2020, Art Pop
#22 SOURCE Nubya Garcia Aug-21-2020, Spiritual Jazz
#23 Future Nostalgia Dua Lipa Mar-27-2020, Dance-Pop
#24 Heavy Light U.S. Girls Mar-06-2020, Art Pop
#25 Mama, You Can Bet! Jyoti, Georgia Anne Muldrow Aug-28-2020, Nu Jazz
#26 Lianne La Havas Lianne La Havas Jul-17-2020, Neo-Soul
#27 Miss Anthropocene Grimes Feb-21-2020, Art Pop
#28 Taken Away Moodymann May-21-2020, Deep House
#29 Modern Dread Denai Moore Jul-03-2020, Alternative R&B
#30 Modus Vivendi 070 Shake Jan-17-2020, Alternative R&B
#31 Sixteen Oceans Four Tet Mar-13-2020, Microhouse
#32 weight of the world MIKE Jun-21-2020, Abstract Hip Hop
#33 Love + Light Daniel Avery Jun-26-2020, IDM
#34 Róisín Machine Róisín Murphy Oct-02-2020, Nu-Disco
#35 Inner Song Kelly Lee Owens Aug-28-2020, Tech House
#36 As Long As You Are Future Islands Oct-09-2020, Synthpop
#37 It Was Good Until It Wasn't Kehlani May-08-2020, Contemporary R&B
#38 Kitchen Sink Nadine Shah Jun-05-2020, Art Rock
#39 What Could Possibly Go Wrong Dominic Fike Jul-31-2020, Alternative R&B
#40 The Ascension Sufjan Stevens Sep-25-2020, Indietronica
#41 Home Romare Jul-31-2020, Deep House
#42 Your Hero Is Not Dead Westerman Jun-05-2020, Art Pop
#43 The Slow Rush Tame Impala Feb-14-2020, Psychedelic Pop
#44 Flood Dream LEYA Mar-06-2020, Chamber Folk
#45 Eternal Atake Lil Uzi Vert Mar-06-2020, Trap
#46 Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? The Soft Pink Truth May-01-2020, Ambient
#47 Sister Ultraísta Mar-13-2020, Art Pop
#48 3.15.20 Childish Gambino Mar-22-2020, Neo-Soul
#49 It Is What It Is Thundercat Apr-03-2020, Psychedelic Soul
#50 Song For Our Daughter Laura Marling Apr-10-2020, Contemporary Folk
Markdown

| Rank | Album | Artist | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Punisher | Phoebe Bridgers | Album, Jun-18-2020, Singer-Songwriter |
| #2 | Saint Cloud | Waxahatchee | Album, Mar-27-2020, Singer-Songwriter |
| #3 | Set My Heart On Fire Immediately | Perfume Genius | Album, May-15-2020, Art Pop |
| #4 | Cold Water | Medhane | Album, May-26-2020, Abstract Hip Hop |
| #5 | græ | Moses Sumney | Album, May-15-2020, Art Pop |
| #6 | RTJ4 | Run The Jewels | Album, Jun-03-2020, Hardcore Hip Hop |
| #7 | Suddenly | Caribou | Album, Feb-28-2020, Indietronica |
| #8 | What's Your Pleasure? | Jessie Ware | Album, Jun-26-2020, Dance-Pop |
| #9 | Women In Music Pt. III | HAIM | Album, Feb-19-2021, Indie Pop |
| #10 | Live Forever | Bartees Strange | Album, Oct-02-2020, Indie Rock |
| #11 | songs | Adrianne Lenker | Album, Oct-23-2020, Singer-Songwriter |
| #12 | color theory | Soccer Mommy | Album, Feb-28-2020, Singer-Songwriter |
| #13 | YHLQMDLG | Bad Bunny | Album, Feb-29-2020,  |
| #14 | Workaround | Beatrice Dillon | Album, Feb-07-2020, Electroacoustic |
| #15 | Forever, Ya Girl | KeiyaA | Album, Mar-27-2020, Neo-Soul |
| #16 | Hannah | Lomelda | Album, Sep-04-2020, Indie Folk |
| #17 | A Written Testimony | Jay Electronica | Album, Mar-13-2020, Conscious Hip Hop |
| #18 | folklore | Taylor Swift | Album, Jul-24-2020, Singer-Songwriter |
| #19 | THE ANGEL YOU DON'T KNOW | Amaarae | Album, Nov-12-2020, Afrobeats |
| #20 | Heaven To a Tortured Mind | Yves Tumor | Album, Apr-03-2020, Neo-Psychedelia |
| #21 | Fetch The Bolt Cutters | Fiona Apple | Album, Apr-17-2020, Art Pop |
| #22 | SOURCE | Nubya Garcia | Album, Aug-21-2020, Spiritual Jazz |
| #23 | Future Nostalgia | Dua Lipa | Album, Mar-27-2020, Dance-Pop |
| #24 | Heavy Light | U.S. Girls | Album, Mar-06-2020, Art Pop |
| #25 | Mama, You Can Bet! | JyotiGeorgia Anne Muldrow | Album, Aug-28-2020, Nu Jazz |
| #26 | Lianne La Havas | Lianne La Havas | Album, Jul-17-2020, Neo-Soul |
| #27 | Miss Anthropocene | Grimes | Album, Feb-21-2020, Art Pop |
| #28 | Taken Away | Moodymann | Album, May-21-2020, Deep House |
| #29 | Modern Dread | Denai Moore | Album, Jul-03-2020, Alternative R&B |
| #30 | Modus Vivendi | 070 Shake | Album, Jan-17-2020, Alternative R&B |
| #31 | Sixteen Oceans | Four Tet | Album, Mar-13-2020, Microhouse |
| #32 | weight of the world | MIKE | Album, Jun-21-2020, Abstract Hip Hop |
| #33 | Love + Light | Daniel Avery | Album, Jun-26-2020, IDM |
| #34 | Róisín Machine | Róisín Murphy | Album, Oct-02-2020, Nu-Disco |
| #35 | Inner Song | Kelly Lee Owens | Album, Aug-28-2020, Tech House |
| #36 | As Long As You Are | Future Islands | Album, Oct-09-2020, Synthpop |
| #37 | It Was Good Until It Wasn't | Kehlani | Album, May-08-2020, Contemporary R&B |
| #38 | Kitchen Sink | Nadine Shah | Album, Jun-05-2020, Art Rock |
| #39 | What Could Possibly Go Wrong | Dominic Fike | Album, Jul-31-2020, Alternative R&B |
| #40 | The Ascension | Sufjan Stevens | Album, Sep-25-2020, Indietronica |
| #41 | Home | Romare | Album, Jul-31-2020, Deep House |
| #42 | Your Hero Is Not Dead | Westerman | Album, Jun-05-2020, Art Pop |
| #43 | The Slow Rush | Tame Impala | Album, Feb-14-2020, Psychedelic Pop |
| #44 | Flood Dream | LEYA | Album, Mar-06-2020, Chamber Folk |
| #45 | Eternal Atake | Lil Uzi Vert | Album, Mar-06-2020, Trap |
| #46 | Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? | The Soft Pink Truth | Album, May-01-2020, Ambient |
| #47 | Sister | Ultraísta | Album, Mar-13-2020, Art Pop |
| #48 | 3.15.20 | Childish Gambino | Album, Mar-22-2020, Neo-Soul |
| #49 | It Is What It Is | Thundercat | Album, Apr-03-2020, Psychedelic Soul |
| #50 | Song For Our Daughter | Laura Marling | Album, Apr-10-2020, Contemporary Folk |