Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2022

Back in 2020, when lockdowns arrived, optimists began speculating how much great art would be created in that time. King Lear had supposedly...

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# 1

Blue Rev by Alvvays

Album • Oct 07 / 2022 Indie Pop Shoegaze Noise Pop

# 2

RENAISSANCE by Beyoncé

Album • Jul 29 / 2022 Dance-Pop House Contemporary R&B

# 3

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief

Album • Feb 11 / 2022 Indie Folk Folk Rock

# 4

God Save the Animals by Alex G

Album • Sep 23 / 2022 Indie Rock Indie Folk

# 5

Wet Leg by Wet Leg

Album • Apr 08 / 2022 Indie Rock

# 6

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar

Album • May 13 / 2022 Conscious Hip Hop West Coast Hip Hop

# 7

Colder Streams by The Sadies

Album • Jul 22 / 2022 Psychedelic Rock

# 8

Diaspora Problems by Soul Glo

Album • Mar 25 / 2022 Hardcore Punk

# 9

Sewn Back Together by OMBIIGIZI + Status/Non-Status + Zoon

Album • Feb 10 / 2022 Indie Rock Post-Punk

# 10

Natural Brown Prom Queen by Sudan Archives

Album • Sep 09 / 2022 Alternative R&B Art Pop

# 11

Otherness by Alexisonfire

Album • Jun 17 / 2022 Post-Hardcore Alternative Metal

# 12

A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile

Album • May 13 / 2022 Art Rock

# 13

God's Country by Chat Pile

Album • Jul 29 / 2022 Noise Rock Sludge Metal

# 14

Big Time by Angel Olsen

Album • Jun 03 / 2022 Americana Singer-Songwriter Country

# 15

Warm Chris by Aldous Harding

Album • Mar 25 / 2022 Chamber Pop Singer-Songwriter Contemporary Folk

# 16

It's Almost Dry by Pusha T

Album • Apr 22 / 2022 Gangsta Rap Southern Hip Hop

# 17

LABYRINTHITIS by Destroyer

Album • Mar 25 / 2022 Art Rock New Wave

# 18

Don't Trip by Aquakultre

Album • Jul 22 / 2022 Contemporary R&B

# 19

i don’t know who needs to hear this... by Tomberlin

Album • Apr 29 / 2022 Singer-Songwriter Indie Folk

# 20

José Louis And The Paradox Of Love by Pierre Kwenders

Album • Apr 29 / 2022 Afrobeats

# 21

PAINLESS by Nilüfer Yanya

Album • Mar 04 / 2022 Indie Rock

# 22

Weather Alive by Beth Orton

Album • Sep 23 / 2022 Art Pop Singer-Songwriter

# 23

$oul $old $eparately by Freddie Gibbs

Album • Sep 30 / 2022 Gangsta Rap

# 24

Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road

Album • Feb 04 / 2022 Art Rock Post-Rock Chamber Pop

# 25

Surely Travel by Status/Non-Status

Album • Sep 23 / 2022

# 26

HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING by Backxwash

Album • Oct 31 / 2022 Industrial Hip Hop Horrorcore

# 27

Dawn FM by The Weeknd

Album • Jan 07 / 2022 Synthpop Dance-Pop

# 28

Fossora by Björk

Album • Sep 30 / 2022 Art Pop Electronic Post-Industrial

# 29

HYPNOS by Ravyn Lenae

Album • May 20 / 2022 Contemporary R&B Neo-Soul

# 30

Pompeii by Cate Le Bon

Album • Feb 04 / 2022 Art Pop Neo-Psychedelia

# 31

Crash by Les Louanges

Album • Jan 21 / 2022 Contemporary R&B

# 32

Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.

Album • Apr 22 / 2022 Gothic Rock Post-Punk

# 33

SICK! by Earl Sweatshirt

Album • Jan 14 / 2022 Abstract Hip Hop West Coast Hip Hop

# 34

NULL by KEN mode

Album • Sep 23 / 2022 Noise Rock Sludge Metal

# 35

Gemini Rights by Steve Lacy

Album • Jul 15 / 2022 Neo-Soul Bedroom Pop

# 36

THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND by PUP

Album • Apr 01 / 2022 Indie Rock

# 37

Janky Star by Grace Ives

Album • Jun 10 / 2022 Synthpop Indietronica

# 38

All Blue by Julianna Riolino

Album • Oct 14 / 2022 Alt-Country Americana Country Rock

# 39

Laurel Hell by Mitski

Album • Feb 04 / 2022 Synthpop Art Pop New Wave

# 40

angel in realtime. by Gang of Youths

Album • Feb 25 / 2022 Indie Rock Chamber Pop

# 41

Heavy Pendulum by Cave In

Album • May 20 / 2022 Alternative Metal

# 42

Hellfire by black midi

Album • Jul 15 / 2022 Avant-Prog Brutal Prog

# 43

We've Been Going About This All Wrong by Sharon Van Etten

Album • Nov 11 / 2022 Singer-Songwriter Indie Rock

# 44

Gone Girl by Magi Merlin

Album • May 27 / 2022 Alternative R&B

# 45

Joyful Joyful by Joyful Joyful

Album • Apr 29 / 2022 Avant-Folk Ambient Pop

# 46

MUNA by MUNA

Album • Jun 24 / 2022 Synthpop Pop Rock

# 47

Clouds Of Joy by Badge Époque Ensemble

Album • Sep 09 / 2022 Jazz-Rock Psychedelic Rock Jazz-Funk

# 48

Cherry by Daphni

Album • Oct 07 / 2022 Deep House Tech House

# 49

DISCO4 :: PART II by HEALTH

Album • Apr 08 / 2022 Post-Industrial

# 50

Communion by Sister Ray

Album • May 13 / 2022 Folk Rock Contemporary Folk