Idolator's 20 Best EPs, Mixtapes & Playlists Of 2018

King Princess’ first single, “1950,” is one of those wonderful, rare tracks filled with enough melody and meaning that hearing it thousands of times after it goes viral doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. The pristine electro-pop tune about unrequited queer love at a time when queerness wasn’t socially accepted quickly set a high bar for the Brooklyn singer—who became the first artist signed to producer Mark Ronson’s own Zelig Records. It\'s included here on her hype-exceeding debut EP, amid other songs about love\'s sensual beginnings (“Holy”) and difficult endings (“Talia,” “Upper West Side”).

Most 15-year-olds are concerned with normal stuff like math tests and puberty. Clearly, Ruel—who was discovered at 12 and mentored by M-Phazes, a producer for Eminem and Amy Shark—isn’t your average kid. Three years on, his debut EP, *Ready*, is an introduction to a young Sydney songwriter with an old soul. Sung with passion and raspy depth, “Don’t Tell Me” was inspired by a family argument at the kitchen table, and “Younger” mourns a lost friendship with lines like “You left me in the dark/While you drink in the park.” If this is what Ruel is capable of at 15, it’s almost scary to think where he’ll be in a decade.

Ivy Adara caught the writing bug early, coming up with her first original song at just seven. She would later create chart-topping hits for the likes of Jessica Mauboy and Dami Im before stepping into the spotlight with her debut EP, *Intraduction*. Her lush electro-pop hooks may sound dreamy and carefree on the surface, but listen a little closer, and you’ll find plenty of lyrical depth. “Currency” is about Adara’s generation (she was born in 1995) placing more importance on people and connection than money (“love is our cash machine”), while on the uplifting “Lies,” the singer embraces imperfections: “We all got insecurities, but you don’t have to change a thing/Your body is a work of art, you’re worth more than you think you are.”

Way back in 2012, Lennon Stella and her younger sister, Maisy, uploaded to YouTube a video of themselves singing Robyn’s \"Call Your Girlfriend.” (Look it up. They nail it.) Unsurprisingly, the girls were quickly scooped up by Nashville—both the city, where they dabbled in country-pop, and the TV show, in which they starred until the series ended in July. On *Love, me*, Lennon’s first release as a solo artist, she links up with super-producer Greg Kurstin (Sia, Adele) and reconnects with her inner Robyn, relishing the magical space between lovelorn agony and dance-club euphoria. The heavy drums and fragile harmonies on “Breakaway” have serious Lorde vibes (always a good thing), and the melody in “La Di Da” will etch itself onto your brain. But the standout track has got to be “Fortress,” a breakup song-turned-empowerment anthem that hits you right in the throat.

This is where the ALMA story gets really interesting. Already a talent-show veteran in her native Finland and a recruit to the Charli XCX- and Dua Lipa-led crew dominating international charts, she packs this mixtape with a full arsenal of pop know-how. Mellow and melodic tracks (“Fake Gucci,” “Good Vibes”) come as effortlessly to her as swaggering dance-floor bangers (“Legend,” “Chit Chat”), and her cast of A-list female guests adds some extra attitude.