Pitchfork's 38 Best Rock Albums of 2022

From Alvvays’ panoramic anthems to Chat Pile’s scorched-earth sludge, Soul Glo’s bruising hardcore to Wet Leg’s wily indie rock, these are the rock albums that stood out this year.

Published: December 07, 2022 14:00 Source

# 1

Perfect Light by 40 Watt Sun

Album • Jan 20 / 2022 Slowcore

# 2

God Save the Animals by Alex G

Album • Sep 23 / 2022 Indie Rock Indie Folk

# 3

Blue Rev by Alvvays

Album • Oct 07 / 2022 Indie Pop Shoegaze Noise Pop

# 4

Time Skiffs by Animal Collective

Album • Feb 04 / 2022 Neo-Psychedelia Psychedelic Pop

# 5

The Car by Arctic Monkeys

Album • Oct 21 / 2022 Baroque Pop Chamber Pop

# 6

Weather Alive by Beth Orton

Album • Sep 23 / 2022 Art Pop Singer-Songwriter

# 7

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief

Album • Feb 11 / 2022 Indie Folk Folk Rock

# 8

Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road

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

# 9

Hellfire by black midi

Album • Jul 15 / 2022 Avant-Prog Brutal Prog

# 10

Running with the Hurricane by Camp Cope

Album • Jan 19 / 2022 Indie Rock Jangle Pop

# 11

Caroline by caroline

Album • Jan 01 / 2018 Post-Rock Avant-Folk

# 12

Pompeii by Cate Le Bon

Album • Feb 04 / 2022 Art Pop Neo-Psychedelia

# 13

God's Country by Chat Pile

Album • Jul 29 / 2022 Noise Rock Sludge Metal

# 14

A Legacy of Rentals by Craig Finn

Album • May 20 / 2022 Singer-Songwriter Heartland Rock Indie Pop

# 15

LABYRINTHITIS by Destroyer

Album • Mar 25 / 2022 Art Rock New Wave

# 16

Song of Salvation by Dream Unending

Album • Nov 11 / 2022 Death Doom Metal

# 17

Florist by Florist

Album • Jul 29 / 2022 Indie Folk Singer-Songwriter

# 18

Most Normal by Gilla Band

Album • Oct 07 / 2022 Noise Rock Industrial Rock Experimental Rock

# 19

Laurel Hell by Mitski

Album • Feb 04 / 2022 Synthpop Art Pop New Wave

# 20

Boat Songs by MJ Lenderman

Album • Apr 29 / 2022 Slacker Rock Alt-Country

# 21

Paste by Moin

Album • Oct 28 / 2022 Experimental Rock

# 22

PAINLESS by Nilüfer Yanya

Album • Mar 04 / 2022 Indie Rock

# 23

Big Time Things by Office Culture

Album • Sep 30 / 2022 Sophisti-Pop Soft Rock

# 24

sore thumb by Oso Oso

Album • Mar 18 / 2022 Indie Rock

# 25

Nicks and Grazes by Palm

Album • Oct 14 / 2022 Neo-Psychedelia Experimental Rock Math Pop

# 26

I Walked with You a Ways by Plains

Album • Sep 30 / 2022 Americana Alt-Country

# 27

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

Album • Nov 11 / 2022 Singer-Songwriter Indie Rock

# 28

Sometimes, Forever by Soccer Mommy

Album • Jun 24 / 2022 Indie Rock

# 29

Diaspora Problems by Soul Glo

Album • Mar 25 / 2022 Hardcore Punk

# 30

Endure by Special Interest

Album • Nov 04 / 2022 Dance-Punk Post-Punk

# 31

Sun's Signature by Sun's Signature

EP • Jun 18 / 2022 Art Pop Chamber Folk

# 32

Being Funny In a Foreign Language by The 1975

Album • Oct 14 / 2022 Pop Rock

# 33

Expert in a Dying Field by The Beths

Album • Sep 16 / 2022 Power Pop Indie Rock

# 34

A Light for Attracting Attention by The Smile

Album • May 13 / 2022 Art Rock

# 35

It's Time...To Rise from the Grave by Undeath

Album • Apr 22 / 2022 Death Metal

# 36

Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling 'em Up by Wednesday

Album • Mar 11 / 2022 Alt-Country Shoegaze Indie Rock

# 37

Wet Leg by Wet Leg

Album • Apr 08 / 2022 Indie Rock

# 38

And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood

Album • Nov 18 / 2022 Baroque Pop Singer-Songwriter