PopMatters' 80 Best Albums of 2023

The best albums of 2023 challenged orthodoxies, blended and created new genres, and spanned a vast range of musical styles and traditions, while looking forward.

Source

# 1
Album • Apr 28 / 2023 Disco Dance-Pop
# 2
Album • May 05 / 2023 Soul
# 3
Album • Mar 31 / 2023 Singer-Songwriter Indie Folk Indie Rock
# 4
Album • Feb 14 / 2023 Art Pop Alt-Pop Electronic
# 5
Album • Feb 03 / 2023 Neo-Psychedelia Art Pop
# 6
Album • Feb 03 / 2023 Arabic Music Electronic
# 7
Album • Apr 07 / 2023 Indie Rock Noise Rock
# 8
Album • Jun 09 / 2023 Alt-Country Americana
# 9
Album • Sep 29 / 2023 Contemporary R&B
# 10
Album • Aug 11 / 2023 Nu-Disco
# 11
Album • Mar 31 / 2023 Anatolian Rock Psychedelic Rock Neo-Psychedelia
# 12
Album • Oct 27 / 2023 Deep House Latin House
# 13
Album • Sep 22 / 2023 IDM UK Bass
# 14
Album • Aug 11 / 2023 Jazz Rap Conscious Hip Hop Political Hip Hop
# 15
Album • Jun 02 / 2023 Jangle Pop Dream Pop Indie Pop
# 16
Album • Sep 22 / 2023 Dance-Pop House
# 17
Album • Jul 21 / 2023 Progressive Bluegrass
# 18
Album • Jan 13 / 2023 Contemporary Country Heartland Rock
# 19
Album • Oct 06 / 2023 Indie Folk Singer-Songwriter Chamber Folk
# 20
Album • Sep 01 / 2023 Dream Pop
# 21
Album • Nov 10 / 2023 Disco
# 22
Album • Sep 08 / 2023 Jazz Fusion
# 23
Album • Sep 29 / 2023 Experimental Hip Hop Abstract Hip Hop East Coast Hip Hop
# 24
Album • Apr 07 / 2023 Indie Rock
# 25
Album • May 05 / 2023 Abstract Hip Hop Jazz Rap Conscious Hip Hop East Coast Hip Hop
# 26
Album • Sep 22 / 2023 Alt-Country Pop Rock
# 27
Album • Jun 16 / 2023 Neo-Soul Jazz Fusion
# 28
Album • Mar 24 / 2023 Singer-Songwriter Art Pop
# 29
Album • Sep 15 / 2023 Singer-Songwriter Indie Folk
# 30
Album • May 12 / 2023 Wassoulou Art Pop
# 31
Album • Sep 15 / 2023 Synthpop
# 32
Album • Apr 28 / 2023 Indie Pop Singer-Songwriter
# 33
Album • Oct 20 / 2023 Alternative R&B
# 34
Album • Oct 06 / 2023 Abstract Hip Hop Drumless West Coast Hip Hop
# 35
Album • Jun 23 / 2023 Afrobeats
# 36
Album • Feb 24 / 2023 Post-Industrial Post-Punk
# 37
Album • Jun 09 / 2023 Neo-Psychedelia Slowcore
# 38
Album • Aug 25 / 2023 Black Metal Progressive Metal
# 39
Album • Sep 08 / 2023 Pop Rock Singer-Songwriter Alternative Rock
# 40
Album • Sep 22 / 2023 Ambient
# 41
Album • May 26 / 2023 Experimental Rock Art Pop
# 42
Album • Oct 27 / 2023 Soft Rock
# 43
Album • May 19 / 2023 Post-Industrial
# 44
Album • Nov 10 / 2023 Alternative R&B Ambient Pop Ambient
# 45
Album • Jun 02 / 2023 Zamrock
# 46
Album • Jul 21 / 2023 Noise Pop Noise Rock
# 47
Album • Aug 18 / 2023 Indie Rock
# 48
Album • Feb 03 / 2023 Americana
# 49
Album • Aug 25 / 2023 Indie Rock
# 50
Album • Feb 24 / 2023 Synthpop Electropop