Slant Magazine's 50 Best Albums of 2022

With an industry in a constant state of flux, the battered-but-not-beaten album format still reigns supreme.

Published: December 07, 2022 16:00 Source

# 1

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief

Album • Feb 11 / 2022 Indie Folk Folk Rock

# 2

RENAISSANCE by Beyoncé

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

# 3

Blue Rev by Alvvays

Album • Oct 07 / 2022 Indie Pop Shoegaze Noise Pop

# 4

CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs

Album • Jan 14 / 2022 Alternative R&B

# 5

Once Twice Melody by Beach House

Album • Feb 18 / 2022 Dream Pop Neo-Psychedelia

# 6

MOTOMAMI by ROSALÍA

Album • Mar 18 / 2022 Neoperreo Art Pop

# 7

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar

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

# 8

Big Time by Angel Olsen

Album • Jun 03 / 2022 Americana Singer-Songwriter Country

# 9

BADモード by Hikaru Utada

Album • Jan 19 / 2022 J-Pop Contemporary R&B

# 10

Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road

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

# 11

PAINLESS by Nilüfer Yanya

Album • Mar 04 / 2022 Indie Rock

# 12

LIFE ON EARTH by Hurray for the Riff Raff

Album • Feb 18 / 2022 Singer-Songwriter Indie Rock

# 13

Topical Dancer by Charlotte Adigéry + Bolis Pupul

Album • Mar 04 / 2022 Art Pop Tech House

# 14

It's Almost Dry by Pusha T

Album • Apr 22 / 2022 Gangsta Rap Southern Hip Hop

# 15

Chloë and the Next 20th Century by Father John Misty

Album • Apr 08 / 2022 Traditional Pop Singer-Songwriter

# 16

Dawn FM by The Weeknd

Album • Jan 07 / 2022 Synthpop Dance-Pop

# 17

Wet Leg by Wet Leg

Album • Apr 08 / 2022 Indie Rock

# 18

Midnights by Taylor Swift

Album • Oct 21 / 2022 Alt-Pop

# 19

Cherry by Daphni

Album • Oct 07 / 2022 Deep House Tech House

# 20

Preacher’s Daughter by Ethel Cain

Album • May 12 / 2022 Singer-Songwriter Dream Pop Slowcore

# 21

God Save the Animals by Alex G

Album • Sep 23 / 2022 Indie Rock Indie Folk

# 22

Expert in a Dying Field by The Beths

Album • Sep 16 / 2022 Power Pop Indie Rock

# 23

Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Album • Sep 30 / 2022 Indie Rock

# 24

CRASH by Charli XCX

Album • Mar 18 / 2022 Dance-Pop

# 25

Laurel Hell by Mitski

Album • Feb 04 / 2022 Synthpop Art Pop New Wave

# 26

Crest by Bladee + Ecco2k

Album • Mar 18 / 2022 Synthpop Art Pop

# 27

I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap

Album • Sep 09 / 2022 Art Pop Glitch Pop

# 28

MATA by M.I.A.

Album • Oct 14 / 2022 Experimental Hip Hop UK Hip Hop Political Hip Hop

# 29

Honestly, Nevermind by Drake

Album • Jun 17 / 2022 House Alternative R&B

# 30

Lyfë by Yeat

Album • Sep 09 / 2022 Rage Trap

# 31

Stumpwork by Dry Cleaning

Album • Oct 21 / 2022 Post-Punk Indie Rock

# 32

Antidawn EP by Burial

EP • Jan 06 / 2022 Ambient

# 33

De Todas las Flores by Natalia Lafourcade

Album • Oct 28 / 2022 Singer-Songwriter Chamber Folk Vocal Jazz

# 34

Asphalt Meadows by Death Cab for Cutie

Album • Sep 16 / 2022 Indie Rock

# 35

Natural Brown Prom Queen by Sudan Archives

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

# 36

Warm Chris by Aldous Harding

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

# 37

Being Funny In a Foreign Language by The 1975

Album • Oct 14 / 2022 Pop Rock

# 38

Fossora by Björk

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

# 39

Arkhon by Zola Jesus

Album • Jun 24 / 2022 Art Pop Darkwave

# 40

A Beautiful Time by Willie Nelson

Album • Apr 29 / 2022 Country

# 41

age/sex/location by Ari Lennox

Album • Sep 09 / 2022 Neo-Soul

# 42

SICK! by Earl Sweatshirt

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

# 43

Premonition by White Lung

Album • Dec 02 / 2022 Punk Rock

# 44

World Record by Neil Young + Crazy Horse

Album • Nov 18 / 2022 Folk Rock Country Rock Roots Rock

# 45

Hellfire by black midi

Album • Jul 15 / 2022 Avant-Prog Brutal Prog

# 46

Old-Time Folks by Lee Bains + The Glory Fires

Album • Aug 05 / 2022

# 47

And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood

Album • Nov 18 / 2022 Baroque Pop Singer-Songwriter

# 48

Pompeii by Cate Le Bon

Album • Feb 04 / 2022 Art Pop Neo-Psychedelia

# 49

Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny

Album • May 06 / 2022 Reggaetón Latin Pop

# 50

Classic Objects by Jenny Hval

Album • Mar 11 / 2022 Art Pop Ambient Pop