Stereogum's 50 Best Albums of 2018

Most of our favorite music this year came from longtime underdogs, or from artists who weren’t even on our radar a couple of years ago.

Published: December 04, 2018 15:00 Source

Rank Album Artist Info
#1 Golden Hour Kacey Musgraves Mar-30-2018, Country Pop
#2 Lush Snail Mail Jun-08-2018, Indie Rock
#3 Sweetener Ariana Grande Aug-17-2018, Contemporary R&B
#4 Invasion of Privacy Cardi B Apr-06-2018, Trap
#5 7 Beach House May-11-2018, Dream Pop
#6 Constant Image Flasher Jun-08-2018, Indie Rock
#7 Clean Soccer Mommy Mar-02-2018, Singer-Songwriter
#8 Double Negative Low Sep-14-2018, Ambient Pop
#9 God's Favorite Customer Father John Misty Jun-01-2018, Singer-Songwriter
#10 Be the Cowboy Mitski Aug-17-2018, Art Pop
#11 DAYTONA Pusha T May-25-2018, Hardcore Hip Hop
#12 Honey Robyn Oct-26-2018, Dance-Pop
#13 Historian Lucy Dacus Mar-02-2018, Indie Rock
#14 FM! Vince Staples Nov-02-2018, West Coast Hip Hop
#15 And Nothing Hurt Spiritualized Sep-07-2018, Neo-Psychedelia
#16 iridescence BROCKHAMPTON Sep-21-2018, Experimental Hip Hop
#17 Lavender Half Waif Apr-27-2018, Art Pop
#18 Bark Your Head Off, Dog Hop Along Apr-06-2018, Indie Rock
#19 Kiss Yr Frenemies illuminati hotties May-11-2018, Indie Rock
#20 At Weddings Tomberlin Aug-10-2018, Singer-Songwriter
#21 El Mal Querer ROSALÍA Nov-02-2018, Flamenco Pop
#22 Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It Rolo Tomassi Mar-02-2018, Post-Hardcore
#23 Room 25 noname Sep-14-2018, Jazz Rap
#24 Yolk in the Fur Wild Pink Jul-20-2018, Indie Rock
#25 Dose Your Dreams Fucked Up Oct-05-2018, Art Punk
#26 In A Poem Unlimited U.S. Girls Feb-16-2018, Art Pop
#27 abysskiss Adrianne Lenker Oct-05-2018, Singer-Songwriter
#28 Isolation Kali Uchis Apr-06-2018, Neo-Soul
#29 K.T.S.E. Teyana Taylor Jun-23-2018, Contemporary R&B
#30 Beyondless Iceage May-04-2018, Post-Punk
#31 Only Love The Armed Apr-27-2018, Post-Hardcore
#32 Devotion Tirzah Aug-10-2018, Alternative R&B
#33 Skulls Example Dear Nora May-25-2018, Indie Pop
#34 Heaven and Earth Kamasi Washington Jun-22-2018, Spiritual Jazz
#35 Some Rap Songs Earl Sweatshirt Nov-30-2018, Abstract Hip Hop
#36 Deafman Glance Ryley Walker May-18-2018, Psychedelic Folk
#37 We Already Lost the World Birds In Row Jul-13-2018, Post-Hardcore
#38 Dirty Computer Janelle Monáe Apr-27-2018, Contemporary R&B
#39 Little Dark Age MGMT Feb-09-2018, Synthpop
#40 Cocoa Sugar Young Fathers Mar-09-2018, Indietronica
#41 How to Socialise and Make Friends Camp Cope Mar-02-2018, Indie Rock
#42 Death Spells Holy Fawn Sep-14-2018, Post-Metal
#43 Age Of Oneohtrix Point Never Jun-01-2018, Progressive Electronic
#44 TA13OO Denzel Curry Jul-27-2018, Southern Hip Hop
#45 A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships The 1975 Nov-30-2018, Art Pop
#46 Singularity Jon Hopkins May-04-2018, Tech House
#47 Drip Harder Lil Baby, Gunna Oct-05-2018, Trap
#48 Cheer Drug Church Nov-02-2018, Post-Hardcore
#49 OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES SOPHIE Jun-15-2018, Bubblegum Bass
#50 Nasty Rico Nasty Jun-15-2018, Trap
Markdown

| Rank | Album | Artist | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Golden Hour | Kacey Musgraves | Album, Mar-30-2018, Country Pop |
| #2 | Lush | Snail Mail | Album, Jun-08-2018, Indie Rock |
| #3 | Sweetener | Ariana Grande | Album, Aug-17-2018, Contemporary R&B |
| #4 | Invasion of Privacy | Cardi B | Album, Apr-06-2018, Trap |
| #5 | 7 | Beach House | Album, May-11-2018, Dream Pop |
| #6 | Constant Image | Flasher | Album, Jun-08-2018, Indie Rock |
| #7 | Clean | Soccer Mommy | Album, Mar-02-2018, Singer-Songwriter |
| #8 | Double Negative | Low | Album, Sep-14-2018, Ambient Pop |
| #9 | God's Favorite Customer | Father John Misty | Album, Jun-01-2018, Singer-Songwriter |
| #10 | Be the Cowboy | Mitski | Album, Aug-17-2018, Art Pop |
| #11 | DAYTONA | Pusha T | Album, May-25-2018, Hardcore Hip Hop |
| #12 | Honey | Robyn | Album, Oct-26-2018, Dance-Pop |
| #13 | Historian | Lucy Dacus | Album, Mar-02-2018, Indie Rock |
| #14 | FM! | Vince Staples | Album, Nov-02-2018, West Coast Hip Hop |
| #15 | And Nothing Hurt | Spiritualized | Album, Sep-07-2018, Neo-Psychedelia |
| #16 | iridescence | BROCKHAMPTON | Album, Sep-21-2018, Experimental Hip Hop |
| #17 | Lavender | Half Waif | Album, Apr-27-2018, Art Pop |
| #18 | Bark Your Head Off, Dog | Hop Along | Album, Apr-06-2018, Indie Rock |
| #19 | Kiss Yr Frenemies | illuminati hotties | Album, May-11-2018, Indie Rock |
| #20 | At Weddings | Tomberlin | Album, Aug-10-2018, Singer-Songwriter |
| #21 | El Mal Querer | ROSALÍA | Album, Nov-02-2018, Flamenco Pop |
| #22 | Time Will Die and Love Will Bury It | Rolo Tomassi | Album, Mar-02-2018, Post-Hardcore |
| #23 | Room 25 | noname | Album, Sep-14-2018, Jazz Rap |
| #24 | Yolk in the Fur | Wild Pink | Album, Jul-20-2018, Indie Rock |
| #25 | Dose Your Dreams | Fucked Up | Album, Oct-05-2018, Art Punk |
| #26 | In A Poem Unlimited | U.S. Girls | Album, Feb-16-2018, Art Pop |
| #27 | abysskiss | Adrianne Lenker | Album, Oct-05-2018, Singer-Songwriter |
| #28 | Isolation | Kali Uchis | Album, Apr-06-2018, Neo-Soul |
| #29 | K.T.S.E. | Teyana Taylor | Album, Jun-23-2018, Contemporary R&B |
| #30 | Beyondless | Iceage | Album, May-04-2018, Post-Punk |
| #31 | Only Love | The Armed | Album, Apr-27-2018, Post-Hardcore |
| #32 | Devotion | Tirzah | Album, Aug-10-2018, Alternative R&B |
| #33 | Skulls Example | Dear Nora | Album, May-25-2018, Indie Pop |
| #34 | Heaven and Earth | Kamasi Washington | Album, Jun-22-2018, Spiritual Jazz |
| #35 | Some Rap Songs | Earl Sweatshirt | Album, Nov-30-2018, Abstract Hip Hop |
| #36 | Deafman Glance | Ryley Walker | Album, May-18-2018, Psychedelic Folk |
| #37 | We Already Lost the World | Birds In Row | Album, Jul-13-2018, Post-Hardcore |
| #38 | Dirty Computer | Janelle Monáe | Album, Apr-27-2018, Contemporary R&B |
| #39 | Little Dark Age | MGMT | Album, Feb-09-2018, Synthpop |
| #40 | Cocoa Sugar | Young Fathers | Album, Mar-09-2018, Indietronica |
| #41 | How to Socialise and Make Friends | Camp Cope | Album, Mar-02-2018, Indie Rock |
| #42 | Death Spells | Holy Fawn | Album, Sep-14-2018, Post-Metal |
| #43 | Age Of | Oneohtrix Point Never | Album, Jun-01-2018, Progressive Electronic |
| #44 | TA13OO | Denzel Curry | Album, Jul-27-2018, Southern Hip Hop |
| #45 | A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships | The 1975 | Album, Nov-30-2018, Art Pop |
| #46 | Singularity | Jon Hopkins | Album, May-04-2018, Tech House |
| #47 | Drip Harder | Lil BabyGunna | Album, Oct-05-2018, Trap |
| #48 | Cheer | Drug Church | Album, Nov-02-2018, Post-Hardcore |
| #49 | OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES | SOPHIE | Album, Jun-15-2018, Bubblegum Bass |
| #50 | Nasty | Rico Nasty | Album, Jun-15-2018, Trap |