The Forty-Five's Albums of the Year 2023

How do you vote on the best albums of 2023 – get a bunch of music editors and critics in the room to battle it out, that's how.

Published: December 10, 2023 15:54 Source

Rank Album Artist Info
#1 the record boygenius Mar-31-2023, Singer-Songwriter
#2 Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd Lana Del Rey Mar-24-2023, Singer-Songwriter
#3 GUTS Olivia Rodrigo Sep-08-2023, Pop Rock
#4 Raven Kelela Feb-10-2023, Alternative R&B
#5 Desire, I Want To Turn Into You Caroline Polachek Feb-14-2023, Art Pop
#6 Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? Kara Jackson Apr-14-2023, Singer-Songwriter
#7 The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We Mitski Sep-15-2023, Singer-Songwriter
#8 Blondshell Blondshell Apr-07-2023, Indie Rock
#9 This Is Why Paramore Feb-10-2023, Post-Punk Revival
#10 Sundial Noname Aug-11-2023, Jazz Rap
#11 That! Feels Good! Jessie Ware Apr-28-2023, Disco
#12 Honey Samia Jan-27-2023, Singer-Songwriter
#13 All of This Will End Indigo De Souza Apr-28-2023, Indie Rock
#14 Fountain Baby Amaarae Jun-09-2023, Afrobeats
#15 Wallsocket underscores Sep-22-2023, Indietronica
#16 UNFORGIVEN LE SSERAFIM May-01-2023, K-Pop
#17 Rat Saw God Wednesday Apr-07-2023, Indie Rock
#18 Black Rainbows Corinne Bailey Rae Sep-15-2023, Art Pop
#19 Messy Olivia Dean Jun-30-2023, Contemporary R&B
#20 Crazymad, For Me CMAT Oct-13-2023, Pop Rock
#21 My Soft Machine Arlo Parks May-26-2023, Bedroom Pop
#22 Scarlet Doja Cat Sep-22-2023, Pop Rap
#23 Red Moon in Venus Kali Uchis Mar-03-2023, Neo-Soul
#24 Girl In The Half Pearl Liv.e Feb-10-2023, Neo-Soul
#25 With a Hammer Yaeji Apr-07-2023, Glitch Pop
#26 Santhosam Priya Ragu Oct-20-2023, Contemporary R&B
#27 Mommy Be Your Own Pet Aug-25-2023, Garage Rock Revival
#28 I<3UQTINVU Jockstrap Nov-03-2023, Glitch Pop
#29 Soft Like Steel LVRA Mar-22-2023, Hyperpop
#30 Sweet Justice Tkay Maidza Nov-03-2023, Contemporary R&B
#31 softscars yeule Sep-22-2023, Dream Pop
#32 BB/ANG3L Tinashe Sep-08-2023, Alternative R&B
#33 Everyone's Crushed Water From Your Eyes May-26-2023, Experimental Rock
#34 falling or flying Jorja Smith Sep-29-2023, Contemporary R&B
#35 Bewitched Laufey Sep-08-2023, Traditional Pop
#36 Madres Sofia Kourtesis Oct-27-2023, Deep House
#37 Paint My Bedroom Black Holly Humberstone Oct-13-2023, Alt-Pop
#38 The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess Chappell Roan Sep-22-2023, Synthpop
#39 Lucky for You Bully Jun-02-2023, Indie Rock
#40 Bubblegum Biig Piig Jan-20-2023, Alt-Pop
#41 My 21st Century Blues RAYE Feb-03-2023, Contemporary R&B
#42 WEEDKILLER Ashnikko Jun-02-2023, Pop Rap
#43 Ride Or Die ARXX Mar-31-2023, Indie Rock
#44 Roach Miya Folick May-26-2023, Indie Pop
#45 In The End It Always Does The Japanese House Jun-30-2023, Alt-Pop
Markdown

| Rank | Album | Artist | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | the record | boygenius | Album, Mar-31-2023, Singer-Songwriter |
| #2 | Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd | Lana Del Rey | Album, Mar-24-2023, Singer-Songwriter |
| #3 | GUTS | Olivia Rodrigo | Album, Sep-08-2023, Pop Rock |
| #4 | Raven | Kelela | Album, Feb-10-2023, Alternative R&B |
| #5 | Desire, I Want To Turn Into You | Caroline Polachek | Album, Feb-14-2023, Art Pop |
| #6 | Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? | Kara Jackson | Album, Apr-14-2023, Singer-Songwriter |
| #7 | The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We | Mitski | Album, Sep-15-2023, Singer-Songwriter |
| #8 | Blondshell | Blondshell | Album, Apr-07-2023, Indie Rock |
| #9 | This Is Why | Paramore | Album, Feb-10-2023, Post-Punk Revival |
| #10 | Sundial | Noname | Album, Aug-11-2023, Jazz Rap |
| #11 | That! Feels Good! | Jessie Ware | Album, Apr-28-2023, Disco |
| #12 | Honey | Samia | Album, Jan-27-2023, Singer-Songwriter |
| #13 | All of This Will End | Indigo De Souza | Album, Apr-28-2023, Indie Rock |
| #14 | Fountain Baby | Amaarae | Album, Jun-09-2023, Afrobeats |
| #15 | Wallsocket | underscores | Album, Sep-22-2023, Indietronica |
| #16 | UNFORGIVEN | LE SSERAFIM | Album, May-01-2023, K-Pop |
| #17 | Rat Saw God | Wednesday | Album, Apr-07-2023, Indie Rock |
| #18 | Black Rainbows | Corinne Bailey Rae | Album, Sep-15-2023, Art Pop |
| #19 | Messy | Olivia Dean | Album, Jun-30-2023, Contemporary R&B |
| #20 | Crazymad, For Me | CMAT | Album, Oct-13-2023, Pop Rock |
| #21 | My Soft Machine | Arlo Parks | Album, May-26-2023, Bedroom Pop |
| #22 | Scarlet | Doja Cat | Album, Sep-22-2023, Pop Rap |
| #23 | Red Moon in Venus | Kali Uchis | Album, Mar-03-2023, Neo-Soul |
| #24 | Girl In The Half Pearl | Liv.e | Album, Feb-10-2023, Neo-Soul |
| #25 | With a Hammer | Yaeji | Album, Apr-07-2023, Glitch Pop |
| #26 | Santhosam | Priya Ragu | Album, Oct-20-2023, Contemporary R&B |
| #27 | Mommy | Be Your Own Pet | Album, Aug-25-2023, Garage Rock Revival |
| #28 | I<3UQTINVU | Jockstrap | Album, Nov-03-2023, Glitch Pop |
| #29 | Soft Like Steel | LVRA | EP, Mar-22-2023, Hyperpop |
| #30 | Sweet Justice | Tkay Maidza | Album, Nov-03-2023, Contemporary R&B |
| #31 | softscars | yeule | Album, Sep-22-2023, Dream Pop |
| #32 | BB/ANG3L | Tinashe | Album, Sep-08-2023, Alternative R&B |
| #33 | Everyone's Crushed | Water From Your Eyes | Album, May-26-2023, Experimental Rock |
| #34 | falling or flying | Jorja Smith | Album, Sep-29-2023, Contemporary R&B |
| #35 | Bewitched | Laufey | Album, Sep-08-2023, Traditional Pop |
| #36 | Madres | Sofia Kourtesis | Album, Oct-27-2023, Deep House |
| #37 | Paint My Bedroom Black | Holly Humberstone | Album, Oct-13-2023, Alt-Pop |
| #38 | The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess | Chappell Roan | Album, Sep-22-2023, Synthpop |
| #39 | Lucky for You | Bully | Album, Jun-02-2023, Indie Rock |
| #40 | Bubblegum | Biig Piig | Album, Jan-20-2023, Alt-Pop |
| #41 | My 21st Century Blues | RAYE | Album, Feb-03-2023, Contemporary R&B |
| #42 | WEEDKILLER | Ashnikko | Album, Jun-02-2023, Pop Rap |
| #43 | Ride Or Die | ARXX | Album, Mar-31-2023, Indie Rock |
| #44 | Roach | Miya Folick | Album, May-26-2023, Indie Pop |
| #45 | In The End It Always Does | The Japanese House | Album, Jun-30-2023, Alt-Pop |