As we delve into the new year, we should celebrate some of our favorite albums that came out in 2020. We are four years into this decade, so while we await new releases from our beloved artists, let’s give some appreciation to iconic records from the ‘Quarantine Era.’ Check out these 11 albums that said what everyone was feeling at this time.
Tame Impala
On Valentine’s Day, Tame Impala released their fourth studio album, “The Slow Rush.” Famous for the fun, upbeat, modern take on psychedelic, “Borderline” is the most popular song off the album, but the good tunes don’t stop there. The album starts with a strange yet jaunty track titled “One More Year” and ends with a high-pitched, bittersweet companion, “One More Hour.” The album encompasses the beginning of the year before world isolation ensued, an introduction to a hopeful year in the new decade that was sadly tainted with a worldwide pandemic.
WILLOW + Tyler Cole = THE ANXIETY
THE ANXIETY is a duo musical group made up of Willow Smith and Tyler Cole. They made one self-titled record together and released it on March 13. The band is described by a lot of different genres, but they mostly make alternative modern-punk mixed with dream-pop and soul sounds. The album is a ten-track cope through different explosive emotions—namely anxiety, hence the band’s name. The duo’s main focus in making music encompassed a variety of feelings and was created to advocate for mental health. One of their songs, “Meet Me At Our Spot” got popular in the last few years, but some other notable tracks include “Fight Club,” “Entertain,” and “The System.”
Childish Gambino
Donald Glover’s musical pseudonym, Childish Gambino, has been known for his deep-cut work in the form of soul, funk, and rap. This studio album was released on March 15, amidst all the news and widespread lockdown. Many of the songs are titled merely with numbers like the funk-pop hit “19.10.” The album is very flavorful, much like his previous release “Awake, My Love!” from 2016. He’s no stranger to creative approaches to music, playing with vocals and instrumentals to create a special atmosphere for every album. A necessary listen on the album is definitely “24.19.”
Rina Sawayama
Rina Sawayama’s first two records were both self-titled, “RINA” in 2017, then “SAWAYAMA” three years later. It’s always a bold, yet smart, move to name your albums after yourself. It gets your name out there, and when you’re as artistic, bold, and avant-garde as Sawayama is it’s the route to take. One of the album’s best songs is “XS” which is a play on the word excess because of its commentary on overspending, luxury items, and consumerism. Another amazing track for its production and stadium crowd sound is “Who’s Gonna Save U Now?” The album is full of great pop songs with various styles. Sawayama has an amazing voice and a stellar vision.
Phoebe Bridgers
A popular bandmate of the indie supergroup Boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers’, second studio album, “Punisher,” is an album made to make you weep. From the title track to “Moon Song” to “I Know The End,” it’s limitlessly sad, each lyric of each song cuts deep and hits hard. It’s a heart-wrenching conglomeration of loss, breakups, obsession, and trauma. She jam-packed the album with so many passionate concepts it’s easy to relate to some parts of the record.
Taylor Swift
Iconic singer, Taylor Swift, released two sister albums in 2020, “Folklore” and “Evermore.” These two albums were like a ‘Blue Period’ for Swift, putting out incredibly emotional and thought-provoking tracks like “My Tears Ricochet,” “Mirrorball,” “This Is Me Trying,” and “Illicit Affairs.” Though she sings about her feelings and experiences throughout the album, she also creates a fictional story that unveils itself throughout a couple of songs. The triple songs “Cardigan,” “August,” and “Betty” are essential to the world-building of these characters. It was an interesting endeavor for the singer, considering she is wildly famous for songs about her own experiences, but it was a refreshing switch-up.
While “folklore” has stories and soul-crushing, relatable lyrics, “evermore” delivers a different feeling. It’s less hopeless and agonizing, metaphorically it’s partly cloudy skies after a hurricane. There are still sad concepts with seasonal depression dragging these sister albums into graves of hurt. Both “Champagne Problems” and “Tolerate It” are stupendous examples of Swift’s constant hurt bleeding into her music. This album more so represents wistful grief.
Maya Hawke
“Blush” is Maya Hawke’s debut album as a singer showcasing her indie-folk sound. She has a soft yet almost raspy singing voice that makes all her songs sound like a beautiful story. The song is entirely her own, a space for her to explore herself as a writer. Hawke makes a name for herself despite her parents, Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Despite the nepotism impeded in her very blood, the talent is evident in her emotionally charged and colorful words and beautiful instrumental arrangements. Though most of the songs are soft displays of human emotions and experiences, “Animal Enough” is a huge stand-out song for its louder vocals and guitar. It’s vastly different from the sound she had previously established for herself.
Declan McKenna
British artist, Declan Mckenna, is a fabulous modern rock musician who wrote his most popular song, “Brazil” at 15. The first track to his sophomore album, “Zeros,” is an example of McKenna’s explosive sound and style. “You Better Believe!!!” has great instrumentation and is very upbeat, McKenna has a knack for energetic music. He has a very distinct electronic sound mixed in with traditional tools like guitar and drums.
The Neighbourhood
The Neighbourhood, made famous for songs like “Sweater Weather” and “Daddy Issues,” made an album loosely styled after David Bowie’s iconic 1972 album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spider From Mars.” By far the most interesting track is “Lost in Translation” for its almost soul intro that transitions into an upbeat pop song. This lighter concept works for The Neighbourhood, it’s so vastly different from their previous aesthetic of blacks and dark greys, and it’s a nice breath of fresh air.
Paul McCartney
Famous ex-Beatle, Paul McCartney, has been making albums as a solo artist since 1970, and in 2020 he released his third self-titled album. Despite McCartney’s age, “Find My Way” really holds up. It’s an optimistic, vocally impressive, and dynamic song. As always, the instrumentals are amazing, just like on “Lavatory Lil” and “Slidin’.” It’s inspiring to see McCartney still putting out music after all these years. Hopefully, he can continue to release records for more years to come.
As these albums age and we slowly leave the days of our quarantine in the past, something that won’t fade is our favorite albums from the year. Let’s continue to celebrate the music created for us during such a debilitating time in our lives.
