While 2023 is all but over, it has been an incredibly interesting year for observing new trends in the music industry. This year has seen everything from Europop regain popularity, think TikTok comedian Kyle Gordon’s viral parody “Planet of the Bass (feat. DJ Crazy and Ms. Biljana Electronica). ” to an AI-generated collaboration, “Heart on My Sleeve,” featuring the voices of the Weeknd and Drake.
The end of every year brings, hopefully, some reflection. Here, the 2023-2024 Slick Staff has deliberated, listed, and provided commentary on their favorite albums released this year.
Izzy: “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift
We’re getting a major heavy-hitter out of the way first. This year, even more than others, has been a huge year for Swift. Swift’s Eras Tour is estimated to earn around $5 billion within the United States. Her most recent full-length release, a reworking of her 2014 smash-hit album “1989,” struck a particular chord with Slick’s very own Izzy Vosper.
Vosper said, “[The album] fills me with joy and makes me want to scream and shout.”
“I’d have to say ‘Slut!’ [is my favorite song]. It’s a lyrical masterpiece while perfectly encapsulating the ‘1989’ vibes Swifties know and love. It’s heart-wrenching yet an honest bop and I love everything about it” she said.
August: “Accept” by Dead Calm
Released in late September, “Accept” is an acoustically centered album that taps into nostalgia listeners didn’t even know existed.
Slick’s multi-hyphenated HR photography team leader August Berrios named “Accept” as a particular favorite from this year.
“Liam is one of my all-time favorite artists and this album showed how good he is at layering these melancholy and sad emotions with multi-paced tracks that are heavy on the acoustic side,” they said.
Berrios’s favorite track from the album is “Sink”.
Alani: “I Don’t Want You Anymore” by Cherry Glazerr
On the LA-based band’s new release, lead singer Clementine Creevy and co. deliver a project that goes from one extreme to another.
“I think it is the perfect ragey, girly album, and it’s so catchy. I think I learned most of the lyrics within the first few days of listening to it. Plus, it was featured on NPR. Support public radio!” said Team Leader Alani Browning.
Browning has two favorite songs from the album. “‘[Ready For You]’ is punk leaning and so much fun,” Browning said. Her other favorite is “Soft Like a Flower”.
“[It’s] a perfect mix of Hole and Florence and the Machine,” she said.
Tegenn: “Theatre of the Absurd Introduces C’est La Vie” by Madness
Perhaps best known in the US for their 1982 hit, “Our House,” the British legends released their seventeenth studio album to the delight of Team Leader Tegenn Jeffery.
“[The album] feels simultaneously classic but also refreshing and new, although I wouldn’t necessarily say modern,” Jeffery said.
His favorite cut from the album is the title track, “C’est La Vie.”
Jeffery said, “It starts so strangely, and I feel like it just keeps going at a downward trajectory tonally in the best way possible!”
Lila: “Starcatcher” by Greta Van Fleet
As seen in her article, “Who The Hell is Greta Van Fleet,” Team Leader and Co-Photographer Lila Concepcion is passionate about the music created by the classic rock revivalists. While Concepcion finds all songs on “Starcatcher” enjoyable, her absolute favorite is “The Indigo Streak.”
“[The song] starts with a trippy intro and Josh, the lead singer’s, iconic scream. The whole song is completely rock and roll and the guitar and drums are spot on. The best part is the first lyric ‘Wide-minded dreamer,’ in my opinion” she said.
Charli: “Zach Bryan” by Zach Bryan
Editor-in-Chief Charli Nguyen finds the emotional range of Zach Bryan’s self-titled project immersive and a particularly strong aspect of the album.
“Don’t get me wrong, some of the songs are depressing, but the songs are so good and there are barely any songs on the album that I don’t like,” she said.
Bryan collaborated with fellow country star Kacey Musgraves for the track “I Remember Everything.” It is Nguyen’s absolute favorite song from the album. “[The song is] about how these two people are remembering their relationship and admitting what they did wrong [in the relationship],” Nguyen said.
Author’s Choice: “Girl with Fish” by Feeble Little Horse
Richly textured, ranging from tongue-in-cheek songs like “Freak” to emotional devastation on “Slide,” the Pittsburgh four-piece created an album that’s simultaneously comforting and overwhelming.
Perfect for fans of noise pop, shoegaze, and general great music, lead singer Lydia Slocum delivers infectious hooks with the ability to produce grins or tears—all depending on the listener’s general mood.
Author’s Choice: “Desire, I Want To Turn Into You” by Caroline Polachek
Released on Valentine’s Day, this album has never been replaced in Album of the Year contention. “Desire” is a career-best album for Polachek, who explores the insatiable human desire for love and navigating that love in an increasingly dark world.
Reaching vocal and production perfection, Polachek gives listeners a sonic escape by tapping into tropical, ethereal, and even flamenco-inspired sounds.
Author’s Choice: “Scaring the Hoes” by JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown
Where to start with this project? The title uses an internet phrase referring to music, specifically rap, that finds home outside of the Top 40 and is deemed too abrasive for casual listeners—effectively scaring people away when played in public. Brown and JPEGMAFIA deliver exactly what the title suggests. “Scaring” is joyously explosive and expertly produced by JPEGMAFIA.
“Scaring” samples everything from choirs on “God Loves You,” Kelis’s iconic hit “Milkshake” to craft a rave-worthy outro to “Fentanyl Tester” and in the heavenly “Kingdom Hearts Key”, “Yakusoku wa iranai” from Japanese singer Maaya Sakamoto.
Like a hyperactive chariot of Apollo blazing through the sky, JPEGMAFIA and Brown make use of all the religious references to “Scaring” to create something truly glorious.
Blasts from the Past and Beyond
Of course, there’s always time to enjoy music from any given year. Staff favorites from years past include:
- “Die Lit” by Playboi Carti (2018) – Staff Member Kaylee Vu
- “The Normal Album” by Will Wood & The Tapeworms (2020) – Staff Member Rylan Lenihan
- “Solar Power” by Lorde (2021) – Social Media Manager Ollie Hart
- “Favourite Worst Nightmare” by Arctic Monkeys – Staff Member Melany Mariscal
- “Awaken, My Love!” by Childish Gambino (2016), “Karaoke Alone” by The Aubreys (2021), and “Decide” by Djo (2022)) – Managing Editor Zach Weisheit
The Year’s End: One for the Books (and Playlists)
There it is, the first “Slick Wrapped” is complete. Music remains the great unifier among people. Something can be said about how taking a step into another person’s music life can bring about greater understanding than speaking itself.
Happy Holidays, and listening, from Slick Magazine!
