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Every year the Ones To Watch staff is tasked with the difficult decision of narrowing down our best albums of the year, arguing over which projects left an impact on not just us but the culture at large. After much blood, sweat, and tears, we hand-picked 25 albums that defined 2023, from critically acclaimed collaborative efforts, striking debut offerings, and everything in between. These are the best 25 albums of 2023. 

25. Kevin Abstract - Blanket

It’s safe to say Kevin Abstract is past BROCKHAMPTON, made official by the murky maturity of his new album Blanket. The alternative record finds itself everywhere between minimalism and maximalism, paving the artist a stage fit for the telling of his solo story, decorated in cathartic distortion and delicate melancholia. Tracks like “When The Rope Post 2 Break” and “Blanket” lean into punk spirit and an indie-alternative sound, toying with artful noise. Notably, Blanket allows Abstract to really play with sound, seen in tracks like “Mr. Edwards,” with its distorted synth bass, ambient electronic glitches, and heavily processed vocals.

Continuing his experimentation, Abstract ends Blanket with a folk twist, mingling dark tones and Western flair. While “Heights, Spiders, and the Dark” is a touching profession of adoration, the final track, “My Friend,” embodies both sides of love’s double-edged sword—unrequited longing and untouchable admiration. The soaring pedal steel and fiddles that make up these two tracks end the album on a note of complete authenticity. Abstract guides listeners through a journey of genre-less ingenuity with Blanket.

-Abby Kenna

24. Teezo Touchdown - How Do You Sleep at Night?

Teezo Touchdown is one of one. In an industry plagued by fleeting trends and shameless pursuits of virality, the Texan superstar boldly rewrites music’s rulebook. The experimental rapper has a sound that belongs to no one, not afraid to infuse punk with hip-hop and mix potions that are both lethal and perfectly paired. How Do You Sleep At Night? is a debut album that only furthers that defiance, spanning across abrasive rock, sweet R&B, and more, all held together by his crooning vocals and affinity for clever storytelling.

A declaration of unrestricted originality and blinding self-awareness, we're witnessing a critical metamorphosis as he's finally granted enough space to stretch his wings and tell his own story. Though the guest features from Janelle Monáe, Foushée, and Isaiah Rusk do well to complement Teezo’s sound, they luckily don't hinder the magic that he has instilled in his music. From a massive headlining tour in the Spring to witnessing idols become fans, Touchdown is deep in well-earned stardom. 

-Jazmin Kylene

23. Gracie Abrams - Good Riddance

This year, Gracie Abrams delicately handed us her long-awaited debut album, Good Riddance, in the form of a tattered journal held together by a fraying pastel pink ribbon. She’s cute, but boy… is she hurting. Across 12 tracks, Good Riddance flips through the personal diary of a girl experiencing heartbreak, capturing the pain, hopelessness, and confusion through Abrams’ most honest songwriting yet. Spoiler alert: you will need tissues. 

Codependency, fear of commitment, and family trauma are just a few of the themes Abrams unpacks across the project. Good Riddance is painted in hues of grays and blues, reminiscing on the recent past through a foggy window. With acoustic pop production, subtle, hazy electronics, and minor chord progressions, the stripped-down instrumentation of Good Riddance allows Abrams’ songwriting and whisper-pop vocal delivery to sit at the forefront. Abrams’ vulnerability is her strength—you can hear the hurt in her voice. 

Good Riddance is an emotionally-charged journey through a very raw, human experience, and it is albums like these that serve as a gentle reminder that inside, we’re all the same. 

-Tatum Van Dam

22. Arlo Parks - My Soft Machine

A brave and delicate prose that peers into all of our hearts and diaries, My Soft Machine catalyzes another level in Arlo Parks’ artistry. As we enter an era of dismantling harsh labor and false digital lives while glorifying living softly and honestly, this indie-pop sophomore project soundtracks our spirit’s return home. Describing the process as a “painful inner diving,” it’s evident Parks used shards of her own bones to build this work. It’s a raw look into where her mind, body, and soul live in reaction to heartbreak, curiosity, trauma, friendship, and feeling lost in the same place you were once found. My Soft Machine honors the light, the dark, and the undeniably human.

An interlude-length intro that launches you into the depths of this project, “Bruiseless” is the pain that comes from longing for a time when innocence was still accessible. “I’m Sorry” is another particularly humanizing track, apologizing for not finding solace in healthy coping mechanisms, preferring to live numbed. The guilt bred from not doing life correctly is a unifying feeling, and Parks manages to speak to it while remaining ethereal and deeply intoxicative. Touring the album across the world to audiences full of welled eyes and bare hearts, My Soft Machine is an invitation to explore the wretched and the beauty of our internal crevices.

-Jazmin Kylene

21. Holly Humberstone - Paint My Bedroom Black

Holly Humberstone has always excelled in the realm of cathartic songwriting, but nowhere does this sentiment ring truer than in her long-awaited debut album, Paint My Bedroom Black. Written primarily while on tour with girl in red and Olivia Rodrigo, the UK singer-songwriter’s debut outing is inherently bittersweet, capturing the emotional peaks of playing to sold-out audiences across the world and the valleys of watching the lives of your loved ones play out on screens thousands of miles away from home. The result is an album that is as much about Humberstone as it is about everyone who has made the artist who she is today, punctuated by some of the universal yet deeply personal songwriting we have witnessed all year.

Paint My Bedroom Black is an ode to those moments when we want to shut ourselves off from the world, embrace our loved ones, and every shifting feeling in between—all carried by the simple yet impactful genius of Humberstone’s understated lyrcal depth and emotive vocal range.

-Maxamillion Polo

20. Kaytramine - Kaytramine

Indisputably the soundtrack to summer 2023, the unexpected yet divinely orchestrated collaboration between house icon Kaytranada and pop-rap’s lovechild Aminé turned the industry upside down while setting it ablaze. The duo we never knew we needed, their collaboration was secretly a long time coming. Their lead single “4EVA” quickly became a global favorite, partially thanks to assistance from Pharrell. Garnering nearly 40 million streams and setting high expectations for the project in full, nothing could have prepared us for the burst of color and life that was to come. 

A rich fusion of house beats and pop-rap, KAYTRAMINÉ is half an hour of pure delight. Amaarae’s feature on “Sossaup” became an instant career highlight for the burgeoning superstar, and “Who He Iz” is one of Aminé strongest lyrical performances yet. The project being recorded in Malibu only makes sense, as if the music itself is infused with stunning views and hedonistic flair. Made up of perfectly measured amounts of influence from both artists, KAYTRAMINÉ embodies the feeling of sweat on skin freedom. The album immediately became the heartbeat of every house party and hot girl walk, encapsulating the sunny season like few others could.

-Jazmin Kylene

19. Dominic Fike - Sunburn

The sticky, humid heat of Florida summers envelops much of Dominic Fike’s sophomore effort, Sunburn. It’s an album that runs us through childhood memories and coming-of-age tribulations and triumphs with a laissez-faire delivery perfectly suited to the musical polymath’s effortless intermingling of rap, rock, and indie. Yet, Sunburn is more than just bottled nostalgia and sunshine; it’s a testament to Fike’s unpredictable future framed by his his sweltering, sun-drenched past. 

If the Naples, Florida native’s debut album, What Could Possibly Go Wrong, painted the then-breakout star as one shadowed by the ominous, tantalizing promise of overnight, worldwide fame, Sunburn is a much more modest, reflective glimpse at Fike. The sprawling guitar lines, repeated phrasings, and jovial detours of Sunburn feel less concerned about painting a picture of what the industry or the world at large deems cool. Rather, with his sophomore album, Fike takes a moment to lose himself in the cascading waves and hot white sand of his still-burning youth, presenting us with an album akin to stumbling upon a note in a bottle—rife with mystery, intrigue, and unknown adolescent promise.     

-Maxamillion Polo

18. Sir Chloe - I Am the Dog

Sir Chloe’s debut album, I Am the Dog, is a biting alternative landscape brimming with '90s influences and punk twinges. It’s decorated with all the necessary pop sensibilities—hooky melodies and glittering arrangements—but graced with a delectably grimy finish. The crunch of chromaticism adds an edge to each riff, and distortion darkens the sound. Lead single, “Hooves,” depicts Sir Chloe’s experimental use of sound. Her vocals are processed in a subtly electronic style, sharpening the edges of the half-spoken, half-sung verses. There’s a reminiscence of surf rock in the guitar line and an altogether '90s flair in Sir Chloe’s punk-ish persona.

The titular “I Am the Dog” lives at the root of the album’s theme, explaining love as something all-consuming, nearly rabid in its bite. The album as a whole expands on this, looking at the chaos of life as a whole. “Daddy’s Car” leans into the brooding, slower notes of the record, with earnest melodies and slightly shameful devotion existing side-by-side. There are elements that nod to Mitski in the artful peaks and valleys of the song’s landscape, but ultimately, Sir Chloe can’t be defined. Her sultry rebellion is infectious, a bewitching sort of grotesque fascination, complete with animalistic imagery and fuzzed riffs. 

-Abby Kenna

17. 100 gecs - 10,000 gecs

100 gecs is a duo transcendent of genre, trends, and expectation. Composed of Laura Les and Dylan Brady, the pair have forged a musical fusion of absurdism and authenticity that’s resulted in a loyal cult following. Even with a three-year gap between albums, fans devotedly embraced 100 gecs’ latest record, 10,000 gecs, were only energized by the mythological hiatus. The album is an equally ludicrous and legendary amalgamation of sounds, perfectly embodying the duo’s production wizardry. Tracks like “Dumbest Girl Alive” and “Hollywood Baby” display their keenness to combine live sounds with computerization, layering the most pristine autotune over dry, likely-recorded-in-a-garage drums.

They’ve perfected this twist of electronic glitches with a punk heartbeat, allowing them to veer full death metal in “Billy Knows Jamie” and complete hyper-pop in “757” without either straying from their “sound.” Though the spectrum of influences throughout 10,000 gecs is vast, listeners can always count on 100 gecs to fully lean into whichever direction they choose, never failing to infuse their intelligent production techniques. Mad scientists of industrial hyperpop, 100 gecs continues to push the boundaries of their sound with 10,000 gecs. 

-Abby Kenna

16. Paris Texas - Mid Air

Brash and feverish, Paris Texas explodes beyond the laws of genre on the 16-track project MID AIR—their flag on the moon and declaration of untouchable stardom. The love children of Gorillaz and Flatbush Zombies, Paris Texas are characteristically known to marry rap with rock, neither at the expense of the other. Hidden behind blaring guitar riffs is incomparable wit, raw flesh, and honesty. While tracks like “Split-Screen” and “Closed Caption” are more lyrically heavy, singles like “Everybody’s Safe Until…” and “Earth-2” carry on early NERD’s heavy metal torch. “NüWhip” and “Airborne” reflect their marriage in the middle, proving their plasticity is a skill you can attempt to emulate but never fully master.  

Taking the palatable route would be too uninteresting, and Paris Texas demands to be blaring, in all capitals and several exclamations. A standout track is “Full English,” featuring Texas-based rap sensation Teezo Touchdown. It’s playful and silly, featuring a vocally harmonious bridge that eases back into the duo's regularly scheduled debauchery. Rambunctious and drawn outside the lines, Paris Texas pays no respect to the bland nor unimaginative.

-Jazmin Kylene

15. Ryan Beatty - Calico

Between Boy in Jeans, Dreaming of David, and his features across BROCKHAMPTON and Tyler, the Creator tracks, Ryan Beatty is no stranger to the music industry. However, with the release of Calico, Beatty is inviting us to witness the singer-songwriter at his most fully realized self yet. Calico is an album to be handled with care. Across nine tracks, Beatty writes from the heart, unpacking relationships with his family, his lovers, even himself, through narratives of long California road trips, nighttime walks into the woods, and getting lost in abstract thoughts about the planets and universes far beyond our conception. 

Each and every detail in Calico is intentional, whether it be through its strings and acoustic instrumentation or its clever writing and calm delivery; it’s hard to get through a full listen without shedding a tear. Calico feels like Beatty’s record to himself. The project lets go of any and all expectations, and what results is an ethereal, delicate masterpiece to be remembered for years to come. 

-Tatum Van Dam

14. Miya Folick - ROACH

Miya Folick's sophomore album, ROACH, is a rich and deep exploration of resilience laced with a dash of inebriety. Folick ditches happy-go-lucky pop perfectionism in favor of art-pop and chaotic yet soft indie rock where she furiously jots journal entries until she makes sense of the scribbles and rolls around in relatable, weepy, and cathartic self-loathing. Aside from its empowering frustration, its charm is in its depth as Folick seeks faith and direction in tracks like the angelic opener "Oh God," builds a picture of shame and despair on "Nothing To See," and waxes poetic on her wavering existentialism in "2007."

She forges a bond with listeners while the album wallows around in contemplation yet it remains laced with a bit of intoxication, hiding experimental production behind its corners, always sure to keep you on your toes. Elsewhere in the collection, there are moments where sunlight cracks through the drawn shades, especially in pop fantasy "So Clear" and pick-me-up banger "Cartoon Clouds," glimpses of subdued sunlight sure to shake away depression and soothe anxiety. Folick's ROACH invites the listener to embrace messy adulthood and push through whispering hungover epiphanies to survive.

-Alessandra Rincon

13. Panchiko - Failed at Math(s)

By all accounts, Failed at Math(s) is an album that in any other universe would not exist. The story of the once enigmatic Nottingham band’s 2023 debut album begins with the chance occurrence of a 4chan user stumbling upon a discolored 2000 demo EP entitled D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L in a charity shop some 16 years after its original release, earning Panchiko a cult following and the elusive status of the creators of a piece of lost media. This unlikely series of events would result in Panchiko’s resurgence nearly two decades after their dissolution and Failed at Math(s)—a debut album 23 years in the making and a lush, textured project that bridges a band seemingly lost to time and the adults they’ve become in that blank space.

Failed at Math(s) is a sprawling, atmospheric blend of dream pop, indietronica, and indie rock that feels akin to a waking dream. More than just an impressive body of work in its own right, it’s a story we often rarely see outside of fiction—the rare chance for a band, who would have likely perished in relative obscurity, to thrive in a new era while staying true to their experimental, genre-consuming sound.  

-Maxamillion Polo

12. RAYE - My 21st Century Blues

After years of internal disputes with her label, it appeared that Raye's debut full-length may never see the light of day. Thankfully, those years spent fighting were not all for naught, because My 21st Century Blues is a stellar work of art that should never have been shelved in the first place. Between singles like "Hard Out Here" and the smash hit "Escapism," this record is a home run. The UK hip-hop, pop, and R&B-inspired production is incredibly tight throughout the track list, especially on songs like "Oscar Winning Tears," which soars with a fittingly cinematic flair.

The songs themselves also match the instrumental quality, with Raye's sharp lyricism and dynamic vocal performances going hand in hand with the overall dreary vibe of the project. Other highlights include the beautiful "Environmental Anxiety," which starts with a Porter Robinson-like processed vocal sample loop before the hard-hitting drums kick in and elevate the track even further. Overall, it's a beautiful body of work that bestows RAYE the flowers she has always deserved.

-Alessandra Rincon

11. Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess 

Get in losers, we’re going to the Pink Pony Club. Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is pioneered pop perfection, celebrating femininity and sexuality through the lens of a small town girl trapped in the city of angels, gridlock traffic, and mediocre men. 

Glittering synths, spoken word dialogues, and infectious melodies – what more could you ask for? Roan writes and delivers with a firecracker theatricality; if glitter eyeshadow, lip gloss, and pink cowboy hats were turned into a sound, this is what they would sound like. Even during its somber moments, Roan’s writing remains overtly tongue-in-cheek; you can’t help but laugh in the midst of the chaos. 

Through a series of failed situationships, sleepovers with the girlies spent fawning over Regina George, and unforgettable nights out on the Sunset Strip, each track on The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess  is an honest portrayal of coming into, and discovering, oneself. It’s silly, it’s horny, it’s queer, and it’s undeniably Roan.

-Tatum Van Dam 

10. Slayyyter - Starfucker

LA-based pop singer-songwriter Slayyyter blessed our ears this year with the release of her sophomore album STARFUCKER. The twelve-track collection is an unapologetically extravagant body of work that takes listeners on a compelling journey through the pitfalls and trappings of fame, desire, and sexuality through a reinvigorated femme fatale lens and aesthetic.

With this album, from its synth-driven opener "I Love Hollywood" to the anthemic closer "Out Of Time," Slayyyter cements herself as a fearless force in pop music and a trailblazer in her craft, creating a body of work that is sexy and provocative but still makes room to display the big heart she wears on her sleeve. With its thirty-five-minute run time, she wastes not a second of her time on a genuinely unskippable album that demands our attention and begs us all to dance and let ourselves go. If anyone is coming even remotely close to doing the unapologetic pop camp of Gaga right, it's Slayyyter.

-Alessandra Rincon

9. Genesis Owusu - Struggler 

Genesis Owusu is the most original and exciting act to come out of the land down under this year, and the Australian artist's sophomore album STRUGGLER reflects just that. Darker and more focused than his debut album, Smiling With No Teeth, STRUGGLER is a stellar collection and further proof of the brilliance of this Aussie genius. It's versatile in genre fusions, combining genres like funk and neo-soul with hip-hop and synth-punk to create a sonic experience that is consistent and delightfully unpredictable.

Every track stands out and is connected with themes of struggling with faith, mental health, a rapid ascent to fame, and the overwhelming feeling of worthlessness. It's arguably at its best when it's leaning toward its post-punk tendency, with Owusu fitting perfectly into the genre's signature sense of attitude and gloom, delivering lyrics that are equal parts personal, biting, and hilarious. 

-Alessandra Rincon

8. PinkPantheress - Heaven knows

You have your whole life to release your debut project, and PinkPantheress took her time for good reason. Nothing about Heaven knows is rushed, noticed in the intricacy of its production and mastery of the breakout artist's storytelling. Lovesick and hopelessly hopeful, PinkPantheress bares all with flawless execution. The softest of its edges, the strength in its unconditional forgiveness, Heaven knows is a testament to femininity. Bedroom pop meets UK garage, and at its intersection, PinkPantheress lets her love be loud and spilled all over. While most of the album’s tracks sit at under three minutes, she’s offering more than her usual quick burns. The evolution in her artistry could have only come with time and feedback; we’ve begged for more, and she’s got enough stories to tell to oblige.

The project opens with the Rema-supported love song “Another life,” setting the tone for the album’s journey. Her devotion to everlasting romance is a theme threaded through the project, though she always manages to come home to herself. Onboarding acts like Central Cee, Kelela, and Ice Spice, PinkPantheress made it a point to remain light on the features, spotlighting the uniqueness of her dazzle while still celebrating the artists she now calls colleagues. As strong as debut projects come, PinkPantheress has cemented her slot in the pop trinity.

-Jazmin Kylene

7. Amaarae - Fountain Baby

If the apocalypse happens in 2024, I hope that the only trace of civilization left for aliens to find is an unopened copy of Fountain Baby. Synthesizing alté with futuristic pop stylistics, few records have blown me away this year like Amaarae’s, and after one listen it won’t be hard to see why. Fountain Baby is a cosmic and cerebral body of work that makes you feel like a beam of light is shooting out of your chest, and nearly every moment of the record is soaked in charm that is just as undeniable as it is understated. What sets Fountain Baby apart from an album like Hypnos or LP1, however, is that the album has a certain physicality that exists in perfect harmony alongside even its most lysergic moments.

“Aquamarie Luvs Ecstacy” and “Princess Going Digital” aren’t just lofty displays of forward-thinking ingenuity, they’re full-body highs that belong both in the club and in a literal dream. So many people this year have paraded around mourning the cultural “death of the pop star,” but after spending 2023 with Fountain Baby, I find it hard to agree with them.

-Carter Fife

6. Laufey - Bewitched

For the ultimate Bewitched experience, I’d recommend turning off the big light, lighting some candlesticks, pouring a glass of wine, inviting over your grandparents, and getting lost in the spellbinding world of Laufey. Bewitched has a little bit of everything. It’s jazzy, it’s pop, it’s classical, it’s bossa nova. It’s a dent-free collision between a historical past and the present day—an unsent letter of modern love and loss threaded between traditional jazz instrumentals, pop melodies, and classically trained vocals. With Bewitched, Laufey has achieved the unimaginable, she has made a decades-old style of singing and songwriting resonate across an entire generation. 

The first lyric of the project says it all, "Let me be a dreamer, let me float." Bewitched is for the people who fall in love with strangers on the train, who save every handwritten note and card they receive, and who have a childlike sense of wonder that transforms each and every mundane moment into a magical one.  

-Tatum Van Dam

5. Yeule - Softscars

Despite its swells of beautiful abrasion and waves of warm ambience, there is something about softscars that is so distinctly bleak and unsettling. There’s an unspoken tension laced into every minute of Yeule’s third LP, and it’s genius, moving the listener most during unexpected moments where emotion is weaponized into a laser-focused beam that cuts straight through to your heart. Tracks like “software update” do this best, depicting a scenario in which Yeule ideates a reality where their loved one is downloaded into their phone. Yeule vocally saunters as if they’re being dragged through the instrumental, singing “I love you baby / I love you too - / but you said it like you were programmed to." Like softscars itself, it's so beautiful it’s almost sickening. Fans of shoegaze and electronica would be wise to not miss this record as the new year approaches.

-Carter Fife

4. Noname - Sundial

Following the long-awaited release of Noname’s third album Sundial, the internet was filled with discourse trying to make sense of the album’s themes of honesty, reflection, and imperfection. While central to the record’s messaging, it felt like the thing that was missing from the conversation was the very thing linking them all together in the first place—an underlying thread of absurdism. Whether speaking on humanity’s many flaws and contradictions or being skeptical of people in power, Noname can’t help but highlight the ridiculousness of the human condition, and her own fame in the process.

She’s almost reluctant in the position that she’s put herself in because she understands that nobody is free from criticism, especially those put on a pedestal. For a record about embracing our faults, Sundial is slick as hell, and tracks like “namesake” are instilled with infectious charisma while Noname lines up some of our favorites in her crosshairs. From the dreamy opening moments of “black mirror” to the final moments of “oblivion,” Sundial is a much-needed dose of reality during a time when candor and humility are in short supply.

-Carter Fife

3. Olivia Rodrigo - Guts

2023 marked the return of all-American pop star Olivia Rodrigo with the release of her highly anticipated sophomore album, GUTS. The GUTS experience is nothing short of a wild read-through of the day-to-day diary of a teenage girl. Between delulu anthems and emotional sucker punches, Rodrigo has managed to intertwine heartfelt ballads with angst-ridden bangers, carefully curating each song with equal parts vulnerability and on-the-nose lyricism that ultimately paint an authentic portrait of girlhood. 

If SOUR was the initial heartbreak album, where Rodrigo is immediately hit with the earth-shattering feelings of “Why me? Why us? Why now,” then GUTS is every emotion that follows, in the form of checkered skirts, ripped fishnets, purple ribbons tied everywhere, grunge and grit, Paramore and Avril Lavigne, and just about everything else that made growing up in the sunny California suburbs in the early 2000’s bearable. Regardless of age, GUTS will have you creating a burn book for every person who has wronged you. Listen at your own risk. 

-Tatum Van Dam

2. Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

Desire, I Want To Turn Into You is a celebration of love and annihilation, an equally thrilling and tender exposé of high-octane yearning and emotional catharsis. It is the biblical angel of love albums, containing tracks whose depictions of affection feel just as alien as they do human. From Desire, I Want To Turn Into You’s most tantric moments on “Fly To You” to its glimpses of uncertainty on “Sunset,” Caroline Polachek effortlessly weaves together a gripping and pristine pop record that is sincerely one of the most unforgettable projects of the past few years.

Written in the wake of losing her father and emerging from a global pandemic, Desire, I Want To Turn Into You sees Polachek embracing the ephemeral and leaning into love’s captivatingly high-highs and its destructively low-lows. Despite its devotion to themes of closeness and spiritual connection, tracks like the infamous “Bunny Is A Rider” are sexy and fantastical love-letters to internal harmony via being off the grid, and Caroline is definitely off the grid.

-Carter Fife

1. Boygenius - The Record

The acclaimed father, son, and holy spirit of the indie music community, boygenius shaped the trajectory of music in 2023 with their collaborative debut album, The Record. With members Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker each representing different lanes of alternative, folk, and pop music, The Record similarly spans a colorful spectrum of sound.

Standout single, “Not Strong Enough,” captures each of the artists at their most balanced—Bridgers’ characteristically gut-wrenching lyrics pair with Dacus’ ethereal vocal delivery while Baker’s ear for musical arrangements and guitar color in the story unfurls in real-time. Then, “Emily I’m Sorry” twists the knife of regret with lilting harmonies and haunting lyrics, while “Satanist” stokes the indie rock flame at the core of the band, exploring devout love through the lens of various philosophies. Providing a window into the band's interpersonal relationships, “True Blue” depicts the platonic intimacy of boygenius that so many fans are drawn to.

In addition to being admirable friends, boygenius represents a true collaborative spirit that’s become a rarity in the era of solo artists and producer-songwriter projects, one not weighted down by unnecessary ego or clashing personalities. A genuine product of Bridgers, Baker, and Dacus’ individual strengths melted together, The Record is an instant classic, infused with indie rock mastery and carried by three of music's most talented artists. 

-Abby Kenna