Don’t look now, but the first half of 2022 is nearly in the books. And while there is still a ton of notable new music on the horizon for the rest of the year, it’s time for us to pause for a moment and take stock of the albums that have thrilled us the most over the past six months.
We hope you enjoy discovering—or rediscovering—the albums featured below (in alphabetical order). If you like what you hear and happen to have the means right now, we encourage you to consider purchasing the albums that tickle your fancy from the artists’ respective official online stores or your favorite music retailers.
See any of your favorite 2022 albums missing from the list? Let us know via the comments section below!
The 30 Best Albums of 2022…So Far
MANDY MOORE
In Real Life
Verve Forecast
Official Store | Tour Dates
“Stepping back and focusing on Moore’s output from Coverage onward, the sheer breadth of refinement executed from that project through her current offering is stunning. In Real Life is her most thrilling collection yet; fully realized and superbly constructed, it positions Moore to move forward in any direction she sees fit with a sound wholly her own.” – Quentin Harrison | Read More
MAREN MORRIS
Humble Quest
Columbia Nashville
Official Store | Tour Dates
“From beginning to end, Humble Quest is her most thoroughly rewarding artistic statement to date, with her many lyrical charms damn near perfectly calibrated with the superb soundscapes that propel the album forward. … Whether through strokes of serendipity or sheer determination or most likely a combination of the two, a select few artists do manage to finally break through and reap the rewards that Nashville has to offer each year, validating the twists and turns they traversed to get there. With her artistic integrity and, yes, humility firmly intact, Maren Morris’ still-unraveling story represents an inspiring blueprint for this phenomenon. And Humble Quest affirms that even with three major-label albums to her credit now, she’s still simply scratching the surface of what promises to be a remarkable career.” – Justin Chadwick | Read More
LEONA NAESS
Brood X
Messynaess/Awal
“Naess’ penchant for merging her crystalline vocals with memorable melodies has defined her sterling songcraft dating back to her acclaimed 2000 debut album Comatised and it’s once again on full, glorious display here on her first album in nearly 14 years. Although a relatively lean affair comprised of 9 songs across its 30-minute running time, Brood X unfolds as a powerfully evocative document of Naess’ experiences and self-awareness as an artist, woman, mother and daughter.” – Justin Chadwick | Read More
ANGEL OLSEN
Big Time
Jagjaguwar
Official Store | Tour Dates
“Co-produced by Olsen and Jonathan Wilson, the powerful Big Time is a more Country-influenced record than its precursors and features a heightened emotional depth within her evocative lyricism, inspired by the recent passing of both of her parents, as well as the dissolution of her first queer relationship.” – Justin Chadwick | Read More
PLACEBO
Never Let Me Go
So Recordings/Elevator Lady/Rise
Official Store | Tour Dates
“Years in the making, Placebo have done their part: Refined, relevant, and raucous, Never Let Me Go is a gift fulfilling both the promise of escape and resurrection—a perfect accompaniment to this strange new season of the pandemic and humanity itself.” – Rayna Khaitan | Read More
SALLY SHAPIRO
Sad Cities
Italians Do It Better
Bandcamp
“Eleven tracks deep, the album reinforces the duo’s proven penchant for exploring a multitude of sounds that straddle the convergence between various strains of electronic and pop. The group’s emotive and evocative songs may very well be best classified as music with an ever-beating heart and sympathetic soul—two things that we’re in desperate need of these days.” – Justin Chadwick | Read More
THE SMILE
A Light For Attracting Attention
XL
Official Store | Tour Dates
“Simultaneously a vehicle for dusting off previously unreleased material (Thom Yorke first performed album standouts ‘Open the Floodgates’ and ‘Skrting on the Surface’ back in 2009) and a vessel for collaborative experimentation of the most intriguing order, the band’s inaugural affair is an engrossing and inspired experience that reveals new dimensions and instrumental nuances upon each subsequent listen.” – Justin Chadwick | Read More
SOCCER MOMMY
Sometimes, Forever
Loma Vista/Concord
Official Store | Tour Dates
“An unapologetic rock record with massive hooks, dynamic instrumentation, spectacular mixing, and a definable arc. It clearly announces itself as a complete work, a refreshingly clear and honest piece that knows itself, even as Sophie Allison, the storyteller at the heart, is trying to figure out who she is.” – Jeremy Levine | Read More
HARRY STYLES
Harry’s House
Columbia/Erskine
Official Store | Tour Dates
“Unquestionably his most lyrically incisive and thematically introspective work of his still-blossoming career (the ‘house’ in its title arguably a metaphor for Styles’ mind), the kaleidoscopic Harry’s House also represents his most expansive and engaging project sonically, owing to the multiple strains of modern pop that coexist and captivate throughout its thirteen compositions.” – Justin Chadwick | Read More
EARL SWEATSHIRT
SICK!
Tan Cressida/Warner Bros.
Official Store | Tour Dates
“Overall, Earl is undoubtedly getting better, and is amongst the cream of his ‘class’ that came of age during the 2010s. … SICK! is definitely an album of the now, and Earl has managed to channel the weariness of living in these times into becoming better at his craft. We take our victories anywhere we can.” – Jesse Ducker | Read More
TEARS FOR FEARS
The Tipping Point
Concord
Official Store | Tour Dates
“The Tipping Point is an album that takes a few listens to really discover all the hidden gems it contains. It may be sparse on the straight-up hits that many fans may be hoping for or even hanging onto. But that sparseness doesn’t make it any less worthy of delving into. In totality, The Tipping Point is a warm and welcome return to stir the bittersweet emotions in us all.” – Andy Healy | Read More
EDDIE VEDDER
Earthling
Republic/Seattle Surf
Official Store | Tour Dates
“Produced by Andrew Watt (Dua Lipa, Ozzy Osbourne, Post Malone), Earthling features contributions by a handful of esteemed collaborators, including Vedder’s two teenage daughters, Elton John, Ringo Starr, and Stevie Wonder. Most notably, however, Earthling reminds us that with or without his beloved band Pearl Jam, Vedder increasingly warrants inclusion among the rarefied group of America’s greatest songwriters.” – Justin Chadwick | Read More
THE WEEKND
Dawn FM
XO/Republic
Official Store | Tour Dates
“Beyond the retro leanings of the music itself, what’s so distinctive about this project relative to his previous releases is the significant amount of attention that was devoted to the sequencing of the album’s tracks. … With his fantastic fifth studio album, The Weeknd definitely sets the tone and bar high as we usher in a new year with plenty of new music on the horizon.” – DC Hendrix | Read More
WET LEG
Wet Leg
Domino
Official Store | Tour Dates
“Wet Leg is overarchingly sassy and punk-rock and lyrically shocking in the vein of many of its singles, but the album in its entirety has the layered depth I was hoping for, rounded out by pop hooks, disco and glam-rock elements, sublimely weird electronic accents, deft guitar, and incredibly beautiful vocals that demonstrate the impressive range of both singers.” – Erika Wolf | Read More
PETE YORN
Hawaii
Shelly Music
Bandcamp | Tour Dates
“Hawaii’s brevity and clarity prove to be blessings, as the ten tracks presented here waste no time in illuminating Yorn’s (and his co-producer confidante Jackson Phillips’) well-proven penchant for crafting songs that merge instantly memorable guitar-driven melodies with lyrical resonance and depth.” – Justin Chadwick | Read More