Trial and Error Collective Presents: Our Favorite Releases of 2023

12/21/2023

Graphic by Andres Duarte

For the final collaborative blog of the year, members of the T&E collective share their favorite releases of 2023. Sharing over sixty albums, EPs and singles from across genres, it's time to wrap up the year by celebrating the music we love!

Parisa's Picks

Per my annual tradition, here is my top 10 presented in the form of haiku.
(Zine version coming soon)

Album: Mutations
Artist: Faizal Mostrixx
Favorite Song: “Onions and Love”

Afrofuturist
Weaving the past and present
Of Ugandan sound

Album: Abri Cyclonique
Artist: Polobi & The Gwo Ka Masters
Favorite Song: “Okipayason”

Creole expression
The sound of gravel
Running through water

Album: Akousmatikous
Artist: Salami Rose Joe Louis
Favorite Song: “Akousmatikous”

An alien plays
Dystopian space-age jazz.
I want to believe

Album: a.s.o.
Artist: a.s.o.
Favorite Song: “My Baby’s Got It Out For Me”

Moody dub trip hop
For when you’re feeling sullen
But still want to dance

Album: Blackbraid II
Artist: Blackbraid
Favorite Song: “Moss Covered Bones on the Altar of the Moon”

The sound of spirit
Embellished in moss and blood
Sustained in fury

Album: SAVED!
Artist: Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter
Favorite Song: “ALL OF MY FRIENDS ARE GOING TO HELL”

Judgment day hath come,
Let us celebrate in Hell!
In frith we burn bright

Album: Hive Mind Narcosis
Artist: Thantifaxath
Favorite Song: “The Lost Wisdom of Wolves”

To stand on the edge
Of an infinite black hole
Watching it collapse

Album: Noblesse Oblige
Artist: GODSPEED 音
Favorite Song: “強盗スケジュール”

Don’t mind me, I’m just
Sitting on a toadstool top
Watching the world pass

Album: i’ve seen a way
Artist: Mandy, Indiana
Favorite Song: “Injury Detail”

You scream into
An industrial tunnel
You hear nothing back

Album: A Comforting Notion
Artist: Heartworms
Favorite Song: “Retributions Of An Awful Life”

Like a sharp edged knife
It cuts with sheer precision
(But watch your fingers!)

Favorite singles of the year:
Lana del Rey - “A&W” and “Candy Necklace” (Pop)
7F0 - “ヒーリング剣 (Healing Sword)” (Electronic, Dub)
Kabeaushé - “These Dishes Ain’t Gonna Do Themselves” (Experimental hip hop, gqom)
Grian Chatten - ““Fairlies” (Alternative)
Warren of Ohms - “Flowers of Mononoke” (Mathcore, skramz)
Pete & Bas - “Quick 1-2” (UK drill)

Favorite archival releases:
サイケアウツ Cycheouts - Counterattack: Best Cuts 1995-2000 (J-core)
The Good Samaritans - Chapter One: No Taste Without Food If Hunger (Edo funk)
Xiao Yun - Purple Garden (Mandarin pop)
V/A - PRENDS LE TEMPS D'ECOUTER - Musique d'expression libre dans les classes Freinet / Tape Music, Sound Experiments and free folk songs from Freinet Classes - 1962/1982 (Experimental, free folk)
Shizuka - III (Dark folk)
Cheb Djalal - A moi la liberté - Early Electronic Raï (Algérie 1983-90) (Raï music)

Favorite concerts:
Etran de L’air at Hotel Congress, Tucson
Dry Cleaning at Hotel Congress, Tucson
Mayhem, Gorguts and Blood Incantation at The Rock, Tucson

Honorable mentions

Electronic
Jantra - Synthesized Sudan (synth)
Judgitzu - Sator Arepo (experimental, global fusion)
Sextile - Push (big beat)
PÖ - Cociage (experimental)
Yaeji - With a Hammer (house)
Zaumne - Parfum (ambient)
Fever Ray - Radical Romantics (electropop)
DJ K - PANICO NO SUBMUNDO (baile funk)

Rap & Hip Hop
Jeshi - The Great Stink (UK hip hop)
Temps - PARTY GATOR PURGATORY (experimental hip hop)
MC YALLAH - Yallah Beibe (grime)
Spook - No Country II: Hell on Wheels (The Ballad of Isom Dart!) (hip hop)
Apollo Brown & Planet Asia - Sardines (hip hop)

Pop/Rock
Mega Bog - End of Everything (experimental pop)
Annie Taylor - Inner Smile (grunge)
Shame - Food for Worms (post-punk)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - PetroDragonic Apocalypse; or, Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Beginning of Merciless Damnation (thrash, rock)
Frog Concert - Slumbering Sounds of the Frog Fellowship (cottagecore, ambient)
Trees Speak - Mind Maze (krautrock)

Metal
Portrayal of Guilt - Devil Music (black metal)
Khanate - To Be Cruel (doom)
ESOCTRILIHUM - ĄSŦRÅÅL ƇOƝSŦELLĄŦIOƝS OF ŦHE ṂAJÏϹKĄL ȤOĐIĄϹ (occult black metal)

Global
Ak'chamel, The Giver of Illness - A Mournful Kingdom of Sand (psychedelic, folk)
Aya Metwalli & Calamita - Al Saher (improvisational free jazz)
Fatima Al Qadiri - Gumar (experimental, ambient)
& all my favorite global releases can be streamed right here on Global Rhythm Radio!

Andrej's Picks

Album: Black Medium Current
Artist: Dødheimsgard
Favorite Song: “It Does Not Follow”

Dødheimsgard’s follow-up to their mind-bending, madness-inducing “A Umbra Omega”, “Black Medium Current”, is every bit as off-kilter and experimental, but in an entirely more beautiful and emotional way. Somehow melding together psychedelic rock, synth-pop, electronica, black metal, and with occasional forays into just about everything else, DHG continue to captivate and surprise. A truly unique and avant-garde band, give this a spin if you want to lose yourself in an altogether otherworldly and magical experience.

Album: Agonal Hymns
Artist: Nithing
Favorite Song: “The Seeping Pus of Ancient Wounds”

Relentless, disgusting, and impossibly dense; it’s basically 24 minutes of non-stop blasts, unintelligible guitar and bass noise, and inhuman vomit-gurgles, but in the best way. It’s a new bar for slam, and far and away the most brutal album of the year.

Album: Liber Lvcifer II: Mahapralaya
Artist: Thy Darkened Shade
Favorite Song: “Acausal Current of Thanatos”

Nearly a decade later, Thy Darkened Shade bring us the second installment of the “Liber Lvcifer” trilogy, gracing us once again with their unique brand of over-the-top technical, melodic black metal. It’s grandiose, ridiculously finger-shreddingly technical, perfectly produced, and it’s the best written black metal album of recent memory.

Album: Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags
Artist: Hellripper
Favorite Song: “Mester Stoor Worm”

The best of the slew of modern black/speed metal acts expands its sound to incorporate longer, more intricate songwriting, stronger melodic leads, and a plethora of new ideas. It’s ambitious, filled to the brim with riffs, and it absolutely rips.

Album: War Remains
Artist: Enforced
Favorite Song: “War Remains”

Perfectly fusing the aggression and death metal leanings of late ‘80s Slayer and Sepultura with a groovy crossover sensibility, Enforced’s approach to brutal thrash remains as vicious and visceral as ever. Their last album was 2021’s AOTY, and this no-nonsense, headbanger’s delight is 2023’s best thrash album.

Album: Hive Mind Narcosis
Artist: Thantifaxath
Favorite Song: “Surgical Utopian Love”

Dissonant, atmospheric, and as unsettling as it is esoteric, Thantifaxath’s second album continues these mysterious Canadian’s fixation on metaphysical claustrophobic anguish. The band’s knack for using ascending and descending guitar lines to create a sense of falling, both physically and existentially, makes a return, but this time as part of a much wider and weirder arsenal of guitar and songwriting ideas. Like the abyss that stares back, it’s engrossing in its bleakness and incomprehensibility.

Album: The Enduring Spirit
Artist: Tomb Mold
Favorite Song: “Will of Whispers”

Tomb Mold continue their evolution and sonic refinement, this time around mixing equal parts technical, precise death metal, and serene, flowing prog. With their most intricate songwriting to date, a greater melodic emphasis, and their continued atmospheric excellence, “The Enduring Spirit” is a bold and fantastic new direction.

Album: Typho-Tantric Aphorisms from the Arachneophidian Qur'an
Artist: Tetragrammacide
Favorite Song: “Intoxicated Bees of Sekhet-Aarhu Circumambulate the Abode of Self Beheaded One Who Forever Danceth in Her Shaktisexual Ecstasy”

In their second outing, Indian war metal duo Tetragrammacide scale back the noise, adding more structure, variety, and conventional metal ideas to their cabalistic chaos. Their fondness for creating a sonic blender remains, but it’s more precisely integrated into the clearer, more calculated traditional songwriting. The kvltest among us may balk, but this refinement is a welcome evolution of these unhinged experimental misanthropes.

Album: Om hundrede år
Artist: Afsky
Favorite Song: “Stormfulde hav”

Afsky’s gorgeous, impassioned black metal graces our ears once more and picks up right where Ofte jeg drømmer mig død left off. Operatic in its despair, it weaves delicate acoustics, pummeling and punctuating drums, and soaring, epic leads into a rich tapestry of Danish sorrow. You certainly have to be in the mood for it, but this bittersweet masterpiece will pierce you right through the heart.

Album: One Nightmare unto Another
Artist: Profane Order
Favorite Song: “In the Shadows of the Past”

Sepulchral, foul, and a tad cleaner than 2019’s “Slave Morality”, Profane Order’s latest trades in some of the predecessor’s tenebrosity for heavier, more visceral death metal. Returning listeners will pick up on the immediate differences, like the higher pinch-harmonic tone and face-punchingly forwardness of the vocal mix, but Profane Order’s character remains unchanged; this is feral, uncultivated war metal espousing hatred and calling for death.

Honorable Mentions
11. Dying Fetus – Make Them Beg for Death
12. Fen – Monuments to Absence
13. Wayfarer – American Gothic
14. Imperium Dekadenz – Into Sorrow Evermore
15. Spectral Damnation – Extra Æcclesiam

Alex's Picks

Album: Sting
Artist: Emarosa
Favorite Song: “Cinnamon”

I don’t know what Emarosa were thinking when they decided to drop an extra toasty album of the summer back in an extra wet and gloomy January, but I’m glad they did so. I have kept this album on repeat all year long and in my opinion, no other release this year was able to top it. It’s hard to remember that Emarosa started off as a metalcore band now that they’ve fully embraced their new synthwave identity. Lead singer Bradley Walden puts his 80s and 90s R&B influence front and center, and his vocal lines in the choruses for songs like “Preach,” “Cinnamon,” “INLA,” and “Rush” are a big part of why the choruses for these songs are where the album shines the most. If, deep down, you know that in a perfect world you’d be cruising around Southern California in a red convertible, this is the album for you.

Album: Would You Miss It?
Artist: Koyo
Favorite Song: “51st State”

Long Island’s legendary post-hardcore scene is still proving to be fertile and conducive to producing great bands in 2023. Koyo are a new group from Stony Brook who came out swinging this year with a fantastic debut album that hits like a breath of fresh air in a scene that can feel too steeped in nostalgia at times. The hardcore-tinged pop-punk five-piece has a knack for creating big, memorable melodies that will stay stuck in your head for days, and playing them with earnest intensity that hits hard without trying to be heavy. Some might compare Would You Miss It? to The Story So Far’s earlier work, but I’m personally reminded of bands like Planes Mistaken For Stars when I listen to this. Koyo made a statement for the next generation of Long Island hardcore, and the scene is better off with them in it.

Album: Ecos del Rio
Artist: Los Bosques
Favorite Song: “Soy La Lluvia (feat. Vicky Ripa)”

Los Bosques is a side project consisting of Uruguayan hip-hop DJ Tejo Mattioli and indie rock guitarist Diego Traverso. These guys have made a name for themselves within the Montevideo music scene as members of Latejapride* and Sante Les Amis, respectively, and as Los Bosques, they make chill downtempo electronic music with sounds inspired by their home country. Ecos del Rio (“Echoes of the River”) is an appropriate name for Los Bosques’ sophomore album, because these songs have a certain aquatic quality to them. It’s a blissful album that’s perfect to listen to through headphones whenever you want to just vibe out in bed for the afternoon and imagine yourself under the tree canopies of a lush tropical forest.

Album: PERMANENT.RADIANT
Artist: Crosses
Favorite Song: “Day One”

I was originally going to write about Crosses’ newest full-length album, Good Night, God Bless, I Love U, Delete, but I decided that I like their December 2022 EP, PERMANENT.RADIANT better. Good Night, God Bless… is a solid album with plenty of moments that I liked, but that album as a whole is very brooding and claustrophobic and stays that way for its nearly-full-hour length. PERMANENT.RADIANT is pretty dark too, but it has more pop influence that I think complements and lifts up Shaun Lopez’s electronics and Chino Moreno’s vivid lyrics and cool vocal delivery extremely well. Crosses also pull off a wide range of styles on this EP. “Day One” is something you would hear over the speakers during the daytime at a trendy cocktail bar. “Vivien” is an alt-metal track that could have been the lead single from one of the Blade movie soundtracks back in the 2000s AND has a self-professed nod to Britney Spears in the chorus. “Procession” would sound at home on a Tame Impala album. It’s only a little over 20 minutes long, but when all the songs are bangers, 20 minutes is all you need.

Album: Hot Moms Go To Heaven/Simp Party/Scorpio
Artist: Backseat Vinyl
Favorite Song: “Hot Moms Go To Heaven (feat. Club Coward)”

I’m lumping all of Backseat Vinyl’s singles/EPs from this year together since they collectively amount to six songs. The Denver three-piece are really good at making rad vibey hipster punk. They’ve been around for a while, and this year they hit their stride with “Hot Moms Go To Heaven.” The title track was one of the songs that I kept on repeat this year, largely because of its earworm chorus that draws you in and doesn’t let go. Backseat Vinyl are the band that I’m most grateful to have discovered this year.

Album: Godlike
Artist: Thy Art Is Murder
Favorite Song: “Anathema”

I was just going to put this in my honorable mentions because I don’t really listen to deathcore anymore, but this album is hella heavy and I want to give Thy Art is Murder an opportunity for monetization after they used this album’s release to take a stand against transphobia in the pettiest way possible.

Honorable Mentions:
Paramore - This is Why
Boygenius - The Record
Noah Kahan - Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever)
Waterparks - Intellectual Property
Odesza - The Last Goodbye (Expanded Edition)
Lana del Rey - Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

Randy's Picks

Album: Hazard of Love
Artist: Keiichi Sokabe
Favorite Song: "Futsu no Hi"

Keiichi Sokabe is one of my favorite artists currently making music. He began as the founding member of Japanese folk-pop band Sunny Day Service and has been making music non-stop ever since. His solo output is incredibly prolific, and he dropped two albums on the same day this year (the other album is a rap album titled Heaven 2, also worth checking out). Hazard of Love is my favorite of the two, and it’s ten solidly crafted pop tunes. The last track is my favorite, but his sense of melody shines throughout every minute of the album.

Album: Paint My Bedroom Black
Artist: Holly Humberstone
Favorite Song: "Cocoon"

Holly has a great voice and her songs all have great melody and texture. I came back to this album a lot. Great for night drives.

Album: Silence Between Songs
Artist: Madison Beer
Favorite Song: "Envy the Leaves"

This album blew me away upon the first listen. Madison has a very keen sense of song structure and her voice elevates it even more. The beat switch in "Envy the Leaves" gave me goosebumps. The transition from the song 17 to Ryder was another moment that took my breath away. Very much worth listening front to back.

Album: Selva
Artist: Marta Del Grandi
Favorite Song: "Chameleon Eyes"

These are great Italian pop tunes. Marta Del Grandi isn’t too well known in the states but look no further if you’re looking for some masterfully crafted melodies.

Album: Think Later
Artist: Tate McRae
Favorite Song: "Guilty Conscience"

Tate will likely get bigger and bigger as the years pass. The songs are all earworms. Don’t let pop music scare you away- embrace it.

Album: Mud On My Superstars
Artist: Keni Titus
Favorite Song: "If U Want"

Intimate songs sung with grace. The songs have warmth to them that feel like hugs. Keep an eye out for her future releases.

Album: Special Occasion
Artist: Emily King
Favorite Song: "Home Now"

One of my favorite current R&B singers. Emily has a great voice and the songs are all beautifully composed. Very pleasant on the ears. Home Now has been on repeat- that melody is absolutely sublime.

Chelsea's Picks

Album: This is Why
Artist: Paramore
Favorite Song: “The News”

Paramore is back with a powerhouse of a record that demonstrates exactly what it looks like when emo grows up. After 5.5 years without new music, the band comes together to create something brand new, showcasing the skills they’ve gained in that time. It’s clear that Hayley Williams vocals from her solo records have heavily influenced her vocal stylings in this record. (If you haven’t listened to Petals for Armor or Flowers for Vases / Descansos, yet, I highly recommend doing so as soon as possible.) The sound is very different from their old stuff, but still distinctly Paramore.

The moment I finished watching the video for “The News”, I knew this record would launch the Nashville natives to the next level. The video felt like an old school horror flick, and I was eager for more! The lyrics clearly point at the Ukraine / Russia conflict, opening with the word “war”, Williams says things that I think a lot of us have been feeling in the past few years. Even the video for the title track, “This Is Why”, feels a little off, in the best way possible. It all made sense when I learned that Williams had been watching American Psycho throughout the writing process. This record contains a beautiful blend of dancy tunes, provocative stances, and dreamy ballads. I am obsessed with this record, and I’ve been spinning the vinyl non-stop. Each time I listen, my favorite song changes.

I love to listen back to older Paramore, like “Pressure” and “Hallelujah” comparing the changes and growth in their sound and message. I’ve never been mad about a band changing their sound. Humans change constantly, it only makes sense that music does, too.

Album: The People’s Champ
Artist: Quinn XCII
Favorite Song: “Backpack”

This album was the album of the summer, for sure. It’s upbeat, dancy, and positive. All the things you want from a summer anthem, but it’s the whole damn record. There are some impressive features on this record, too, with Big Sean, AJR, Adrian Cota, and Chelsea Cutler all listed. For a guy who sings about never doing drugs, he sure seems to sing about doing a lot of drugs. “Backpack” is a favorite for just that reason. Every song just flows, showcasing the Michigan native’s expert lyricism. “Bartender” opens the record with catchy beats, but when you listen to the lyrics, they’re the same issues we’re all dealing with. The whole record is about the daily struggles we all deal with, even the pop stars we admire, hence the title The People’s Champ. Lyrics like “But I try, I don’t know if I’m a good or bad guy,” in “Black Porsche” remind us that we’re all human, and we’re all going through it. Closing the record is “All That You Need”, a piano ballad of self-love. “Cause all that you need is what you can’t see, but you’ve always had it,” reminds us that anxiety can hit all of us, and we can make it through.

Click here to check out a photo gallery I shot of Quinn XCII for Local Spins in Michigan.

Album: Portals
Artist: Melanie Martinez
Favorite Song: “Evil”

Melanie Martinez returns with her first record in three years, and the third and final installment of the Crybaby trilogy. This character first showed up in her debut album, Crybaby, then moved through K-12, and finally, the character dies and continues into their afterlife in Portals. The album is a reflection of years learning about hypnosis and reading others experiences, as well as her own experiences. This record still embodies the energy and sound of Martinez’s music, while growing up with her. She enters a more spiritual side, as she wrote almost half the album in a room she called The Portal Room. When sitting in this room, she would connect with the spiritual realm, helping to guide her songwriting. In the opening song, “Death”, there is a deep vocal track repeating “Dead, dead, dead” that was inspired by a voice Martinez heard while singing in The Portal Room. “I heard a spirit with a completely different tone than mine repeat a melody I had sung out loud in the silence and it sent a chill down my body. I was really scared at first.” But she used that as a confirmation from the other side to continue on. Lyrically, sonically, and visually, this album is complex and intriguing. I highly recommend listening to this record from top to bottom the first few times, in order to really understand the story. Every track is great in its own way, but some of my favorites are “Void”, “Battle of the Larynx”, and “Evil”. “Evil” is especially fun, with its rock and roll intro and catchy hook. I feel like everyone knows a narcissistic person who can relate to this song. The entirety of the album confronts death, grief, and the afterlife. While this could be an incredibly heavy record, it's light and dancy, teaching us to accept that death is inevitable, and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Click here to check out a photo gallery of Melanie Martinez I shot for T&E!

Album: Weedkiller
Artist: Ashnikko
Favorite Song: “Moonlight Magic”

Ashnikko’s debut album is experimental, dynamic, and interesting. Blending the worlds of anime and video games with that of hip hop and pop music. The songwriting is clever and witty, with funny bits weaved in. While writing this record, Ashnikko looked to Hans Zimmer for inspiration, telling her producer, Slinger, that she wanted the record to feel like it was scored for a sci-fi film. This came across brilliantly with the vibrant and visceral storytelling. She experiments sonically with organic sounds, stereo sound play, and unexpected dynamics. The way she manipulates the texture of sound and the sonic experience is so fun and playful. There is a strong dichotomy of hope vs hopelessness throughout the album. When talking about “Cheerleader”, Ashnikko says “there is a place for eroticism” in this dystopian world, showcasing that there can be hope. While writing “You Make Me Sick”, and talking to her producer, they both felt that she “really just needed to rage” during the writing process, showing some of the foreboding and hopelessness on the other side of the coin. She brings in themes of climate change and environmentalism in a fresh way that isn’t typically found in pop music. Overall, the record is cohesive, tells an incredible story, while experimenting with sound and texture.

Album: Take Me Back to Eden
Artist: Sleep Token
Favorite Song: “The Summoning”

In case you aren’t aware, there is a fair amount of lore behind Sleep Token. The vocalist goes by the moniker of Vessel, as he is merely the “vessel” for Sleep’s teachings. “Our identities are irrelevant,” Vessel explains, feeding into the occult-like nature between the band and its fans.

In the only interview Sleep Token has offered, Vessel says “Life is dark. Life is bright. Life is ugly. Life is beautiful. Don’t get lost in genres, they’ll only disorientate you. Music is for everyone.” And I feel like that is incredibly powerful. As we navigate through this life, music has evolved and changed and will continue to do so. Genres are beginning to disappear, boundaries are being broken, and artists are given the freedom to express themselves more fully. For Vessel to have recognized and expressed this way back in 2017, just shows that they aren’t afraid to break those boundaries and blend sounds together in a new and interesting way.

Their latest album, Take Me Back to Eden, is groovy, funky, in some ways poppy, and oh, so heavy. Demonstrating their seamless ability to blend and distort genre past recognition. There are songs that make you cry while others make you want to dance. The absolute beauty of duality and dichotomy in this record shines through. “The Summoning” is probably my favorite track on the album. It has this insane bassline that gets really funky towards the end of the song, and it has me grooving. Every. Single. Time. The imagery within the lyricism is so clear, with lyrics like “We were tangled up like branches in a flood” from “Chokehold”, I can see exactly what he is describing in my mind. “Are You Really Okay” feels kind of like a sneak attack. About half way through the record, this song begins so gently. When listening for the first time, you don’t expect for these lyrics to absolutely rip you apart, but by the first “Are you really okay?” I'm a weeping mess on the floor. You can feel the emotion in his voice, with breakdowns in the perfect places.

I was lucky enough to get to see Sleep Token during their latest U.S. tour at Riot Fest in Chicago. Aside from being thirty minutes late to take the stage, they put on a hell of a show. Hearing the songs from this record performed live was a real treat.

Album: Rush!
Artist: Maneskin
Favorite Song: “La Fine”

This band came out of nowhere and kind of took over my brain. My first introduction to Maneskin was a video of them smashing their entire stage and all the instruments. I was immediately horrified and intrigued. They seem like the epitome of a rock band. Or at least they front it really well. Their music very much reflects that lifestyle.

This album is so rock and roll. It’s catchy and dancy. It’s silly and weird. The album begins with “Honey (Are You Coming?)” with rich guitar riffs and catchy vocals. I’m immediately dancing. The whole album feels fresh and new and interesting, but also familiar and recognizable. Maneskin are from Rome, so it only makes sense they would sing in Italian. But they also do a lot of songs in English. And they blend the two so beautifully. There’s something to be said about listening to a song in a language you don’t speak, yet still feeling it. That isn’t the easiest thing to do. One of my favorite songs on the record is “La Fine”. Do I know what they’re saying? Absolutely not. But do I still feel the energy they’re giving? A thousand percent.

At the beginning of the year, I predicted Maneskin to be my artist of the year. I don’t know if they took that title, but they are definitely in my top 5.

Album: The Surface
Artist: Beartooth
Favorite Song: “I Was Alive”

I’ve been following Beartooth for quite some time. And most of the music they’ve made in the past is based on hurt, trauma, and pain. This is the first record where vocalist Caleb Shomo began to write happy songs. Shomo has stated that The Surface is kind of the polar opposite of their last studio album, Below. The pandemic hit hard for Shomo, just like it did for most of us. And it opened his eyes to his lifestyle and what needed to change to live a better life. He hits the nail on the head with the lyric, “I might die if I stay in this cold” in “Sunshine”, referencing his move from Ohio to California. In an interview, Shomo explained that the song is meant to capture the frantic state of feeling like you want more from life while also feeling stuck where you are.

Sonically, the album is classic Beartooth, with a fresh twist. The structure of clean vocals to gritty screams calls back to early Beartooth. While the sound is still quite heavy, there’s a lightness to this album that we haven’t seen before in Beartooth. You can feel that Shomo has pulled himself out of the darkness and is now returning to The Surface.

Check out a photo gallery I took of Beartooth for Local Spins in Michigan here.

Favorite Concert:
Fit For a King - The Hell We Create Tour
The Intersection - 3.1.23

At the time of writing this, I have already photographed 100 shows this year and attended a handful, so choosing one singular show as my favorite is an incredibly difficult task. I got to mark a lot of things off my bucket list this year, seeing a ton of bands that I truly love and admire. Some of my top shows from the year include Dayseeker, Beartooth, Bilmuri, Melanie Martinez, the Jonas Brothers, and Meshuggah. But the one that I am giving the title of best show of 2023 is going to Fit For a King on The Hell We Create Tour. Prior to this day, I had photographed FFAK about a half dozen times, almost entirely by accident. What I mean by that is I’ve photographed them as openers on other tours quite a few times before finally shooting their headlining tour. I love this because I was able to get to know their music organically through that, and it got me even more excited for their headlining tour. This was my first time ever shooting in the big room at the Intersection (aside from the Jammies), and I decided to begin my crowd-surfing journey at this show, as well.

Noa's Picks

Album: Something To Give Each Other
Artist: Troye Sivan
Favorite Song: "One of Your Girls"

No one can deny the infectiousness of this little British twink’s pop songs. I dare you to try.

Single: "ACTIVATE"
Artist: COBRAH

An absolute high-energy heater from our Swedish queen, COBRAH. This song has the ability to make you do unforeseen things. For example, I once put this song on at eight o’clock in the morning and suddenly a shaken shot of tequila appeared in my hand.

Album: I Don’t Want You Anymore
Artist: Cherry Glazerr
Favorite Song: "Soft Like a Flower"

Another solid Cherry Glazerr release. Soft Like a Flower is undoubtedly the highlight of her 2023 album. As a steady bassline kicks things off, her ethereal vocals elevate alongside the energy of the song perfectly.

Album: Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)
Artist: Yves Tumor
Favorite Song: "Meteora Blues"

Experimental, alternative, singable… Yves Tumor never fails to produce an interesting listen. They always put out something digestible that is, at the same time, just a little bit different.