These are the best albums of 2022

Whether you’re looking for suggested listening or want to compare notes, check out these lists of the 10 best albums of 2022, by six music writers at Cult MTL.

The Best Albums of 2022

Stephan Boissonneault

• Yoo Doo Right, A Murmur, Boundless to the East (Mothland)
• Fontaines D.C., Skinty Fia (Partisan)
• Open Mike Eagle, a tape called component system with the auto reverse (Auto Reverse)
• Sunglaciers, Subterranea (Mothland)
• Angel Olsen, Big Time (Jagjaguwar)
• Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (4AD)
• Cate Le Bon, Pompeii (Mexican Summer)
• Saba, Few Good Things (Saba Pivot LLC)
• Viagra Boys, Cave World (Year0001)
• Weyes Blood, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow (Sub Pop)

Jacob Carey

• Orville Peck, Bronco (Sub Pop)
• The Weeknd, Dawn FM (XO)
• Pusha T., It’s Almost Dry (GOOD Music/Def Jam)
• Alex Cameron, Oxy Music (Secretly Canadian)
• Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope)
• Post Malone, Twelve Carat Toothache (Republic)
• The Sheepdogs, Outta Sight (Dine Alone)
• Arcade Fire, WE (Columbia)
• Steve Lacy, Gemini Rights (RCA)
• DVSN, Working on My Karma (OVO Sound)

Johnson Cummins

• PJ Harvey, B-Sides, Demos & Rarities box set (Island/Universal)
• Off!, Free LSD (Fat Possum)
• The Beatles, Revolver Special Edition Super Deluxe (Apple/Capitol)
• Spiritualized, Everything Was Beautiful (Fat Possum)
• Spoon, Lucifer on the Sofa (Matador)
• Darkthrone, Astral Fortress (Peaceville)
• Boris, Heavy Rocks (Relapse)
• Locrian, New Catastrophism (Profound Lore)
• Guided by Voices, Crystal Nuns Cathedral (GBV Inc.)
• Neu!, 50! box set (Grönland)

Brandon Kaufman

• Beyoncé, Renaissance (Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia)
• Una Rose, Myth Between (independent)
• Les Rallizes Denudes, Mars Studio 1980 (Phoenix)
• The Chats, Get Fucked (Bargain Bin)
• Conway the Killer, God Don’t Make Mistakes (Shady)
• Benny the Butcher, Tana Talk 4 (Griselda/Black Soprano Family/Empire)
• Badge Époque Ensemble, Clouds of Joy (Telephone Explosion)
• Joni Mitchell, The Asylum Albums (1972–1975) (Rhino)
• Vince Staples, Ramona Park Broke My Heart (Motown/Blacksmith)
• Harvey Sutherland, Boy (Clarity)

Darcy MacDonald

• Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope)
• Lisa Leblanc, Chiac Disco (Bonsound)
• JID, The Forever Story (Dreamville/Interscope)
• Danger Mouse & Black Thought, Cheat Codes (BMG)
• DOMi & JD Beck, NOT TiGHT (Apeshit/Blue Note)
• P’tit Belliveau, Un homme et son piano (Bonsound)
• billy woods, Aethiopes (Backwoodz Studioz)
• Backxwash, HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING (Ugly Hag)
• OFF!, Free LSD (Fat Possum)
• Phife Dawg, Forever (Smokin’ Needles)

Dave MacIntyre

• Alex G, God Save the Animals (Domino)
• Alvvays, Blue Rev (Polyvinyl)
• Dry Cleaning, Stumpwork (4AD)
• Fontaines D.C., Skinty Fia (Partisan/Rough Trade)
• Nilüfer Yanya, Painless (ATO)
• Phoenix, Alpha Zulu (Loyauté/Glassnote)
• The Smile, A Light for Attracting Attention (XL)
• Steve Lacy, Gemini Rights (L-M/RCA/Sony)
• Sunglaciers, Subterranea (Mothland)
• Wet Leg, Wet Leg (Domino)

This article was originally published in the December 2022 issue of Cult MTL.

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