ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2020
The Square One Magazine team joined together to curate a playlist of our favourite albums from this year.
HOW I’M FEELING NOW - CHARLI XCX
FAVOURITE TRACK: ‘C2.0’
ROSIE CHALK
Leaving no time wasted during lockdown, Charli XCX worked almost entirely on her own with limited resources, birthing How I’m Feeling Now. The album pulls out every skeleton from her closet allowing her to take a step back and realise what really matters. With simultaneously pushing musical boundaries with new influences ranging from EDM to hyper-pop and spoken word, she does it all.
PETALS FOR ARMOR - HAYLEY WILLIAMS
FAVOURITE TRACK: ‘WHY WE EVER’
TAMMY WALTERS
An idol to many side-fringe wearing Gen Y’s, the evolution of Paramore frontwoman, Hayley Williams, has been remarkable, but she has truly flowered in her first foray as a solo artist. Petals For Armor is an unbounded, introspective journal of vulnerability, strength, restraint and experimentation that caresses' both heart and mind.
FAVOurITE TRACK: ‘ONE MORE YEAR’
ELISHA CLOUGHTON
An experimental album yet somehow still with classic Tame Impala sounds, Kevin Parker does it again. Hip-hop and r'n'b beats fused together with classic acid house synths makes for unexpectedly great pairing, and the fact Parker comes up with and records everything by himself is forever admirable.
FAVOurITE TRACK: ‘TICKET TO HEAVEN’
GEORGIA GRIFFITHS
Australian producer Alice Ivy’s sophomore album Don’t Sleep is one of 2020’s best albums; an airy bright spot in an otherwise drab year. Released in July, the album features 14 collaborators but never feels overcrowded as Ivy draws it all together with her slick electronic production.
FAVOurITE TRACK: ‘THE FREAK SHOW’
EMILY YOUNG
After a year of endless work in the form of a YouTube series and a virtual tour, YUNGBLUD has landed himself a #1 album with Weird!. The coming-of-age record shifts between genres while discussing key issues such as transphobia, sexual fluidity and mental health struggles, leaving you feeling refreshed and not alone.
NOTES ON A CONDITIONAL FORM - THE 1975
FAVOUrITE TRACK: ‘ME & YOU TOGETHER SONG’
KAYLA SPAAR
The Manchester band’s fourth studio album featuring the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Greta Thunberg was just what we all needed to get through the highs and lows of 2020. Hits such as “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)”, “Me & You Together Song”, and “Frail State of Mind” bring on the serotonin, while sentimental tunes such as “Guys” and “Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)” remind us of those we love (even from afar).
FAVOUrITE TRACK: ‘FINALLY // BEAUTIFUL STRANGER’
YANI BLACKBURN
At the beginning of this chaotic year, Halsey put out an album, ironically named “Manic”. Throughout the course of 16 songs, Halsey bares her soul to the world in the form of poetic alternative pop with the best song being “Finally // Beautiful Stranger”. This beautiful album will leave you speechless.
FAVOurITE TRACK: ‘EDGELORD’
SAPPHIRE ANASTASIA
My Agenda is the queer anthem of 2020. The collaborations with iconic artists like Village People and Rebecca Black, truly set this album apart from the rest. Dorian Electra defies genre binaries as well as gender binaries. This self produced artist is finally giving non-binary people the represenation they deserve.
RAZZMATAZZ - I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
FAVOUrITE TRACK: ‘NEED YOU HERE’
shyla davidson
After being teased for years, Razzmatazz was well worth the wait, and includes many elements that create nostalgia for fans of their former band. With lore secretly hidden in plain sight and odes of love for their families, I Don’t Know How but They Found Me seem to find a way to tie all of their releases together, and it makes fans excited to see the next part of the story.
WAKE UP, SUNSHINE - ALL TIME LOW
FAVOurITE TRACK: ‘SAFE’
EMILY YOUNG
All Time Low hit the mark with their eighth studio album this year, landing a #1 spot on the charts with track ‘Monsters’ for 14 weeks and counting. Filled with hints of the early days of the band while combining new elements creates the perfect soundtrack for the summer, even when you’re stuck indoors on quarantine. Featuring the likes of Blackbear and The Band Camino showcase the band’s flawless ability to cater to any age of fans, whether new or old.
FAVOurITE TRACK: ‘candy’
viviana mendoza
With only three songs, Holy Fawn's 'The Black Moon' is a hauntingly beautiful out of body experience from start to finish. Infused with shoegazey guitar riffs and shattering drumrolls, it dives deep into ambient pools of emotion & dark hypnotic vocals, 'The Black Moon' is a voyage through a mysterious moonlit soundscape that Holy Fawn has perfected.