From Welsh up-and-comers like Adwaith and Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard to established big names like George Ezra and The Unthanks, here are what Buzz’s reviewers reckon are their best albums of 2022.

MAGGIE ROGERS

Surrender (Capitol)

July marked the release of Maggie Rogers’ highly anticipated second album, Surrender. Setting the bar high with her breakthrough debut album, Surrender sees a shift in sound and aesthetic but all for the better – a truly liberating and masterful album about rocking out and letting go.

words JOHN EVANS

ADWAITH

Bato Mato (Libertino)

Influenced by journeys navigating adulthood – beyond their native Carmarthen, even aboard the Trans-Siberian Express – early tracks Cuddio and Sudd are slick, postpunk-infused opening hooks, whilst Nid Aur picks up the pace before the striking bassline of Oren paves the way for the album’s closer.

words CHLOË EDWARDS – read the full review here

ANGEL OLSEN

Big Time (Jagjaguwar)

However uncertain of her own emotions Angel Olsen might be, Big Time is another astonishingly self-assured album, pitch-perfect in absolutely every respect: songs, lyrics, instrumentation, production, artwork. A stunning collection of tracks that sound like timeless classics from the very first spin.

words BEN WOOLHEAD – read the full review here

BUZZARD BUZZARD BUZZARD

Backhand Deals (Communion)

After teasing their ever-growing fanbase with EP after EP, frontman Tom Rees and his fellow bandmates have put together a collection of songs they’re prepared to package as an album proper. And it’s a perfect balance of all the elements we’ve come to expect from a band surely on the cusp of greatness.

words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES – read the full review here

PANIC SHACK

Baby Shack (Brace Yourself)

The enjoyment of making music with your friends shouldn’t be reserved to a male, indie, members-only club – but sometimes it certainly looks that way. Panic Shack have been spending the last three years building up a sizable following through word-of-mouth. This EP will surely blow open the gates to a far wider audience.

words ISABEL THOMAS – read the full review here

THE UNTHANKS

Sorrows Away (Rabble Rouser)

Sisters Becky and Rachel Unthank are able to provide so much genuine drama to their understated delivery of Irish and Northumberland folk songs they almost challenge you to keep listening. But these exceptional vocal deliveries are matched, if not heightened, by band leader Adrian McNally’s evocative arrangements.

words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES – read the full review here

LOYLE CARNER

Hugo (EMI)

Although they’re bolder and bolshier than before, the bars that Carner slings on Hugo feel more confessional than cinematic. He takes multiple tracks to chew over social issues like racism, black-on-black violence, and inequality, and threads personal stories throughout: it’s serious, but never veers on preachy.

words ALEX PAYNE – read the full review here

BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD

Ants From Up There (Ninja Tune)

An excellent sophomore album, Ants From Up There showcases a more focused and matured sound than their debut. Not long before its release frontman Isaac Wood left the band, but they’ve vowed to continue without him. Whatever happens next, Black Country, New Road have a hard act to follow.  

words MATT LEE

GEORGE EZRA

Gold Rush Kid (Columbia)

George Ezra’s soft, husky tones hit the spot yet again on Gold Rush Kid, and as on previous albums, his easy-listening guitar style leaves you feeling enveloped in a warm, safe cocoon. Single Green Green Grass induced in me the desire to dance merrily, while elsewhere, Ezra is more melancholy and mellow.

words BILLIE INGRAM SOFOKLEOUS – read the full review here

LET’S EAT GRANDMA

Two Ribbons (Transgressive)

Two Ribbons feels more accessible than past releases. The album’s first half includes the sentimental success of Watching You Go and the industrial textures of Levitation. The second half is all about the slow burners: the title track and the ambient, ethereal nature of Sunday.

words EMMA WAY – read the full review here

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

The 1975 – Being Funny In A Foreign Language (Dirty Hit – review here)

Björk – Fossora (One Little Independent)

Bonobo – Fragments (Ninja Tune – review here)

C Duncan – Alluvium (Bella Union – review here)

Charli XCX – Crash (Atlantic – review here)

Danger Mouse & Black Thought – Cheat Codes (BMG – review here)

Dry Cleaning – Stumpwork (4AD – review here)

Foals – Life Is Yours (Warner – review here)

Imperial Triumphant – Spirit Of Ecstasy (Century Media – review here)

Jukebox The Ghost – Cheers (BMG)

Julia Jacklin – Pre-Pleasure (Liberation)

Lee Fields – Sentimental Fool (Daptone – review here)

Muna – Muna (Dead Oceans/RCA)

No Devotion – No Oblivion (Velocity)

Venom Prison – Erebos (Century Media – review here)