5. Holding Absence: The Noble Art Of Self Destruction
The third studio album by Holding Absence is a glorious return to their very best. The Noble Art Of Self Destruction is a beautifully crafted album that draws on life experience and explores darker themes. This album really plays with your emotions with some incredible lyrics and vocals from the talented frontman Lucas Woodland. The band are now experts in their craft and this album feels like more of a return to their earlier music which was more raw and less commercial. Their success is deserved and this record shows them at their best with brilliant melodies and hooks that make you want to listen on. When you delve deeper into this album and the meaning, you start to see the beauty through heartfelt lyrics. Expertly produced and performed, it all accumulates to make this a very good album.
4. Inhaler: Cuts & Bruises
The second album by Irish indie band Inhaler is a glorious one with them improving from their debut. Cuts & Bruises is a brilliant indie record that has you hooked throughout. It is catchy and fun but also serious with excellent hooks and melodies. Catchy choruses are usually a cliche in indie music but they work better on this album because there is more experimentation with the sound which makes it unique and diverse. Drawing on influence from past indie rock bands, Inhaler emerge as the new frontrunners. There are some great songs on this record and none that are bad with incredible lyrics and vocals from Eli Hewson and musical expertise from the rest of the band. Their debut record was great, but this is even better and can be listened to on repeat.
3. Sleep Token: Take Me Back to Eden
Sleep Token’s third album is near perfection. The title track and others make you feel like you are ascending. The way it blends genres seamlessly is mesmerising. Take Me Back to Eden takes you on a beautiful journey through self discovery and heartbreak. It carries an element of surprise with more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, you never know what is coming next but what you are presented with is one incredible song after another. The production of this album is the most professional yet and the lyrics are so clever. Some of the best songs of the year also feature on this album which makes it such an excellent listen. One or two songs are less perfect but still showcase what the band are capable of doing.
2. Polaris: Fatalism
Fatalism is the third studio album by Australian band Polaris and was released in early September this year. This is a pure masterpiece and easily metalcore album of the year. A beautiful piece of work with excellent guitar work, vocals, bass and drums which make all elements of this perfect. The songs on this are all bangers and could easily make top 10 lists with pure and brutal metal that is balanced with crafted vocals and meaningful lyrics. Production of this is also some of the best which elevates the album to the next level, taking you on a journey. It never gets boring and you are hooked for the duration by switching the tempo track by track with catchy choruses and melodies.
1. The Murder Capital – Gigi’s Recovery
And the best album of 2023 goes to Gigi’s Recovery by The Murder Capital. On their second studio album, The Murder Capital have produced something that is very special, Gigi’s Recovery is utter perfection and nothing short of a masterpiece. It is hard to find enough superlatives to describe how good this album is and there are really no negatives. Each individual song on this album is brilliant and they all come together to create what is an excellent listening experience. You truly get lost and transcended into a different world through the journey and narrative of this album, it is structured in a way that tells a story. When this album was released early this year, I was absolutely mesmerised by its beauty and knew it would be contender for my album of the year because nothing has matched it musically now or in the past. Everything about this record is genius with songs that capture your attention, the ability to keep you hooked throughout is incredible because of how dynamic it is. Parallels can be drawn with the very best of work from Radiohead and Fontaines D.C. but The Murder Capital bring unique music and sounds that have never been heard before which all come together to create one of the best albums of this generation.
Gareth Rees 