IUF contributors’ top picks of 2022
Blame it on (or credit it to) the pandemic – 2022 saw an absolutely mind-boggling amount of music released. Spotify reported nearly 100,000 songs uploaded daily to their platform, and even for the most unwavering of music enthusiasts, it was a lot to keep up with. Even still, we here at Interview Under Fire think it would be a shame to ring in 2023 without celebrating our favorite releases of 2022.
James Reza’s Picks
- Cliffdiver – Exercise Your Demons (SideOneDummy)
“Cliffdiver gives you all the warm fuzzies, skillfully straddling the line between silly and sentimental, and packages optimistic, hopeful messages into songs that stretch the genre boundaries of the emo revival.”
- Ben Quad – I’m Scared That’s All There Is (Chillwavve)
Oklahoma quartet Ben Quad made a big splash in 2022 with a rock-solid LP dusted with just enough sugary-sweet midwest emo melody to be accessible to a large audience and short enough songs to keep it from overstaying its welcome.
- City of Caterpillar – Mystic Sisters (Relapse)
“Having been on hiatus for the better part of two decades, City of Caterpillar is a true time capsule from what is arguably the best era of post-hardcore.”
- Anxious – Little Green House (Run for Cover)
“Full of honesty and heart, Little Green House mingles all of your favorite post-punk and pop-punk subgenres in a no-skips masterpiece.”
1. John Moreland – Birds in the Ceiling (Old Omens)
“John Moreland pushes some boundaries and decimates others. This album is full of interesting musical textures, but they never overshadow John’s immaculate songwriting, voice, and musicianship. Birds in the Ceiling is not only my favorite of 2022, but of the last several years combined. It’s really something special and you have to hear it to believe it.”
Sonny Reza’s Picks
- Kailee Morgue – Girl Next Door (Thriller)
“No one’s more surprised than me to have a pop album on my top picks of the year. But this one was really, truthfully, that good.”
- Fit for an Autopsy – Oh What the Future Holds (Nuclear Blast)
“This is the album that will win over deathcore haters. Equal parts brutality, poetry, and cleverness, Fit for an Autopsy pushes the genre forward like no one else did in 2022.”
- Comeback Kid – Heavy Steps (Nuclear Blast)
“Comeback Kid has served as the blueprint for a whole slew of modern hardcore bands, and on Heavy Steps, they show that they are anything but washed-up; their veteran voice is as important as ever.”
- The Devil Wears Prada – Color Decay (Solid State)
“Admittedly, I am biased toward TDWP because of how they came to check on my brother and I when we were hit by a truck while walking to our car outside of a show in 2021. But we live in a time when it can be a challenge to keep a metalcore album interesting for the duration of a whole album, and TDWP have masterfully accomplished exactly that.”
1 Northlane – Obsidian (Worldeater)
“Obsidian absolutely shattered all my expectations for heavy music. Once you’ve heard this album, you have to hear it again and again. If you’ve heard any hype about Northlane, let me tell you they deserve all of it and so much more.”
Julie La Crout’s picks:
- Red Hot Chili Peppers – Unlimited Love (Warner)
” Having John Fruscante back in the band makes all the difference. He brings back the familiar sound of old school Chili Peppers, while showing a transition and progression of their sound”
- Black Keys – Dropout Boogie (Nonesuch/Warner)
“ It’s fun, it’s funky – it’s everything you’d expect from them and so much more.”
- Muse – Will of the People (Warner/Helium-3)
“Musically spectacular, just like we’re used to hearing from Muse, but also used lyrics to speak to the times really well.”
- Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti (Rimas)
“I love everything Bad Bunny stands for and the music is in a genre of its own.”
- Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers (pgLang)
“Maybe his best album to date. It’s fearless and powerful. He’s using his voice to bring up topics that really matter on a large scale.”
Cory Hodges’ picks (sorry no quotes!)
- Wormrot – Hiss (earache)
- Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers (pgLang)
- The Weeknd – Dawn FM (XO/Republic)
- Post Malone – Twelve Carat Toothache (Republic)
1. Lorna Shore – Pain Remains (Century Media)
We have a short list of honorable mentions of albums that were good, but for one reason or another didn’t make any of our top five lists. In many cases, it’s simply because we didn’t have time to give these albums fair listens. The list includes:
The Smashing Pumpkins – ATUM: Act 1
…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – XI: Bleed Here Now
Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loneliest Time
Pedro The Lion – Havasu
Boris – W
Amorphis – Halo
I Prevail – True Power
Drug Church – Hygiene
Duster – Together
Lights – Pep
Meshuggah – Immutable
