KOOL ROCK RADIO ► 100 BEST ALBUMS OF 2022 (A to Z)

KOOL ROCK RADIO ► 100 BEST ALBUMS OF 2022 (A to Z)
KOOL ROCK RADIO BEST ALBUMS OF 2022

As life went back to normal (or as normal as it can get) after the pandemic, and with live gigs and festivals making a full return, we could define 2022 as a comeback year for music bands/artists.

From exciting debuts to highly-anticipated returns, 2022 was full of incredible records (there’s also been a bunch of amazing EPs), spanning post punk (as we saw it coming last year, this genre has had a strong presence and will also lead next year), indie rock, indie pop, new wave, coldwave, synthwave, dream pop, shoegaze, electronic, techno, psych, art-punk, etc.

With more than 400 great records to choose from, these are Kool Rock radio’ staff 100 favorite albums of 2022, listed in alphabetical order:

KOOL ROCK RADIO ► THE 100 BEST ALBUMS OF 2022 (A to Z)
  1. Active Decay ‘Face To Face’ (Lolipop Records) [experimental/synth-pop]
  2. ADULT. Becoming Undone‘ (Dais Records) [electro-punk/synth punk]
  3. Art d’Ecco After The Head Rush‘ (Paper Bag Records) [glam-rock]
  4. Atmos Bloom ‘Flora’ (Spirit Goth) [bedroom pop/lo-fi/dream pop]
  5. Aus! Funkt Turn To Rust’ [art-disco/post punk/electro]
  6. Automatic  ‘Excess’ (Stones Throw Records) [avant-garde/post-punk/synth punk]
  7. Baby Strange World Below‘ (Icons Creating Evil Art) [indie rock/punk]
  8. Bentley Browning ‘Pop Anthemica’ [pop/rock]
  9. Beverly Kills Kaleido‘ (Welfare Sounds & Records) [indie pop/post punk]
  10. Bloc Party  ‘Alpha Games‘ (Infectious/BMG)
  11. Blushing Possessions‘ (Kanine Records) [dream pop/shoegaze/bedroom pop]
  12. BODEGA Broken Equipment‘ (WYR?) [art-rock/punk]
  13. BRACCO ‘Dromonia’ (Born Bad Records) [mega wave/punk/noise]
  14. Buzz Kull Fascination‘ (Avant!) [darkwave/synth pop]
  15. CASTLEBEAT ‘Half Life’ (Spirit Goth Records) [dream pop/lo-fi]
  16. CD Ghost  ‘Night Music’ (Born Losers Records) [dream pop/synth wave/indie pop]
  17. Cinemascope  ‘A Crack on the Wall’ (Wave Records) [dark wave/post punk]
  18. Closed Mouth ‘The Four Walls’ [post punk/coldwave]
  19. Crying Vessel Before Life Was Death‘ (Cleopatra Records) [post punk]
  20. Curses ‘Incarnadine’ (Dischi Autunno) [nu-disco/house/techno]
  21. Deathtrippers ‘Passion & Fire’ (Young & Cold) [goth/psych/space rock]
  22. Dendrons 5-3-8‘ (Innovative Leisure) [post punk/alt]
  23. Desire Escape‘ (Italians Do It Better) [electronic/synthpop]
  24. Dina Summer ‘Rimini’ (Audiolith Records) [electronic/new wave/techno]
  25. don’t get lemon  ‘Hyper Hollow Heaven’ (à La Carte Records) [heatwave/post-punk/electronic]
  26. Donzii ‘Fishbowl’ [no-wave/post-punk]
  27. Dream Dali ‘Letters From The Light’ [dark wave/psych]
  28. Eades Delusion Spree‘ (Heist or Hit) [garage rock/post punk]
  29. Editors EBM‘ (Play It Again Sam) [indie rock]
  30. EKKSTACY  ‘MISERY’ [indie/alt]
  31. EMF ‘GO GO SAPIENS’ [indie/alt]
  32. Fake Palms Lemons‘ (Hand Drawn Dracula Records) [post punk/lo-fi/dream punk]
  33. Fiasko Leitmotiv ‘Humblekids’ [cold wave/minimal synth/post punk]
  34. Flying Moon In Space Zwei‘ (Fuzz Club) [krautrock/psych]
  35. Foals  ‘Life Is Yours’ (Warner) [indie rock]
  36. Fontaines D.C. Skinty Fia‘ (Partisan Records) [indie rock/rock]
  37. Fujiya & Miyagi  ‘Slight Variations’ (Impossible Objects of Desire) [electronic/art pop]
  38. Gabe Gurnsey Diablo‘ [electronic/dance music]
  39. Gemma Cullingford ‘Tongue Tied’ [electronic/dark disco]
  40. GIFT  ‘Momentary Presence’ (Dedstrange) [neo-psychedelic]
  41. GLOVE ‘Boom Nights’ [indie rock/new wave/synth wave]
  42. Goiter ‘Dead Sea’ // ‘Backroads’ [darkwave/postpunk/synthpunk]
  43. High Vis Blending‘ (DAIS Records) [post punk]
  44. Howless  ‘To Repel Ghosts’ (Static Blooms Records) [noise-pop/shoegaze]
  45. Interpol The Other Side of Make-Believe‘ (Matador Records) [indie rock/alt]
  46. Jogger  ‘BRD Noir’ (CUT SURFACE) [bedroom-rock/post punk]
  47. John Crawford And Robin Simon (ultravox/berlin) ‘Arclight’ (August Day) [synthpop/electronic/pop]
  48. Johnny Hunter Want‘ (Cooking Vinyl Australia) [post punk/alt]
  49. Johnny Marr Fever Dreams Pts. 1-4‘ (BMG)
  50. Kittin & Hacker “Third Album” (Nobody’s Bizzness) [electronic]
  51. Lesser Care Underneath, Beside Me‘ (à La Carte Records) [post-punk/shoegaze]
  52. Life  ‘North East Coastal Town’ [indie rock]
  53. Local Suicide  ‘Eros Anikate’ (Iptamenos Discos) [electronic/dance/techno]
  54. Los Colognes  ‘The New World’ [indie rock/pop]
  55. Melting Palms ‘Noise Between the Shades’ [dreampop/shoegaxe/post punk/alt]
  56. Metro Verlaine Funeral Party‘ (Le Cèpe Records) [post punk]
  57. Minuit Machine ’24’ (Synth Religion) [dark/electro/wave]
  58. MOTORCADE ‘See You in The Nothing’ (Idol Records) [rock/pop/new wave]
  59. Old Moon  ‘Cities of the Plain’ (à La Carte/Love Chain Tapes) [post punk/jangle pop]
  60. Other Voices ‘Under Control’ (SwissDarkNights) [darkwave/post punk/synthwave]
  61. Pale Blue Eyes Souvenirs‘ (Full Time Hobby) [indie rock/indie pop]
  62. Palm Ghosts Post Preservation‘ [dream pop/new wave/post punk]
  63. Paradox Obscur Morphogenesis‘ (Metropolis Records) [minimal synth/cold wave]
  64. Peppy Pep Pepper ‘Decline’ (Modern Tapes) [minimal synth/synthwave/post punk]
  65. Placebo  ‘Never Let Me Go‘ [alt-rock]
  66. Planet Information Overload‘ [indie rock/pop]
  67. Plastic Estate  ‘Plastic Estate’ (Avant! Records) [new wave/synth]
  68. Possible Oceans  ‘Death by Misadventure’ [indie rock]
  69. PVA BLUSH‘ (Ninja Tune) [electronic/dance]
  70. S.C.A.B. S.C.A.B.‘ [indie rock/jangle pop/post punk]
  71. Sacred Skin ‘The Decline of Pleasure’ (Synthicide) [new wave/post punk/synth pop]
  72. Same Eyes ‘Deesperate Ones’ [synthpop/synthwave]
  73. Sea Girls Homesick‘ (Polydor Records) [indie rock/alt]
  74. Secret Attraction  ‘Replica’ (Stratford Court) [dream pop/lo-fi]
  75. SHAD SHADOWS ‘PRISMATIC’ [dark electronic]
  76. Silent Runners Statues & Ornaments‘ (Cold Transmission) [post punk/dark synth]
  77. Simple Minds  ‘Direction of the Heart‘ [new wave/rock]
  78. Soloist Anti Pop Totalization ‘In The Beginning Of A New World’ [electronic/minimal synth]
  79. Spike Hellis  ‘Spike Hellis’ (Over-Pop) [electronic]
  80. Stephen Mallinder tick tick tick‘ (Dais Records) [electronic/experimental/techno]
  81. Suede Autofiction‘ (BMG) [alt rock]
  82. Sugar For The Pill ‘Wanderlust‘ (Shelflife/Make Me Happy) [dream pop/shoegaze]
  83. The Districts Great American Painting‘ (Possum Records) [indie rock]
  84. The Haunted Youth Dawn Of The Freak‘ [dream pop/indie rock]
  85. The Present Moment Enough To Drive You Mad‘ [cold wave/minimal synth/electro]
  86. The Secret French Postcards ‘Life Got Claws’ [post punk/dark wave]
  87. The Serfs ‘Primal Matter’ (Dream Records) [punk]
  88. The Vacant Lots Closure‘ (Fuzz Club Records) [electro post punk]
  89. The Wombats Fix Yourself, Not The World‘ [indie rock]
  90. Then Comes Silence Hunger‘ (Nexilis and Metropolis Records) [post punk/dark wave]
  91. These New South Whales  ‘TNSW‘ (Damaged Music) [punk]
  92. Thus Love  ‘Memorial‘ (Captured Tracks) [post punk]
  93. Vincent Christ ► ‘Truant’ [indie rock/new wave/glam/post-punk]
  94. Vision Video Haunted Hours‘ [post-punk/goth/new wave]
  95. Visions in Clouds ‘Are You Still Watching?’ (Icy Cold Records) [indie pop/new wave/synth]
  96. Vitalic  ‘DISSIDÆNCE’ (Clivage Music) [electronic]
  97. Wet Leg Wet Leg’ (Domino Records) [post punk/alt]
  98. Whimsical  ‘Melt’ (Shelflife Records /Through Love Records) [dream pop/shoegaze]
  99. White Lies As I Try Not To Fall Apart‘ [PIAS] [indie/post punk]
  100. Working Men’s Club ► ‘Fear Fear‘ (Heavenly Recordings) [post punk/new wave]

►►►Keep supporting the bands and labels by buying their records and merchandise.

Previous Year-End Lists here.