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