As it turns out, 2015 was a truly remarkable year for music. It was full of eccentric moves (i.e. TIDAL) and it somehow made the “surprise album” an addiction, but it also let genres find their footing in an Internet-driven landscape that’s no better than Westeros. In one fell swoop, Drake sold a mixtape, Grimes showed her true colours, Leon Bridges became an Apple Music star, and everyone else worked on an original sound — solely for the sake of curating our daily lives with something different.
That’s where our Top 50 comes in; this year’s list was put together by a smaller team with very distinct tastes and it’s why you’ll find a mix of regulars and unknowns that experiment with indie, garage, punk, rap, and pop. It’s far from perfect, but it’s a definitive index that’s full of new finds, new favourites, and new records that will go down in history. With that, here are our picks for the Top 50 Albums Of 2015.
50 :: NATALIE PRASS
Natalie Prass
49 :: SUPERHEAVEN
Ours Is Chrome
48 :: BETTER OFF
Milk
47 :: SICK FEELING
Suburban Myth
46 :: KIRK KNIGHT
Late Knight Special
45 :: HEALTH
Death Magic
44 :: CREEPOID
Cemetery Highrise Slum
43 :: MEWITHOUTYOU
Pale Horses
42 :: JULIA HOLTER
Have You In My Wilderness
41 :: JEREMIH
Late Nights: The Album
40 :: CHVRCHES
Every Open Eye
39 :: RAE SREMMURD
SremmLife
38 :: DESAPARECIDOS
Payola
37 :: MODEST MOUSE
Strangers To Ourselves
36 :: BULLY
Feels Like
35 :: SUFJAN STEVENS
Carrie & Lowell
34 :: TWIABP
Harmlessness
31 :: GRIMES
Art Angels
30 :: GIRL BAND
Holding Hands With Jamie
29 :: MAJOR LAZER
Peace Is The Mission
28 :: FATHER JOHN MISTY
I Love You, Honeybear
27 :: MAC DEMARCO
Another One
26 :: FUTURE
Dirty Sprite 2
25 :: DISCLOSURE
Caracal
24 :: HOP ALONG
Painted Shut
22 :: ALABAMA SHAKES
Sound & Color
21 :: TYLER, THE CREATOR
Cherry Bomb
20 :: LORD HURON
Strange Trails
19 :: BEST COAST
California Nights
18 :: DEAFHEAVEN
New Bermuda
17 :: TORO Y MOI
What For?
16 :: EARL SWEATSHIRT
I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside
15 :: THE DISTRICTS
A Flourish And A Spoil
14 :: UMO
Multi-Love
13 :: BBNG & GHOSTFACE KILLAH
Sour Soul
12 :: JACK U
Skrillex & Diplo Present Jack U
11 :: WOLF ALICE
My Love Is Cool
10 :: A$AP ROCKY
At.Long.Last.A$AP
09 :: BEACH HOUSE
Depression Cherry / TYLS
08 :: THE WONDER YEARS
No Closer To Heaven
07 :: COURTNEY BARNETT
Sometimes I Sit And Think…
06 :: LAURA STEVENSON
Cocksure
05 :: VINCE STAPLES
Summertime ’06
04 :: DRAKE
If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late
03 :: LEON BRIDGES
Coming Home
02 :: KENDRICK LAMAR
To Pimp A Butterfly
01 :: TAME IMPALA
Currents
