A Musical Gift Guide to the New Releases of 2022

There are two great loves of my life: music and The Strategist gift guides. As someone who keeps up heavily with the new releases and Cyber Monday sales of the year, I thought the best way to introduce you to some of the best records of 2022 is through a gift guide! Everyone deserves new music, don’t forget to get something for yourself, too. 

For the person who needs the next great record – PAINLESS by Nilüfer Yanya [ATO Records]

My favorite 2022 release, Nilüfer Yanya’s PAINLESS, reads like it was written by a classic lyricists, but sounds like someone who can’t get enough of today’s indie rock scene. The whole album is, bright, and fun without seeming overly positive. On album standout, “stabilise,” Yanya combines a solid instrumental build with a deadpan “there’s nothing out there,” showcasing exactly what makes this album so great. The power of PAINLESS comes in holding back, letting its depth and emotional songs stand on their own instead of overloading them. The magic is in what you don’t hear.

RIYL: Sudan Archives, Aldous Harding, Cate Le Bon

For the brother who steals the family car whenever he needs to think – Once Twice Melody by Beach House [Mistletone Records]

Beach House’s double record is sweeping and cinematic, like any good Beach House record should be. They pull from what feels like every aspect of their sound to create their double record. “Superstar” and “Pink Funeral” fill any space with pure, lush sound, while tracks like “Hurts to Love” brighten up what can be a darker record. Beach House always manages to find the beauty and the story in the sad, unknown parts of life. Plus, it’s 84 minutes; plenty of time to think.

RIYL: Beach Fossils, Slowdive, Cocteau Twins

For the friend who can’t help but laugh, even in dire straits – Blue Rev by Alvvays [Polyvinyl]

Blue Rev was not an album that happened overnight. It happened over five years, marked by a break-in, having their demos stolen, and a pandemic. Even so, this manages to be Alvvays’ most playful and expansive work yet. “Tile By Tile” pulls from the Alvvays of yesteryear, sort of a contemporary “Party Police,” while songs like “Easy On Your Own?” sound completely new for the band. Alvvays expertly layers and intertwines pop,garage rock, and shoegaze, creating their signature bright sound with a new level to it. If Alvvays is the future of indie rock, thank God.

RIYL: Hazel English, Soccer Mommy, Jay Som

For the person who’s heard everything – The Car by Arctic Monkeys [Domino Recording Company]

This is not to suggest this person hasn’t heard The Car. Rather, The Car is the perfect gift for them because it pulls from Jimi Hendrix, Burt Bacharach, Elton John, and more. The Car is Arctic Monkeys fully coming into the sound they developed on Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. The album feels completely classic, utilizing string sections (“Big Ideas”) and strong thematic songwriting (“Body Paint”/”Jet Skis On The Moat”/”The Car”). Equal parts sharp, cinematic, and glamorous, The Car is a can’t miss album this year.

RIYL: The Kooks, The Strokes, Alexandra Savior

For the music addict with a good sense of humor – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief [4AD]

Few albums this year were as strikingly beautiful as Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You. Big Thief has continually exceeded their own works on each new record they’ve put out, and their latest is no exception. Dragon New…is as funny and sly as it is flowing and evocative. Though it clocks in at 80 minutes, Adrienne Lenker’s voice and the band’s variations on each song keep it feeling genuinely varied, yet entirely cohesive, for its entire runtime.

RIYL: Sharon Van Etten, Hand Habits, Lomelda

For anyone who went through a hard time this year – Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky by Porridge Radio [Secretly Canadian]

“Lock all the windows and shut all the doors,” Porridge Radio starts their new album singing. Porridge Radio has a way of making the bad in life cathartic, and interesting, and playful. Their latest project, Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky, continues their work of making bad things speakable, or rather, singable. Whether it’s the existentialism of a breakup (“Birthday Party”), a friend you wish for another conversation with (“I Hope She’s Okay 2”), or reflecting on a rough year as a whole (“Rotten”), don’t do it alone. Porridge Radio’s got you.

RIYL: Sorry, Dry Cleaning, Just Mustard

For your sister who’s trying to get you into hiking – Florist by Florist [Double Double Whammy]

It’s not just the name; the band Florist sounds as lush and relaxing as the mountains themselves on their self-titled fourth record, Florist. The band is one of many on this list to take a folkier and longer direction with this album, but the structure of the album, with interludes and reprises between some truly brilliant five or six minute tracks, tells more of a story than any of Florist’s previous works. It may also be Florist’s most tender album yet, but with a strength behind their lyrics we haven’t heard this consistently. This is the album we’ve been waiting for them to make.

RIYL: Frankie Cosmos, Field Medic, Free Cake for Every Creature

For the mom you want to like your music – Wet Leg by Wet Leg

Maybe an unexpected choice, but every grown-up woman I’ve shown Wet Leg to has quickly become an addict. Equal parts post-punk and indie pop, with a hint of horror movie screaming and a lot of “suck my dick,” Wet Leg has a sound all their own. With big feelings, brazen lyrics, and a candid performing style (you have to see “Ur Mum” live once in your life) Wet Leg stands out as singular in an often saturated genre. Call them whatever you want to call them: I love Wet Leg, and the grown women of my life stand with me.

RIYL: Pip Blom, The Big Moon, Wolf Alice

For the friend who saw Meet Me in The Bathroom in theaters, and read it twice – Cool It Down by Yeah Yeah Yeahs [Secretly Canadian]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs were my first musical love. Seriously, It’s Blitz! will always be one of the first albums that blew my mind. Nearly a decade after their last record, YYY have returned with Cool It Down, a big, synthy, incredibly timely project. Yeah Yeah Yeahs are feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders (Cool It Down’s cover of a burning world is more than metaphorical) and as Karen O says:

“Don't have to tell you how much we've been going through in the last nine
years since our last record, because you've been going through it too.”

It’s the best of what classic indie rock has to offer in that sense: current and referential, but not without a signature sound.

RIYL: The Kills, Santigold, Metric

For the person who won’t branch beyond Today’s Top Hits or the person who deeply misses ‘90s pop – Giving the World Away by Hatchie [Secretly Canadian]

Don’t get me wrong, I actually like Sabrina Carpenter as much as the next girl. But there are friends and family who you just know would love something if they gave it a chance. If you have someone like this in your life, Hatchie’s latest record is the perfect present for them. Giving the World Away has just enough sparkle to remind the listener what makes pop so great, with enough big moments to keep it feeling fresh. Hatchie also pulls from the ‘90s greats like Kylie Minogue, the Cranberries, and The Sundays, which you can especially hear on songs like “Twin.” For the pop fanatic in your life, Hatchie is the perfect gift solution.

RIYL: Fazerdaze, The Beths, Yumi Zouma

For anyone who needs a new musical best friend – PRE PLEASURE by Julia Jacklin [Polyvinyl]

Julia Jacklin is one of my personal favorite singer-songwriters, and PRE PLEASURE is filled with enough moments to remind me why. She writes like she’s next to you, her songs and lyrics can feel impossibly intimate. Jacklin honestly ruminates on religion, sex, and love without ever letting the album feel too heavy. Really, I recommend Jacklin’s entire discography, but for anyone specifically in need of someone who gets it this year, PRE PLEASURE is a winning gift.

RIYL: Stella Donnelly, Faye Webster, Haley Heynderickx

For your sister and her best friend – Two Ribbons by Let’s Eat Grandma [Transgressive]

Two Ribbons was born in a similar fashion to another one of my favorite albums, First Aid Kit’s Ruins. One of the band members was grieving the loss of her boyfriend (in this case to cancer). Then, the two members of the band went through a period of discord, didn’t speak for a while, and then suddenly they had an idea for a record. The album was written separately but formed collectively during lockdown, through Airbnbs and walks to a cemetery. The album itself is a bright, at times intense, but direct reflection on relationships and the big feelings those bring, whether that’s tension (“Insect Loop”) or grief (“Strange Conversations”) or hope (“Hall of Mirrors”).

RIYL: Perfume Genius, U.S. Girls, Jenny Hval

For the friend who makes everyone stop to take a picture – everything perfect is already here by Claire Rousay [Shelter Press]

Claire Rousay is a composer, but more than anything, she’s an appreciator of life. She self-describes her music as recognizing “the minutiae of everyday life.” Her newest EP might only be two 15-minute tracks, but that’s to say nothing of the appreciation they show. Rousay tends to add in field recordings and voice notes, making a once distant genre feel personal and intimate. You know Claire Rousay, you understand Claire Rousay, because Claire Rousay knows and understands you.

RIYL: More Eaze, Felicia Atkinson, Sofie Birch

For the friend who picks everybody up whenever you’re going out – CAPRISONGS by FKA twigs [Young; Atlantic]

FKA twigs mixtape is what I lovingly classify as a “pre-party record.” It’s made to be played in the car on the way to the function, or in the apartment while you’re getting ready. But that’s in no way a knock to CAPRISONGS’ power…not that she needs me to defend her; songs like “honda” and “lightbeamers” prove that twigs is as cool as she’s ever been. In a lot of ways, this record is a departure for FKA twigs, more playful and poppy than we’ve heard her before, but it’s without sacrificing the lyrical or vocal power that makes her great. CAPRISONGS might represent a new direction for FKA twigs, but if it keeps sounding like this, I’m all for it.

RIYL: Kelsey Lu, ABRA, Sevdaliza

For the coolest girl in your music class – Versions of Modern Performance by Horsegirl [Matador]

Horsegirl was a late in the year find for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s not, as my friend put it, “an Erin band.” Horsegirl is made up entirely of 17-18 year olds, and yet, Versions of Modern Performance feels not at all confined to the current era. It pulls equally from indie rock of the past (sometimes literally, Steve Shelley and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth play on two of the album tracks) and Chicago’s current, largely younger, indie rock scene. Horsegirl is up-and-coming in a way that still feels thrilling in the age of virality. They’re still a bit of a secret, but if my intuition is right, they won’t be for long.

RIYL: Flasher, Cola, Kiwi Jr.