Attitude’s top albums of 2022

What a year it’s been for music! With touring picking up speed again and TikTok influencing the charts, 2022 has seen an abundance of incredible new albums accompany us on dance floors, road trips, and late nights.

From exciting debut albums to pop icons returning, the Attitude team has scrolled back through their most-played music to create a round-up of favourite albums from LGBTQ+ artists and allies.

From the moody ballads of Oliver Sim’s Hideous Bastard to the dreamy pop tracks of Charli XCX’s Crash, there’s been no shortage of music to enjoy this year. Honey Dijon’s Black Girl Magic, Orville Peck’s Bronco, as well as Girl in Red, Ethel Cain, Rosalía and Steve Lacy (and so many more) are also worth a mention but unfortunately, the list has to end somewhere!

Keep reading for a countdown of Attitude’s favourite albums 2022 had to offer.

9. Cavetown – Worm Food

Emerging from YouTube and into the charts, singer-songwriter Cavetown’s fifth album is his most mature body of work to date. Worm Food channels pensive creativity into a charting of personal growth, detailing the challenges of riding the waves of adulthood.

Also, Cavetown perfectly balances angst and optimism with sharp penmanship. On Worm Food’s title track, the 23-year-old UK-based singer declares: “I don’t belong anywhere, I am worm food.” As raw honesty underscores Cavetown’s bedroom pop, the album wrestles big feelings with soothing melodies.

8. Christine and the Queens – Redcar les Adorables Étoiles

Taking another step in the territory of artistic experimentation, Redcar les Adorables Étoiles is atmospheric to the point of theatrical. Slightly dystopian, the album morphs from recognisable pop to avant-garde as crescendoing vocals swoop over electronic synths.

It’s a very fun album. The listening experience is akin to a theme park of different rides; all of which are exhilarating on their own yet a riveting experience collectively. Redcar is a prologue to a record arriving next year, making this just a taster of what’s to come.

7. King Princess – Hold on Baby

This 12-track deep dive into King Princess’ emotional unpacking of a committed relationship proves to be an album full of slow burners. These tracks are uniform in their indie rock sound and yet they fluctuate in their heartbreaking tone. While break-up songs often focus on the other lover, Hold on Baby instead is impressively self-reflective with King Princess looking inwards.

Despite dark lyricism, the solemn tone is interspersed with deadpan lines and upbeat choruses that balance sensitivity and hedonism. Additionally, stunning instrumentals round out the album with a particularly dreamy interlude.

6. Muna – Muna

The self-titled third studio album from Muna vibrates with newfound freedom in this liberating era for the trio. From the vibrant introduction of ‘Silk Chiffon’ featuring Phoebe Bridgers’ vocals (the music video is an ode to the iconic film But I Am A Cheerleader) to the mellow-turned-explosive finale of ‘Runner’s High’, Muna is a feast for the ears.

The record constantly changes direction with thrilling unpredictability, though Muna’s sonic evolution is electrifying to behold. Similarly, defiance punctuates every lyrical line in which the band remains true to themselves, refusing to sacrifice their integrity.

5. Charli XCX – Crash

Pop vanguard Charli XCX’s Crash is a half-hour artistic statement and a truly subversive pop album. Having worked with producers like the late SOPHIE, Charli appears fascinated with the boundaries of pop. The result is an accessible but intoxicating album of addictive tracks. They all deserve to be on repeat!

Crash is blanketed by a propulsive bassline as the album reveals its duality: an ode to classic pop and a devotion to exploring futuristic sound. With razor-sharp attention to ​​aesthetic detail, Charli cements herself as a beloved voice of our generation.

4. Oliver Sim – Hideous Bastard

“I’m ugly,” The xx’s Oliver Sim declares in the opening line of his powerful debut solo album. The track, named ‘Hideous’, is a dynamically emotive introduction to this personal exploration of Sim’s relationship with his HIV status.

Furthermore, with layered vocals, the heart of Hideous Bastard beats with sincere vulnerability surrounding the helplessness of youth and fear of stigma. Frank lyricism is underlined by the album’s overarching, open candour. Hideous Bastard undeniably marks a liberating chapter for Sim’s art.

3. Rina Sawayama – Hold the Girl

The experience of listening to Rina’s music equates to a personal serenade. Through pop-punk and power ballads, Hold the Girl is a luxe and earnest rumination on her younger years. Moreover, the album is a lyrical self-help book set to endlessly catchy melodies.

“Look at us now, way past the clouds that haunted your dreams / I hope that you’re proud,” she sings on ‘Catch Me In The Air’. Not only a reflection of her queer, Asian, first-generation British identity, Hold the Girl illuminates the climate crisis and critiques capitalism. A cornucopia of uplifting melodies, including nods to Lady Gaga and Britney Spears, Hold the Girl also renders empathy a superpower.

2. Omar Apollo – Ivory

Bursting onto the scene with a debut album transcending genre identification, 25-year-old Omar Apollo is quite the rising star. Although Ivory is a mixed bag of alt-R&B, funk-pop, and indie influences the album culminates in a cohesive but eclectic sonic landscape. In ballads, his voice is as smooth as silk, and Ivory’s sultry ethereality is mesmerising.

The likes of ‘Invincible’ (featuring Daniel Caesar) showcase a softer side to heartbreak, while TikTok’s favourite track ‘Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me At All)’ builds to an endlessly cathartic bridge. Ivory is a product of self-reflection, bolstered by the lyrical bandaging of wounds and the hopefulness of future love.

1. Beyoncé – Renaissance

Category: Bad b*tch. Finally, Queen B is back to reclaim her crown at the top of the charts and conquer Attitude lists. Renaissance, Beyoncé’s seventh studio album is, quite simply, a triumph. Tapping into gleeful Black joy, Renaissance is an hour of invigorating soundscapes where self-expression is in the DNA of every note, encouraging you to unleash everything on the dancefloor.

The album is specifically dedicated to her late uncle and “Godmother” Jonny, who Beyoncé remembers as “the most fabulous gay man I’ve ever known.” An ode to Jonny, Renaissance is awash with queer influences. With references to ‘Miss Honey’, legendary drag queen Moi Renee’s track that remains a queer staple, to ‘I Feel Love’, Donna Summer’s disco track that became an instant gay anthem, Renaissance is unabashedly brimming with queer elements. Additionally, Black and queer artists like Big Freedia, Honey Dijon, Ts Madison, and Syd also magnify Beyoncé’s atmospheric album.

Renaissance is a tour de force containing sixteen instant classics that draw on house music with gospel samples, ballroom culture references, and impeccable segues. Breathtaking, prodigious, and timeless, Beyoncé’s Renaissance is undeniably the defining music moment of the year.