The Best Music I’ve Listened To in 2018...

It’s that time of year again. 2018 flew by and before I knew it, it was time to sit down and write some posts about the best books, movies, TV shows, and music that I liked. To make this manageable, I’m breaking it down into a section for books, a section for movies/TV shows, and a section for music respectively. Honestly, it gives me an excuse to use the year-specific post graphic a few more times before changing it to the new one. 

As the title of this post suggests, I’m going start with a list some of the music I enjoyed listening to in 2018. 2018 was a good year for music. A lot of long awaited albums finally came out such as Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe, Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B, and Twenty One Pilots follow-up to Blurryface, Trench. But I also found myself seeking out albums that came out in 2017 as well as others that were released as far back as 2015. So, here is a list of my  favorite albums, songs, and EPs… 

Note: I’m not limiting the albums/songs/EP s by the year they were released, and instead their inclusion is determined by if I happened to come across them in 2018….

• Primal Heart by Kimbra: Primal Heart is probably the album that most surprised me. Over the years, I’ve listened to Kimbra off and on and had a list of favorite songs by her. So, I was ecstatic to learn that she had new music coming out in 2018. And after listening to the songs released prior to the rest of the album, the hype was real. Honestly, Primal Heart is such a gem. It’s one of the few albums where I can say that I love every song from it. 

• Christmas is Here! By Pentatonix: Its holiday music by Pentatonix right on time for December. From classic holiday songs, to tracks featuring Kelly Clarkson and Maren Morris, and covers of music from The Nightmare Before Christmas, there’s a lot to love about this album….

• Caution by Mariah Carey: SHE’S BACK. Honestly, I’ve been waiting for Mariah Carey to release another album. I didn’t hear much about Caution until a few days after it was released. I like it. 

• Trench by Twenty One Pilots: While Blurryface will always have a special place in my heart—after all, it’s the album that got me into Twenty One Pilot’s music—there’s no denying how excellent Trench is. The release of the singles of Jumpsuit and Nico and the Niners already had me feeling immensely excited for what else Trench had to offer. And the wait was worth it, because from the lyrics to the sound, I love everything about the album. 

• Back to the Woods by Angel Haze: While Back to the Woods was released in September of 2015, it turned out to be one of the best albums I listened to in 2018. I wrote a post explaining some of the reasons behind why I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it HERE. 

• The Kids are Alright by Chloe x Halle: The Kids are Alright is one album I forgot was coming out this year until I saw it mentioned somewhere. It showcased Chloe and Halle’s vocal capabilities with gems like Hi Lo, Warrior, Babybird, and the titular The Kids Are Alright. As such, it’s one of my favorite studio debuts to come out of 2018. 

• Bittersweet Volume 1 by OSHUN: OSHUN always has such a distinctive sound to their music and Bittersweet Volume 1 is no exception. 

• Every Open Eye and Love is Dead by CHVRCHES: Prior to 2018, I didn’t listen to much music by CHVRCHES. But, then their recent album, Love is Dead, got my attention. And through recommendation, I listened to Every Open Eye. And, I have to admit that I’ve come to really enjoy their style of music. 

So, those are just some of the albums/EPs that I personally enjoyed. Next, I want to quickly list some of the other music I’ve been listening to this year such as work by content creators—like youtubers—as well as other noteworthy singles… 

• Chapter 28 (EP) by Daina 

• Turbo by Nathan Sharp (NateWantsToBattle) 

• God is a Woman by Ariana Grande 

• Django Jane by Janelle Monáe 

• Close by Rae Sremmurd, Swae Lee, Slim Jxmmi featuring Travis Scott 

• All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar and SZA 

• Pills; Masseduction; Sugarboy; and Los Ageless by St. Vincent 

And that’s it for today. Up next, I'm going to talk about the books I read and enjoyed in 2018. What’s some of the music you’ve been listening to this year?