The Best Albums of the 2020s (So Far): Our No-Homework Guide to the Decade’s Essential Records
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Post-punk revival
15 min read
The article repeatedly references post-punk bands and the genre's continued evolution in the 2020s, including Dry Cleaning, Working Men's Club, and Dendrons. Understanding the post-punk revival movement provides context for why these sounds resonate with contemporary listeners.
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Pharoah Sanders
13 min read
Sam Colt's list includes 'Promises' by Floating Points featuring Pharoah Sanders, one of the most acclaimed albums of the decade. Sanders was a legendary jazz saxophonist whose late-career collaboration represents a significant artistic statement worth understanding.
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Godspeed You! Black Emperor
13 min read
Featured on Sam Colt's list with their politically-charged 2024 album, this Canadian post-rock collective has a fascinating history of experimental composition, anti-capitalist ethos, and unconventional recording practices that most casual music listeners don't know deeply.
Good morning!
Today we’re taking a quick look at the best records of 2020-2024.
Narrowing down a favorite anything can be tough. It’s much easier to overdeliver and give someone a list of 5 or even 10 top picks. And even that can be fraught. Are these objectively the best, or are they your favorites? Maybe a blend of both? And are you sharing something truly worthwhile — a nudge in the right direction — or have you just given the other person homework?
There’s also a line of thinking that you shouldn’t do these sorts of lists at all — much better to, say, group by genre or list by release date. And to that I say… fair point. But I should be clear here: I love lists — especially when it comes to records. Every music writer is really just three Rob Gordons in a trench coat, and I think (hope?) people like reading them.
If you’re looking for breakdowns on drop tuning, chord changes, or whatever, I’m not your guy, but that’s not usually why people check top 100 or best-of lists anyway. A few are there for the rage bait & hate reads; the rest are there for the recommendations without having to sift through 4000 releases a year.
In other words, they’re trying to avoid a homework assignment.
The first half of the 2020s gave us no shortage of unforgettable albums, from indie and post-punk to genre-crossing experiments. If you’re searching for the best records of the decade so far, consider this your cheat sheet.
For the past couple of years, and I have put together our annual favorites. There’s not a lot of overlap in taste—or any other demographic—and that’s what keeps this so fun. When you’re done here please head over to their pages and check out their takes.
We’ll be doing it again this year, so please keep an eye out! In the interim, we wanted to tee things up by taking a quick look at our faves of the decade so far. A fool’s errand? Maybe, but why not?
Consider it the music writing equivalent of a recap or clip show, only this is the lead-in to 2025’s best-of, and not a “very special” episode of your favorite TV series.
Meet the Contributors
Jami Smith—Author of Songs That Saved Your Life, exploring overlooked queer perspectives in music. Her work
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