Yesterday, Pitchfork put out their list of the top 100 songs of 2023, and today they’ve shared their list of the 50 best albums of 2023. If you’ve kept up with their ongoing list of the best music of 2023 so far (last updated in October) and their Best New Music reviews, you can probably guess a lot of the list, but as always, those things never entirely determine the outcome of this list. There are some BNMs that didn’t make it, and some albums that did make it that weren’t even given an 8.0 or higher.
The list ranges from established veterans to newcomers, from indie to electronic music to hip hop to metal to folk to jazz and beyond, and–spoiler–their #1 technically came out in December of 2022. Read on for the full list, and read commentary on each pick at Pitchfork.
Pitchfork’s 50 Best Albums of 2023
50. André 3000: New Blue Sun
49. Sweeping Promises: Good Living Is Coming for You
48. Purelink: Signs
47. 파란노을 (Parannoul): After the Magic
46. Blue Lake: Sun Arcs
45. Tomb Mold: The Enduring Spirit
44. Jess Williamson: Time Ain’t Accidental
43. Kali Uchis: Red Moon in Venus
42. Youth Lagoon: Heaven Is a Junkyard
41. Sexyy Red: Hood Hottest Princess
40. Ryuichi Sakamoto: 12
39. Liv.e: Girl in the Half Pearl
38. Yo La Tengo: This Stupid World
37. Lonnie Holley: Oh Me Oh My
36. Pangaea: Changing Channels
35. Veeze: Ganger
34. Joanna Sternberg: I’ve Got Me
33. Model/Actriz: Dogsbody
32. Ice Spice: Like…? EP
31. Yves Tumor: Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)
30. Avalon Emerson: & the Charm
29. HiTech: Détwat
28. jaimie branch: Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war))
27. Water From Your Eyes: Everyone’s Crushed
26. Laurel Halo: Atlas
25. Arooj Aftab / Vijay Iyer / Shahzad Ismaily: Love in Exile
24. Sofia Kourtesis: Madres
23. Mitski: The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
22. Jessie Ware: That! Feels Good!
21. Julie Byrne: The Greater Wings
20. Mandy, Indiana: i’ve seen a way
19. Kara Jackson: Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?
18. 100 gecs: 10,000 gecs
17. Kelela: Raven
16. boygenius: the record
15. Yaeji: With a Hammer
14. Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS
13. Noname: Sundial
12. L’Rain: I Killed Your Dog
11. Lana Del Rey: Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd
10. yeule: softscars
9. ANOHNI and the Johnsons: My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross
8. Fever Ray: Radical Romantics
7. Amaarae: Fountain Baby
6. Sufjan Stevens: Javelin
5. Nourished by Time: Erotic Probiotic 2
4. Wednesday: Rat Saw God
3. billy woods / Kenny Segal: Maps
2. Caroline Polachek: Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
1. SZA: SOS