The Albums of the Year

So many great albums have been released this year, including two from Jack White, two from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and five from the relentlessly brilliant King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. In TG's top 20 there's everything from indie-folk to instrumental tech-metal...

- Stan Bull, Ellie Rogers, Amit Sharma, Jenna Scaramanga

20 Chat Pile GOD’S COUNTRY (Flenser)

2022 has been quite the year for Oklahoma’s Chat Pile, who were virtually unknown until the release of debut LP God’s Country in July. But thanks to said album’s nine slices of brilliant sludge rock, they have become one of the most hyped underground bands in the world. It’s easy to hear why. Tracks like Slaughterhouse and Why are so relentlessly pummelling yet groovy that Chat Pile pull off the near-impossible – abrasive dissonance that nevertheless gets stuck in your head.

19 Yard Act THE OVERLOAD (Island)

Arriving fully-formed with this debut album, Yard Act sounded less like a band discovering their sound than one who have already perfected their hyper-specific brand of spiky, danceable post-punk. Though the heavily politicised (and often hilarious) lyrics of vocalist James Smith are often the main talking point, guitarist Sam Shjipstone colours the surreal songs of The Overload with all manner of angular staccato riffs. A crowning moment for the UK’s breakthrough stars of the year.

18 The Smile A LIGHT FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION (XL)

In the last few years, Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood have delivered stellar solo music, but A Light For Attracting Attention, the debut album from the pair’s side project The Smile, is their first collaboration since Radiohead’s 2016 LP A Moon Shaped Pool. And there is much for Greenwood enthusiasts to savour – with tracks such as The Opposite and Thin Thing featuring some of his most intricate guitar work since 2003’s Hail To The Thief.