Once again, my favorite records of the year. Presented in no particular order.

 

Tsunami Sea – Spiritbox

This record was my most played of the year. It took a while for me to love, and for a while I thought the middle of the record lagged a bit. No more. This record is an achievement

 

Never Enough – Turnstile

Turnstile had a lot to live up to following Glow On, and this is a bit of a Glow On pt. 2. Thats okay. It’s a great record. The videos of their concerts I’ve seen during “Birds” in particular look like the best pit in the world.

 

Lonely People with Power – Deafheaven

Deafheavens best record since Sunbather. Enough said.

 

Dyed (2008–2023) – The Maine

This is a great concept for a “b-sides” style of record. The whole thing is good too! Even my referring to it as a “b-sides” record is underselling it.

 

Live, Vol. Two – mewithoutYou

I continue to love this band. mewithoutYou forever.

I’ll also note that there will be a third release next year, and the first two volumes didn’t include my favorite songs. I am excited for that as well.

 

Silver Bleeds the Black Sun… – AFI

I’ve written a bunch about this band and this record already, so I’ll keep it brief. This record continues to hold up as I’ve gone back to it in recent weeks. Its a great breath of fresh air into a band that didn’t need it.

 

No One Was Driving The Car –  La Dispute

Another great fanatic record from La Dispute. “Top – Sellers Banquet” might be my favorite song of the year.

 

Big Ole Album, Vol. 1 – A Day to Remember

This record is great. Heavy, poppy, fun, even stupid at times (I’m looking at you “All My Friends”). This band has become a great vertex for the scene – I mean look at all the folks on the cover that helped make this record. Lastly, the release cycle was super interesting for this record too. They had released the physical record (vinyl, CDs, etc) a month or two before the digital release. I think thats a great way to “reward” fans ahead of the larger release, and I hope they repeat it with volume 2.