11. Best Coast - Everything Has Changed | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

The 13 Albums That Got Me Through 2020

Stuck inside indefinitely, musicians did what they do best: make art to help get us through the day.

65
The 13 Albums That Got Me Through 2020

In This Article:

Whatever 2020 may have brought you, this year has definitely been one that we will never forget. In May, I wrote about how the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting music - specifically song lyrics and music videos. Little did I know back then that we'd still be dealing with the pandemic months later. In the early months of the pandemic, artists were either taking a comedic or a charitable approach to the pandemic. Despite the trials and all the canceled concerts of this year, there have been fantastic albums released.

Music has always been an integral part of my life. Although concerts were canceled, being able to enjoy new releases definitely helped fill some of the gap. These songs helped me snap out of a depressed mood, kept me motivated, or just filled my days with joy.

Here are my picks for the best albums of 2020:

13. Lido Pimienta - Miss Colombia

An Afro-Colombian queer woman with indigenous heritage, a single mother, a Spanish speaker. Lido Pimienta is all of this, and she boasts a dreamy voice that is powerful and soothing. Released on April 17, 2020, Miss Colombia is an album of resistance.

12. Bombay Bicycle Club - Everything Else Has Gone Wrong

When the single "Everything Else Has Gone Wrong" was released in November 2019, how many of us could have guessed that it would be a fitting anthem for 2020?

The album Everything Else Has Gone Wrong was released on January 17, 2020. It was the band's first album since 2014. The songs express feelings of anxiety and finding one's worth, and wholey, it is an album about finding solace in music. When this year brought us down, listening to this album reminded us we are not alone, "And yes I found my some hope again".

11. Best Coast - Everything Has Changed

Best Coast's Everything Has Changed is about just that - change. Released on February 21, 2020, the album is a story of growth and optimism. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

10. Tennis - Swimmer

In a time where we are fondly reviving the style of the '70s and the '80s is a common setting for movies and TV shows, Tennis blends right in. At first glance, you might not even realize this is a recent release when you first stumble upon one of their music videos. Swimmer, released on February 14, 2020, is a beautiful piece of escapism.

9. Moses Sumney - grae

With a split release in February and May, grae is an album that you could listen to for the whole year and still discover something new. Sumney has a captivating voice and he is greatly aware of how to use sounds and his voice to create music that truly tells a story.

8. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia

Released on March 27, 2020, Future Nostalgia is a pop album that we're still dancing to in December. It also came right at the beginning of quarantine, a bright spot in a moment that felt very bleak.

7. Rich Brian - 1999

Rich Brian has grown up quite a bit since he first came onto the scene, and he's developing his own sound and style. 1999, which released in August 2020, is a fun EP. I can't even count how many times I blasted DOA while driving around as summer transitioned into fall.

6. Omar Apollo - Apolonio

Apollo brings youthful charm, optimism, and curiosity to his most fully realized work yet. Apolonio, released in November 2020, celebrates what was and what is, not what could be, and in a moment when the future feels catastrophic at best, there's comfort in knowing that a few years ago, in a different reality, a teenaged Omar Apollo drove 19 hours to Georgia to see his crush for the last time.

5. Mac Miller - Circles

Circles was released posthumously on January 17, 2020. Mac's dedicated fan base spent that night streaming the album and coming together. Circles is about working through depression, how the bad days are long and the good days feel fleeting. It was a perfect album for a year that turned our worlds upside down.

4. Fleet Foxes - Shore

It seems 2020 gave some of our favorite artists a chance to sit back and focus on the music. Released in September 2020, Shore was a surprise gift to fans of the band. The album that is musically adventurous and feels like a breath of fresh air. It looks to the world as if staring into a darkness and responding with beauty, acceptance, and light.

3. Bad Bunny - YHLQMDLG

Released on February 29, 2020, YHLQMDLG popped out on the scene. Boasting an impressive 20 tracks, this album woulda/coulda/shoulda been the party album of the year. It's a big record that pushes boundaries and pays homage to reggaetón's past and future.

2. Bad Bunny - El Último Tour del Mundo

Almost 8 months after dropping YHLQMDLG, Bad Bunny released his third album of the year in November. El Último Tour del Mundo has a different sound than either album released this year, although we did get a preview of this sound in Hablamos Mañana. This album effortlessly bounces between new-wave riffs and booming 808s and offers a glimpse of the brilliance that can result from Benito's experimentation. When he says he does whatever he wants, we believe him. Maybe we can, too.

1. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush

The highly anticipated album The Slow Rush was a Valentine's Day gift to all of us, released on February 14, 2020. Each song is a present to unwrap and sink into. An introspective about the passing of time, the album fit perfectly into 2020. At the beginning of quarantine, Kevin Parker even released a stream of the full album with background effects to make it sound like you were at a concert - a truly immersive experience that we missed out on this year.

It's worth a listen on New Year's Eve as the year closes with "One More Year" reflecting, "Do you remember we were standing here a year ago?...If there was trouble in the world we didn't know".

The opinions in this article are purely my own and do not reflect the opinions of The Odyssey Online.
Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Adulting

6 Unrealistic Expectations Society Has For Young Adults

Don't let the thesaurus-inspired vocabularies in our résumés fool you. We're actually just big kids.

2328
boy in adult clothes

Well over four feet tall and 100 pounds in weight, many of us "young adults" of the world still consider ourselves children. Big, working, college-attending, beer-drinking children. We may live on our own, know how to cook noodles, and occasionally use a planner, but don't be fooled; the youthful tendencies that reside within us still make their way into our daily lives. From choosing to stay up until 3:00 a.m. playing video games on a school night to going out in 30 degree weather without a coat, we still make decisions that our parents and grandparents would shake their heads at in disappointment. So why are we expected to know exactly how to be a wise, professional, sensible adult? It's not that we're irresponsible (for the most part, anyway). It's that we are young, inexperienced, and still have the sought-after, enthusiastic mentality that we can do and be whatever we want, which has not yet been tarnished by the reality of the world. These are just a few of the unrealistic expectations that society has for young adults.

Keep Reading...Show less
pizza
Fandango

There are a lot of foods in this world, but there is only one dish that stands above the rest: Pizza. If you're close to me or at least know who I am, then you know that I'm totally obsessed with pizza. It's one of my favorite things to eat and I will NEVER turn down a slice, even if it doesn't have my favorite toppings. There isn't a day that goes by where I'm not thinking about pizza. I even sleep with a pizza pillow every night! There are many reasons why pizza stands above all other foods, and here are just a couple reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less
sex and the city
Warner Bros. Television

1. You don't have to feel guilty about flirting with customers for tips (or just for shits and giggles).

2. You can be obnoxiously flirtatious with anyone you want. You are free to be that girl that flirts with everybody and makes 'em all smile (it's especially fun when the guy is as cute as Collin Jost). No shame.

3. Making random men nervous with your superior beauty and intense eye contact just for the hell of it is really amusing and empowering.

4. No one gives two poops if ya legs are hairy (your man shouldn't either but *Kermit the Frog meme* That's none of my business)

5. The toilet seat will remain down.

6. There's more money to spend on yourself.

7. There's always this secret butterfly in your tummy that marvels at the possibility that when you go out this weekend you're gonna meet someone super handsome/wonderful/prince-like and have this moment of dazzling dalliance.

8. Nothing is that serious...you can take it all with a grain of salt...you don't owe anybody anything.

9. You can dance with anyone and everyone...or no one (Hello frat boi w/ glasses, I see you).

10. You don't have to fluff anyone's ego but your own.

11. Free drinks and dinners from single guys (It's not taking advantage if they're offering; a girl's gotta eat).

12. You have more time to learn how to love and improve yourself rather than constantly pouring your energy into another person.

13. You don't have to sacrifice your cheesy Jen Aniston rom-coms and Gilmore Girls for his Fast and Furious/other dumb action movie featuring blonde that is only in the movie to supply a relationship to the male lead and to make him look more masculine/empowered in juxtaposition (In other words, you don't have to deal with a guy being a crabby Patty while you watch your cute movies).

14. You can daydream about what your future husband may be doing right now (and not get stressed/guilty out because you're not picturing your current boyfriend that's crazy about you as your future husband).

15. There is more time to be spent with your girlfriends.

Girls Night In
Milk + Blush

We've all been there - you've been saying since Tuesday after French that this weekend is the weekend. You're finally going to break out those new heels and actually put on eyeliner on and make this Friday night be one for the memory books! That is, of course, until Girls Night Out turned into...Girls Night In.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

What Is Your Zodiac GIF?

Characteristics of the astrological signs, explained through GIFS.

840
zodiac
Wordpress

Whether you believe astrology is a legitimate "science" or not, we have all found ourselves looking at our horoscopes from time to time. The 12 astrological signs all fall under one of four elements: air, water, earth, or fire. Air signs are rational, social, and love to communicate with others. Water signs are are emotional, intuitive, and mysterious. Fire signs tend to be passionate, creative, and adventurous. Earth signs are conservative, realistic, and loyal.

Each sign is determined by the relative positions of celestial bodies to ourselves at our moment of birth, which is said to influence our personalities. Find your zodiac GIF below, based on the traits and characteristics provided by each sign.

***Disclaimer: GIFS are meant to be lighthearted and are based on descriptions of signs from http://www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com/.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments