PAPER's Favorite Albums of 2023

Fanfare - Dorian Electra

There isn’t a cultural phenomenon or internet cliché that goes unexamined on Fanfare, which sees Dorian Electra assuming the role of a pop dictator, twisting the most toxic or bizarre elements of our society into exaggerated rock theater. Whether they’re reimagining bible stories as horny, capitalist electro bangers (“Sodom & Gomorrah”), poking fun at extremely online basement dwellers in desperate need of some nature (“Touch Grass”) or listing what awful things man might create in the future to absurdist extremes (“Manmade Horrors”), Electra’s third album is both lyrically hilarious and sonically explosive. At any moment, one party bus banger could descend into a gabber-style breakdown, before a symphony of strings suddenly erupts like a movie climax. And through it all there’s Dorian Electra, our fearless leader, who somehow makes sense of all this nonsensical madness in a way only they’re capable of.

— Justin Moran, Editor-in-chief

Fountain Baby - Amaarae

In a stacked year of headlining releases, Fountain Baby stands heads and shoulders above the rest. Amaarae’s second studio album is a skillful mixture of Alté, R&B and pop music. It’s a feat made capable by the singular talent behind it, who brazenly reveals herself across its various tracks. Beyond “Come Home to God,” songs like “Aquamarie Luvs Ectasy” and “Co-Star” drip with the fluidity of Amaarae’s desires, while “Angels in Tibet” is one of 2023’s hottest club tracks in the style of Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope. “Sociopathic Dance Queen,” meanwhile, is brazenly sapphic and pop-y, putting to shame the wide berth of songs often trotted out by (generally straight) artists or their fans as the modern “queer” iconography.

— Joan Summers, Writer

Start - Club Eat

This was the year that Club Eat coalesced. The New York duo Ren G and Chicken have been the nightlife lifeline for a couple years now, soundtracking endless evenings out for myself and other Downtown delinquents. But with Start, their sound and sights take on new life, an energizing mixture of electroclash, K-Pop and gritty club influences. What started out as a party has turned into a full-fledged pop machine, ready to fly even further into the stratosphere in the coming year.

— Ivan Guzman, Writer

With a Hammer - Yaeji

Yaeji wants to tear it all down to build it back up again. On her debut full-length LP, the Korean-American New Yorker channels rage for the first time, tapping into suppressed childhood memories and increased violence against Asian Americans. Her gentle, humming voice serves as the siren call for destruction, making its mark over synth-pop, jazz, ambient and techno sonic palettes. Have no fear, Yaeji is here to guide you into a revelatory new lens — together, we will work through our trauma and build a better future for ourselves through thumping bass lines and undeniable 808s.

— Ivan Guzman, Writer

Blood Moon - Twin Princess

I moved to Philadelphia this year, where I am surrounded by up-and-coming bands and shows almost every night of the week. Among the many, many acts I’ve watched in dive bars and on stages across the city, none were as captivating as Twin Princess. Ironically, the band, fronted by vocalist and keyboardist Pauli Mia, was the first show I saw here, and in the multiple times, I’ve caught their sets since, they're still among the best. Their debut album Blood Moon has not left my daily rotation since its release back in May. They describe the release as “synth-pop-sun, doom-country-rising.” Mia’s vocals are gorgeous throughout, aching with longing and heartbreak and hopefulness. “Violets,” the lead single, fuses the country leanings with modern pop sensibilities, while “Cvs” is darkly electronic. “Pink Light” and “Blue Echo Window,” meanwhile, are in lockstep with the same divine forces that undergird Lana Del Rey’s Did you know there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd. If there’s any band to watch in the coming years — it’s this one!

— Joan Summers, Writer

This Is Why - Paramore

For a specific kind of suburban, post-Bible-school, former emo-kid, Paramore are more than just a band. For me, formidable frontwoman Hayley Williams wasn't just another voice among the Warped Tour era pop-punk acts, but a larger-than-life example of just how good rock music could sound and feel when you let a woman take a mic typically saved for men. Fast forward to 2023, and after a six-year hiatus, Paramore returned bolder and better than before. Their sixth album This Is Why is dotted with the same heartfelt lyricism that pushed them onto the world stage but this time with more experimentation and confidence in their ability to create their own unique sound. Sure, there's nostalgia and yearning throughout the LP, but the best moments (see: "This Is Why" and "Running Out Of Time") come with acknowledgments of who they are now and hints at where their sound is heading in the future.

— Erica Campbell, Music Editor

Think Later - Tate McRae

As a fan of Tate McRae’s come up, I have been awaiting her sophomore project — especially after two viral singles. Think Later is an album for girls who enjoy pop just for being pop; I love that I can mindlessly zone into the soundscape of girlhood McRae brings to the table. It’s catchy and girlie, and that’s what pop is all about. Combined with her dedication to choreography, McRae is my pop girl to watch.

— Alaska Riley, Social Editor

The Record - boygenius

When you spend most of your time listening to and diagnosing new music, you start to worry that you'll end up jaded. Have you heard it all before? Will you ever get that rush of hearing your new favorite album for the first time? The Record, boygenius' debut album put all those worries to bed for me. Julian Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus put their full creative prowess into the 12 tracks making up their LP, bringing together nihilism, heartbreak, painfully acute self-awareness, and genuine optimism into an album that sounds like coming-of-age film feels. From the rollicking "$20" to the heartbreaking "Emily," The Record is so endearing, so familiar that even at first listen, you feel you recognize it as a once-in-a-lifetime album.

— Erica Campbell, Music Editor

STARFUCKER - Slayyyter

“Three more seconds ‘til I get naked,” whispers Slayyyter on “Erotic Electronic” in what is easily the greatest intro to anything I’ve heard in 2023. Shameless and straight to the point, this sultry moment captures the spirit of Starfucker, a concept album that glorifies Hollywood culture and all the sex, drugs and desperation that comes with a city centered entirely on celebrity. In the canon of Slayyyter music, her sophomore album offers the artist’s full range: from glistening power-pop perfection (“Miss Belladonna”) to clever, cunty little bops (“Purrr”) and the more aggressive spoken cuts that let Slayyyter really talk her shit (“James Dean.”) Despite its obsession with fame and the thrills of seeking attention, the project still manages to sit left of center with an experimental energy that keeps Slayyyter’s brand of pop weird enough for all the outsiders who’ve followed her online since “BFF” (PAPER's No. 10 song of 2018).

— Justin Moran, Editor-in-chief

Something To Give Each Other - Troye Sivan

— Matt Wille, Managing Editor

Get Up - NewJeans

Last summer, NewJeans seemingly came out of nowhere and skyrocketed to global success after the release of their debut EP. And fall into sophomore slump they did not. What they did was outsource production and lean into historically Black genres — like UK garage, drum and bass, Jersey club and R&B — and put their own sweet and chill K-Pop spin on it. Every single song and video is accompanied by mesmerizing choreography that hits every single beat. Even though the album is basically 12 minutes long in total, it’s addicting and never gets old.

— Andrew Nguyen, Fashion Editor

Jaguar II - Victoria Monét

Victoria Monét has been around for a minute, but Jaguar II is what she technically calls her debut album. From start to finish, it’s a sexy and soulful journey that explores love, lust, ambition and what is it that gives our lives meaning in the first place. Monét has truly honed in on her R&B sound while nodding to the ‘70s greats that came before her.

— Andrew Nguyen, Fashion Editor

Silence Between Songs - Madison Beer

As a long-time fan of Madison Beer, her debut Silence Between Songs exceeded my expectations and became one of my favorite pop albums in recent years. It sounds like a fairytale being sung by a princess from atop her tower. Beer’s voice has matured incredibly, showcasing a new strength as she belts ballads that feel like chapters in a storybook. It's a seamless, production-forward album. It's pretty girl music.

— Alaska Riley, Social Editor

why does the earth give us people to love? - Kara Jackson

Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? by Kara Jackson is a revelation and I hope it marks the beginning of Jackson’s long lasting relevance. The former National Youth Poet Laureate writes with a uniquely tactile touch, each word sounding like a rock hitting against another, forceful with intent. The production and arrangement that surround Jackson’s rich voice are both grand and understated, as strings blanket the record sweeping atop a gorgeous bed of acoustic guitars. The grand, yet somehow still sparse productions, bring new gravity to Jackson’s ever-grounded writing, as her words collide with life’s biggest feelings: grief, loneliness, longing, hope.

— Tobias Hess, Writer

Pink Friday 2 - Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj takes us all to Gag City in her fifth studio album Pink Friday 2. With features by longtime collaborators like Drake and Lil Wayne, it feels like time traveling with Minaj right back to 2010. After switching the release date three times, we finally got the long-awaited album earlier this month. So how is an album that has been out for 20 days my album of the year? Well, it’s Nicki Minaj and she did not come to play with this one.

— Angelina Cantú, Editorial Producer

Erotic Probiotic 2 - Nourished by Time

Erotic Probiotic 2, the joyful genre-fluid project of Baltimore-based artist Nourished By Time, pulls on the sounds of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s to give us something undoubtedly fresh. Across this breakout album, Nourished By Time (AKA Marcus Brown), harps on themes both expansive and intimate: romantic yearning, being broke, fear of death, capitalism. His wry lyricism and warbling baritone delivers lines that hit like a soft punch, harsh but sweet. In a world that seems stuck on oscillating between cloying earnestness and craven, market-tested mediocrity, I found Erotic Probiotic 2 to be the rare project that is free of any pretense. Just some good ass music. Like a probiotic, it goes down easy.

— Tobias Hess, Writer

Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd - Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey has never sounded better — nor so sweet. As a longtime Lana stan, Did you know... feels like the natural synthesis of many of the ideas the icon has been toying around with for her entire career. And still, it manages to surprise, especially in standout moments like “A&W’s" total upending of itself halfway through and the incredibly self-referential “Taco Truck x VB.” At an hour and 17 minutes — with multiple meandering interludes — there is some notion of the album feeling less pared-down than Lana’s previous works and, therefore, closer to Lana herself. It’s Lana at her most Lana, really. It’s vast, and a pleasure to fall into.

— Matt Wille, Managing Editor