Becky Rogers

Many of 2023's best albums look inward. From the over-analytical self-awareness of boygenius' the record to the reflective sketches of Ryuichi Sakamoto's 12, many of our favourite releases this year were concerned with the self and identity and offered vulnerability to listeners. From propulsive hip hop to Irish trad metal, read on for our favourite albums this year. Words by Kelly Doherty, Becky Rogers, Annabelle Van Dort, James Hammond and Emily Hill. Our favourite EPs of 2023 are here.

Some compilations and reissues offer an opportunity to explore the forgotten and the overlooked. Others are a chance to re-examine and re-appraise the essentials we all know and love. As vinyl sales continue to increase year-on-year, reissues and compilations this year reflected a sense of curiosity and learning-whether it's the niches observed in Charles M Bogert's Sound of North American Frogs or The NID Tapes or the continued excavation of shoegaze with reissues of Duster and Lush.

In a digital landscape where a 30-second clip can propel bedroom artists and underground reliables to the top of streaming charts and festival line-ups, succinctness increasingly holds power in the music industry. The ability to forge a voice and a connection in the shortest of interactions dominated the mainstream this year, but the EP format remained a reliable tool for artists looking to indulge in brevity-whether to experiment, bridge gaps or just have fun.