12 releases from smaller artists in 2023 that you don’t want to miss.

From shoegaze to irish folk to underground rap, check out some of the most exciting albums and EPs from lesser-known artists this year.

The most wonderful time of the year comes at the end, and it isn’t because of winter festivities or the much-needed break from work. Instead, I would argue that it comes from the annual surge of year-end music lists—a time for reflecting over a year’s worth of releases, crafting your own list of favorites, and defending those choices like your life depends on it. I myself have mulled over the 2023 releases that soundtracked my past year, the albums I expect to revisit for years to come. In the process, I was struck by the number of amazing projects from smaller and emerging artists across a range of genres, from shoegaze to irish folk to underground rap. Many of these projects have attracted buzz within somewhat niche circles, but I believe that they deserve more widespread recognition. That being said, without further ado, I present a compilation of my twelve favorite albums and EPs from smaller artists this year. Whether you’re looking to squeeze in a few extra listens before the ball drops or build up your list of records to tackle in the new year, I hope these releases will speak to you the way they have spoken to me.

@ — Mind Palace Music

Re-released this year, bedroom-pop-folk outfit @’s debut record is a charming collection of homespun stories. A sprinkle of flute here, a pinch of bongos there—the sounds of Mind Palace Music are, for lack of better description, so very tactile. You can practically feel the buzz of the vigorously-strum acoustic guitar, the pounding of their syncopated drumming bouncing around your ear canals, and the fluttering vocal arpeggios dancing in your chest. The duo’s raw harmonies oscillate between soft and sharp, weaving a tapestry with threads of tender and intimate lyrics. With pleasant moments of experimentation peeking through, Mind Palace Music is like its own little treasure box, a collection of songs bursting with both novelty and nostalgia.

Lankum — False Lankum

False Lankum, the newest record from Irish folk quartet Lankum, comprises a series of reworked traditional folk songs as well as several original tracks. The spine-tingling, gripping soundscape of opener “Go Dig My Grave” immediately sets the tone, yanking the listener into its world of chilling vocal bellows, intense drone sounds, and layers of dissonant strings. On “Newcastle,” the band transforms a traditional dance song into a painfully wistful ballad, and the mournful harmonies of “On a Monday Morning” easily inspire existential contemplation. Lankum has a spellbinding touch, masterfully wielding their vocal and instrumental tools to create a sound that is as eerie as it is beautiful. In the end, their collection of haunting folk tunes amounts to one of the most captivating listening experiences of the year.

Maruja — Knocknarea (EP)

Knocknarea is the first EP from Maruja, a band that has gained significant traction within the UK underground circuit over the past few years. With a blend of post-punk art rock sensibilities sure to enamor any fan of black midi and early Black Country, New Road, Knocknarena is a stellar, albeit brief, compilation of several previously-released singles alongside one new track. Improvisation forms the basis of much of the band’s compositions, a fact that makes sense once you encounter their dynamic instrumentation and rhythmic intensity. Simply put, each component of their music feels positively alive. Stretches of lush, winding instrumental passages build into moments of explosive chaos flush with frenetic drumming and impassioned vocal delivery. A particularly expressive saxophone performance ties everything together; from the rapidly cascading arpeggios to more flowy passages, it feels like the true voice and heart of the record. With such a stellar debut, Knocknarea shows that Maruja is a force to be reckoned with and a name to watch in the years to come.

Snow Strippers — April Mixtape 3

Electroclash duo Snow Strippers makes music for enthusiastically thrashing about the dance floor, all worries temporarily suspended, your hair pasted to your skin with sweat. Alternatively (and in my case), it’s for walking around campus, the goofy menagerie of EDM noises blaring through your barely-sustaining headphone speakers as you strut past unwitting passersby. Intentionally garish sound effects are smeared all over these tracks, from corny sirens to echoey cackles resembling the laugh of a comic book villain. The duo’s embrace of the outlandish is freeing, and their mastery of creating an earworm makes the mixtape so addicting. Though these characteristics describe much of their discography, April Mixtape 3 is Snow Strippers at their best, including just enough versatility to be engaging while remaining true to their sound.

bl4ck m4rket c4rt — Today I Laid Down (EP)

This EP from bl4ck m4rket c4rt, the moniker of artist Kai Wesener, is a beautifully somber project that rises above an often-indistinguishable sea of slowcore. The project incorporates elements of slacker rock and shoegaze with arrangements that feel more elegant than expected of a young artist’s debut. With fuzzy production and hypnotic space rock synths, the atmosphere is at times cosmic, otherworldly, even spiritual. Though Wesener’s lyrics are understated, they are poignant, an impression that is retrospectively heightened by the tragedy of surrounding real-live events. Technically impressive and deeply affecting, Today I Laid Down is certainly worth a listen.

McKinley Dixon — Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?

McKinley Dixon’s Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? is a standout jazz rap album emerging from the current scene of underground rap. Weaving together personal experiences with broader themes of social issues, the Chicago-based rapper’s songwriting is as compelling as his performance is passionate. The record is also stunning to simply hear: beautiful live jazz instrumentals are front and center, and delightfully crisp production creates some truly luscious moments for your ears. These melodies mesh well with Dixon’s flows, building a sense of momentum that makes the record feel like it’s over far too soon.

Headache — The Head Hurts but the Heart Knows the Truth

Bleak, surreal, and bizarre, the album from Headache, a collaboration between electronic producer Vegyn and lyricist Francis Hornsby Clark, is one massive fever dream. In mere seconds, the spoken word poetry jumps from offbeat anecdotes to humorous observations to spiraling existential tangents. AI-delivered narration embodies the role of a human character, discussing personal memories and impossible physiological actions, such as feeling its own tongue. In the background, Vegyn’s downtempo beats and layers of flickering synths generate a sense of movement that seamlessly sweeps you into its nightmarish world. For those who enjoy experimenting the uncanny, The Head Hurts but the Heart Knows the Truth is an engaging ride to say the least.

Slow Salvation — Here We Lie

Dream pop and shoegaze fanatics, this is for you. Travis Trevisan and Christina Hernandez’s Slow Salvation has a mesmerizing new record out containing all your favorite sounds. Languid, wispy vocals? Check. Reverb and distortion galore? Of course. This record is perfect for night drives, candlelit contemplation, and all other scenarios in which you simply feel like stretching your arms out and being blissfully swallowed by sound. With production work from Simon Scott of Slowdive to top it off, what more do you need to give it a shot?

ML Buch — Suntub

Where her previous album Skinned flirted with themes of screens and technology (memorably exemplified by titles like “I’m A Girl You Can Hold IRL”), Suntub sees Danish artist ML Buch captivated by the physical world like never before. On this sophomore record, natural and corporeal representations are abundant, like fleshless hands, glowing flowers, flames, and wind. The addition of electric guitars and prominent percussion grounds the more ethereal elements of the arrangements, and the sonic palette shifts from emulating the digital to the tangible. Suntub ultimately feels like Buch detailing a panoramic view that stretches out before her gaze, exemplified by the following refrain from “High speed calm air tonight”: “A road opens warm and wide, strung up in a red sky. Glowing yarrows slide by in the corner of my eye, and I’m swallowed by high speed calm air tonight.”

a.s.o. — a.s.o.

Students who have learned well from their ‘90s predecessors, Berlin-based duo a.s.o.’s self-titled debut record is smooth and effortless modern downtempo revival. “Cold Feeling” sounds like a forgotten track from Air’s 1988 Moon Safari and “Rain Down” pays homage to the likes of Massive Attack and Portishead. Still, something about these tracks feels fresh, and the heavy inspiration they draw feels more like tribute than mimicry. Despite being of the more understated picks of this list, a.s.o. will undoubtedly leave you head-bumping, swaying, and feeling like the coolest person in the room.

Sluice — Radial Gate

Radial Gate, the newest record from Justin Morris’ alt-country contemporary folk project Sluice, oozes with the sounds and images evoked by its North Carolina origins. It’s something you would hear around a campfire nestled deep in the scenic outdoors of the Appalachian mountains, where music and nature merge together. Pedal steel whines in the background; is that the song, or an eagle soaring overhead? Morris’ words are wistful, contemplative, and humorous all at once:

“My body’s weary and my heart is too

I’ve had no revelations in the wilderness

Though I did take a surprise shit while

Leaning off of a ridge

And was struck by the beauty and comedy

Of attempting to exist.”

Perfect for soundtracking your next wilderness-inspired daydream, Radial Gate paints a Southeastern pastoral with vivid brushstrokes.

Hannah Diamond — Perfect Picture

PC music fans may scoff at this inclusion to a list of “smaller” artists, but for the general crowd of pop music fans, Hannah Diamond indeed feels like a hidden gem. Sparkly and radiant, Perfect Picture reminds us of all the best things about (bubblegum) electropop—infectious hooks, infinite replayability, and the feeling of sheer joy being injected directly into your veins. As one of PC Music’s final non-archival releases, it also marks the end of a legendary era, something that is reflected by a slight bittersweet undercurrent you can feel across this record. Though the label is coming to its end, Diamond reminds us that new and exciting horizons exist for pop nonetheless.

edited by Joseph Mooney, Editor-in-Chief.

collage by Alia Smith.

album artwork believed to belong to either the publisher of the work or the artist.