Firstly, albums are not a thing of the past! Lof of people have claimed that this format was not relevant anymore in the streaming era, but the artists below have proven the contrary this year. Albums remain the best way to fully express an artistic direction and a vision.

Then again, it’s never easy to definitively rank albums so we guess that this list is only a photography of our tastes at this very moment. In one year, it could be totally different…

Finally, if you like any of these releases, and we’re sure you will, don’t forget to support the artists. Streaming is a good start, but it’s unfortunately not enough.

On Friday, we will unveil our Best Tracks of 2019 and you can already check the 20 EPs and Mixtapes that made our year. But for now, here are our 50 favourite albums of the year (you can also browse the entire list with our Spotify playlist at the bottom of the page).

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50. Konradsen – “Saints and Sebastian Stories”

49. Sneaks – “Highway Hypnosis”

48. Tobi Duchampe – “The Saddest Game.”

47. Kelsey Lu – “Blood”

46. PAT – “Love Will Find A Way Home”

45. XUXA SANTAMARIA – “Chancletas D’Oro”

44. Toro y Moi – “Outer Space”

43. The Japanese House – “Good At Falling”

42. Dorian Electra – “Flamboyant”

41. Bodywash – “Comforter”

40. Holly Herndon – “PROTO”

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39. Stella Donelly – “Beware of the Dogs”

38. Black Belt Eagle Scout – “At The Party With My Brown Friends”

37. Carla dal Forno – “Look Up Sharp”

36. Octo Octa – “Resonant Body”

35. TR/ST – “The Destroyer – Part 1”

34. Sharon Van Etten – “Remind Me Tomorrow”

33. Thom Yorke – “Anima”

32. Common Holly – “When I say to you Black Lightning”

31. Jessica Pratt – “Quiet Signs”

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30. Boy Harsher – “Careful”

29. Two People – “First Body”

28. Charli XCX – “Charli”

27. Nilüfer Yanya – “Miss Universe”

26. Yeule – “Serotonin II”

25. Noah – “Thirty”

24. Crumb – “Jinx”

23. Morabeza Tobacco – “Morabeza Tobacco”

22. Tyler, the Creator – “IGOR”

21. Clairo – “Immunity”

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20. Angel Olsen – “All Mirrors”

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19. Aldous Harding – “Designer”

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18. 100 gecs – “1000 gecs”

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17. Danny Brown – “uknowhatimsayin¿”

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16. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Dedicated”

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15. JPEGMAFIA – “All My Friends Are Cornballs”

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14. Sir Babygirl – “Crush on Me”

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13. Chromatics – “Closer To Grey”

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12. Men I Trust – “Oncle Jazz”

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11. FKA twigs – “MAGDALENE”

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10. Lana Del Rey – “Normal Fucking Rockwell!!”

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9. Weyes Blood – “Titanic Rising”

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8. Jenny Hval – “The Practice of Love”

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7. Maria Somerville – “All My People”

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6. Requin Chagrin – “Sémaphore”

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5. Big Thief – “U.F.O.F.”

(It was really not easy to decide and it could have been “Two Hands” as well)

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4. Caroline Polachek – “Pang”

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3. Grace Ives – “2nd”

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2. BEA1991 – “Brand New Adult”

(and artwork of the year)

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1. Erika de Casier – “Essentials”

You might have missed or forgotten it but Queens-based singer-songwriter and producer Grace Ives released a great album back in April, with 12 very short tracks loaded with anxiety. By the way, the first single, “Mirror“, is featured in our Best Tracks of 2019 playlist. To celebrate the announcement of a few shows in the US (some of them with the amazing Claud), Ives has now unveiled a Mary Dauterman-directed video for “Icing On The Cake”, another highlight of the album. Watch and check her itinerary below.

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TOUR DATES:

08/24 – Queens, NY @ MoMA PS1 Warm Up

09/07 – Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch Music Festival

09/17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Lemon’s (in the Wythe Hotel)

10/15 – San Francisco, CA @ Cafe du Nord*

10/16 – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge*

10/24 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd*

10/25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade*

10/27 – Boston, MA @ Once*

11/18 – Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern*

* = Supporting Claud

Hailing from New York, bedroom singer-songwriter and producer Grace Ives crafts DIY pop songs influenced by the sounds of Britney Spears and Rihanna, the electronic patchworks of M.I.A. and her “punk-er” friends. And when you have such a wide range of inspiration, your music is anything but easy to pin down.

With “Mirror,” the first single and closing track from her upcoming album 2nd, Grace Ives channels the nonchalant electronica pop of Negative Gemini and keeps it simple and straight to the point. Dealing with obsessive self-critique, her low key track acts as a mantra of self motivation. Tune in below.