Beyond The Watch's 50 Best Albums of 2023

It's that time when year-end lists start popping up everywhere, from the onslaught of Spotify Wraps littering your Instagram to every major music publication unveiling their top picks for the year. Well, now it's our turn! There's something for everyone on this list. So, whether you're looking for metal, indie rock, hip-hop, or anything in between, this eclectic mix will push the boundaries of your playlist and have you putting new tracks on repeat. Without further ado, here are the best 50 albums of 2023, according to us.

Doomscroll and then listen to our Heavy Rotation 2023 playlist HERE

50. JUNGLE - VOLCANO

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Back On 74”

Label: AWAL

49. YOUNG FATHERS - HEAVY HEAVY

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Rice”

Label: Ninja Tune

48. SLOWDIVE - EVERYTHING IS ALIVE

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “kisses”

Label: Dead Oceans

47. GORILLAZ - CRACKER ISLAND

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Silent Running”

Label: Parlophone

46. HARMS WAY - COMMON SUFFERING

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Silent Wolf”

Label: Metal Blade

45. RATBOYS - THE WINDOW

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: ”The Window”

Label: Topshelf

44. DIZZY - DIZZY

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Knock The Wind”

Label: Royal Mountain Records

43. MOTHER TONGUES - LOVE IN A VICIOUS WAY

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Dance in the Dark”

Label: Wavy Hazy Records

42. BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT - THE LAND, THE WATER, THE SKY

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Nobody”

Label: Saddle Creek

41. MO LOWDA & THE HUMBLE - MO LOWDA & THE HUMBLE

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Beachtown”

Label: Workaround

40. SLOW PULP - YARD

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Cramps”

Label: Anti-

39. THE MURDER CAPITAL - GIGI’S RECOVERY

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Only Good Things”

Label: Human Season Records

38. JESUS PIECE - …SO UNKNOWN

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “An Offering to the Night”

Label: Century Media

37. ANDY SHAUF - NORM

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Wasted On You”

Label: Anti-

36. DOMINIC FIKE - SUNBURN

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Think Fast”

Label: Columbia

35. CAROLINE POLACHEK - DESIRE, I WANT TO TURN INTO YOU

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Bunny Is A Rider”

Label: Perpetual Novice

34. BARONESS - STONE

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Last Word”

Label: Abraxan Hymns

33. AVENGED SEVENFOLD - LIFE IS BUT A DREAM…

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Nobody”

Label: Warner

32. KING KRULE - SPACE HEAVY

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Seaforth”

Label: Matador

31. HORSE JUMPER OF LOVE - HEARTBREAK RULES

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Heartbreak Rules”

Label: Run For Cover

30. BAKAR - HALO

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Alive!”

Label: Black Butter Limited

29. TROPHY EYES - SUICIDE AND SUNSHINE

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Blue Eyed Boy”

Label: Hopeless Records

28. KILLER MIKE - MICHAEL

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “DON’T LET THE DEVIL”

Label: VLNS

27. SHAME - FOOD FOR WORMS

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Six-Pack”

Label: Dead Oceans

26. THE SOUTH HILL EXPERIMENT - MOONSHOTS

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Gabo’s Last Resort”

Label: The South Hill Experiment

25. DRAIN - LIVING PROOF

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Good Good Things”

Label: Epitaph

24. MSPAINT - POST-AMERICAN

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Delete It”

Label: Convulse

23. AESOP ROCK - INTEGRATED TECH SOLUTIONS

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Kyanite Toothpick”

Label: Rhymesayers

22. FIDDLEHEAD - DEATH IS NOTHING TO US

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Sullenboy”

Label: Run For Cover

21. LANA DEL REY - DID YOU KNOW THERE’S A TUNNEL UNDER OCEAN BLVD

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “A&W”

Label: Polydor

20. SUFJAN STEVENS - JAVELIN

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?”

Label: Asthmatic Kitty Records

19. JEFF ROSENSTOCK - HELLMODE

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “LIKED U BETTER”

Label: Polyvinyl Record Co.

18. MILITARIE GUN - LIFE UNDER THE GUN

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Never Fucked Up Once”

Label: Loma Vista Recordings

17. HOME IS WHERE - THE WHALER

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “yes! yes! a thousand times!”

Label: Wax Bodega

16. MIKE - BURNING DESIRE

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “plz don’t cut my wings”

Label: 10k

15. THE LEMON TWIGS - EVERYTHING HARMONY

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Corner Of My Eye”

Label: Captured Tracks

14. METALLICA - 72 SEASONS

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “If Darkness Had a Son”

Label: Blackened Recordings

13. FEIST - MULTITUDES

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Hiding Out In The Open”

Label: Polydor

12. BILLY WOODS AND KENNY SEGAL - MAPS

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Soft Landing”

Label: Backwoodz Studioz

11. 100 GECS - 10,000 GECS

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Hollywood Baby”

Label: Atlantic

10. HOTLINE TNT - CARTWHEEL

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Beauty Filter”

Label: Third Man Records

9. LIL YACHTY - LET’S START HERE

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “drive ME crazy!”

Label: Motown Records

8. SAMPHA - LAHAI

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Only”

Label: Young

7. ARMAND HAMMER - WE BUY DIABETIC TEST STRIPS

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Woke Up and Asked Siri How I’m Gonna Die”

Label: Fat Possum

6. BOYGENIUS - THE RECORD

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Not Strong Enough”

Label: Interscope

5. PARAMORE - THIS IS WHY

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Running Out Of Time”

Label: Atlantic

4. JPEGMAFIA AND DANNY BROWN - SCARING THE HOES

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Lean Beef Patty”

Label: AWAL

3. SLEEP TOKEN - TAKE ME BACK TO EDEN

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “The Summoning”

Label: Spinefarm

2. WEDNESDAY - RAT SAW GOD

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Chosen to Deserve”

Label: Dead Oceans

1. GEESE - 3D COUNTRY

ESSENTIAL TRACK:

Listen: “Cowboy Nudes”

Label: Partisan Records