Top Albums of 2019.
Written by: Sarah Evangelista
This past year has been so memorable to many artists, breakout musicians or not, and whether they’ve released another album, single, or won awards for their art. Although, right now, let’s focus on the ones that have released albums (not ranked, just listed).
portraits - Greyson Chance
From going viral on YouTube for his piano cover of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” when he was in sixth grade, and releasing an album in his young years, as well as releasing a few songs in the later years, it wasn’t a surprise that Greyson’s talent would be recognized in the future too. This year, he surprised his dedicated listeners with three new singles, titled “shut up”, “timekeeper”, and “white roses”, and they were definitely excited about what would come next. The pop artist later released his second album, portaits, which showcases what his sound is like now, and could be described as an album full of beautiful melodies and heavenly synths.
Sucker Punch - Sigrid
Norwegian pop star Sigrid has been super successful this past year, reason being that she’s played sold out festivals and shows on her headlined ‘Sucker Punch’ tour all around the world, and she put out her debut album. Featuring previously released hit singles such as “Sucker Punch”, “Don’t Kill My Vibe”, and “Strangers”, the twelve part project by the name of Sucker Punch is a fun and emotional rollercoaster. It speaks of topics like relationships and knowing who you are, and it’s such a feel good album, even if there are a few slow ballads on it, Sigrid’s powerful voice makes up for it.
WAKEUP WAKEUP - The Royal Foundry
Made up of Bethany and Jared Salte, The Royal Foundry has releasing music since 2016, and has been gaining the love from many indie/alternative/pop music listeners along the way. Early in the year, the duo put out a few singles, such as “Hopefully”, “Here We Go”, and the title track, “WAKEUP WAKEUP”, to introduce their sophomore album. These two are such hard workers, it’s no surprise that WAKEUP WAKEUP is everything I expected it to be, if not more. All thirteen songs off of the project is super catchy, and the placement of them all is breathtaking. Thank me later.
MAYBE - Valley
After going on tour with musicians like Lennon Stella and The Band CAMINO, the Toronto based quartet won over the hearts of many new supporters. Made up of Rob Laska (vocals/guitar), Mike Brandolino (guitar/vocals), Karah James (drums/vocals), and Alex DiMauro (bass/vocals), finds a unique way to create meaningful music, reason being that they aren’t afraid to experiment on new things and bring their ideas to life. Since 2018, the indie/pop group have been releasing the whole album in three parts; Side A, Side B, and Side C, to finally release the eighteen songs, known as MAYBE. It features songs of all kinds, upbeat and fun (“Stock S.O.”) to slow and calming (“Nowhere Fast”), to create a diversity of amazing tunes.
Backseat - James Clayton
The recognizable and smooth voice by the name of James Clayton has had quite a good time in 2019; by going on a headlined tour, being a contestant of The Launch’s second season, and of course, by releasing his debut album. Being from Montreal, he’s found a place in the city’s music industry by playing so many hometown shows and earning the hearts of many music listeners along the way. Following his debut EP, which was released in 2018, Backseat contains close to home stories from Clayton, touched with his soothing vocals and acoustic guitar riffs, to make the album a dreamy fairytale.
I’m Sorry I Love You - Alexander 23
It’s safe to say that Alexander 23 was one of the best breakout artists of 2019; the pop artist went on tour with singers like Alec Benjamin and mxmtoon, gained a large group of supporters, and released his debut album. Known for unique beats and creative ways of putting his thoughts into music, Alexander 23 focuses on love and heartbreak (along with a few other subjects) in all nine tunes, but not like every other artist does. From falling madly in love in songs like “Girl”, not being able to make someone happy in “Sad”, to wondering the mysteries of dying in “When I Die”, he isn’t afraid to speak about what’s keeping him up at night and sell it as art (listen to “20 Something”, and you’ll get the reference).
Betty - Betty Who
Betty Who started the year right by opening for Panic! At The Disco, alongside Two Feet, and by releasing her third album in mid February. Previously releasing catchy singles like “I Remember”, “Taste”, and “Just Thought You Should Know”, listeners expected a new album that would be just as good as those songs, if not better - and Betty Who did not disappoint one bit. The pop artist is recognized for her super catchy, fun and danceable songs, and this project, titled after herself (Betty), is all about that, while focusing on love, intimacy, and of course, feeling invincible after dealing with jerks.
Too Much - Bridal Party
Hailing from British Colombia, the five piece group by the name of Bridal Party have been releasing art pop tunes since 2015. They’ve put out their very first single in the first year of their music career, which was followed by their debut EP Hot Daze in the same year, then another EP titled Negative Space two years later, and finally, their newest album which was released in 2019, Too Much. Featuring singles like “Speak Easy”, “Jukebox Cutie”, and the title track, this project aims on subjects like care and self-love. With every band member in the spotlight of the project, Bridal Party’s point of making their new album gets across just right.
T. Thomason - T. Thomason
After being one of the six winners of The Launch season 2, playing a ton of shows and festivals around the country, and last but not least, releasing his debut album in September, the artist from Nova Scotia has had quite the year. T. Thomason’s newest album is packed with singles “Bliss”, and “Loser” as well as many other tunes, and it portrays what his sound right now is all about. Also, it seems like the more upbeat are before the more chill ballads - which is smart move, actually. T. Thomason covers topics like changing and growing, and it’s no surprise that this project is self-titled, because it’s definitely some of his best work yet.
Neotheater - AJR
Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met, well known as the pop art trio AJR, have been making hits for years now, some being “I’m Ready” and “Weak”, and they’ve gained about 6,000,000 monthly Spotify listeners throughout the time. In April of 2019, they released their third album, Neotheater, and fans of theirs were ecstatic. Focusing on the bumpy roads to adulthood, AJR always finds a way to get their point across with a creative, Jon Bellion like beat, and unique lyrics. Later on, they explained that this project was different from the rest, reason being that they put easter eggs in each of the songs, and every single tune from the album had a piece of another one in it. In the end, every time you give the whole album a listen, it’s an adventure and a scavenger hunt you’ll never want to stop listening to.
Stream it here.
8:47 - Elijah Woods X Jamie Fine
Even if I’m not sure what the title of this album represents, I know for a fact that 8;47 is one of the best releases of 2019. Made up of winners of The Launch’s first season, Elijah Woods X Jamie Fine is a pop duo that has been seen everywhere in 2019, even has had many of their songs played on the radio as well as they went on tour with Canadian group Marianas Trench across Canada. Featuring singles like “Ain’t Easy”, “You”, and “Better Off”, Woods’ instrumental skills and Fine’s powerful vocals, as well as killer transitions between the songs, are all highlighted in the project.
Stream it here.
The Mathematics Of Nature - Matthew Chaim
Originally from Montreal, but now hailing in Los Angeles, indie/electro/pop artist by the name of Matthew Chaim has been creating music for years now and has found his own unique sound. His debut album, The Mathematics Of Nature, which was a follow up to his first EP, titled Homemade was released in November. Also, in 2019, Chaim created his own aesthetic all over his social media and cover arts - using Crayola crayons, drawing and colouring almost every piece of content of his (including the album cover art). On Chaim’s travel alone from his hometown to Los Angeles, he got inspired to write tunes which would then turn out to be his debut album (highlighted in “Byways”), and I could speak for everyone when I say that I’m forever grateful.
Hi, I’m Mona - mona on the radio
Also hailing from Montreal, the pop artist by the stage name of mona on the radio has been creating super fun tunes for about two years now, and is absolutely killing it. After releasing a handful of songs, he finally released his debut album, introducing himself and his music, with featured singles like “Hi, I’m Mona”, “Namaste”, and “Bright Blue Bathrobe”, and more songs that will put a smile on your face. With the most creative cover art I’ve ever seen, which reminds me of a Polly Pocket or a Barbie dream house, the twelve songs on the album are just as colourful as the art.
Clarity - Kim Petras
The transsexual pop princess has gone on tour with Troye Sivan, headlined her own tour across North America, and managed to release a few albums in the past two years. This year, Kim Petras put out her debut full-length album, titled Clarity, which featured singles like “Broken” and “Got My Number”. It obviously deserved to be a part of this list. Although she also made a couple of spooky projects around Halloween, this project was more a way to introduce her music to the world and it’s safe to say that the world is now in love with her music because of it.
Dedicated - Carly Rae Jepsen
We’ve all heard of Carly Rae Jepsen, whether it’s from her fun hit single “Call Me Maybe”, or not. This year, she released her anticipated new album, Dedicated. It speaks on everything from relationships (as heard in “Now That I Found You”) to heartbreak (as heard in “Party For One”) - what the pop artist does best, but with a totally new sound. In her past released songs and albums, you could describe it more of a pop anthem playlist, but this project has way more synths, to create a cool aesthetic.
Although the year may be over, the music will live on to the fullest!