2020 Chicago Albums of the Year
2020 will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. However, underneath all the bullshit, moments of joy and solace were scattered throughout the year —and many of those moments stemmed from the music that came out of Chicago. Our 2020 Albums of the Year list comprises records that kept us company in isolation: sometimes helping us escape from the terrible news cycle, sometimes helping us confront it. In a year where even the most basic tasks felt laborious, and musicians were hit the hardest by quarantine, the fact that so many of them shared their brilliant bodies of work with the world made them exceptionally superhuman. This list is an ode to the City’s artists that didn’t stop singing, dancing, and, in a lot of cases, organizing for a better Chicago. We hope you see titles you love as well as unfamiliar ones, and we encourage you to support these artists in any way you can. Here’s to getting through the final days of 2020 and (fingers crossed) being able to listen to these records live in 2021.
- Pedro Gonzalez
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Honeymoon
Beach Bunny
Life’s become so different post-lockdown that most events from months prior feel eons away. And yet Beach Bunny’s fantastic debut album, Honeymoon, which dropped on Valentine’s Day, refuses to be forgotten. Led by Lili Trifilio and her bright voice, the project is indie-rock at its most enraptured state. The fast and irresistible melodies wash over the undercurrent of anxiety in Lili’s lyrics, often building up to exhilarating choruses. Heartbreak and relationship turmoils rarely sound this upbeat. It serves audio serotonin when you need it with a side of candid angst, both are highly addicting. Primed for the festival circuit, listening to these nine songs allows the imagination to run loose and picture what it would’ve been like to be moshing among your friends in the summer heat. - Pedro Gonzalez
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Wonder
Billy Lemos
Billy Lemos’s Wonder feels like witnessing an abstract painting being completed in front of you from start to finish. Painting to the corner of every edge, Lemos' glitchy and woozy production drips off the canvas and all over the floor. But then Lemos pulls you through the canvas into a computerized alternate dimension full of sharp, soulful alt-pop production. Everything comes alive. Clocking in at 20 mins, Wonder offers up a thrilling, teetering balance of simplicity and moments that give your ears a sense of what it feels like when your stomach drops. Lemos' own excitement for the exploration of music’s boundaries is transparent across his production and the feeling is contagiously felt across the 11 guest features diligently pieced together across nearly every track. Wonder truly leaves you wondering what this emerging young producer could compose next. It’s no wonder that Billy Lemos is an exciting new face to rocketship out of Chicago and the Midwest. - Patrick Welby
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As I Am
Brittney Carter
When you think of Brittney Carter, one word naturally comes to mind: consistency. Whether it's the first handful of songs she ever dropped on Soundcloud or her viral Twitter video freestyles, you know you’ll have to run her tracks back multiple times to unpack all the quality bars she delivers. This sentiment rings especially true on As I Am, Brittney’s debut album, which gives listeners an unprecedented look into the emcee’s life –outlining her thoughts, dreams and aspirations packaged in regal songwriting. The 22-minute project flies by and often feels like a celebration thanks to the fun radio skits featuring DJ Hot Rod that tee-up Brittney to take the show over. The production by Ill Brown, Heir Porter, Elements, Vadim, and Scud One is also a highlight here. There is nothing faded about these beats, which are modern, rich in tone and in texture. As I Am leaves listeners satisfied with a solid full-length project and a precedent of what’s ahead. - Luis Hernandez
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Auto-Pain
DEEPER
Despite the untimely death of founding member Mike Clawson during the recording process, Deeper returned with a fantastic sophomore LP in Auto-Pain. The band —made up of Nic Gohl (vocals /guitar), Drew McBride (guitar), Shiraz Bhatti (drums) and Kevin Fairbairn (bass)—shows off its balanced excellence throughout the album; perpetually walking the line between sugary hooks and dissonant walls of feedback. Washed in synths and anchored by an unrelenting rhythm section, Auto-Pain is post-punk music done in a way that is incredibly gratifying. Through impressive chemistry and clever songwriting, Deeper is able to find solid-footing in the album's chaotic bursts of noise. On standout tracks like “Run” or “This Heat'' the group’s knack for crafting guitar-music that is as cathartic as it is catchy is on full display. As Gohl put it best on the last track, “This heat / Don’t you want it?” - Nino Lenzini
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Flower of Devotion
DEHD
Halfway through this arduous year, Dehd released their love letter to a bygone era. Flower of Devotion will float through your speakers, sounding like Joan Jett locked herself in her bedroom with a handful of quaaludes and a bottle of white wine, responding to calls from the outside world with plaintive requests for a hug. The album's tone is bright, though playfully sad, containing just the right amount of cheerful yips balanced against a requisite gravelly and lovesick croon. In the standout track, “No Time,” the vocals swirl in polyrhythmic patterns, coming together in a wavery unison only to split into sweetened harmonic resolution. The album feels made for people that enjoy rom coms with a twist ending, like one of the main characters dying. - Sam Glaser
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PTSD
G Herbo
The aptly-named PTSD finds Herb at his rawest and most vulnerable form; retelling stories and lessons from his experiences in the streets. The teenager that blew up off “Kill Shit” in 2012 is now a mature young man coming to terms with the subsequent trauma and pain he’s experienced, and that maturity takes the forefront of this album. From opening up about the tears he’s shed in “Gangstas Cry,” featuring BJ the Chicago Kid, to falling out of love with the mother of his child in “Feelings,” Herb lays it all out. The album features an all-star list of collaborators guest-appearing in some of the best cuts on the album: “By Any Means” with 21 Savage is a god-tier collab between Chicago and Atlanta and Herb shows love for his city with collabs from fellow drill veteran Lil Durk (“Party in Heaven”) and rising superstar Polo G (“Lawyer Fees”). However, the centerpiece is the album’s eponymous track, where Herb is joined by Chance The Rapper, Lil Uzi Vert, and the late Juice WRLD to share in vivid detail their experiences battling trauma. After almost a decade of consistency, PTSD is a stellar addition to an already incredible dynasty. - Alejandro Hernandez
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Golden Child
Hatesonny
HateSonny flexes both his growth and future potential as an artist —while capturing the duality of man—on Golden Child. There are songs here where his delivery is calm, controlled, and contemplative (“DAMAGE CONTROL” and “MANIC”), while on others (“GO WHERE I GO” and “24K”), Sonny easily switches to a more abrasive, braggadocious, and unafraid tone. The diverse musical palette that separates this project from his previous ones is a result of digging through old records with his pops —and go-to producer—MyFriendNate, consummating in a variety of sounds explored from start to finish. To HateSonny, being a golden child “is to be someone who is purposeful, whether that be to yourself or to those around you.” As such, he created a project focused on the details, with each song having its own special intention. It’s the soundtrack of a young man learning how to carry and balance the energy around him to discover his place and purpose in the world. - Alejandro Hernandez
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Watch This!
Jean Deaux
Fun, brazen and full of bars, Watch This! is the defiant follow-up to Jean Deaux’s more tranquil and reflective previous EPs. Channeling the ethos of a heavyweight champion getting ready to step into the ring and defend their title, Deaux’s latest EP reminds us of her superb songwriting skills while establishing unmistakable hit-making chops. The flows are compact and the lines are deservedly boastful. Her assertiveness shines from the jump and the hits don’t stop throughout, with the true knockout punches being “Recipe!” and “Moody!,” two records that will make you move no matter where you’re at. This is also the third year in a row that Deaux makes our Best of... list and each output is markedly different than the last. Multi-dimensional and innovative, Deaux isn’t waiting for people to give her her flowers anymore: with Watch This! she’s claiming the belt as one of the best to do it out of the city. - Pedro Gonzalez
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Welcome to O’Block
King Von
In just two years, King Von went from relatively unknown to a standout artist in Chicago’s drill scene —a scene that’s making its biggest national impact since Chief Keef popped off in 2012. Von primed loyal listeners with the Levon James ‘tape early in the year, but the release of his formal debut album, Welcome to O’Block, established him as a star. With the support of his label, Only The Family, run by his childhood friend, Lil Durk, Von saw his record land at the top of the Billboard charts before his untimely death, just days after the album’s release in October.
Tales of street life are not new in music, and many have opinions about how much or how little these stories should be celebrated. Still, politics aside, King Von’s music came from a place of honesty and personal experience that resonated with fans immediately as his singles rang out all year. While Von may not be able to enjoy the fruits of his labor, his family will. So be sure to keep streaming these tracks and remember that a lot of the songs you listen to represent the lives of real people. Listen and enjoy, but do so with respect; King Von lost his life living the content he created. - Brent Butcher
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Stock Child Wonder
Knox Fortune
Have you ever been strolling down the street and every harmony, every chord just perfectly compliments the world around you? Knox Fortune’s Stock Child Wonder, the follow up to his seemingly effortless 2017 breakout debut Paradise, is the ideal soundtrack to those very best days. Warm sun glistening your face, a cool breeze giving you life and the carefree optimism that whatever comes next will be all you need. Fuzzy cozy vocals bask in Knox’s sincere storytelling, showcasing his deeper exploration into songwriting in his sophomore follow up. Tracks like “Gemini”, “Static” and “Shirtless” are a treasure hunt of sounds Knox has sweetly cherry-picked from all corners of the genre galaxy. Collaged and pasted together, it gives you layers upon layers to explore each listen. From start to finish, the album narrates an exuberant sense of nostalgia, dizzying desire and déjà vu. If Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin, Stock Child Wonder delivers the much needed extra dose of bliss we all needed this year. - Patrick Welby
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Circus
Mick Jenkins
In a quieter fashion than many of his contemporaries, Mick Jenkins has laid the foundation of being a career artist: his catalog contains hundreds of millions of plays and counting, he’s built a solid touring business in the US and overseas, and most importantly, he’s amassed a dedicated fanbase along the way —all while in his 20s. From the outside looking in, his approach to music feels like that of a craftsman. Through a consistent cadence of releases over the years, we’ve heard Mick develop the demeanor of his delivery, a honed honesty throughout his lines and execute conceptual songs + albums to a degree few others have. His latest oratory offering, Circus, released at the tip-top of 2020, showcases these qualities in spades. Throughout the EP’s 7 tracks, Jenkins’ command serves as an anchor to a seamless sound formed by 11 producers - highlighted by likes of Hit-Boy, Black Milk and Bizness Boi. While there’s a lot to enjoy on Circus —the critically lauded single “Carefree,” a feature from exciting Atlanta duo EARTHGANG and a personal favorite in the outro “Different Scales” to name a few—the project’s release came with the context of being a prelude to his next album. With that in mind, it’s hard not to think Mick’s most exciting work is still ahead of him. - Eric Montanez
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BRAT
NNAMDI
Throughout BRAT —the first release under storied Chicago musician Nnamdi Ogbannaya’s new moniker, NNAMDÏ—a haunting mantra of “I need you, need something new” seeps through several tracks. It represents the album's central motif and a forewarning to new listeners unfamiliar with NNAMDÏ’s vast musical background of the ride they’re about to embark on. Whereas 2017’s DROOL was primarily rooted in hip hop, BRAT takes the established notions of “genre” and upends them, resulting in a cohesive package that explores NNAMDÏ’s musical influences and interests, from math rock-driven guitar riffs to R&B-inspired falsetto hooks. BRAT serves as a stage for NNAMDÏ to share his musical chops with new audiences and old diehards of Chicago’s DIY basement scene who’ve known him for years. Above all else, BRAT is NNAMDÏ’s introspective examination of identity and self-acceptance, reflected both musically and lyrically. And although the project was finished before the world shut down, it was a fitting complement to the forced self-exploration period many of us endured in 2020. - Geoff Henao
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The Goat
Polo G
Writing music that connects with large amounts of people is not something everyone is capable of, and achieving “pop star” level success is just not realistic for most. Hit records are never easy to come by —but Polo G makes it look like a layup while crafting brooding songs with verbose choruses. The North Side native hit the ground running with Die a Legend in 2019 and doubled down by naming himself The Goat and releasing his sophomore album in 2020. A title claimed by plenty, Polo G sought to earn it with an album showcasing his versatility and technical prowess. The Goat is equal part bars, superb storytelling and a bouncy beat selection featuring some of today’s most exciting names in rap. However, it’s his honesty and reflection —which at times can be chilling—that resonates with fans and have elevated his notoriety to stardom levels. Polo G is plenty confident and rightfully so, but his career is still in its infancy. It will be interesting to see what he continues to bring to the table after seeing so much success so quickly. - Brent Butcher
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Sen Morimoto
Sen Morimoto
Over the course of his self-titled sophomore album, Sen Morimoto sings, raps, and chips in clever wordplay through hopeless moods, liberating realizations and every bittersweet sentiment in between. With the help of fellow Chicago-based talents Kaina, Lala Lala, Kara Jackson, Qari, NNAMDI and Joseph Chilliams, as well as Japan’s AAAMYYY, Morimoto gives us exactly what we had hoped for on the follow-up project to his critically acclaimed debut Cannonball!, further instilling his inimitable and innovative sonic style. In the standout track, “Woof,” we find Sen in a vulnerable headspace where dispirited and scattered-brained thoughts are amplified by quick guitar riffs and punchy drums. Towards the end of the project on “Nothing Isn’t Very Cool,” Morimoto’s once hazy headspace dissipates as he comfortably and steadily reveals newfound clarity of what once was and what now is.
As our guide through his mind, Sen masterfully depicts the many facades and consequences of departing from something or someone once loved, reclaiming self, accepting things as they are, and moving forward. - Carlos Castillo
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Sensitive + The Leo Sun Sets EPs
Serena Isioma
Serena Isioma’s year was marked by two EPs shared eight months apart, which allowed us to experience their personal and artistic growth in real-time. The first one, Sensitive, served as a reflective, early-quarantine soundtrack: candidly exploring emotion through the melding of smooth, rhythmic beats and Isioma’s captivating voice. Whether you’re listening to the intoxicatingly smooth and reflective “Valentina” or the eclectic and bouncy “Cookout,” at a moment’s notice it can sink you into your seat, just to pull you right back out of it.
The Leo Sun Sets then arrived as a more transparent and personal experiment than its predecessor, taking us into uncharted corners of Serena’s mind where difficult personal development takes place. In “Meadows in Japan,” Isioma leaves a brutally honest and difficult voicemail to their partner, ending a situation no longer beneficial to them.
Serena has a way of narrating their life experiences into scenes that paint themselves right in front of your eyes while leaving room for interpretation. And the two projects communicate with each other to resolve situations and learn from tough lessons. The Chicago-based artist is at the forefront of a wave that’s breaking the mold and reconstructing what we know into something strikingly new yet oddly familiar. Two projects under 20 minutes each may not seem like a lot, but that’s all Serena needs to convince you that they know something we don’t, and whatever it is —it sounds like the future. - Iman Music
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Don’t Let It Go To Your Head
theMIND
There are very few artists residing in Chicago that garner the type of respect around the community as theMIND does. Given his unique talent, fantastic run of feature contributions & his supporting role across some of Mick Jenkins most memorable records, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. However, when he takes the time to widen the view & give listeners a deeper look into his own namesake, the depth of Mr. Wilder’s talents truly reveal themselves. Feeling like a proper debut record, Don’t Let It Goes To Your Head, picks up where Summercamp left off. A careful consideration of his own experiences, theMIND tackles the teeter-totter of thinking things through from all sides by pinning down fleeting perspectives with his pen. To color in this context, he pulls from a diversity of deliveries - a deadpan speaking voice for self reminders, a timbre that can give even the heaviest topics wings, a falsetto that is literally what silver-lining sounds like. It helps his vocals range is as wide as the emotional spectrum he pulls from. From start to finish, this is one of the best records to come out of Chicago in years - don’t leave 2020 without giving this album a proper listen. - Eric Montanez
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Seek No Answer
Sports Boyfriend
Local heartthrob Sports Boyfriend delivered her most intimate project to date with Seek No Answer. Reflecting on past lovers and her current life, Eileen Peltier brings us a collection of ballads that highlight the beauty of acceptance. Seek No Answer explores the artist’s life decisions and the path that they’ve taken her on. Every song tells a story about something or someone who should have never been a part of her world, but still found their way there. Embracing the ambivalence of love, Sports Boyfriend takes us on a warm joyride through heartbreak lane while making sure we smile through her rear-view mirror. Serenading our fear of vulnerability, Sport reminds us that sometimes letting ourselves get hurt is the only way we can enjoy the brief moments of optimism we rarely get to appreciate in life. Seek No Answer is a playful work of art equally etched from pain as it was from joy. - Josue Olivares
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Ard Bet
Judy
Smack-dab in the middle of a tumultuous summer amid a disorienting year, the release of Judy’s Ard Bet conveyed the dystopian and decadent atmosphere felt in Chicago and across the world in under 30 minutes. The album chronicles the return of a heartbroken young man to his native city just as shit started to hit the fan on a global scale. Timely without feeling forced, the emcee’s debut project delivered a few sought-out answers, but its true strength laid in the acknowledgment of how lost we all are. Oscillating between words of wisdom and diatribes, Judy mixes heady concepts with boisterous records and constantly blurs the lines. The production brings home the chaos in his lyrics, and the features add brief moments of different perspectives. Despite its title, the album’s last track, “Don’t Worry,” doesn’t give much relief and, looking at the state of the world, we shouldn’t expect that. However, there’s an undeniable cathartic release by the end of this listening experience that allows the artist and listener to keep going. - Pedro Gonzalez
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Touch The Sound
Spun Out
Such groove, much funk. When a bassist writes and plays the way Spun Out's four-stringer does, the casual listener might try to peg them all as beginners. Upon further listening, even the uninitiated would be without doubt on the prowess of this absolute unit of a group. Tinged with flavors of disco and garage rock, Spun Out's quietly powerful pop is the best pick to start a dance party amongst the depressed. Though the album itself is packed with energy, the band takes the level down a few notches for Touch the Sound's seemingly Dylan-inspired "Plastic Comet.” It's a decent closer for an enjoyable album, albeit slightly subdued. - Sam Glaser
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V Tape
Vic Mensa
For those of us who chase nostalgia through music, Vic Mensa’s V TAPE is exactly what we needed. Released back in August, the seven-track project is a transparent reflection on the experiences that have shaped Mensa as a person. The skillful storytelling and soulful production that first made you fall in love with Vic’s music shine brighter, and more refined, than ever. Opening up with “VENDETTA,” his quick-witted and almost hypnotic lyricism makes you sit up in your seat, buckling you into a story you have to hear all the way through. Elsewhere, he surgically explores reputation and growth while passionate features from Snoh Aalegra and SAINt JHN ease our emotions surrounding self-love, relationships, and mental health. The V Tape feels like the return to form fans had been clamoring for, delivering in thrills and hard-earned lessons. - Iman Music
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100 Best Chicago Songs of 2020
Our mission for The Forecast is to amplify the voices of Chicago artists of all genres, stories and backgrounds. As we close out on 2020, we celebrate 100 of our favorite songs from 100 Chicago artists from all corners of the city.
- Patrick Welby