Chicago Albums of the Year 2022

What makes a good end-of-year list? For These Days, it’s the alchemy of properly representing the publication’s collective curatorial taste and its mission to cover as much of the Chicago musical zeitgeist as possible. It’s a tall order, but with a staff comprised of dedicated fans and up-and-coming journalists with their own eclectic range of taste and conviction, the exercise is exciting —rather than daunting—in execution.

Obviously, due to our passion and care for the music, these type of lists are fun to make until it’s time to trim candidates down to the final 25. That’s when the real work begins (and internal arguments get heated). Honestly, every single These Days contributor —myself included—probably wishes at least one more of their own personal favorites could’ve made the final list. I don’t think that’s a bad thing though, if anything, it speaks to the city’s wealth in talent.

Besides, one thing to avoid while making an end-of-year list is try to make everyone happy; it’s impossible and a recipe to put together the blandest collection of records. Our 2022 Chicago Albums of the Year list feels like a success because it truly highlights the projects we love, it’ll spark conversations, and will put people onto great music.

- Pedro Gonzalez

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LUCKY!

Casper McFadden

Casper Mcfadden’s LUCKY! feels like slowly falling down a rabbit hole into a wonderland of amusing bells, heart-warming chords, and scattered conversations. Despite lacking heavy vocals, the project nevertheless manages to emulate a range of human emotions amid a collection of peculiar, automated noises. An open playground for listeners, LUCKY! invites us to find genuine intimacy in the unfamiliar.

- Ellie Naughton

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2HOLDEMOVA

cam

Released in May, cam’s five-track project brought sounds “from the new world.” Merging hyperpop and hip-hop that guides you through a kaleidoscopic universe of rage, 2HOLDEMOVA includes highlights like “stoptalkin2me!,” a collaboration with rising Chicago artist Don’t Be Kendall, which reinstates their tight-knit relationship and shared musical vision. If you enjoy witty hooks and angelic electronic/breakbeat production, this one is for you.

- Michael Magitman

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HALL OF FAME (HOF)

CP

CP was having a regular year - when it ended, he was trending. A steady run of releases leading up to 2022 landed him on our Chicago Artists to Watch list back this past spring & since he’s really emerged behind the strength of a pair of projects in YOTD & HALL OF FAME. The latter, a potent 5 song EP, sees CP at his best yet. Stand out single “10PM IN THE RAQ” became an instant favorite among our editors & recently received an incredible response live at the These Days ATW showcase at Schuba’s earlier this month. Looking ahead, it’s feeling like CP has all the ingredients to make a run. A voice / delivery that really cuts through, a good ear for production & inherent star power. Pair that with his Lyrical Lemonade ties, it’ll be no surprise if he hits the national conversation in a hurry.

- Eric Montanez

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For All Debts, Public and Private

Defcee & Boathouse

Veterans in Chicago’s music scene, Defcee and Boathouse combined their talents to stellar results on this 11-track record released last April. On top of confronting his own stumbling blocks, Defcee captured the zeitgeist with intricately penned narratives; layering his confessions with sharp critiques of free markets and entertainers passing as artists over Boathouse’s bass-heavy, boom bap productions

- Halle Mohr

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Blue Skies

Dehd

Dehd’s Blue Skies, released in May 2022, was the ideal soundtrack to a Chicago spring. For 32 minutes, Dehd do what they do best: deliver earworms with punk sensibilities and indie rock execution. The combination of Jason Balla’s surfy guitar, Emily Kempf’s infectious melodies, and Eric McGrady’s restrained drums beg to be enjoyed with a spliff on the beach. Even the record’s title and cover art—a whimsical collage of a butterfly—reference something Chicagoans associate with balmy ecstasy: blue skies.

- Kira Leadholm

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Goodnight Dreamer

Dreamer Isioma

On their debut album, Dreamer Isioma turns a philosophic pursuit into a 36 minute musical odyssey fitting of a pop-star. Equal parts psychedelic & romantic, Goodnight Dreamer freely flows —at times in a daze, others in a dash—from one end of the sonic spectrum to another. Anchored through a core of singles that were introduced to us as part of 2021’s Crying In The Club EP, a signature Celestial sound serves as a guiding familiarity in a listening experience which otherwise feels like floating through the Chicago artist’s imagination. While there’s truly no telling where Dreamer will take us next, what we do know is that they certainly won’t be stopping and we couldn’t be more excited to watch.

- Eric Montanez

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motion!

Frank Leone

Clocking in at 11 minutes, Frank Leone’s six-track EP is a fast-paced fever dream for audiophiles with short attention spans. Both glitchy and melodious, fast-paced and syrupy, motion! plays to the strengths of Frank’s enigmatic production style. As each song blends seamlessly into the next, Frank playfully captures melancholic moodiness underscored by a fast-paced BPM.

- Halle Mohr

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Whenever Forever

Friko

Whenever Forever proves that you can convey a lot in a limited time. In just under nineteen minutes, Friko gives us a thorough and mature story of loss, remembrance, and yearning. Spilling wistful confessions over desolate guitars and dramatic strings, the trio embraces the essence of emo-rock on this EP. For anyone suffering from grief and heartache, it’ll hurt how close these five songs will hit home. As you make your way to the last track, you’ll no longer be able to hold in that lump in your throat, realizing that it’s okay to “open up a bit [and] let the rain in.”

- Ellie Naughton

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dog days

Godly the Ruler

dog days perfectly encapsulates the angst and search for a sense of belonging that comes with growing up in the Midwest. Influenced by hip-hop, punk culture, and their overall free-spirited personality, Godly The Ruler put out a project that’s as eclectic as their persona. Godly’s voice carries a sense of uniqueness no other artist aside from them can convey, while small notes of Cobain and Gavin Rossdale manage to peep their head out from time to time and narrate an attitude that resonates with Chicago hip-hop.

- Josué Olivares

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The One Who Knocks

J Wade & Cloud Boy

Heavily inspired by the television show Breaking Bad, J Wade and Cloud Boy made their full-length album debut with The One Who Knocks and delivered a visual-like experience that kept listeners on the edge of their seats just like any critically acclaimed action-drama would. Cloud Boy’s production is reminiscent of old-school Madlib beat tapes, where anything from dusty records to television clips served as a malleable medium for the craftsman to mold the canvas that J Wade would later etch his mark on by slashing through every rhyme and metaphor he was able to conjure out during a time of chaos and frustration.

- Josué Olivares

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Over & Over

Jackie Hayes

Over & Over gets at the confusion felt in your early twenties when you realize the anxiety and self-doubt you thought you would've grown out of is still present in your adulthood. Adopting a pop-punk approach to her debut full-length, Jackie Hayes incorporates angsty vocals with powerful melodies to produce a contemporary sound reminiscent of early Paramore and Avril Lavigne. It’s confrontational, yet therapeutic, serving as the perfect album to scream along to when you feel knocked down.

- Ellie Naughton

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For Fuchsia

J.Y.N

J.Y.N.’s For Fuchsia is an exceptional debut project from the Korean-American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Not a single track feels skippable as J.Y.N. meticulously creates six earworms that are anchored by guitar strums and twangy licks. His effortlessly-flowing singsong vocals help emit a reflective ambiance that invites listeners to join him in visiting each stage of grieving an unrequited romance. By the time you’ve reached the halfway point of the final track “Sycamore,” you’ll likely feel the urge to save this project to your library.

- Carlos Castillo

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It Was a Home

KAINA

KAINA’s introspective lyricism and the range in which she uses her comforting voice (whether on a more upbeat and soulful track like “Good Feeling,” or the psychedelic “Blue”) help reinforce themes of reflection, self-love and healing heard throughout her sophomore album. Similar to the feeling of solace that comes from the empathetic embrace you’d receive from that one person you know you can confide in during an authentic moment of vulnerability, It Was a Home reassures listeners that there is comfort to be found in allowing yourself to unpack whatever it is in life you may have experienced or are currently experiencing, all at your own pace.

- Carlos Castillo

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FLAWLESS LIKE ME

LUCKI

In Flawless Like Me, the golden child of Chicago’s underground continues to share his trials and tribulations with drugs, money, and women. Songs like “Super Urus” resemble his signature sound —nonchalantly delivering hidden metaphors over hazy chord progressions— while the higher tempo and snappier delivery on “I Get It, Twin” ring in a new era for Lucki’s music that is primed to sell out arenas. Aiming for world domination, Flawless Like Me includes notable features from Future and Babyface Ray, further stamping it as some of the hottest shit validated by both the blogs and the streets alike

- Josué Olivares

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Please Have a Seat

NNAMDÏ

NNAMDÏ’s run of brilliant and boundary-pushing music continues with Please Have a Seat. The prodigious rapper, singer and multi-instrumentalist crafted this project to attempt to set his own terms regarding his increasing closeness with fame and career as an artist, —their attention to detail still uncompromised. A couple tracks into the project and the listener quickly realizes that genre is irrelevant to NNAMDÏ as math-rock and hip-hop become one while his voice would be equally fitting on any R&B track. Songs like “Armoire” and “I Don’t Wanna Be Famous” put Nmandi’s rapping ability on full display while songs like “Anti” and “Dibs” highlight his vocal and creative vision as an artist.

- Pedro Gonzalez

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Escape

Norfik

Norfik’s Escape is a six-track EP that unboundedly explores the sonic characteristics of IDM, ambient, and club-ready jungle music while cohesively piecing these concepts together in a way that can only be described as liberating. The project’s soundscape is as meditative as it is rambunctious, and it exemplifies how beautiful music —and art in general—can be when made for the sheer purpose of creating.

- Josué Olivares

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Stronghold

Qari

Stronghold sees Qari’s verbose, introspective raps and mellow tone sync up perfectly with executive producer Eddie Burns’ intricate, soothing production. Notably, Qari makes space for both the old and new schools on this record; very few artists are capable of connecting Chicago generations and getting Twista and Semiratruth on the same project. The record’s emotional centerpiece lies in the title track, where Qari addresses an on-again-off-again lover who, in spite of arguments, jealousy, and even Instagram blocking, he clearly thinks the world of.

- Ben Moskow

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HYPNOS

Ravyn Lenae

Ravyn Lenae’s celestial voice, seductive lyrics, and beat selection on her debut full-length album, Hypnos, offer an ethereal listening experience for fans that had been anticipating this project for years. The singer voices her authenticity through raw perspectives on heartbreak, loneliness, and, ultimately, self-discovery. Named after the goddess of sleep, Hypnos has transcendental vocals and melodies layered by production from the likes of Monte Booker, Luke Titus, and Kaytranada, which cannot help but leave listeners in a tranquil state of mind.

- Anneliese Daley

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Smoke Detector

Rich Jones & Iceberg Theory

Chicago hip-hop veteran Rich Jones delivered an introspective album where hazy thoughts cruise through beats dusty enough to trigger allergies and make us reach for the inhaler —or the Dutch in this case. Staying true to his signature regal sound thanks to producer Iceberg Theory, Smoke Detector sounds like a Friday night hot-boxing a 90-something Cutlass Supreme with all your close homies after a long week of work and dealing with bullshit.

- Josué Olivares

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Few Good Things

Saba

A gifted storyteller, Saba has garnered a swelling fanbase by diving into deeply personal stories that evoke holistic human experiences without compromise. On Few Good Things, the 28-year-old from Chicago’s West Side touches on the stress that comes with being a provider, nostalgia, and grief; but also pride, family ties, camaraderie, and even simple luxuries like being able to play video games all day. Executive produced by Daoud, daedaePIVOT, and himself, Few Good Things is teeming with Saba’s most confident flows to date, dynamic songwriting, and rich instrumentation. It all adds up to an album that doesn’t hesitate to reminisce on better days, without forgetting to appreciate the hard-earned present.

- Pedro Gonzalez

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Versions of Love Songs

Samuel Aaron

Samuel Aaron’s Versions of Love Songs is an EP with acoustic roots and bouncy, eclectic dreams, a melding achieved by the artist’s honeyed vocals and gentle yet certain lyricism. Here, he delves into the idea of love and how it has blossomed (and withered) in his life with the help of an array of collaborators including vocalists, producers, audio engineers, and so on, all from Chicago. Versions of Love Songs feels truly “homegrown,” encapsulating Aaron’s raw approach to creating art and sharing it with others.

- Iman Music

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Oasis

Sherren Olivia

Going into 2022, R&B singer-songwriter Sherren Olivia was already well-respected in Chicago’s indie community, having worked with the likes of femdot., Ohana Bam and Peter CottonTale. But it was her debut studio album, February’s Oasis, that truly announced her solo arrival. The nine-track project sees Sherren meshing effortlessly both with other vocalists (“Time’s Up,”) and rappers (“Into You” and “Gemini”). “Treasure Island” is the record’s high point, demonstrating the range of her rich vocals, while also directly addressing the “oasis” title. Since Oasis dropped, Sherren was selected as a These Days Artist to Watch and has performed as a solo artist several more times since.

- Ben Moskow

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The Kid That Came From Nowhere

Shoebox Baby

Shoebox Baby properly burst onto the scene in January with “4K Troll,” a menacing drill song that came with all the excitement and violent baggage that the subgenre carries. Shortly after, heralded as an heir to the late King Von’s legacy, Shoebox dropped a string of hot singles that culminated in The Kid That Came From Nowhere, an enthralling debut concept album that tied his street tales with deeply personal, odds-shattering stories. His energetic delivery provides as much urgency to his threats to rivals as it does to his recalling of a tough upbringing.

- Pedro Gonzalez

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Before Shit Got Weird

The Cool Kids

The Cool Kids’ made a big-time return from hiatus with a triple album, rewarding lifelong fans with the duo’s trunk-rattling, one-of-a-kind sound that —almost 15 years deep in the game—still feels refreshing and forward-looking. Across 44 songs, skits, and interludes, Sir Michael Rocks and Chuck Inglish mix their erudite knowledge of the genre with raps that feel both of the moment and future. Before Shit Got Weird is the centerpiece project out of the trilogy and where their synergy is felt most, as the two Midwest artists wade through the rollercoaster ride that’s been the past few years with their distinct humor and finesse.

- Pedro Gonzalez

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Vacabularee

Valee

Known for his ability to turn his day-to-day into a flex and make the ostentatious sound mundane, Valee’s Vacabularee adds to the repertoire of hazy, esoteric songs that made the 34-year-old a household name in trusted hip-hop circles. Clearly in his pocket, Valee pushes his idiosyncratic approach to rap into some entertaining territories, seemingly uninterrupted and without breaking a sweat. For example, few people can make spending almost a rack at Costco sound as fun, stunt-worthy and, paradoxically, nonchalant as the eccentric emcee does here.