Top 20 favorite EP’s (or mini-albums) of the year
Kind of a short explanation for this list but, what counts as an EP or as a mixtape or as an album is kind of arbitrary to be honest, but I kinda put on here stuff that: a) was billed as an EP from the get-go (regardless of length or track amount) b) “albums” that were under 7 tracks and under 20 minutes long (Tinashe spared, queen!). So yeah, let’s start with this.
Also the image formatting in Medium is truly horrible now — even worse than it was before — so I had to do what I could with what I had. If you guys know of any alternatives to this, please let me know in the comments or contact me directly! Thanks in advance.
#20. forever☆ — 3 Series
Genre: shoegaze/jungle || Label: à La Carte Records || From: Kansas City, USA
The cross between shoegaze and drum and bass/jungle is not exactly new, but there’s still potential for more. Kansas City band forever☆ are exploring all of those possibilities. On their debut EP, titled 3 Series in a very self-explaining way, they deliver three tracks that go full in into that: reverb-heavy vocals, distorted guitars and Amen breaks all in one, it’s a blast of energy that, even in a shoegaze-saturated indie-adjacent world, is actually refreshing.
#19. YUKIKA — Time-Lapse
Genre: k-pop/city pop || Label: self-released || From: Hamamatsu, Japan/Seoul, South Korea
We thought we’d seen the last of YUKIKA but I guess we were wrong! On her latest mini-album Time-Lapse, the Japanese-Korean singer covers old city-pop classics that, without looking to “update” them, still has a modern sheen to it that feels genuinely great to hear. There’s a possiblity that this might be the final YUKIKA release, but for the sake of all of us fans of great pop music, I hope it’s not the case.
#18. BAMBii — Infinity Club
Genre: uk bass/dancehall || Label: Innovative Leisure || From: Toronto, Canada
Fresh off of contributing to Kelela’s much-anticipated second album Raven, Toronto producer BAMBii dropped her debut EP Infinity Club. Inspired by lots of different Afro-diasporic electronic dance music like dancehall, UK garage, reggaetón, jungle or grime, the producer melts all of these influences into a sensual, ecstatic mix. Whether slow and melodic or fast-paced and high-energy, it certainly stays true to its name as a very effective record designed for the clubs at its core.
#17. Tara Clerkin Trio — On the Tuning Ground
Genre: art pop/downtempo || Label: World of Echo || From: Bristol, UK
Bristol band Tara Clerkin Trio (an apt name, as they’re a trio led by experimental composer Tara Clerkin) pays homage to their roots with On the Turning Ground, on which the presence the sound of fellow Bristol acts like Portishead or Tricky is heavily felt. But they don’t just stay still on trip-hop, they can expand that into minimalist-jazz, ambient music or artsy-pop, and for a record this “experimental”, it feels very warm and welcoming.
#16. 454 — Fast 5
Genre: trap/cloud rap || Label: Surf Gang || From: Orlando, USA
454 is no stranger to melodic, airy sounding production, but Fast 5, his collaboration with the Surf Gang crew, is on a next level. Produced in large part by Evilgiane with contributions from Eera and 454 himself, its five tracks sound very smooth all the way through, almost bordering on ambient music, but never losing the high energy that characterizes his best work. Definitely helps that the Black Kray aka Sickboyrari feature kills it too.
#15. Agazero — Broken Particles
Genre: deconstructed club || Label: Precious Metals || From: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Under many pseudonyms, producer Agazero (or DJ LHC, Vó1d, 177th) is part of a growing group of Brazilian musicians working within the overlap of experimental dance music and sound design. On Broken Particles, released by Endgame’s Precious Metals label, he designs a post-club experience that takes from the weirder edges of baile funk as much as from atmospheric IDM, which feels thrilling to hear. After all, there’s a reason he’s on Kelela’s remix album twice!
#14. Jlin — Perspective
Genre: IDM/footwork/classical? || Label: Planet Mu || From: Gary, USA
It kinda has to be impossible for Jlin to miss. The producer/composer has long ago transcended the parameters of footwork, and her latest mini-album Perspective is further proof of that. Initially composed as part of an acoustic performance with Third Coast Percussion which ended up with a Pulitzer Price nomination, you can hear more organic-sounding percussion and a very noticeable presence of minimalist classical music within her characteristic sound, it leaves you wanting more.
#13. Addison Rae — AR
Genre: dance-pop/electropop || Label: Sandlot || From: Los Angeles, USA
Addison Rae’s music career quickly went from a meme to a “what-could’ve-been” situation, if anything at the sheer surprise that the music from someone primarily known as a TikTok influencer was… good? After the leaks and anticipation, Addison finally dropped the AR EP, and it was worth the hype. It’s pop music without pretension, all tracks are insanely catchy and she has enough personality to sell it. I hope she continues with her pop-girl era!
#12. Dreamcrusher — Suite Two
Genre: power electronics/power noise || Label: PTP || From: Wichita, USA
Dreamcrusher’s music will always be hard on your ears, but that’s what you’re looking for, right? On their Suite Two EP they compile three tracks that had been part of their live shows throughout the years, but never made it onto a record — including a cover of sorts of Benny Benassi’s “Satisfaction”. The result is essentially what you would expect, noise music at its best, the kind that feels overwhelming, yet at the same time, cathartic.
#11. Javiera Electra — Reprís
Genre: psychedelic folk || Label: SurPop || From: Concepción, Chile
This was the latest addition to the list! Released on November, the Reprís EP by Chilean musician Javiera Electra is inspired by the country’s folk music traditions like cueca in its rhythmic pattern or the nueva canción movement in its lyrical content, but on a Grouper-like style… it sounds somewhat haunted, heavy on reverb and distortion at times yet shockingly clear at others. As a first introduction to this artist, it’s enough to make me fan for sure.
#10. Feli Colina — LXS INFERNALES (del Valle Encantado)
Genre: art pop/argentinian folk || Label: Geiser || From: Salta, Argentina
One of my favorite albums of 2022 was Feli Colina’s El valle encantado, which took inspiration from Argentinian and Latin American folkloric music. On LXS INFERNALES (del valle encantado), a continuation of the world she’s built with her previous album, she mostly covers songs that have belonged to the Argentinian psyche for decades, if not longer. She takes all these chacareras, chayas and carnavalitos, transforming them into excellent, unique pop music without losing any authenticity.
#9. untitled (halo) — towncryer
Genre: dream pop/neo-psych/slowcore || Label: halocorp || From: Los Angeles, USA
The music of California trio untitled (halo) feels eerie, like, uncanny, digitalized versions of music from the past you can’t really pinpoint from when. Their debut EP towncryer is composed of six tracks that in its own way feel like that, you can maybe hear nods to psychedelic rock, slowcore, shoegaze and trip hop but don’t feel exactly like the way you remember them to be. If “nightmare-pop” was a genre, this would be it.
#8. Nia Archives — Sunrise Bang Your Head Against tha Wall
Genre: jungle/neo-soul || Label: Island || From: London, UK
London producer/vocalist Nia Archives’ 2022 EP Forbidden Feelingz was a true breakthrough, a full dive into jungle from a uniquely contemporary point of view. While it is true that her major label debut, Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against tha Wall, has quite a few approachable tracks, it’s also a chance to show her songwriting chops just as much as she does her production, with plenty of d’n’b/jungle bangers that won’t leave your head.
#7. full body 2 — infinity signature
Genre: shoegaze/indietronica || Label: self-released || From: Philadelphia, USA
Philadelphia-via-Rochester band full body 2 have become one of my most beloved bands to appear in recent years. Their fusion of shoegaze and electronic music presented on their previous EPs was something that felt special, and on their most recent and so far their lengthiest release, infinity signature, they fully deliver on that promise. Nostalgic-yet-futuristic, sounding truly massive all the time, if there’s any Shoegaze Philly Band you have to listen to, it’s this one.
#6. Six Sex — 6X
Genre: reggaetón || Label: Dale Play || From: Hurlingham, Argentina
While less “experimental” than last year’s AREA 69 breakout EP, Argentinian vocalist Six Sex’s latest 6X still has the charm and sensuality, as well as the influences from RKT and rave music, that can make her stand out from anyone in the world of reggaetón. And while most of the production on the tracks was handled by producers from Mexico City, it still feels very much like something only someone from Zona Oeste could’ve made.
#5. Estratosfera — 1
Genre: experimental hip hop/glitch pop || Label: self-released || From: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Laura Ferreira is the guitarist of Argentinian alt-rock/shoegaze band Nenagenix, who had a breakthrough year of their own in the Buenos Aires underground. Her Estratosfera project, however, is definitely far from the guitar-heavy work of her group, rather focusing on aggressive, hard-hitting electronic music inspired by post-club sounds, experimental pop and rap that can sound really cold at times and incredibly intimate at others. Crafted alongside like-minded artists like her bandmate Dayvan, Qiri, Evar, TAICHU and Six Sex, her debut EP 1 is a futuristic-sounding collage that feels like a breath of fresh air for the Argentinian music scene.
#4. NewJeans — Get Up
Genre: k-pop/r&b/uk garage || Label: ADOR || From: Seoul, South Korea
One of the most hyped K-pop girl groups in the past few years are NewJeans, and with this EP, Get Up, I finally understood why. Working with their usual collaborators as well as bringing in new and surprising people to the table like Erika de Casier, CHINAH’s Fine or Smerz, they all have created songs that lift from the best underground club music while also prioritizing their pop sensibilities and sweet-sounding, catchy hooks. And I am also glad that they’re singing songs that, while mature and that anyone can relate to, still feel appropiate to their age for once!
#3. ruadois— Proibido Estacionar, Vol. 2
Genre: uk garage/brazilian grime/d’n’b || Label: Contém Barras || From: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
The energy that Belo Horizonte crew ruadois transmit is absolutely insane. The group composed by MC’s Mirral ONE and Well, producer georgeluqas and DJ Akila do deliver on their second Proibido Estacionar live set EP. The presence of UK dance music, in the form of e.g. drum and bass/UK garage is definitely felt throughout their music, yet it still feels like something that could’ve come out of Brazil, not just because of its growing grime scene, but also in the MC’s performance reminiscent of the best Brazilian rap or the slight touches of baile funk, it’s truly a blast.
#2. Hemlocke Springs — Going…Going…GONE!
Genre: synthpop/bedroom pop || Label: Good Luck Have Fun || From: Concord, USA
Hemlocke Springs took over TikTok and the Internet as a whole with her song “Girlfriend” on the tail-end of 2022, a very memorable song with an impossibly eccentric bridge that turned it instantly viral. A year later, her debut EP, Going…Going…GONE! proves that she is no one-hit wonder nor was her song a fluke. All seven tracks on it are absurdly catchy, yet have a very distinctive-sounding production, with nods to both Tumblr-era alt-pop divas as well as the weirdest of 80’s synthpop/new-wave. I just know I would’ve loved this even more at 14, I can tell you that!
#1. cutspace & Xang — The Angels Floss Their Teeth with My Bones
Genre: experimental hip hop/plugg/microsound || Label: self-released || From: Tartus, Syria/Maryland, United States
The Angels Floss Their Teeth with My Bones sounds like an exercise on how further can plugg be pushed while still being (somewhat) recognizable as such. The beats of Syrian producer cutspace — who had previously worked with people like Nettspend, Marlon DuBois or Moh Baretta — follow the pattern and style of plugg, yet feel so detailed, unpredictable and spacious, it feels like it owes as much to Ryoji Ikeda as much as someone like Smokingskul or Glokk40Spaz. And while this is certainly good on its own, this is further elevated by Xang’s insane ability to ride these unconventional microbeats, both packing a ton of heat in only about 8 minutes. Overall, it’s one of this year’s most unique releases, not only in rap, but in music in general, and I certainly look forward to whatever they’re cooking next.
