Waxahatchee at Warsaw
Waxahatchee at Warsaw in 2017, photo by Amanda Hatfield

Pitchfork's 50 Best Albums of 2020

One day after Pitchfork published their list of the top 100 songs of 2020, they’ve shared their list of the 50 best albums of the year. As is usually the case, you can predict a lot of this list if you read their reviews throughout the year, but it never entirely mirrors Best New Music. Some albums that got BNM didn’t make this list (Touche Amore, Angel Bat Dawid, Jyoti, Fireboy DML, Popcaan, Julianna Barwick, Blake Mills, Gil Scott-Heron/Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker) and some albums that scored lower than an 8 did make this list (Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, Lil Baby, Arca, Chloe x Halle, Soccer Mommy, and others). The list incorporates several different genres of music, including indie rock, rap, electronic, punk, folk, pop, jazz, and more (no metal this year though), and it’s got a lot of popular picks but there’s a good chance you’ll discover something new here too.

Oh, and if you happened to see what album scored a perfect 10 on Pitchfork this year, you probably already guessed their #1. Check out their top 50 below and read Pitchfork’s commentary here. What do you think of their list?

Pitchfork’s 50 Best Albums of 2020
50. Mary Lattimore: Silver Ladders
49. Yaeji: What We Drew
48. Charli XCX: how i’m feeling now
47. Lil Baby: My Turn (Deluxe)
46. Burna Boy: Twice as Tall
45. Lyra Pramuk: Fountain
44. Freddie Gibbs / The Alchemist: Alfredo
43. Megan Thee Stallion: Good News
42. Kate NV: Room for the Moon
41. Rina Sawayama: SAWAYAMA
40. Arca: KiCk i
39. Dehd: Flower of Devotion
38. Duval Timothy: Help
37. Lomelda: Hannah
36. Special Interest: The Passion Of
35. Ka: Descendants of Cain
34. Dogleg: Melee
33. Beatrice Dillon: Workaround
32. Drakeo the Ruler: Thank You for Using GTL
31. The Soft Pink Truth: Shall We Go on Sinning So That Grace May Increase?
30. Bartees Strange: Live Forever
29. Taylor Swift: folklore
28. Chloe x Halle: Ungodly Hour
27. Kelly Lee Owens: Inner Song
26. Soccer Mommy: color theory
25. Nubya Garcia: Source
24. Grimes: Miss Anthropocene
23. Porridge Radio: Every Bad
22. KeiyaA: Forever, Ya Girl
21. Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia
20. Fleet Foxes: Shore
19. Amaarae: The Angel You Don’t Know
18. Destroyer: Have We Met
17. Róisín Murphy: Róisín Machine
16. Run the Jewels: RTJ4
15. U.S. Girls: Heavy Light
14. Jay Electronica: Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn)
13. The Microphones: Microphones in 2020
12. Lil Uzi Vert: Eternal Atake
11. Adrianne Lenker: songs / instrumentals
10. Bad Bunny: YHLQMDLG
9. Jessie Ware: What’s Your Pleasure?
8. Haim: Women in Music Pt. III
7. Yves Tumor: Heaven to a Tortured Mind
6. Bob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways
5. Perfume Genius: Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
4. Phoebe Bridgers: Punisher
3. Moses Sumney: græ
2. Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud
1. Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters