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Records that Saved the Year

Updated: Mar 8, 2021

I'm a little late on this, but I think I'm in the majority in saying 2020 was not a good year, I'm not so sure if I would be in saying that music saved my year from being downright awful. These are the ten albums (in no particular order) that saved my 2020, even if they weren't released that year.


GLUE | Boston Manor (May 1, 2020)


Boston Manor's first full-length album, Welcome to the Neighbourhood, focused on their hometown of Blackpool, UK, and the struggles that seem to plague the town. For their second album, Boston Manor expanded their reach and covered everything from mental health to the issues in the music industry.

Glue is honest. It holds no punches. The first track, "Everything is Ordinary" is a prime example of that. It's a track that's in your face; it throws you straight into the deep end. Its sound fitting perfectly with its topic of desensitization and acceptance of things we shouldn't accept.

The third track, "Plasticine Dreams" focuses on the false promises given by the music industry. And the fourth, "Terrible Love," is written about everything lead singer Henry Cox hates about himself, the chorus focusing on his desire to be accepted, liked and validated. The following track, "On a High Ledge" focuses on depression, on the concept of "man up," influenced by stories from the band's lives.

Personally, GLUE was my album of the year in 2020. For the entirety of May it was all I could listen to because it is just that good. There's a message for everyone in those songs, whether you might think it or not. The guys in Boston Manor didn't slow down after the success of their debut album. Instead, they charged full speed ahead, and unfortunately, GLUE didn't get the release and album cycle it deserves, but that's just what 2020 did to some really incredibly albums. Trust me when I say that this is one album you will not regret listening to.




Brand New Vision | Point North (August 21, 2020)


2020 was a big year for Point North, releasing their debut album Brand New Vision.

Glue might've been my album of 2020, but Brand New Vision gave it a run for its money. It has a very unique sound, each song different from the last. What's even more impressive to me, is the fact it was entirely produced by lead singer Jon Lundin.

The album is eleven tracks long and not a single song on the record lacks in any department. The record takes influence from all over the place, having elements of pop, punk, pop punk, and even heavy metal.

The first two tracks boast strong features, the first being their labelmate DE'WAYNE on the title track "Brand New Vision," and the second is "Into the Dark" which features Kellin Quinn from Sleeping With Sirens.

The album is honest and vulnerable. It boasts their own sound, as both a continuation and growth of the sound they had created on their 2019 EP Retrograde. While trying to keep the spirit of Retrograde alive, they created a sound that was a little bit heavier, and a little more vulnerable. They put their hearts on their sleeves with this album, and it certainly paid off.

I hope this album gets the cycle it deserves. It's a lively album, with every single song being a certified banger that will absolutely kill live. I'm excited to see where this record takes them. They're the kind of band that is genre-breaking, and is going to be genre-redefining. Brand New Vision is the kind of album that's hard to pigeon-hole into a genre, and hard to pick a favorite track off of.




FANDOM | Waterparks (October 11, 2019)


While FANDOM may have came out in 2019, I can't say I listened to it until 2020. Having previously been a fan of Waterparks, I stopped listening to them shortly before FANDOM dropped, mostly out of annoyance with the fandom surrounding the band. It wouldn't be until four months after its release -- in February 2020 -- that I would sit down and listen to the album to discover that I wasn't the only one annoyed with the fanbase.

Many songs -- including some of the biggest on the album -- take shots directly at them. "Watch What Happens Next" criticizes the close-minded fans who expect the same sound from the band with each album, and rejects expectations that the fandom had placed on lead singer Awsten Knight and the rest of the band as a whole. But the criticism doesn't stop there. "Dream Boy" focuses on fan expectations of Knight as a person, despite the fact that they really don't know him or much about him. The verses of "I Miss Having Sex but At Least I Don't Want to Die Anymore" -- a song that got big on TikTok, without being a single from the album -- are also directed at the fans and their demands of Knight in a very blunt way.

But FANDOM isn't only directed at the fanbase. It deals with other emotions and concepts, from not your usual breakup songs in "[Reboot]," "Easy to Hate," and "Turbulent," among some others.

The album has fifteen tracks, all of them pretty sonically different from each other, but also from previous Waterparks albums. I know it's not much of a thing anymore to listen to albums front to back, but trust me, that is by far the best way to listen to FANDOM. Not only does each song transition nicely into the next, but the last track "I Felt Younger When We Met" flows perfectly back into the opening track "Cherry Red."

If there's any regrets I have about this album, it's that I waited four months to listen to it. There's not a weak link on the album (seriously, picking just five for my favorite tracks was a difficult feat), and it's definitely the band's best work to date.




Use Me | PVRIS (August 28, 2020)


Use Me is PVRIS's third studio album. Three songs on this album came from their 2019 EP Hallucinations, "Death of Me," "Hallucinations," and "Old Wounds." In the same year, they also dropped a deluxe version of Use Me, with a couple bonus tracks and remixes, but for the case of what made my year, we're going to focus on the non-deluxe version.

The eleven tracks that make up Use Me, all showcase PVRIS's unique sound. From the opening track of "Gimme A Minute" all the way to the closing track "Wish You Well," the tempo and the vibes don't stop. It is, in my opinion, the most vibey album of 2020.

But behind the beats you can dance to and the vibey programming and vocals, lie strong lyrics and meanings. "Dead Weight" reflects on lead singer Lynn Gunn's tendency to be a people-pleaser and her desire to shed that along with the people who can't understand that and won't let you set boundaries. "Good to Be Alive" comes off perhaps as one of the more darker songs lyrically on the album.

Use Me is also a big turning point for the band. Prior to, Gunn felt the pressure from "the band world" as a woman to share credit with the rest of her band, even though the heart and soul and vision of the music had always stemmed from her. With the agreement of her bandmates, she's not afraid to admit it and own it anymore, allowing herself to finally take credit. With Gunn proudly at the reigns, the band can only go up from here.




Wake Up, Sunshine | All Time Low (April 3, 2020)


I fell in love with Wake Up, Sunshine with its first single release on January 20, 2020. All Time Low's seventh studio album hit the ground running with "Some Kind of Disaster." Wake Up, Sunshine follows up the band's 2017 album Last Young Renegade, which was met with mixed reviews. In 2020, All Time Low put out perhaps their greatest record -- a hard feat to do this many albums into their career, especially when their early albums are regarded as staples in the pop punk community.

Wake Up, Sunshine hits all the right notes. It's an album about getting better and feeling comfortable in your own skin. It's lead singer Alex Gaskarth coming to terms with who he is -- a theme I think most of us can get behind.

The success of this album can be seen in the success of their single "Monsters" which features blackbear. This song was number one on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart for eleven weeks.

Boasting fifteen unique tracks, the front half of the album is dominated by singles. The back half features eight underrated tracks. "Pretty Venom (Interlude)" is a haunting track, one they wrote at 3am, written about the toxicity of some people, and how it can seep into you if you don't notice. "Safe" is a song with huge potential in a live show, written about finding a place that makes you feel whole. The seasons songs, "January Gloom (Seasons, Pt. I)" and "Summer Daze (Seasons, Pt. II)" were written about Gaskarth's first struggles with seasonal depression. with the two songs being both sides of the coin. "Glitter & Crimson" is a love story between two gay characters. And the closing track "Basement Noise," well, that's a reflection on their career.

The album is incredible. It's honest, it's raw, it's emotional. But it's evident that a good amount of it was written with the live show in mind, and I cannot wait for the day I can see this album live in person.




Paid In Exposure | Natewantstobattle (June 1, 2018)


Similar to FANDOM, Natewantstobattle's second fully original album Paid In Exposure was released at a point in time where I was no longer listening to his music. In contrast to the reason I stopped listening to Waterparks, I stopped listening to Natewantstobattle's music because, well, quite frankly, I just forgot to put it on my playlists. So when Paid In Exposure was released, I wasn't aware. At least, not until January 2020. And boy did I spend the rest of the year making up for lost time.

Prior to the release of his first fully original album, Sandcastle Kingdoms, in 2017, Nathan Sharp was known for his anime and pop punk covers, as well as original music based on video games. With the release of "To the Ends of the Earth," Sharp's first completely original track, and the announcement of his first completely original record, he shook up the game. His second original record was no exception.

Paid in Exposure starts with a bang. "Until the Wolves Come Out" is the perfect anthemic song to kick off Sharp's sophomore album. It's followed by "Smoke and Guns" which feels like a perfect alternative-style dance track. It's legitimately difficult to not bop along with the beats. The third track, "Phantoms," carries a broadway/eccentric feel quite similar to the likes of Set It Off or Panic! At the Disco. The first three tracks launch the album with a bang, in stark contrast to the fourth track that follows. The beginning of this record demonstrates what Sharp is capable of -- although, it's not everything.

With the forth track, the record starts to get very real and personal. Writing "Take Me Anywhere" has been classified by Sharp as a kind of a therapy for him, with lyrics like “It’s easy to see it. Too hard to believe it. But once in a while you’ve just gotta come clean." It reminded him and strives to remind the audience how important a change of perspective can be. The title track, "Paid in Exposure," discusses ridiculous standards and toxic environments. "The Wrecked and the Worried" focuses on anxiety, a song Sharp has said he hopes can be a song that people with anxiety can rise up and sing together. The following track, "Call It Off," is also mental-health focused, expressing how important it is to be able to just feel how you feel. The closing track, "Bones," deals with the feeling of someone else living in your body -- like feeling like you're watching someone else live your life.

I'm going to be very honest here: there are very few people I can name who I would say are very, very good at what they do -- Aaron Rodgers, for one (go Pack go), Awsten Knight, AOC, a few professors I have had, Toby Fox, probably a few others I'm missing. And I would say, without a doubt, Natewantstobattle is one of them. He's never been signed to a major label, has always had control over what he puts out. And he puts out so much music every year. And there's never really a bad song. He pushes genre boundaries, He doesn't limit himself. He reaches far and nails it. Does he have some covers I don't particularly love too much? Sure. But as far as his original stuff goes, as far as Paid in Exposure goes, his music is incredible, and more than worth a listen to. Everything down to the last detail -- the harmonies, the programming, all of those little things that can really make or break a track -- are absolutely perfect.




Hurts 2B Human | P!nk (April 26, 2019)


If you don't know who P!nk is, I need to legitimately ask if you've been living under a rock for like the entirety of this century. While I'll be the first to admit that, at least prior to 2020, I didn't really know any of P!nk's music outside of her singles. And I didn't even know she put out an album in 2019. But she was mentioned in my music industry textbook, and upon getting curious due to my love of her music when I was a kid, I did some digging and found her latest album, Hurts 2B Human. And wow, what an album it is.

The album boosts four features within the thirteen tracks: Wrabel on "90 Days," Khalid on the title track "Hurts 2B Human," Cash Cash on "Can We Pretend" and Chris Stapleton on "Love Me Anwway." All four of these features legitimately lift the track to another level. The artists work well together and bring their all to the track.

Even so much as the music video for "Walk Me Home" (as featured above) amazes me. Genuinely, that music video is one of my favorite ones of all time. It encapsulates the song and its meaning incredibly well, it's super aesthetically pleasing, and it's beautifully artistic. I honestly wish music videos meant as much now as they did back in the MTV era of the industry, because this one would've been all the rage. Just so much as watching it makes me genuinely smile.

The truth is, if you think P!nk has washed up since her big, big hits, you're entirely wrong. Hurts 2B Human demonstrates her growth as an artist. It feels honest, it feels real. I honestly don't know what else to say about it because it's just that good. Seriously. Listen to it yourself, Tell me what you think.




TRAUMA | I Prevail (March 29, 2019)


I spent a while trying to figure out how to write a short review about this album without being incredibly and explicitly biased. But then I decided screw it, this is my blog, and my opinion anyways.

TRAUMA is my favorite album of all-time. And that's coming from someone who listens to countless records every year, who collects CDs, and pretty much listens to music non-stop. But since the day it has come out, it is legitimately and honestly my favorite album to date.

I should preface that I Prevail quite frankly is one of my favorite bands of all time, if not my favorite. I found them in a pretty dark place in my life, and they really did help pull me through it, however cheesy that may sound. In 2019, I saw them three different times, on three different tours, in three different states. I was supposed to see them again in 2020 but then, you know, shit hit the fan. I'm trying to be clear that while I have a pretty big bias in saying how good this album is, I also do have a reason to be so amped about it all the time.

TRAUMA is I Prevail's second album. Their first, Lifelines, was pretty driven by the record label and their desires, but was still overall an incredible album. One that definitely had me waiting to see what they did next. And they're proof that the sophomore slump in the music industry can be overcome.

The band took back control with this album. It was recorded the way they wanted to, written about what they wanted to write about, and written how they wanted to do it. Their first two singles proved that. They released two tracks at the same time, "Breaking Down" and "Bow Down," the latter of which actually saw them nominated for a Grammy, something I'm sure they never expected to happen, especially not with a track that takes a shot directly at the music industry. "Breaking Down" and its music video on the other hand depicts lead singer Brian Burkheiser's struggle with mental health.

TRAUMA deals with very personal things in a very honest way. It doesn't hide behind anything, it doesn't hide what it is. It doesn't hold back. They address a wide range of important topics outside of the harsh truth of the music industry and mental health, from mass shootings with "DOA," to the death of harsh vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe's friend by suicide in "Goodbye (Interlude)" (a short but incredibly honest, raw and real song), to toxic people and relationships in "Deadweight," and to learning to get back up when you get knocked down in "Rise Above It."

I Prevail isn't and have never been a band that held anything back. Their music is frankly some of the most honest music I've ever heard. It's refreshing. It's powerful. They shake the genre and the industry up and they're just getting started.

Beyond anything else, they're proof that you can write music from the heart and still find success, even in an industry that tries to convince you otherwise.




Gone In Your Wake | Thousand Below (October 11, 2019)


As weird as it sounds, I found Thousand Below from an ad on YouTube. Every once and a while I get an ad that's just a whole music video and sometimes I think to myself "you know what? Why not?" and try to listen to it until it's either over, or I can't stand it anymore. Usually the second only happens when it's a really bad pun (and man do I hate bad puns). Via YouTube ads, I've discovered one of my favorite bands in Boston Manor, but I've also discovered Thousand Below, who have earned a strong spot on this list.

That first song I heard by them was "alone (out of my head)" and it prompted me to do a deep dive into this whole album.

Gone In Your Wake is a powerful album. And that's just going based solely off its sound and sound alone. I honestly don't even know how to describe the sound Thousand Below created with this record. It's unique and it's everchanging. It can go from harsh and in your face with a track like "171 xo" and immediately be followed by the soft sounds of "Learn to Lose and It All Gets Easier." They keep you on your toes, they really truly hold your attention. Their combination of harsh and clean vocals works really well with each other, both on a single-track level, and on a whole record album. The heavy electric guitars on most of the tracks don't clash with the change of pace in the acoustic ones, and they don't overpower the drums or the vocals.

Thousand Below really created a unique and special album with Gone In Your Wake.




Midnight | Set It Off (February 1, 2019)


Set It Off's Midnight may be the last album on this list, but it's definitely not the least.

To be honest, I used to not care for Set It Off too much, just not really thinking too much of them, not going out of my way to listen to them. But when they released "For You Forever" and "Dancing with the Devil" things changed.

Midnight is a longer album than most people are probably used to these days: fifteen tracks and 51 minutes. Not a single of those minutes feel like wasted time, however. There's a little bit of everything on this album. It showcases Set It Off's growth as a band and shows off exactly what they can do. From electric tracks to acoustic tracks, angry tracks to sad tracks to happy tracks, from classic alternative to more broadway-esque songs, this album checks every box and then some. Some songs on this album are guaranteed to get stuck in your head, take for example, "Killer in the Mirror," "Dancing with the Devil" or "Raise No Fool." Some songs are going to haunt you in a good way, like "Unopened Windows." Some are going to make you want to let loose and dance, for example, "Hourglass," or "Lonely Dance."

This album was enough to make me go back and listen to more of Set It Off's music. And I can say without hesitation that it's definitely not a fluke that this album is incredible.



Let me know what you think of these albums, and if you think there's some big ones I left out down in the comments below!

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