At this moment in time, it kind of feels like music has been the only consistent part of 2020, and that says a lot. Lucky for me, a few of my favorite artists have released full-length albums that are perfect for listening to in order to survive the rest of this year.
It seems almost crazy how anyone, celebrity or not, has been able to get a single thing done this year, let alone writing and recording songs for an album that runs over an hour long, but somehow these guys have done it.
Without any further ado, let’s get into reviewing these albums!
Fine Line, Harry Styles (2019)
Okay, hear me out- I know this album didn’t exactly come out in 2020, but it came out late enough in 2019 that the excitement over the release of it rolled over into the beginning of 2020. I also can assure you that this album definitely still feels like I’m listening to it for the first time every single time I hear it. We all know the hit singles from this album, “Watermelon”, “Sugar”, and “Adore You”, which I’d be the first one to tell you that those two songs truly do hit the spot so well whenever they play on the radio. Although, my personal favorites happen to be “Fine Line” and “She” solely for the purpose of the difference in vocal styling. This album plays almost like a long stretch of, what I would call, evolution regarding Harry Styles’s music career. Each song is personal and different in its own way, and it feels like reaching the brink of a self-discovery. Not to mention the extremely personal voicemail at the end of “Cherry”, there isn’t anything else like it!
Heartbreak Weather, Niall Horan (2020)
Bringing up yet another former One Direction member, I’d like to get into Niall Horan’s newest and second album, Heartbreak Weather. Regarding his first album, Flicker, Niall strayed away from the folksy, almost country sound with this new release. I personally believe that the tracks on this album were written with more confidence when it comes to outwardly expressing his emotions in the lyrics. It became very clear to me after a few playthroughs that each song on the album tells a story, a pretty sad story at that. One of my favorites from this album happens to be the track called “Small Talk.” It definitely gives me the mature, almost sexual vibes that the hit single from Flicker, “Slow Hands”, gave to listeners. We all know that those are the kind of songs that the Billboard charts (and long-time One Direction fans) LOVE.
Nectar, Joji (2020)
Here’s a super recent album, only just being released at the end of September, that I’m not sure many people have heard the buzz about, despite one of the tracks. This album is quite far from strictly pop, but in all honesty, I don’t think it has a specific genre that I can really pin onto it. Just like any good album, each song tells a story, and the lyrics are deeply emotional. I will admit that it’s easy to get distracted by the driving bass and somewhat electronic background instrumentals. But it will take a few times listening through it to really get the meaning behind each track. Even the album’s opening song hits you with heartbreak and self-deprecation to really get you in the feels.
I highly encourage you to take a listen to these albums if you haven’t already! They’ve helped me get through long nights of homework and catching up to life in general, and if there’ s a chance that they could help you too, I say take it!