2022 Album of the Year

I got lost in the haze and never found my way out.

Taylor Swift - “Midnights”

Pop (Synth/Bedroom/Dream)

Of course, there’s never much chance to anticipate a Taylor release anymore. She barely gives us a month’s notice nowadays. If that.

This one feels like a long time coming. In the years since I’ve started keeping track of the new releases I’ve listened to and officially naming my AOTY, Taylor’s never won it. And since early 2022, I was very much expecting (and hoping) that Porcupine Tree would run away with it. But then Taylor swoops in out of nowhere with, frankly, her best album to date. Originally 13 flawless tracks, but then with seven more added on a week or two later – TWENTY songs total, and they’re all amazing.

I mean, she cheated. Clearly. With her announcement, she gave away the throughline. Doesn’t make it any less brilliant. Maybe everybody should talk more openly about the things that tie their albums together. But also, the 3AM addition feels like a cheat. But I can’t penalize her for it because it’s all just so good.

This is my favorite album of the year. Hands down. As brilliant as so many others are, nothing can touch Taylor’s “Midnights”.