Brainwash's Top 20 Albums of 2020
This year has been especially hard and we’ve spent a lot of time at home, but luckily we had lots of great music to help us get through it. Often, people reminisce on the releases of 2016 and what a stronghold they had on the culture, but 2020 was full of powerful releases. We may not be able to mention them all, but we are able to highlight the ones that were most important to us. We have a diverse team and we’re here to reflect our team’s diverse musical tastes and interests. So with the help of a special guest contributor, Kia Turner, the Brainwash team put together our top 20 albums of 2020- presented in no particular order.
SAWAYAMA- Rina Sawayama (Briana)
When I think of SAWAYAMA I think of coming of age films. I think of young girls hanging out of car windows at nighttime driving down the street, diving feet first into a pool just to sit at its base to contemplate life, riding my bicycle through my neighborhood with tears streaming down my face. I think about isolation, expectations, the pull between two cultures. I think about capitalism, imperialism, cultural appropriation, globalism, the degradation of our environment. SAWAYAMA is an early 2000s pop-rock homage to all themes us 20 and 30 something diaspora people think about on the daily. My favorite tracks are “Love Me 4 Me”, “Bad Friend”, “XS” (both the original and the remix featuring Bree Runway), and “Tokyo Love Hotel” on which she talks about her love and appreciation for her native Japan and the way tourism and globalism has corrupted its image. Although I’m new to being a Pixel (Rina’s fanbase), with Rina’s strong vocals, powerful lyrics, and nostalgic production, I know I’ll be here for quite a while.
Standout Tracks: Love Me 4 Me, Bad Friend, XS
Good Intentions- NAV (Sultan)
The brown boy’s junior effort set the stage for quarantine this spring. After transcending superstar status this past year, you’d assume the pandemic would prompt the Canadian singer to put his career on hiatus. But NAV is no stranger to isolation and makes it a point on this record. Studded with gorgeous production from front to back, the crooner takes the opportunity to look inward on this album, interrogating everything from his late rise to fame to his position as a rap outsider. Ironically, NAV facing his insecurities only makes him sound that much more confident. No longer is he trying to be something he’s not, but comfortably coming into his own. “Turks”, “Codeine”, and “Spend It” sees the rapper embracing his robotic, monotonous flow for the better, while cuts like “Saint Laurenttt” and “Proud of Me?” see a return to form to his sad boy roots. It makes it that much more believable that if he were to die, he’d be “hard to replace.”
Standout Tracks: Codeine, Saint Laurenttt, Spend It
Ungodly Hour- Chloe x Halle (Ayanna)
What can be said about Ungodly Hour, really? It’s perfect. It ain’t godly, but it’s damn sure godlike. With Chloe’s full lower register and Halle’s ethereal breathy high notes, these two are just not real. Let’s discuss how Chloe x Halle dropped an album during peak COVID-19 delivering us full performances from their tennis court. Coming off of their sophomore album, The Kids are Alright, Ungodly Hour feels all grown up. They had the entire world (myself included) dancing to “Do It” trying to deliver Tiktok worthy moves. You’d think I’d be tired of seeing them perform “Do It” given their massive press run, but each arrangement is equally as special and impressive. No one does harmonies better than what the duo delivered on Ungodly Hour. I could pretend to be a music journalist and give you a full breakdown of chords and drum patterns, but like YOU KNOW.
Standout Tracks: Forgive Me, Busy Boy, Do It, Ungodly Hour
Heaven or Hell- Don Toliver (Kia)
Riding off the release of his 2018 mixtape Donny Womack and feature on Travis Scott’s “Can’t Say” from his critically acclaimed album Astroworld, Toliver establishes himself and the influence of his hometown through his debut album under Cactus Jack. Inspired by the chopped and screwed sound of DJ Screw, Heaven or Hell as a concept album is a psychedelic road trip filled with heightened production that evokes euphoria and a literal hell. A sonic exploration into Toliver’s world, whether you’re fighting love, fighting hate, or fighting your demons, through lush and, at times, slightly chaotic production, songs such as “Cardigan,” “Wasted,” “Spaceship,” and “Candy” offer a lucid, nearly daydreaming effect. By the time the calm styling of “Company” ascends into a hard-hitting bass, you’re instantly transported to a candy painted slab as shown on the cover art. As he croons through auto-tuned vocals on the final song “No Idea”, “First thing first, let me get that introduction. We’re on a long road to self-destruction,” you realize we’ve already made it to hell. What an introduction.
Standout Tracks: Cardigan, Wasted, Spaceship
Rosetta- Dua Saleh (Sultan)
The Minneapolis native has been making waves in the underground since their EP Nur came out last year. But make no mistake, the 25-year-old singer/songwriter sounds like anything but a newcomer on this project. Moving effortlessly with the swagger of a seasoned veteran, the Sudanese soloist doesn’t shy away from their identity, having made it a point in the past to say they have “always been on gay shit”, while adorned in Muslim garb since day one. Rosetta is just as eclectic as you’d expect from someone like Dua who exists at the intersections of Black, Muslim, and queer. “Umbrellar” sees their foray into indie rock territory while absolutely killing it in the process, while “cat scratch” and “bankrupt” showcases their suave-yet-sinister singing abilities. The EP is an intimate, raw, and painstakingly detailed portrait of what the young talent has to offer, and leaves you only wanting more.
Standout Tracks: cat scratch, umbrellar, hellbound
Sin Miedo (Del Amor y Otros Demonios)- Kali Uchis (Gam)
A truly bold and admirable release from the now renowned sultry songstress that fortified her artistic impression on the world. Also, an impressive Spanish album debut for an artist that already has a considerable following in Latin America. Uchis is really great at albums because she really puts effort into giving each song a unique identity -- done especially well by genre-hopping of course. Sin Miedo touches on some of Uchis’ favorite genres growing up, from moody boleros, Latin soul and dance pop, trip-hop and solid perreo. Some of these songs really make you miss dancing on somebody’s son, and that’s okay, because that’s a good thing.
Standout Tracks: aguardiente y limón, de nadie, quiero sentirme bien.
Send Them to Coventry- Pa Salieu (Ayanna)
On the cover of his debut mixtape, we look on as British-Gambian rapper Pa Salieu touches road, quite literally. He’s pictured laying on top of a cityscape surrounded by high rises. After moving from Gambia to the UK at ten, Salieu moved to Hillfields, a suburb in the north of Coventry. “Send Them to Coventry” is this menacing introduction to life in Coventry. Pulling influences from Gambian folk music, dancehall, and hip-hop, “Welcome to Conventry” is one hell of an introduction. Salieu manages to deliver these gritty lyrics overtop these melodic Afrobeats infused productions. “Look, my name is Pa and I'm from Hillset / Bust gun, dodge slugs, got touched, skipped death.” On the intro record, “Block Boy,” Salieu introduces us to the realities of growing up in Coventry— “a post-industrial city in the heart of the Midlands that’s still viewed by some as having never truly recovered, financially or socially, from the hugely damaging blitz bombings in World War II, 80 years ago.” Records like “Frontline” and “My Family” are accompanied by really beautifully honest visuals— a sort of complicated love letter to his hometown. I’m incredibly excited to learn more about Pa Salieu’s life and influences on his next project.
Standout Tracks: My Family, Frontline, Betty, Informa, Block Boy
The Angel You Don’t Know- Amaarae (Akua)
Amaarae’s debut album rose quickly to join the rest of my no-skip albums soon after I heard it. She’s playful but firm, both a bad bitch in “FANCY” and “TRUST FUND BABY” and a longing lover in “FANTASY” and “SAD, U BROKE MY HEART”. It’s music to get ready to when you’re about to head out to the club (I’m manifesting this for my near future) and mouth the lyrics loudly to under your mask as you’re walking to the train. Bouncy and upbeat but with meaningful lyrics to listen to. Being a Ghanaian woman, it’s also incredibly exciting to hear another young Ghanaian woman talk about sex, love, dancing, partying, alcohol, sending your (prospective) love interest’s pictures to your group chat, and just all the other things that are regular occurrences in the lives of everyone she’s singing for. And even in Ghanaian languages!!! There are so many songs I like that it’s difficult to pick a favourite, but if I had to choose two to recommend to a first time Amaarae listener, they would be “FEEL A WAY” and “HELLZ ANGEL”.
Standout Tracks: FEEL A WAY, HELLZ ANGEL, FANCY
Future Nostalgia- Dua Lipa (Briana)
If there’s any way to start off a sophomore effort, Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia is it. The singer, off the high of her Best New Artist Grammy win, had high expectations for her second album. While she’d sequestered to make music, clips of her “dancing” had gone viral and it seems like in that time she took notes because when she came back on the scene we saw development that is rare for a newer artist of her level. Tracks like “Don’t Start Now” and “Physical” are peppy, energetic tunes that call back memories of Olivia Newton John’s song of the same title. “Levitating” is a fun, 70s inspired song with disco pop elements and even features a bridge where Dua ‘rap-sings’. Even less splashier tracks, “Pretty Please”, “Good in Bed”, and “Boys Will Be Boys” (a song about the dangers of toxic masculinity, that feels a bit misplaced on a “throwback” themed album), still have enough rhythm and groove to them to get you dancing. Everyone’s been saying for the longest that pop is a dying genre, but with people committed to the craft like Dua Lipa, it’ll sure be revived in no time.
Standout Tracks: Levitating, Pretty Please, Physical
2000AND4EVA- Bree Runway (Ayanna)
2003 American comedy film, Freaky Friday, follows a mother-daughter duo as they try to navigate adolescence together. Single mother Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) can no longer reach her teenage daughter, Anna (Lindsay Lohan). You know how that goes, right? You get older, your interests change. Your parents can no longer relate. Anna spends most of her time playing in Pink Slip, her punk rock band headed by her and her best friend Maddie (Christina Vidal). Okay so the Pink Slip isn’t a real band and Lindsay Lohan doesn’t play the electric guitar, but Bree Runway manages to capture that angst Pink Slip delivered on her debut full-length project, 2000AND4EVA. This genre-bending pop-rock album is filled with electrifying guitar chords and brash bars— my type of party. On “ATM (ft. Missy Elliot),” Runway taps the legendary Missy Misdemeanor for a verse on all the men she wants to put “cash in her deposit.” Runway is fearless— exploring themes of love, sex, drugs, and rock and roll, baby. Another standout track for me is “Rolls Royce.” There’s a moment on that first verse where Runway croons “say love, no we never say love, no we,” and I’m instantly transported to summer backyard bashments. To some Bree Runway is a songwriter— to others a rapper. To me, she’s a bonafide pop star.
Standout Tracks: ATM, Rolls Royce, Gucci
Circles- Mac Miller (Sultan)
This is going to be hard to write about. It’s been over two years, but Mac’s death still feels fresh, and part of me wonders if the wound will ever stop stinging. No one is prepared for death, especially one that comes sudden. Mac was someone who was in the spotlight since he was eighteen, someone we witnessed grow and change alongside us. And perhaps that’s why his passing hurts differently. It was an abrupt ending to a story that looked like it was getting better. Now while those feelings may never be placated, Circles is damn near the best attempt at closure we can come to. The entire project does justice in cementing itself as the final chapter in Mac’s legacy. The album is painfully self-aware, tragic, yet simultaneously charming as if Mac was aware of his time to come and had come to terms with it. With most of the production and writing being handled by Mac and collaborator Jon Brion, it’s a stripped back, gorgeous look into Mac’s mind during his last days on Earth. The record may sonically be a strong departure from anything Mac has done before, but it’s still him, through and through.
Standout Tracks: Good News, Blue World, Hand Me Downs
Ugh, those feels again- Snoh Aalegra (Kia)
Snoh Aalegra embraces the exhausting lows and gravitating highs of love and all it encompasses on - Ugh, those feels again. Matching her sultry vocals with the ethereal and melancholic production, we are taken through the journey of understanding the confusion and transparency of her love life. Following the intro, Snoh unravels with songs like “I Want You Around,” “Whoa,” and “Find Someone Like You.” There’s the mid-tempo gems “Situationship” which focuses on the jittery awkwardness of questioning an undefined relationship and “Nothing To Me” where she vocalizes her bitterness and frustration towards the lover she thought she had. From the glossy melodies, fluid bass lines, and her smoky tone, you become entranced into the bittersweet and suffocating world of love we’ve all experienced. Whether a sigh of relief, anger, or clarity, those emotions that we often allow ourselves to feel is expressed through Snoh’s thematic performance of love. Ugh, feelings.
Standout Tracks: Nothing to Me, I Want You Around, Situationship
græ by Moses Sumney (Gam)
This is a remarkable collection of songs by the new, new king of sensuality. Sumney was set on creating a masterpiece while recording this album, and that seems like the logic behind his colorful, moving, and innovative method. Recruiting an artful troop of collaborators (Ezra Miller, Thundercat, and Jill Scott just to name a few) really pushed him to expand all sonic limits, binding the collage of sound with his best instrument: his voice. Some of the most moving parts were his slow-dive departures from his signature falsetto to his grave and hearty tone. The sheer emotional weight of this album probably prompted its two-part release (part one in February and two in July) but we love the drama.
Standout Tracks: Polly, boxes, Me in 20 Years.
Alfredo- Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist (Sultan)
By now you should know what Gibbs is about. You’re gonna get drugs, guns, and a whole lot of charisma. The rapper-producer duo comes together perfectly on this ten-track album, with The Alchemist’s silky smooth instrumentation serving as the perfect canvas for Gibbs’ illustrative bars of crime life. If mobsters had rap music this is probably what they’d listen to. The entire project feels like a Colt 45 and a glass of whiskey. With features from Rick Ross, Tyler the Creator, Benny the Butcher, and Conway the Machine, the album feels that much more like a noir film. Even though it barely clocks in at more than a half-hour, Gibbs takes you on a journey through his cocaine escapades, conversion to Islam, and emergence as a proud family man. No bullshit, I played this album in my Honda Accord and came back home in a 1990 Lexus with rims.
Standout Tracks: Alfredo, Scottie Beam, Something to Rap About, Baby Shit
Girl Eats Sun- Hope Tala (Akua)
Hope Tala’s most recent project, although not an album, feels like it needs to be. Coming in at just six songs (which means only 20 minutes, sad) her melodies are Mahalia reminiscent, but her lyrics are more like Frank Ocean, almost impossible to understand and parse through. “This L.A. heat is really hitting and I etch myself into the sky... Am I really your type of guy? Can always tell when you lie” is one of my favourites, along with “Plant rosebuds on my cheek, I’ll blush like rosé wine... And if you water them enough I promise we’ll be fine”. It’s easy listening, but thoroughly enjoyable, almost like how a Sunday morning feels. The only song that disrupts that, but in the best way is “All My Girls Like to Fight” which is entirely about fighting, and all the different way Hope Tala’s squad knows how to do it. I only heard about her in the last couple weeks, but again, another project that has become a classic. Her Instagram is also lots of fun to follow, a prime example of when an online presence endears fans to an artist. I’m waiting with bated breath to see what she does next.
Standout Tracks: Drugstore, Easy to Love Me, Crazy
Gore- Lous and the Yakuza (Briana)
I first came across the Belgian- Congolose- Rwandan artist when I started studying French last year. Issa Rae had tweeted about her song “Dilemme” and when I saw the attached music video, I knew then and there I would be a fan. Although, I’m not fluent in French yet and much of the meaning of her songs gets past me, from what I do understand, Lous is quite the poet. Her song “Solo” talks about the struggle of Black people globally and she even begs God to give her restraint to not get revenge against those who’ve wronged us. She has snappier tracks that I love to dance to in the mirror such as “Tout est gore”, where the album title is derived from and “Dans la hess”. It’s a short album, only ten songs running less than a half hour, but each track proves exactly why it made the final cut on her debut. The album, which is largely produced by El Guincho, a frequent partner of Spanish pop star extraordinaire ROSALÍA, at its base is R&B, but has influences from different genres and Lous’ upbringing in Congo and Rwanda. She sometimes even mixes her native language with her French in an effort to make a style that is all her own. If you’re a fan of R&B, Lous should definitely be on your radar. In fact, I have a text from about a year ago where I called Lous and the Yakuza a star and the next “IT” girl. I’m glad to see now that I’m being proven right.
Standout Tracks: Dans la hess, Tout est gore, Solo
La vita nuova- Christine and the Queens
(Gam)
A stellar, timely release from France’s art pop maven, La vita nuova (Italian for, The New Life) dawns a world completely stirred by a lethal pandemic. Amidst the chaos, Chris approaches our contemporary modus vivendi, the new normal, with a wide open heart. The emotional (‘People, I’ve been sad’ being a title) collection of solidly produced synth pop classics is accompanied by a short film, a debut that really showcases her tasteful take on the visual album. Although not a long selection of songs, our feelings from quarantine anxiety are larger than enough -- but at least we can dance them out.
Standout Tracks: Nada, Je disparais dans tes bras, Mountains (We Met)
Ho, Why Is You Here? - Flo Milli (Kia)
One of the biggest breakout stars of this year asserts Alabama pride and confidence with a finesse that most rappers take years to develop. Flo Milli’s presence among the community of MCs emerging can be defined as many things: brash, bold, boastful and most importantly, needed. Filled with witty punchlines, cash shit-talking, and perfectly placed samples over trap production, Ho, why is you here? is more than just a proper introduction to the star. She boldly asserts “I’m a bad bitch, don’t let ‘em tell you that I’m average” with fervent confidence and rightfully so. With songs like “Like That Bitch,” “Weak,” and “May I” featuring samples and interpolations of SWV’s “Weak” and Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice” respectfully, Flo uses this to her advantage. Turning SWV’s swooning lovesick ballad into a proclamation of independence and Snoop Dogg’s westside party anthem into a cool, sex-positive statement for the ladies. Assuming the ‘unfriendly Black hottie’ persona with self-assurance, it’s evident; this is Flo Milli’s world and we’re just living in it. Bitch.
Standout Tracks: May I, Like That Bitch, Weak
Nightmare Vacation- Rico Nasty (Ayanna)
Taurus placements know how to bottle up their rage. It’s like their superpower. For some, they haven’t quite mastered the art of discernment so they end up just blowing up on whoever happens to land in the crossfire: not Rico. Rico knows exactly when to explode and when to pull back. On her debut album, Nightmare Vacation, Rico Nasty delivers us a rage-filled album covered in glitter. “STFU” is an instructional record— shut up, simple. I like to imagine myself lacing up my Doc Marten Jadon Boots, and just stomping on niggas chanting, “STFU”— it’s hella cathartic. Another standout for me was “Don’t Like Me” with Don Toliver and Gucci. Produced by Buddah Bless, it comes in with that fire ass three-count start similar to Pharrell’s signature four-count openers. We can’t talk about this album without talking about the classic Kenny Beats record, “Smack a Bitch.” Rico surprised fans with a remix featuring Rubi Rose, Suki with the good coochie, and pppcocaine. Hearing Rico alongside these up and coming female artists declaring that any one of them will indeed smack a bitch if need be is hella powerful. We are truly living in a Nightmare Vacation and no one captures that better than Rico Nasty.
Standout Tracks: STFU, Smack a Bitch Remix, Don’t Like Me, Let it Out
The Lo-Fis - Steve Lacy (Akua)
Steve Lacy’s latest release (and I really mean latest, this came out maybe two or three days ago?) is very much classic Steve Lacy. The album name is the perfect descriptor, almost an album full of filler and non-songs but in that way it’s perfect and does exactly what it professes to. It’s the kind of album you play in the background at a party, when you don’t want the music to be the focus, but the conversation to take the lead. “Cocky Girl” is my favourite, which of course means it’s only 50 seconds - the best songs are always the shortest - and consists entirely of Lacy telling someone not to fool themselves into believing that he’s thinking of them, and that they’re self-centered. Is it one of my favourite albums ever? Probably not, but I like that it just exists as what it is. It was released without any promo (as far as I know), and it’s full of lowkey background songs. It just is what it is. I didn’t go into it having any expectations of what it would be, and I was pleased with what I got. I have a love/hate relationship with Steve Lacy, but this project is good for what it claims to be.
Standout Tracks: Cocky Girl, Uuu, I Think I Should
Kia Turner is a creative director, storyteller, and editor. She also co-hosts the “Pussy Rap and All of That” talk on Clubhouse. You can find her at astoldbykia.com.