Robyn's Top Ten Albums of 2019

2019 has been a crazy year. I managed to find myself a full-time teaching gig and did adult things like buying a car, but I also found myself busier than I’ve ever been. I’m happy and proud that I’ve been able to handle the stress of this year, but it means that I haven’t had much opportunity to dig into new music. There just wasn’t any time to sit with slow-burning albums; anything I listened to really needed to make an immediate impression and give my mind an enjoyable place to rest.

10. Morbid Stuff by Pup

I begin this list by immediately contradicting my initial statement. This is the only album in my top ten that I didn’t instantly get into and that was ultimately able to grow on me. When I first heard Pup’s third album, it didn’t quite click and I wasn’t sure that it had the same bite as their previous offerings. But after I came back to it a few more times, I really fell for the hulking bass lines and the anthemic choruses. This album is also just well produced, delivering a high-quality mix while still maintaining Pup’s raw sass.

9. Late Bloomers by For I Am

This is one of a number of albums I came to know while driving around with Brett this year. I hadn’t listened to For I Am before getting into their latest release, but I was immediately captivated by Hanne’s vocals and the band’s powerful pop-punk sound. This album delivers punchy, melody-driven songs, with soaring choruses I can’t help belting out (badly). My favourite of these is possibly P.I.G.O.T.R.Y, which plays on a line from Orwell’s Animal Farm “We’re all equal, but some of us are more equal than the others” and makes my literary heart happy; but every track is excellent and it’s a great listen all round.

8. Never Better by Burnt Tapes

After being lucky enough to go to MPF again this year, and being unlucky enough to miss seeing Fresh again after they had to pull out, fate finally intervened with an amazing opportunity to see the Burnt Tapes perform. I wasn’t able to catch the whole set, because of other scheduling difficulties, but it was awesome to see these guys play and to see how much the crowd enjoyed their set. The band set the bar really high with their previous musical offering, Alterations, and after the release of the Never Better’s first single ‘Yuzi’, people (including me) were expecting quite a lot from this album. The guys absolutely delivered, with songs that are rich and layered, marrying grizzly vocals and big melodies. It’s great to see Burnt Tapes growing and continuing to put out great music, and I really hope I get the chance to see a full set from them soon.

7. Be Good by Off With Their Heads

I started a routine this year, where every Saturday morning I would begin the day by going for a run and having a good breakfast, picking out a few records to spin, and settling down to some work in the sunniest room of our house. I soon started picking up the new Off With Their Heads album most weekends, and so I think this album wins as the one that got the most physical spins on my turntable. Be Good moves on quickly from its folksy opening into the big, gruff punk sound that you’d expect from Ryan Young. I also like the album’s overall message of “be good, be loud” in the face of all life’s difficulties. In the end, that may be all we can do – but it may also be enough.

6. Withdraw by Fresh

Fresh are easily one of my favourite UK bands, so when they announced that they’d be releasing a new album this year I was super excited. In my review of this album, I described Fresh’s sound as being catchy and fun, while still being really sincere and engaging. I don’t know another band that marries these elements together as well as Fresh, and this album shows the band’s growth and development since they released their self-titled album in 2017. Luck has not been on my side with Fresh (I’ve missed out on seeing them twice) but I’m really hopeful that 2020 is the year I can finally sing along to these songs live.

5. Flash Gordon Ramsay Street by The Decline

I think I can go ahead and award Flash Gordon Ramsay Street as the album that Brett and I most listened to together while cruising around in his car. The Decline just don’t disappoint, and these songs are urgent, and fun, and fast, and serious, and a damn good time. The album is tight and energetic, getting in your face with the rousing vegan anthem “Brovine”, perfectly stringing together an overlapping series of pop-culture references on “Summerbruht”, and intimately remembering a friend on “Your Funeral”. With 17 songs, it’s still only 30 minutes long; so once you get to the end you’ll just want to start it all over again.

4. Deals, Deals, Deals! by Ramona

I remember the day that Brett said he thought he’d found his album of the year and then he threw on Ramona and we bopped and jived, and I thanked the universe again for sending me a husband with impeccable music taste. I love the three-piece, double-vocal style of Ramona, and the lyrics are so expressive and so singable. While Ramona sing about heartache and personal growth in ways that are very honest and relatable, you never stop having a good time. I think this is one of those albums we’ll be talking about for a long time; a future classic.

3. It’s Only Permanent by Rational Anthem

Rational Anthem’s album was a very late addition to my list, since it was only released on the 1st of November, but it’s one I fell in love with right away. Their sound reminds me a lot of The Copyrights, with a slight hint of Direct Hit!, and this album is just so fun to listen to that it kept getting bumped up on my top ten list. It’s Only Permanent also came along at the perfect time, when the year was winding down and I was ready to let loose. Every song is a total jam, and I will be dancing along to these tunes well into the new year.

2. This Could Be Okay by Cold Wrecks

I knew I had to listen to this album after reading Emma’s fantastic review of it earlier this year. I hadn’t really got into Cold Wrecks before, but I had a sense that they played the style of punk I like and I couldn’t ignore them any longer once Emma remarked that they may have taken top spot as her new favourite band. I quickly found that her affection was not misplaced, and that this would probably be one of the best albums I listened to this year. ‘Bought Right In’ is as perfect a song as you’re likely to find, but every track is top notch and the whole album just flows beautifully.

1. Get It Together by MakeWar

Get It Together by MakeWar was another late release that I knew I would just have to make space for on my top ten list, and pretty soon I realized that it was just too good not to make the top spot. It’s impressive how much I have managed to listen to this album in such a short time. From the perfect opener of ‘Hopeless Dreamers’ to the closing call to “leave your fears” and “quit wasting all your time”, there are no duds on this album. I have felt slightly sorry for anyone who has had to see me awkwardly gyrating my body every time ‘No Mas’ comes on or shimmying to the bass-heavy breakdown on ‘No Excuses’, but it’s an album that demands head bopping and body convulsions, and one that will definitely be a favourite for years to come.

This end of year list was written by Robyn Pierce.