Unexpectedly, one of the albums I keep going back to is Fred again..'s ten days. Historically, I don't listen to "DJ set" style house music, I find it repetitive, often leaning obnoxious, but there's something special about Fred's take. Although the four on the floor puts it squarely in club territory, each track is what I would call texture-forward, with Frank Ocean style referential snippets making up most leads. This odd mix makes it feel less like you're being forced to dance and more like the kinder version of a sad memory.

Boy did Doechii have a year. Despite being the best feature on many songs throughout the past few years, I never thought to check out her solo stuff. To be honest I'm glad I missed it. Doechii is concerningly aggressive; historically, she picks the nastiest beats and simply eats them - if that's your jam, you'll love her discography. I am, however, of the opinion that great art requires contrast, and this year we got it.

There's still plenty of room for growth, but as of now, not only is her flow insane, but she can sing a lil bit, her beat selection has gotten much prettier, and her lyrics are more considerate. What's most impressive though is outside the packaging of the album. Her interviews, live performances, and videos show an enticingly thoughtful woman, currently shedding her gator skin and seeing what emerges.

Charm is a tough one - it goes back and forth between top 3 and off the list. The problem is that for me and many others, Clairo is comfort food. Every one of her offerings have made the top 10, and although I really wanna give, idk, the Bibimbap a go, I'm getting the chicken strips, because that's why I come to this restaurant. On account of her voice, her music will always be indie, but every song finds a way to sneak in R&B, or soul, or lofi, or jazz - and there enlies the secret sauce - Clairo is offering Korean chicken strips, so that's what I'll be buying.

In a vacuum, this R&B pop EP is surprisingly good. However, despite being #4, I hesitate to give this too much praise, because I have a concern. 

Hailey released an album in 2018 and nothing since. Typically that's irrelevant information, however, she was also recently signed, and the production on For the Best is so polished, I worry it was created in a lab by previous Ariana Grande producers and Hailey will be gone as quickly as she came. 

On the other hand, she's performed the EP in its entirety live, so her talent merits the praise. Ignoring all context, it's certainly worth a spin - it feels related to both NSYNC and Justin Bieber in spirit, but is still its own. We'll see where she goes.

Despite his age, Robbie has been crafting the most intricate little indie bites for a decade. I don't know how he does it, but every little rumble and tweak and roll adds up to a song that is much better than it deserves to be. Each track feels like watching a movie. Even at 7 songs, little vice, an EP, was a strong contender for AOTY.