I guess it was the year of ANTI for me! Waxahatchee’s excellent sixth album took the cake. MJ Lenderman has two mentions on my list, since he plays on Waxahatchee’s album and put out his own perfect rock release. Madi Diaz dazzled with her vulnerable folk album, ‘Weird Faith’. Cassandra Jenkins dives deep on ‘My Light, My Destroyer’. Clairo’s ‘Charm’ feels expertly produced and endlessly listenable. Mannequin Pussy pack a punch on ‘I Got Heaven’. Ravyn Lenae’s ‘Bird’s Eye’ and Raveena’s ‘Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain’ are both full of dancey, groovy R&B hits. Hurray for the Riff Raff’s ‘The Past is Still Alive’ tells vivid stories filled with beauty and humanity. And Pittsburgh’s Merce Lemon does country-tinged folk better than most on ‘Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild.’
| Artist | Album | Label | |
| 1 | Waxahatchee | Tigers Blood | ANTI |
| 2 | MJ Lenderman | Manning Fireworks | ANTI |
| 3 | Madi Diaz | Weird Faith | ANTI |
| 4 | Cassandra Jenkins | My Light, My Destroyer | Dead Oceans |
| 5 | Clairo | Charm | Clairo Records LLC |
| 6 | Mannequin Pussy | I Got Heaven | Epitaph |
| 7 | Ravyn Lenae | Bird’s Eye |
Atlantic Recording Corporation
|
| 8 | Raveena | Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain |
Moonstone Recordings, LLC/Empire
|
| 9 | Hurray for the Riff Raff | The Past is Still Alive |
Nonesuch Records Inc.
|
| 10 | Merce Lemon | Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild | Darling Recordings |
