Wales Arts Review’s critics have come together, argued, scrapped, cried, and hugged, to bring you our rundown of our best 50 albums of what we’ve been listening to in 2020. We always have a lot of fun putting this together, and we hope there’s some music on here that is new to you. And you can now check out the albums on our exclusive Wales Arts Review playlist below, nearly four hours of the best music of the year.
50. Whole New Mess – Angel Olsen
49. Return – Katy J Pearson
48. Beyond the Pale – Jarv Is
47. There Is No Other – Isobel Campbell
46. The Universal Want – Doves
45. Our Two Skins – Gordi
44. Eyelet – Islet
43. Kitchen Sink – Nadine Shah
42. Inner Song – Kelly Lee Owens
41. Dark Matter – Moses Boyd
40. McCartney III – Paul McCartney
39. Mama, You Can Bet! – Jyoti
38. Saint Cloud – Waxahatchee
37. Yesterday Is Gone – Dana Gavanski
36. Swimmer – Tennis
35. Walking Like We Do – The Big Moon
34. Sawayama – Rina Sawayama
33. The Ascension – Sufjan Stevens
32. Music from Perry Mason – Terence Blanchard
31. Græ – Moses Sumney
30. Women in Music Pt. III – Haim
29. Queen High Straight – Wendy James
28. We Will Always Love You – The Avalanches
27. So When You Gonna… – Dream Wife
26. Bad Vacation – Liza Anne
25. Miss Anthropocene – Grimes
24. Alfredo – Freddie Gibbs
23. A Hero’s Death – Fontaines D.C.
22. Ultra Mono – Idles
21. 5 EPs – Dirty Projectors
20. Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa
19. We Are Sent Here by History – Shabaka and the Ancestors
18. Be Up A Hello – Squarepusher
17. Working Men’s Club – Working Men’s Club
16. Every Bad – Porridge Radio
15. Sixteen Oceans – Four Tet
14. How I’m Feeling Now – Charli XCX
13. Love-Lore – Deerhoof
12. It Is What It Is – Thundercat
11. Punisher – Phoebe Bridgers
10. Billy Nomates – Billy Nomates
9. Folklore and Evermore – Taylor Swift
8. Set My Heart on Fire Immediately – Perfume Genius
7. Rough and Rowdy Ways – Bob Dylan
6. Songs and Instrumentals – Adrianne Lenker
5. Sign – Autechre
4. RTJ4 – Run the Jewels
3. Untitled (Rise) and Untitled (Black Is) – Sault
2. Fetch the Bolt Cutters – Fiona Apple
1. Marlowe 2 – Marlowe
