The 20 Best Albums of 2023 So Far

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – July 6, 2023

Which albums impressed critics during the first half of the year? In the gallery on this page we rank the highest-scoring LPs released between January 1, 2023 and June 30, 2023. Albums are ranked by their Metascores as of July 3, 2023 and must have at least 7 reviews from professional critics to be eligible. Resissues, EPs, live albums, and compilations are excluded.

19 of 21 photo by Perpetual Novice

94Desire, I Want To Turn into You by Caroline Polachek

(#2) Former Chairlift member Caroline Polachek has been releasing solo albums since 2014, with her most recent, Pang, arriving in 2019. Her eclectic but career-best follow-up is a collaboration with English producer Danny L Harle and includes the Grimes and Dido collaboration "Fly to You."

“She has drawn comparison with Kate Bush and Bjork, not because she sounds like them, but because she has a similar blend of extraordinary vocal ability, florid imagination, and genre-bending boldness. Desire is the album where it all comes together for this late blooming art-pop siren.” —The Telegraph

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