The Freshman 15: 2016's Best Debut Albums

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – December 8, 2016

We are still a week away from our final, overall list of 2016's best albums, but our best of 2016 coverage continues now with a look at the year's top newcomers.

Below is our list of the 15 best-reviewed debut albums of 2016, ranked by Metascore. Note that albums must have at least 7 reviews—and be a full LP, rather than an EP—to be eligible for inclusion. Albums are ranked by Metascore prior to rounding.

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83 If You See Me, Say Yes by Flock of Dimes

(Partisan) Flock of Dimes is the solo side-project for Wye Oak co-founder Jenn Wasner. It follows another Wasner side project, Dungeonesse, which was a collaboration with Jon Ehrens.

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