The Freshman 15: 2022's Best Debut Albums

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – December 8, 2022

Next week, we'll release our final overall list of this year's best overall albums. But our ongoing best of 2022 coverage continues right now with a look at this year's top newcomers in music.

Above is our list of the 15 best-reviewed debut albums of 2022, ranked by Metascore. Note that albums must have at least 7 reviews—and be a full-length LP (or mixtape) rather than an EP—to be eligible for inclusion. Albums are ranked by Metascore prior to rounding based on scores as of December 6, 2022.

12 of 16 photo by Island

85The Overload by Yard Act

(#4) Hailing from Leeds, England, Yard Act signed to major label Island Records last fall when buzz around early singles began building. And that buzz only continued to build after the January release of their debut LP The Overload, which remains one of 2022's best albums. Their political, humorous, talk-heavy brand of British post-punk—with production that gives the album a definite early-1980s flavor—has earned the band comparisons to artists ranging from The Fall (an obvious touchstone) and John Cooper Clarke to more modern references like IDLES and Black Country, New Road.

“At its heart, The Overload is a hugely impressive debut bubbling with sardonic wit, wisdom, anger, and compassion.” —Under the Radar

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