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.

14 of 16 photo by Domino

87Wet Leg by Wet Leg

(#2) Arriving on a wave of hype propelled by singles like last year's "Chaise Longue," the debut album from Isle of Wight indie-rockers Wet Leg—the duo of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, supplemented by extra musicians on tour—proved that the buzz was justified: The album is an instant classic, the pair's brilliant songwriting resulting in quotable lyrics, catchy garage-pop/post-punk tunes, a Mercury Prize nomination, and five Grammy nominations.

“There are no dull moments on Wet Leg. With the winning pairing of two incredible guitarists and excellent songwriting, this is a near-flawless introduction. The record holds such a compelling collection of songs.” —A.V. Club

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