Mid-Year Review: The Worst Release Year Ever | SHORT CUTS

SHORT CUTS 02: 2023's terribly slow releases

Short Cuts is a mini-series highlighting what I’ve been listening to lately, along with some great cover art I've come across.

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Welcome back to Short Cuts, where recently I’ve been on a few different things, some same old stuff, some new music, mostly nothing though!!!

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Why Has 2023 Been Such a Slow Release Year?

Coming to write this next update letter, I’m totally drawing a blank on what I’ve really been listening to this year and lately in general. Every time I open Apple Music, I end up just picking some indie playlist (“indie + chill”, “Indie Pop”, etc.) and skipping through tracks here and there, maybe adding a few. This or I’ll tap the “My Station” Radio feature that just plays stuff it knows I already like. When thinking about what came out this year, I couldn’t even name 5 big great albums. You’ll see when we get to my mid-year favourites, a lot of it fucking came out in 2022!!! Frustrating for sure.

There’s also been no #1 rap song or album this year I guess? Which objectively given the size of the genre is just weird.

It’s not like nothing worthwhile has come out, we’ve gotten the Kali Uchis record, 6LACK, boygenius, Jesus Piece, Jessie Ware, among others, but nothing has really stuck with me that much. I was so excited for the 6LACK album, not having had an album from him in 5 years, but I never go back to that one. Same thing with the boygenius, I never ever go back to that album (even though I’m going to see them in the fall).

More Metallica & Slayer

REGARDLESS—with the release of Metallica’s newest record, 72 Seasons, its caused me to fall back in love with their catalog, namely Death Magnetic (a personal top 3) and Master of Puppets (obviously). This is my favourite album of 2023 so far, and nothings really come close to the replay value.

some Death Magnetic fan art I designed recently

It’s been a mainstay in the gym lately, the title track intro, “Shadows Follow”, and “Sleepwalk My Life Away” being highlights. I’ve also recently got into $uicideBoy$, and am slowly making my way into their albums, great gym music too.

Slayer has been in constant rotation too, which they always kinda are, my favourites lately being God Hates Us All, Reign In Blood, and Divine Intervention.

I’ve been listening to a lot of Kenny Mason, he’s easily my favourite rapper of the new and current generation. I think him, Denzel Curry, and JID will carry the torch forward in the genre as it ages more and more.

The new Teskey Brothers album, The Winding Way is beautiful, breezy, and easy on the ears. They’re one of my favourite groups in recent years, with incredibly soulful indie music, they don’t have one album I don’t like. I made some concept merch for them the other day too—

from my Instagram

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Favourite Albums of 2023 So Far…

• 72 Seasons, Metallica (2023)

• SOS, SZA (2022)

• Her Loss, Drake & 21 Savage (2022)

Favourite Songs of 2023 So Far…

• Chemical, Post Malone (2023)

• Nobody Gets Me, SZA (2022)

• Middle of the Ocean, Drake (2022)

• Search & Rescue, Drake (2023)

• AVATAR, Kenny Mason (2023)

• 72 Seasons, Metallica (2023)

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Look you guys, I’m pretty unenthused about this year in releases, but I guess I’m hopeful that the latter half of the year will pick up steam? I’ve literally been way more into streaming series like Silo, Jack Ryan, and Reacher, than I have for what’s been coming out musically. That’s weird and new !!!

Again, there have been quality records, I did enjoy the Paramore album earlier this year (cover review below).

Paramore - This Is Why | ALBUM COVER REVIEW: When Typography Hurts You

The new Ty Dolla Sign single is super fun and different for him, and I’m probably most excited for the new Post Malone album, AUSTIN. But other than that, not much has really stuck with me this year, and as someone who deeply engulfs himself in the industry and music space in general, I’m sad about it.

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PLEASE recommend me what you’ve been listening to this year, I still have a lot on my list to get around to, but I wanna hear from the readers! So please, sound off below.