Faye Webster’s “I Know I’m Funny haha,” Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia,” Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX,” The Smile’s “A Light for Attracting Attention,” Charli XCX’s album “BRAT” and Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” Credit: Casey Harden

The 2020s have emerged as a defining period of uncertainty and introspection. 

From the lingering aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic to the far-reaching effects of various worldwide conflicts, the challenges of this decade have left an indelible mark on global culture, and music is no exception. 

Now that 2025 has arrived, The Lantern Arts & Life desk has highlighted 20 of the best album releases from recent years — records that not only define the decade, but also serve as mirrors to its complexities. 



Before getting into the top 20, we would like to acknowledge five influential releases that almost made the list, but narrowly missed the mark. 

Honorable Mentions:

  • Taylor Swift, “folklore” (July 24, 2020) 

 

  • Silk Sonic, “An Evening With Silk Sonic” (Nov. 11, 2021) 

 

  • Alvvays, “Blue Rev” (Oct. 7, 2022) 

 



  • boygenius, “boygenius: the record” (March 31, 2023) 

 

  • Doechii, “Alligator Bites Never Heal” (Aug. 30, 2024)

Please note the featured albums are listed in chronological order, starting with the earliest release date and ending with the most recent. 

Click here to listen to the “Best of the 2020s” playlist on Spotify.

Mac Miller, “Circles” (Jan. 17, 2020) | picked by Samantha Harden, Arts & Life Editor

Genre: Hip-hop, rap



Favorite song: “Surf”

Two years after Miller’s accidental overdose, his sixth studio album, released posthumously, served as a reminder of the rapper’s everlasting talent. 

“Circles,” much like Miller’s 2018 release “Swimming,” is a slower-paced rap album that delves into themes of anxiety and depression. However, the imagery in “Circles” — likening spring cleaning to decluttering the mind and finding a sense of belonging in a world of fame — gives the album a sense of completeness, bringing Miller’s discography full circle. 

Dua Lipa, “Future Nostalgia” (March 27, 2020) | picked by Samantha Harden, Arts & Life Editor

Genre: Dance, electronic, pop 

Favorite song: “Love Again”

There was no 2017 pop release that had the staying power that Lipa’s self-titled debut had, and three years later, the pop sensation’s second studio album, “Future Nostalgia,” delivered a fresh and equally electrifying lineup of tracks. 

Building on a passion for ‘80s pop and ‘90s club culture, Lipa, alongside a team of veteran producers like Stephen “Koz” Kozmeniuk, Ian Kirkpatrick, Stuart Price and Jeff Bhasker, delves further into the retro-pop revival, delivering a vibrant dancefloor timewarp that feature samples from iconic tracks like Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” and Stevie Nicks’ “Stand Back.” 

The album lives up to its name, blending familiar retro sounds with modern production techniques, ultimately creating a timeless yet forward-thinking sound that showcases the direction pop music was heading. 

Bob Dylan, “Rough and Rowdy Ways” (June 19, 2020) | picked by Raghav Raj, Senior Lantern Reporter

Genre: Rock

Favorite song: “Key West (Philosopher’s Pirate)”

At the crux of a historical turning point, America’s greatest poet looked backwards at another. When 79-year-old Bob Dylan released his sprawling, 16-minute-long “Murder Most Foul” in March 2020, with COVID-19 lockdowns spreading worldwide, it felt like another one of his breathtaking anachronisms — an elegy to John F. Kennedy delivered almost 60 years too late. 

The album that followed in June 2020, “Rough and Rowdy Ways,” remains one of the decade’s greatest miracles: a new, spellbinding, sumptuous record from America’s greatest songwriter —  one as haunting, poetic and magnificent as anything in his vast catalog. 

His voice is gravelly, weathered by age to make a piercing, mesmerizing effect, and he is surrounded by understated, ghostly instrumentation. 

On the penultimate song, “Key West,” Dylan sets out to sea, anchored by choirs, organs and pedal steel. In the pirate radio station, he tries to find the beat poets and rock-and-rollers of his youth who were born on the wrong side of the tracks. He is searching for an immortality he fears he’s already found. 

Playboi Carti, “Whole Lotta Red” (Dec. 25, 2020) | picked by Nick DeSantis, Asst. Arts & Life Editor

Genre: Hip-hop, rap

Favorite song: “ILoveUIHateU”

The year 2020 saw notable releases throughout the rap genre, including “Wunna” by Gunna, “Eternal Atake” by Lil Uzi Vert and “My Turn” by Lil Baby. And yet, no single release was as much of a moment for hip-hop fans as the Christmas gift that was “Whole Lotta Red” by Playboi Carti.

Most fans didn’t realize the influence the album would have on the genre’s future at the time of its release. The album’s production — led by then- up-and-coming producer F1lLTHY— created a novel punk, metal trap sound that energized new kinds of rap production for years to come. 

In addition, Carti crafted a new persona, full of new adlibs, screeching and wailing his way through the album as “King Vamp” to accompany listeners through both hard-hitting tracks such as “Rockstar Made” and “Stop Breathing” and softer, melodic tracks like “Control” and “F33l Lik3 Dyin.” 

The effect this album had on mainstream rap culture at the time was evident, with Carti developing a cult-like following after the album’s release and becoming one of the decade’s biggest rap stars. 

Pharoah Sanders, Floating Points and London Symphony Orchestra: “Promises” (March 26, 2021) | picked by Raghav Raj, Senior Lantern Reporter

Genre: Jazz, experimental, classical

Favorite song: “Movement 4”

The fiery, spiritual torrent of Sanders’ horn promised salvation. The late saxophonist — whether working with titans like Sun Ra, Sonny Sharrock, John and Alice Coltrane, or on his brilliant stretch of records on the Impulse! label and beyond — felt boundless in sound, and forceful and lyrical in equal measure. 

When Sanders heard the 2015 album “Elaenia” by Sam Shepherd — the electronic musician who makes cerebral, propulsive synthesizer music as Floating Points — he sparked the fortuitous connection explored on the band’s brilliant “Promises,” recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. 

It’s an album that marries Sanders’ rich tone with Shepherd’s beautiful minimalist electronics, projecting it into the astral plane, where it’s repetitive to the point of meditation, playing with structure, sound and scale for 47 beautiful minutes. In the wake of Sanders’ passing in 2022, it became a tender, magnificent eulogy — a heavenly departure into the stars. 

MIKE, “Disco!” (June 21, 2021) | picked by Raghav Raj, Senior Lantern Reporter

Genre: Hip-hop, rap

Favorite song: “Spiral/Disco”

In the perpetually shifting landscape of underground hip-hop, few rappers feel more wonderfully against the grain than New York City-based rapper Michael Jordan Bonema. The fractured, experimental, beautiful music from MIKE has remained a rare constant since the release of his breakout tape, “MAY GOD BLESS YOUR HUSTLE,” in 2017.

In his fiercely consistent catalog, 2021’s warm, effusive “Disco!” stands out. It’s a record that is often insular but deeply rewarding, grieving and meditative on songs like “Ghoulish” and “Sandra,” named after his late mother whose presence is felt throughout the album. 

However, “Disco!” is also full of moments of boundless joy, like “Aww (Zaza),” in which Bonema sounds delighted just to be alive and feeling (“Stuck in the midst of it all; struggling? Naw”). On “Airdrop,” he’s also full of gratitude, rapping over a shimmering, kaleidoscopic synth sample. 

The idea of rap as salvation feels clearest on the album’s closer, “Spiral/Disco,” especially when Bonema’s verse gives way to a voicemail from his mother, as it plays in full over this gorgeous, warm, crackling piano loop. As the voicemail ends, the loop breaks and the saxophone comes flooding in, there’s a moment of effusive release in an album constantly searching for it.

Faye Webster, “I Know I’m Funny haha” (June 25, 2021) | picked by Raghav Raj, Senior Lantern Reporter

Genre: Alternative

Favorite song: “I Know I’m Funny haha”

Webster’s greatest gift is her ability to sound so defeated, even when she’s in love. The titular moment on her breathtaking third album comes in between drunk arguments, landlord disputes and rockstar phases. She makes her lover’s sisters laugh at dinner; they say she’s funny, but she already knows.

That misanthropic, lovelorn, detached bent animates the Atlanta singer-songwriter’s 2021 record, one of the truly great indie-rock records of the past decade. It’s certainly one of the prettiest — warm and soulful, with featherlight guitar and deep, meandering basslines, drenched in gorgeous pedal steel.

The steel, courtesy of Matt Stoessel, fills the best songs on “I Know I’m Funny haha” with indelible pockets of heartbreak, sliding in tender country-adjacent numbers like “Better Distractions” and the splendorously somber “A Stranger.” 

And, on “A Dream With a Baseball Player,” it warbles with the sort of misery only a ridiculous crush could evoke, toying with a horn section as Webster asks a question she already knows the answer to: “How did I fall in love with someone I don’t know?”

Big Thief, “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You” (Feb. 11, 2022) | picked by Samantha Harden, Arts & Life Editor

Genre: Indie, folk, alternative 

Favorite song: “Certainty” 

Not unlike its other works, “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You” exemplifies Big Thief’s dedication to radical honesty and the band members’ deep connection with one another. 

Clocking in at 20 tracks, the album is sprawling yet cohesive. Recorded across multiple sessions in different locations, the album simultaneously captures a sense of place and movement, offering a kaleidoscopic view of the band’s creative vision. 

Songwriter Adrianne Lenker’s lyrics — which explore universal themes of love, nature, vulnerability and loss — are poetic, raw and deeply human, delivered with an intimacy and mysticism that feel entirely unique. 

Ethel Cain, “Preacher’s Daughter” (May 12, 2022) | picked by Lena Henicle, Arts & Life Video Producer

Genre: Indie rock, contemporary folk

Favorite song: “Western Nights”

Gothic, horrifying and deeply romantic, “Preacher’s Daughter” marked Hayden Anhedönia’s — known under stage name Ethel Cain — debut into the indie music scene. 

The album centers around themes of religious trauma, generational curses and the impossibility of being a woman. “American Teenager” masterfully captures the anxieties and trauma left behind for today’s youth, making it an instant anthem. Anhedönia captures the despair of this album’s narrative through haunting synths, grunge guitar and gospel-like hymns in songs like “Sun Bleached Flies” and “Strangers.”

“Preacher’s Daughter” invokes a much darker side of indie and folk music. Macabre lyrics and the album’s Southern gothic aesthetics build a nightmarish atmosphere for listeners to disappear in. Anhedönia’s masterful storytelling creates a musical narrative that will have listeners sick from unease. 

The Smile, “A Light for Attracting Attention” (May 13, 2022) | picked by Samantha Harden, Arts & Life Editor

Genre: Rock 

Favorite song: “The Same”

When “A Light for Attracting Attention” was released in 2022, almost a year after Radiohead’s Thom Yorke introduced the band in May 2021, it solidified that The Smile was more than just a pandemic pastime for Yorke and his songwriting counterpart Jonny Greenwood. 

The album bridges Radiohead’s signature experimental sound with fresh ideas, showcasing Yorke and Greenwood’s ability to evolve musically while still maintaining their unique identities. Their collaboration with drummer Tom Skinner of Sons of Kemet adds a dynamic jazz and rhythmic complexity to the band’s sound that sets it apart from Radiohead’s iconic sound. 

With its introspective lyrics, exploration of societal and existential themes — like alienation, climate anxiety and political disillusionment — and refusal to fit into just one genre — blending elements of post-punk, electronic jazz and orchestral arrangements — the album captures the unpredictable climate of the 2020s. 

Harry Styles, “Harry’s House” (May 20, 2022) | picked by Nick DeSantis, Asst. Arts & Life Editor 

Genre: Pop, synth-pop, 

Favorite song: “Little Freak”

Following the December 2019 release of the phenomenal pop album “Fine Line,” Harry Styles prepared to embark on a new world tour, titled “Love on Tour,” until the pandemic struck and hijacked his plans. Instead of taking what could’ve been a relaxing break, Styles dove headfirst into working on a new album.

When “Harry’s House” was released in 2022, listeners could tell almost instantly they were in for a treat. The album showcases Styles at his most experimental, his most introspective and arguably his most creative.

Tracks like “Music For a Sushi Restaurant,” “Late Night Talking” and “Cinema” display Styles’ ability to combine different forms of pop music with hints of funk and Japanese city pop. Other notable tracks like “Matilda,” “Satellite” and “Love of My Life” display his vulnerability, as he tackles nuanced subjects ranging from the complexities of growing up to toxic masculinity in relationships. 

After listening, fans of Styles likely came to the same conclusion — nothing is the same as it was.

Daphni, “Cherry” (Oct. 7, 2022) | picked by Raghav Raj, Senior Lantern Reporter 

Genre: electronic, house

Favorite song: “Arrow”

When talking about “Mona,” a standout from his 2022 album “Cherry,” in a 2022 interview with Apple Music, composer and musician Dan Snaith said it usually ends up running twice as long as when he plays it during his DJ sets. 

Snaith has toyed with splendorous, Beach Boys-adjacent pop music, ramshackle folk and brittle electronica under his Caribou alias for over two decades. As Daphni, he makes punchy house music that exists to be mixed and melded into deep pockets within the dance floor, borrowing from the disco, techno, and Afrobeat genres. 

On “Cherry,” his 2022 opus, floor-fillers run abound, from the filter-disco sound of “Take Two” to the hip-shaking, bass-heavy thump of “Amber.” The little moments are magnificent enough to play over and over again, especially the delicate piano interplay within “Cloudy,” the album’s title track. 

But the album’s finest cut is “Arrow,” which opens the record in a deep, soulful and propulsive manner. The hi-hats skitter and pulse and the rumbling bass underneath slowly pulls in and out of focus, the whole thing glimmering like a disco ball.

The 1975, “Being Funny In A Foreign Language” (Oct. 14, 2022) | picked by Nick DeSantis, Asst. Arts & Life Editor

Genre: Alternative, rock, indie

Favorite song: “About You”

“I’m sorry if you’re living and you’re 17.”

This phrase echoes throughout the first track on The 1975’s fifth album, “Being Funny in a Foreign Language,” evoking a sense of weariness for the future. This sentiment carries on throughout the 11-track album as the band deals with serious issues like love, happiness and living in a postmodern world, all while staying remarkably witty.

Though the writing — led by lead singer Matty Healy and drummer George Daniel — is exceptional, the standout aspect of this album is the production, spearheaded by arguably the greatest producer of our generation, Jack Antonoff. Antonoff combines luscious ‘80s style guitars with booming drums, vibrant poppy synths and orchestral strings and saxophones to create powerful tracks such as the beautifully crafted, penultimate track “About You.”

Other standouts help build the world that the band and Antonoff have created together, including the wonderfully self-aware track “Part of the Band,” the groovy “Oh Caroline,” the pop-rock Christmas hit “Wintering” and the sun-filled “I’m in Love With You.”  

SZA, “SOS” (Dec. 9, 2022) | picked by Lena Henicle, Arts & Life Video Producer

Genre: R&B, hip-hop, alt-pop

Favorite song: “Ghost in the Machine”

Most 20-year-olds remember the first time they heard a SZA song in their early teens. After the sensational debut of her 2017 album “Ctrl,” fans practically begged SZA for new music. When she released the hit single “Good Days” at the end of 2020, it clued the rest of the world into what was to be expected from her and the rest of pop music throughout the rest of the  decade.

Two years later and at the closing of another year, SZA released her second critically acclaimed album, “SOS.” The release was an instant Billboard success. The album kicked off the start of a trend, blending pop and R&B music with different genres. 

This record’s cultural and musical impact will stand the test of time. Not only did it reach a high level of critical acclaim, but it was also one of the first major albums to reflect the isolation and heartache that many people were feeling post-pandemic. 

Zach Bryan, “Zach Bryan” (Aug. 25, 2023) | picked by Nick DeSantis, Asst. Arts & Life Editor

Genre: Country, folk, americana

Favorite song: “Tourniquet” 

There’s nothing quite like venturing into the soulful, country-folk world of Zach Bryan. 

Bryan came to fame with his 2020 triple album “American Heartbreak,” but his self-titled 2023 release elevates his music to a whole new level. Though the album’s production is stunning — with bluesy guitars, soulful harmonicas and grand pianos that all blend together to create a roaring modern blend of Americana-folk rock music — it’s Bryan’s writing that remains the standout aspect of the album.

Tracks such as “I Remember Everything,” “Ticking” and “East Side of Sorrow” highlight the raw authenticity of his writing, as Bryan vividly describes places, people and stories in strikingly stark detail.

Bryan’s ability to skillfully display his fears, joys and ambitions remains some of the best songwriting seen in the country/folk sphere this decade, making him a gateway artist for those listening to country for the first time. 

Chappell Roan, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” (Sept. 22, 2023) | picked by Lena Henicle, Arts & Life Video Producer

Genre: Pop

Favorite song: “Casual”

There is no denying that Chappell Roan captured many people’s hearts in 2024, despite her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” being released nearly a year prior.

With anthems like “Pink Pony Club” and “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl,” Roan captured the essence of coming into a queer identity through pop ballads and catchy dance numbers, truly reviving the pop music industry. 

Roan also showed the world that pop can be fun and expressive. “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” not only validates the queer experience, but also normalizes pop music as being versatile and adventurous. 

Roan stepped outside of the bounds of pop music on this album by incorporating her stunning vocals and vexing lyricism to create something truly distinct; what’s more, she created a strong voice for a group that often does not get the credit it deserves within pop music. 

Beyonce, “Cowboy Carter” (March 29, 2024) | picked by Lena Henicle, Arts & Life Video Producer

Genre: Americana, country

Favorite song: “YA YA”

“Cowboy Carter” is a Beyonce album to its core. The second album in a trilogy of records Beyonce plans to release over the next few years, “Cowboy Carter” recognizes and explores Beyonce’s roots, as well as the impact Black people have on country music and America as a whole. 

For the first time in decades, country music and its subgenres, which fought to be heard over today’s brand of “bro country,” became mainstream.

Songs like “YA YA” and “ II MOST WANTED” sample classic-folk and country songs to create a Western feel. “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” and “16 CARRIAGES” revisit a type of hoe-down country that defined ‘70s and ‘80s country music. All in all, “Cowboy Carter” expanded the field of country music to unfamiliar and mainstream audiences.

Charli XCX, “BRAT” (June 7, 2024) | picked by Lena Henicle, Arts & Life Video Producer

Genre: Club music, clubpop, pop

Favorite song: “Sympathy is a knife”

“BRAT” proved to be an undeniable phenomenon within popular music. Not only did this album become a viral sensation, but it likewise expanded the future of the pop genre, marking the album as perhaps the most influential pop album of this decade.

Compared to her previous release “Crash” in 2022, “BRAT” marked a significant shift in Charli XCX’s typical music style. Inspired by her youth spent in London’s club scene, Charli XCX incorporated the different sounds and styles of club music into her most personal album yet. 

“Girl, so confusing” and “Sympathy is a knife” tackle real issues that women — especially those in the entertainment industry — face, all while still being upbeat and easy to dance to. In fact, it is this feature of “BRAT” that makes it so influential for this decade of pop music. 

Sabrina Carpenter, “Short n’ Sweet” (Aug. 23, 2024) | picked by Nick DeSantis, Asst. Arts & Life Editor

Genre: Pop

Favorite song: “Don’t Smile”

Last year was ruled by female pop stars who released iconic album after iconic album. It feels wrong, however, to not include the iconic 5-foot, blonde-haired Sabrina Carpenter and her sixth studio album “Short n’ Sweet” on this list. 

The album showcases Carpenter’s ability to write about her struggles with relationships, love and heartbreak with a sense of humor and self-awareness as she jokes, laughs and taunts her former lovers with nothing but charm. Similar to other artists on this list, Carpenter is aided by Antonoff, whose production expertly blends genres together into a 12-track masterclass in pop production.

Smashing tracks like “Espresso,” “Please Please Please” and “Taste” have become some of the most-listened-to songs from 2024, but it’s the deep cuts in which Carpenter — and her vocal range — truly shine. “Coincidence” and “Slim Pickins” combine her signature pop sounds with folk and country elements. In addition, rock elements are featured on “Bed Chem” and “Juno,” and album closer “Don’t Smile” is the perfect R&B outro.

Though “BRAT” may be the most influential pop album of the decade, or maybe even the album of the year, “Short n’ Sweet” is still the best pure pop album of 2024.  

Kendrick Lamar, “GNX” (Nov. 22, 2024) | picked by Samantha Harden, Arts & Life Editor 

Genre: Hip-hop, rap 

Favorite song: “tv off (feat. lefty gunplay)”

With its surprise release strategy and seamless blend of modern and classic influences, Kendrick Lamar’s “GNX” has set a new benchmark for album launches and music marketing. 

After an intense, feud-fueled back-and-forth with rapper Drake, many fans anticipated Lamar would release an album cementing his victory lap. Instead, he delivered a work rooted in pure artistic authenticity. 

Departing from his typically intricate storytelling, “GNX” offers a more concise and accessible collection of 12 tracks, exploring themes of pride, anger and confidence. The album merges new West Coast sounds with tributes to hip-hop legends like 2Pac, Biggie and Nas, solidifying Lamar’s place as a transformative figure in the genre.