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Releasing new music during the unknown that is the COVID-19 pandemic is definitely one for the books.

Despite the challenges, it seems musicians, old and new, have been doing relatively well to enthral and entertain us with their jams.

The list of the UK’s most played tracks and artists proves this.

Besides that, we’ve seen reliable stars like the Foo Fighters and Lana Del Rey release new music this year, but there are also some very cool breakthrough debuts that have come in hot.

Take pop stars like Girl In Red, for example, as well as some R&B from Jazmine Sullivan and spirited indie-rock from Dry Cleaning.

Let’s take a look at five of Rolling Stone‘s top albums for the year so far:

Lana Del Rey, Chemtrails Over the Country Club:

It’s an incredibly bleak yet weirdly comforting sentiment all at once – the notion that one’s personal dramas, the ups and downs of “normal” life, will continue to go on even as the rest of the world goes to shit.

Foo Fighters, Medicine at Midnight:

The Foos’ 10th album is upbeat even by their uniquely well-adjusted standards, returning to their core Nineties alt-rock sound minus any gimmicks, detours, or shenanigans.

Although Grohl has spent much of his post-Nirvana career emulating his Seventies FM-radio rock idols, Medicine at Midnight evidences a pop streak that he’s only hinted at before.

Dry Cleaning, New Long Leg:

The first full-length album by the bracingly original London band Dry Cleaning is already a strong contender for one of the year’s coolest debuts.

Dry Cleaning are a great guitar band with a lead vocalist who carefully speaks her acerbically droll, often very funny lyrics, creating a sound that feels at once intimate and ominous, like a mumbled autopsy of our shared desires, terrors, and daily malaise.

Girl In Red, If I Could Make It Go Quiet:

Norwegian bedroom-pop star Marie Ulven goes deep on loneliness, anxiety, lust, rage, jealousy, and all the other agonies of that crazy little thing called love.

As Girl on Red, she’s built a loyal following since her 2018 “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend,” building up to her long-awaited debut If I Could Make It Go Quiet.

Jazmine Sullivan, Heaux Tales:

Sullivan’s stunning vocal range is well-documented. She was a contestant on Showtime at the Apollo at the age of 11, singing better than most adults. And she’s particularly gifted at modulating her voice.

As a songwriter, Sullivan is known to confront thorny emotions with open-faced compassion. Heaux Tales finds the singer at her most dexterous.

This is the perfect listening for that moment alone today.

For the rest, head over to Rolling Stone.

[source:rollingstone]