Family Jewels
Marina and the Diamonds
The first CD I ever bought, split with my sister. A self-fullfilling prophecy indeed. Probably the first album I ever listened to beginning to end, and would remain as the only album I listened to in full for a couple years as someone who spent her early teens allergic to listening to new music.
fave tracks Oh No!, I Am Not a Robot, Hermit the Frog

Romance is Boring
Los Campesinos!
First listened in grade 11, as recommended to me via attack on titan character playlists on 8tracks. I did not listen to a lot of music prior to discovering 8tracks, and I had never heard anything quite like Los Campesinos!. I suppose I still haven't. They will forever be my favourite band.
fave tracks Romance Is Boring, There Are Listed Buildings, The Sea Is A Good Place To Think Of The Future

We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
Los Campesinos!
When I was lucky enough to see LC! In concert in 2018, Garreth messed up the lyrics to the title track of this album and sang the “more constructive that the one in Canada” verse twice. We were in Canada so it was fitting at least.
fave tracks Miserabilia, You’ll Need Those Fingers For Crossing, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed

NO BLUES
Los Campesinos!
fave tracks Avocado Baby, For Flotsam, What Death Leaves Behind

Handwritten
Shawn Mendes
I would be lying to myself if I didn’t include this. In high school, as a really annoying and really closeted teenager, I claimed Shawn Mendes as my gay son despite him being one month younger than me and not technically gay. I wouldn't listen to much of this album or artist nowadays, but at the time it unlocked something in me after a lifetime of shunning the popular teenage boy dreamboat of the week.
fave tracks Life of the Party, This Is What It Takes

Talon of the Hawk
The Front Bottoms
I was 15 in 2014. I didn't stand a chance.

fave tracks Twin Size Mattress, The Feud, Skeleton

Rose
The Front Bottoms
I really like their grandmother EPs in general.

fave track Lipstick Covered Magnet

Back On Top
The Front Bottoms

fave tracks Laugh Til I Cry, Plastic Flowers, The Plan (Fuck Jobs)

You're Gonna Miss It All
Modern Baseball
I discovered this one through a fellow teenage tumblr blogger who I had what was probably my first parasocial obsession with. As with any angsty teenager I could not resist the pull of Modern Baseball.
fave tracks Your Graduation, Fine, Great, Broken Cash Machine

Sick Scenes
Los Campesinos!
My first LC! Album where I was able to listen to it the day it dropped. Deeply formative. Biked to work to it a lot. Fall of Home devastated me at a time where I was really caught up in my hometown changing at a time where I was not. I saw them in concert a year after the album came out and cried when they played it.fave tracks Hung Empty, I Broke Up In Amarante, The Fall of Home

EMOTION
Carly Rae Jepsen
Speaks for itself. I will defend Carly Rae Jepsen until my last breath from any uninformed fool who calls her a one hit wonder.
fave tracks Making the Most of the Night, When I Needed You, Run Away With Me

Pretty. Odd.
Panic! At The Disco
ugh. the second I heard Nine In The Afternoon on Wii Rock Band when I was eleven it was already too late. I didn't actually get around to listening to the full album until adulthood, though I was familiar with sporadic Panic! tracks via tumblr. Whatever vibe is going on here just does it for me
fave tracks Nine in the Afternoon, That Green Gentleman, Northern Downpour

Life In Cartoon Motion
MIKA
MIKA save me.... save me MIKA
fave tracks Love Today, My Interpretation, Grace Kelly

Sinfonia Pop
MIKA
Maybe cheating to include this since half these songs are on other albums, but the live orchestral renditions are so good idc. I remember purchasing the full performance video and looping it while working on art school finals. The sparkle in his eye and the perfection of his suit sustained me.

Let Live and Let Ghosts
Jukebox the Ghost
Quintessentially college for me. Felt mindblown when the different songs would transition directly into each other.
fave tracks Beady Eyes on the Horizon, Under My Skin

Bury Me At Makeout Creek
Mitski
I got scammed out of $75 while trying to buy Mitski concert tickers once.

fave tracks First Love/Late Spring, Francis Forever, Townie, Texas Reznikoff

Retired From Sad, New Career in Business
Mitski

fave tracks Strawberry Blond, Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart, Humpty

The Origin of Love
MIKA

fave Tracks Love You When I'm Drunk, Emily (the French version is objectively better but the goofy English lyrics are so endearing to me), Stardust

Dedicated
Carly Rae Jepsen
The Dedicated Tour concert was one of the best of my life. I bought a black baseball cap with simply “CARLY RAE JEPSEN” embroidered on the front and haven't worn another hat since.
fave Tracks Now That I Found You, I'll Be Your Girl, Want You in My Room

The Dream Is Over
PUP
I discovered this album through clicking on Sleep In The Heat after a tumblr blogger I both admired and hate-followed mentioned PUP. I thought the song was about killing your roommate until I paid closer attention to the lyrics on my second dozen listen or so. The song ended up being an enormous source of both comfort and agony after my cat died a few months later.
fave tracks Sleep In The Heat, DVP, My Life Is Over and I Couldn't Be Happier

Morbid Stuff
PUP
In 2020, Pandemic height, there was a trend on Twitter where people were redrawing albums covers with KK Slider and friends on them in place of the original artists. I drew one for Morbid Stuff. Singer Songwriter Tessa Violet liked and replied to it.
fave tracks Sibling Rivalry, See You At Your Funeral, Scorpion Hill

Konami Code
Arcadia Grey

fave tracks Skrrt Cobain, Moshpit Girlfriend

Young Enough
Charly Bliss
I properly discovered this band and album when I saw them open for PUP in 2019. I remember listening to it at midnight in Sydney's kitchen. Heartbreakingly good album.
fave tracks Chatroom, Young Enough, Capacity

The Theatrical Death of Julie Delicious
HOLYCHILD
SO SO SO solid. I miss them. I listened to this a lot fresh after it came out in 2019, which was when I was really starting to get into listening to music more. It's just really good!
fave tracks Carmelo, Haunt Me In The Night, Hundred Thousand Hearts

Metal Butterflies
All My Friends Hate Me
A discovery weekly find that i also looped during Covid isolation, meaning every time I listen to this album I get thrown back into that strange and scary time. I still can’t help but come back to it though. Each song intrigues me in some little way.
fave Tracks Stay Up, Start Again, My Bad

Fetch the Boltcutters
Fiona Apple
Another formative Covid album. Fetch the Boltcutters. I've been in here too long. Just a really perfect album in every way.
fave tracks Cosmonauts, Shameika, Rack of His, Relay

The Normal Album
Will Wood
A find from a time where I religiously checked my Spotify Discovery Weekly every Monday. Love, Me Normally was the first Will Wood song I heard via its single release, and sometime later other songs from the album were recommended and piqued my interest. Another album where it felt like something I hadn't heard before, with something new to discover with each listen.
faves Love, Me Normally, Marsha, Thankk You for the Dialects, But I Need You to Leave, I / Me / Myself

The Junkyard 2
Penelope Scott
Really raw and blunt and messy in a satisfying way. My sister and I used to listen to it together a lot.
fave Tracks Sweet Hibiscus Tea, Montreal, Lavender

Candid Constellations
Fionn
THE ROXY MENTION !!! Perfect little underrated pop EP.
fave tracks Dirty Dancing, Hold Off, Space

In case I make it,
Will Wood
I have a lot to say about this album. Too much to try and articulate right now.
fave tracks Cicada Days, Tomcat Disposables, Becoming the Lastnames

Archie The Musical
Riverdale Cast
I didn't want to include musicals in this list because I fear it opens a whole other can of worms. But I can't ignore Archie the Musical. I was exposed to this episode when I was on a trip to Italy with my mother and it became my personal soundtrack while I stared at the Italian countryside through our tour bus windows for hours on end.
fave Tracks Archie's All American, Friday Night Valentine, Monday Senior Year

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
Chappell Roan
I have to take every opportunity to be annoying and make clear that I liked Chappell Roan early. Bonnie took me to a Fletcher concert in 2022 where Chappell opened & drastically outshone the headliner to me. Dasha & I listened to TRAFOAMP the night it dropped, sitting at our kitchen table doing our nails. It dazzled me immediately and still impressed me more with each listen.
fave Tracks Guilty Pleasure, Femininomenon, Red Wine Supernova, My Kink Is Karma

I Might Start Smoking
Fionn
Fionn makes some really strong, solid pop music and I was excited for this album release after following their singles and EPs for a couple years. It did not disappoint! I've watched them perform at several venues now, and they are positively Amazonian.
fave tracks Leo, Take Me Out, Goldfish

TRUST CEREMONY
Jhariah
Jhariah's music has such good wild energy, I was anticipating this album for a while and it did not diappoint. perfect song transitions and music that makes me want to sprint full speed down the street
fave tracks RUSSIAN DOLL, TRUST CEREMONY, SASUKE

Imaginal Disk
Magdelena Bay
I have no memory of how I discovered this one but I listened to it all day at work for like three weeks straight. such good atmosphere and a really distinct sound, weird and fun and makes me wish I could dance.
fave tracks She Looked Like Me!, Vampire in the Corner, The Ballad of Matt & Mica

Sugar Water
Maude Latour
Syd and I did a listening party to this album while at our respective desk jobs. It followed another listening party to a new album of a different band we once loved, released the same day, which was depressingly disappointing. Maude saved us with this one though. It was everything we could have wanted. Team #SPITINMYMOUTH
fave tracks Cursed Romantics, Summer of Love, 7 (Interlude)

Casually Crashing
Arcadia Grey
Listened to this while driving to and from grocery shopping and it hooked me instantly. First proper new music of 2025. I strayed from this genre once I got a gf and eased the eternal lonely ache in my chest (really pathetic sentence sorry) but listening to music like this still feels like coming home.
fave Tracks Origami Crane, Made 4Luv, everything is miserable and i am brooding alone in my dark dark room

Meet Me After Practice
Boys Go To Jupiter
a long anticipated album for me as I was listening obsessively to each single as it dropped for nearly a year leading up to the album release. I love this band's sound so deeply. each song is so different yet still has their essence. i could listen to this album on loop for eternity maybe.
fave Tracks Lovers Always Lose, Overconfident, wish u were here, Virginia