The best local albums of 2023, according to our critics

What happens when you ask five music critics to write about their favorite local albums from 2023? You get range. As a critic, the year-end roundup can be intimidating; you feel you have to show balance, diversity and a sense of what’s likely to stand the test of time. Crowd-sourced lists like this one are freeing because it’s impossible to overthink them. This year-end round-up is no different: It is delightfully surprising, and surprisingly complete. Taken together, the 10 albums on this list paint a pretty accurate picture of what’s happening in Boston and New England. Rock, pop, rap, folk and soul are all thriving here. These are not major label releases – some were produced without the help of even a small label – which makes them all the more impressive. From a Boston soul singer famous in South America to a pop band barely out of Berklee, it’s a deep well of music to explore.

When Little Fuss released their debut album back in January, they were already the buzziest band on the Berklee College of Music’s campus. And for good reason. From the get-go, the group was unusually sure in its vision, penning perfect electro-pop songs with an edge. So it came as no surprise that the band’s first full-length outing would be as conceptually deep and inventively produced as “Girls at Parties.”

The titular “girls” refers to the idea that all the songs were written from the perspective of a girl at 10 different parties, or maybe 10 different girls at the same party. The point is that girls contain multitudes. Lead singer Olivia Martinez makes a compelling case for the multiplicity of the female gaze; she can be desired and desiring, shrink from attention or command a room. Martinez writes earworms that take you to unexpected places, and she understands the potency of a minor key. Producer and fellow bandmate Cody Von Lehmden brings a detailed and deft touch to arrangements designed to fill a stadium. It’s the kind of music that’s at home in the club but still rewards close, repeated listens. That’s an achievement a more seasoned band could be proud of. For Little Fuss, it’s a sign they’re just getting warmed up. — Amelia Mason

Inspired by the lush and warmly-lit French village of Giverny, whose gardens were the subject of many works by impressionist Claude Monet later in his life, multi-instrumentalist and neo-classical composer Julian Loida approached his contemplative album as if he was painting with sound. Like the soft abstraction of Monet’s paintings, “Giverny” is a sprawling palette of tones structured around a series of improvised piano compositions. Loida, whose synesthesia ties heavily into his artistic vision, breathes complex life into each piece with immaculate and delicate orchestrations layered with vibraphone, strings, synthesizers, percussion, minimal electronic production and, occasionally, voice. Where his chosen genre — new age, neoclassical, ambient, whichever you like — can encroach on the monotonous, “Giverny” remains fresh at every juncture. Between hearty piano chords and pattering percussion, the hushed, poignant sound of “golden hour” floats in the stillness of the sun, like dust particles in the rays beaming through a bay window. — Charley Ruddell

Since coming to Boston to study at Berklee, Ethan Setiawan has become one of the region’s go-to musicians whenever there’s a need for acoustic playing that is both creative and virtuosic. The disc opens with the plaintive “Christmas Eve” before picking up the pace with “Uncrossed,” a great showcase for Darol Anger, the pioneering newgrass fiddler who also produced “Gambit.” Fellow legends Mike Marshall and Tony Trischka join in the fun, as does fellow Portland mandolin whiz Joe K. Walsh, but the album’s secret weapons are the two bassists who often feature together: Jamaica Plain’s Brittany Karlson and former Bostonian Ethan Jodziewicz. Their bowed and plucked playing gives the music both grace and gravitas. And if the recording leaves you wanting to hear more of Setiawan, you can catch him on another phenomenal 2023 release, “Quartet,” an album recorded live at Lexington’s Follen Church by Boston’s South American-influenced Acoustic Nomads. — Noah Schaffer

Death is not nothing to Fiddlehead. It’s at the core of the Boston-based post-hardcore band’s discography — the project’s “grief motif,” in the words of frontman Pat Flynn. On 2018’s “Springtime and Blind,” he mourned the loss of his father; on 2021’s “Between the Richness,” he revisited the topic with fresh perspective as a new parent. The band’s latest album picks up the theme through a wider lens, searching for ways to push through lingering grief and depression.

Opener “The Deathlife” barrels in with pounding desperation, the first of several songs that thrash under the weight of despair and self-defeating coping mechanisms. Flynn’s roar embodies that pain and rallies against it, often within the same track. On “Loserman,” he disrupts a bleak refrain (“Just get by and die, just get by and die”) with a hollered promise: “You’re on your own, but you’re not alone.” It comes through as an exchange between a depressed narrator and a future self who’s found a way forward. That tension drives the album as guitars slash away and aching melodies soar, lurching toward hope and a fresh sense of meaning. Album closer “Going To Die” resolves in a brighter place, an anthem about finding new ways to feel alive. — Karen Muller

I love it when I can clearly identify a concept an artist is pushing. Boston’s Kil The Artist released “1-900-HUSTLER” in April and I felt the album was slept on. The well-put-together project has 10 songs that feel like an infomercial for the trap house — customer Service giving you motivation to stay connected. Skits that intertwine the concept like the “Get Indicted Hotline” or songs like “All There” with the line “It’s all there, it’s all there,” referring to having all the money to make your transaction, whatever it may be. Aside from the topics he’s tackled musically, Kil’s love for music is clear. He gives flowers to inspirations like Jay-Z, Nipsey Hussle and No I.D. The inspiration from these artists is apparent on songs “‘01 Hov,” “No I.D 2” and “Independent.” He gave a nod to Goodie Mob and Outkast by reminding me to “Get up, get out and get something” on the intro song to the album. As a fan of hip-hop and urban culture, Kil The Artist’s “1-900-HUSTLER” is a great listen.— Noble

The Portland, Maine guitarist Owen Marshall made a name for himself in the New England Celtic music scene by being a support guy. In this setting, it’s typically the melody instrument — fiddle, flute, accordion — that’s the star. But any discerning listener knows that an ensemble lives and dies by its rhythm players, who drive dynamics, texture and the all-important groove. Marshall, who also plays tenor banjo and bouzouki, is a skilled picker who often takes the melody on his solo debut “Throughline.” But the album is really the product of a holistic sensibility, gained from years of playing backup.

Full disclosure: I know Marshall personally, and I was a little reluctant to include the work of a friend in this list. But “Throughline” is genuinely the album I listened to more than any other this year. Marshall writes in the liner notes that the record came together with little rehearsal, and in this way he managed to capture the intimate sound of a late-night jam session. (It helps that he tapped five of New England's best folk instrumentalists to join him.) For this reason, “Throughline” is immediately appealing. But a deep listen reveals the record’s many enjoyable subtleties: the nasal twang of the Irish tenor banjo blending unexpectedly with the round tones of an American five-string banjo; the dreamy, dark layer of an electric guitar playing counterpoint to the fiddle; the euphoric lift when the whole band gets cranking. Though many of the tunes on “Throughline” are old, and sourced from traditions that don’t normally appear beside each other, they are treated without reverence or preciousness. These tunes simply feel lived in. — Amelia Mason

Justine Bowe and Sam Vanderhoop Lee quietly released their debut indie-pop album “Haters” in late spring, one of my favorite local releases of the year. Once bandmates 13 years ago in the major label group Magic Man, the pair began dating during their tenure in the band, then broke up as Magic Man disassembled in 2015 and finally found their way as best friends and collaborators years after, first with Bowe’s solo project Photocomfort and now as hex gf. Pulling from both hazy indie rock and pensive melodic pop, the duo explores the ennui of fading aspirations and the vulnerability of longing within a tracklist of gleaming indie-pop that glints like the shimmering tiles of a disco ball. Through their shared history as musical companions, “Haters” finds Bowe and Lee as both seasoned and cynical allies, two confidants making music for each other while relishing in the outer edges of the industry. — Charley Ruddell

It’s not quite accurate to say that you have to go to another continent to see longtime Boston soul singer Leon Beal. He curates an ongoing series of tribute concerts at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, often fronts the band at elite weddings and private parties, and will sit in at local venues of his choosing when the place and time is right. But like many of his R&B peers, he’s developed an especially strong following in Europe and South America, and he’s made multiple appearances at the Porretta Soul Festival, a unique annual celebration of Memphis-style soul that takes over a tiny spa town in the mountains outside of Bologna. This recently released album is from his first appearance there in 2019, where Beal was backed by a crack Italian band led by guitarist Luca Giordano that also included master musician “Sax” Gordon Beadle and his son Martino Boni Beadle.

Beal takes his time on these eight often extended tracks, proving that he has both the pipes and the understanding of dynamics that makes gospel-influenced deep soul such a powerful art form. Those looking for an R&B party vibe will find it when Beal sings Mel Waiters’ Southern soul favorite “Hole in the Wall,” with Beal explaining to the audience how Boston’s early curfew created a need for after-hours spots. But Beal’s real specialty is the conscious soul message song. There’s a triumphant version of perhaps the most famous one, Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” as well as an especially moving take on “None Of Us Are Free,” a song popularized by Solomon Burke. Beal finishes with his own riveting testimony about coming over adversity, “Still Here.” And Boston is lucky that he is. — Noah Schaffer

Pop-rock project oldsoul sounds massive on “Education on Earth,” an album that backs its emotional revelations with stacks of squealing guitars. Helmed by the songwriting duo of Jess Hall and Tom Stevens, it’s the work of the Boston band’s smallest lineup yet, but that focused collaboration has only sharpened their sound. They have a knack for songs that build and build and build, churning slick riffs, whirling synths and surging distortion into huge waves that crash along with the full force of Hall’s voice. Her vocals take on a serrated edge while unleashing pent-up observations at the height of tracks like “High on Yourself” and “Lavender Cane.” Across the album, the guitars sound like they’re having a great time, doubling down on the most infectious melodies with spirited solos. Elsewhere, it all pulls back for a simpler turn, leaving the focus on lyricism or making space for a meandering trumpet solo — which only adds to the drama when it all explodes again. The album makes the case for vulnerability at maximum volume. — Karen Muller

One of the best live performers in the state in my opinion is “The Prince” of Brockton: SeeFour. He took his performance opportunities so seriously this year during the Celtics playoff run, he rented a U-Haul, dressed it up with branding for his music and hit the streets around TD Garden. I haven’t seen a single other independent artist in Massachusetts actually do that. His hustle and love for this music is amazing to watch. As loved as SeeFour’s live performances are, it’s dope to hear how the music comes through in headphones or car speakers with his newest project “Spirit of a Warrior.” The 16 songs total to just over 47 minutes. He will have you turning up with hard-hitting songs “Like That” (featuring Najee Janey) and “Body Type.” On “The Becoming,” he reminds everyone grinding to stay focused. “I ain’t never let another n---- stomp on my bag.” The project is a roller coaster of feelings and thoughts and definitely worth a listen. — Noble