From the recent disco revival to a resurgence in ’80s-style synth-pop and ’90s-esque Eurodance, the music industry goes in cycles and yesterday’s hottest sounds come back into vogue eventually.
So while RETROPOP has one foot firmly in the past, we’re always looking to the future and celebrating the hottest acts of today who are channeling classic sounds with a sleek current edge and carving out a legacy as the next generation of pop superstars.
Spotlighting acts who have broken into the mainstream in the past 15 years, check out RETROPOP’s Top 10 Revival Albums Of 2023…
10. RAYE – My 21st Century Blues (Human Re Sources)
Forging her own path forward, this year saw RAYE rise from the ashes and triumph with her long-awaited debut album, showcasing her lush vocals over R&B grooves, trip, soul and blues, fusing classic sounds with a contemporary edge that’s instantly timeless. Arriving on the back of hit single Escapism, the LP reads as a liberating sigh of relief for the singer who, a decade after emerging on the scene, is finally able to fulfil her vision.
9. SG Lewis – AudioLust & HigherLove (EMI)
A project of two halves – part all-out disco stormers, along with a selection of more laid-back, ambient offerings – the second album from SG Lewis showcases the versatility of the singer, songwriter and producer with his most varied work to date. It makes for a collection that, much like its creator, refuses to be pigeon holed, acting instead as a musical sandbox without boundaries and proving him not only to be a fine producer, but a superb pop star.
8. The Jordan – Nowhere Near The Sky (Cooking Vinyl)
Best known as vocalist with jazz-pop collective Caro Emerald, The Jordan – aka Caroline van der Leeuw – lays herself bare on her first, self-penned solo project, jumping between sounds and styles, with elements of trip-hop and folktronica, on a record that sees her let go of the past and look to the future, embracing a new way of living and ultimately emerging liberated. Sometimes risks pay off – and this one was certainly a success.
7. The Lottery Winners – Anxiety Replacement Therapy (Modern Sky)
Tackling mental health in pop music is nothing new, but the latest album from The Lottery Winners sees the group embody the essence of anxiety across 10 loud and bombastic tracks – a guise for the thinly-veiled lyrical content that speaks openly on various stages of mental illness, from depression and stress to reclusiveness and obsessiveness. With appearances from Boy George, Frank Turner and Shaun Ryder, it’s a standout.
6. Kesha – Gag Order (RCA)
Pop’s party girl defied expectations with ‘Gag Order’; a no-holds-barred insight into the life and mind of an embattled artist who finds herself pushed to the brink yet determined to overcome anything that’s hurled her way. Produced by Rick Rubin, it’s a dark and brooding work, with a building tension via pulsing synths and heavy reverb that mirrors the subject of her lyrics and lays her story bare like never before.
5. Jungle – Volcano (AWAL)
Embracing a more global sound this time around, the fourth LP from the London-based act, starring Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland, showcases the pair’s innovative and forward-thinking production, from intricate and complex beats to soaring synths and soulful melodies, for a body of work that’s current yet innately timeless. Navigating a spectrum of sounds with skill, its their most accomplished release yet!
4. Georgia – Euphoric (Domino)
The follow-up to Georgia’s breakthrough, ‘Seeking Thrills’, saw the musician take her sound out into the world, stepping out of the bedroom where she penned the majority of her early material and collaborating with musicians including Rostam Batmanglij and William Orbit on a vibrant collection of hits that leans into classic pop formulas, with a focus on the musician’s personal lyrics and emotive delivery.
3. V V Brown – Am I British Yet? (YOY)
Less a pop album and more a concept piece, the fifth album from V V Brown saw the singer-songwriter branch out farther than ever before and in doing so excel in showcasing her musical prowess, defying genre boundaries and creating what is by all accounts a groundbreaking body of work. Collecting verse, poetry and lecture samples, with her vocal a constant thread, it’s a defining moment in her career.
2. Troye Sivan – Something To Give Each Other (Capitol)
This year was without doubt the Aussie summer of pop, and while Kylie Minogue’s Padam Padam seemed set to dominate the airwaves indefinitely, Troye Sivan’s Rush – the lead single from ‘Something To Give Each Other’ – crept in and proved his pop star credentials. It’s accompanying LP is steeped in dance floor euphoria and showcases his evolution in recent years, quickly becoming a favourite of 2023.
1. Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good! (EMI)
Following up ‘What’s Your Pleasure?’ was never going to be easy but Jessie Ware faced the challenge head on and delivered some of her finest work to date on ‘That! Feels Good!’, building upon the club sensibilities of her fourth album with a newfound theatricality and confidence that befits an artist a decade into her career. Still on constant rotation following its spring release, it’s unquestionably RETROPOP’s Revival Album Of The Year!
