“Ryan,” you may ask, “didn’t you elaborate in a previous article how much you despise year-end, ‘best of’ ranked lists? How their numerical ordering and inherently reductive nature frustrates you? Haven’t you already indulged your desire to share your favorite full-length records of 2020?” Yes, absolutely I did! Nonetheless, upon finishing that article, I still felt dissatisfied that a single list, with a 500 word limit (that I hellaciously exceeded – sincere apologies to the editor), could not do justice to the diversity of musical projects that dropped in 2020. Several projects resembled full length LPs in length, production quality, and artistic merit. But they simply were not classified by their creators as LPs – instead, these projects were labeled EPs, mixtapes, compilations, splits, re-recordings, and re-imaginings. So, in the spirit of my previous article – in opposition to the arbitrary numerical rankings we inevitably encounter at year’s end – I want to showcase these incredible projects, even if they’re not full-length. My platform on shoegazing may be small, but I want to share these projects with as many readers as possible. If, at any time in 2020, you felt horrified, galvanized, cheerless, or pissed, these releases may resonate with you…
THE BEST NON-LP MUSICAL PROJECTS OF 2020
100 gecs – 1000 gecs and The Tree of Clues
Genre(s): Hyperpop
FFO: Charli XCX, A.G. Cook, Dorian Electra
Bring Me the Horizon – Post Human: Survival Horror
Genre(s): Metalcore, Alternative / Nu Metal, Alternative Rock
FFO: Linkin Park, BABYMETAL, Code Orange, YUNGBLUD
illuminati hotties – Free I.H.: This Is Not The One You’ve Been Waiting For
Genre(s): Lo-Fi Indie Pop, Pop-Punk, Post-Punk
FFO: PUP, Jeff Rosenstock, Mal Blum
Soul Glo – Songs to Yeet at the Sun
Genre(s): Hardcore, Hip-Hop/Rap
FFO: .gif from god, Bad Brains, Death Grips
FEVER 333 – WRONG GENERATION
Genre(s): Hip-Hop/Rap, Rap / Nu Metal, Metalcore, Hardcore
FFO: Rage Against the Machine, Linkin Park, letlive.
Pressure Cracks – This Is Called Survival
Genre(s): Hardcore
FFO: FEVER 333, letlive., Knocked Loose
C.H.E.W. – In Due Time
Genre(s): Fastcore, D-Beat, Post-Hardcore
FFO: Daughters, Gouge Away
Plasma Canvas – KILLERMAJESTIC
Genre(s): Pop-Punk, Melodic Hardcore
FFO: A Day to Remember, PUP, Rage Against the Machine
Trash Talk & Kenny Beats – Squalor
Genre(s): Hardcore
FFO: Turnstile, Trapped Under Ice, Rotting Out
Venom Prison – Primeval
Genre(s): Deathcore
FFO: Suicide Silence, Gatecreeper, The Black Dahlia Murder
Zeal & Ardor – Wake of a Nation
Genre(s): Black Metal, Gospel, Spirituals
FFO: Deafheaven, Baroness, Algiers
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Portrayal of Guilt / Slowfire Pistol – Split, Dope Body – Home Body, PUP – This Place Sucks Ass, Loma Prieta – Continuum / B&W Fate, Gulch – Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress, Anna Calvi – Hunted
