NK’s 2023 Music Roundup! Our Favorite New Albums Of 2023

Welcome to NK’s 2023 Music Roundup, where NK and the team share some of their favorite albums released this year!

Wait. Are you seriously telling me, it’s, it’s, it’s… already the end of the year?!!? Just yesterday it was March whaaaaaaaat?

We here at Negative Kitty have an existential crisis every so often, but when we’re not lamenting the passage of time, we listen to music. Time flies but this year’s releases were flyer! Let’s find out what the team loved from this year’s new releases!

Heaven Knows by PinkPantheress

Heaven Knows is the first album from PinkPantheress, dropping two years after her debut mixtape To Hell With It solidified her stardom. Fans of the queen were not disappointed with Heaven Knows, which in our opinion SLAPS. And we ain’t just showin’ kitty love to a fellow feline goddess — we deadass love this album, b! If there’s a track that would ring a bell to you, it’d naturally be “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2”, the Ice Spice collab that took the world by storm. But check out some of our favorite tracks from the album below! Wishing all the best to mommy. I mean. Errr. Sorry ahaha. That just slipped out. >___>

Going…Going…Gone! by Hemlocke Springs

We looooooove Hemlocke Springs! Another debut, the Going…Going…Gone! EP is honestly fire from top to bottom. Catchy-AF indie pop is the name of the game here. “girlfriend” is a major earworm and it’s not hard to see why it’s the breakout single from the EP. But don’t let it distract you from the other kickass songs on here — our favorites “heavun,” “enknee1,” and “gimme all ur luv” are all amazesauce.

A Little Disaster by Pearly Drops

Have you heard of Pearly Drops? I just discovered them this year, but y’know what reader, I fux with ’em. If you like spacey, melancholy bedroom pop vibes, this album is a pretty good choice. Listening to the record I’m having fun, but there’s also like, general foreboding-ness. Does that make sense? Is that just Finnish music for ya? Nyucknyucknyuck. Anyways, here’s some of my faves from the album.

10,000 Gecs by 100 Gecs

100 Gecs is at their Gec-iest (?) with 10,000 Gecs. The album as a whole delivers classic Gecs fun and humor while possibly being their most mature musically. Y’know, I like that. A little silly, with some /srs as the foundation. Kind of like my favorite Adam Sandler film Click. Can we talk about Click for just a second? Henry Winkler in that film, incredible. Some really poignant lessons in there about cherishing the fleeting gift of life and learning to truly appreciate what you have. I crey every time T_____T. Okayokayokay anyway. This album is probably the Click of the Gecs discography. Peep a couple of our favorites below!

SCARING THE HOES by JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown

Consider my hoes scared, but entertained. This collaboration feels right in every way — two insanely talented and vibrant MCs coming together to create one of the greatest rap releases this year. JPEGMAFIA’s eclectic production meet Danny Brown’s hilarious but biting bars. Simultaneously filled with club bangers and hard hitting tracks, this album has something for everyone.

Upal by Kostnatneni

But if you REALLY wanna scare the hoes, try THIS album. Just when it felt like 2023 wasn’t too good a year for black metal, or extreme music in general, out of nowhere a solo project crashes unto the scene and legit screams in our face. Úpal blends somber and heavy Black Metal with Turkish Folk and Psychedelic Rock, creating an album that both shocks and soothes.

Catharsis by Covet

Whoooooooo loves Covet? Kitty loves Covet! The newest outing from Yvette and co takes their classic sound and treads some new territory in terms of dynamics — namely, it’s a bit more crushing and shoegazey than what we’d come to expect from the trio, but it still retains their trademark airy and emotional arrangements. The noodles and doodles feel tighter than ever throughout the record, and I like the contrast between bouncy tracks with jazzy moments like “lovespell,” and tracks that build to heavier more punishing heights like “vanquish”.

Golden by Jung Kook

The debut album from K-pop god Jung Kook himself certifies his position as a hitmaker in his own right. Breaking away from duties with BTS for just a wee moment, Jung Kook snagged some hot collaborations with Jack Harlow, Latto and Major Lazer. We’ve got some pop tracks, some hip-hop, a few slow jams, and our favorite, the mucho dancey “Standing Next to You”. We also love “Closer to You” — pretty sexy innit? All in all, a great showing for Jung Kook’s first foray into solo artistry!

Nuked Out Dance Party by DJ Smokey

This review is sponsored by the shadow government. Brainrot ballads and unadultered production brillance, Nuked Out Dance Party by DJ Smokey is a non-stop trainwreck of Phonk, Jungle, Trap and even Footwork, that is as goofy as it is straight fiyah. Features from underground icons new and old from Joeyy, Xaviersobased to RXKNephew, and samples effecitively create an album that is rooted in underground hip hop. It might not be considered high music fodder but it’s fun, and we need more fun.