Best albums of 2020 picked by All the Young Punks

The music of 2020 was full of rage and emotion, reflection and introspection and a lot of observation. It was sometimes familiar but, at many points, this year’s music was new and innovative.

Protest music, disco and live albums made comebacks in 2020. The music of this year will be dissected in the future and remembered for the period in which it was made or released.

The pandemic and its aftermath, the police killings of Black men and women, the many protests that followed and Donald Trump’s last year in office all cast 2020’s place in history. How did these events affect the artists who made the music and how did it change the way we listened?

For sure, some of this music was made before the pandemic and only released in the midst of it. That’s where our reaction to it is equally defining.

I suspect music released next year will reflect even more intensely on this time. Here are the best albums of 2020.

Run the Jewels – RTJ4