From Loner to Superstar — I’m not sure either title is quite accurate, but it paints a good picture of the dual aspirations of Caroline Rose, whose fourth full-length earns the 21st spot on our countdown. She brings great indie rock with fantastic pop hooks worthy of superstardom, coupled with the strong ironic lonerism of a millennial that makes you want to stay just outside of arms reach, lest you get hurt. It’s a balance not many could pull off.

Her last album, Loner, thoroughly wowed me and consequently appeared at #12 two years ago. Superstar, her fourth, is a continuation of everything I loved about her previous album, and it’s a testament to the wealth of good music released this year that it appears only in the bottom half of the countdown.

“Feel the Way I Want To,” shown in the fun video above, is the biggest hook, featuring Rose’s signature keyboard work, constantly driving beat, and impossibly catchy chorus. The rest of the album doesn’t disappoint, carrying forward what I loved so much about Loner. If you didn’t pick up that 2018 album, I recommend starting there. By the end of it, you’ll find yourself compelled to keep the party going right into Superstar.

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1. Saint Cloud by Waxahatchee
2. Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple
3. Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers
4. folklore + evermore by Taylor Swift
5. Untitled (Black Is) + Untitled (Rise) by Sault
6. RTJ4 by Run The Jewels
7. Shore by Fleet Foxes
8. Serpentine Prison by Matt Berninger
9. The Ascension by Sufjan Stevens
10. Making a Door Less Open by Car Seat Headrest
11. Dreamland by Glass Animals
12. A Hero’s Death by Fontaines D.C.
13. Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez by Gorillaz
14. Mordechai + Texas Sun EP by Khruangbin
15. Introduction, Presence by Nation of Language
16. Free Love by Sylvan Esso
17. Miss Anthropocene by Grimes
18. 3.15.20 by Childish Gambino
19. Women In Music Pt. III by HAIM
20. The Third Mind by The Third Mind
21. Superstar by Caroline Rose
22. Impossible Weight by Deep Sea Diver
23. We Will Always Love You by The Avalanches
24. Ultra Mono by IDLES
25. Visions of Bodies Being Burned by clipping.
26. Thin Mind by Wolf Parade
27. The Loves of Your Life by Hamilton Leithauser
28. Palo Alto (Live) by Thelonious Monk
29. color theory by Soccer Mommy
30. Fall to Pieces by Tricky
31. Quarantine Casanova by Chromeo

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