Welcome to Substream Magazine’s Favorite Albums of 2018 lists! That’s right, “lists” as in more than one. We don’t think just one list is enough to do either our team or all the great music that came out this year justice. Each person who writes for Substream has their own unique tastes, interests, and ideas about what makes an album shine. It’s what makes our coverage and our team so special. In order to showcase that wide range of writing talent and taste, we let each member of the Substream team come up with their own Top 10 list. We asked everyone to go deep on their favorite album of the year to present alongside their full list. Throughout the week you’ll read about releases across all genres, and see how each member of the Substream family saw the year in music. We hope this coverage compels you to revisit your favorite releases from 2018 or listen to albums you may have missed. Without further ado, we present Substream Magazine’s Favorite Albums of 2018. See all the lists you may have missed here.
Contributing Writer Gina Catalano’s Favorite Album: Alice Merton – No Roots EP
Despite self-releasing a song of the same name in 2016, Alice Merton’s music has smashed 2018 – and she hasn’t even released a full-length album yet.
When the song picked up in the US and hit #1 on alternative radio charts, it must have been a satisfyingly humble accomplishment for someone who was told by labels that she wasn’t good enough. She even started her own label, Paper Plane Records, to put out “No Roots”.
The other tracks on the EP, “Lash Out”, “Jealousy”, “Hit the Ground Running” and “Lie to My Face” are individually mesmerizing, and as a whole share the intimate stories of her moving from place to place with her family. The stories behind the songs aren’t something that’s typically read in lyrics and coupling that with her polished vocals is a unique listening experience from start to finish.
The same 18 minutes of music have been on repeat for a good portion of my year, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Alice Merton with her full-length release, Mint, set to release January 18, 2019.
