While 2018 is almost upon us, these past 12 months have been exciting and groundbreaking in regards to music. 2017 has been the year of power artists and up and coming artists both bringing something different to the music industry.

With that in mind I’ve complied a list of the 12 albums and 12 singles I’ve really been loving this year. Some of them are absolute belters and some are from artists rising up the music scene, so keep reading to find out who made the cut…

Top 12 Singles

1. Faithless – Flyte

This is one of my favourite songs this year for various reasons. Firstly, the way the song is put together and the harmonies within it really make it something special. I saw Flyte perform it live earlier this year and I still think about it months on – it was SO good!

2. Island/Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher – Amber Run

There are two songs here (so technically I’m cheating a little bit!). Island is on here for various reasons. Firstly because when their album first came out in February this song really stood out as being lyrically brilliant, catchy and powerful. It’s quite a dark song but that’s one of the reasons why it’s here (not everything is coated in sugar). I also wanted to shine a light on their cover of Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher, it’s such a beautiful cover that I wanted to give it a mention.

3. Nightcrawling – Saint Raymond

When this song came out I was very happy. Firstly, because I’ve been a fan of Saint Raymond for a while and is the first track he’s released in about a year, and secondly it’s an absolute belter and the vocals are on point. It’s a great song to turn up and drive to, and one for sure that has firmly put him back on the map.

4. Havana – Camila Cabello

Havana is on here purely for the fact that it is so goddam catchy! You might hear ten seconds of it and have it stuck in your head for the rest of the day. It’s a feel good song that has had worldwide success and therefore firmly deserves it’s place on this list. (Also it has a really great music video!)

5. Find You – Nick Jonas

Similar reasons to the previous are why this tune by Nick Jonas makes the cut. The melody and the chorus are not only catchy but I also really like the lyrics. It’s a song that I’ve put on repeat a good few times, and what’s not to love about a Jonas Brother?

6. She Said – Sundara Karma

She Said is the song that caught my attention and got me listening to more by this band, it’s upbeat, quite old school, and has a really fab chorus. The lyrics to this are also something special, if you listen to them properly it tells a really great story.

7. Electric – Room 94

I’ve got a soft spot for this band and this track is one of my favourites they released this year. It’s full of electronic synth’s (a style they’ve begun to dabble in) and another really catchy chorus. Even more impressive when you consider they wrote, recorded and edited it themselves in a bedroom.

8. New Rules – Dua Lipa

Every single girls anthem this year, the lyrics in this track are literally what made it a worldwide smash hit (well and the vocals too). Can you get bored of this song? I think not.

9. Kiwi – Harry Styles

This was my favourite track from his album (more on that later on) and I’m so pleased he went on to release it as a single. It’s rock and roll and stepping away from his pop One Direction days, I think that’s why I love it so much. The lyrics, beat and melody are so good in this, an all round banger.

10. Landslide – Andy Brown

Slowing it down and going slightly country for this one, Andy Brown has taken his first solo steps from band Lawson and released Landslide featuring Crissie Rhodes (half of country duo The Shires). It’s a sentimental and heart warming tune with a pretty fab chorus!

11. Pray – Sam Smith

The lyrics in Pray are on another level and that’s the main reason why this song is on here for me, I mean with lyrics like ‘everyone prays in the end’ it’s almost Oscar worthy. But aside from that it features the stunning vocals from one of the best artist comebacks this year.

12. You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore – Demi Lovato

You need a powerful ballad in your life and this one certainly does that. The vocal range from Demi Lovato in this track is phenomenal and that’s why it fully deserves to be on this list.

Top 12 Albums

1. Amber Run – For A Moment I Was Lost

This has been my go-to album ever since it came out at the beginning of February. Every song on this album is exciting and innovative. ‘He’s got a good voice’ is what my mum said about Joe Keogh’s vocals on this album after hearing Fickle Game (she’s hard to please so it’s a great compliment) and I would thoroughly agree –  along with the instrumental solos on tracks like No Answers it’s hard to find negatives in this album. If you’ve not listened to it yet where have you been?

2. Flyte – The Loved Ones

This record is something special and certainly put Flyte on my radar. There’s a mixture of songs on this album, from old-school pop inspired tracks like Victoria Falls and Cathy Come Home, to vocally focused songs such as Faithless and Archie, Marry Me. For their debut album it’s truly spectacular.

3. Harry Styles – Harry Styles

I’m not going to lie I was a little excited when this album came out and I wasn’t disappointed. Harry Styles’ vocals have always been stunning but he really showed another side not only to his vocals but his musical abilities too. It’s a record that has a bit of everything and it’s no wonder it’s had global success.

4. Sundara Karma – Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect

This is a brilliant album, it’s got such a distinctive sound and yet there’s something on here for everyone. After seeing them live earlier in the year I was looking forward to giving it a listen to and it’s been on my playlist ever since. 2017 has been a great year for this band and this album certainly shows why.

5. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me

She’s got one of the most powerful voices in the industry at the moment and that’s one of the reasons why I love this album so much. Demi’s vocal range is off the hook and it has some deep and sentimental tracks on it too such as Daddy Issues, Crybaby and Hitchhiker. It’s an album that gives you an insight into the life of someone whose been through a lot at a young age.

6. Coasts – This Life, Vol 1

This album has a bit of everything and that’s why I like it so much, they’re a band that put a modern twist to your stereotypical alternative rock/indie pop tracks. There’s a few stand out tracks on this record such as Heart Stops Beating, Born To Die and White Noise but it’s an album that makes me excited for what’s to come.

7. Dua Lipa – Dua Lipa

She’s had a whirlwind of a year but Dua Lipa ticks a lot of boxes with this self-entitled album. The UK’s most streamed female artist it’s not hard to see why with this; it’s full of smash tunes like New Rules and Hotter Than Hell, and tracks that really show off her distinctive vocals such as Garden and Genesis. It’s hard not to see that 2018 will be an even bigger year for the 22 year-old.

8. Sam Smith – The Thrill Of It All

He’s had an amazing year, coming back onto the music scene with one heck of a bang, and this album is certainly something special. Sam Smith’s vocal’s seem to have gotten even better since his last (if possible) and the tracks on here such as One Last Song and The Thrill Of It All are raw, emotional and so catchy! It’s everything you could want in an album and fully deserves all the recognition he is getting for it.

9. Miley Cyrus – Younger Now

This was an album I decided to listen to on a long journey, admittedly I was a bit sceptical about it given her past, but Miley Cyrus has produced a fabulous album. Malibu and Younger Now (both released as singles) showed the world that she was growing up, and the rest of the record is just as good. It’s full of a variety of songs that show every bit of her past and every bit of how she’s grown as an artist.

10. Yonaka – Heavy

Now technically this isn’t an album, it’s a five track EP. But this year I’ve been all about discovering new artists and up and coming bands and this is one of them. They’re an exciting band full of energy and a fresh sound. The vocals are really something special; (not forgetting the instrumentals) it’s a powerful EP that firmly puts them on the map – big things beckon for this band

 

11. Zak Abel – Only When We’re Naked

He’s had a pretty successful year and Zak Abel is definitely not slowing down with his success. Unstable and title track Only When We’re Naked are two songs off the record released as singles that certainly raised his profile. Abel has a distinctive and raw voice that not only oozes sass but really make the tracks stand out. Another artist I reckon 2018 will be kind to.

12. RAT BOY – SCUM

Now this is a band that I discovered this year and is not my usual cup of tea. But after discovering Laidback I really got into the rest of their stuff and I’ve not been left disappointed. I think one of the reasons I love it so much is because it is so British, not just in the vocals but the lyrics too (they talk about The Co-op at one point). They have a modern Arctic Monkey’s vibe about them and what’s not to like there?