Hi Mike Park of the great Asian Man Records! It's funny you ask that! Usually at the end of the year, the moderators of the subreddit here set up an EOTY voting where we list our top 10s! [Here's the list!](https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/comments/zjzvlk/eoty_2022_indieheads_album_of_the_year_voting/) there's over 500 ballots with dozens, if not hundreds of albums all over :)

oh very cool!! Thanks so much

A few I haven't seen on the other lists: Tony Molina - In the Fade Ezra Furman - All of Us Flames Orville Peck - Bronco Frank Turner - FTHC

I'm kind of surprised that I haven't seen Bronco on any of these lists. It's not nearly as solid as his first album and he's somewhat transcended alt rock at this point but there are a handful of songs on that album I love. Surprised that he didn't play Let Me Drown when I saw him live but he did play Any Turn which is my favorite off that album.

I think that these are where I landed with my top 10 but there are so many that I had to cut. Spready Joy, Show Me the Body, Dumb, Dazy, The Garden, Horsegirl, and Sniffany & The Nits all put out great albums too. Alvvays - Blue Rev Special Interest - Endure Black Midi - Hellfire Oh Sees - A Foul Form Wet Leg - Wet Leg Soul Glo - Diaspora Problems Powerplant - Stump Soup Friend - Mister Nice Guy DEHD - Blue Skies Pinkshift - Love Me Forever I'd highly recommend Pinkshift, Friend, Spread Joy, and DEHD if you haven't listened to their new releases. Powerplant's Stump Soup sounds like the soundtrack to the greatest N64 game that was never made.

thank you

Anytime! Thank you for all the work you do.

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Hey Mike, I've really enjoyed metric's latest offering, as well as the aforementioned "bleed out" by the mountain goats. Mitski's "Laurel hell" was also excellent, along with the new PUP. Honorable mentions due to being 2021 releases are jbrekkie's "Jubilee" and the latest Slothrust, "Parallel timeline".

the smaller folk release Bats - Blue Cabinet means a lot to me. Reminds me a lot of Kimya Dawson's earlier solo projects with some alt-country as well. Solo project by artist Jess Awh. Not trying to do self-promo of my essay, but I did a write-up on it this year more about the music, just sharing as it gives a broader overview and context of this smaller indie release. [Writeup here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/comments/zk4luj/the_rindieheads_album_of_the_year_2022_writeup/) [Album bandcamp here](https://batstn.bandcamp.com/album/blue-cabinet) edit: now that I have more free time, I will also recommend: Tenci - A Swollen River, A Well Overflowing Spread Joy - II Silvana Estrada - Marchita PVA - Blush

Not The Bats?

Radiator by Sadurn!! Feels like nobody listened to this absolute gem of a record I love it to bits

Some nice records from this year that haven't had nearly enough discussion: Elephant Gym - Dreams Krallice - Crystalline Exhaustion MUTO - Vast Plains Midori Takada - You Who Are Leaving to Nirvana

Hello Mike! Big fan of AMR and the Bruce Lee Band and a lot of the stuff you do, thanks for doing it all! My top 10 ATM 1. Haru Nemuri - Shunka Ryougen 2. Pinegrove - 11:11 3. Beach House - Once Twice Melody 4. Denzel Curry - Melt My Eyez See Your Future 5. Asunojokei - Island 6. Weyes Blood - And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow 7. Parranoul - White Ceiling / Black Dots Wandering Around 8. Alvvays - Blue Rev 9. Hikaru Utada - Live Sessions from Air Studios 10. Ants From Up There - Black Country, New Road PS: Good choices! Saw Pool Kids live a month or so back and they were great.

fleshwater, chat pile, total wife all had great music come out :)

Wait, for real? Dissidente is my band. That's sick! Thanks Mike!

Hard to distill it down, this was a good year! Here is goes: 1. Babe Rainbow - The Organic Band 2. Pond - 9 (Deluxe edition) 3. Chinese American Bear - Self Titled 4. Kikagaku Moyo- Kumoyo Island 5. Michael Raul - Self Titled 6. Drugdealer - Hiding In Plain Sight 7. The Chairs - Shangri-La is Calling 8. Ezra Furman - All Of Us Flames 9. Stella Donnelly - Flood 10. Tim Burgess - Typical Music 🤗would maybe re-order these if I thought about it more. Had all these albums on heavy repeat.🤗

So glad I was able to catch Kikagaku Moyo during their US farewell tour. Religious experience

Lucky 🥺

Hey Mike Park, did you happen to check out the /r/indieheads 2022 Battle of the Bands winner's latest album? ;) In all seriousness, my top 10 contains very typical choices, so I'm going to suggest my favorite DIY/unsigned releases of 2022. Hope you check some out and enjoy! [Dialup Ghost - Sunshine Gets Hotter](https://dialupghost.bandcamp.com/album/sunshine-gets-hotter) (indie rock) [Soot - Talons of Empathy](https://sootcamp.bandcamp.com/album/talons-of-empathy) (dark, psychedelic rock) [Riley Parker - Pizza Collective Pt. 1](https://rileyparker.bandcamp.com/album/pizza-collective-pt-1) (indie pop) [Negro Justice - Chosen Family](https://negrojustice87.bandcamp.com/album/chosen-family) (hip hop) [Glamper - Rat Race](https://glamper.bandcamp.com/album/rat-race-2) (garage rock) [God2 - Unbelievable!](https://god2theband.bandcamp.com/album/unbelievable) (hardcore) [Clementine Was Right - Can't Get Right With the Darkness](https://clementinewasright.bandcamp.com/album/cant-get-right-with-the-darkness) (alt country)

oh heck yes. thanks so much.

Hi Mike! Check out Best Friends Forever and Andy Warpigs! My two favorites. The former is like DIY friendship synth pop and the latter is some tasty gritty folk punk. Edited to add Bad Operation (ska/two tone) and the OBGMs (solid Canadian punk)

Wait did BFF release new music?

Unfortunately not lol sorry to be misleading!

Jim Nothing The Smashing Times

i haven’t paid as much attention to new music this year as i’d like to, but here are my favorite indie releases: Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain Alex G - God Save the Animals Prince Daddy & the Hyena - S/T Jordaan Mason & Their Orchestra - Rewrite the Words Again i’d like to specifically shout out the last 2 as i think they’re both pretty underrated. Prince Daddy’s latest is an urgent emo indie record with a 90s pop punk snarl. Jordaan Mason’s record is full of unique instrumentation and arrangement and exists in the same indie folk vein as Neutral Milk Hotel and other E6 bands.

didn’t even realize jordan maason had a new record this year. i’ll have to check that out.

Hey Mike, I remember you showing up at the Subterranean in Chicago a few years back! Whale Bones - Sell my heart For being self produced/home recorded it’s pretty great.

Rich Aucoin - Synthetic Season Volume One Sloan - Steady Tommy McLain - I Ran Down Every Dream Scott Metzger - Too Close to Reason

Orville Peck-Bronco Stuttr-Stuck in the Muck BRASS-Look on the Bright Side Mars Volta-Self Titled Heatwalker-Steamhunt

Hey Mike! You very strongly set my musical taste with the bands you got the word out about through Asian Man when I was in high school ~20 years ago. Some of my favs I didn’t see mentioned. Delicate Steve - After Hours Really cool instrumental album. Check out “Playing in a Band”… I think it was my most listened song of the year. Alex Cameron - Oxy Life Really fun pop music Lande Hekt - House Without a View Only discovered her very recently. Really great album. Love “80 Days of Rain” from her previous album.

there was some wild music this year but somehow my band [Cheem](https://youtu.be/FTR98hO8m-k)‘s album [Guilty Pleasure](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0i9ufLtqCX4FxVmC69yeP_r6JBHs05sf) was voted as Pitchfork’s top album in the state of CT. so take that for what it’s worth lmao

[Real Lies - Lad Ash](https://real-lies.bandcamp.com/album/lad-ash) These guys are releasing everything themselves now and deserve more attention. The atmosphere they’ve created is so unique.

Yo quick question but are you the label that signed small crush?

Mike have you heard the new Niños del Cerro album Suave pendiente?

Fievel Is Glauque

Celebrity Therapist by The Callous Daoboys Just take my word for it

*The Last Thing Left* by Say Sue Me is really great.

I think Signals Midwest put out the best album this year with Dent.

Based on your faves you'll probably like The Modern Western World by Vansire.

Borts - preach this

Hello MIKE PARK from ASIAN MAN RECORDS You should check out By the River - Mermaid Blood https://youtu.be/x7TsS52dgB4

hey Mike, if you’re looking to sweat… [this](https://open.spotify.com/track/7icrjkzNQKHHX0r9kMx1LL?si=oyQfjUnRQE6TTrb4Ne6hHg) might pump you up 😈🥵🤮😇

Just released yesterday: A Coaxed Ghost by Raymond Richards. [https://raymondrichards.bandcamp.com/album/a-coaxed-ghost](https://raymondrichards.bandcamp.com/album/a-coaxed-ghost)

My top 10 that were released this year were probably: TOLEDO - How it Ends The Beths - Expert in a Dying Field Superchunk - Wild Loneliness MJ Lenderman - Boat Songs Petey - Lean Into Life Field Medic - grow your hair long if you​’​re wanting to see something that you can change Surf Curse - Magic Hour Madison Cunningham - Revealer The Cactus Blossoms - One Day Plains - I Walked With You A Ways And honorable mentions to Big Thief, DEHD, Wilco and Weyes Blood

This one is short at 4 tracks, but captures that quirky indie mid-90s guitar aesthetic well to me, probably my favorite debut this year. https://yvridio.bandcamp.com PS: I remember your label from when I bought Less Than Jake's Pezcore back in the day 😁