2023 IN REVIEW — The Best EPs of the Year (Part 1)
Back in the new year and kicking off my recaps of the best music of 2023 in earnest with a look back and all the shorter-form releases that piqued the collective curiosity — this is part 1 of my countdown of my favourite EPs of the year.
Defining an EP in the age of digital distribution is a difficult thing — some releases labelled as EPs this year stretched to nearly an hour in length (looking at you, Kurt Vile), whereas plenty of ‘full-length’ albums comfortably fit under half an hour. Add to that multi-track singles, mini-albums and the like, and it can be a dense and messy classification. As a benchmark, 8 tracks and 25 minutes are what I’m using by way of a loose cut-off here, with the length more potent an indicator than the track number — though I’m using my discretion, too, and borderline cases may fall either way. In a few cases, I’m also grouping together multiple releases by the same artist if they are clearly intended as composite parts of a single series (mainly to save space on the list, allowing for more good music to be spotlighted!).
Boring taxonomy out of the way — let’s go!
150 — Become (Beach House)
Nothing much new to be found in these offcuts from the Once Twice Melody sessions, except for perhaps a mildly fuzzier, grungier sound — but Beach House do what they do plenty well enough for an enjoyable enough time.
149 — A Comforting Notion (Heartworms)
North London’s Jojo Orme provides a stellar gothic debut EP in A Comforting Notion, with a healthy dose of ’80s guitarwork and ethereal vocal delivery rounded out by producer Dan Carey’s reliable hand.
148 — SUCCUBUS (COBRAH)
Gothenberg-born, Berlin- and Stockholm-moulded COBRAH delivers seven pounding tracks on her third EP SUCCUBUS, channelling club and ballroom culture with a distinctly sexual sapphic twist.
147 — Layover (V)
Perhaps not the most convincing BTS solo debut to date, but a consistent one nonetheless, and it’s admirable to see Kim Tae-hyung go with a decidedly mellow and mature aesthetic with his first release.
146 — Cinematic Baby (Jo Hill)
Transposing the lyrical stylings of country rock out of an American context can be hard, but Cheddar’s Jo Hill does it with plenty of indie panache in her second EP, forming a touching portrait of everyday life in the West Country.
145 — Truth or Lie (Hwang Min-hyun)
NU’EST and Wanna One’s Minhyun released his debut solo extended play in February, and through it he demonstrates his decade of experience in a smooth six-song project that uses all aspects of his voice well.
144 — Dreams of a Dancefloor (Octo Octa)
Maya Bouldry-Morrison is already over a decade into her career, but the three-track, 25-minute Dreams of a Dancefloor show that her mastery of tension, build, timbre and balance in house music remains as sharp and focussed as ever.
143 — popwasbroken!!!!! (toyod ine)
Hyperflip intensity and J-Pop maximalism unite over clippy, mixed-to-the-extreme beats in this super-saccharine, over-the-top five-song set released on Tokyo-based netlabel Lost Frog Productions.
142 — I feel ((G)I-DLE)
Taking a more upbeat tone in comparison to previous releases, (G)I-DLE’s largely self-produced eighth EP bolsters the group’s continual theme of self-love and individuality with memorable hooks and a fluid approach to genre.
141 — Sansinukob (Dilaw)
One of OPM’s resident trendy upstarts, this Filipino rockband followed up Spotify virality at the hands of ballad ‘Uhaw’ by coupling it with four more tracks and an alternate version in this characterful debut EP.
140 — Sogno #3 (Øjne)
Brandishing a heartfelt, no-holds-barred brand of screamo and hailing from Milan, Øjne mark 10 years of releases with this emotive and harmonically full-bodied six-tracker.
139 — Sandhills (Toro y Moi)
Indie, country-tinged folk pop from Chaz Bear here, as he reminisces on the nature of home and homecoming in five songs that call to mind the work of Alex G and early Sufjan Stevens. A gentle listen, but a pleasant one.
138 — Uchigawa Tankentai (Foodman)
Released on beloved underground London label Hyperdub, this Yokohama-based producer’s most recent EP feature a distinctive, pointillistic bleepo aesthetic, with idiosyncratic vocals and a smörgåsbord of percussion and pads to cap it off.
137 — Sugar the Bruise (Hand Habits)
Hand Habits (the solo project of seemingly ubiquitous indie singer and multi-instrumentalist Meg Duffy) returns with a six-track release that perfectly straddles the line between charmingly nonstandard compositions and relatably quotidian songwriting.
136 — Big Sky (ash tuesday)
Four lo-fi bedroom tracks make up Big Sky, the debut EP from singer-songwriter ash tuesday, and they illustrate a style already evolving from the midwest emo tinges of her earliest work into a vulnerable and carefully composed sound.
135 — Beach Plum (Arcy Drive)
New York indie rockers Arcy Drive consolidate three previous singles with two new tracks in this debut release, with a lot of variety (and some great musicianship, headed by the brilliantly distinctive lead vocals of Nick Mateyunas) packed into the tight runtime.
134 — The Eye Against The Ashen Sky (Atka)
Drawing as much from German pastoral folklore as she does from the diverse urban electronic music scene, Atka’s sleek and atmospheric songs bloom and expand before the listener, with copious reverb and subtle but effective production choices.
133 — PERFUME (NCT DOJAEJUNG)
Sensuality and romance, courtesy of NCT subgroup DoJaeJung, and an ample showcase for the group’s vocal chops amidst an unfussy production style that may hold some surprises for longtime listeners of NCT.
132 — A Thousand Times (HotWax)
Hastings post-grunge outfit HotWax have had a busy year, releasing their first two EPs — but the first easily takes the cake, with its gutsy reimagining of post-punk songwriting that gleefully embraces a middle-fingers 90s aesthetic without simply rehashing it.
131 — KISS OF LIFE (KISS OF LIFE)
Another debut, the members of K-pop four-piece KISS OF LIFE each get a solo moment to shine after kicking the mini album off with two striking group numbers. (Okay, ‘Shhh’ may be a clear imitator of Ariana Grande’s ‘Problem’, but to its credit, it’s a good one.)
130 — Master : Piece (Cravity)
Starship Entertainment’s nine-piece boy band CRAVITY bring their fifth EP, and it’s one of the funnest K-pop releases of the year, with funk, disco, RnB, hip-hop and electro-pop influences all fusing surprisingly cleanly into a homogeneous, though somewhat svelte, offering.
129 — 3 of Us (FLO)
British trio FLO had a breakout year in 2022, and it’s pleasing to see that they’re committed to keeping the momentum up with a surprise four-track follow-up this year. Much of the same here — tight vocal arrangements and plenty of tasteful homage to the ’90s RnB that informed their first EP’s sound.
128 — Bug (Annie Blackman)
Annie Blackman’s Rolling Stone feature from April emphasised that she’s a Taylor Swift acolyte, and her incisive lyrical style over these five lovelorn tracks makes that apparent. But her sound and songwriting cues are wider-ranging — think The Beths, think Hop Along, and Katy Kirby, and Snail Mail, and more.
127 — DARK BLOOD (ENHYPEN)
Vastly outclassing its ‘ORANGE’ companion, also released in 2023, ENHYPEN’s fourth EP draws on the vampiric alter egos of the seven members to develop the band’s moodiest and most cohesive piece of work to date.
126 — 3, the EP. (milk.)
Dublin’s milk. fuse the 80s melancholy of post-punk goth rock with the bubbly, electronically-augmented jangle of contemporary altpop à la the 1975, and they make the mixture work swimmingly in this 7-song release.
125 — Vesela (Kelly Moran)
Warp Record’s resident keyboard tinkerer Kelly Moran’s latest EP is a short but memorable set of three gorgeously cavernous works that revel in an uncharacteristically pure piano timbre, wending their way through pedal-laden nests of quietly active counterpoint and texture.
124 — 으악! 나는 내던져졌다! [Aah! I was thrown out!] (Wapddi)
Quirky indie rock that’s unconcerned with conventional song structures, Chuncheon-based Wapddi’s latest release sees three songs sprawl out over 22 minutes in far-reaching, explorative arcs — credit in particular goes to nine-minute middle track 나는 아직도 갇혀있다! [I’m still stuck!], which goes on the furthest and most cheerful musical journey of them all.
123 — Where I Go (PEARL)
These four songs are described by PEARL as ‘verdant’, and it’s in many ways a fitting description — lush with well-produced instrumentals and PEARL’s fleet soprano, and populated throughout with a sense of space and natural wonder.
122 — Body Songs (Circuit Circuit)
Bridging mathcore, sasscore and nu metal in a disconcertingly striking fashion, Circuit Circuit’s 2023 EP is loud, brash, technical, and yet also sympathetic in how plainly it lays its core anxieties out to be heard by all. (And the ending — OH, the ending, a real masterstroke.)
121 — Darkness, Darkness / No Services (Kieran Hebden, William Tyler)
Two near-perfect tracks by Four Tet’s Kieran Hebden in collaboration with William Tyler (of Lambchop and Silver Jews, amongst others), that luxuriate over minutes at a time in unfolding their musical material with precision and poise.
120 — Ozoror (Meryl)
Martinique’s Meryl drops her second release with Ozoror after a year-long hiatus in 2021–22, and in it she continues forging her specific brand of Afro-Caribbean-infused French hip hop, seeing beat, reggae and trap blended together with style.
119 — ZONE (JIHYO)
TWICE leader Jihyo had one of the biggest K-pop solo releases of the year when she dropped ZONE in August 2023, and the EP satisfying lives up to the hype as she deftly navigates a variety of pop genres (and two well-judged features from 24kGoldn and HEIZE) and forges a bold sonic identity for herself as a solo artist.
118 — Party Hats (Autobiographic Autopsy)
Denton screamers Party Hats pen some of the most evocative lyrics in the genre in this five-track debut, pairing them with hearty vocals and sparse yet deftly composed instrumentals.
117 — AR (Addison Rae)
Much of TikTok icon Addison Rae’s music was leaked throughout 2022 to positive reviews, buffering her confidence to release this EP as a sign-off to what would have been a first album cycle. Confident she should be — the four tracks (tailed on Spotify by her debut single) are bright, glitzy 2000s-style pop at its shameless finest.
116 — Expectation (D.O.)
Though the album’s instrumentals slightly underwhelm in the shadow of his strong vocals and the album’s brilliant structuring, EXO’s D.O. continues to prove his skill as a solo artist with his 2nd mini album, chronicling the progression of a relationship from optimistic love to bitter loss.
115 — gushagushavinyl (computer fight)
Scrappy aesthetically, unfussy production-wise, Tokyo’s computer fight combine a DIY jam-band instrumental palette with the frenetic energy and vocal near-desperation of current British and Irish post-hardcore outfits like Gilla Band and black midi in this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it five-track release.
114 — Freak Show (Alt Blk Frk)
Rightly touted as one of the most unique and interesting acts to be coming up in the UK right now, Alt Blk Frk’s Freak Show EP is something of a calling card for the group, exploring their individual mythos, philosophy and aesthetic in a punchy and digestible-enough manner.
113 — Brake Fluid (Surusinghe)
Bassy, pounding dance by Naarm/Melbourne-born Suze Gurusinghe, Brake Fluid’s four tracks (pleasingly titled ‘Bop’, ‘Bet’, ‘Boka’ and ‘Brain’) pull in elements of jungle, dubstep, reggaeton and breakbeat into a heavy, pulsating mix engineered to get you moving.
112 — Loossemble (Loossemble)
After Blockberry’s catastrophic mismanagement of LOONA’s contracts caused the band to flee the company entirely, smaller subgroups reformed to continue releasing music. Loossemble (“Loona assemble”) is one, with Gowon, Hyeju, Hyunjin, Vivi and Yeojin reuniting to deliver a debut release with sonorous production that channels both retro musical aesthetic and refined contemporary pop writing.
111 — Postcards from Italia (Mykki Blanco)
Mykki Blanco’s ever-nebulous style leans heavier than ever before into classic rock in her chilled-out six-track Postcards, though influences of Eurodance and new wave keep the slick, sexy project from ever feeling bogged down.
110 — Lighthouse (Gen Hoshino)
Something of a musical experiment, Gen Hoshino’s Lighthouse EP consists of tracks written as closing themes for the talk variety show he co-hosted with comedian Masayasu Wakabayashi. Come for the reliable soft J-pop/hikigatari vibes, stay for the surprise Louis Cole/Sam Gendel joint cameo.
109 — Five Seasons (Dina El Wedidi)
Cairo’s Dina El Wedidi explores themes of longing, gratitude, nostalgia and forlorn romance by way of multifaceted lyrics, a fusion of Egyptian and popular Western musical styles and a commanding and convincing vocal performance.
108 — Part I — When Everything Was Lost; Part II — Nightmares and Ice Cream (Palace)
Palace never fails to disappoint, and these two mini-releases from 2023 (totalling six songs between them) deliver another characteristic dose of wistful shoegaze alt-rock with some of the group’s most painterly lyrics yet.
107 — YAK LABAS (ouella)
Arresting club production forms the foundation of Egypt-raised Moroccan artist ouella’s EP, which simultaneously tackles the wider experiences of heritage as diaspora and his more personal feelings of nostalgia and belonging, pithily summed up in the title’s question — ‘What’s going on?’
106 — nothing to be scared of (Charli Adams)
Charli Adams’ latest EP is masterful in its intimate exploration of some of the most mundane aspects of falling in love, underscored by dependable, fuzzy indie rock with a well-considered sense of 90s alt harmony.
105 — The Heartbreaker EP (Autoheart)
Ultimately sandwiched later in the year amongst the extended materials for the 10th anniversary remaster of debut album Punch, this EP of three previously unreleased tracks (paired with a ‘band version’ of Punch cut ‘Heartbreaker’) is a further string to Jody Gadsden and co.’s tender and affecting songwriting bow.
104 — Daisy (Unique Salonga)
Unique Salonga has finally truly justified his solo career here on his third release after leaving Filipino pop-rockers IV of Spades — a pared-back album preaching peace and love, with clear Lennon influences and imaginative songwriting choices scattered throughout.
103 — Howl (Chuu)
Another Loona alumna, Chuu has received perhaps the most intense media scrutiny of them all over the past few years — but the time away from the spotlight has revealed a capable and confident artist whose strong voice fronts gutsy, retro-futuristic synthpop bangers.
102 — MY WORLD (aespa)
With their third mini-album, aespa make their most convincing claim to K-pop hyperstardom yet, backed by a sassy, gritty title track and a sonic identity that streamlines the group’s at times unwieldy versatility into a lean and incisive package.
101 — With Strings (June McDoom)
South Floridian June McDoom pairs two covers of others’ songs (a Judee Sill tune and a folk song) with two of her own (singles from 2022) and reworks them to the accompaniment of sumptuous strings, harp included. It’s a perfect match for McDoom’s hushed, air-light vocals to rest gently atop, and a strong contender for best cover versions of the year.
100 — Not the Baby (Prima Queen)
Big things undoubtedly are in store for transatlantic best friends and songwriting duo Prima Queen, if this EP is anything to go by — a simple but effective palette of guitars, horns, keyboards and drums underpinning melancholic yet wide-eyed lead vocals from the pair.
99 — LIGHTS (JOOHONEY)
Joohoney has always been one of Monsta X’s greatest assets, but striking out on his own the portrait of a more consummate musician is revealed, with a remarkable ear for genre fusion and sung vocals that prove to be as solid as his rapping.
98 — Skin of My Teeth (Lowertown)
The sometimes murky, often elusive alternative rock of Lowertown returns for a four-track follow-up to 2022’s I Love to Lie, and the duo masterfully temper the depression and isolation of the COVID era with a dogged determination and creative compositions.
97 — Wonderland (showmore, Gimgigam)
Japanese RnB/soul duo showmore pair up with beatmaker Gimgigam for five breezy songs that incorporate reggae, bedroom pop, nu disco and afrobeats into their diverse and effortlessly engaging 17-minute runtime.
96 — ↀ [Muhan] (tripleS LOVElution)
Perhaps one of the most polarising groups conceptually in Kpop right now, it’s hard to deny the quality of the music coming out of tripleS, and of the four subgroups to release EPs this year, LOVElution with their sleek electropop offering ↀ is the strongest of them all.
95 — Bloco Vol. 1 (PPJ)
Hi-NRG, house, wonky, moombahton and techno, fused into just four songs — PPJ are bringing a Brazilian party atmosphere to the Paris clubs in this EP, and it’s a intensely danceable, if sometimes slightly uncanny, time.
94 — Wykopki (Franek Warzywz, Młody Budda)
Potatoes; oversized heads; pavement chalk drawings; the biggest tomato in the world; digging up the allotment too early. With lyrical banality that would make They Might Be Giants blush and stellar hyperpop production in the vein of Drain Gang or 100 gecs, this Polish duo have hit the silly sweet spot.
93 — With Thorns of Glass and Petals of Grief (Balmora)
Amongst the shorter straight-edge hardcore releases of the year, Balmora’s proves to be one of the most intriguing, with mournful piano smoothly bookending the album’s dramatic, full-throated metalcore.
92 — Same Streets But I Don’t See You Around (Jasmine Jethwa)
At first glance masquerading as a simple singer-songwriter EP (albeit a very good one), the surprise electronic vocal production that appears halfway through tunes the listener into Jethwa’s detailed approach to song composition and the spacey production courtesy of Aquilo and Jez Ashurst.
91 — Chaser (Femtanyl)
Intense digital hardcore with the occasional glimpse sideways to hyperpop, Toronto’s Femtanyl screams their way through some of the most blown-out instrumentals of the year in this maelstrom EP.
90 — What Is My Capacity to Love? (Thanks for Coming)
Thanks for Coming, aka Water From Your Eyes’ Rachel Brown, releases their debut solo project, and though bandmate Nate Amos mastered the project, what ensues is not WFYE’s off-kilter noise pop but a tender, if still sonically raw, suite of bedroom tracks with heart aplenty.
89 —あなたのオバケ [Your ghost] (u.u)
Retro club music put through a 21st century J-pop filter, u.u’s electronic mini-album (courtesy of Tokyo netlabel kaomozi) is an earnest, expansive and immersive set of songs with both a strong sense of melody and a joyfully eclectic production.
88 — He Hymns (LCY)
Bristol-based LCY treads the well-worn trail in fusing spirituality and dance music, though here something of the dark and gothic blends its way into the sonic landscape, even as the shallow beats and glitched-up samples rush to their cathartic conclusions.
87 — SICK-Yanderu EP (yuyoyuppe)
Hardcore emo fronted by a deceptively sweet-voiced Vocaloid may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but yuyoyuppe knows how to make the combination work, and SICK-Yanderu EP sees it executed pristinely.
86 — Kookaburra (eundohee)
Understated folk-pop and indie from Seoul-born eundohee; simple but well-crafted songs are complimented by a meditative, introspective lyrical style and calming, gentle vocal delivery.
85 — i’m so lucky (SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE)
i’m so lucky is a mercurial beast, half SotB’s trademark noisy, shouty interpretation of shoegaze and half a more blissed-out sound, replete with reverb-laden guitars and pulsing, swelling detuned synths. But the two halves make a coherent whole through good track ordering and careful control of texture.
84 — PHANTASY: Pt.1 Christmas In August; PHANTASY: Pt.2 Sixth Sense (The Boyz)
They may have the most uninspired name in K-pop, but The Boyz’s two PHANTASY EPs (forming in essences two halves of a full-length project) are charismatic pop records. The first of the two takes a more upbeat, dancey tone, while the second provides a nice contrast by darkening the production, with slower, heavier beats and moodier vocals.
83 — ICHIJIKIKOKU (Atarashii Gakko!)
J-pop’s self-proclaimed ‘New Leaders’ bring both effervescent joy and incisive societal commentary on this mini-album, leveraging their position as young women in Japan’s continually-changing social landscape with intelligent lyrics and catchy, self-aware pop production.
82 — Aft (iga)
Glitzy futurebass from Tokyo-based producer iga, who mixes heavily manipulated electronica with elements of trap, DnB and SoundCloud rap into a dazzling melange over these 8 kaleidoscopic tracks.
81 — Infirmary/Unknown Summer (Kode9, Burial)
Two of the UK’s most foundational electronic musicians co-release a song each here, and despite there only being two tracks, the fifteen-minute long EP still manages to be one of the year’s most gratifying dance releases.
80 — FML (SEVENTEEN)
One of three SEVENTEEN releases in 2023 (two EPs and a compilation), FML shines brightest amongst them all, displaying a heavy chopped-up style that leans more fully (and more convincingly) into classic hip-hop aesthetics than many other groups of their generation dare.
79 — Knocknarea (Maruja)
Jazz-soaked post-punk has become quite en vogue in the UK over the past few years, and Maruja is another such act who figures out how to combined them with skill. Aiming for a heavier mix than many similar outfits proves a good fit on this four-track debut EP.
78 — ZEKRAYAT ELMOSTABAL (HADY MOAMER)
Luxor’s Hady Moamer (who also produces under the moniker Jean Bleu) releases his second EP: a seamless blend of Egyptian traditional musics with contemporary trap and British drum and bass, perfectly backdropping the heady, reflective tone of the lyrical material.
77 — Sofa Kings (Royel Otis)
An EP that at once feels both sunny and ever-so-slightly sad, this synthy, jangly seven-song from Warrane/Sydney’s Royel Otis is a pitch-perfect interpretation of the current indie sound, with disarmingly sincere lyrics and precise, well-balanced production.
76 — Foam (waterbaby)
Swedish chanteuse Kendra Egerbladh draws in a wide bank of styles from indie, folk, pop, RnB and more, resulting in a sound she realises in a pleasingly off-kilter, almost conversational style. It’s a short EP — five songs in only 11 minutes — but already waterbaby’s creative voice is clear.
Well, that’s 75 already revealed, and thus the first installation of the EPs list for 2023 reaches its end. If a stand-out project from the year isn’t above, check back in next week for the second half of the countdown! Also, if you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to read my round-up of the top music videos of 2023 — including some songs from the projects above.
Until then,
AC.
2023 IN REVIEW
- The best music videos of 2023
- The best EPs of 2023 — Part 1 — Part 2
- The best soundtracks of 2023 [not yet released]
- The best albums of 2023 [not yet released]
- The best songs of 2023 [not yet released]
