Feature / Music / Year End 2020
Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2020

Words: Loren • December 13, 2020

Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2020
Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2020

Body Stuff (Curran Reynolds)

photo by Justina Villanueva

1. What are your top five albums that were released in 2020? (In order 1-5)

  1. BLACKPINK - The Album
  2. Anatomy / Blu Anxxiety - split
  3. Run the Jewels - RTJ4
  4. Ocrilim - Plvence Abrost R Msitloun
  5. Raspberry Bulbs - Before the Age of Mirrors

Essential honorable mentions: Bib, Sial, Napalm Death, Caustic Wound, Mark Lanegan, No Joy.

And as always, some of my favorite artists are the ones I work with as a publicist. This year I had many cool bands on the roster, like Aseitas, Bootblacks, City of Industry... A recap of the year's PR work is posted here.

2. What band did you discover in 2020 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?

I discovered Lil Peep and fell in love. Simple, profound songs that stick in your head for weeks. Charisma in every word, backed by real pain. RIP.

3. How will you remember 2020? (In terms of music)

Xiu Xiu remixed my song "New York in the Rain" and I wrote and recorded the majority of my 4th EP, Body Stuff 4. I also witnessed my friend Brandon Gallagher make big moves with his awesome solo project, Trace Amount, both musically and with all the great videos he's making to accompany the music.

4. What can we look forward to from you in 2021?

Body Stuff 4 and some new collabs.

5. What records are you looking forward to most in 2021?

New albums by Aeviterne, Portrayal of Guilt, TRZTN, Giant Drag... And I will keep an eye out for stuff on labels like Three One G, Synthicide, Faktor Music, Backwoodz Studioz, and Purple Tape Pedigree.

6. Trying to put a positive spin on things, what is your favorite development from the global pandemic this year? (Is there a new medium you enjoy, a specific song or collaboration, personal news, etc. that was a bright spot?)

I live in NYC and there's been stress this year but on the other hand it's been a chance to recenter and reprioritize, free of some of the usual noise.

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Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2020
Pass The Mic: Artists and labels on 2020

Pages in this feature

  1. Opening page
  2. A-F Records / Nightmarathons (Chris Stowe)
  3. Asbestos Worker (Josh Stever)
  4. Attic Salt (Skip Davis)
  5. Black Dots (Wade Henderson - guitar/yelling)
  6. Body Stuff (Curran Reynolds)
  7. Bootblacks (Barrett Hiatt)
  8. Bothers (John Massel)
  9. Broadway Calls (Ty Vaughn - guitar/vocals)
  10. Burnt Tapes (Phil LaTour)
  11. City Of Industry (Ossa Humilata)
  12. Cloud Rat (Rorik Brooks)
  13. Primitive Teeth (Christine)
  14. Days N Daze / Escape from the ZOO / Chad Hates George (Jesse Sendejas)
  15. DC-Jam Records (Darron Hemann)
  16. Deaf Club (Brian Amalfitano)
  17. Dirt Cult Records / Low Culture (Chris Mason)
  18. Divided Heaven (Jeff Berman)
  19. Foxfires (Josh Lyford)
  20. Heart and Lung
  21. Iron Lung Records (Jensen)
  22. Lamniformes
  23. Locrian / The Holy Circle / Axebreaker (Terence Hannum)
  24. MakeWar (Edwin)
  25. Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band (Nato Coles)
  26. Neighborhood Brats (George Rager)
  27. Netherlands (Timo Ellis)
  28. Old Ghosts (Derek)
  29. Partial Traces (Brad Lokkesmoe)
  30. Quattracenta (Andrea - drums)
  31. Real Numbers (Eli Hansen)
  32. Red Fiction / Secret Chiefs 3 / Estradasphere (Jason Schimmel)
  33. Red Scare Industries (Tobias Jeg)
  34. Reptoid (Jordan Sobolew)
  35. Salinas Records / Quaker Wedding (Marco Reosti)
  36. Sam Russo
  37. Scuba Cop
  38. Secret Fun Club (Sal Gallegos III)
  39. SpiritWorld (Stu Folsom)
  40. Sutekh Hexen / In Solace Publishing (Kevin Gan Yuen)
  41. The Carvels NYC (Lynne Von Pang)
  42. The Path (Jon Berg)
  43. The Pretty Flowers (Noah Green)
  44. Tibetan Sky Burial
  45. To Live A Lie Records / Tired Of Everything (Will Butler)
  46. Western Addiction (Jason Hall)
  47. Strangelight (Nat Coghlan)

Series: Year End 2020

Our wrap-up of the best music and more for the year we'll all want to otherwise forget, 2020.

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