10 Favorite EPs of 2020

There's no debate that 2020 has been one of the strangest years in modern history. And while things are weird right now, one thing that has helped get me through these tough times -- is, of course, music. I owe many thanks to the artists who have continued to put out music right now even though it's so hard to be creative. With that said, here are my top 10 favorite EPs that were released this year. Some were released before Covid, and some right in the middle of it -- but they all made a positive impact on my listening experience this year!

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10. Japan, Man - The Bad Days

The list starts out with a fun little EP, from Beruit based artist, Japan, Man. This thing is a cool indie-pop project that features some funky production, and soulful harmonies from lead singer, Laeticia Acra. I was intrigued by this EP because this is the genre of music I listen to most and thought there were some catchy tunes on it. While there are songs that I enjoy quite a bit, the project is pretty one-dimensional and a lot of the songs blend in together.

As I was researching the artist, I came to find out that Acra is only 15(!) years old, and has plenty of time to refine her sound and create new sounds. All and all, I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for her music in the future, and implore anyone who’s into indie-pop to check this thing out.

9. Emir Taha - Hoppa Pt. 1

Turkish R&B artist Emir Taha released his debut EP earlier this year and I have to say, this thing is a very intriguing mix of Taha’s English and Turkish combined lyrics, over sensual R&B production. Delivery is the most important thing an R&B artist can have, and Taha certainly provides good performance on this thing, with a good singing voice and lyrics that make you wanna go make out with someone.

It’s nice to see Taha not shy away from his Turkish roots, and almost every song features his native language on it, a lot of the time, making it the focal point of the hook of a song. This provides an exciting difference to some of the other contemporary R&B you might see on the charts in 2020 and is something that will keep me interested in his music going forward.

8. Ninajirachi - Bluemiere

This EP is a groovy glitch pop project from Australian DJ, Nina Wilson. The production is what stands out here, capitalizing on the emergence of the electronic distorted sound that PC Music brought to the forefront of pop music in 2020. Whether it be Charli XCX, Hannah Diamond, or Caroline Polachek, this immersive style of music is taking over the music scene, and Wilson doesn’t disappoint with this standout EP.

This thing is catchy and fast-paced -- it makes you wanna jump around your room. Wilson’s soft voice does enough to contrast the heavy production and makes the music much more accessible to people

who might be new to the genre.

7. Remi Wolf - I’m Allergic To Dogs!

There isn’t an artist on this list that I am more excited to see their future work, than Remi Wolf. An alt-pop artist from the San Fransico area, Wolf’s music is full of infectious energy and whity lyrics. The production is catchy and full of funk -- this is bonafide ‘dance your ass off’ music. Songs like “Down The Line,” and “Disco Man” are so much fun and show off the best qualities of Wolf as an artist. This project leaves me wanting more, which is the best thing a debut project can do -- so for that, this thing definitely passes.

6. Lucy Gooch - Rushing

I found this EP just scrolling through Bandcamp one day, and all I can say is how pleasantly surprised I was. This is the first-ever release from the UK artist, but this ambient/melodic project holds its own with some of the big dogs of the genre.

With gleaming synths and reverbed harmonies on most tracks, this thing feels large and spacious. It puts you in the middle of a lukewarm body of water, just floating. There are two types of ambient music for me, one is where I just put it on in the background while I’m working on other stuff, and the other is ambient that I can stop everything I’m doing, and just visualize a world where this music exists. Gooch’s debut takes me to one of these worlds and is something I can pay full attention to, which I can’t say too many ambient artists are able to pull off. Please check this one out.

5. James Blake - Before

The first artist on this list that actually has an established discography is none other than, legendary singer-songwriter, James Blake. Blake goes back to a more electro beat sound that we saw on his debut album way back in 2011, and he hasn’t missed a beat with this thing in 2020.

With tons of production switches and effects scattered throughout this project, you won’t ever get bored, and it might even make you wanna get up and dance a little! Blake is one of my favorite artists right now, but he just seems to continue putting out quality music and changes his delivery enough to keep it fresh every time. Blake also released a very good EP full of covers just a few days ago -- It’s nice to see him being creatively active during these down months of Covid.

4. Mree - Bloom

Here is another ambient/melodic EP that I happened to stumble upon this year. This one comes from singer-songwriter Marie Hsiao -- who has been releasing music since 201, but I had not discovered until this year with this project.

Hsiao takes a crack at ambient music here, which is different than her usual more straight-forward folk music of her back catalog but is pulled off so well. Much like Lucy Gooch’s EP earlier on the list, Bloom takes me to another planet, but one that feels very similar to the Pacific Northwest, the place I’ve resided my whole life. This is funny because as I researched more about Mree, I found out that she’s currently residing in Portland, Oregon -- which is my home state. It then made much more sense why this EP feels very Pacific Northwest-inspired.

Anyone who knows me knows that artists that have any sort of connection to Oregon, get a boost to the amount of interest I have, but it’s the music itself here that keeps me interested and coming back to this project again and again. I can’t wait to see what Mree releases in the future!

3. The Japanese House - Chewing Cotton Wool

This one was bound for the list. The Japanese House is one of, if not my favorite artist -- there isn’t a single thing she’s made that I haven’t been completely in love with, and that didn’t stop with this project.

What feels like a continuation of her 2019 debut album, Good at Falling, Amber Bain released four more songs about longing for someone you used to love and the almost impossible task of moving on. The delivery is melodic and layered as usual, and Bain’s lyrics punch you in the mouth, making you feel like “Something Has to Change,” which is the title of the second track of the EP. It sounds like Bain has been working on more music and is bound to release more in 2021, it’ll be interesting to see how her sound changes going into this new era for her music!

2. Christine and the Queens - La vita nuova

I had never really listened to Christine and the Queens much until I heard her feature on Charli XCX’s last album, Charli. So when I saw she had just released a new EP just months after that album, I had some interest and wanted to check it out.

What I was delighted to find was a five-song soundtrack to what feels like a Shakespearean epic. These songs are played in the background of 17ish minute “music video” which shows Christine dancing around in extravagant outfits and singing in multiple languages including French, English, and Spanish. These two mediums play off each other so well, and the video really helps heighten the experience. It also helps that one of my favorite artists, Caroline Polachek, makes an appearance on the title track of the EP and in the music video where she kills it with her incredible voice and killer dance moves.

I definitely think this is the most creative EP of 2020, and it would have taken the top spot on the list if it weren’t for one of my other favorite artists deciding to release one of the catchiest projects of the year.

1. BUMPER - pop songs 2020

BUMPER is a newly created group consisting of Japanese Breakfast frontwoman, Michelle Zauner and Crying’s, Ryan Galloway -- and out of nowhere, they decided to drop an incredibly groovy EP that I can’t get enough of.

Zauner had already released some of my favorite albums of the last decade, so it was easy to say I was very excited to hear this new project from her. What I got to listen to was a clean and concise 4-track 12-minute project with some lo-fi aesthetic pop music that features Zuaner’s great lyricism and Galloway’s electronic production. This is the type of music that makes you wanna get up and dance, but you can also sit down and find something deep to think about when listening to what Zuaner is saying.

Production-wise, this is much different from Zauner’s Japanese Breakfast, but it’s nice to hear something more artificial than her more straightforward rock instrumentation from her main music project. This was such a pleasant surprise near the end of the whacky year of music, and it more than deserving of the top spot on this list!