Best Electronic Music of 2020, According to Pitchfork
Contents
A look at the best electronic albums of 2020, according to the popular music site Pitchfork.
Best Albums
It’s been a whirlwind year for music, but Pitchfork has still found time to round up the best albums of 2020. From Dua Lipa’s dance-pop to Fiona Apple’s raw confessional songwriting, here are the records that stood out to us this year.
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
It’s a pop record that feels urgent and timeless all at once—an instant classic, and one of the year’s best.
On her second album, Dua Lipa cements herself as one of pop’s most exciting and imaginative stars. Future Nostalgia is a sleek, dazzling record that radiates with joy, nostalgia, and heart. The production is sharp and polished, drawing from disco and ‘80s synth-pop while also feeling modern and fresh. And Lipa is in top form as a vocalist, displaying both power and versatility as she delivers each song with charisma and soul. From the anthemic opener “Future Nostalgia” to the sultry “Physical” to the vulnerable “Good in Bed,” this is a record that bristles with energy, hooks, and heart.
The 1975 – Notes on a Conditional Form
On their latest album, the British quartet augment their already- massive sound with elements of folk, gospel, hip-hop, and more, resulting in their most experimental effort to date. Matt Healy’s songwriting is as sharp as ever, and the band’s playing is virtuosic throughout. Notes on a Conditional Form is a sprawling yet cohesive statement from one of the most compelling rock bands working today.
Haim – Women in Music Pt. III
Haim’s third album is a testament to the power of sisterhood. Following 2016’s Something to Tell You, the trio of Alana, Danielle, and Este Haim returned this year with an album that is both timeless and timely, a record that feels both personal and universal.
Women in Music Pt. III is an intimate portrait of womanhood, exploring the ups and downs of relationships—with friends, with lovers, with oneself. The album captures the ecstasy and pain of love, the joy and exhaustion of motherhood, the complicated messiness of sisterhood. It’s an ode to friendship and an anthem for female empowerment, a celebration of life’s little moments and a eulogy for lost ones.
Throughout the album, the Haim sisters express themselves with unparalleled honesty, vulnerability, and strength. They sing about heartbreak and hope, about resilience and redemption. And they do so with breathtaking clarity, each sister’s voice ringing true.
Haim have always been masterful storytellers, but on Women in Music Pt. III they reach new heights. This is an album for everyone who has ever felt like an outsider, for everyone who has ever struggled to find their place in the world. It’s an album for anyone who has ever loved or lost or laughed or cried. In short: it’s an album for all of us.
Best Tracks
From pop to R&B, country to indie rock, and everything else in between, there was plenty of great music to be found in 2020. Here are some of the best tracks from the past year, according to Pitchfork.
Dua Lipa – “Levitating”
“Levitating” is a song by English singer Dua Lipa from her second studio album, Future Nostalgia (2020). The song was released on 5 August 2020 as the album’s fourth single. It peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Lipa’s sixth top-ten single in the United Kingdom. “Levitating” features guest vocals from American rapper DaBaby.
The song received positive reviews from music critics, with many praising its production andcatchy hook. Pitchfork named it the best electronic song of 2020, labelling it as “one of pop’s most perfect pieces of escapism this year”.
The 1975 – “The Birthday Party”
The 1975 – “The Birthday Party”
One of the best tracks of 2020 comes from The 1975, with “The Birthday Party.” The song is an anthemic pop track that is perfect for any birthday celebration. The track starts off with a bang, with an infectious beat that will get anyone moving. The lyrics are also incredibly catchy, and they tell the story of a group of friends who are having the time of their lives at a birthday party. There is also a great breakdown in the middle of the track, which features some excellent synth work. overall, “The Birthday Party” is a great track that should not be missed.
Best New Artists
2020 was a great year for music, with a wide variety of genres and artists to choose from. However, if we’re talking about the best electronic music of 2020, there’s only one name that comes to mind: Pitchfork. They are a leading authority on all things music, and their list of the best electronic music of 2020 is sure to get you excited about the genre.
Beabadoobee
Beabadoobee, the stage name of 19-year-old Filipino-British singer-songwriter Beatrice Laus, started making headlines in 2019 with her Debt EP, which spawned the single “coffee.”
But it was her 2020 release, Fake It Flowers, that solidified her place as one of the most promising young artists in music today. The album is a coming-of-age story about growing up too fast and making mistakes, set to a soundtrack of ’90s-influenced indie rock.
Beabadoobee’s songwriting is plainspoken and relatable, but it’s her delivery that sets her apart. Her voice is delicate and fragile, but there’s an underlying strength to it that keeps you hanging on every word. She sounds like she’s on the verge of breaking down, but she never does.
It’s a vulnerable performance that perfectly captures the anxiety and insecurity of being a young adult in the world today.
Rina Sawayama
Sawayama is a British-Japanese pop singer, songwriter, and model. She released her self-titled debut studio album in early 2020 to critical acclaim. Sawayama’s music covers a wide range of genres, including pop, R&B, electronic, and even metal.
Pitchfork named Sawayama one of the best new artists of 2020, praising her “genre-defying” sound. They also praised her for her candor and vulnerability, noting that “Sawayama is unafraid to confront the traumas of her past head-on.”
If you’re looking for something new and exciting in the world of electronic music, be sure to check out Rina Sawayama.
Yaeji
Yaeji is the mononym of Kathy Yaeji Lee, a South Korea-born DJ and producer based in New York. With a music career that began only a few years ago, she has already built up an impressive discography and fanbase. Yaeji’s style could be described as house music meets bedroom pop; her tracks are often intimate and introspective, with themes of love, identity, and belonging.
Her music has been praised for its vulnerability and for its ability to make listeners feel seen and understood. Yaeji is one of the most promising new artists in electronic music today, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.
