New Commute Albums of the Year 2023

Artwork by Mickey Miles

Here are the records that caught and held our attention throughout the year. With hundreds of albums that passed through the New Commute headphones, it was not easy to narrow this down.

We’re thankful for all of the time and attention anybody has given the blog this year. Please consider supporting the artists below with your dollar and your time.

Enjoy the selections on Spotify / Apple Music but it’s better to support your local record store.

@
Mind Palace Music
[Carpark Records]

A. Savage
Several Songs About Fire
[Rough Trade]

AhGeeBe
Chin Up, Chief
[Bubblewrap]

Alan Palomo
World of Hassle
[Mom+Pop]

Allah-Las
Zuma 85
[Innovative Leisure]

Allegra Krieger
I Keep My Feet on the Fragile Plane
[Double Double Whammy]

Anadol
Hat​​​ı​​​ralar
[Pingipung]

Animal Collective
Isn’t It Now?
[Domino]

Arbor Labor Union
Yonder
[Sophomore Lounge]

Aux Meadows
Dust Kingdom
[self-released]

Badge Époque Ensemble
Air, Light & Harmony
[Telephone Explosion]

BCMC
Foreign Smokes
[Drag City]

Beach Fossils
Bunny
[Bayonet]

Being Dead
When Horses Would Run
[Bayonet]

Blake Mills
Jelly Road
[New Deal]

Blue Lake
Sun Arcs
[Tonal Union]

Bobby Lee
Endless Skyways
[Tompkins Square]

Bonny Doon
Let There Be Music
[Anti- Records]

Cactus Lee
Caravan
[Org Music]

Chet Sounds
Changes Happen To Everyone, Everywhere
[Third Eye Stimuli]

Clear Thing
Everywhere I Go
[The Lapsis Group]

Colin Miller
Haw Creek
[Ruination Record Co.]

Colloboh
Saana Sahel
[Leaving Records]

Connie Cunningham & The Creeps
Going, Going, Going Gone
[Earth Libraries]

Credit Electric
Six
[self-released]

Crosslegged
Another Blue
[self-released]

Cut Worms
Cut Worms
[Jagjaguwar]

Daisies
Great Big Open Sky
[Perennialdeath]

Dean Johnson
Nothing for Me, Please
[Mama Bird Recording Co.]

Dougie Poole
The Rainbow Wheel of Death
[Wharf Cat Records]

Dream Sitch
Long Rattle
[People In A Position To Know]

Duffy x Uhlmann
Doubles
[Orindal Records]

Dutch Interior
Blinded by Fame
[American Death Records]

Edsel Axle
Variable Happiness
[Worried Songs]

Faith Healer
The Hand That Fits The Glove
[Mint Records]

Famous Mammals
Instant Pop Expressionism Now!
[Siltbreeze Records]

Flammer Dance Band
Dedikasjon Til Inspirasjon
[Lyskestrekk Records]

Floating Action
Glacial Speed
[People In A Position To Know]

Florry
The Holey Bible
[Dear Life Records]

Freak Heat Waves
Mondo Tempo
[Mood Hut]

Fust
Genevieve
[Dear Life Records]

Gia Margaret
Romantic Piano
[Jagjaguwar]

Glyders
Maria’s Hunt
[Drag City Records]

Hayden Pedigo
The Happiest Times I Ever Ignored
[Mexican Summer]

Hazel City
Old Friend
[self-released]

Hether
Covered In Hether
[R&R Digital]

Hiss Golden Messenger
Jump For Joy
[Merge Records]

Hollow Hand
Your Own Adventure
[Curation Records]

Hot Apple Band
So Long, Noodle House
[Third Eye Stimuli]

Hotline TNT
Cartwheel
[Third Man Records]

Infinite River
Space Mirror
[Birdman Records]

Jamma-Dee
Perceptions
[NBN]

Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders
New Earth Seed
[Arrowhawk Records]

Jeffrey Silverstein
Western Sky Music
[Arrowhawk Records]

Jeremiah Chiu
In Electric Time
[International Anthem]

Jess Williamson
Time Ain’t Accidental
[Mexican Summer]

Joanna Sternberg
I’ve Got Me
[Fat Possum Records]

Johanna Samuels
Bystander
[Jealous Butcher Records]

John Andrews & The Yawns
Love For The Underdog
[Woodsist]

John Roseboro
Johnny
[Public Confession Art House]

Jonathan Rado
For Who The Bell Tolls For
[Western Vinyl]

Jordan Moser
PERIL
[Keeled Scales]

Joseph Shabason
Welcome To Hell
[Western Vinyl]

June McDoom
With Strings
[Temporary Residence Ltd.]

Kassi Valazza
Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing
[Fluff and Gravy Records]

KESMAR
Always Chasing Rainbows
[Nettwerk]

Leah Senior
The Music That I Make
[Poison City Records]

Leo Takami
Next Door
[Unseen Worlds]

Long Island Railroad
Long Island Railroad
[Malfroy Records]

Lonnie Holley
Oh Me Oh My
{Jagjaguwar]

Lourdes Rebels
Necronomicon 3
[Maple Death Records]

Lutalo
AGAIN
[Winspear]

Mac Demarco
One Wayne G
[Mac’s Record Label]

Magic Al
Good Grief
[Sleepy Cat Records]

Magic Tuber Stringband
Tarantism
[Feeding Tube Records]

Mapache
Swinging Stars
[Innovative Leisure]

Masahiro Takahashi
Humid Sun
[Telephone Explosion Records]

Maya Ongaku
Approach To Anima
[Guruguru Brain]

Michael Nau
Accompany
[Karma Chief Records]

Mikaela Davis
And Southern Star
[Kill Rock Stars]

Misha Panfilov
Atl​â​ntico
[Miraaž Records]

MJ Lenderman and The Wind
Live and Loose!
[Anti- Records]

ML Buch
Suntub
[15 Love]

Modern Nature
No Fixed Point In Space
[Bella Union]

Monde UFO
Vandalized Statue To be Replaced With Shrine
[Quindi Records]

Monopoly Child Star Searchers
Barbados Wild Horses
[Discrepant]

Mystic 100s
On A Micro Diet
[Listening House]

Nico Georis
Cloud Suites
[Leaving Records]

Nighttime
Keeper Is The Heart
[Ba Da Bing Records]

North Americans
Long Cool Worlds
[Third Man Records]

Nydia Gonzalez
Nydia Gonzalez
[self-released]

Omni Gardens
Golden Pear
[Moon Glyph]

Pachyman
Switched-On
[ATO Records]

PAINT
Loss For Words
[Grape Street]

Paul Cherry
Pure Grooves Vol. 1
[Born Losers Records]

Pearl & The Oysters
Coast 2 Coast
[Stones Throw]

Resavoir
Resavoir
[International Anthem]

Rich Ruth
Live At Third Man
[Third Man Records]

R.M.F.C.
Club Hits
[Anti Fade Records]

Roger 3000
Reste Envie
[Futura Resistenza]

Roman Norfleet and Be Present Group
Roman Norfleet and Be Present Group
[Mississippi Records]

Rose City Band
Garden Party
[Thrill Jockey Records]

Rubber Band Gun
Shut Up And Deal
[Historic NJ Recordings]

Sam Blasucci
Off My Stars
[Innovative Leisure]

Sam Burton
Dear Departed
[Partisan Records]

Sam Wilkes
DRIVING
[Wilkes Records]

Scott McMicken and The Ever-Expanding
Shabang
[Anti- Records]

Setting
Shone A Rainbow Light On
[Paradise of Bachelors]

Sham
Machine Simple
[self-released]

Shana Cleveland
Manzanita
[Hardly Art]

Sharp Pins
Turtle Rock
[self-released]

Sluice
Radial Gate
[Ruination Record Co.]

Snooper
Super Sn​õ​õ​per
[Third Man Records]

Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection
Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection 2
[Full Time Hobby]

Spice World
There’s No I In Spice World
[Meritorio Records]

Squirrel Flowers
Tomorrow’s Fire
[Polyvinyl Records]

Static Cleaner Lost Reward
Breathing Under Honey
[Low Company]

Stella Kola
Stella Kola
[self-released]

Sunwatchers
Music Is Victory Over Time
[Trouble In Mind Records]

Sven Wunder
Late Again
[Piano Piano Records]

Talk West
Black Coral Sprig
[Scissor Tail Records

Tele Novella
Poet’s Tooth
[Kill Rock Stars]

Tex Crick
Sweet Dreamin’
[Mac’s Record Label]

The Bures Band
Birds Nest
[Cardinal Fuzz]

The Drin
Today My Friend You Drunk The Venom
[Feel It Records]

The Lemon Twigs
Everything Harmony
[Captured Tracks]

The Nude Party
Rides On
[New West Records]

The Smashing Times
This Sporting Life
[Perennialdeath]

Tobacco City
Tobacco City, USA
[Scissor Tail Records]

Tony Jay
Perfect Worlds
[Slumberland Records]

Tony Price
Hit Piece
[Telephone Explosion Records]

Toro y Moi
Sandhills
[Dead Oceans]

Ulaan Passerine
Dawn
[Worstward Recordings]

Video Age
Away From The Castle
[Winspear]

Violent Change
Starcastle
[Sloth Mate]

Wednesday
Rat Saw God
[Dead Oceans]

William Tyler & The Impossible Truth
Secret Stratosphere
[Merge Records]

Woods
Perennial
[Woodsist]

Yuma Abe
Surprisingly Alright
[Temporal Drift]

Yussef Dayes
Black Classical Music
[Brownswood Recordings]