Top 10 EPs of 2020 (Quickie)

 

Greetings, fellow androids! This is DalekTurret32 commencing his 2020 End Of Year countdown. Starting off quick with the Top 10 EPs of 2020

For an EP (Extended Play) to qualify for this list

* It must have at least three tracks

* The artist must be a verified artist on Spotify with at least 300-400 monthly listeners.

Let's start the list

Honourable mentions:

• Lamental by Squarepusher
• La vita nuova by Christine And The Queens
• Junk Food by Easy Life
• INDUSTRY GAMES by CHIKA
• The Light Pack by Joey Bada$$

10. Before by James Blake

Doesn’t hit the highs of Overgrown and Assume Form, but Blake still offers a nice chill listen for the night time

Fave Track: "I Keep Calling"

9.  Happiness In Liquid Form by Alfie Templeman

Alfie Templeman has been putting out EPs for two years now, and this one is a starting point at a potential breakout.

The project is quite versatile, with hints of psychedelia on the title track, Britpop on “Maybe This Time” (the song sounds like a mix of Oasis, The Verve and Radiohead), synthpop on “Obvious Guy”, and ska influenced rock on “Wish I Was Younger”.

Fave Track: “Happiness In Liquid Form”

8. EP! By JPEGMAFIA

JPEGMAFIA pleased me with his experimental style on All My Heroes Are Cornballs last year, and this EP has some of its off-kilter elements. “BALD!” has this nostalgic feel to it thanks to the rapid Initial D sample playing throughout. “ROUGH 7” takes a Brandy song and pitches it down to make it sound tense and spine-chilling, with these tones further emphasised by Tommy Genesis, who sells the mood in this song.

Fave Track: "ROUGH 7"

7. LULU by Conway The Machine and The Alchemist

The Griselda Records collective has been getting a bit of buzz around the underground hip hop circles, and I thought I would give one of their members’ projects a listen. Conway already impressed me with his verse on Babies And Fools on Freddie Gibbs’ Alfredo album (another project The Alchemist produced), and I could say I felt the same with this EP.

Throughout this project, Conway raps about drug dealing and his days in the trap. The vocal samples from the 2002 film Paid In Full not only add a cinematic feel to the EP, but I also give credit to the way the character of the film Lulu and the title of the EP connect.

Fave Track: “They Got Sonny”

6. POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR by Bring Me The Horizon

A rager of an EP that fits the chaotic year like a glove. Bring Me The Horizon dive into a dystopian universe and break down its desolate state wonderfully, with the guitar riffs and Oli Sykes' vocals driving the emotion of the project.

Fave Track: “Ludens”

5. Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2 by Tkay Maidza

I was curious to check out this EP before it topped Fantano’s list of the best EPs of 2020. The moment I heard the beautiful sample of Didn’t Cha Know by Erykah Badu (which, in turn, sampled Dreamflower by Tarika Blue) on “24k”, I knew I was going to keep coming back to it.

Tkay Maidza blends R&B and hip hop smoothly, bringing in both great rap flows and sensual vocal performances. I also like the part in “Awake” where JPEGMAFIA claims that he’s ‘puttin’ the hits out’ despite having yet to touch the charts.

Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2 is proof that Maidza has more to her than just that Martin Solveig song.

Fave Track: “24k”

4. ALIAS by Shygirl

I wasn’t too keen on Shygirl when I first heard BB earlier in the year (the song has grown on me a fair bit recently), but I liked what she brought on her features on Georgia’s and Arca’s respective albums. And this EP impressed me. 

ALIAS gets you immersed into a scenario set in a club with its glitchy electronic beats and vocal effects, which Shygirl rides well with her sexually charged lyrics. The keyboard line in “TASTY” sounds weirdly similar to the one used in Bizarre Inc’s club classic Playing With Knives, though that keyboard setting was quite common in early 90’s house.

Fave Track: “SIREN”

3. Laughing Gas by Wild Nothing

I have not heard a lot of this band’s material before, but I have heard a snippet from this EP a few months ago. I wanted to check it out but forgot about it until the tail-end of the year. In the end, it was a pleasant surprise for me. Synthpop with some psychedelic elements in it like on Tame Impala’s 2015 masterpiece Currents. We also get a hint of 80s pop thrown in there as well.

I like the chorus of the EP opener “Sleight Of Hand” where there is call and response between Jack Tatum and the backing vocals going “Uncondition, unconditional”. It sounds excellent!

Fave Track: “Foyer”

2. 176 by Pozi

Between this and N0V3L, we might be getting a late 70’s punk revival sometime this decade. Not only is this some good ass punk, but Pozi throw in some fiddles into the recording bucket, which wasn’t expected, but still a welcome addition.

Fave Track: “The Nightmare”

And my pick for the Number One EP of 2020 is...

ONE. Ecstasy by Disclosure

In any other year, this wouldn’t have topped an EP list of mine. It isn’t as amazing in its soundscape as Collapse or Ritual Spirit, nor is it as emotionally gripping as No Plan or These Elements, but it offers a good taste of what Disclosure would offer on their ENERGY album a few months later. The duo take their signature house style and blend it with music from different cultures. These include Tamashek and Fula, as well as the traditional music of Cameroon.

Listen through the whole EP and you’ll get rewarded with a minimal house cut that will get you pumped up and longing for the days when we can go back to the clubs and party.

Fave Track: “Tondo”