90% of music discussion on my TL seems to be about male artists, which is kinda disconcerting. so many great female & non-binary artists out there making amazing stuff, figured I’ll share some of my favourites from 2020 so far.

feel free to add to the thread!

I can't start this thread any other way

if you don’t already know the greatness that is Fiona Apple you’re really missing out. amazing songwriter & composer, beautiful singer, Fetch the Bolt Cutters is currently my AOTY

Charli XCX is another more well-known voice in music, but I love her forward-thinking approach to pop

Debris by Keeley Forsyth is an avant-folk/chamber pop album that hasn’t been getting nearly enough attention imo. very subtle but an entrancing full listen

@ntrider825 really brought me onto the new Katie Gately album, an art pop artist whose electronics sort of remind me of Holly Herndon, but less glitchy and more grand

Poppy’s venture into metal was cartoonishly evil, and probably my favourite surprise in terms of how much I enjoyed it compared to prior expectations

Grey Area was my hip hop AOTY last year, and Little Simz’ new EP continues her streak of diversely beautiful and insightful music

the all-female Japanese alt rock/math rock band tricot dropped a banger of an album early this year

it’s a male backing band, but Helena Hiltunen leads the Finnish hardcore punk group Kohti Tuhoa, who released a short but blistering EP this year

also male backing band, but Moor Mother’s spoken word is what makes Irreversible Entanglements stand out as a free jazz ensemble

onto some electronic stuff, Galen Tipton’s side project as recovery girl is the wildest take on over-the-top pop / bubblegum bass I’ve heard in a while. currently my favourite EP of the year

meanwhile there’s Beatrice Dillon, one of the world’s most talented and creative artists in the world of minimal techno

Arca has a new album out later this year, but its hour-long ’single’ from February, @@@@@, is completely mesmerizing

Uboa’s music is hauntingly dark and emotionally visceral, with their new quarantine-made EP focusing on themes surrounding body dysmorphia https://uboa.bandcamp.com/album/the-flesh-of-the-world

More Eaze & Claire Rousay have each released great solo material this year, but the collab album between the two experimental musicians is an odd sound collage project that’s stuck with me

as for ambient music, I want to point to Felicia Atkinson, who combines her spoken work with meditative electroacoustic backdrops

and lastly for this thread is cellist Okkyung Lee, whose new album Yeo-Neun is a graceful flurry of free improvisation in a classical music setting