Every year, Exclaim! publishes a list of the worst album covers of the year — and every year, people in the comments section tell us that we're being too negative and that we should do a list of the best album covers as well.
So here we are. As our staff went about making this list, we quickly discovered that album covers are extremely subjective and we couldn't arrive at any consensus whatsoever, which is why we decided to have each staffer pick their personal favourite album cover of the year.
From carefully staged shots of the artists to candid snaps and a couple of nifty illustrations, it's clear that there's no one way to make a great album cover, and that finding the perfect visual representation of an album is a unique talent. Five of the seven albums featured here also appear on our list of the best albums of the year, suggesting that it's impossible to separate the cover from the music contained inside. Worst album covers tomorrow!
Kaelen Bell, Reviews Editor
I Got Heaven by Mannequin Pussy
Sydney Brasil, Social Editor
Mimi by Corridor
Allie Gregory, Managing Editor
Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee
Alex Hudson, Editor-in-Chief
Magpie by Peach Pit
Megan LaPierre, Online Editor
My Light, My Destroyer by Cassandra Jenkins
Karlie Rogers, Staff Writer
Jonah Yano & the Heavy Loop by Jonah Yano
Calum Slingerland, Print Magazine Editor
Tidal Memory Exo by Iglooghost
