Why ‘Antisocialites’ is one of the Greatest Albums of the Decade

Alvvays brings strong emotions and catchy instrumentals with their 2017 hit album.

Alvvays is a Canadian indie-pop band largely unknown in the music community. They’ve released only two albums, but have shown their ability to create amazing-sounding songs and tell a story through music. Their self-titled album put them on the map for the indie-pop community, but they did not blow up nearly as much until fairly recently. Gaining traction was largely through playlists, suggestions, and even a few celebrities — most notably, Glenn Howerton of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame. Their music is a unique blend of indie-pop sounds and excellent storytelling that most can relate to. This album specifically doesn’t necessarily have one main story, but each song tells its own story, from “Plimsoll Punks” being a response to an older song “Part-Time Punks” all the way to “Forget About Life” — a surreal trip into the young mind of someone trapped in an indecisive life.

Their music has such a unique style and flair that is hardly ever replicated by other indie-pop artists. As an indie-pop listener, I can guarantee that I have never heard an album with such a perfect record (no pun intended) for the song retention ratio — every song has me listening all the way through, and I never skip a song on this album. Very few albums making feel the same way, and in most cases, there are still songs I will skip.

Their first album may have been a hit and brought people to their attention, but Antisocialites has something just so unique and perfect about it that wins it over their self-titled in my books. Not only has this album won over their self-titled, but I find myself coming back to it multiple times a week, even over newer albums from my favorite artists. Is this album perfect? No, but I could argue it’s as close as you could get from an indie-pop artist, and it is definitely some of the best music I have heard this decade.