Distilling the year’s finest sonic delights... Viewed purely in social and political terms, 2022 is an impossible year to categorise. Our first post-lockdown annum, it saw two Monarchs and three Prime Ministers amid unprecedented political chaos. Musically, however, we’ve been truly spoiled, as the results of endless pandemic studio sessions come to fruition. Winter is a time for staking stock, for shedding our psychological leaves and preparing for the first buds of spring. With the year drawing to a close, the Clash team assembled to pore over the finest releases that came our way during the past 12 months. Looking back at our favourite albums of the year, a few over-arching patterns emerge; these are stridently honest works, unflinching in their autobiography. The splintering of genres continues at a frenetic pace, with a new generation of creators able to pull different strands together into a glorious tapestry. Here’s your winter soundtrack – and in the end, there can be only one winner. Visit ClashMusic.com to read the list in full, or hit the link in our bio.