Albums of the year: How ten Australian artists created their 2020 releases
Words by August Billy
With our liberties curtailed, our listening choices took on extra weight in 2020.
Not only did we turn to music for entertainment and intrigue, but we also wanted it to transport us and provide much-needed company.
For musicians, it was an often uncomfortable and disorienting year. Live performance was prohibited and live streams could very easily become an alienating experience – it’s difficult to adapt to playing to an invisible crowd accentuated by flickering thumbs-up and heart emojis.
Releasing music also brought about novel challenges. After all, the act of self-promotion began to feel entirely incongruous in the midst of a global pandemic, a growing movement for Black rights and against the intensifying spectre of climate change.