Best AlbumCovers/2022

Music inspires us, it’s our work buddy when we work remotely, and it helps us relax and have fun after our designing hours are long gone. And yes, the visuals are a key component to the music we listen to, it helps tell the story the artist is trying to share with the audience. From the album cover to the promotional shoots to the music videos: the visual element is a complement to the sounds you’re listening to.

This time, we selected a top 6 (yes, it was hard) of our favorite 2022 album covers so far, based on how much they inspired us, how interesting and visually exciting they are, and basically how cool they look – duh! And no, there’s no hierarchy in this ranking, so don’t mind the order cause there are no winners or losers here (seriously, we mean it). Check it out and see if your favorite artist or band made the Raxo cut:

KENDRICK LAMAR: ‘MR. MORALE & THE BIG STEPPERS‘ PHOTOGRAPHER: RENELL MEDRANO

Kendrick hardly misses, and his latest artwork is no exception to this statement. The cover of his latest album shows Lamar in a crown of thorns holding a child and in the background, a woman holding a baby in her arms – a modern Jesus Christ & Mary Magdalene, some may say. The art direction on this one is just f l a w l e s s.

YEARS & YEARS: ‘NIGHT CALL‘ ILLUSTRATOR: UNKNOWN

Olly Alexander parted ways with the rest of the band but Years & Years is still going strong. This time, the cover shows Olly as a fantasy being from the sea with a design that conveys a classic victorian portrait. Very beautifully done (and to look at), the album shows a creative fluidity and musical maturity that matches the vibe of the cover.

FOALS: ‘LIFE IS YOURS‘ PHOTOGRAPH: KASIA

After a three-year hiatus, Foals returns with an album filled with positive energy and high contrast, and a cover to match this energy. This simple yet stunning artwork was taken with a 35mm camera, giving it an uniqueness only analog cameras can give to a picture. The image in itself is vibrant, with pink roses set against a white car, the composition just makes the colors pop.

PERFUME GENIUS: ‘UGLY SEASON‘ ARTIST: UNKNOWN

Mike Hadreas (a.k.a. Perfume Genius) switches very well between the roles of storyteller and composer. The narrative threads from his music and his impressionistic lyrics are perfectly represented in the artwork of his latest musical release. Hadreas is his own work of art in his own right, a masterpiece with both beauty and darkness.

THE LOSER: ‘GOSPEL‘ PHOTOGRAPHER: UNKNOWN

The year was 2005, that’s the last time we heard from Gospel and their “ambitious prog-screamo debut”, as music connoisseurs may call it. This album contains a marriage of genres and a very rich narrative in the lyrics, accompanied by a also yet eye-catching, trashy cover that embodies the vibe of the project.

KOJEY RADICAL: ‘REASON TO SMILE‘ PHOTOGRAPHER: NWAKA OKPARAEKE

Very reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar, Kojey Radical is a rap force in his own right, with bass-heavy vocals as his signature. The creativity of this album is both refreshing, unexpected and much needed in 2022. The artwork feels very ethereal and like a direct reference to the work of Salvador Dalí. Just breathtaking and inspiring.

BASTILLE: ‘GIVE ME THE FUTURE‘ DESIGN: DAN SMITH, RYAN VAUTIER, DUNISHU PEREA

As we move faster and faster into dystopian territory in real life in a post-pandemic context, Bastille used this anxiety about the future as their concept for their latest album. The album explores all-things digital and the design for the cover embodies this feeling of a Matrix-like kind of life, but with a more hopeful, optimistic, not-so-bad destination.