The Best Canadian Albums of 2020

From Drake to The Weeknd to Grimes, these were the albums that got us through the year. These were the best records to come out of the Great White North.

best canadian albums 2020 the weeknd dvsn jessie reyez tobi grimes backxwash
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

best canadian albums 2020 the weeknd dvsn jessie reyez tobi grimes backxwash

It's been a long fight. The music industry has been upended, and our lives along with it. But in the most challenging of years, some voices still managed to stand out, either lifting us out of the darkness or resonating with us during a time of unrest. Good music really hit different in 2020. And in Canada, there was plenty of it, from superstars like Drake and The Weeknd to upstarts like Backxwash and Chiiild. Years from now, these songs might trigger memories of how life was when we first heard them: lonely, uncertain, surreal. But for the time being, this is the music that's getting us through it. These are Complex Canada's picks for the 20 best Canadian albums of 2020.

20. Houdini, 'underGROUND'

houdini underground

19. Preme and Popcaan, ‘Link Up’

preme popcaan

18. Anachnid, 'Dreamweaver'

anachnid dreamweaver

17. Shawn Mendes, 'Wonder'

shawn mendes wonder

16. The OBGMs, 'The Ends'

the obgms the ends

15. Potatohead People, ‘Mellow Fantasy’

potatohead people mellow fantasy

14. Witch Prophet, 'DNA Activation'

witch prophet dna

13. Jonah Yano, 'souvenir'

jonah yano souvenir

12. Nav, 'Good Intentions'

Nav 'Good Intentions'

11. Chiiild, 'Synthetic Soul'

synthetic soul chiiild

10. DijahSB, '2020 the Album'

dijah sb

9. Backxwash, 'God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It'

backxwash

8. Drake, 'Dark Lane Demo Tapes'

Drake

7. Clairmont The Second, 'It’s Not How It Sounds'

clairmont the second its not how it sounds

6. Junia-T, 'Studio Monk'

studio monk

5. Grimes, 'Miss Anthropocene'

grimes

4. Jessie Reyez, 'Before Love Came to Kill Us'

jessie reyez

3. TOBi, 'ELEMENTS Vol.1'

tobi elements vol1

2. Dvsn, 'A Muse in Her Feelings'

DVSN

1. The Weeknd, 'After Hours'

The Weeknd 'After Hours'

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