Villagers win Album of the Year in the bumper Hot Press 2022 Annual, available now!

Conor J. O'Brien's Christmas has just become even merrier with the news that Villagers' stunning Fever Dreams has topped the Hot Press Albums of The Year list, which is jam-packed with must-have records and can be perused in full in our bumper 2022 Annual. Leaning boldly into the delirious whirlwind we’ve all been living through, Fever Dreams is a multi-layered affair that defies easy categorisation and keeps revealing itself with each play.

Tucked in behind Villagers at no. 2 is For Those I Love's extraordinary self-titled debut, which is joined in the top 10 by Kojaque's equally powerful and groundbreaking Town's Dead . Both highlight just how high the Irish hip-hop bar is now set.

Other Irish artists and albums securing top ten berths are Saint Sister's Where I Should End and James Vincent McMorrow's Grapefruit Season, both of which represent career highs for the two artists.

The highest ranking non-Irish album is Blue Weekend, the latest bit of aural alright from Wolf Alice whose lead singer Ellie Rowsell is also interviewed in the Hot Press 2022 Annual, in the shops this weekend with a gold-shrouded Glen Hansard on the cover.

Self Esteem's breakthrough year is confirmed by The Artist Also Known As Rebecca Taylor securing the no. 7 spot with Prioritise Pleasure, the experimental pop riot that we all needed in 2021.

Team Hot Press also voted for their Tracks of the Year with Silk Sonic's wondrous 'Leave The Door Open' nipping in late and wrestling top spot from Billie Eilish's 'Happier Than Ever'. The top ten also makes happy reading for CMAT, Saint Sister, Damien Dempsey, Kojaque and James Vincent McMorrow.

The Hot Press 2022 Annual also includes an in-depth interview with Christy Moore who pips Mick Flannery and Susan O'Neill to the Folk Album of the Year post with Flying Into Mystery. The top 10 is awash with young whipper snappers like David Keenan, John Francis Flynn and Dani Larkin, which underlines just how vibrant the roots side of things is at the moment.

Despite the wildfire emergence of Arca, it's Belfast duo Bicep who win Dance & Electronic Album of the Year with their latest mesmerising excursion into dubstep, ambient and hauntology, Shock Power Of Love.

Brought to you in association with Hennessy, who have deep-rooted ties with the genre, the Hip-Hop Albums of the Year represent another towering achievement for Little Simz and Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, which sees off the likes of Vince Staples' eponymous collection and Dave's We're All Alone In This Together.

See the results in full in the Hot Press 2022 Annual, available in shops and from below: