Arctic Monkeys, Fred Again, Raye and numerous other British and Irish acts are behind some of the top albums shortlisted for the U.K.’s esteemed Mercury Prize.
The annual ceremony is set to take place on Sept. 7 at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, London and will feature live performances from many of the highlighted artists. This year’s top albums list boasts an exuberant mix of musical styles from the eclectic glitchy pop of Shygirl’s 2022 album, “Nymph,” to the rugged and moody “Heavy Heavy,” a 2023 release from Scottish group Young Fathers. The full list of 2023 Mercury Prize finalists appears below.
Arctic Monkeys “The Car”
Ezra Collective “Where I’m Meant to Be”
Fred again.. “Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022)”
J Hus “Beautiful And Brutal Yard”
Jessie Ware “That! Feels Good!”
Jockstrap “I Love You Jennifer B”
Lankum “False Lankum”
Loyle Carner “hugo”
Olivia Dean “Messy”
Raye “My 21st Century Blues”
Shygirl “Nymph”
Young Fathers “Heavy Heavy”
This is the fifth time Arctic Monkeys, the Alex Turner-fronted rock band, have been featured in a Mercury Prize shortlist. The nomination puts them in a tie with Radiohead for the most shortlisted albums since the ceremony was first introduced in the early ’90s. Their 2018 album, “Tranquility base Hotel & Casino” (2018), was their last appearance on the list.
Speaking with PvNew about “The Car,” Turner described the set as a comfortable balance between their massive 2013 record “AM” and “Tranquility base”: “I think there is still a bit of the ‘R U Mine?’ band on this record,” he said. “There is that component, it just brings itself in and out of focus in a more dynamic way and a more extreme way… It completely disappears in some areas. But it sort of bubbles up from under the surface on occasion throughout the 40 minutes.”
The shortlist was curated by an independent judging panel consisting of musicians, songwriters, composers, broadcasters and other industry leaders including Anna Calvi, Danielle Perry, Hannah Peel, Jamie Cullum, Jamz Supernova, Jeff Smith, Lea Stonhill, Mistajam, Phil Alexander, Sian Eleri, Tshepo Mokoena, Will Hodgkinson and Jeff Smith.
The Prize’s broadcast partner, BBC Music, will be providing coverage of the event across BBC TV, radio, online and social media.
