Baxter Dury

Spinning wry, observant stories of life among the well-heeled yet poorly behaved, Baxter Dury balances his deadpan vocals and debauched storytelling with subtle chamber pop arrangements and a nervy, new wave-inspired approach. After establishing his template on early works like 2002's Len Parrot's Memorial Lift, he slipped in some disco (2017's Prince of Tears) and dance music (2018's B.E.D.) but his bedrock drawl and surprisingly melodic songs never wavered. As the decade turned, records like 2023's laceratingly bleak, hip-hop-inspired I Thought I Was Better Than You cemented his place as one of the wittiest, most biting songwriters of his era.