22 Great Songs From '22
SAOKO // Rosalía
Rosalía has catapulted reggaeton into a new dimension. No song went harder this year than SAOKO. Legit throw-out-your-back music.
Miracles // Alex G
Alex G songs always have a sense of earnestness to them, but when he does a baby announcement on “Miracles” you can sense the youthful, devil may care attitude he usually carries begins to fade. In turn we see a new side of Alex G, a side that feels more mature and existential both lyrically and instrumentally. His future in Dad Rock sounds incredibly promising.
Happiness // The 1975
Taken from a casual jam session and disco-fied with the help of Sabrina the Teenage DJ and Jack Antonoff, “Happiness” proves that The 1975 are at their absolute best when they just don’t care that much.
Fugazi // Babehoven
It’s a testament to the sheer quality of a song and its ability to able to listen on repeat despite it sounding like an absolute bummer. Slowcore duo Babehoven tears a hole through your heart on “Fugazi” with Maya Bon’s chilling vocals and a languished acoustic guitar.
Hyenas // M Field
South African musician Matthew Field aka M Field has released some of the best EPs in the last two years. In his most recent Re: M Field he is still able to capture his erudite charm and incredibly catchy soukous-style melodies that come on full display on the opening track “Hyenas.”
Derrick Boleman // Westside Gunn
Come for the classic Griselda adlibs and Madlib production, stay for the opulence crash course like learning how Rolls Royce changed their headlights on the 2022 models.
Late Night Talking // Harry Styles
My self-proclaimed Song of The Summer 2022. Loved the nod to legendary Japanese pop artist Haruomi Hosono on this one.
Everybody in the UK // THE GOA EXPRESS
This song is a straight up jewel. Oasis-reincarnate. Little substance but man is there style and it’s catchy as hell. We need more music like this going into 2023 and hopefully these boys give us a full-length leading into the new year.
Night Walk // Junior Boys
I can’t think of a better song to night walk to tbh…
Silent Hill // Kendrick Lamar ft. Kodak Black
Honestly shocked the “…Like Huhhh!” refrain didn’t become a TikTok dance trend, and I say this in the nicest possible way. While Kendrick’s music errs on the side of seriousness, “Silent Hill” feels much more casual and fun with the help of a Kodak Black feature and the undefeated silenced pistol sample most likely taken from the Silent Hill video game franchise.
Spud Infinity // Big Thief
We know by now that Big Thief are capable of producing some of the most moving rock music today, but on “Spud Infinity” off Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You the band continues to find new ways to move us, this time with a song that’s so playful and campfire sounding that it almost feels like a joke. But when hearing the lines When I say infinity, I mean now // Kiss the one you are right now Big Thief still invokes the strongest emotions even as the silly jaw harp plays into the fade out.
Bad Habit // Steve Lacy
The Anthem of 2022 - connecting 16 year old TikTok addicts, LA socialites, and music snobs all together is no easy feat, but Lacy has always known how to make a great pop song. Add horoscopes and the universally known feeling of regret not saying something sooner to the mix and it’s bound to explode.
Deep Down Way Out // Orlando Weeks
Anything produced by Bullion will make its way to a Best Of list. The Peter Gabriel vibe this song has paired with the almost ethereal sounding vocals of Orlando Weeks sounds so refreshingly unique.
Body Paint // Arctic Monkeys
Writer Steven Hyden wrote that this last Arctic Monkeys album “felt like an ending.” If that is truly the case, “Body Paint” is the curtain call song. While the first half of the song features their newer smokey lounge sound, the latter is grand finale sounding: A triumphant reprise of a chorus only Alex Turner could sing, finishing with maybe the horniest guitar solo you will hear all year. Whatever comes next for this band and its members, they’ll look back knowing they completed this chapter on a high note.
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Easily the club track of the summer. Premiering it at Glastonbury earlier in the year, Four Tet has now made his indecipherable moniker a household name in clubs across the world - with the Fred Again Boiler Room putting this track on every seasoned and wannabe DJ’s playlist for their next set.
Expert in a Dying Field // The Beths
The Beths are making a case to become the next sweethearts of the Indie Pop world. You will fall in love with band lead Elizabeth Stokes simply from her voice, as the rest of the band twinkles with an intoxicating amount of twee and charm making “Expert in a Dying Field” an instant classic.
Dive Deep // Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
While the Melbourne jangle starlets 4th record wasn’t their best, they had a few glimmering moments sprinkled throughout. “Dive Deep” shows RBCF can can slow it down and still pack a major punch. The guitar solo at the end from 1 of 3 guitarists Joe White is 😮💨😮💨😮💨
You’ll Never Work in Television Again // The Smile
Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood can make that guitars sound fucking insane and it’s an incredibly gratifying feeling listening to him push the instrument to its limits.
f1 racer // Mount Kimbie ft KUČKA
Maybe the best pop song you didn’t hear this year - marrying left-field instrumentals from Dominic Maker of London-electronic duo Mount Kimbie and the lightweight vocals from KUČKA we finally have a song that shouts out the Formula One culture.
Strung Out On You // 2nd Grade
There is not a better band in the USA doing Power Pop better than 2nd Grade right now. Unforgettable guitar riffs, a sense of playful yearning, while tapping your feet enough to break a floorboard you really can’t ask for anything else from these guys.
Massive // Drake
We caught a few glimpses of House Drake with “Get It Together” back in 2017 and his new alter ego prowling around the pools of the EDM scene Miami earlier in the summer finding a new culture to vulture. While many get upset at Drake’s inclination to hop on and off musical trends like a city tram, you have to give him for doing it so well, enough to the point where I’d be ok with him staying with this new lane for the time being.
SONG OF THE YEAR:
Pharmacist // Alvvays
“Pharmacist” being the lead single from Alvvays’s latest album Blue Rev jet propulsed the band from clean and jangley, to incredibly loud and distorted. Vocalist Molly Rankin perfectly matches each note and it’s respective lyric to an emotion you know all too well - wrecking you on lines such as “An assistant to the way life’s shaking out, those girls are older now.” Alec O'Hanley’s shoegazed guitar plays with a new sense of fervor evoking the strife of warped memories or “the pain of seeing things you differently than you imagined.” The icing on the cake comes from producer Shawn Everett who was able to make everything sound loud and clear, losing nothing in the mix, and enabling the band to upgrade their sound in every possible way.
