The Art of Vibing

Lilo & Stitch (2025) Review: The Most Optimistic Time to Discuss Disney Remakes

By: Campbell Petschke

The Issue We All Have

Addressing the elephant in the room… I am not a fan of Disney doing all these love action remakes. I’ve given more than a handful a chance with very limited payoff. Jungle Book being the rare exception where it might actually be better than the original. On the other hand though, Lady and the Tramp absolutely stunk and I wasn’t a huge fan of The Little Mermaid (although not horrendous). The others I am too wary of my time to bother checking out, not even for so bad it’s good fun. They seem lifeless from the story telling to the color grading, which they still can’t seem to get right.

While Lilo & Stitch did many things better than nearly every other remake Disney has attempted, it still has a glaring issue that every other one suffers from. My expectation and I think most people’s worry with these remakes is that they’re shot for shot, lack an interesting way to tell the story, and have seriously shitty CGI. Luckily, Lilo & Stitch succeeds in combatting those issues… kind of.

A handful of times there will be near exact recreations of certain scenes trying to capture an emotion that the original source material executed so well. Thankfully, the writers/director decided to go a new direction with many choices. Choices that I know not everyone was pleased with because of how beloved this story is to people of all ages. If it’s done differently and still makes sense for the story, why get upset? I would go as far to say that 75% of the differences felt welcomed and worked pretty well. I like that the differences mostly still stuck to the strong family themes from the original, but then introduced another about learning to let go. That family is still there for you even when they’re physically not.

Growth of Character

Speaking of family, Maia Kealoha IS Lilo. This was the best casting choice I’ve seen for any of these remakes. She understood how this character is supposed to act. She’s free spirited, gets overly enthusiastic about certain things, sometimes says things too bluntly, but loves her family with all her heart even when it feels broken. Sydney Agudong was a great Nani too. There was such a natural chemistry that existed between her and Lilo. I believed their relationship every second.

Not all casting choices were great though, as I have no clue why they thought Zach Galifianakis when looking at Jumba’s design. His voice isn’t menacing at all when he’s clearly supposed to have a large presence. This has nothing against his performance as he did fine with what he was given, but design wise and vocally it was a big miss

This is just once example of where these changes don’t work. In an interview with the director, he stated that they wrote around the character of Gantu because it just didn’t mesh well with the live action. That leads to a big flaw that the OG movie covered so well. Jumba didn’t want to kill Stitch ever, he was more interested in what he would do if not in a large city scale area and studying him. While kind of the bad guy, he redeems himself in spurts and just wants Stitch to be well. In turn, Gantu was the replacement jerk who wanted him captured for selfish reasons. Without him there, it makes Jumba’s villainous presence really flat and dull.

Pleakley’s changes were honestly fine except I’m always gonna miss him dressing as a woman. It added personality to the character. Instead we get a can-do attitude replacement who is played pretty charmingly by Billy Magnussen. The reoccurring theme here is that these two changes aren’t really awful, but they’re opted out for less interesting alternatives.

Jumba and Pleakley in Lilo & Stitch Remake (Disney)

The Problem is Not the Issue

The biggest crime this movie commits though is the same one that all the other remakes do. Not that anyone from Disney will read this, but STOP TRYING TO MAKE THE SAME MOVIE! For a movie that has differences that mostly pay off positively, why bother wasting time trying to recreate others, but with half the spirit?

The first social worker scene in particular pissed me off with how it wrapped up. The original scene was super emotional and impactful. The score was intense, the tensions were super high, and illustrated how difficult this situation is that Lilo and Nani exist in so perfectly. It’s the turning point in the beginning where the two got on the same level with each other and came to an understanding of how things needed to go down. Nani stepped up being emotionally there for her sister and Lilo met her in the middle by saying that she likes her better as a sister than a mom. It’s a really beautiful moment.

So you can imagine one’s frustration when this pretty serious scene is made out to be a silly little chase with the same intention, but has lighthearted, fun music playing in the background. Objectively without comparison of the original, this is just a totally miss of an opportunity. A very serious threat is being posed to their relationship and living situation and instead it’s opted out for silliness.

The opening sequence in space was executed horribly too. Even without reference to the original, this is an extremely rushed moment that wastes time in trying to get to know these characters at all. It’s all so quick in execution that it honestly made me dizzy. All the rehash quotes being spat were super irritating too. You don’t need to do that to make old fans interested. It was interesting to see what parts of dialogue they thought the old fans would want to see.

For example, in Stitch’s escape scene in the beginning, we are wondering where he went after he maneuvers out of his trap. We find out he takes an escape ship, but while wondering which one he took, they highlight how he took the big red ship which is supposed to be cool and exciting to see. A character on the control deck says, “oh he took the red one.” That’s supposed to be cool! Instead in this film, we see Stitch escape immediately and there’s no buildup of mystery of emphasis of why him taking the red ship was cool. The same character says the same line, but we don’t even get a highlight of that ship being the cool one. So why bother saying it?

Lilo & Stitch does so well when it doesn’t try super hard to be like the original and falls flat on its face when it does try way too hard to please the older crowd that grew up with it. The usage of Elvis ultimately serves no purpose being there now since it was played into the story of the first one. Stitch was taught to be a model citizen through Lilo’s interpretation of The King. Here it just is seen as a reference to the original.

The way they handled Cobra Bubbles is pretty lame too. That’s one replacement I did not understand why it had to be changed if they were going to include him anyways. The new social worker character wanted good for Nani, but not in the same way Cobra did. He did a great job in letting her know what she needed to do to keep Lilo with her. It was same message in both movies, just one delivered with urgency and the other being not as impactful. She just came off as a nothing character that easily could’ve been performed by the Cobra character despite this new role of his.

Don’t Take Anyone’s Word For It

While it probably comes off as me complaining throughout this review as a lover of the original Lilo and Stitch, I am only pointing out what objectively did not work in the film’s favor. Believe it or not, I could probably write an even longer review about everything I did like and didn’t like bit by bit. For what this remake is though, it’s harmless. The emotional climax of this film really does work well and got me misty eyed. The Stitch character is still really cool and animated incredibly well shockingly. Despite some color grading issues at times, the Hawaiian setting still looks gorgeous and nails the island vibe that the original did so well too.

For those points alone, I understand that many people will still avoid the Disney remakes like the plague. A decision that I fully respect and mostly follow the same route myself. If you are the least bit curious about checking it out though, please do. Hell, wait until it’s on Disney+. This is the rare instance of the remake being worth checking out as most of the changes in direction pay off and maybe you might even like more. Even if you swear by the original, remove how it’s upsetting the climax is not the same as the original and enjoy this alternate ending.

For the first time since Jon Favreau’s Jungle Book adaptation, I really do feel some confidence in these remakes if they go about it correctly. Hit the correct notes you need to when telling the story, not all of them. If they decide to not be on the nose with their callbacks to the original and point themselves in contributing their new, unique take on the story… go for it! The best parts of this film are when they took new directions. It felt like less of wasting my time and money since it wasn’t the same note for note as the original and had new things to say.

Money Talks (If You Decide to Listen)

Side note/critique: The marketing of this film I found very annoying in a bittersweet way. Back when the animated original was first being promoted, they inserted Stitch into classic Disney moments like the Whole New World scene in Aladdin and the ballroom dance in Beauty and the Beast. He was highlighted to be a menace and troublemaker. It was a really cool promotional tactic to get people interested.

Disney decided to try and repeat that success and put all their marketing into that basket. They had robotic Stitches popping out of movie theater popcorn buckets, popping into other Disney trailers, TikTok profiles… it worked as it got a lot of people excited thinking that if Disney was really promoting it THAT heavily, it must mean they cooked up something special.

Lilo & Stitch (2025) in style of Moana (Disney)

That to me speaks volumes. Disney has abandoned so many projects this decade so far and done a terrible job in promoting other features that are original stories. Elemental underperformed here because they did a shitty job promoting it. An original story about immigration and falling in love. Pixar’s upcoming Elio is receiving the same treatment. Barely any coverage and it comes out in a few weeks. Another original that is being pushed to the side. Rant aside, I hope that in some capacity they learn their lesson and see that if you believe in your movies and stories to tell that you can get a lot of people excited. Original stories deserve every ounce of spotlight as a beloved story that we’re all familiar with. Future classics are being deprived to the mainstream by their greed and it’s very disappointing.

Does Anger Move On With Others?

By: Campbell Petschke

This is Bull

Mid-January of this year, I was very upset. Shaking my fists at the world and too frustrated to speak to my friend next to me on the Metra coming home from the city. We had taken a frosty, wet, walk to a pizza place I had been dying to try for years, hit up some record stores, and met up with a friend downtown too. If you know anything about me, this is a near perfect day in my eyes (minus bone chilling Chicago winds). Despite the great time I had that day, I still found a way to get frustrated. Unfortunately, this was justified. This was mainly due to none other than your very own Chi-CAGO BULLS!

One would think it would be how the Bulls had been performing that evening that got me frustrated, which is a fair assumption. The Bulls make me want to rip my hair out constantly. Although, this was not the case for this freezing cold evening. The United Center was honoring Bulls legends from all years and was holding a Ring of Honor ceremony to commemorate it. Inviting Bulls icons like Phil Jackson, Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc… the list goes on except for Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman not in attendance. As each name was read, the massive crowd in the arena would resoundingly cheer and go crazy. After all we’re celebrating a Chicago team that went all the way more than once. This does not happen very much around here, so we take advantage of every opportunity.

All was going well until they went to honor Jerry Krause, the Bulls general manager for many successful seasons in the franchise’s legendary run in the 90’s. Instead of loud cheers, the crowd echoed resounding boos. Krause had passed away in 2017, but his wife, Thelma, was in attendance. The camera panned over to her and people had to block the view of the camera. Mrs. Krause was overwhelmed and flooded with tears. Many very publicly came to her defense later in the broadcast. Former Bull and analyst, Stacey King, wasted no time to call out this awful behavior during the game itself. K.C. Johnson, the Bulls media presence for over two decades, also took to Twitter to air out his frustrations with the ‘fans’. It was a horrible night to be a fan of Chicago sports.

For months, I couldn’t get this moment out of my head. It was one of the most disturbing things I had ever seen on TV. It was so real. It highlighted all the moments to really get under my skin. We heard the reaction, saw the emotion, and the after effect. I watched this clip easily over a dozen times after it made rounds on social media. I tried so hard to understand the reaction of that crowd. The reaction of a group of strangers collectively degrading the legacy, life, and impact of a man who is no longer alive… What’s crazy to me is that these thousands of people did not personally know Jerry, but they cared enough about sports to feel like they had a voice in how everyone else is to perceive his career and accomplishments.

I have most definitely been emotional when it comes to sports. I remember calling my friend with tears in my eyes when the 2016 Chicago Cubs won the World Series in one of the best games ever played (unbiased while I dry my eyes having a moment thinking about it). There’s something very special about your city having proper representation in what brings a lot of people joy just to experience at any time. In the moment we can really get caught up in a whirlwind of emotions and lose focus of what we’re watching is really just nothing more than a game. A game between very talented human beings pitted against each other for their own glory. What it’s not, is an opportunity to unleash suppressed emotions that you don’t know how to address in your life outside of a sports venue.

Don’t Look Back in Anger

My point in bringing this story up is not solely because of the bad taste left in my mouth, but for the sake of passing and the emotions that follow. Jerry Krause had been passed for nearly seven years before that disturbing January evening. People were so hurt by choices made by Krause that they decided his whole career and life was not worth celebrating. This is where it really bothered me. A man lived a life that was sadly cut short and had what most people would consider a great career and brought joy to a lot of people indirectly, but because of change and differing viewpoints, people felt he needed to be derided.

So my question that was getting knocked around back and forth like ping pong in my noggin was “do feelings subside after death?” I have experienced death of friends and family in my life, but my feelings towards these people never really shifted. This is probably due to having amicable relationships with all of them. My mom would tell us growing up when leaving the house that she loved us and just wanted to make sure that we knew that in case something were to happen. It sticks with me especially as an adult. I am getting older, so are my parents, my friends. We hear a lot nowadays in a society that strongly values mental health and wellbeing much more than when I was younger that we need to remind those around us in life that they matter. Life is too short, especially for the ones that have that time cut even shorter.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Second chances in life are a miracle. Really, when it comes to anything or anyone that gives you a second chance, it’s like dropping your ice cream on the ground and the guy behind the counter is smiling with a replacement cone handy. When given a chance to repair or forgive something that once was, it’s so imperative that it gets acted upon, so long as they deserve it. Depending on how you divide yourself and how you see forgiveness, there’s plenty of slices of depth in this life of pie. Some choose to never forgive and are perfectly content with holding anger and animosity. While severity of the legal crime known as morality is applicable in case to case, some give others the time of day and feel guilt if they hold resentment towards another. Then there’s those who believe forgiveness is a skill and doesn’t let their brain get infected with the negativity. Finally, there’s the ones that easily forgive because they are uncomfortable with the emotion of anger or guilt.

This spectrum is fascinating because both easy ways out (never forgiving and quick to forgive) require no time for thought. It’s almost borderline selfish to others and really yourself to not give the consideration of what the situation means to you and to others. Not everyone is emotionally competent enough to take steps or sit with their feelings enough to forgive and forget. Though I have practiced this skill throughout my life, I am definitely guilty of taking the easy route at times. I thought as a kid, for example, if I didn’t instantly forgive my friend for a disagreement we had that they would hate me for the rest of my life. That lies the problem that haunt a lot of people’s minds as well. You can’t have a real friendship or relationship without disagreement. Anger is powerful.

Speak Now (Or Don’t, it’s Cool)

At times, I self-diagnose from what I call media brain, where I feel as though I can bring up certain thoughts or ideas that the average person wouldn’t think to ask as it’s deeper than the typical small talk. Moreso the type of convo that comes off less natural and more like a script in a show or movie. I should elaborate as to not sound like I’m saying “oOooO I’m wiser than you!” What I mean is that I am fascinated for how other people process emotions. I perceive myself objectively as a pretty sensitive dude. According to studies, hypersensitive folks like myself are of the 36% that can pretty accurately read other people’s emotions through body language, tone, and verbiage. That’s right, the key to understanding is to be a little whiny itty bitty baby boy. Kidding (slightly).

I have asked people these media brained questions at times and I’ve discovered that not a lot know how to answer my curious inquiry. Partly, it’s due to feeling apprehended and not knowing how to answer a loaded question like ‘how do you process anger’ on the spot. I don’t blame them. Most people live in the silence of their own feelings as is, why would this person who doesn’t live inside their head be inquisitive about how I process rage in a video game lobby or a disagreement with my partner? On top of that, not everyone feels like they are worthy of help or advice.

On one occasion, I was driving home with my friend from a show and the topic of grief came up. My forward brain prompted the question, “do you ever struggle with crying or feel like you should cry more?” This was an instance where the inquisition actually didn’t catch someone off guard. The answer he gave has stuck with me to this day. He said, “I’ve already done all that I can do. Why would I keep torturing myself over it?” It was a response I had never heard before when talking about grief and overcoming pain. Most people say it never leaves you, which to him was still true. We will never get over it, but it’s about how it’s framed that will guide you forward.

Where to Now?

To answer my own question… does anger move on with others? Well… did you read anything I wrote before this paragraph, idiot?! It’s up to you. To some people, emotions are a choice and not what is felt. Not everyone can decide whether they feel what they do if not left up to what we see as normal functionality.

I find it fascinating that for each person’s perception of another, there’s different actions/traits that stick out that might not to others. I’ll use the example of the recent death of Gene Hackman. It was publicly known that he wasn’t the most pleasant person to work with on sets. He was pretty no-nonsense with his job and generally pretty irritable. In light of his passing a few weeks ago, there’s been an outpour of support with people providing kind words and messages. The predominant message being that he was an incredible talent that wowed those who acted those that acted alongside him. It’s probably a more tame example to use as he didn’t do anything outright terrible (to my knowledge). His death happened to come at an oddly fitting time while writing this as it’s a prime example of those remembering him for his performances and less about his unpleasant nature people accused him for.

Anger is all about value and worth. How much effort do you feel is necessary put forth to this moment in time or this action from a person you care about? While emotion isn’t a choice to everyone, it’s one that strikes. Is it more worth to live the life of a sequence of positive memories despite one faulty action? Are you willing to remember what could’ve been only a handful of good memories in a series of bad ones? I have had friends and family that have left my life through just the curse of time or in passing that I really wish I could’ve told them how I felt. Not for the sake of getting it off my chest, but reminding them that deep down that they deserved to feel more.

I know I’m not the only one that wishes they could tell the person no longer in their life what they meant to them. Think about your own values and for how you understand others. A lot of us would be surprised by how deeply we feel for each other, it’s just not easy for everyone to put it to words or without a form of anxiety to hang on their shoulders. If this person that is no longer in your life left the next day, would you feel confident that they knew your true intentions? Maybe today is the day to tell them. Both you and your person deserve to know.

The Very Best in Music 2024 (Songs)

By: Campbell Petschke

Before We Get Started…

2024 may have been the best year of music I have been alive for and actively paying attention to. From just two weeks into the year, what I consider to be a 9/10 album dropped and set the tone immediately. That album took my mind away from the inevitable, once a year, car troubles as I was cooking up some dinner for my girlfriend and I. May have even started dancing around with a spatula… can’t confirm or deny. I digress. This year was full of moments like this. Ones that make a lifeless day behind a computer screen into a memorable afternoon of discovery and deep dive. Long drives to Tennessee and shorter ones to and from concerts became more than just sitting in traffic looking to the skies. New music just hit different in 2024 and it’ll reflect in this list I’ve concocted.

This is only part one of my year end lists that I will drop before year end. In this section, I will attempt to be different and make a top 60 songs of the year list instead of 50 (suck it Pitchfork). The list will range from the multiple rises of pop stars, genre divergences from prior sounds, maybe even something you’ve never heard of before. That’s the beauty of end of year list time, yeah? Listening to what I have to say and then applying it to your own life to make it better. You’re welcome.

In all seriousness, thank you for your curiosity and I hope that everyone reading this had a wonderful year inside and out of music. Let’s kick this off with…

60. Yeat – Breathe

Yeat is a really cool presence in rap. His production choices and vocals are very unique in this very Playboi Carti driven rap-scape, which means a lot because there’s so many that just sound like empty copies. Yeat is different in the sense that it sounds like he really cares about every track even on a 20+ song album. Breathe is a clear standout as it sounds incredible blasted in your headphones or through really good speakers. Super crisp production, really fueled performance, very entertaining track.

59. Peggy Gou – Lobster Telephone

Rock lobster? More like EDM lobster ha ha… eh…

Peggy Gou is a really consistent singles artist and Lobster Telephone is no exception. I mean this positively and in no ill intent, but this is the type of song that does not strike you initially, but then you have the beat stuck in your head for days and can’t remember who the hell made the song. Then you finally find it was this song and you want to cling onto it out of fear that it will infect your mind again and ruin your week… may or may not be based on a true story. Either way, Peggy Gou’s album didn’t really impress me at all this year, but this one is a clear standout. Bubbly, cute, and way too catchy.

58. Nia Archives – Cards on the Table

Cards on the Table is so strong of a song that it’ll make you stop your playlist and go to the album to check out the artist. While Nia is a very talented producer, the lyrics are so innocent. These cute lyrics about just going with the flow and wanting to constantly be young at heart are put over a very 2000s reminiscent breakbeat sound and it wins me over instantly.

57. Caroline Polachek & Weyes Blood – Butterfly Net

On paper, this collab sounds perfect. Through earbuds, it’s also pretty damn close to that. While Butterfly Net was initially on Caroline’s album last year, Weyes Blood’s addition adds something extra to an already strong song. Both of their voices sound so booming and everlasting (if that makes sense?), it feels like this was meant to echo throughout a full auditorium with no microphone and everyone just sits in awe that they have such good vocal chemistry. Need more of both these two soon!!

56. Barry Can’t Swim – Kimbara

Similar to Peggy Gou, Barry Can’t Swim is just a hit machine. This dude is a turning point in electronic and dance music, at least in my world. Truthfully, anything he’s put out this year could’ve been on this list, but Kimbara’s big boom, all out party like no one’s watching sound wins me over just that much more. It’s a killer single that is honestly a great intro to Barry for anyone not familiar with his style.

55. Tove Lo x SG Lewis – Desire

Why did this project get overlooked? One of the greater mysteries of this year was why this collab did not get the love it deserved. It’s not a deep masterpiece or anything, but Desire is an example of what these two had to offer. Just a really carefree, live it up and dance your worries away kind of time. While Charli had her A.G., Tove Lo had her SG, and both made some magic together this year.

54. Olivia Rodrigo – So American

In a time where there’s so many pointless deluxe version cash grabs, be like Olivia. Every song she added to her deluxe felt like it was supposed to be on the original cut of Guts. So American is a clear standout because this feels like the song that nails Olivia as a songwriter. What I loved so much about Guts last year was how forward she is lyrically and even if it comes off basic on paper, it really works because of her sound that she’s achieved this decade. So American highlights this honesty and youthful energy into a sweet love song that prevents being overly gushy with also being pretty funny. The “Oh god, I’m gonna marry him if he keeps this shit up” specifically hits.

53. Vampire Weekend – Classical

I hate Vampire Weekend. So pretentious, so Oxford boy, so *fill in the blank*. Honestly, who cares, they still have magic in them after nearly two decades of being active and hearing Classical for the first time was a total treat. This sounds like it was a lost track from the debut era and has the same sense of urgency in Ezra’s songwriting. It tackles the topic of classism and how much it has and will change in the coming years with how each class is represented in our society. Not to say that Father of the Bride lacked oomph, but Classical is what classic VW felt like. Their purpose and presence feels more realized with tracks like this.

52. JOBA – American Fever

In the post-Brockhampton age that we live in, JOBA in my eyes is the most interesting member musically. When American Fever first dropped, it was so exciting. I can’t help but feel that with every member of the boyband dropping, a handful were most excited to see what he would do next. American Fever is a really old school sounding track that has moments of deceptively hopeful horns, ragtime like pianos, and a soaring finale. The live version of this song might be even better, but regardless it’s a kick ass song that did not receive the love it deserved this year.

51. The Beaches – Takes One to Know One

Last year I considered The Beaches to be one of the most exciting new alternative bands to pop up in recent years and that still proves true in 2024. I had the pleasure of seeing the band again this year at Austin City Limits and just based on crowd alone, this group has grown significantly. They opened up with Takes One to Know One and something about that time had it hit me deeper. The opening riff that repeats at the beginning of every verse tickles my brain too. Need more from this group ASAP.

50. PinkPantheress – Turn It Up

This album art looks like that floating kid head from Thor Love and Thunder

Don’t let the album art dissuade you from checking out this single. PinkPantheress’s sweet, bubbly, nostalgic production is just a testament to how talented she is at finding these samples and making magic in the studio. She’s too good to not be a bigger presence in mainstream music. I eagerly await the next banger from her because her hot streak continues and nobody is seemingly anywhere close to doing what she does better than her.

49. Twenty One Pilots – Next Semester

There was too little of expectation going into what a Twenty One Pilots album would sound like after the massive disappointment with Scaled and Icy. Overcompensate was a solid enough single, but Next Semester was the “just when I though I was out, they pulled me back in” moment. This is what a follow up to Trench SHOULD sound like. Kickass bassline (in an alternative way), a passionate vocal performance, and an epic finale that leaves you wanting so much more. On all fronts, this is how Josh and Tyler win some of their audience back (let’s face it, the other part will eat up whatever they put out, bad or good).

48. Quadeca – Guide Dog

Couldn’t have a year end list without something off of Scrapyard. Quadeca gave what felt promised as a bunch of leftovers from I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You and instead was a fully realized LP with a lot to feast on. Most of the tracks were released as EPs last year, but one that really stuck with me was Guide Dog. Just atmospherically, Guide Dog is a somber love song that has a lot of heart about wanting the person in question to see the beauty he sees. Instrumentally, it feels very much of this era with how desperate the dark folky guitar sounds. When Quadeca gets down like this, it is what really hits home for me.

47. Fcukers – Homie Don’t Shake

Fcukers are honestly too cool to be real. Every time you think this song ends, it comes back with something just as interesting as the time before. Homie Don’t Shake comes off like a less aggressive Prodigy track and instead of all the breakbeat, it’s taking place in a club circa 2011. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but in reality I am just trying to get you to get interested in Fcukers. They’re only gonna grow more in this coming year, I can feel it.

46. twikipedia – garden

Probably the latest entry on this list, twikipedia is part of this trend of digicore that just easily wins me over unexplainably. twikipedia plays my emotions like its a Game Boy on Garden. A deeply emotional song that knows how to sort out the events of this situation in a way that just hurts more. Every following song on this album makes you feel a whole range of emotions, but this one struck me the hardest and resulted in an immediate replay.

45. St. Vincent – Big Time Nothing

Annie Clark’s 2014 self titled album has always been my favorite in her discography. All Born Screaming and that album have a lot in common, but Big Time Nothing is proof that it’s like it’s more goth, punkier cousin. It’s like this album’s Los Ageless or Digital Witness. It’s arguably the climax of the record and the point that really shows that this is not the same St. Vincent from Daddy’s Home or even MASSEDUCTION, nor did I want it to be like either. This is continuous proof that Annie still has so much to offer and experiment with. I really dug the heavy funk and shrieks on this track specifically and is the one I return to most as a result.

44. Blu DeTiger – Latency

I love when stars like Blu pop out and grab my attention as quick as she did. She’s a sick bass player and knows that we know that. Latency feels so quick and fresh right off the bat as it feels like I’m about to start listening to Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John. Despite it not being in my Spotify Wrapped top 10, it really felt like it should have. While the rest of her album from this year took a couple listens to grip me, Latency is one that has staying power. A funk clad track that feels like it was lost from the 2000s. This is the song you show someone if you want them to listen to Blu DeTiger (which everyone should).

43. MGMT – Nothing Changes

It’s hard to identify an artist that has as much range and willingness to expand themselves like MGMT. I loved both (I think just two?) singles that they dropped last year, ESPECIALLY Bubblegum Dog. While I don’t think any track quite topped that one, Nothing Changes is pretty damn close. What an introspectively beautiful track! I love how they constantly prove how self aware they are of their place in music and how their past didn’t always align with what they had planned for themselves. The trumpet lead bridge made this probably my first favorite song of this year. Obviously a lot has changed with this list since, but nothing has changed about how much I love this cut.

42. Knocked Loose & Poppy – Suffocate

What can you say about this track that wasn’t felt the first time you heard this as a Knocked Loose fan? This is really one of those “we made it songs” for both KL and Poppy. I know this one doesn’t win over every hardcore fan of the band, but this really does exemplify of what makes the band more accessible in a good way. They honor their ferocity and passion that has made them such a mainstay in hardcore for years and turn it into a new leaf here.

At this point in the list is where it became super hard…

41. Cordae & Lil Wayne – Saturday Mornings

Him and Chance need to have a “nostalgia-off”

Nobody in rap is doing what Cordae is doing with his collabs. When he dropped RNP with Anderson .Paak nearly half a decade ago, it was a breath of fresh air. As he has collabed with others since, Saturday Mornings proves his ability is not even close to dying out. Cordae and Wayne work off each other like they’ve been doing it for years. Per most of Cordae’s music, it’s very smooth, lyrical, and nostalgic. Wayne gives one of his best verses in years here too. I really have a lot of trust in Cordae to keep pulling this magic out of other artists. This shit is special.

40. Allie X – Weird World

Girl with No Face is so fucking good… but more on that in my next entry. Allie X created a world in this album that is quickly established within Weird World, the opening track. It’s super synthy and goth, two things that go together like fries and frostees. Not only does it do a great job establishing the tone early and what type of artist Allie X is, but it also shows off how stellar of a vocal ability she possesses. Truly one of the best opening tracks of the year.

39. Jack White – You Got Me Searching

No need to search when you have heat all year long

Man, what a year Jack White has had. No Name was so incredible I had to choose between five songs to put on this list, but ironically enough though, the one that isn’t on the album is the one that makes this list. I love Jack’s wails and screams on this one. It feels like it’s back in the early days of The White Stripes and I’m nine years old thinking he’s the coolest dude on earth. This tracks amps a man up in a number of ways, but this is just one of those tracks that Jack can churn out just like that and still be effortlessly crafty and fiery.

38. Yot Club – Pixel

I try not to think about the art when I hear the song

A song that repeats itself almost as much as Last Christmas is nearly as catchy as it too. Yot Club has established a name for himself pretty easily these past few years in the bedroom pop subgenre. While there’s countless names that have an aesthetic like this, he’s one that just does it better than most people. Pixel has a sound that begs to be played in massive concert venues and only gets prettier the more it bounces off the walls. It’s a simple, but does it well kind of tune that seemed to always find a way into my playlists.

37. Remi Wolf – Soup

Man, this song should’ve been everywhere. This is Remi’s best song that she’s ever made and while it is a close contention, it also isn’t. A song that shows that she has the range to do more expressive and booming indie pop on top of her already established funk/bedroom pop sound she’s pretty much mastered at this point. Soup is a cute love song that exemplifies what being in love is like. Doing whatever you want for your loved one because you care so much and would do anything to keep them in your company. This has the charm that great pop artists like Caroline Polachek have been able to do with songs like So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings. I put Soup right next door to that song as one of the greats this past decade.

36. Father John Misty – Screamland

*BOOM!* (what my mind did the first time I heard Screamland). As much as I enjoyed FJM’s last project, at least probably more than the average person, Screamland is the type of song that reminds me of why I love his music so much. The chorus of this is so explosive and emotional. The shouts of “stay young, get dumb, keep dreaming, screamland” make every word of the verse that came before it all the more impactful. It’s one of the heavier tracks on this list, but it’s the kind of heavy you find comfort sticking around in for a while.

35. Mk.gee – ROCKMAN

Similar to Jack White, I could’ve picked a handful of different songs off of Mk.gee’s project from this year, but instead I opted for the single. ROCKMAN gets stuck in my head pretty easily with how unique it sounds. It feels old fashioned in a jangly, funky kind of way. Almost like it could’ve came out this year or 40 years ago. I can’t really compare it to anything either because it sounds so fresh and new. Mk.gee feels like he’s the next step in alt R&B or just the sounds of the 2020’s in general. Who knows, but I can’t wait to see.

34. SIN MIEDO – JPEGMAFIA

Sometimes Peggy will connect two things together into a rhyme and you’ll have no idea why he said it or why he would think of it. SIN MIEDO is full of moments like that and placed alongside this punchy, mosh worthy, pulsating beat makes it one of the most exciting moments on this record. I can list nearly any line on this song and you’d understand why it’s so re-listenable just lyrically. This is one of the songs on the list you just need to stop reading about and go listen and then come back and geek out with me.

33. Chat Pile – Masc

Chat Pile is a super consistent act that you may not be familiar with yet… may I present to you Masc. A deeply hurtful track that relatable, but not quite something you really want to relate to either. I wouldn’t call this self-deprecating, but more so self defeating. When the song begins to close after the last lines, the hurt seeps in more as the anger grows and Raygun Busch starts screaming “it’s your world!!” If you’re looking for a good gateway into more dense hardcore, it’s hard to go wrong with Masc.

32. Nilüfer Yanya – Like I Say (I Runaway)

Nilüfer Yanya has subtly made herself known in the indie world these past few years and it’s not hard to tell why. Tracks like Like I Say exist and you can see why she deserves her place in the indie-scape (and probably deserves even more). Nilüfer’s vocals are more reserved on this track, but they’re very sultry and smooth too. It compliments the surprise heaviness that comes when that first brash chorus comes in. I know there’s no way to tell unless I had a time machine, but I have a feeling this song will be a classic one day. It sticks out too much in what has been dropping lately for it to not have staying power.

31. Disclosure – She’s Gone, Dance On

The duo has said on their Spotify Wrapped messages that this song was originally a song made for other DJs to utilize, but instead became a big hit for them. Not sure why they thought it wouldn’t, this is probably the best track they’ve dropped since their debut album over a decade ago (not discrediting anything since, this is just really solid). I love the little teases and surprises that come with this one. To me, this is one hand that if you’re leaving a club floor and you hear it come on, you run back and dance your ass off.

30. TV Girl, George Clanton, Jordana – Butterflies

I guess 2024 was the year of dance with how much more of a presence it has on my list. TV Girl and George Clanton are the pairing that felt like Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars for Silk Sonic. I never would’ve thought to pair them together, but it makes so much sense. Fauxllenium is a really strong project (and return to form for TV Girl) because of how well these two work together and how Jordana takes her already well established relationship with TV Girl and brings a really sweet and memorable vocal performance. Absolute favorite part of this song is when it tricks you that it’s over and gives you about another minute to party on. Love love love all three of these artists together.

29. Faye Webster – Thinking About You

Underdressed, maybe, underperformed? Hell no.

I’ll admit, before this year, I had not been fully on board with Faye yet. Not that I didn’t like her, the project I picked initially did not do much for me (try to guess which one it was), but Underdressed at the Symphony was the gateway and Thinking About You was one that kicked it off in the best way. Faye’s vocals feel especially delicate on this cut, almost like a soft confession. The soft piano and xylophone paired with the riff that repeats for nearly the entire runtime make me feel like I’m chilling on a cloud, way up high looking down at massive grassy fields swaying side to side. It’s a seriously chill moment on the record that sets up a constant comfort that sticks with this rest of the album.

28. Dora Jar – She Loves Me

When I saw Dora Jar open for The 1975 last year, I was very intrigued by her presence. The last track she played was one off of this year’s album, No Way to Relax When You’re On Fire and garnered my attention more than the average opening act. That song was Puppet, but the following single afterwards was She Loves Me and that secured me as a fan. Dora is a not so average pop artist. She has moments where she’s pretty kooky and quirky like at the end of this song where she let’s out a series of wails and cries that somehow make sense being included. I love how every following chorus, something new gets added on it to make it more interesting with a misleading faster tempo. This song introduced me to how great Dora will be in these coming years.

27. Tyler, the Creator & Teezo Touchdown – Darling, I

Darling, I is the type of song you’d kinda hope Tyler would be making this deep into his career. He’s never been the type to try and be something that he isn’t and the more he has aged in his career, the more this is still the case. This is just one of a handful of songs on Chromakopia that have a more stripped down storytelling of how he perceives his love life and what he wants in a partner if he even wants one. Usually, I get a little nervous whenever Teezo makes an appearance on a track, especially since I didn’t care for his feature really at all on their last track together. He fits like a glove in this instance. He harmonizes on beat and stands out when he needs to without feeling intrusive. Darling, I is an example of how Tyler still has new sounds to show us and I seriously don’t think he can do any wrong at this point.

26. The Japanese House – 🙂

Wanna know something annoying about part of why I like this song so much? It reminds me of The 1975. I know, I know. Anyhow, that’s not why it’s here. 🙂 is probably the strongest I’ve felt about The Japanese House in general. It lives up to it’s title of being a song that makes the listener feel good. The opening riffs feel reminiscent of Yuno’s Sunlight in how it boosts a mood near instantly. Sometimes you need a song like this to calm you down and that’s the purpose of what 🙂 serves. A bright, shimmery, cute track.

25. Beach Bunny – Vertigo

Any time Beach Bunny drops a new single, I feel instantly gravitated towards it for like a whole month. Vertigo stuck around a little longer. Lili Trifilio’s lyrics resonate with a lot of people my age. We’re stuck in this time of life where we are still discovering ourselves and trying to navigate our love lives too. Vertigo is no stranger to this identity as it’s a theme that sticks around with other Beach Bunny songs, but still feels fresh. She pretty much has mastered making catchy hooks and riffs, but that’s pretty standard for her at this point since Emotional Creature solidified it. Love this one a lot, definitely got blasted in my car more than a few times.

24. Jungle – Let’s Go Back

This was such a mean tease. When Let’s Go Back dropped, I thought it was another album cycle. Silly, greedy, Campbell. Why not drop a single though? Back on ’74 blew up on TikTok and Instagram, so why not make a similar song in different font? Despite this reminding me a lot of that track, Let’s Go Back still captures that vintage effect, takes it with a sing along chorus, and one that really does make you want to dance like you’re involved in one of their music videos. Kudos to Jungle for doing the right thing and striking while the iron is hot and on top of it be as good a song as this.

23. Clairo – Juna

Third time is the charm, which is fitting since it’s the album’s title. After seeing Clairo live last year, I adopted a new found appreciation for her and her music. I never would’ve guessed her having the year she has had though. This is partially due to how great songs like Juna were part of this near masterwork. The best compliment I can give Juna is it doesn’t feel abrasively classic, but sounds classic. It’s layered to sound so soft, sweet, and 70s. Similar to how I felt about Remi’s Soup, this truly is the best song that Clairo has ever dropped in the sense that this is the sound she was born to perform alongside.

22. NxWorries, Snoop Dogg, October London – FromHere

Last year, Kaytramine dropped the song Rebuke, which felt like summer encapsulated in a little over two minutes. NxWorries captures that essence again in a little over four. Anderson .Paak’s vocals are next level passionate and take it to a level that I have not heard before from him. Knxwledge’s production takes you to the depths of a hot summer evening driving lakeside by the sunset. If this didn’t bang in your car during this past summer with the windows down, change that next summer. This has future classic written all over it.

21. The Garden – Ballet

I really came to love The Garden this year for how eclectic they are as artists. They really kind of do whatever they want and I think they find it hilarious. Ballet is a banger that never gives you time to breathe. Any time where the song is pounding you to a pulp with that bass, it has you waiting for the next drop alongside some evil Vincent Price in Thriller-like laughter. It’s so maniacal, this band is so cool.

20. Sarah Kinsley – Last Time We Never Meet Again

Far from last time your art will meet a list

I don’t wanna hear any argument that Sarah Kinsley isn’t the most underrated pop artist of this generation. That’s a bold claim, but if the last two years have proven anything, it’s that she has staying power and knows how to tug on the heartstrings. Anyone that grew up on Florence + the Machine will probably adore this song for how reminiscent it feels of Lungs era. Last Time We Never Meet Again soars by as Sarah’s vocals take you to the heavens, especially between the chorus. It’s a showcase of how talented she is as a producer, songwriter, and singer. Gonna sound like a broken record, but I really could’ve pulled any song off of Escaper and it would’ve made sense, but this one in particular highlights everything of what makes Sarah a force in the pop world.

19. The Last Dinner Party – Caesar on a TV Screen

As I’m writing this part of the list, I am realizing how strong of a year it was for debut albums. The Last Dinner Party more than proved themselves with a handful of kickass singles to tease Prelude to Ecstasy. Caesar on a TV Screen was the moment I fell in love though and for good reason. It’s so melodramatic, unpredictable, and daring. Abigail’s voice is so commanding throughout and it sucked me into a handful of surprises. In the most endearing way possible, Caesar on a TV Screen is very dorky in a theatrical way with how the showman-like instrumentals mix with Abigail’s over the top moments. It’s honestly so cool how everything blends into the way it does and leaves you feeling like you heard a movie.

18. Royel Otis – Heading For the Door

People my age fondly look back at the late 2000s and early 2010s as being a peak time for indie and alternative. Gonna try to not butcher this: Royel Otis feels like what 2000s indie was for my generation for this current generation. They feel like they’ve captured a sound that will inspire a lot of other artists the way a Two Door Cinema Club or MGMT would. Heading For the Door was the single that inspired this hope for it’s minimalistic approach. The little riff that plays before the chorus is so good it can make a Gen Z/millennial cry indie tears. There’s also something very Belle and Sebastian about this track that puts me over as well. It might be because it’s a simple sounding song that has little moments that shine so bright because of it. A song you can pick apart and find more to love.

17. Fred Again.., Anderson .Paak, Chika – Places to Be

If you’re a fellow Fred Again.. fan, you know how well we got fed this year. Two projects and a bunch of fun singles. Places to Be being the highlight. It’s kind of obvious that we’re past the point of Actual Life sounding Fred, but if all of it sounded as atmospheric and heartful as this cut does, well… as we frequently hear, “we gon’ make it through.” This was honestly a great year to be an Anderson .Paak fan too with him sliding on this up-tempo beat confirming how multifaceted he is as an artist. Chika’s presence was exciting to see too because after her XXL freshman class, I really hadn’t heard much from her and she did great here too. All together just a very easy song to put on at any time and feel a little bit better about life.

16. Justice & Tame Impala – One Night/All Night

2024 also saw the return of Justice and in the most exciting way possible… with Kevin fucking Parker??? The first of two songs to feature Kevin’s vocals on Hyperdrama was the most exciting way to rollout an album after being gone for nearly seven years. The artist names involved speak for how good this track is man. It’s Justice collaborating with Tame Impala, you don’t need to tell me that’s good. Of course it is!

15. Chinese American Bear – Kids Go Down

I did not expect to fall in love with an album this late in the year the way I had with Chinese American Bear. Kids Go Down has such a freeing sound that tugs hard on my heart like it was just broken once those keys kick in near halfway. The band has said that this is just a meaningless song that is meant to draw similarities to a nursery rhyme which makes a lot of sense. This feels so innocent that if it was personified, I’d wanna just give it a big hug the way that it hugs back.

14. Fontaines D.C. – Starburster

Yeah, I know this is the song you’ll see on most, if not every major music publication’s list… BUT there is very good reason behind it. Grian is so fucking cool on this song. His delivery, his demeanor, that inhale?! Probably the most badass moment in indie this year. It’s so nasty. I appreciate the openness of the lyrics and how it speaks to the basic desires and always craving more from others and from life (if I’m interpreting correctly). Starburster is such a devious track that coming back to it it only gets more exciting.

13. Kendrick Lamar – Euphoria

I don’t get why everyone is celebrating Not Like Us over Euphoria. Is it because it’s shorter? More catchy? I mean this track is better in like every possible way despite Not Like Us still being a banger. This was the first of four times he would clap back at Drake after Push-Ups and truthfully he could’ve stopped here and it would’ve been vicious enough. Similar to how Pusha T cooked Drake with The Story of Addidon, Kendrick aims below the belt MULTIPLE times. From the Richard Pryor sample, the beat switch, and killing it off with saying how much he hates the way he talks, walks, and dresses. He calls out Drake on multiple different levels and the further you get into the song, the meaner it gets. He had it coming.

12. DARKSIDE – Graucha Max

I played Graucha Max during a listening sesh and my friend said it sounds like “Nine Inch Nails got invited to the quinceanera.” I love that description. I mentioned a song earlier being unpredictable, girl, THIS song is unpredictable. So much so that you should just stop right here and just try it out first hand and then come back and geek with me about it (part two). DARKSIDE go next level bonkers on this one after their previous work just being really fascinating in an intricate way. Graucha Max is fascinating in a what the fuck way. There’s at least two different times when you think this song is over, but instead comes back and does something you’d never guess in a million years would come next, but it WORKS! This is such a cool turn for DARKSIDE, I really hope they continue to go wild like this again.

11. Billie Eilish – L’amour De Ma Vie

I don’t know man, everything here hits hard

I know this is solely a Billie song, but Finneas is this operation here too and this song deserves a spot because this is the height of their powers combined into something really special. What starts at a pretty stellar vocal performance from Billie (duh) turns into a super freeing, larger than life, massive release once the beat switches. The production might even impress me more than Billie’s performance on here simply because of how appropriately satisfying it transitioned and kept it’s momentum. Lyrically, the explosive second half of the song is even more fitting with this being a breakup song reflecting on how bad things were before, but as Billie will repeat multiple times over tastefully placed autotune, “it’s over nooooooooooooooow.” Finneas and Billie were very nervous to put this song out, but it more than paid off.

Top 10 Time!

10. Jamie XX & Robyn – Life

Nine years Jamie… NINE long years we had to wait for a follow up to In Colour. Life alone was worth the wait as this is a pretty sick way to kick off a new chapter of your career. While In Colour was more focused on lo/fi, soft house beats, In Waves is the party hard younger brother. Life exemplifies this as the beat feels urgently festive, especially adding Robyn’s vocals onto it. It’s a command you to the dance floor song and man does it never get old. I was very surprised this was not in my top five most streamed songs as it is one of those tracks you never want to end so you just keep playing it over and over.

9. FKA Twigs – Eusexua

FKA Twigs is unique in the sense that she never feels missing. Her drops and rollouts all feel very appropriate, which you can’t always say for many artists. It hits even more when you drop something as cool as Eusexua. What an exciting way to kick off a rollout that is essentially four years in the making. While she’s no stranger to experimenting, she really flies on the fast paced house beat that makes you wanna pound the club roof. By definition, Eusexua means transcendence or a heightened state of euphoria and there are a handful of moments that make you feel that too alongside with her.

8. Mannequin Pussy – Nothing Like

There’s really nothing like it (I’m sorry)

Back to back years I’ve had Mannequin Pussy in my top ten of the year. They can’t help it if they’ve put out heat, guys. Let them live. Nothing Like stands out for how, once again, they can make a verse end and soar with such emotion that it gives you goosebumps. This song about young love and how that leads to obsession and intensity leaves you with such a full empty feeling. It’s hopeful in what the character is pursuing, but mindless in the way it could all fall apart. I love Missy’s angles she writes from as they’re pretty unique and styled really creatively. This one in particular was based off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I love when art inspires art like this and makes it into something just as beautiful. The breakdown of this song is one of my favorite moments in music this year.

7. Friko – Where We’ve Been

In a list with mostly upbeat or sentimental tracks, here lies Where We’ve Been, which rips my heart out. Everything about this has the emotional depth of your top ten most secret cry movies combined. Okay maybe slight overexaggerating, but Friko is able to paint a picture of the most devastating past I’ve been exposed to all year. It tackles the topics of isolation, longing for love, living in a pretty rundown house, but still being in love… I’ll spare you before you start crying too. This whole album is fantastic, but this opening track will suck you in if you find comfort in other’s wallows as well.

6. Charli XCX & Lorde – girl, so confusing

I have no hesitation with calling this one of the best remixes/alt versions of all time. While the OG version of girl, so confusing was a fun song about her and Lorde’s relationship without saying it was, adding her into the mix added so much. Lorde does a cool call and respond to everything Charli said in her verse and explains her angle while trying to come to an understanding of their friendship. The sentiment and message of this song by adding Lorde added a needed layer of heart. Men and women go through this struggle of miscommunication constantly, sometimes creating drama where it didn’t even exist in the first place. I love the commentary that this song sparked along with it just being really, really well written. Especially Lorde’s verse.

5. Laufey – Goddess

It’s pronounced kinda like LAY-VAY (you’re welcome)

How cool is it that we have a jazz pop singer get as big as Laufey has this past year? Her album last year was a total treat and it was really cool to get a second helping of her again this year. Goddess was the first single in promotion of her deluxe, but I feel like this was a big intro for some of her older fans (not me though, you be safe out there). Goddess made waves in a way that united fans in an Adele type of way where, yes, she has this awesome talent and it feels comfortable for all demographics to latch onto.

This track is so stunning. Laufey is heartbroken and tells us all very softly… until she doesn’t. She flat out tells you in a goosebump inducing way that she is “not your fucking goddess” as the song closes. I find myself breaking my own heart a few times whenever I revisit this one as there’s lines that are subtle stings that frequent throughout. Thanks for making breakup songs as powerful as your ones about falling in love Laufey, very kindly mean.

4. Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!

There are very few artists I’ve seen explode the way that Chappell Roan has this year. Fest performances, viral interviews, people discovering her album half a year after it dropped… it was a great time to be a Chappell fan. When Good Luck, Babe! dropped, it was a moment in time. People finally clamored to be a part of what a cool vibe Chappell presented. There really is nothing like this song out there right now, especially in top 40. At least no one that does it as cool as she does alongside Dan Nigro’s teamwork. This feels like a song that has been around forever, but will speak to this generation more than anyone’s.

Good Luck, Babe! is a prideful callout to those who are better off without their shitty exes. Chappell’s vocals on this track too… MWAH! Incredible. If you have YouTube compilations of “Our Reaction to Chappell Roan on Good Luck, Babe!”, you did something very, very correct. Or really wrong, I mean look at Women’s World… ANYHOW, this is probably a perfect pop song and it’s already a mainstay in my apartment.

3. Magdalena Bay – Cry For Me

Music at times can be a very emotional experience for me. It’s not often that one brings me to tears though, and that’s an accolade that ironically Magdalena Bay’s Cry For Me holds.

Imaginal Disk has multiple contenders for song of the year, but Cry For Me is a special moment in their run. One that stands out among their track listing not only in this album, but their entire discography. There’s so much emotion in Mica’s vocals in the last half of this song, especially in the final chants of “think of love when you remember me” and that’s what gets me to tear up. The last minute of this song are fueled by disco inspired piano keys and strings that are brutally stunning and evoke more happy emotion than sad. This track stands out on it’s own because of an amazing vocal performance and beautiful production, but this also stands out just as strong contextually within Imaginal Disk and I hope that anyone who reads is willing to do themselves that favor to reach the height that I do whenever I revisit this beautiful song off a pretty flawless album.

2. Raye – Genesis

I wonder if Raye ever owned a Sega Genesis

There are a lot of great songs on this last, but Raye’s Genesis is the only great song that is also an achievement. It’s no secret that Raye is ultra talented, can write, produce, all of the above… but was anyone expecting this? I certainly wasn’t. There are a few different ways you can digest Genesis. All into one seven minute experience or in three separate parts. I implore to listen in the full seven minutes as it is a dark, honest, leaving all on the floor, heartbreaking, exploration into what it means to be human in 2024.

Raye has described this song as a cry for help in a way that she hopes will help others find their muse and confide in activities and people that will help with growth and finding their own self worth. Don’t mistake this as “yeah, everyone says that.” Pay attention and you’ll more than likely find a part of you in this song. Whether you’re fighting your demons and battling with addictive tendencies or dabbling so much with the idea of life and death because of how much it scares you… I think there really is a great conversation to be had after listening for a lot of people who haven’t listened yet.

A trap infused beat turning into an all out jazz number begging for the light above… who would’ve predicted something as miraculous as this? Like I said, this is an achievement in recent music history and a really amazing way to let the world know who you are and what they can be if they persist despite the negativity haunting women and men of all ages. Raye is a special talent that has an audience eagerly awaiting her next move.

1. Porter Robinson – Cheerleader

Song doesn’t work until it’s above a certain volume

If you’ve been in my car at any point from like April to now, chances are you’ve heard me play this song at least once. I’ve always liked Porter Robinson, but I never knew I would LOVE a song of his this much. He clearly knows how special this song is because of how he promoted and made it known what his intentions were alongside it’s release. He chose to tackle something that was weirdly kind of ahead of a bigger conversation that came up again later in the year. The parasocial relationships that fans have with their favorite artists.

Porter managed to create an instantly catchy track that highlights the difficulty of being an artist with the attention he has attained in the past. Having fans with stalker-like behaviors, weird art being drawn of him kissing guys, feeling like they know everything about you… but at the end of the day he knows that these are the people that are keeping the lights on. With each repetition of the chorus, the message gets struck deeper and Porter exemplifies that despite this he is always grateful… but it’s also draining. It comes off in a way that is like “I love you, I would never say anything bad about you, but you’ve got to take a step back and I’ll still care about you just as much.” It’s one thing when you’re going against your haters, but it’s a delicate line to walk when you’re up against your admirers and Porter walks that line with love and respect.

With all that said, Cheerleader is my favorite song of 2024. It goes along with Porter’s trend to explore musically what he can dabble with outside of the electronica world he mainly resides in. With Cheerleader, he made it known of how well he can craft a pop track and make it for people who appreciate an electronical, nerd influenced, glittery banger that serves more of a purpose than what may be on the surface or the album art. I have no problem calling this track the best of the 2024, a year where singles, albums, and artists were at the top of their game.

The Very Best in Music 2023 (Songs)

By: Campbell Petschke

Currently Listening to: Do It Again by Royksopp and Robyn

But Here We Are…

It feels wrong to be writing this. Is this real? Wasn’t it just July a few days ago? Okay, enough enough. It is end of year list season which means I get to tell you silly gooses what I liked the best about this year… musically. While I feel like I LOVED more albums from 2022, 2023 threw a curveball around July-ish. I thought this would be sort of a dud year after so much good content dropped the year prior. I am more than happy to be proven wrong any time. There were newcomers like NewJeans, artists who I didn’t feel strong about before putting out their best albums in many years, and returning champs like Paramore and Quadeca. I would say that while last year had many things live up to expectations and exceed, I was more surprised than anything multiple times. I have been waiting a long while to put together this list because now I can reflect on all the music I needed to revisit/forgot to write down. I’ll have more to say once the album list drops, but for now here is my list of favorite songs. Enjoy, any questions can wait until after the read.

Playlist included at the bottom of article!

50. Mandy, Indiana – Peach Fuzz

This song is like hell. This whole album feels like a nightmare inducing experience and Peach Fuzz is the culprit. Following a song that literally has muffled screams before it, this song feels like a terrifying trip down an industrial, noise rock conveyer belt. It’s all fuzzed up and looped into a sick and twisted trip. This is really more of an album experience, but this song is too cool to not mention.

49. Kylie Minogue – Padam Padam

I probably would’ve never found out about this album if not for Lauren Mayberry. I have never hopped on the Kylie train aside from a few songs from the 2000s. Lauren played this during her DJ set after her main set at her show this past September. This is the definition of a mindless club banger. The beat is begging to be blasted at unreasonably high volume and to be chanted by wasted dummies in a club. For that reason alone, this remains in constant rotation.

48. Genesis Owusu – The Roach

I’m so glad I was won over by Genesis Owusu. His performance felt out of place at the Paramore show this past year, but man did he put on a performance. The Roach is a perfect follow up to the opener, Leaving the Light. His voice is described as an alternative MC Ride of Death Grips, which is a hilariously accurate comparison. To be fair, that’s a massive compliment. Mix some demanding delivery with buzzy beat and you’ve got a hit in The Roach and it’s message of classism.

47. slowdive – skin in the game

This is the definition of drowned out, sinking into your mattress levels of shoegaze. Skin in the Game feels like a walk through the woods while contemplating heartache. Even if it’s not exactly what the song follows, it still hits a stronger note in the way it makes me feel while being enchanted. This is one of the shorter songs on the record, but slowdive really went full daze on this one.

46. Peggy Gou x Lenny Kravitz – I Believe in Love Again

I’ve seen many end of year lists use Nanana as their Peggy Gou favorite this year, which is a totally valid pick, but there’s something magical about the collab with Lenny Kravitz. The beat sounds like it is straight out of 2014 and it works ridiculously well. Lenny’s vocals work so well on this style as it’s super groovy and sensual in all the right ways. I would totally listen to a full album of their collabs.

45. Lauren Mayberry – Shame

Lauren Mayberry going solo for an album was definitely not on my list to look out for this year. While the album hasn’t dropped yet, the two singles that have dropped are both hits. Shame edges out Are You Awake just by a margin as I feel like this suits Lauren’s vocal style really well outside of what we are used to with her work in CHVRCHES. The progression of Shame feels very Strange Money era St. Vincent. Every verse the background just feels more apparent and when the chorus hits it pays off so nicely.

44. Portugal. The Man x Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Summer of Luv

WARNING! The riff and sax in this song is not going to leave your head for a few days. This was the song that reminded me what this band is capable of creating. This takes the poppy elements of Woodstock and the psych elements of pretty much everything else they’ve done and meshes both worlds. UMO fits in nicely at the beginning too. Summer of Luv is the type of track that reminds you of why Portugal. The Man was so damn good the past two decades.

43. Dua Lipa – Houdini

Man, if Dua Lipa is the face of modern pop music then we are in a good spot. The music world seems to really believe in her too after the success of Future Nostalgia. When Kevin Parker hopped on Lady Gaga’s Perfect Illusion, it was a cool moment of world’s colliding, but it felt more Tame Impala than Gaga. Houdini feels like it blends more into Dua’s style and is a sick change to her sound she already has a firm grasp on. Also an instance where the music video really does elevate the song. Did anyone else get reminded of Madonna’s Hung Up vid?

42. Grian Chatten – Fairlies

Fontaines D.C. never really wowed me all that much, but I was struck when I recognized Grian’s voice behind the lovely instrumental melodies on Fairlies. This is why it is good for artists to flex their talents on all fronts and sounds. While I really enjoyed this album in full, Fairlies is a song that I never got tired of. For some reason I got an Oasis vibe from it… Don’t kill me if you’re offended by that.

41. Goth Babe – Alone in the Mountains

Sure, Goth Babe definitely loves this sound and has repeated it similarly for the past few years… BUT IT’S GOOD, OKAY? Alone in the Mountains is a dance party through the snowy forest. I feel like his choices in album covers really add to the feeling I associate with the tune. This one feels so comfy, warm, and breezy all at once. Will Goth Babe ever put out a full album? The world may never know, but I do know he’ll always drop bangers like this. I am realizing this is also the third year in a row I’ve put a Goth Babe song on my end of year list, hell yeah Griff. (Encinitas, Driving South)

40. Skrillex x Nai Barghouti – XENA

Skrillex had an amazing 2023. He pretty easily got everyone back on board with him, not just because he got a makeover, but with the creative paths he took. XENA is what I want out of EDM in this modern day. This sound is just unlike anything I expected to hear from Skrillex, not that I expected to hear anything from him at all. The first two thirds of this song flow pretty similarly, but then there’s a moment where this unique sound gets kicked up a notch and suddenly I’m punching the roof of my car while blasting this windows down. Definitely happened a few times this year.

39. Quannnic – Sheets

This is one of the songs on my list that I can’t really elaborate as to why I like it so much. It feels like 2020 shoegaze’s answer to 2000s post-punk. It’s also insanely emo, so if that catches your interest, you will probably fall in love with this whole album too, but start here if you’re curious!

38. IDLES x LCD Soundsystem – DANCER

If there’s one good thing that came out of the shit storm that was Re:Set Concert Series, it’s that two of my favorite rock acts came together and made an insanely fun, dance punk track. I can feel the influence of New Body Rhumba in this version of LCD. The way it mixes with IDLES makes it sound kind of like a long lost Death From Above 1979 track. I’m loving this constantly evolving sound from this band. They seriously are one of the most creative post-punk acts working today.

37. Knocked Loose – Deep in the Willow

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes… This is one of the best tracks Knocked Loose has ever dropped. When this song was first teased on socials the beginning was used to promote the drop itself, I thought it was just music to build anticipation. A day or so later, it drops and holy fuck they mixed it into one of the cleanest rises to breakdown I’ve heard all year. Bryan gives one of his most ferocious performances here too, especially when he screams KNOCKED LOOSE MOTHERFUCKER. They did not have to go as hard as they did.

36. Fred Again.. x Jozzy – ten

God, have I become so down horrendous for Fred’s music this past year. After ascending to heaven after seeing his live set at Lollapalooza, I really was 1000% in on whatever he decided to do next. Ten sounds like house’s answer to Lofi Beats to Study to. It’s a lowkey beat with a very smooth Jozzy feature. I’ve also never heard of this guy before, I’m invested in whatever he decides to do next!

35. Hemlocke Springs – enknee1

Locke it locke it locke it up – Charli XCX

I stumbled upon Hemlocke Springs on total accident. I was making my New Music Friday list and I accidentally pressed play on this, One of two best mistakes I made this year (you’ll find out the other on the album list). enknee1 feels like the song that exists in dreams. It’s a hopelessly inquisitive song that begs her question if there is anyone out there to love her. I also appreciate the timeless feel, I totally would’ve had this song on my iPod Nano back in 2007.

34. Model/Actriz – Crossing Guard

I don’t say this lightly… this song is as close to LCD Soundsystem as we’ve gotten since their last album in 2017. Model/Actriz was one of the most unexpected gems of this year that I feel like I found too late. Crossing Guard plays out like LCD meets noise rock. The vocals on this also play out like Iggy Pop for the modern audience. This track naturally grows and fades to whatever height it needs to reach to make this feel as big as it possibly can but still feel grounded as well.

33. Jungle – Back on ’74

Quirked up white guys and girls bustin it down sexual style

I’m so happy when Jungle drops a new single mainly because it’s usually one of the only songs I really return to when listening to their projects. Admittedly, they have grown on me in the past year or so, but man, Back on ’74 was an instant click. This is the type of song that makes you walk more confidently. I’m actually very surprised it didn’t see top 40 success as this felt like it had all the makings of a massive hit. At least above most of what they have done so far. Big ups to Jungle for putting out a very solid release this year that finally got me on board.

32. The National – Tropic Morning News

The rest feels like the other hundreds of pages

Say what you will about the rest of what The National dropped this year, but Tropic Morning News was one of the first singles I fell in love with this year, aaaallllllll the way back in January. Truthfully, this song soars in the tracklist and stands out pretty easily for good reason. It’s a song that’ll ring with a chunk of listeners. especially those stereotypical National fans. Having a hard time expressing how you feel and not knowing how to tell your partner. It’s a really aching song that’ll unfortunately get caught in the rough of bad album reception, but seriously if you’re curious please check this one out. The album is also not that bad, nerds just get mad when you include Taylor Swift on their albums.

31. MGMT – Bubblegum Dog

There is very strong hope for the return of sleaze coming back in 2024. Vampire Weekend’s fifth album just finished, Voxtrot is touring again, Passion Pit rumors are circulating, and MGMT is doing what they do best. Bubblegum Dog feels like a return to Congratulations era. It’s more minimal and not as heavy on synth pop sound like Little Dark Age was five years ago (somehow). Part of what makes a great MGMT song is the absurdity and mystery behind the lyrics. It’s like an indie rock puzzle that can be solved in multiple ways. This really does continue hope for the band to be on a back to back hot streak.

30. Kaytramine – Rebuke

This Kaytranada and Amine collab knew what it wanted to be the moment you hit play. It’s obvious. An album that feels like a hot summer day, where you can see the heatwaves bounce off the pool water, and the deep yellow sun is turning into afternoon sky. Rebuke is the highlight of this mood as it feels like the equivalent of lying down on a beach towel next to a boombox. Amine’s soft singing really elevate this song that much more. He’s a star and the world really needs to start showing him the love he has earned. Kaytra is obviously a master of his craft, but you don’t need me to tell you that.

29. Yard Act – The Trench Coat Museum

These past four years in post-punk and math rock have been super exciting. We’ve had so many future classic artists like Black Country, New Road, Black Midi, and Squid cross our paths who are taking it to the next level in nuttiness. Yard Act can properly join that cast as they really have welcomed themselves into the art-punk/post-punk modern world. I can’t think of a better example than The Trench Coat Museum, a bat shit insane track that sounds like an instrumental meltdown. It’s commentary on groupthink and progression of what is considered socially acceptable really shines as it’s done really intensely and with a ton of style.

28. Stu Brooks, Poppy, Danny Elfman – They’ll Just Love You

Honest to god, my mission next year is to get more familiar with Stu Brooks. They’ll Just Love You is a demented, bleak, genre-blending track that has no issue with proving it’s weirdness. Poppy’s intense opening verse leading into Jack fucking Skellington caught me off guard. Danny Elfman put his all into his performance, he’s too good for us. This song is the equivalent of your TV signal getting hacked and you’re forced to endure freaky, provocative imagery but you can’t help but watch.

27. Pinkpantheress – Mosquito

I can’t thank Pinkpantheress enough for bringing break-beat back to the mainstream again. She has such a clear idea in mind when she’s producing these ear worms. Mosquito stuck out to me especially the way it reminded me of the 2000s. It doesn’t force this idea or time period down your throat whatsoever, it feels more like it’s honoring it. Her vocals suit this style so perfectly that it’s hard not to fall victim to the nostalgic sounds that we’re just now hearing for the first time.

26. Glass Beach – the CIA

Welcome to the world of the glass beach.

I have not thought about glass beach since their last album back in 2019. Hearing the CIA out of pure coincidence while listening to my release radar on Spotify made my day. Not only is this song a great comeback after a few years, it’s one of the best songs I heard the last quarter of 2023. The breakdown after you think its already closing out was one of my favorite surprises this year on any single. Can’t wait for a new album!

25. NewJeans – ETA

I am anything but super shy about how I feel about NewJeans.

K-Pop was a genre that needed a little bit of persuading when being fully introduced to it this year. Of all the k-pop artists that I was introduced to, NewJeans had to be my favorite. This little EP was nonstop hit after hit. ETA feels like it could come from like three different parts of the world and demands to be played as a hype song. This is a shower song by every metric.

24. Baby Keem x Kendrick Lamar – The Hillbillies

Fuck you Kendrick and Keem. I am willing to put good money down that nothing becomes of this and we are just left waiting for Keem to drop his next project with maybe one or two Kendrick features again. This song is the opposite of serious as you could probably tell by the music video (which was the only way you could stream for a while). They go bar for bar, each trying to top the other once the other is done. Nobody outdoing anyone, just a song with ridiculous vibes. Please don’t let me down guys, the chemistry is tangible, don’t waste it!!

23. Bully & Soccer Mommy – Lose You

One of a few instances on the list where I have only heard the lead single and not the album. To be fair though, this song is fucking incredible and one of the best collabs of the year. This felt a lot like when Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten collaborated a few years back (and never spoke on it again). Soccer Mommy has been on the rise for a handful of years now, same goes for Bully. They are on their A+ game here, with a lead-in to the chorus that’ll make you feel like you’re in the late 90s.

22. Lil Yachty – I’ve Officially Lost Vision

When Yachty rapped over Tame Impala’s Breathe Deeper a few years back, part of me felt he wanted to delve more into sound like that. Let’s Start Here rattled the rap community as this was not at all what people were expecting. I’ve Officially Lost Vision was the biggest jaw drop as this felt like the ultimate insult to those that wanted rap Yachty. This is maybe the most grand song that he has ever put out as this just feels like the build up is escalating up a hill only to have a stupidly incredible payoff during the last chorus. Yachty, please make more psych rock infused tracks like this. Hearing this live only solidified how special it is to many people already.

21. Quadeca – GUESS WHO?

Quadeca hasn’t slowed down since 2021. He has dropped fabulous projects back to back with his latest I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You being my favorite album of last year. With the Scrapyard projects he has dropped this year, he really shows no sign of stopping. These feel like b-sides to last year’s project, but had every right to be put separately. A song like Guess Who might’ve felt out of place, but works perfectly on an EP. I love how this song toys around with his position in music with him blending genres and not knowing where he fits in. He fits nicely at the top of the podium. His production skills here are top notch too.

20. 26fix – Stone Killer

I don’t have a whole lot to say about 26fix other than she is one of the most exciting voices in indie pop right now. This song is a total earworm that I currently have stuck in my head while typing this out. I’m willing to place good money on her blowing up once she drops her album next year.

19. Beabadoobee x Laufey – A Night to Remember

Similar to Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak with Silk Sonic, this is a collaboration that was right there and just fit perfectly together. Laufey has made a total splash this past year with her soft jazz tunes and Bea has teased softer bossa nova songs with The Perfect Pair off her album last year. I can’t help but feel this was also destined to happen as well and honestly will be let down again when they do this as a one off single and not a project. It’s a soothing tune that feels super old fashioned and lovey. I eat that shit up!

18. Carly Rae Jepsen – Psychedelic Switch

Carly Rae Jepsen was in my top five most streamed artists this year (thanks Festiverse). I really have seen the light when it comes to her music. It’s dancing with tears in our eyes bangers mixed with bright poppy love songs. Psychedelic Switch is a reminder that CRJ is the new Kylie Minogue and Robyn. It’s the most fun song on the project and is just a carefree dance party that I played many times this year.

17. The Beaches – Blame Brett

Modern alt-pop is a scary place to be sometimes, but I feel safe with artists like The Beaches. Their music is so refreshing and effortlessly catchy. You can pick a handful of singles they’ve released and get something sonically pretty different. When Blame Brett dropped, my summer changed for the better. I could not avoid this song… because I didn’t want to. I played the fuck out of it, whenever it popped up on a playlist it stayed on. When it popped up on the alt station, I kept it. It’s an honest, fun song about how much Brett is just the worst. Fuck him!

16. Sarah Kinsley – Oh No Darling!

Congrats to Sarah Kinsley for putting out a pop song that was so beautiful that it made me cry from how pretty it sounded. This is such a gem of a song that really highlight everything great about Sarah’s vocals. Hearing it live at Lolla this year only solidified how much this song means to me. She gives it her all and it’s hard not to fall in love with a song that sounds this luscious and charming.

15. Sufjan Stevens – Shit Talk

I don’t know man, he’s singing about love not shit.

At an epic near nine minute runtime, Sufjan reminds you why he’s one of the greatest songwriters of our time. This whole album is dedicated to his partner that passed away this past year, so while keeping that in mind and hearing something as soaring and layered instrumentally and vocally as Shit Talk. Probably the most heartbreaking song I heard this entire year and I first heard it while night driving down a long, dark road. Why do I do this to myself?

14. Geese – Cowboy Nudes

What is easily my favorite discovery of 2023, Geese impressed the hell out of me. Cowboy Nudes did not drag me instantly though. It was one of the earliest songs I heard on the indie station as it came out January 31stof this year. After about a month of just living with it, I learned to really adore this song in all of it’s eccentricity. Truth is there’s not many that nail the groovy, alt-country sound as well as Geese does on Cowboy Nudes. It’s so out of nowhere and unpredictable, just like the album it lives on. I hope they continue to grow even bigger because they blew me away nearly the entire year and hearing this song as often as I did was a frequent reminder.

13. Romy – She’s On My Mind

The XX should be on your mind too (please)

I have been begging for a new album from The XX for years now. SEVEN YEARS GUYS! Where is the album? Oh Oliver dropped a great album? Fine. Romy dropped a house album?! Okay we’re getting warmer. Romy took over my last few months of 2023 and She’s On My Mind took over my AirPods for many weeks. While this wasn’t one of the singles for the album, I can totally see this one aging really well and end up being one that she’ll always include in her shows. It has such a euphoric beauty that made me feel like I understood how it felt to be in a club during the 90s and 2000s. This is a extremely lovey dance party that I blast frequently in my car.

12. Lana Del Rey – A&W

You’ll probably see this track on many end of year lists and for good reason. Lana doesn’t always put out longer tracks like A&W without a purpose. A&W is truthfully in conversation for one of her best songs she has ever written. Yeah, yeah the beat switch is incredible and reminds me of House of Balloons, but lyrically this is one of her most honest. Her perception of how the public sees not only her, but the female gender in general. Basically the story follows a girl that grew up into being a hoe and what it did to the character upon reflecting in the future. It’s bold in every minute that it takes up and is the highlight of an amazing record.

11. M83 – Amnesia

Wish I had amnesia to forget this album art

Being an M83 fan is tough at times. You’ll get teased with an awesome track like Amnesia and then be sort of duped when the finished product drops. Amnesia is and was the perfect blend of old and new M83. It was spacey, insanely catchy grooves that fall perfectly into the next verse or chorus, and kind of ominous atmosphere. I love how big this song is too. I can close my eyes and envision a light show if I squint hard enough. This is my favorite song they’ve released in over a decade.

TOP TEN TIME WOOOOOOO!!!

10. Tyler, The Creator – Sorry Not Sorry

This truly felt like the end of something big. Sorry Not Sorry had an unfair advantage of dropping with a really special music video that highlighted all of the albums Tyler had dropped up to this point. The end involved him beating the shit out of the latest persona for Call Me If You Get Lost. The song on it’s own stands boldly across other drops from this year though. While this was the year that Tyler broke format and didn’t drop an official album this year, Sorry Not Sorry and the rest of the Estate Sale made up for it. This song is all of the confidence and edge that he brought to CMIYGL and made it about how he isn’t going to apologize for who he is and that he can’t stick to one side of himself. His evolution is inevitable and he wants the world to deal with it. Say no more man.

9. Olivia Rodrigo – Vampire

Unlike vampires, it doesn’t suck (haha get it because they suck your neck haha.. )

I am totally not impressed with the state of mainstream pop music. Sorry if that’s harsh, but most of it is just junk that is just recycled styles of one or two artists that know wha they’re doing. Olivia Rodrigo came back with a familiar style, but it’s how she did it that stuck the landing so well. Vampire gradually gains more and more speed and fun, unexpected moments that make it feel like you’re discovering her for the first time. I got the same feeling the first time listening to this song that I did hearing Lorde’s Green Light back in 2017. It just felt exciting and a breath of fresh air. This is easily my choice for the best bridge that I heard all year as well. It just hits so hard at the perfect time.

8. Big Thief – Vampire Empire

Ah here we go again, Big Thief going to steal my heart for a second year in a row. They absolutely crushed me with last year’s long ass album title that I don’t feel like typing out. Vampire Empire came out of nowhere as I didn’t expect to hear from them for at least a few more years after dropping an over 20 songs project. They didn’t think I had enough heartbreak in my 2023 music so I guess fuck me then, right? No, but seriously this is one of the most tragic and heart-wrenching vocal performances I heard this year and it made an impact so deep that I find it hard to revisit. It’s a breakup song that made you feel like you were the one broken up with.

7. 100 Gecs – Hollywood Baby

Part of loving Gecs is kind of being in on the joke. They take themselves seriously by not doing so. Hence why we have songs like Hollywood Baby. This is a way too addictive song that can really only be played at unreasonably high volume. It’s an angsty, stupid, yet sharp song that really is the duo at their very best. It really felt this was them proving themselves as them being who they are and still being more accessible to the average listener. That being said, I still have to skip this whenever my girlfriend is in the car with me. It’s not for everyone, but it’s totally for me.

6. underscores x gabby start – Locals (Girls like us)

Hyperpop is here to stay and it is absolutely welcome in this household. There’s parts of Locals (Girls like us) that feel like Gecs, Dizzee Rascal, and dance punk all mixed together. In an interview with Gabby Start, they stated how excited they were to hop on this crazy ass beat and how fun it was to work together with underscores. Honestly, did not even need to be said because the fun is more than apparent. Add this to the list of songs that can only be played at a high volume. Earlier in the year in a review I wrote on Album of the Year’s site, I called underscores 100 Gecs with a LinkedIn account and I totally still stand by it when you have songs as well structured and conceptual as Locals.

5. Boygenius – Not Strong Enough

Anyone who knows me in real life… sorry for being super obvious. I sang this song so much. Like way too much. I am sorry for how much I sang this song. Anyways, there’s good reason of why I did, as Future says it’s SENSATIONAL! Boygenius has the privilege of having three very smart front women with open minds. This idea of self pity playing a part in being an aspect of one’s god complex is an really sick idea for a song. It also makes a lot of sense given how self aware they all are as a group. Out of all the singles they dropped, this one hit the hardest and stuck with me the most. It’s catchy, smart, self aware, and a bop for all sadbois and girls.

4. Caroline Polachek x Dido x Grimes – Fly to You

Man, this was one of the easiest choices I made all year for this list. Caroline really put together one of the best pop albums so far this decade and recruited some fellow icons to stunt on a breakcore type beat like it’s the early 2000s. I think it’s fun we have kind of circled back to this sound and see it as nostalgia now. Fuck, I’m getting older. Another example of the Frank Ocean philosophy “the best song wasn’t the single”. Fly to You gave each lovely lady their moment to shine, Grimes giving one of her very best performances in years and really understood her assignment on a song like this. Dido vocals are of course always welcome too. Not much else to say here, just a really strong indie pop track that I will burn out on my fantasy Spotify cassette tape.

3. Chris Stapleton – White Horse

This could easily be put alongside Not Strong Enough for the song I sung the most around the house for a few months this year… anyways… ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you… Chris Stapleton’s best song he has ever recorded. I know I’m probably the wrong guy to ask since I’m not the most country acquainted, but this is just an amazing song no matter who you ask (that is willing to listen at least). This is the type of song I really would’ve eaten up as a kid. I could recite the chorus to this within the first listen or two. The passion in his voice just commands me to pay attention to every heartfelt word he spews. The best part about this song though? He heard that they were looking for a song for Johnny Depp’s infamously awful interpretation of The Lone Ranger movie… this ended up being the end result. Best thing that came out of that film easily.

2. Paramore – Crave

I can’t believe I am writing about a song like Crave. This Is Why’s rollout was the most excited I had been for an album drop in a very long time. Sure, there were fun ones like The 1975 last year or Beach Bunny’s Emotional Creature, but the payoff received from getting to Crave was unlike any listening experience that I had all year. Crave can mean many things if you’re a long time Paramore fan. Essentially the song is about wanting to hold onto a moment for forever, but we can only hold on for so long. This felt self-referential in a way since the band has really come into their own after many years of losing members and figuring out their identity. As Hayley passionately sings to us, there’s not a thing she would change, but still craves for the moments to last. There’s so much truth to the lyrics and matched it so well sonically that it really does feel like this is the best a song like this could ever sound. I adore Paramore and the fact they can still put out songs like Crave is beyond anything I could’ve asked for.

Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven

I Got Heaven came out of nowhere in my world. Mannequin Pussy was a band that was hardly on my radar, so coming across this single was just out of curiosity because I had heard nothing but good things about them. All three singles out really caught me by surprise, but I Got Heaven filled the Wolf Alice shaped hole in my heart. This song has so much ferocity and emotion packed into just about three minutes. It’s a song that tackles freedom of self and battles religious ties to anything making you feel less than perfect. It’s done in a relatively vulgar way as there’s one line about Jesus eating her snatch and all done in passionate screams.

This is my favorite song of 2023 because of the delivery of the Missy Dabice’s intense vocal performance, the lyrical analogies, the intense and fuzzy rips of the guitars, and the themes it presents. I Got Heaven is what music in 2023 should sound like. It’s music with a purpose that has no problem being as bold as possible in what it wants to address.

“I wish I could’ve been there to save you from the reach, I am spiteful like a god, I seek vengeance like the rest, for what they did to you, I will never lay to rest”

If You’re Too Shy Let Me Know

By: Campbell Petschke

Currently Bumping: Unreal Unearth by Hozier

Coming Off Strong

You should talk more, you’re funny. I hope we can know each other more next year! HAGS. All things that were written in my 6th grade yearbook. For most of my adolescence, I was a total shy kid. Sort of insecure, I felt lonely for the first few years of grade school. To paint a picture, I really identified with the character of Charlie Brown, only difference is that even though both him and I were pitchers in baseball, I never got my clothes blown off when someone would smack the ball back my way. It was tough few years, but it was something that I really was okay with. My two or three close friends were more than enough for me bonding off of our own insecure natures. See, the good part about being shy at any age is that you can confide in those friends you have and develop a deeper trust and bond with them. I mean, who else is gonna listen about how you beat the new Pokémon game in under a week because you studied YouTube walkthroughs?

It’s 2023 and I feel like being the “shy guy” has really become a popular trend to hop on more than ever. The internet is a stupid easy costume to put on. One that’s unisex and kinda smells like Doritos, shame, and pacific pipeline Monster Energy. I don’t consider myself to be shy really anymore, ambivert more than anything. I feel like in the adult world it’s sort of forced upon you. As I’ve had phases of being on both sides of the intro/extrovert spectrum, I’ve really come to see both sides of this story and how it even still happens to this day. As I’ll detail here, everyone loves a shy guy, whether it’s for the reason you want it to be or the way you can’t detect in the moment.

Advantage Left Team

As I said in my little intro there, I used to be a pretty shy kid. I always thought it spoke volumes to be kind and nice to everyone. My misconception is that I confused kindness and being agreeable. Some people appreciate your kind gestures and some see it as opportunity. I distinctly remember being in a lunch line in 7th grade and a kid I had a few classes with asked me to grab him a milk for him since I was closer. So I did, but then this kid standing with him said “see he really does do anything” (not in a polite way). Many people would joke and call this my “joker arc” saying that’s where I snapped, but that kind of was my aha moment. It’s when I realized that I was sacrificing personality and preservation of my own defenses to cater to other people’s needs. If word is going around that you’ll do anything to be liked, that’s a problem. Truth is couldn’t care less, I just liked people.

Just from my experience, people like shy guys and girls for that reason and that they can almost be your pet. There’s a character on the show Succession that acts like a total kiss-ass to cater to the people of higher status, but the moment the more timid and insecure character comes on screen, he flips and acts like he can treat this person however he wants. Many confuse shyness as a weakness or for being to themselves. That just because they don’t speak up that they lack tenacity or status.

Helping By Doing the Opposite

It’s funny, in my life I have watched HOURS of self-help vids and guides to be a ‘better’ person, but a handful of them would either be giving example of how to be like somebody else or telling them to fake it until you make it. While it seems like these two would go hand in hand they really could not be more different. Telling someone to be like someone else and making it feel like people will just be crawling towards you is not nearly as effective, at least for me. A lot of these videos would use examples such as ‘if you act like Brad Pitt in this scene of this film, naturally your charisma will practically be loudspeakers for others.’ There’s no problem with using the attributes of someone as charismatic as Brad poses himself to be and applying it to yourself, but the problem is that a lot of these people are paid to be like this. These people in movie scenes that are so effortlessly charismatic according to these vids are acting. They’re being like this for a job. In interviews too, there’s such a thing as being media trained and rehearsing.

Mainly what bothers me about these videos is that they lack real life examples or people doing these things themselves. When a real life example does exist, it’s about getting into somebody’s pants… how does this make me less shy again? Will whipping it out prove people are not as shy as they paint themselves out to be from outsider perspective? I don’t think that’s all fact. There was one day that I had a thought. If there was a livestream that had a different person each time going through all the examples that are provided in these vids that it would be super helpful. Part of me wondered when my Nobel Prize would be coming in the mail for having such brilliance, but then I realized the whole point of having these examples… is for me to be the livestream. *GULP*

This is what feeds into the fake it to you make it part. While pulling out attributes of others that you find to be charismatic and admirable works to an extent, it ultimately means nothing if you don’t apply it. Of course this is code for get up off your butt and do it yourself ya bum. See ‘fake it till you make it’ is great advice if you word it differently. Fake it till you make it could be applied to many of things, like pretending you’re good at cooking despite burning multiple trays of cookies and showing stock photos from Google Images swearing it’s your own and the watermark is still there. Then you swear that you are the one that started that company that is watermarked and shame them for not knowing this about you already… I digress.

If I could rewrite ‘fake it till you make it’ I would write it as “apply it as you try it”. As much I would like to just adopt traits by snapping my fingers, it understandably takes a lot of effort to say that you possess it. Sometimes the best advice is to take the opposite of what you are being told. Going against the current when it comes to conversation and how you present yourself honestly has me feeling like Moses parting the waters completely. I’ll hear advice from these life coaches that are clearly narcissistic plums and think ohhhh I’m supposed to NOT do that. Thanks asshole! I can use this “advice” and actually have success. The key route to my adaptation to ‘bettering’ myself out of being shy has definitely just been drawing these pieces from others and being my own person above all else.

Questioning

Panning through all the mental wellness, self help videos and flipping through a handful of books really has highlighted the importance of asking good questions to help combat shyness. Adventurers will always tell you to be curious, but about what? See what I did there? This was by far my favorite piece of advice I had heard. Not only did it open up worlds of possibilities of questions to ask, it also opened up a world of insecurities I had with asking strangers things. Better to realize this before I go in all arrogantly and end up splitting my pants and have my question be “is this where I die now?” No, there’s a form of perfection to this jungle of shyness that I still am climbing through to this day.

I think to myself what the best questions I have ever asked while writing this entry. All of the questions that came to mind happened to be leaps of faith. Ones where I really walked against the current and put my insecurity to the side to push myself forward socially and they all worked for the better because they were defining. I would not have the best friends I do today without questions, have a life partner that I care about very deeply, or be recognized by my former professors and educators. All things that a former shy guy is very proud to have involved in his life.

What Do I Have to Say For Myself

I am very glad to have this platform to share my thoughts as well. There are times where the words that come out are too shy to escape the lips or just aren’t worded as well as they are on The Art of Vibing’s site. Even to this day, the shyness still exists, but I would be horrendously mistaken if I were to call myself a “shy guy” or “introverted”. I fear for the thought of labels to manifest their way into anyone’s life. Labels are too predictable and get old, they also give off the wrong idea to those around you. Nobody wants to be introduced as Shy Pete or be greeted like “Hi, I’m Gerry and I’m introverted!” These vague descriptors are mere watercolor personality traits to your acrylic self. This is is far from faking it till you are making it, this is falling into the trap of being comfortable with what others think of you and just giving into those untrue thoughts.

No matter how corny these conclusions are to my writing, I’d rather die having said what I believe in and speaking out the energy everyone could use versus shyly living in the fear of what others have to say and suffocate my words. You can choose to move against my current or take what you can apply to your own life. I won’t blame you if you do or don’t, just as long as you enjoy the ride.

The Absolute Best in Music 2022 (Top 40 Songs)

By: Campbell Petschke

Currently Listening to: Dirt Femme by Tove Lo

Going Through the (Emo)tions

I laid my intro pretty flat out in my Top 50 album blog so if you want to see my brief overview of my perception of 2022 in the year of music I’ll leave the link here.

2022 had a lot of comebacks, throwbacks, and breakneck bangers. This was really a different year where a handful of top 40 was actually pretty solid while genres like folk and bossa nova seem to be making a comebacks again. Maybe something revolutionary is happening over in country… I don’t really care too much. In case you skipped my hyperlink above and didn’t read the intro to my Top 50 albums list, I GUESS I’ll do you the abbreviated favor and keep it brief here. 2022 ruled.

*Sidenote, I will be keeping these rankings concise as possible*

40. Momma – Speeding 72

Genre: Indie-Rock

A duo I had never heard of until this year. Speeding 72 is a lazy Sunday of a slacker song that feels like a stoner’s version of a run away and never look back. The super catchy riff also finds a way to sneak itself into the entirety of the runtime without sounding redundant. Very solid indie from a year with a lot of standouts.

39. Mitski – Stay Soft

Genre: Indie-Pop

I really wanted to love Laurel Hell. The singles leading up to it sounded good and I’ve loved nearly everything she’s put out in the past, but ultimately it felt like warm orange juice. Yeah, it was good, but I know that this can be better. That being said though I still really dig some tracks! Stay Soft is the one that sticks out for it’s upbeat piano and for a pretty great vocal performance from Mitski. The best on the record. At the core, it’s a song about an unhealthy relationship based on sex and little to nothing else. Typical Mitski shit, but doesn’t mean that it’s not gonna slap.

38. Father John Misty – Funny Girl

Genre: Sophistipop

Josh Tillman has proven over the years he can do it all. Folk rock, pop, piano ballads, you name it. Ever since I Love You, Honeybear he has completely won me over. Funny Girl lead me to the same feeling I had hearing that album for the first time. The amount of soul and agony put into this shows something of desperation. He has deep feelings for someone famous, but will probably never cross paths with them again. So he watches her on TV and longs for her attention she’ll probably never have the chance to give him. Sweet, yet the slightest bit unnerving.

37. Djo – End of Beginning

Genre: Rock

End of Beginning gets some bonus points from mentioning Chicago, but gets the rest of the points for it landing on this list for how earnest it sounds. The chorus sounds like music from the city in a weird way. There’s an atmosphere to it that sounds like breezing down Lakeshore Drive with a hopeful sunshine reflecting off the skyscrapers. Joe Keery made an argument for Chicago being the best damn city on earth and put it into song form.

36. Wet Leg – Ur Mom

Genre: Indie Rock

I spoke about how much I enjoyed this song in my album rankings as well. Wet Leg know how to be as brash and brutally honest as possible. The singer tells her past mate to suck her dick and also lets out the loudest, longest scream she has been practicing. Accompanied with a really memorable chorus and bridge, Ur Mom is just a really fun indie track that highlight what I really like about the band.

35. Pusha-T – Dreamin of the Past

Genre: Rap

Diet Coke is an easy contender for being the best song on It’s Almost Dry, but Dreamin of the Past does a better job of highlighting Push’s versatility. This (unfortunate) produced Kanye beat sampling a Donny Hathaway cover of John Lennon’s hit Jealous Guy sounds incredible. Lots of names there, but Push makes this work. The sample helps make this sound like a victory as he is left dreaming of the past with all that he has accomplished. It’s one of the slower moments on the album, but easily the most memorable outside the cocaine’s Dr. Seuss bar in the opener.

34. Rihanna – Lift Me Up

Genre: Pop

The demand for new Rihanna music was at an all time high in 2022. We had enough of waiting and us men can’t buy Fenty for ourselves, so thankfully this track was released. Lift Me Up was written for the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, but more specifically Chadwick Boseman, who most of us had passed away in 2020 from a not very public battle with cancer. I really liked it the first few times that I heard it, but when it started up during the end credits of the film it turned from like to love. This was the way you’re meant to hear this song if you have any interest in seeing the film. Rihanna utilizes a pretty minimal approach with only her vocals and heavenly piano keys. I don’t like discrediting other artists, but Rihanna is one of few I really feel could’ve delivered this tear jerker of a song as effectively as she did.

33. Rina Sawayama – This Hell

Genre: Pop

Rina Sawayama is living in the wrong decade at the right time. This Hell is a 2000s inspired, pop ballad. I couldn’t help but think of The Fame Monster when I first heard this song. The production is so clean and her vocals remind me of classic Gaga that would totally kill on a dancefloor. This Hell is a celebration that no matter how shitty things are being together is what’ll keep us alive. After all if being alive means we get more guitar solos like the sick one on here then I’m game for another year.

32. Angel Olsen – All the Good Times

Genre: Indie-Folk

All Mirrors was probably my favorite album of 2019. I was not expecting a folk album going into a teased project three years later. Angel really has the natural twang needed for All the Good Times. It feels like the long drive home in a film after the worst has come and gone and all is a little better now that it’s over but you can’t help but feel torn. Angel is a natural for creating a mood like this where the instrumentals speak for how she’s feeling almost as well as the lyrics. Songs like this one prove that she’s a songwriter never to doubt.

31. Cheekface – You Always Want to Bomb the Middle East

Genre: Indie-Punk

I appreciate how Cheekface’s political satire never takes itself too seriously. This track in particular comes off as a bubblegum pop song that has a goofy delivery that sort of reminds me of Fred from The B-52’s. It’s like half serious all the time, but works in the context of the album. You Always Want to Bomb the Middle East makes it seem like silly, normal, playful everyday activities are substitutes for bombing countries. Activities like having a Nerf gun fight or playing golf and eating cheese. For all the strong, blunt politicization of modern music I’m grateful for something light hearted like this.

30. Goth Babe – Driving South

Genre: Alt–Pop

Encinitas rocked my world last year. I had the privilege to finally hear that track live this year at Lollapalooza slightly tipsy, which is the best way to experience that moment in my eyes. Driving South did me the same favor this summer, just not having to wait as long to hear it performed live. Everything about this screams summer. It’s the life I want to live, live out the summer days and the moment it hits September I’m out of here. Goth Babe’s brand of alt-pop really has the catchiest hooks and I am already seeing other artists try and replicate his sound with not nearly as much success. It’s bright, shimmery, and instantly recognizable.

29. My Chemical Romance – Foundations of Decay

Genre: Post-Hardcore

On the way to the Turnstile concert earlier this year, my friend texts me, “DUDE NEW MCR!” As a longtime fan I instantly got nervous. What the hell would an MCR song sound like in 2022? It sounds like an apocalyptic, grim battle with impending despair. Gerard sounds better than ever, even letting us know how committed to this new album he is by unleashing one of my favorite screams of the year before the breakdown throws a knuckle to your gut. It’s a different approach for the group, but this sound excites me. Hoping this new MCR will come in with the new year.

28. 100 Gecs – Doritos and Fritos

Genre: Hyper-Pop/Ska

This is a Seinfeld of a track. It’s literally about nothing except Doritos, Fritos, and watching TV. If you’re not familiar with Laura and Dylan, this is probably the most accessible they’ve ever sounded so enjoy this dance party while you can. Meanwhile for the fans this is just another bonus round. It’s a stupid fun song that has a nasty continuous bass that contributes to the goofiness. R.I.P. MF Doom.

27. brakence – deepfake

Genre: Hyper-Pop, Art-Pop

I spoke briefly about how effectively heartbreaking deepfake was in the context of the album. Hiding your true colors and numbing your personality to appeal to others and pretend like this won’t catch up over time. Brakence breaks down at the right emotional highpoints in every verse. It’s the highlight of the entire record that leaves you with a midwest-emo guitar at the end in what feels like an attempt to process what the hell just happened.

26. Tove Lo – True Romance

Genre: Pop

Can we please give Tove Lo the love she deserves? Year after year she puts out solid material and puts nothing less than 100% into it. True Romance is one of the rawest pop songs this year. Typically a Tove Lo song has a lot of synth and over-the-top production. This one plays it very lowkey and minimal… except for the vocal performance. She sings her heart out to the point where her voice cracks put even more emotional definition on the lyrics. One of the most heartful songs this year and her best vocal performance to date.

25. Spitting Off the Edge of the World – Yeah Yeah Yeahs, featuring Perfume Genius

Genre: Alternative

The DJ on SiriusXMU premiered this song and then as soon as it was over he declared that we should all listen to it again. So that’s what he did. Months have passed since the debut of Spitting of the Edge of the World and I still get a rush of excitement as soon as that abrasive synth and bass attack my ears in the opening. Karen O and co. have never made a song like this before. It’s a slow burn with a feature, a Perfume Genius feature at that. His contributions to the track are brief, but works well given he’s no stranger to this type of sound. This truly feels like the end of the world. Before the chorus hits and the slaps of the drum kick in, I’m ready for the hellfire to singe my eyebrows. It’s a fiery track that’s different, but remains in YYYs spirit.

24. Beach Bunny – Entropy

Genre: Power-Pop

Beach Bunny put out music this year so it was inevitable that a song would end up on my list. It totally could’ve been any track on this album (minus Oxygen which was a 2021 release), but in the end I played Entropy so many times this summer. It’s so sugary sweet and outward in what it wants to be. The bridge of Lili saying she wants to kiss her partner when everyone’s watching and not being ashamed makes my heart soar (in the manliest way possible). Beach Bunny will definitely be in the conversation of one of the pioneering acts of this modern power pop revival if she keeps putting out catchy, honest bangers like this one.

23. Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loneliest Time feat. Rufus Wainwright

Genre: Pop

When you think of a perfect closer, what comes to mind? The Loneliest Time is one that clicks with me instantly from this past year. It’s a bubbly, poppy jam that feels like the result of Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia era of modern 80’s pop. At the tail-end of an already great album, this track just packages it all together. It’s dazzling and really encapsulates what this album is all about. Plus the Rufus Wainwright feature is worth the price of admission we should be paying these artists.

22. Joey Bada$$ – Zipcodes

Genre: Boom-Bap, Rap

Old heads will be snapping their fingers to this shit. For someone who didn’t grow up with a lot of hip-hop, I still find a lot of comfort in the beat. It took a sample of a relatively slow and jazzy song from the mid 2000’s and made it feel BIG. This is a walk through the city during a late summer evening. Joey takes the opportunity to rap over a beat with this wonderful production and bodies it. It’s a big braggadocios song with bars for days. “Dropped out of school, still voted most likely to succeed” resides in my head on the daily.

21. Dreamville – Stick

Genre: Rap

As I said in my album rankings, Dreamville had their strongest year to date in 2022. This is truly what kicked off the year with a bang. Kenny Mason and Sheck Wes go back and forth screaming at each other and it’s fucking incredible. You would think that was Sheck’s only purpose, but no! He delivers maybe the best verse of his career. What a comeback. J. Cole is stunning here. His wordplay and aggression is unlike anything that he has put out in years. DJ Drama feels like he’s on top of the world as his adlibs and dramatic, almost cartoonish production. This is the hype song that filled the gaps of the past few years. Oh and JID is great too, as if you were gonna doubt that.

20. Steve Lacy – Mercury

Genre: Alt-Pop

For some reason Mercury reminds me of the song that plays in the Pixar short Knick Knack. Anyway, this is my favorite Steve Lacy associated track I’ve heard so far. The instrumentals feel almost Spanish inspired with bossa nova elements as well. Lyrically this will be one of the tracks that most people will relate to on Gemini Rights. Not regretting his choice to breakup with his partner in a toxic situation, but still looking for the good in the time and wanting that more than ever. Presumably the situation is recent, but you can feel the denial and bargaining in his lyrics. I really appreciate a song this catchy to hit so hard.

19. Harry Styles – As It Was

Genre: Pop

Even if Harry’s House really did nothing for me, As It Was remained in my rotation constantly. This gentle performance Harrys gives vocally feels very effective with the cute vibe. The leadup to his “letting loose” moment in the final verse only makes the payoff greater. Something that stands out to me the most though is the percussion. The drums during the chorus shimmers and makes the beat a little quirkier. Admittedly, this may be cheating but the music video for this elevates how I feel about it too. It’s the energy I’d hoped for to match the tone of the song.

18. The Smile – You Will Never Work in Television Again

Genre: Rock

Nothing excites me more than when Thom Yorke and co. freak out on a track. This stunning track caught me completely off guard because the past few years that these members of Radiohead have been active, their sound has been a bit more mellow. The Sons of Kemet drummer hasn’t, but for Thom Yorke playing front-man you can’t help but make that contrast. You Will Never Work in Television Again is like an OK Computer B-Side. I mean this feels just very grim and revolting. I love the amount of angst is in the vocals and how the rush from the first seconds of the song never let you down. Thin Thing almost took the spot, but this one blew my mind first.

17. Black Thought & Danger Mouse – The Darkest Part

Genre: Jazz Hip-Hop

My gateway into hip-hop was more melody inspired. I liked lyrical, clean production, rap in my early years of high school. Listening to Cheat Codes took me back to that time where I was just discovering rap and The Darkest Part evoked the kid in me again. Black Danger Mouse immaculately produced this and Black Thought spits as if he’s Rose in Titanic. He’s honestly a lyrical miracle just by the first verse. It felt like a MF DOOM song and maybe that’s why I resonated so hard. The beat feels like you’re in the city on a beaming sunny day through the less classier parts of town, where real creativity blossoms. This mostly optimistic song is definitely worth anyone’s time. Not just for hip-hop fans.

16. Phoebe Bridgers – Sidelines

Genre: Indie

A majority of Punisher was chockful of eye sweats. You try to maintain your composure while hearing I Know the End for the 37th time and it just doesn’t work OKAY? IT DOESN’T! But anyhow Sidelines is the antithesis of Punisher really… but it’ll still make you cry. You feel baited by how soft and tender the instrumental is while you feel like you’re being sucked into another helping of Phoebe whooping your ass emotionally. This time she sings about freedom and love. How love helps her feel like she can go outside and explore the world. It’s a cute placeholder track for whatever is to come this year.

15. Denzel Curry – Walkin

Genre: Rap

I fall victim to beat switches so helplessly. When the beat switch slapped my ear drums for the first time, the endorphins kick in. Denzel just knows how to make a hype song that still illustrates an important message. Walkin is a metaphor for facing the other way when it comes to the oppressive forces of society. He feels crushed by capitalism and inner demons that seemingly possess his mental state. Melt My Eyes See Your Future is a focus on Zel’s mental health and this is the best possible way to get people interested in his storytelling and masterful songwriting. This guy really is unstoppable.

14. JID – Sistanem

Genre: Rap

Continuing on with great storytellers, JID has nearly mastered this art in three albums time. What he did on The Forever Story is legendary and the fact that he can include a slow burn of a song like Sistanem in between a handful of bangers just shows how invested I am as a listener to what he has to say. This one is about the relationship he has with his sister and how much she meant to him. She was his role model, but since he’s gotten this level of fame signing with Dreamville and all else the past few years their connection has gotten a bit hazy. James Blake also has a surprise appearance to make the tone even slightly more haunting and pressing over his head.

13. Alvvays – After the Earthquake

Genre: Indie Pop

Blue Rev had Alvvays at their very best. Antisocialites will alvvays have a place in my heart, but I appreciate the whole array of new and familiar sounds they explored on this one. After the Earthquake is part of a spectacular three track run to start off the album. Molly Rankin pours her soul into this beautiful moment on the album where she hopelessly sours for her dead lover to “say you’ll climb out of your wake now.” She’s heartbroken and afraid of the attachment breaking her further once this person is gone. The final chorus of this might shed a tear or two. It’s modern jangle pop perfection.

12. Men I Trust – Billie Toppy

Genre: Indie Pop

Oh… OH!! This was my first reaction when I heard the opening of Billie Toppy for the first time. The bassline of this blew my damn face off. The tease of the song makes you feel like you’re being immersed into a rainy, neon lit, cityscape in a sleek black car with tinted windows. Men I Trust have fully established themselves as having a sound unique to their own already with their past few records, but this just shows the amount of versatility they possess too. I hope they keep on with this sound at some point because this keeps faithful to a normal song of theirs lyrically, but sonically it feels like something even bigger.

11. SZA – Open Arms feat. Travis Scott

Genre: Pop

Kill Bill was my original choice to be included here, but after talking with a friend yesterday, Open Arms really is the best song on SOS. SZA utilizes a lot more guitar driven beats this album, which created a more nostalgic and passionate approach to her sound. I loved Love Galore when it initially dropped five years ago. It was something different for top 40 back then and put the spotlight on SZA for the first time. Now for them to recreate that same magic years later just shows the chemistry between her and Travis. Man, this song is so cute. This is really love being shown for what it is in all of its’ glory. Every time I hear it I am just reminded that that’s what falling in love really does feel like.

10. The Weeknd – Less Than Zero

Genre: Synth Pop

Sometimes all you need is just a good pop song and that’s what Less Than Zero is… a REALLY good pop song. Abel can stick with the 80s aesthetic as long as he wants to if it sounds as booming and brain massaging as this. Dawn FM has a lot of standouts that could easily compete with this like Gasoline, Take My Breath, and Sacrifice, but what makes me choose this one is how much this one feels like his answer to Blinding Lights. Him and his team know he can produce something like that again and for how much spirit and devastation he feels. It’s a heartbreak anthem that has no problem dominating your headspace for a few days.

9. Soul Glo – Driponomics

Genre: Hardcore Punk

By the time I reached Driponomics in the tracklist I was already locked and loaded for the ride. This was easily one of the most exciting things I had heard all year. Soul Glo has a super unique way of presenting themselves. Even on stage, they really just give off a true “fuck you, I don’t give a fuck” tone. Driponomics was the mind shred moment of the project. Truly, I had no clue that a song as off the walls nightmarish as this one would be included here. This trap beat influenced banger is all about drip. Clothes, shoes, clout chasing… buying shit to feel worthy and how dumb it is to go about life that way. Shoutout to Mother Maryrose on this one too. She absolutely killed it and matched Soul Glo’s energy perfectly.

8. Kendrick Lamar – Mother I Sober

Genre: Rap/Spoken Word

Kendrick crushes your heart more than a few times on Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. He does it because he had to crush his own facing some hard truths he didn’t want to face either. Mother I Sober illustrates his relationship with his mother. All the trauma that his mom had and her family’s generational traits and habits being passed down and how they affected him growing up. With every verse I get sucked into this journey through therapy and how he learned to grow and rise from his past. The last two minutes of this song are the most powerful moments in music I heard all 2022. On an album where Kendrick could’ve easily just opted to make bangers and doing what he already does best, he took a chance and put something like this. Thank you.

7. Black Midi – Sugar/Tzu

Genre: Art Rock

When I look at Hellfire’s album cover I see chaos, doom, and hell obviously. Sugar/Tzu prepares to take you on this journey through hell by springing an unsuspecting, cartoonishly dark, animated jam. This feels like the perfect song to show someone who has never heard Black Midi before. It highlights their political commentary/satire and how much chemistry the band has instrumentally. The end of this song feels like you’re running away from the world ending and you wouldn’t dare look back. It’s an exciting song from one of the best bands working today.

6. Black Country, New Road – Concorde

Genre: Art Rock

I kind of hate writing about BC,NR nowadays. Since the lead singer Isaac left the band just before dropping one of the best albums of last year, I’ve been down. Songs like Concorde were so amazing because of his weeping, yet powerful screams of despair at all the right moments. Concorde is about grief and denial specifically. Isaac is so hung up on his former love, but still wants to demonstrate all that he can and would do to be with them. This is in comparison to the Concorde airplane that is properly shown on Ants From Up There’s album cover. Flying over mountains and looking for light, all for while he is suffering in this trial. The explosive buildup at the end of this song sends goosebumps down my spine, arms, legs every time.

5. LCD Soundsystem – New Body Rhumba

Genre: Dance Punk

New Body Rhumba is why LCD Soundsystem remains one of my favorite bands. This is the band putting a shit ton of effort for a film soundtrack. The amount of layers and beat switches that happen in the last few minutes feel effortless even though mixing and arranging this song was probably really difficult. James Murphy does what he does best, be sad and call society out for being stupid and judgmental. Constantly saying how much he needs a new body and begging to give him what he wants. This carries on in swirling detail of how much we have to change ourselves to appease others, until we reach the end where it bittersweetly comes to terms with how things are. Sad but true shit from a band that has mastered doing that for years now.

4. Phoenix – Tonight feat. Ezra Koenig

Genre: Alt-Pop

The more and more I came back to Tonight I realized this has been the Phoenix song I have waited my whole life to hear. It’s a typical heartfelt Phoenix track with a really catchy hook, but there’s something else about it. It felt like a long lost track from their 2000s era, like an It’s Never Been Like That bonus track. It’s also the most danceable track that Phoenix has had in a while too. What really seals everything for me is the fact that two of my favorite singers when I was a kid finally collaborated. Ezra and Thomas have insanely good chemistry for this being their first track together. Both Vampire Weekend and Phoenix have this shared indie pop essence that mesh well and turn my nostalgia brain to mush.

3. Paramore – The News

Genre: Alternative

After Laughter was a second coming for Paramore. Instead of sticking with their pop-punk/alternative roots, they chose a more 80’s new wave/pop tinged rock record. It’s been five years since that record came out now and the whole time I’ve been wondering what’s their next move. The lead single, This is Why, reminded me a lot of Talking Heads first few albums. Obviously it didn’t sound exactly like it, but it felt more experimental in that sense.

The News is working off that same essence, but instead they put out the most fiery song they’ve put out since their self-titled album a decade later. Hayley sounds fed up on this one and I’m here for it. Her delivery on this song is unlike anything I’ve heard from her solo work or even past Paramore records. It’s a commentary about how we are hypnotized by the consumable media we have around us and how we are just willing to digest anything and everything. The “I feel useless behind this computer” line rolls off the tongue and sticks like a sucker. There’s subtlety and directness on this track that gives off a wake up already vibe that doesn’t come off as cheesy, which is honestly hard to do in 2022. I hope that with the rest of This is Why coming in early 2023 that they keep steam in this engine, but who am I kidding it’s Paramore… OF COURSE THEY ARE!!

2. Quadeca – Tell Me a Joke

Genre: Art Pop

Admittedly, I’m writing this entry super late. It’s 2023, but even to this day I still think about I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You. This is a once in a lifetime album that really is hard to pick a single from a concept album to choose as your favorite. Tell Me a Joke is a functional single on its’ own that really starts off the record and sets the tone. Quadeca sings this song from beyond the grave. He makes the metaphor of telling a joke to that of the life he left behind. He felt as though everyone was laughing at him, that he was a joke and ultimately served no purpose other than being the punchline. The repeated line of all he could hear are the crickets symbolize him not being laughed at for what he tries to entertain people with, but also him being dead in the grass hearing the crickets above him. This being the first exposure I had to Quadeca, I was invested. This is one of the saddest songs I heard all last year.

1. The 1975 – Looking for Somebody to Love

Genre: Alternative

You know what’s the sign of a great album ? When you listen to it and then be fondly remembered of how much you really do love the band. What makes a great single is the reminder that this band can really show you what they’re capable at the height of their power. Looking for Somebody to Love was my reminder of not only what The 1975 is capable of, but also how they are one of my favorite bands ever.

Matt Healy has a really cool perspective on the world. Sure, it’s not always the most agreeable or PC, but it’s really admirable of how he’s really not afraid to speak his mind ever. This track in particular covers his views on toxic masculinity and how fragile the world is now. Throughout the song Matty sings that the gentleman with a gun is hand is looking for somebody to love, sort of illustrating that this weak willed man was rejected or hurt by someone he admired and is taking his aggressions out by starting a mass shooting. I love this commentary because there’s really no easy way to discuss something like this in regular conversation let alone a song. I’m very grateful that someone with this platform was the one to start another discussion.

Jack Antonoff, as much as the world seems to resent him now, really did an amazing job with the production here too. This is an instantly recognizable sound for him, but also for The 1975. It felt like his spin on their sound while still honoring both parties. It sounds nostalgic and exciting with a little bit of grief in there too. It’s one of the band’s best songs they’ve ever put out and my favorite song of 2022.

*PLAYLIST OF ALL THESE SONGS IN ORDER BELOW!*

The Absolute Best in Music 2022 (Albums)

By: Campbell Petschke

Currently Listening to: No Thank You by Little Simz

Here We Are Again

2022 was one of those rare years where music came out and we listened. Not like other years. It felt like this year above all so many new artists were discovered, ones that had blown up from TikTok, random side projects (The Smile), different collabs, and one off singles leaving people wanting more after being gone for years (LCD Soundsystem, Death Grips, etc.). In the case of the artists on this list, they really put out some of their best work to date, tried something new, broke genre barriers, and spoke out. Music in 2022 had something to say. This felt like a year that had something to prove. I hate bringing up the ‘c’ word, but with COVID restrictions lessening this year and more artists feeling more confident in taking off on the road, I felt like they had been cooking this whole pandemic and a boy was hungry.

I loved a shit-ton of music this year and it was honestly really hard to limit these selections to just 50 albums and 35 songs. Some of these I’ve loved as early as January and some from a few weeks ago. I didn’t want to have a recency bias so albums like the Little Simz album that dropped the day as I’m writing this will not appear, even though it sounds incredible so far. So with that being said, I will not be ranking every album that I listened to, new and old, like I did in 2020. That list took so long it came out in March. SO! I’m optimistic, maybe this will come out by at least February this time. Anyhow, here is my 2022 in music. The best year of music that I have lived through so far.

Album Time!

50. Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1- September 9 2022)

Genre: House, Electronic

I had never heard of Fred until this past summer when I saw members of the Festiverse Discord server discuss his music. Unaware of what to expect, I dove in without even knowing what genre he represented. As someone who has come to really appreciate house music these past few years, Actual Life 3 was a nice surprise. He chops up different soundbites he finds online and through FaceTime calls he shares with his buddies and makes them into these chill, lofi, reflective tunes. It’s something I can honestly turn on whenever and not have to think too deeply into it. I enjoyed this album so much I immediately put on Actual Life 2 once this one was done.

Bump This: Delilah (pull me out of this), Berwyn (all i got is you)

49. Father John Misty – Chloe and the Next 20th Century

Genre: Chamber Pop, Rock

In 2013, I stood on the muddy hills of Grant Park. It was my second ever Lollapalooza. As I wait for Crystal Castles to melt my face off, I watch Father John Misty croon to the people watching from Lakeshore stage as he whips out a pony head on a stick and proceeds to passionately make out with it. I did not touch his music until 2016, but despite the pony incident, I forgave him because of his poetic, heartfelt tunes. The tunes that would make you want to fall in love with someone you accidentally bumped into while exiting a public bus (or whatever simps do).

Needless to say after a nearly flawless streak of releases, Chloe and the Next 20th Century drops and it’s a sophisticated, jazzy, bossa nova album with some typical FJM sounds we’re familiar with. Half this album is a total trance. The orchestral aspects are to die for and make for a perfect Sunday spin on a turntable accompanied with dreary, simmering rain hitting the windows. This is honestly what I wanted the past two Arctic Monkeys albums to sound like if they wanted to continue to head that direction. I would say he should stick to this because it sounds great, but I’d love to see FJM try more directions. He seems to really have an enhanced amount of self awareness.

Bump This: Funny Girl, Chloe, Goodbye Mr. Blue

48. Freddie Gibbs – $oul $old $eparately

Genre: Rap, Trap

There are very few artists that are as entertaining as Freddie Gibbs on social media. Leading up to this project, his Instagram stories and Twitter stories (when they were around) were the most out of pocket, bizarre videos you’ve ever seen. Most of them accompanied with his now meme-able catchphrase, “duh fuck?”

With Freddie dropping some of the best collab albums of the last decade, Pinata, Alfredo and Bandana, I had nothing but high expectations for $$$. Is it as good as the three I just listed? No. It’s still a very high quality project with many highlights. Rick Ross, Pusha T, and Scarface have some of the best features of the year. I mean how can Ross fail on a track called Lobster Omelette?

While the front half is still quality, the back half really is the highlight. The emotional highs of Grandma’s Stove and the phenomenal beat selections on tracks like Decoded and Gold Rings helped Freddie’s delivery hit just as hard. Living proof that if you have the right beats dealt to you, you can do some serious damage and that’s exactly what Freddie does here. Contender for best album of the year about doing coke and selling dope.

Bump This (Instead of Coke): Gold Rings, Grandma’s Stove, Lobster Omelette

47. Oliver Sim – Hideous Bastard

Genre: Art-pop

I thought for sure The XX were going to drop something this year, or maybe I’m just delusional. At least I thought I was until I heard Oliver’s heavenly vocals slide across the lead single to Hideous Bastard, Romance With a Memory. Then the DJ said, “that was the new track from The XX bandmate Oliver Sim from his upcoming solo album.” Um… NOT WHAT I WANTED!

All jokes aside this is basically The XX minus Romy. Jamie XX, per usual, does a great job producing this album and knows how to play to Oliver’s strengths. While a handful of the albums on this list will involve heartbreak and anguish, this might be the most heart-wrenching. Take the song Saccharine and hear how much he is devastated by having his heart broken. His vulnerability oozes out of him by comparing his efforts to dip his toes into falling in love as the addictive taste of sugar, to then saying he’s “right back to sugar-free with [his] heart under lock and key.”

He also reaches vocal high points I did not expect from him. His performance on the intro track, Hideous wasn’t talked about enough this year. The heavy strings with an impassioned Jimmy Sommerville feature made this an emotional listen. One that will definitely give you the sad sighs and then write on Tumblr about how he ‘gets you’.

Bump This: Hideous, Romance With a Memory, GMT, Saccharine

46. Los Bitchos – Let the Festivities Begin!

Genre: Cumbia

This year I wanted to break out of my shell that I was stuck in last year. I mainly listened to alternative, barely any rap, and pop music. My goal was to explore more genres I typically don’t align with. Los Bitchos really struck me by the eye-catching album cover. It really reflects the bright, bombastic, colorful tunes that are on the album.

Let the Festivities Begin is an all-instrumental album that’ll make you want to dance with your Airpods in. Listening to this at the gym will raise some eyebrows, but to be fair are they listening to Los Bitchos? Probably not, so how could they understand? Despite the lack of lyrics I can somehow hear lyrics. I would love to hear what words could be put to such exciting instrumentals. This album is also produced by Alex from Franz Ferdinand, so it’s a very beat driven album as well. Give this a try if you want some lively tunes to brighten your day and dance wherever you find yourself placed while listening.

Bump This: Change of Heart, I Enjoy It, Lindsay Goes to Mykonos

45. Phoenix – Alpha Zulu

Genre: Alt-pop, Rock

A Phoenix drop is always exciting. Like Peter Bjorn and John and Beach Bunny, Phoenix can nearly effortlessly make a catchy pop tune. The title track, Alpha Zulu was a good tease for the record because it honestly doesn’t sound like anything else on the rest of it. It’s like the band’s attempt at a club track. I wasn’t blown away by the track, but it will get stuck in your head easily. It wasn’t until Tonight dropped where I was really invested in what was to come. As a kid, Vampire Weekend and Phoenix were my two bands. I knew nearly every track if you were to play a one second snippet. So to hear Ezra collab with the band on Tonight had my youthful heart soaring. It’s easily one of the best written and performed songs of the year (one that you may see on my song list, but don’t tell anyone).

The rest of the record is a pretty standard Phoenix one. That’s far from a bad thing though, they know what they’re doing and they’re good at it. Artefact actually reminds me of Room on Fire era The Strokes. It’s a sick power-pop ballad that has a riff that’ll stick with you throughout the week. After Midnight sounds like a long-lost Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix cut and Winter Solstice for Bankrupt. It’s a culmination of all the things that has made this nearly 25 year old act such a force for many in the early 2000’s onward.

Bump This: After Midnight, Tonight, Artefact

44. Steve Lacy – Gemini Rights

Genre: Bedroom Pop, Neo-Soul

You can argue Steve Lacy to be the breakout artist of the year and I wouldn’t disagree. He’s been at it for years producing tracks for J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and even Vampire Weekend. Within the short amount of time that he has been active he has created a sound that is pretty recognizable at this point.

While I really enjoyed his production style and online presence, I didn’t know a whole lot else about the guy. Gemini Rights came along though and really stuck with me. His sound fits within the state of music currently, one that will probably stand the test of time the best out of the constant stream of artists trying to fit into this “vibey”, stoner era of pop music. Steve’s vocals are really strong on tracks like Mercury and Sunshine. I’m glad that Foushee makes an appearance here too. She deserves a lot more attention than her TikTok sounds, very unique voice that doesn’t sound like a try hard.

What I enjoy the most out of Gemini Rights is how fluid it feels. This is an adventurous album that goes through many styles and manages to juggle a lot of different ideas such as toxicity, prolonged love, and learning from mistakes without a resolution. This came out at the perfect time in mid-July. I hope nothing but the best for Steve’s future in music, its’ bound to be bright.

Bump This: Mercury, Sunshine, Helmet, Bad Habits

43. Horsegirl – Versions of Modern Performance

Genre: Rock, Post Punk

Horsegirl were the dark horse of my 2022. Ballroom Dance Scene existed in the background ever since it dropped nearly two years ago now. I was really intrigued by how melancholy and hopeless it sounded, but also the fact that they were from Chicago. Anti-Glory dropped earlier this year and really caught my attention with how unpredictable it was with how surprisingly punk it was at times. They also put on a very solid Lollapalooza performance. Horsegirl did everything right, except for choosing their band name.

This record is a post punk journey through misguided expectations. It’s never a rough one, but wow is it all over the place. Sometimes the tracks feel abrupt, sometimes they feel like radio hits, some feel like long-lost grunge era tunes, and other times they’re having soft piano driven interludes. I loved the transition of Option 8 into World of Pots and Pans. Those two work as a really nice companion piece. There’s a lot to commend here, I just hope they continue to grow more and more by year.

Bump This: Option 8, Anti-glory, Billy

42. Drake & 21 Savage – Her Loss

Genre: Rap, Trap

I’ll preface by saying this, I haven’t liked a Drake album since 2016’s Views. Everything else has either been boring or way too bloated. There have been some great singles since, but as an album hell no. With Honestly, Nevermind being the first of his two releases in 2022, I was mildly disappointed not because it was bad, but also because he tried something new and it really didn’t work. What DID work on that album was Jimmy Cooks, the final track of the album featuring a 21 Savage collab. So that is really what had me looking forward to Her Loss.

Not only is this the best Drake album in years, it is the hungriest he has sounded too. Some of his fans will disagree I’m sure, but this felt like Drake had some shit talking to do and brought 21 out with him. There are so many quotable lines from this project like “she a ten tryna rap, it’s good on mute” or “yeah I got the stripes, but fuck Adidas”, which is something I missed from him. Sure he had “say that you a lesbian girl, me too” but is that really what you want people to quote from your album? The lyrics may be toxic at times, but that’s what Drake is good at doing, talking his shit. A man can only watch from the sidelines.

21 and Drake have very good chemistry and rarely miss a beat on this hour long, 16 track album. Let’s hope that 21 is more open to doing a collab album with J. Cole now. That one would break me like Action Bronson on a kids stool.

Bump This: BackOutsideBoyz, Rich Flex, Broke Boys, 3AM on Glenwood

41. Rosalia – MOTOMAMI

Genre: Reggaeton, Art-Pop

Rosalia is one of the biggest forces in reggaeton and arguably the most popular artist not named Bad Bunny. As I said before, my mission this year was to venture further into genres I’m not entirely familiar with and reggaeton was definitely one I needed work on. I’ve dug Rosalia in the past, I don’t remember a lot from El Mar Querer, but I did remember liking it. MOTOMAMI is a very special release with how much it experiments and all the risks that it takes sonically. The production on tracks like BIZCOCHITO and BULERIAS is so crisp and smooth.

There are a handful of moments where she’s able to show off her pipes aside from her powerful delivery when she raps. SAKURA and DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA being the most beautiful pieces I’ve heard from most singers of any genre this year. Having an artist like Rosalia is very exciting for the future of music. She has the opportunity to inspire so many artists the way she has captivated the globe already.

Bump This: SAKURA, BIZCOCHITO, DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA

40. Death Cab for Cutie – Asphalt Meadows

Genre: Alternative

This is the best that Death Cab has sounded since Kintsugi. What I really respect about DCFC and Ben Gibbard in general is that he pays attention. Asphalt Meadows sounds like a more polished, modern Death Cab album. One that still sounds like their signature sound, but suits this modern alternative sound. The title track nails this atmospheric, speedy ballad that you can only imagining what that sounds echoing throughout a crowded venue full of dedicated fans. Leading into my next point, this feels like the album that if you didn’t like Kintsugi or Thank You for Today, this will more than likely win you back.

Ben knows how to tell a story really well. That’s no secret, but hearing a song like Rand McNally is a nice reminder of what he’s capable. I wouldn’t put it on the same level of something like their classic Cath.. but it definitely pulls an emotional punch similar. Here to Forever also feels like classic DCFC. Ben plays with our emotions once again with this confessional track that shows he is willing to do anything for love Meatloaf style.

Can you tell I’m glad this band is back to doing what they’re so good at? Asphalt Meadows took a few listens, but it’s totally worth the first shot to appreciate how well written these atmospheric, heartfelt tunes will carry you through the day.

Bump This: Asphalt Meadows, I Miss Strangers, Fragments from the Decade

39. Beyonce – RENAISSANCE

Genre: Dance- Pop, House

I gave RENAISSANCE a try back when it first dropped and bailed a few tracks in. Must’ve not been in the right mood because months later I returned and thought it was dope! I don’t know what the fascination was with artists giving house music a try, but I’m glad it worked out for Beyonce.

It had been six years since Beyonce had released Lemonade, an album I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did. Despite me being mildly allergic to bees, the Be-Hive had reeled me in. She has such ferocity in her delivery. The kind that’ll make men whimper to their knees and say “anything for you Mrs. Carter!” She really knows how to let the audience know she is in command and that’s definitely apparent here.

I appreciate how Beyonce didn’t just go out on a whim and just dabble in this new genre. There’s a lot of love put into the style and vocal delivery that makes it feel sort of timeless. Songs like Cuff It and especially the dazzling closer Summer Renaissance, which interpolates Donna Summer’s classic, I Feel Love, show that she is dedicated to putting on this show for us.

As much as I want to not like these big name pop stars at times, RENAISSANCE makes the crave for more material like this. It’s bright, bumpin, impactful, and a good time all around.

Bump This: CUFF IT, SUMMER RENAISSANC, VIRGO’S GROOVE

38. Flipturn – Shadowglow

Genre: Indie-Pop

In an interview with the band talking about their record purchases, one of the members stated that he loved John Coltrane’s classic A Love Supreme because it’s how it made him feel what words sometimes can’t do. Well, sonically Shadowglow makes you feel like you’re taking flight. A flight with your best friends on a journey of who knows where.

Bands like Flipturn give me a lot of hope for the future of mainstream indie. The writing in a lot of these songs feel like they’re singing to their family and friends. They speak and sing with passion that’s impossible to ignore on any given track. The guy’s vocals remind me a bit of the lead singer of Chicago band Whitney. They have a sort of willowy whine to their voice that I’m really into. The only difference is that the singer of Flipturn really could crank it up at any given moment. Part of what makes them so exciting is you don’t know where they’ll go next on the following track, but they all transition VERY well into the next.

This is an album that was made with a lot of love. One that I would appreciate just as much ten years ago as I would now. Flipturn is definitely one to look out for in the coming years.

Bump This: Burn, Playground, Sad Disco

37. Pusha T – It’s Almost Dry

Genre: Rap

Getting the obvious out of the way, no it is not as good as Daytona… but that’s a high bar to set. It’s Almost Dry is easily one of the highest quality rap albums of the year. Half the tracks are produced by Kanye (sigh) and the other half are by Pharrell. Both sides definitely have high highs. The Kanye beats sample more classic sounds from the 60s and 70s, the most iconic being the John Lennon sample on Dreamin of the Past. That sample is utilized so well and Push does a kickass job flowing through it all (even if the Kanye feature is kinda garbage).

The Pharrell side isn’t as strong as the Kanye side, but still has a lot to appreciate. Labrinth’s contribution following his success on Euphoria was exciting and easily the best song on the back half. Nigo’s involvement is a fun time as well, I’m glad that he was able to make this presence worthwhile here too. Overall, it’s pretty much what you expect lyrically from Push, strong wordplay, really unique adlibs and punchlines. Cocaine’s Dr Seuss continues to kick ass with song writing and deciding who he wants involved in his work.

Bump This: Let the Smokers Shine the Coupes, Dreamin of the Past, Diet Coke, I Pray For You

36. Rina Sawayama – Hold the Girl

Genre: Dance-Pop, Pop

Rina Sawayama was one of the most exciting names to come out of 2020. Her blend of 2000s pop and alt-rock was unlike anything that was out at the time. It still is a great album, but now with Hold the Girl, this proves she is more than just her debut.

Rina really knows how to play to her strengths. She has a powerhouse of a voice, one that was meant for these booming, echoey choruses that feel like they’re being sent into outer space. This Hell has this 2000s power ballad essence with a really unexpectedly great guitar solo towards the end. Then there’s songs like one of my personal favorites, Holy (Till You Let Me Go), which sounds like a lost 90’s club anthem with one of my favorite vocal performances of the year.

I really appreciate the heartfelt, slower moments on Hold the Girl too. Send My Love to John being a love letter to her friend that had struggled with coming out to his family. It’s a nice moment towards the end of the record that stuck with me every time I revisited. I hope that I can catch Rina on the road sometime soon because these past albums sound sensational through headphones.

Bump This: This Hell, Frankenstein, Holy (Til You Let Me Go)

35. Jack White – Fear of the Dawn

Genre: Blues Rock, Experimental Rock

It could’ve gone either way with which Jack White release to put here, but I find myself returning to Fear of the Dawn more. This is the most fun I’ve had listening to a Jack White record in a while. While Boarding House Reach is a great album in its’ own respects, this one just feels like Jack is saying, “fuck it, let’s just get weird!”

This album couldn’t have started any better than with the roaring, abrasive Taking Me Back. A track that feels like a classic jam from him, but also refreshingly new. The sounds you here all across this record caught me by surprise, which is the best part about it. A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip is featured on Hi-De-Ho, a fast paced, groovy tune that still manages to feel normal within this album’s zaniness.

Upon first listen, the transition from Taking Me Back Into the title track snuck in very seamlessly. Relistening to it now I feel as though the whole project functions the same way. The way these tracks flow into each other and offer up their own unique sounds and personalities makes this feel like a more complete record than it proves. It’s a blast from beginning to end.

Bump This: Taking Me Back (also try the gentle version!), This Was Then, This is Now, Hi-De-Ho

34. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cool it Down

Genre: Rock

The first time I heard Spitting Off the Edge of the World, I was invested. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been off the map for years now so I clung onto my steering wheel desperately as the song premiered globally on the indie station. Nearly a whole decade has passed since Mosquito was first purchased on my iPod Touch. Karen O did a cool album with Danger Mouse, but still… I WANT THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS!

This album was a really interesting first listen and an even better second. This is unlike anything the group has done thus far in their nearing 20 year career. Instead of an all out rager of a dance-rock album like Fever to Tell or a rhythmic alternative album like Show Your Bones, Cool it Down does exactly what the title speaks for about half the record. This is a slow burning, apocalyptic, melodramatic force. Songs like Burning and Wolf come off pretty corny at times as they feel like final boss video game music during their highest altitudes, but it really works.

Fleez is probably the closest you’ll get to a “quintessential” YYYs track. As a long time, loving fan of Fever to Tell that track really stuck with me with how distorted the guitars were and how sassy Karen’s vocals are too. For people who thought Mosquito was a step backwards and wanna whine about how their best days are behind them, go choke on Karen’s spit, this is great shit.

Bump This: Spitting Off the Edge of the World, Fleez, Blacktop, Lovebomb

33. Metro Boomin – HEROES AND VILLAINS

Genre: Trap

I’ll spare you the “you can trust Metro” puns, this was quite delightful.

Metro continues to show why you should respect his craft, especially when put aside other producer albums like DJ Khaled’s God Did. There was a lot of love put into this project and the features he had elected to spotlight this were near perfect. 21 Savage and Future THAT good behind a Metro beat should be no surprise at this point. 21 needed some redemption anyway after his awkward performance on that Calvin Harris track. Travis also steals the spotlight whenever he shows too, which really builds up more anticipation for Utopia next year. This is also narrated by Morgan Freeman just like Savage Mode II was in 2020. He didn’t spit any bars, but maybe on the next in the series.

I don’t have much else to say other than it’s hard to come across a producer’s album FULL of guest features that nearly all hit. HEROES AND VILLAINS is a rare case. Are some songs better than others? Of course, but this has endless replay value. He also found a way to include the recently deceased Migos member, Takeoff in a very honorable way. Great way to end the mixtape.

Bump This: Umbrella, Raindrops (Insane), Metro Spider

32. brakence – hypochondriac

Genre: Glitch-pop, emo rap

There was a 100 Gecs sized hole in my hyper-pop heart this year. There were new discoveries like The Underscores and Glaive that I enjoyed quite a bit, but nothing stuck. Then I see come upon this brakence record and now that hole is cemented. Locked tight.

What an experience this was, man. If you thought 100 Gecs were genre pushers, give brakence his flowers. All the daffodils, roses, although he’d probably prefer cannabis if we’re talking plants am I right? This is a very downward spiral of an album. In a mind-warping way, he raps, rocks, sings and dances to his own sad horn in the best way. Deepfake will go down as one of the best alt/hyper-pop meshed tracks of all time. The theme of being obsessed with being your inauthentic self to cope with mental pain is hard to hear since he really pours it out on this track in particular.

Hypochondriac deals with many hard handed discussions. Suicide, addiction, mental struggles… and you may think that sounds cringe because topics like that are usually mistreated in modern music for popularity. This is different. brakence has crafted the messiest, polished album this year (that I’ve heard) and it’s not even close. I appreciate what he does for this genre if you can limit him to one. He also kills the trope that glitch/hyper-pop needs a shitload of autotune and vocoding to sound good, which typically turns me away from the genre. This is nice. brakence… yeah he’s nice.

Bump This: cbd, deepfake, caffeine

31. Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa

Genre: Rock, Post-Punk

Spoon can easily be a contender for having the best album covers. Look how bold and striking it is! Enough playing art critic, let’s play Spoon enjoyer.

I had this conversation with my dad about how Spoon can drop an album and won’t get excited no matter how good it sounds. It’s weird though because every time I hear a song or album by them I really enjoy myself. This was no different, The Hardest Cut, great track! Wild? Also great! So why did I put it off? I have no excuse other than I was probably listening to something in the top ten for the hundredth time.

Lucifer on the Sofa is a great time. This could honestly be labeled a blues rock record if not for maybe one or two tracks. Spoon didn’t need to switch up their sound, but this definitely sticks out to me more than their last project, Hot Thoughts in 2017. The blues comes full force as the band slaps me in the face with Held, this slightly ferocious (by Spoon standards) tune that only teases other bluesy tracks like The Devil and Mister Jones, which feels more blues than it sounds. The storytelling and conveying of emotion on this feels a lot like that style. Almost like a Gary Clark Jr. on his latest album.

You’ll get classic sounds you’d expect from the group too like The Hardest Cut and My Babe, but Spoon is so good at doing what they do at this point. They can make twenty more records that sound like this, I’ll put it off for three months and then finally love it because I remember how much I dig this group.

Bump This: Satellite, The Devil and Mister Jones, The Hardest Cut, Wild

30. Wet Leg – Wet Leg

Genre: Indie rock, Post-Punk

Wet Leg might be the coolest duo out there. These two have so much chemistry on and offstage and it really reflects in their musicality. This really just feels like an album of two friends exchanging stories. Stories that range from awkward as hell to relatable in some respects.

I love how crude or blatantly absurd some of this project is at times. There’s “is your muffin buttered, would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin?” or the part in Ur Mom where the lyrics are, “okay, I’ve been practicing my longest and loudest scream” and then screams for an admittedly long time. There’s a lot of charm that comes from them for that reason.

I also kind of hate this album because half the songs get stuck in my head at least once a week. Most times it’s Chaise Longue, which I like so much because of how much it reminds me of early 2000s post-punk revival. Angelica has this sort of la di da delivery that annoys me constantly, but in a way that I’d still forgive them.

Wet Leg has my full attention after dropping something as awesome as this.

Bump This: Wet Dream, Ur Mom, Chaise Longue, Angelica

29. Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow

Genre: Art-pop

My expectations were completely unreasonable for this album. So much so that I was disappointed the first time listening. Thankfully, I sat with it a little longer and thought a bit more rationally. Not every album can be Titanic Rising and that’s okay.

Even though it isn’t as good as Titanic Rising, And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is still one of the best pop albums of the year. The best part of the project is how deep you can sink into Natalie’s vocals. She really hits the right emotional strokes. Any of the instrumentals on these songs could standalone and be called a classic record. The emotional impact of something like God Turn Me Into a Flower or The Worst is Done will stick with you. The Worst is Done is also one of the year’s most intoxicating pop tracks. This feels like the radio hit that’ll never be. I love the part where she sings, “In the world’s loneliest city, we’re not meant to be our own angels all the time.” Lyrical content of that quality and cleverness is something to expect from her songwriting at this point.

If you want your feelings to be hurt alongside a very passionate, soothing voice and lose yourself into a spiral of euphoria mixed with devastation… you’ll love this the way I do.

Bump This: The Worst is Done, God Turn Me Into a Flower, It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody

28. The Backseat Lovers – Waiting to Spill

Genre: Alternative, Folk Rock

Who would’ve guessed that Kilby Girl could launch The Backseat Lovers to make an album as spectacular as this. I caught this album at the tail-end of the year and it really just blew me away with how much of departure this is from their sound that made them break so big. When We Were Friends is a solid album with a lot of really strong singles and an established sound that kind of stuck with the popular alternative of that time. Waiting to Spill feels like The Backseat Lovers spent a year of only listening to Radiohead’s In Rainbows and Hail to the Thief. The singer sounds like he’s channeling his inner Thom Yorke on a handful of tracks.

What I love about Waiting to Spill the most is the simplicity of the lyrics. They aren’t easy or basic, but they really reflect the tone and the style of the record. One of the few albums this year that really has an album artwork that matches the tone of the record really well (yes, that makes the album better). Silhouette is one of the best openers of the year. It’s a six minute autumnal wet dream. There’s only 23 words spoken in this mostly instrumental track that doesn’t overstay its’ welcome at all.

I think what really makes me fall for this album is how much spirit was put into it. Not all these tracks sound alike. One song sounds like classic Backseat Lovers, while another track like Follow the Sound resembles a Belle and Sebastian track from The Boy with the Arab Strap era. It’s a wonderful album that gives life to mainstream folk-rock, which has not garnered any attention of mine for years.

Bump This: Silhouette, Follow the Sound, Know Your Name

27. Ari Lennox – age/sex/location

Genre: R&B, Neo-Soul

Dreamville had an amazing year in 2022. J. Cole had some great features, JID consistently proved why he’s the hottest rapper this decade so far, and Ari Lennox shattered expectations with an instant, soulful, classy, dirty record.

age/sex/location sometimes puts a song like WAP to shame. This is a very honest and upfront record that has Ari really explaining in detail what this love and attraction has her feeling. It is seriously the horniest album of the year by a mile. Of course that’s not why I placed it at this position. Ari also shows why she is to be in discussion for best powerhouse voices of this generation.

For every time Ari is saying she wants to be worn like a hoodie (Hoodie) or having her back blown out and waste her time (Waste My Time), there’s a beautiful vocal performance to back it up. It’s one of those voices where it has so much demeanor and strength that you believe every word of what she’s saying. Her conviction carries this record a long way.

This is a very soft, sultry, and tasteful album. An album that has many amazing memorable moments whether it be Ari’s bubbly, confident persona beaming or the often intoxicating instrumentals/beats. One that I hope will have a lot more people hop on the Ari Lennox train.

Bump (and grind) This: POF, Pressure, Waste My Time, Boy Bye

26. redveil – learn 2 swim

Genre: Jazz Rap

redveil has had a pretty big past few years. For someone who has barely become of age, he has blown up in the underground hip-hop scene. I first found out about him during quarantine when he dropped his debut, which was solid. Nothing that really gripped me, not like learn 2 swim did this year.

L2S is an album that hit an emotional chord for me. This feels like the type of music the late, great Mac Miller would’ve made back in his GO:OD AM era. It’s very jazzy, redveil’s flow and cadence are very chill and reserved, the production he did on this too is well beyond what anyone would expect of him this early in his career. I’m pretty sure he’s aware of it too. Morphine and Diving Board both cover what stage he’s at in his career and what seems to be expected of him. It’s also advice that he has been given, but feels like he’s sort of reminding himself to stay true to his ways too. Speaking what he’s been told and embodying it.

I’ve heard this album a bunch of times this year and it impresses me every time. An artist like redveil will make you want to pick up a pen and paper and start writing your own material. His lyrics and style have paid off big time, this is the jazzy rap album that a post Mac world deserves.

Bump This: pg baby, diving board, morphine, mars

25. Cheekface – Too Much to Ask

Genre: Dance-Punk, Power Pop

Thanks TikTok! You put me onto this weird ass album and I love it (please don’t steal my info).

I have no clue where Cheekface came from. They’re a band that is like if Ariel Pink and LCD Soundsystem had a child that ate dirt. This is mosh pit music for the weird kids. I know it sounds like I’m insulting this project, but I promise it’s more charming than I’m making it seem. For example, the opening track of this album has a part where the singer yelps, “life hands you problems, make problemade”. If goofiness like that turns you off, you probably won’t love the track where he shouts “A BIG CUP OF NOODLES!” for 56 seconds.

This album is very quirky and off the walls, but it’s a really creative and pretty fun dance party. One of my favorite tracks of the year falls on this album, You Always Want to Bomb the Middle East. It’s this indie pop banger that is pretty much least serious anti-war ballad of all time. It’s a total earworm and the lyrics are once again really clever and bizarre as anything from this year. There’s also a somewhat parody (if you can call it that) of LCD Soundsystem’s Losing My Edge, which essentially covers the same concept, but instead the singer proclaims he wants to be the singer on an EDM song. It’s a clever moment that shows the self-awareness Cheekface has on this entire record.

Trust me, this is some of the smartest satire you’ll hear all year.

Bump This: You Always Want to Bomb the Middle East, We Need a Bigger Dumpster, Featured Singer

24. JER – Bothered/Unbothered

Genre: Ska

It feels almost purposeful to put JER’s album next to Cheekface’s. Both of them have their own unique way of addressing the political state of the world (better than Jaden Smith did this year).

JER is part of the YouTube channel Skatune Network, a channel that specializes and highlights modern ska. While I had never really knew about him before, Bothered/Unbothered makes you want to know more. The album is like the embodiment of Hey Ya! syndrome. You can easily throw some ass or start a mosh pit to any of these tracks and it’d make sense, but the lyrics go a little deeper than just a party song.

There’s You Got Yr Card Revoked! where JER sings about not wishing he had to prove himself to be something more than just his race and being instantly profiled. The opener, Bothered, has a pop-punk friendly intro that poses the question that equality won’t mean fairness until it’s accurately demonstrated. We still live with these stereotypes and prejudices that stick into many people’s minds. To JER, this would still not be living free since “to agree to disagree is to live in complacency”. As stated earlier, as heavy handed as the lyrical content is on this album, the instrumentals are still a total blast. It’ll make you feel like ska never went anywhere.

JER makes a lot of great points and demonstrates that this genre still has air to breathe yet, as this album I believe will inspire a lot of people to take on the genre again if it blows up the way it deserves to.

Bump This: You Got Yr Card Revoked!, Cold Truth, Decolonize Yr Mind, You Can Get it if You Really Want

23. Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loneliest Time

Genre: Dance-Pop

For years I’ve felt I’m one of the few people that doesn’t get EMOTION. I’ve tried to enjoy that album, but for some reason something does not click. Not to say there weren’t good singles, but something Dedicated or The Loneliest Time are more my speed.

Carly Rae Jepsen did what Dua Lipa had done in 2020 with Future Nostalgia, a groovy, modern take on 80s pop. This couldn’t be more visible than on Sideways, which feels like a slow jam at the classiest prom you can imagine. This 80s energy continues on Shooting Star, a cheesy, but cute bop about love, astrology, and dancing your life away. Plus I really like her “I’d like to let your bed get to know me” line. I’ve never heard that before and it got a laugh out of me.

As every CRJ album has, there’s a lot of memorable radio friendly hits like Surrender My Heart and Talking to Yourself that BEG to be blasted through speakers. Her voice hits those high notes really well at certain moments on those songs in particular. Beach House can also fall under that category if not for the stupid part towards the end where multiple voices come in saying they have beach houses in Malibu.

Believe the hype around this one. This is CRJ’s best album to date and will be blasting through my speakers shamelessly next summer.

Bump This: The Loneliest Time, Sideways, Western Wind, Surrender My Heart

22. The Weeknd – Dawn FM

Genre: Synth-Pop

It’s a shame that Abel’s performance of I’m a Virgin from American Dad couldn’t make it on Dawn FM.

Dawn FM feels like the perfect companion piece to After Hours. Abel really finds a lot of success when it comes to synth pop, so to see him come up with this multi-layered conceptual album was really cool. This album gets bonus points for having it narrated by Jim Carrey, who seems to have become this trendy figure to have around again all a sudden. His narration is suave like a late night radio DJ giving the most sinister and creepy vibe to this somewhat colder record.

This album is very reminiscent of how scattered Starboy was in 2016. There’s so many different styles that Abel covers. The performance on Gasoline feels like a confident, yet antagonistic delivery. The concept is pretty dark how he says he wants to be put in a sheet and set on fire if he dies from OD’ing. Abel’s desperation is a recurring theme throughout the record. He’s a toxic lover that you don’t really want to relate to, but you find some habits of his behavior in. It’s to the point where the tracks reflect this idea, How Do I Make You Love Me and Is There Someone Else.

Dawn FM has a lot of very epic moments too. The transition of How Do I Make You Love Me into the night drive, synth banger, Take My Breath really kicks it off. This is a BIG song. One that has a lot of atmosphere the way that Starboy and Blinding Lights did too. This however has nothing on what is arguably the pop song of the year, Less Than Zero, which has the best instrumental and emotional downpour of the entire record. It fits very snuggly at the end of the record, which provided the little boost it needed.

It’s another great The Weeknd album that feels like a worthy second helping of After Hours greatness.

Bump This: Take My Breath, Less Than Zero, Best Friends, Gasoline

21. Ethel Cain – Preacher’s Daughter

Genre: Dream-Pop

I came across Ethel Cain by mistake. I was listening to Lorem Life, the podcast hosted by Dev Lemons on Spotify thinking it was the Beach Bunny interview and instead came upon the Ethel Cain interview instead. They had some very nice things to say about Preacher’s Daughter and Ethel seemed pretty down to earth, so why not give it a go?

I figured since this was on Lorem Life that it would be an upbeat record. Nope. Not even close. This is one of the darkest albums I’ve heard in recent years. It’s a concept album about Ethel running away from her family and falls in love with a cannibal she meets along the way… I’m sure you can guess what happens there. This isn’t a Bones and All record.

There’s too many moments on Preacher’s Daughter to list that just wowed me. The explosiveness in drowned out, shoogazey instrumentals really make some parts of this story hit harder than it should. I realize that some of the albums on this list are pretty melodramatic, but this feels properly dramatic. Running away from home is not meant to sound pleasant. She sings about the reasons as to why she ran away and the effects that left her feeling traumatized in ways that will make you think about your own relationship with your parents.

I won’t spoil the ending of the record if you’re interested, but if you’re in for a hauntingly, miraculous pop record I implore you to check Ethel’s masterpiece out. There’s near ten minute tracks that will rip your heart out and shorter tracks that highlight how talented of a vocalist she is too. It often times gets drowned out by the guitars and apocalyptic drums, but it’s almost melodic. Can’t recommend this one more.

Bump This: *This one should be listened to in full, but the first track will hook you*

20. The Smile – A Light For Attracting Attention

Genre: Rock

From day one there’s no way this was going to fail. When you have a song like You Will Never Work in Television Again as your lead single, you’re gonna get the Radiohead fans excited. Not just any Radiohead fans though… OLD SCHOOL Radiohead fans.

Thom Yorke has been pretty active doing solo work these years following Radiohead’s last album in 2016. Same goes for Johnny Greenwood, who has been a part of a lot of great film scores in recent years too. Pair those two with the drummer of Sons of Kemet and some magic happens. This is a beautiful nightmare of an album. A Light For Attracting Attention isn’t a dominating, breakthrough, album… It’s just really really high quality.

Take the second single The Smoke, which has probably the catchiest bassline this year. It’s a total earworm that will slip into your brain and make you wanna practice it on your own bass guitar. Like many tracks, this one also has a soothing sax that seeps through Thom’s very subtle vocal performance. Pana-Vision illustrates a similar vibe where instead of the sax playing backup it is the core aspect. The underlying themes of classism on this one hit especially hard. Seeing people for who they are without their metaphorical clothing.

This album succeeds of saying a lot with a little. The Opposite is carried by these cool, borderline breakdown level of guitars and again, a really awesome bassline. It’s also very hypnotic the way Thom’s vocals get distorted and weepy during the “bridge”. It plays to this paranoid and hopeless atmosphere you hear throughout the record. For it being sort of a downer, A Light for Attracting Attention still has a good replay value.

Bump This: Speech Bubbles, You Will Never Work in Television Again, Thin Thing, The Smoke

19. Orville Peck – Bronco

Genre: Country

On the very rare occasion a country album will totally wow me the way that Chris Stapleton did with Traveler, Kacey Musgraves with Same Trailer Different Park, and Orville Peck with Bronco.

Orville is an interesting dude. He stands out in the country scene for the reason of not wanting to be like any of his peers in his genre. He plays up the gay cowboy persona to the max as I’ve seen him perform live as well. He’s got a powerful voice that really has an emotional pull. A fair amount of times he discusses his narrow glimpses he’s had with death and suicide. The way he croons and even bellows on The Curse of the Blackened Eye about these feelings is heartbreaking. It’s a slow burn that really pays off big time.

It’s no secret that he knows how to nail a soft, acoustic track with very minimal, showy instrumentals, but there’s a lot of bangers here too! The lead single Daytona Sand has a boot stomping beat and feels especially hype when the tempo speeds up during the chorus. Lafayette, while a somber track about heartache, is a tonally upbeat track that strikes as a true and traditional country song.

Hexie Mountains is a definitive track here as well. It’s all you could ask for with sad cowboy music. It’s a defeat of mental anguish that instead of there being a happy ending, just leaves you feeling his pain and doubt. Orville will play your heart the way he plucks and strums his guitar so well on Bronco. One of the brightest voices in country.

Bump This: Daytona Sand, The Curse of the Blackened Eye, Hexie Mountains, C’mon Baby, Cry

18. Djo – Decide

Genre: Psychedelic Pop

Joe Keery has been everywhere in 2022. When he’s not playing Steve Harrington on Stranger Things, he can be found playing for his project Djo. A psychedelic pop trip that feels like Blade Runner put into an album.

This dystopian album made me feel many things. Joy above all, as this is a very synth heavy album with many grooves and sways. The opener Runner painted the best picture possible. It’s a chaotic, blippy bloopy, jam that feeds perfectly into Gloom. While Joe chants “and now I’m ready to go” so am I. This album kicks off reaching the highest of highs I could’ve expected. Tracks like Half Life show that Decide isn’t as predictable as you may think. There’s explosiveness and a guitar breakdown in between these Tame Impala like keyboards. Even if the drumming is a little one note, the instrumentals still are all over the wall and exciting.

End of Beginning may be a cheat code for my heart since he’s singing about how much he feels like himself when he’s back home in Chicago. The song feels like a gust of wind blowing in from the windows going down Michigan Ave.

Decide is a total blast from start to end. It almost feels too short even at 13 songs. There’s a lot of creativity and inspiration put behind the instrumental arrangements. A handful of times Djo just happens to say the right thing at the right time. Whether he’s talking about changing his persona and name or critiquing the seemingly empty world he builds on this record, he does it well.

Bump This: End of Beginning, Gloom, Change, Figure it Out, Runner

17. Kenny Beats – Louie

Genre: Instrumental Hip-Hop

Kenny Beats seems like the coolest hip-hop producer out there. His show Don’t Overthink Shit is really impressive. He knows how to craft beats to match the artist’s style. On Louie though he ditches working with any artist to craft an album full of instrumentals. Ones that range to lo/fi YouTube beats, to ones that feel like they were made for someone like Vince Staples or Denzel Curry on a hype track.

There are a few small artist appearances on Louie like JPEGMAFIA on Still, who shouts his instantly recognizable “Double Up” adlib or Slowthai’s vocals on Family Tree. It’s not at the forefront of the songs though, it’s mainly meant to act as maybe a pause in between a rapper’s bars (if one chose to rap over it).

There’s not a ton I can say other than I’ve probably listened to this album more than probably any other album this year with maybe one or two exceptions. I can pop this on while I’m working, driving, or just talking to people and it creates this fresh, chill environment with beats ranging from 70’s influenced (Drop 10) to bedroom pop inspired (Family Tree). It’s a nice moment in hip-hop I didn’t know I needed this year.

Bump This: Still, Hold My Head, Family Tree, Drop 10

16. Viagra Boys – Cave World

Genre: Post-Punk

Cave World feels like a joke. It pokes fun at us, calls people apes, and have songs called Baby Criminal and Creepy Crawlers. The type of album that makes it feel like you’re being bullied by big hulking Swedish man.

I love when a band like Viagra Boys comes around. It’s no secret that politics seep their way into a lot of modern music, but I like the way they go about it on Cave World. The delivery of the singer’s lyrics feels like a high school government teacher who doesn’t get paid enough to deal with shitty kids and is just on their last leg. Even if its sometimes a bit over the top, their attack on COVID deniers, flat earthers, and conspiracy theorists is brutal. As is said before, they’re often times comparing these people as monkeys and that if they want to act like monkeys, then they can leave society and throw shit at each other. Their words not mine.

Point is, Viagra Boys are the perfect group for gen z and meme culture. It’s not dumbed down for that demographic in particular, but their sense of humor is more on the nose and in tune with this internet culture and meme centered humor that you can find on Twitter (spelling monkey like monke or addressing absurd COVID theories). This is an aggressive, in-your-face album that will make you mentally stand up and cheer. It’s like the politically active band kid’s voices in their head spoke up and made a record… but it actually sounds great.

Bump This: Troglodyte, Creepy Crawlers, Return to Monke

15. Joey Bada$$ – 2000

Genre: Rap, Boom-Bap

There’s very few artists that can pull off a sequel/series of albums, let alone having the second one coming out over a decade after the original. Joey’s 1999 is held in a very high regard. One that a handful consider to be one of the best mixtapes of all time and I would agree. I loved how his narration felt like a guide into his adolescence and how he came to be who he is today. It didn’t feel traditional. It felt like a good kid, m.a.a.d. city arrangement. Might be a hot take buuuuuuuuut… 2000 is even better than 1999.

Joey did everything right. His projects that have followed since 1999 had dropped have had a wide array of sound and ideas, not disbanding the sound he created on that mixtape but more-so evolving it. The fact that he was able to recreate the essence of that original tape and modernize it was spectacular.

The emotional high points on this mixtape like Eulogy and the heartbreak of Survivor’s Guilt was something I did not expect. Joey talks about how much he grieves the deaths of those he has held close over the years. To the point where he says he won’t be forgiven for the death of his childhood friend from his friend’s family, nor himself. Songs with that much vulnerability on a tape that has equal amounts of bangers isn’t easy to balance. It’s not a problem here in the slightest, since after the somber energy coming off of Eulogy we get treated to the catchiest track, Zipcodes. I mean this in the best way possible, but the sample horns that are littered in between verses make it sound like something you’d hear on a NBA 2K soundtrack. Again, not a bad thing, if anything it helps relay this nostalgic feeling that I can only imagine Joey meant to do here anyway.

In any other year in recent history, I’d probably say this would be the best rap project that came out, but there’s more that somehow beat this. 2000 is a must if you enjoy jazzy, lyrical, boom-bap hip-hop. Joey Bada$$ has been doing great shit like this for years, but here I think is where he mastered it.

Bump This: Zipcodes, Survivor’s Guilt, Show Me, Wanna Be Loved, Eulogy

14. Beach House – Once Twice Melody

Genre: Dream Pop

The rollout for Beach House’s eighth album was my favorite of the whole year. It extended back as far back as November 2021 where the first four songs dropped. Those four songs were all BANGERS to no ones surprise. According to my Last.fm, I had streamed that EP over a dozen times and was shocked that it was not on my Spotify Wrapped. In case you aren’t familiar with how BH rolled this out, they dropped three EPs each with about four or five songs in the months leading up to the album. There weren’t a lot of surprises when it came out as a collective package in February, but hearing it all together with an additional five songs upon release was a transcendental listening experience.

Each of these four different EPs were wonderful in their own respects, but there were definitely moments that stuck out most. Pink Funeral and Masquerade have these haunting beats that I’ve never heard from them before. Victoria’s vocals soar on both as the beat carries you into this feeling that reminds me of when you close your eyelids really sharply and you see the streaky colors glide across your vision.

I don’t think you could’ve asked for a better lead single for this record either. Once Twice Melody felt like Beach House on crack. This was a groovy, mesmerizing, emotional ride. One I did not think would be topped until the next EPs started dropping and we got songs like Sunset and Over and Over. Ever get mad at how good an album sounds? That’s me typing about this album as I’m revisiting this wonderful time.

Beach House have slowly become one of my favorite bands ever these past few years. College really turned me onto them again, so having Once Twice Melody drop a semester after I graduated felt like my parting gift. In this four chapter ride, this solidified them as legends in dream pop and indie as a whole. Nobody is doing what these guys do.

Bump This: Once Twice Melody, Hurts to Love, Sunset, Superstar, Runaway

13. Alvvays – Blue Rev

Genre: Indie Pop, Shoegaze

YES! Yes, yes, yes. After five long years they’re finally back and arguably better than ever. Alvvays had a lot to live up to, at least by my standards. Their self titled and Antisocialites were the soundtrack to my early college years and if it didn’t sound good, well… I would… I would just explode. My heart would go pop as if it was Dollar Tree party popper and if you knew anything about Dollar Tree party poppers you’d know that they’re mostly defective and leave you and your fellow partygoers disappointed because they didn’t pop. Oh yeah, I’m still talking about an album.

Blue Rev is indie pop album of the year. While Antisocialites was a more bubbly and brighter shoegaze listen, Blue Rev feels like the grungier cousin. There’s like twice the amount of distortion and fuzz and vocals that I did not expect from Molly. She did not have to go THAT hard on Easy On Your Own. Molly’s vocals feel big here. The chorus elevates this burst of indie wonder as she exudes this final verse that has a fantastic build-up. One that is almost as good as the following track, After the Earthquake. This was the song that I’ve always wanted from the group. A jangle-pop sensation with a surprise second breath that makes me feel like Max from Stranger Things as she levitates listening to Kate Bush.

Alvvays is not without their smart lyrics and social commentary either. Very Online Guy follows this man who craves relevancy and validation from strangers online instead of those around him. Belinda Says is supposed to be a hint at what the afterlife is like and even credits Belinda Carlisle’s classic, Heaven is a Place on Earth as inspiration. Pomeranian Spinster is a fuck you ballad that almost begs a mosh pit. It might be the most aggressive song that Alvvays have ever made as it has layers of guitar fuzz, distorted vocals, and some punchiness that once again provide a second breath to an already great album.

Alvvays came at the right time. I can’t predict the future, but in my eyes this will be a classic in the coming years. One that I plan spinning on my turntable for time to come.

Bump This: Belinda Says, After the Earthquake, Very Online Guy, Pomeranian Spinster, Pressed, Pharmacist

12. Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems

Genre: Hardcore

Say what you want about Anthony Fantano, but I got to give credit to him for putting me onto Diaspora Problems. What the hell is this, man? I love when surprises like Soul Glo come around. This is the most exciting album I’ve heard in 2022.

Diaspora Problems is a culmination of many things. It’s a hardcore act that stands out very much from others in the genre and they know it. They own it in fact. I love their many different genre inclusions like hip-hop and hardcore, but also a little bit of electronic elements as well like on Driponomics. This track felt like Soul Glo’s answer to Death Grips as this beat and lyrical delivery melt my face off with how insane it sounds. A track that asks the question of how much you’re willing to pay for stupid name brand shit. I had also never heard of Mother Maryrose before this track, but her feature was sick enough for me to check out some of her material too.

My favorite aspects of this album is when the group meshes all their powers together. Gold Chain Punk has this beautifully skull crushing finale that highlights that the group has more than just one talented vocalist. Thumbsucker has this awesome, unexpected horns section in between the verses. Verses that cover how disguising your emotions will end up giving more pain than it would in the moment had you just faced it head on.

The album has my favorite closer of the entire year with Spiritual Level of Gang Shit. This song fucking rips. It starts off with a rap intro which then translates into this uproar of hardcore with a massive horn buildup mixed with some of the most passionate screams I’ve heard in any album this decade. Diaspora Problems is nothing less than a future classic. The themes and sounds on this already feel timeless and are totally worth every minute of its’ 40 minute runtime.

Bump This: Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmyass?), Thumbsucker, Driponomics, Spiritual Level of Gang Shit

11. The 1975 – Being Funny in a Foreign Language

Genre: Alt-pop

The 1975 are like a box of chocolates, you really never know what you’re gonna get. The album before this had a handful of their typical indie pop love songs, but also some house music and even a pretty hard rock song for their standards at least. That album seemed to divide a lot of the fanbase, but this one really felt like it was for everyone.

LCD Soundsystem’s All My Friends is interpolated in the opening track and is instantly recognizable. It’s Matt Healy’s favorite song, but the way that he pulled it off to illustrate what the album was going to be like was impressive. It alludes to how Matt is going to push his interesting mind onto you and tell you that you’re stupid, while also telling you how much he loves you. Happiness is probably the closest you’ll get to a really solid, self-titled album song anytime soon. Give the saxophonist his flowers here too by the way, I heard this song live a few weeks ago and he puts his all into that performance.

Being Funny in a Foreign Language never runs thin on ideas either. I really respect how Jack Antonoff’s production ideas on this album feel very balanced with the band’s sound, but also help them venture off into different genres too. Part of the Band was the lead single to this project, which sounds like the cutest Bon Iver song for douchebags you’ll ever hear. I know that sounds like an insult, but Matty’s cynical persona oozes on this track. This track, however, had the unfortunate task of following Looking for Somebody to Love which is easily my favorite song the band has done in years.

LFSTL this extremely Antonoff influenced pop banger with the catchiest little quirky riff. Of course in typical The 1975 fashion though there’s something a little deeper and darker than just a catchy song. It’s about how gun violence and toxic masculinity draw parallels in ways that are inhumane and ridiculous. I’m underselling this description, but trust me it’s an amazing track. About You is the sweetest post-breakup song the band has written. Saying that no matter how it ended, I still will always remember you. You can’t always recollect the specific memory, but you might remember how it made you feel. The 1975 is very good at pointing out these little things that we don’t think to think about.

The tour for this album cycle was “The 1975 at Their Very Best” and I agree. This might be the band at their very best. It’s a short, sweet, yet concise record that I really have not been able to stop listening to since it dropped in October.

Bump This: About You, The 1975, Oh Caroline, Looking for Somebody to Love, Wintering

TOP TEN TIME!

10. Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez See Your Future

Genre: Rap, Boom Bap, Jazz Rap

Every time Denzel Curry drops an album I never think that he’ll top it. Every time I am proven wrong. Melt My Eyez See Your Future is Denzel’s best project to date (even he thinks so too!)

Denzel is one of very few rappers that really knows how to consistently and creatively rap about mental health. The song Mental delves into Zel’s experience with suicide and how much he tells himself that there’s more than meets the eye and less that should exist in your mind. Simultaneously giving some really memorable wordplay before the first verse is over. I love how effortless it feels coming out of him.

Walkin’ was one of the first songs I’ve seen from Zel that pretty much had everyone in agreement with how much this song fucking rules. This western-like beat starts with him preaching that it’s him against the world and how he walks with his back of the sun and his head to the sky. A moment that really preludes the concept of Denzel’s struggles and strife whether it be related to race, pressured by capitalistic society, or how he has felt spending his time in the industry.

MMESYF has a great balance of jazzy tunes, radio friendly hits, and journalistic raps. This is one of the few albums, if any, that really is worth listening to the deluxe too. A handful of the tracks on it are done without a beat and subbed out with the Cold Blooded Soul version. A jazz collective who really elevate these already great tracks. If you love lyrical hip-hop and haven’t checked out Denzel before, please do. He only gets better.

Bump This: Walkin, Worst Comes to Worst, Mental, Zaitoichi, X-Wing

9. Black Thought & Danger Mouse – Cheat Codes

Genre: Rap

I’ll start by saying a few things that have nothing to pertain to the sound. Firstly, this album art is fantastic. It’s bold, it’s memorable, and it really suits the style of the album. Danger Mouse really is one of the best cheat code with modern rap. Aside from this and the obvious, legendary Danger Doom (MF DOOM) collab, he’s collaborated with A$AP Rocky (Sundress) and Jemini too. Needless to say, I’m a big fan of his production. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that this is easily the best produced rap album of the year.

So many different sounds, vibes, and features keep Cheat Codes at the highest echelon. Black Thought was a perfect choice to work with Mr. Mouse. His style with The Roots really translates to this alternative, citylike atmosphere. The Darkest Part feels like a train ride I’ve taken into Chicago. You see the cityscape in the distance through the fogged, tinted windows as your feet are perched on the chair in front of you. Same applies to the booming Strangers. It feels like a walk through a city neighborhood with some good friends. The good friends in this case are none other than Run the Jewels and a surprising A$AP Rocky feature too. It’s an attack on the distractions that conquer our minds as the true struggles run frantically in front of you.

Speaking of features, there’s an all star cast to jam with Black Thought. Conway the Machine, Raekwon, MF DOOM, Michael Kiwanuka, and a shockingly great Russ feature. The way that all these collabs work so well really begs the question why doesn’t Danger Mouse drop a mixtape of features? He knows how to bring out the best in a lot of these people.

Cheat Codes keep you hooked by the stories and metaphors Black Thought is naturally talented at producing. Pair that with what is now my favorite Danger Mouse project to date and you’ve got a very addictive east coast hip-hop experience. I’ve listened to this while working out, driving, and writing and get something new from it every time.

Bump This: Strangers, Because, The Darkest Part, Belize, Aquamarine

8. Beach Bunny – Emotional Creature

Genre: Power Pop

Chicagoan Lili Trifilio’s project Beach Bunny hits me hard for some reason. I feel very inspired by her musicianship and the songs she makes are simple, but really intoxicating. She has done this multiple times in the past, but many times on Emotional Creature too.

Entropy, Oxygen, and Deadweight can be argued as one of the better three track runs this year. Entropy is one of those inescapable songs that pops in at the most random times. It’s also a very good shower song the way she sweetly sings “somebody’s gonna fiiiiiiiigure us out and I hope they do”. To be fair many of these songs have that quality. Oxygen was my most streamed song this year at about 32 times I believe? Honestly a rare quality in a song, at least for me, where I can listen to it many times even within a day.

On first listen I was stunned at how confessional Lili is about how much love is in her. Honeymoon was all about being hopelessly in love and making sadgirl bedroom pop. I listened to this album the first time in the car with my girlfriend and just the feelings we shared while listening to Emotional Creature felt similar to a lot of the themes of her lyrics. Sure there’s songs like Deadweight and Gone that have a touch of heartache, but at the core there’s no love without a little ache.

This is the cutest album of the whole year. There’s so many moments where I started getting goosebumps because Lili’s vocals and really catchy instrumentals on tracks like Karaoke and Gone tug on my heart just that much harder than the average love song. This is a special album that unlike a few entries higher than this one, I will be playing many of times.

Bump This: Entropy, Oxygen, Karaoke, Deadweight, Scream

7. Black Midi – Hellfire

Genre: Experimental Rock, Avant-Prog

Black Midi is a fucking force. Them and another band you’ll see later on this list put out albums in 2021 and then dropped an even better one THIS year. Cavalcade could easily be any group’s best record, but Hellfire is the bigger, bolder art piece. It has a lot to say without outright saying it. Welcome to Hell is an anti-war track about how the casualties of war for your country isn’t what wins the war, but rather killing for your country is what will win it. This album has lots of macabre themes and lines like that.

Sugar/Tzu is the most batshit rock song you’ll probably hear all year. It opens with an announcer of what sounds like a wrestling match. When he shouts “let’s see some thunder!” as it drones out into the melody, you know shit is going down. It wastes no time as this quick, tight instrumental that resembles a chase scene in a video game plays out into a roar of sax and drums that sound like Animal from the Muppets is letting completely loose.

The political motives and relatively unbiased views really make for an interesting concept. They split this album and give us a breather in between separating the ideas they had with Still. A song that gives the other vocalist a time to shine. The main vocalist returns pretty much next song with his kinda villainous delivery. I’m pretty sure I said this about Cavalcade last year, but his off-kilter performance on so many of their tracks is nothing less than admirable. Even if you absolutely hate his style, you can’t deny how impressive this group’s musicianship comes across. 27 Questions and The Race is About to Begin are tracks that couldn’t exist if the group didn’t have a high level of chemistry. One that you don’t come across often.

This is a modern nightmare of an album with a lot to say if you’re willing to buy into the insanity.

Bump This: The Race is About to Begin, Welcome to Hell, Sugar/Tzu, Still, Eat Men Eat

6. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers

Genre: Rap

Kendrick announced his album dropping this year by quoting a tweet from a fan that said he was ready to just accept his career was over. He then dropped The Heart Part V, which is one of the most powerful pieces of not only music, but visual media as well. That music video with the deepfakes was done immaculately well. I had no idea what to expect from this album since the last we heard of Kendrick was the Black Panther soundtrack from 2018. Man, did I miss his artistry.

I’m not going to pretend like I’m an expert regurgitating what Kendrick meant by certain things or describe the album’s meaning in excruciating detail in like 70% accuracy. You can go to Twitter for that. I am going to tell you why I think it’s the most important piece of rap music since To Pimp a Butterfly though. This is an album I feel only Kendrick could make and have it have the impact it possesses. A two disc album that separates his past self as an ignorant, toxic man with fragile masculinity into the “Mr. Morale” side where he sought out therapy and discusses how he is trying to conquer some deeply rooted trauma.

The first disc has some very artistic choices. We Cry Together was a total meme which proved the point of it being on here. It’s simply just a couple fighting and throwing old shit in each other’s faces. Two people that should not be a couple whatsoever, but seem to thrive off that toxic energy. People saw it as a joke, but it’s really showing the irony of it all. Father Time has this beautiful beat with a Sampha beat that blends in perfectly. Kendrick covers how his father is to blame for how he is today and how men having daddy issues is something that was hard for him to accept and that it affects more people than they’d like to admit. This isn’t the first time this topic comes up either.

On the Mr. Morale side we are gifted with some great features, very healing lyrics, but most notably two of the most therapeutics and shocking pieces I may have ever heard in rap. Auntie Diaries is the story of his aunt having a sex change into a male and how as a kid that was hard for him to understand. The usage of the ‘f’ slur is done in a powerful way that doesn’t come off as insensitive, but honorable. I say honorable because he goes on afterwards saying how ignorant him and his peers were when it came to that concept when he was younger.

Mother I Sober broke me. This piece of music was therapeutic for me and I can only imagine how many others. Kendrick covers generational trauma and all the impactful events that shaped him negatively when he was just a child. His mother had faced sexual abuse growing up and in turn had invoked this fear into him or pain that something bad would happen to her. What follows are lyrics that feel as though Kendrick is sitting on the therapy couch as we sit down and nod our heads as we paper through these thoughts he has to share. The ending is really what makes this work. What is a very deeply affecting tune thanks to this miraculously somber beat and Beth Gibbons ‘chorus’ if you can call it that, shifts into a positive note on how we can break these generational curses as this is something bigger than just a song.

Many people took issue to Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers not being as replayable as his past works. Why would you want it to be like that? This felt like an album that took everything inside of him to make and show how someone held at such a high regard in the music industry has changed his ways. He is a role model that I feel touched a lot of hearts as well as my own. I won’t listen to this one as much as good kid, m.a.a.d. city, but I will always be grateful that an album as confessional and real as this one exists.

Bump This: N95, Rich Spirit, Father Time, Auntie Diaries, Mother I Sober

5. SZA – SOS

Genre: R&B, Pop, Rap

I am in just as much awe that a SZA album came out this year than Kendrick’s did. CTRL celebrated its’ five year anniversary this year and it would mark two years since her best song at the time, Good Days had dropped. It was a long wait, but damn is S.O.S. more than worth it.

SZA could’ve taken another three years and I would still say how worth it was to wait. Her voice is as booming and bodacious as ever. She feels like someone I’ve met from college or from hometown. Her personality is really beaming and honestly really cool. She is an artist that is free from being caged into one genre and isn’t afraid to try out new styles either. With a 23 song album, you’d almost hope that it would. Usually in this modern era of R&B or rap when I see over 20 songs I groan or roll my eyes (Chris Brown, Gucci Mane), but here I get mad with how well this works. I get mad because all of a sudden there’s an exception to this 20+ song unwritten rule.

As much as I love CTRL, SOS shits on it when it comes to the production. There’s typical SZA bangers like Gone Girl, Nobody Gets Me, and Shirt where her voice is really what steers the song to greatness, but there’s tracks like Kill Bill, Good Days, and I Hate U where the beat really will not leave your head. Sometimes you can be recognized for having memorable lines for the wrong reason, but SZA doesn’t believe in that. Again, this is a 20+ song album that has quotable lines littered through nearly every song. Shirt and and I Hate U being ones begging to be screamed in the car. F2F will polarize some people with how jarring if a shift tonally it is, but it really is the closest we’ll get to that rumored SZA and Hayley Williams collab.

SOS is an album I never thought we’d get. It’s an album that far exceeded any expectation I could fathom. There are wonderous moments like Open Arms and Forgiveless that I never knew I needed this year, but more than scratch any itch. It’s a consistently great project that whenever it feels like it might lose steam gets a second breath of life. If SZA and Kendrick can drop in 2022… Frank Ocean better drop in 2023.

Bump This: Forgiveless, Good Days, Nobody Gets Me, Kill Bill, Seek and Destroy, Open Arms

4. Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You

Genre: Folk, Indie

Confession time, I never have really struck a chord with Big Thief. Something about Adrianne Lenker’s vocals just didn’t work for me all these years. I really don’t know what the hell happened, but I fell so hard for this album when it came out. I really couldn’t be more thankful for DNWMIBIY to drop when it did. I was grieving a loss that was very sudden and recent at the time and something about this album just made me feel better.

Even if I didn’t care as much for Big Thief before this album, there were still singles I enjoyed. The common theme of the ones I did like was that they were pretty viciously sad. Well this album more than delivered as this is the only album that evoked tears out of me this year. Sparrow is the culprit here. What the hell are they trying to do to me? Adrianne’s vocal performance is devastating alongside that slow strumming and light snares. It’s a deep exhale of a breather after the previous songs also try to politely bum you out.

The beautiful thing about DNWMIBIY is that beyond the somber and grim aspects about mourning and recovery is that it remains hopeful and that’s what is so freeing about it. There’s passionate love proclamations like the title track and the obvious Love Love Love. Whether these proclamations are healthy is left to imagination, but point is this is an album that nails the different struggles of modern life and love. The more folksy songs are really creative and unique, while the more alt-radio friendly tracks have some edge that make them a little tougher to digest.

This isn’t an easy album to listen to all the way through, but the payoff is very much worth the 20 track runtime. I can’t promise that if you didn’t care for Big Thief before that this’ll win you over, but it sure as hell did for me. I bought the vinyl almost immediately after streaming it the first time.

Bump This: Simulation Swarm, Sparrow, Certainty, Title Track, Spud Infinity, Dried Roses

3. JID – The Forever Story

Genre: Rap

I’ve been a JID fan for years now. This is the album he was born to put out.

Rap needs a hero like JID around to remind everyone why rap is the most important genre of this generation. Denzel Curry tweeted the day this album dropped that The Forever Story inspired him to get back into the studio after believing he had dropped album of the year.

God this album is a victory lap that keeps taking victory laps. Once Raydar kicks in you’re sucked in immediately. The lyricism is insane. Just for taste, I’ll leave this sample here: “In the danger, boys been endangered, been indentured, now my boys got business ventures, with my .9, I’m like ten avengers, snap a finger I can end avengers.” This is only in the second track too. This album starts off strong and never slows down. Dance Now is a song that highlights him coming back to his city and how he approaches the criticism that he receives in spite of his successes. It also demands to be blasted on the loudest setting of your speakers. And while you’re at it keep it on for the next three songs because they’re all flawless hype tracks that still have incredible lyricism and storytelling.

JID has the power to get an audience on board with is slower material too in between the hype. Kody Blu 31 has a very soulful vocal performance that I wasn’t expecting. It’s a heartbreaking moment about one of JID’s friend who bore the number 31 playing football and how JID is motivating the family to keep their heads high. I’m underselling the levity here, but it stands out as the first of few times JID slows things down to talk about the importance of family bonds and keeping strong.

Bruddanem and Sistanem follow Kody Blu 31 staying consistent with the theme of familial value. Bruddanem is about the brotherly bond that him and his friends share as he reminisces about how harder times strengthened the tightness of the group, while Sistanem is JID’s confession/apology to his sister for sacrificing their relationship when he began to take off. It’s a highlight that even with successes there come drawbacks and remaining faithful to those who helped get you to where you are. This could easily be a ‘fuck you’ track, but opts for the more meaningful.

The Forever Story dropped right at the end of summer and has stayed in rotations ever since. I love this album and the effect that it had on the rap community this past year too. JID flexes his writing and singing abilities as well as how good of a lyricist he has become too. He has eased his way into my top 10 with this one no doubt.

Bump This: 2007, Dance Now, Sistanem, Kody Blu 31, Crack Sandwich, Just in Time

2. Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There

Genre: Art-Rock

It’s a heartbreaking, yet fulfilling year to be a Black Country, New Road fan. Days before this album dropped, the lead singer Isaac announced he would not be continuing on with the band. The project will live on, but it’s a massive loss to miss out on such an amazing singer/songwriter as an asset here. Just hear his performances on the heart-wrenching Concorde or the nostalgic kick of The Place Where He Inserted the Blade. The dude desperately pleads the last chorus of Concorde as if it’s his final breath. Whatever he decides to do in the future, I hope it’s something more relieving for his mental health, which is why he left the band.

Last year I wrote about how Opus was one of my favorite tracks of 2021 for how off the wall, batshit insane it was to close out their near flawless debut, For the First Time. The instrumentals and musicianship on that track blew my mind. The same can be said for the entirety of Ants From Up There. BC,NR just seem to get high off of making music that is instrumentally unlike anything you’ll hear in indie while also actively tearing you apart. I’ve never been so moved by a song about waking up with toast crumbs in a bed or cleaning out a soup maker.

This is lyrically dense too. I already mentioned the bread and soup maker metaphors, but like SZA’s album, AFUT has a lot of memorable quotes too. Having Billie Eilish style is mentioned in a few tracks (still don’t know what it means) and the shouts of “GOOD MORNING!” on The Place Where He Inserted the Blade. Let’s talk about that track above all these because it’s an achievement. The tune is a slow dance into madness as Isaac is unable to decipher the euphoria of his love life being a dream or reality. There’s a clip of the recording of this song in the studio and it’s exactly how you think it would look. All these talented musicians performing a ballad for the modern era with smiles and beaming energy across all four walls.

Ants From Up There is a celebration in modern indie rock. Any band that has THIS tight of chemistry and THIS high of a level in songwriting and musicianship needs to be protected at all costs. I have no clue what is in store for BC, NR’s future but all I know is I’ll be front row.

1. Quadeca – I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You

Genre: Art-Pop, Experimental Hip-Hop

I went all the way into October thinking Black Country, New Road would be my album of the year. After all the nice things I said about it a paragraph before and it’s not the top? Nope. I went back and forth between these two many times and after a relisten this week, Quadeca’s I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You is my album of the year.

A handful of you probably have never heard of Ben Laskey before or if you did maybe you knew him from YouTube off of one or two viral videos. I couldn’t think of a better introduction to his music than this masterpiece. This album is about a ghost. The ghost of a man who just ended his life and is now facing the emotional turmoil of what he has gone through in his lifetime and what he has caused as well.

Tell Me a Joke starts off the album after the death has occurred in sorry4dying. Quadeca sees himself as a joke in the life he left behind. It’s a joke that his death was something that no one saw coming, but he firmly believed it to be clearly present. The explosivity of the last minute and a half can’t be put to words. It’s a distortion heavy tearjerker that captivated me instantly. From here on into the next few tracks, Ben is going through the afterlife seeing how it has affected those around him and how he’s starting to see the damage he has done.

There’s a variety of instrumentals and experiments through here too as coming off of Tell Me a Joke. There’s a bright twinkling beat that reminds me of Radiohead’s Daydreaming without the piano on Don’t Mind Me. The production was done entirely by Quadeca too, which shows how solidified this idea was before initial recording. I love how he was able to make his vocals sound as if they were ghostly and ominous as they narrate the struggles they didn’t foresee in the afterlife.

I don’t want to spoil the concept of this album any further because my hope is that everyone who has never listened before can be impacted the way I was. I knew nothing about Quadeca other than his appearances on the Hivemind YouTube channel before I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You. The sonics of this album range from experimental pop, to emo-rap, to singer/songwriter-like, to even noise compared to Death Grips. This album has so many great features where I had no clue how they would fit in. Danny Brown’s feature had me nervous because as much as I love his music I had no clue where his style would mix in with the overall aesthetic, but somehow I was proven wrong to worry.

I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You is my album of the year for taking on a challenging task of discussing such a pressing issue in the world like suicide and depression and making it something unique like this. I see a lot of myself in Quadeca’s lyrics and I know many other people will identify with his style and words too. This is a masterpiece in every sense of my definition.

Why Can’t You be Like Them?

By: Campbell Petschke

Currently Listening to: God Save the Animals by Alex G

Intro

We spend a lot of our days comparing. Living our life by measuring how our day will be based on yesterday, what our friends are doing to spend their free time… the list goes on. I feel like we spend a lot of our time expecting things to go one way because we feel they should live up to a certain standard that you or someone else may have.

Say you found a boba tea place a few towns over through a travel guide on TikTok. They’re claiming that this place has THE best taro blend in the whole state. You’re really into boba and naturally are curious if this really is THE best in the state. So you check it out, order it from the man sulking behind the counter because for some reason people who work at boba places are seemingly never happy, then right as the sip slides into your mouth up the fat, neon yellow straw… PLEGH! You spit it out as if you just saw a sumo wrestler bend down to pick up a penny. What the hell did you just put in your mouth? While you stare in disgust you realize there’s ten other people in this place that are enjoying “the best blended taro boba in the state”. Confusion strikes as you take another sip and let it sit with you, hoping that it’ll be better the second time. Like the movie Don’t Worry Darling, you hope that the sour beginning will get better over time. Trying to point out the merit in the situation instead of only seeing the negatives.

Why do we feel the need to try and fit in and convince ourselves that what we are doing is enjoyable? I’ve wondered this for years, not just for boba, but for many other things as well. I’ll get excited to go to this great bar that my friends will say is ‘amazing’ or ‘has the best atmosphere’. Then I’ll go and just miss that vibe completely. Also like the film Don’t Worry Darling, I try to find something that will make me feel fulfilled while engulfing this experience and it just doesn’t happen. Years ago if I would be asked if I enjoyed something like that and I would lie through my teeth and say yes. I would say yes because I enjoyed spending time with my people. To me, comparing whether or not you liked something your friends enjoyed meant that if you didn’t like it then you were outcast. Even though it isn’t the case and that my friends wouldn’t mind at all, I still felt the pressure to have this fun. Comparison isn’t always showing the difference with how you do feel and what you ‘should’ feel.

This entry is meant to demonstrate why many people use other people’s lives and experiences as a measure of what is to be fun or successful. We all have different interests and hobbies that make us unique and are fulfilling in our everyday life. The problem is there’s ideas in the world that have somehow crept into our everyday behavior to make us feel that certain things make us fulfilled and/or successful.

Are You Really Living?

As an adult in the social media age, I feel like comparison of how we should live our lives is higher than ever. We are three days into autumn now. Every year you’ll see families and couples going to pumpkin patches. Same goes for going to haunted houses with the homies. I mean if you don’t see a bum dressed as Pennywise the dancing clown make your friend shit their pants are you really fulfilling your fall potential? There’s a pressure during the month of October that if you are someone who celebrates the Halloween holiday, that you must do these things in order to having an exciting month. I love doing these things as much as anyone. If I don’t go to the pumpkin farm that I’ve been going to every year since I was born, I would be pretty bummed. The thing I don’t get is that we kinda feel obligated to share the same personality during this month or else you feel unfulfilled.

It’s not your fault, it’s not most people who actually DO these festivities fault either. It’s just if everyone is talking about it, more often than not you feel somewhat left out if you haven’t. Not because you want to be like everyone else, but who doesn’t want to have all this fun everyone is raving about? I mean if everyone started being obsessed with playing rock paper scissors and a rock paper scissors league started in your apartment complex, I feel like more than a few people would want in on this action if people are talking.

Not everyone takes these activities as MUSTS though. A lot of people don’t find enjoyment in pumpkin farms or being around that many families trying everything in their power to get that pic of their four kids all in a row by age looking like they’re pantsing the scarecrow that they stand by every year. No hate to any of those families at all, but if you make it everyone’s problem to get this picture with no regard for anyone else’s feeling in attendance that day that’s kind of shitty. I digress.

Couples probably argue about how the other couples they’re friends with have gone to the pumpkin patch and picked a pumpkin together, but they haven’t gone yet. The boyfriend comes to his girl and says it’s embarrassing that they haven’t gone yet and that they’re lazy for not doing this. It doesn’t matter that she took you to work for a week while your car was being fixed or that they took you out to a really nice dinner the week before, if you miss going to the patch and pick out an unnaturally grown pumpkin then they might as well sleep on the couch and think about how not festive you are. The way that people feel the need to mimic the activities of others in order to measure their level of happiness is silly.

Those activities in most cases are really worthwhile, but being resentful for not doing the things others are doing makes life so boring. I think of the neighborhood in Edward Scissorhands. All their houses are laid out the same, all the men leave their neighborhoods in unison to go to work, and the women all talk on the phone to gossip. It all feels so routine until Edward pops in with his steampunk Freddy Krueger cosplay.

This is in no way an attack on anyone who does gain influence or inspiration from other people’s actions. Everyone does that. When you force someone to be the same way as you because you’re afraid of being outcast or boring then you might as well start dressing like them, calling your friend’s parents ‘mom and dad’, and working the same job since you wanna live that life instead of your own.

Media’s Influence

Go to any Walgreens or endcap of any checkout line and there’s a Cosmo magazine with “wild sex tips that will blow your mind” or “signs that your relationship needs some spice”. For every person that walks past it mentally rolling their eyes there’s someone picking it up and taking those ‘tips’ to heart. These tips or signs that are often shown in these Cosmo type magazines are like taking your pet to a vet that cheated their way through their exams to get the job. Sure, they mean well and might even succeed in doing what they intend to do, but it also may cause more harm than help.

If we want to divide this sample of people who pick up the magazine even further, we can also see how many of these select few will read it and think that this applies to them. Not because their relationship or lifestyle is bad, but I think a handful of people will think to themselves that doing these things suggested will make those things THAT much better. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. I think everyone should take every opportunity possible to better themselves if it means they’re seeking happiness. Sometimes information Sometimes information or opinion pieces that are heavily advertised to the masses fall into the wrong hands. This is where comparison comes in.

There’s this trust that comes from whatever is written in this massively successful magazine. I mean after all if it’s been popular for this long it must be doing something right, right? A lot of people will believe that their lives are boring by comparing it to the experiences of the writer. I’ll pose this example. Say you go out to the movies every Tuesday night because Tuesdays are lackluster without finding a hobby. You and your partner have done this for years and years and always enjoy the conversation on the car ride home whether it sucked or ruled. It’s something that you bond over. You open up this article that says, “Give your Relationship the Second Wind it Deserves.” You’re enjoying the read and get real invested on how you can make this already great relationship even better. Your eyes glide across the pages and get to a paragraph of text that says, “Stop going on the same boring movie dates every week, instead go to a wine tasting downtown or to the new club that opened off main street!” At that point you can’t help but question if your boring movie dates are killing your relationship. That seeing the next Alvin and the Chipmunks film might not be good for your sex life.

Now you might brush this off and think that won’t be you, but then you find yourself driving home from the movies and instead of discussing how you felt watching the film there’s a palpable silence. You’re thinking is this really the life you’re supposed to be living? The next few movie nights turn into Tuesday evenings with crossed arms and dwindling patience as you sit in the theater filling with resentment as you start to believe that this isn’t really worth your time.

This narrative that what you see in publications and what people with platforms are telling us is more reliable advice is interesting. Why do we trust them or feel inclined to follow this lead? Is it because we see the status they have? Is it because we crave change and look to those people to help improve our well-being? We can’t let the actions or words of others invoke resentment for how we live our lives. We need to live our lives and not our life. It’s not our life, it’s the individuality we need to thrive.

This is for the Best, Trust Me

On a drive the other day I was listening to Kanye West’s classic debut album, The College Dropout. There’s a series of skits that follow a father illustrating to his son that getting his degrees will be the vital part of your success, even if you’re broke and can’t find a job. The skit that follows is the son saying that his dad died, but at least he left him his degrees to keep him warm while sleeping on the street. Why? Because he had an obsession with getting degrees and instead of being left with currency as inheritance he has his degrees.

The one thing that I’ve really enjoyed about these past few years post-graduation is that this generation can do really well without college. That may have always been the case, but that hasn’t been the consistent motive

According to a recent NBC article, there are reportedly 4 million less students attending college than there were 10 years ago. Whether that be due to COVID or just more opportunity for money is up to interpretation. I feel as though there’s a lot more shame for both sides as of recently. I’ve seen tweets that say, “imagine paying thousands of dollars for college just to end up working at a Walgreens.” There’s also popular forms of media where they deride those that attend community college versus going to a four year or a university… Why? If anything, those that do the community college route have the right to make the insult to other college kids that DID pay more for those first two years getting that same education. To a select group of people though, you’re less than them because community college is for the lesser being. You might as well be scraping the astroturf off their Doc Martins. Again, why? Education is education, shouldn’t matter how you intake it.

Better Call Saul has a whole plotline where Bob Odenkirk’s brother in the show, Chuck, resents him for being a lawyer and thinks he doesn’t deserve a job at his firm because he didn’t go to a prestigious law school. He took what he considered the easy route, despite Saul Goodman being a fantastic, yet unethical lawyer.

Closing

We compare more than we should. We can’t live our lives painting the same picture as different artists. We have to make our own art and let life overtake us in the way it was meant to happen. Just because our lives don’t see the cue cards or hit the same notes of someone that you may see as successful, doesn’t mean your life is going to be a failure. You just have to believe that where you are heading is the right direction. Don’t have a meltdown at the mall Santa because your Christmas card is ruined since it doesn’t look like the fancy one your sister’s family took. We all have a right to have expectations for ourselves, but that shouldn’t be someone else’s problem.

Taylor Swift Discography RANKED

By: Campbell Petschke

Intro (Campbell’s Version)

I never thought I’d be making a ranking on an artist that I’ve had such an up and down relationship with over the span of her career. Taylor Swift started making music when I was pretty young. I can’t say I really knew her until Fearless, but the songs from her debut definitely caught up to me eventually, which I think speaks for a lot of people. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a fan of Ms. Swift, chances are you know more songs than you give yourself credit for. Even during this deep dive there were songs where I questioned how I knew them.

This was the most fun I’ve had during an artist ranking so far because of how much Taylor’s sound has changed over the years. What started off as country turned into pop, then more beat driven (Reputation), then to more bubblegum (Lover), then to folk (folklore/evermore). What’s funny is that I would’ve never done this ranking if not for giving Taylor’s version of Red a listen during Fall 2021, which *spoiler alert* I really ended up liking quite a bit.

A heads up before reading is that I am using Taylor’s versions of both Fearless and Red because I think the vault songs and alt versions should definitely be included as the full package. Even if it were on their own they’d still rank about the same. Enjoy my subjective opinion on an artist that has millions of dedicated (and scary) fans!

*Worth noting too that I have listened to Midnights, but have not lived with it long enough yet to rank*

9. Reputation (2017)

This is the one I was least looking forward to listening to because I really had a negative reaction to the lead single, Look What You Made Me Do. The moment the beat “dropped” in that song and heard her say “the old Taylor is dead”, I was lost and actually what made me stop listening to Taylor’s music until Folklore dropped three years later.

So after giving it a try, do I like Reputation…I guess so? There’s a handful of songs that I just do not care for like End Game (Future blends in here like oil and water) and I Did Something Bad. This album comes off to a pretty shaky start as it starts to live up to my expectations and not really in the best way. The sound hasn’t really aged amazingly well as that sort of booming EDM pop has faded away with times. At the halfway point I only really thought Delicate and the opener, Ready for It? were worth replaying again. Luckily, this album really turns around in the second half.

Reputation is as backloaded as me on leg day (just kidding, but it sure as hell feels like it). The moment I got to Getaway Car I began to levitate. It was like that Spongebob episode where he learns to flip patties again and the customers say, “that’s what we’ve been waiting for!” Getaway Car is one of Taylor’s best songs for many reasons. Reputation is meant to be a more angsty, “take no shit” version of her and this song nails that. It’s a solid pop anthem about toxicity and running through the red flags as if they’re the last lap. King of My Heart has this nice breakdown, in your face delivery that leads into the dancy, Vine-compilation type beat from Dancing with Our Hands Tied. That track would’ve been my favorite, if not for the closing song New Year’s Day. WOW. Something about this track just has this somber, reflective vibe with a soft piano backing. The lyric “I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day”, made me melt with how sweet it made me feel.

Reputation might be my least favorite of Taylor’s discography, but it’s not a bad album like I feared it’d be. There’s a lot of people I know that really dig it for the more spicy lyrics and throbbing beats that are littered throughout. Just not really my thing.

Fave Tracks: Getaway Car, King of My Heart, Dress, New Year’s Day*

8. Self Titled (2006)

The one that started it all. Taylor Swift’s debut made a big splash initially when it dropped. I had no connection to this project whatsoever until I realized I did. This is an all-out country album that is full of ear worms. Taylor’s twang she has in her voice works really well. What’s really cool about her voice is that it had country AND pop appeal even when it was centrally a country record. A true testament to how her career would pan out in future records.

This is one of those examples of knowing a lot more tracks than I thought I did. I knew at least half of these songs just from, you know, being alive and having ears in the summertime. Should’ve Said No was the one that shocked me the most. I was driving when listening to this album and I got a major nostalgia trip from how long ago I had last heard this banger. Probably like a decade at least. Should’ve Said No is one of many tracks off this album that has a punky, teenage attitude that was vibrant throughout the 2000s. A sound that has aged wonderfully over the years.

Something that really surprised me was strong this album is lyrically. It’s kinda cool to see that Taylor wrote most of the lyrics on this one too (I don’t know if there were ghostwriters, but she is credited as sole writer for most). I feel very comfortable listening too. This is a warm childhood hug, even if you didn’t grow up with this album. Taylor’s perspective is childish in the best way possible. It’s mature and yet kind of innocent at the same time. Picture to Burn and Cold as You being prime examples of tonally being mature for her age and yet sort of naïve lyrically. Think of how you felt during a high school heartbreak or crush.

My controversial take on this album is that I do not like the song Tim McGraw. It’s the song that arguably brought her to fame, but I just find it kind of boring by comparison and just doesn’t age that well. The biggest gripe that I have with this record though is the male backing vocals. I understand it’s the producer that is providing a lot of this, but dude… we came to hear Taylor not you. I found it very distracting and made the country tone that felt genuine, lose its’ flare.

Self-titled is a good album. It doesn’t have a ton that sticks out, which is fine because I’m literally a male in his mid-20s, it’s not meant for me. This is a fun, summery country album that put Taylor on the radar.

Fave Tracks: Should’ve Said No, A Perfectly Good Heart, Our Song, Pictures to Burn*

7. Lover (2019)

As stated in my feelings about Reputation, Taylor’s music fell off big time after hearing the singles from that project. Then ME! came out and that was really the last nail in the coffin (or so I thought) for her and Brendon Urie, who I had no problem giving up since he had zero flare anymore and having weird allegations and video proof showing his true colors. You Need to Calm Down also put a bad taste in my mouth. So much so that whenever I saw the vinyl at Target I’d flip it over and groan.

The difference between Lover and Reputation is that Lover is a really well made pop album with a few slip ups. I was very pleasantly surprised of how bubbly and quirky the opening tracks were. I Forgot that You Existed was a fun tease of a track that seeps well into what is one of the best tracks on the album, Cruel Summer.

Cruel Summer, alongside tracks like Lover, The Archer, and Cornelia Street highlight something I really love about Taylor Swift’s delivery. During the chorus of Lover and The Archer her delivery sounds so desperate and prolonging. Like a dying last breath of a relationship that is seeping through the cracks of floorboards. Whenever this passion flares up, so does my opinion of the album.

The soft pop aesthetic really makes this album stick out in her discography. My favorite example of this is Death by a Thousand Cuts. Again, her pining, passionate delivery here pays off as it is backed a really awesome, soaring instrumental. I love the lyrics halfway through where she says, “our country, guess it was a lawless land. Quiet my fears with the touch of your hand. Paper cut stings from our paper thin plans.” The analogy doesn’t feel like a throwaway like it is used in other songs (Demi Lovato’s Skyscraper for example).

I feel as though the back half of the album is really what keeps me from loving this project more. Not only does it have the unbearable ME! and You Need to Calm Down, but it just gets kind of boring. Sure, there’s exceptions like Daylight and False God (the sax here is immaculately placed), but Afterglow and It’s Nice to Have a Friend just drowned into the recycled pop songs that I try to avoid on top 40 stations.

Lover is a return to form after Reputation, but it still isn’t without its’ problems. Some of those I am willing to forgive since the front half of this one is so damn good, but you won’t catch many of the tracks on the back half that will find a way into my playlists.

Fave Tracks: Lover, Cruel Summer, Death By a Thousand Cuts, Lover*, Cornelia Street

6. Speak Now (2010)

I went back and forth a few times with this one and the number five spot. Ultimately what puts Speak Now at this position is that the Taylor angst was coming in gradually as it would reflect in later coming albums. Driving off the massive success of Fearless, which won album of the year at the 2010 Grammy’s and garnered over 3 million copies in its’ first year, Speak Now had a lot to live up to. Did it live up to that expectation? Well… sure?

Speak Now is arguably Taylor’s most confessional album. Most of the songs on the album discuss past relationships and sort of pinpointing where they went wrong and sort of fantasizing what could have been. Mine is the best way to kick off this album as it is a story told in three parts, in a particularly popular pop/country structure that focuses on how the love she had received from this person made her believe that she was on top of the world and ended up coming off as a toxic tug of war. This isn’t the first time something like this comes up as you can find it again on the following track Sparks Fly.

The self awareness in a lot of these songs make you feel as though there’s something more than comes to the judgmental eye. Many will listen to this album and pick it apart for it’s thematic sameness, which is a valid critique. One that I would actually agree with. There’s a little more to these in retrospect, given I grew up hearing a lot of these songs float around the radio and MP3s of others. Sparks Fly seems to be playing to her naivety in a “la di da” dancing around in her infatuation with this guy. It’s also insanely catchy. That one has NOTHING on The Story of Us though, as this song kicks off with a fast drum beat and aches the listener to anticipate the buildup to that epic chorus. Who cares if some of it is corny, like when she says, “next chapter” at the end of the chorus, it encapsulates a really angsty version of Taylor that hasn’t been fully explored yet.

My favorite moments on Speak Now though are when she reflects on her youth being exploited by older influences. The infamous Dear John highlights how she fell for an older guy, who we all know is John Mayer at this point, and questioning why she fell for him in the first place since the gap was so large. The first time I heard the lyrics, “don’t you think I was too young to be messed with”, I thought it was pretty blunt in a bad way. Now after listening again years later it feels right at home thematically.

I like to believe the whole “Taylor Swift only sings about all the guys she has dated” narrative sparked from Speak Now. Mean is easily a top ten song of hers and is the best example of this. I can’t tell you how many summers I heard this effortlessly catchy chorus seep through waterpark speakers and drives on the way to little league. One of many choruses to get stuck in my head years later as I’m revisiting this album. On the other side of this though, I find Better Than Revenge to be a boring example of this. It really just feels like a watered down version of Paramore’s Misery Business.

Speak Now has a lot of really well crafted pop country songs that mostly stick the landing and provided a lot of nice surprises… BUT! The whole fairytale theme doesn’t feel as home on here as it did with Fearless and somehow comes off more corny though. This isn’t to say that it’s bad, but like some of the sounds here it just doesn’t age all that well. Haunted is the most dated song on this project, but somehow escapes it being a bad song by how over the top it is instrumentally and lyrically. Nathan Chapman’s backing vocals are 50/50 this time, I found it worked really well on Back to December and on pivotal emotional points during Dear John too.

Overall, it’s a 80% good and 20% just fine record. I have a lot of good memories with some of these songs, but it’s far from her best work.

Fave Tracks: Mean*, Innocent, Dear John, Sparks Fly, Speak Now

5. 1989 (2014)

This is the album I had to do the least research on because of how inescapable it was when it dropped. If you were on Twitter or Instagram at any point of 2014/15 you heard about drama with her, saw an ad with her face on it… she was everywhere. This is around the time where she took all her music off of streaming services because she wanted artists to get the pay that they deserve (although arguably didn’t do much). IT was a few years lived, but it just added to all the promotion that went into this insanely big album.

Enough background though, how is the music? It’s pretty fun!

1989 is a landmark album in pop music. Even if you didn’t like the sound of what she was putting out, you can’t really argue that whatever was on the radio at the time sounded nothing like this. I used to really dislike this album for that reason and how many artists tried to replicate this sound too. Years later though my critiques have lessened and I don’t hate it at all (mostly).

I say mostly because as much of a hit it was I still really cannot stand Shake it Off. Good for her she had the confidence to put out a song about how she doesn’t care about those trying to bring her down, but there’s a problem that exists with songs like that. If you are addressing said haters and saying they don’t matter AND writing a whole song about it… then it really seems like you care. It’s totally fine if you do because we’re all human here, but for that along with how embarrassing I find the cheerleader chant bridge I just find it to be insufferable.

Okay, but the good stuff on here is really fucking good. Blank Space has an atmospheric beat and dramatic chorus that I’ve yet to hear replicated. Something about this song really is special. I don’t have much else to say about it because I can’t put to words how much I enjoy the delivery and how big it feels. It also sparked the conversation of is she saying “a long list of ex-lovers” or “lonely Starbucks lovers”, which if it really was the Starbucks line it would’ve honestly made it better.

The production is absolutely stellar here too and I still standby saying this is still her best produced record. Ryan Tedder, Jack Antonoff, Imogen Heap, Max Martin just to name a few. They really created this in your face, bright future of pop music that would carry over in years to come. Think of how you feel during songs like Style or Out of the Woods. They feel like they echo off your ear drums as if you are in the biggest arena in the world and it resonates off the walls almost like you’re in a planetarium.

Bad Blood was another song that I used to really hate, except for when Anthony Rizzo used it as his walk-up music for when he played for the Chicago Cubs. Hearing it through good headphones ups the experience. The bass beats kick ass and honestly sound better than most songs that attempted to sound like this on the album to follow, Reputation. Another song that I really dig that could’ve easily been on Reputation is All You Had to Do was Stay. This is a total “fuck you for missing what you had” type song. One that brings the attitude alongside one of my favorite instrumentals on the project. I love the shiny chorus and when the higher pitched “stays” flash at the end of the verses.

The album doesn’t slow down from here (in terms of enjoyment). You still have the slow burn Wildest Dreams, the runaway lover anthem of I Know Places (how about those bass licks?), and the fantastic closer Clean.

In all honesty, writing about 1989 has made me appreciate this project a lot more than I already do. It’s a landmark pop album that will hopefully get more recognition for how much impact it had on popular music in the coming years. An album that truthfully only has two skips and the rest is a whole lot of pop magic.

Fave Tracks: Blank Space*, Clean, Style, Wildest Dreams, All You Had to Do was Stay

4. Fearless *Taylor’s Version (2021)

As if the original Fearless wasn’t already a big enough landmark in music history, this is one of the first albums to be re-released so that she has rightful ownership of her discography. If there’s any reason at all to thank Scooter Braun, it’s due to these re-releases.

Fearless is an album that I already held in very high regard. It is everything from her self-titled and then some. Sure, there’s classics like You Belong with Me, 15, and Love Story on here, but don’t skip out on the other great material. The opener sucks you right in with this very autumn-like essence that easily has one of the best choruses on the project. This vibe continues on Tell Me Why and The Way I Loved You where it feels like for every flavorful, upbeat track there’s one that feels like a slower, reflective one. For every You Belong with Me, there’s a Hey Stephen or White Horse. It’s nice having those slower moments because it shows how good her songwriting was even at an earlier age.

Fearless also has the best singles out of any Taylor project. You Belong with Me is one of my favorite pop songs of all time. The instrumentals make you feel very hopeful and pining for this love story to work out. One that I think many listeners can relate to. Sort of a “fuck her, what about me?” moment, which pops up a few times on this project. But honestly you don’t need me to tell you how irresistible this track is because if you’re reading this article, you more than likely already know this song. Love Story thematically I’m not huge on because the Romeo and Juliet I feel is really overused, but it’s still nice here. In the essence of her storytelling here though it works well with how much heart is put into the vocals. I also feel Taylor’s version gives the track another breath of life that it had back in the 2000s.

What I love the most about Fearless is how well it ages too. This doesn’t feel super outdated in the slightest. Even returning to the normal version of this album it still has so much life. The timelessness of these tracks really show how strong this project is and really reminds you of why it was so big in the first place.

The bonus tracks, while I don’t feel are as good as Red’s, are still a good time. I think Maren Morris has a very nice feature on You All Over Me and so does Keith Urban on That’s When. Side note, why is having Keith Urban on pop country songs such a cheat code? Anyway. Mr. Perfectly Fine and Other Side of the Door are the strongest on the bonus tracks. Both fit seamlessly with the bulk of the project and are just high quality pop country tracks.

There’s very little I don’t like about Fearless. It’s an album that still slaps to this day and shows why it deserved to go on to be a multi-platinum album. It does overstay it’s welcome a little too long at times, but it’s a case of if you pick any song off the project out of context it’ll still sound good. It’s a spectacular follow up to her debut and the rest is history.

Fave Tracks: You Belong with Me*, Hey Stephen, The Way I Loved You, The Best Day, Come in With the Rain

3. Evermore (2020)

The companion piece to Folklore is no fluke. Evermore I expected to be a collection of B-sides to that album, but it’s not at all. While this still is a folk-pop album like Folklore, this is a bit of a brighter album. One that has more pop influenced folk tracks. This one also feels very cozy. I really enjoy the softer moments on the record which I feel Aaron Dessner’s production is most to blame. His work with The National really does wonders for an album like this.

This album screams November, even with the cover artwork it just feels like a crisp autumn hug. The biggest single from the project, Willow, is a brighter moment on a somewhat comparatively somber remainder of the tracklist. I love her higher vocals on this song too during the chorus. The “foooooooooolllloooow” gets stuck in my head every time. This leading into Champagne Problems is interesting because following a lovey song like Willow it’s a total switch as this song is very depressing. Taylor sings about how a failed marriage proposal brought a downfall of heavy emotion on the proposer and how he aches after. It’s lyrically one of my favorites too, like “Your Midas touch on the Chevy door. November flush and your flannel cure” rolls off very nicely.

Speaking of dark, I’ll never forget the first time I heard No Body, No Crime in which Taylor fantasizes killing someone who is being unfaithful to one of her good friends. Sort of like a more intense Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood. The storytelling here is the first of many examples of really stellar storytelling. Tis the Damn Season follows that lead and shows off Taylor wanting to make you as sad as possible. Not really, but this track in particular feels very devastating while she recollects all the activities and times the two subjects of this song shared together and how much she wants that back. Anyone reading this who doesn’t listen to her music might read this and say, well okay that’s a lot of what she sings about anyway. Listen to the track and experience it for yourself. It’s a standout moment on Evermore.

Like Folklore, I really appreciate the more reflective moments offered on this sister album. Dorothea continues the streak of Taylor putting in every effort to make you sad sigh in tracks with names in them. The vocals here have a little country tease when she says Dorothea and really enunciates the “uh” at the end of her name. This is a very soft moment that has a lot of nostalgia, pining for what I gather as a lost friend along the way.

The album closes out very strong with Closure and the title track. Pairing those two tracks back to back works really well. Closure follows a break-up that she wants no part of despite the other recipient’s advances and efforts to try and be friends out of convenience. Basically he realizes he screwed up and wants to be in her life still while she is still grieving “in her tears, beers, and candles”. The title track closes out the record with a prolonging ‘where did things go wrong’. The pairing of Taylor and Justin Vernon is a match made in heaven as both have very good vocal chemistry. They create a very intense vibe of what feels like a borderline descent into a depressive episode. It’s a song that I initially compared too much to Exile, but as a standalone it’s an amazing piece on a very high quality album.

Overall, this is a fantastic way to close out a two album year for Taylor. If there’s any reason to be grateful for the pandemic, it’s that we had plenty of time to digest this great work of art.

Fave Tracks: No Body, No Crime, Dorothea, Closure, Tis the Damn Season*, Champagne Problems, Evermore

2. Red *Taylor’s Version (2021)

One of my favorite moments in music of 2021 was the release of this project. This reignited so many old Taylor fans as well as myself, who loved this album originally when it dropped back in 2012. I’ll admit I was still coming back from my time where I was kind of annoyed by her social media presence and the two albums that came before Folklore. As much as I grew up enjoying a majority of the record, I still had my reservations.

What’s funny about Red is that I think the singles that were released for this project are the weaker parts. Nothing against them, it’s just there’s so much REALLY good material that I find to be more enjoyable. Begin Again is the biggest standout of those singles with how upbeat and powerful it is coming off the end of the record. A lot of media and Twitter fingers made it seem like Taylor only sung about breakups, but this one is the opposite. This is about how she learned to love again after eight months of feeling as though love wasn’t attainable. Begin Again is one of the few mainstream pop songs that actually nail what it feels like falling in love.

Even if the other singles from this project aren’t as strong as Begin Again, they still aren’t bad. I Knew You Were Trouble was a landmark moment in top 40 just for how unusual a song like that was for Taylor to put out. One of her first outright pop songs before “changing to pop”, which Red sort of felt like anyway? We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together I feel was a big enough hint that she was aiming towards a different direction than her country pop roots. I wish Red were the lead single in the case of this just because WANEGBT (I’m not writing it out every time) was a very average moment. The title track is a perfect branch between old and ‘new’ Taylor. Still had a lot of country elements, but had some more techy attributes during the chorus with the “re-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-ed”.

I’ll get out of the way what I don’t like about Red because it’s pretty minimal. Stay Stay Stay feels like an unwarranted Dunkin commercial following WANEGBT, which already lowered my opinion. It’s just recyclable pop junk that I hover my finger over the skip button while streaming half the time. 22 isn’t a bad song at all, it just feels like Pinterest-core at this point and has aged like opened Greek yogurt in Death Valley. The fact that it was severely overplayed didn’t help either, but even after not hearing this song since 2014 I still found it to be kind of annoying.

That’s it. Everything else on this record I find to be absolutely wonderful. I could write a whole separate blog entry on why All Too Well is a top ten pop song of the 2010’s and why the 10 minute version is a revolutionary piece of music that showed, again, how great of a storyteller Taylor has become. I’m repeating this as if Damon Albarn is going to read this and remind him that Taylor writes her own music. State of Grace is my favorite opener on any of her projects and has one of my favorite choruses she has ever put to record too. I love the line, “we fall in love ’til it hurts or bleeds or fades in time”. It’s a nice preface for her describing how weak at the knees she feels at this point in her relationship.

Taylor’s version of Red has a few features added onto the others that came on the original. Ed Sheeran returns with another fine feature on Run, one that I find to be slightly better than his performance on Everything Has Changed. Everyone else puts on very memorable features. Chris Stapleton, Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, and best of all Phoebe Bridgers. Nothing New is the strongest of the vault tracks. It has the most clever lyrics, catchiest hook, and most relaxing sound. Phoebe’s vocals feel similarly gentle to compliment Taylor’s nostalgic delivery. It also has that line I love, “how can a person know everything at 18 and nothing at 22?” All of the vault tracks are great, but Nothing New and Forever Winter are at the top of the podium.

Red is a moment in pop history that I’m very happy I got to live through twice. There’s a lot of Taylor’s best work here vocally and lyrically, even if there are a few groans here and there. The reason that it ranks higher than Evermore, an album I feel has zero skips, is because the other 95% of Red I do like is just so incredibly entertaining. An album that I can honestly say that over the past decade of its’ existence I have learned to love with this re-recording.

Fave Tracks: State of Grace, All Too Well (both version)*, Nothing New, Holy Ground, Begin Again, I Bet You Think About Me, Red, Treacherous

#1. Folklore (2020)

This was a very easy choice for the best. Folklore is the album that I find myself most emotionally invested in. I find myself very attracted to music that provide a specific atmosphere and this one does just that. I first listened to this while working at my residence hall over Thanksgiving break walking to get hot dogs. Taylor Swift is the perfect hot dog trip weather. Not really, but she does nail the crisp, autumn afternoon weather soundtrack.

Just within the first few songs I’m instantly hooked. Cardigan and The Last Great American Dynasty reflect on the sonics and the lyrical content that you can expect for the rest of this 16 song journey. The Last Great American Dynasty sticks out to me because it feels like an old school Taylor track done softly. It tells a story of the previous owner of her current estate and how she was the town gossip and had her “bitch-pack” of friends that ruined the name of her deceased husband by being extremely reckless with her inheritance. She uses this as a comparison of her public persona and how she feels the public sees her as a predominant pop culture figure. It’s an upbeat track instrumentally, but wears this as a disguise for a pretty bleak anthem.

Taylor’s lyrics and songwriting are at their height here too. Exile is one of her most devastating tracks and also my favorite out of her entire discography. The keys are so pretty alongside her and Justin Vernon’s vocals. It’s the moment on the record where I mentally solidified this was something truly remarkable. This leading into another wonderful track, My Tears Ricochet is perfect. Maybe the best song she has ever written lyrically. I can pull any set of lyrics out of this and find beauty in it. One of my favorites being, “we gather stones, never knowing what they mean. Some to throw, some to make a diamond ring”. It’s a strong back and forth of despair, disappointment, and resentment. Fun tidbit too that this track was inspired by Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story.

Mirrorball feels like it was giftwrapped for longtime Swifties. It feels like a more adult song that sounds like it could belong on Speak Now. The instrumentals feel very melodramatic and big almost a sad anthem for preppy emo kids. The same can be said about This is Me Trying. A string heavy, echoey track that gave off the same atmospheric vibe that a track like Out of the Woods provided on 1989. It also feels like a lost early 2010’s radio hit that never was.

Going off of the Exile train pulling into the devastation, there are some other notable bangers worth mentioning like Betty and the crowd favorite August. What can be said about August that hasn’t been said already? It’s a beautiful standout that deserves all its’ flowers. It feels like a more modern All Too Well. This feels more desperate than that track, but tonally it rings very reminiscent of that track, which just for that comparison is high praise. Betty, as I said before with tracks with names as the title, isn’t afraid to make you feel like a hopeless romantic. Given this song is about asking for forgiveness for cheating, but the way that it goes about the topic narratively is mostly sweet. If Sour Patch Kids were a song, it’d be Betty. I also love the harmonica presence here too, it makes the song’s story feel very authentic and low effort (by low effort I mean simple).

Folklore is a near flawless record that I have no problem returning to every autumn since it’s release two years ago. This is a height in modern mainstream songwriting in this century that makes it feel effortless to make you go through a whole range of emotions that feel like a weight off your shoulders once the last seconds of Hoax come around. Vocally, instrumentally, and lyrically it’s impeccable and I’m very glad an album like this exists. A future modern classic if there ever was one.

Fave Tracks: August, Cardigan, My Tears Ricochet, Illicit Affairs, Exile*, Betty, Mirrorball, The Last Great American Dynasty

Lollapalooza 2022: A Decade of Live Music, Love, and Sweat + Superlatives

By: Campbell Petschke

Currently Bumping: Renaissance by Beyonce

Lolla-versary

It’s weird to think that the first time I was at Lolla I was still in middle school. While the other chumps were wearing Silly Bandz on their wrists, I was wearing a one-day Saturday pass to Lollapalooza in hopes to see Calvin Harris, fun., and Franz Ferdinand.

The first act I saw was JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound at the Sony stage (now the Coinbase stage). I had to walk into a tented area because it was hard out there for a pasty, white boy. Hours later there were severe thunderstorm warnings creeping up on us and soon had the festival evacuated into the streets of the windy city. Michigan Ave was more flooded with people than rainwater and local eateries locked their doors so us hooligans couldn’t take cover.

The sun eventually shone again and we were able to re-enter. We immediately walked/dodged drunk frat guys over to see the band fun. which if you don’t know who fun. is you either don’t know how to have fun. or just forgot who they were. Anyway, Nate Ruess strutted on stage, set down his jacket and belted out the beginning of One Foot. He then shouted, “what the fuck is up Chicago?!”, and as someone who never really heard that word much yet, thought he was the coolest motherfucker at that festival. The show continued, song after song I just fell more for this band I already really enjoyed. Their set ended with Some Nights, which had people shaking the fresh rain off the leaves above us from jumping around like maniacs. It was in that moment I knew I wanted to go to this festival every year if it meant more moments like this.

New Year, New Me, New Perry

Rapper Midwxst performing Thursday afternoon

Throughout the years, the festival has gone through many changes big and small. While the F.Y.E. autograph tent and “farmers market” section of Chow Town bit the dust, we have seen a dance area, skatepark, and even a roller rink. The fest has also found many new sponsors over the years. The one that impacted me the most this year was definitely the Discord addition. I had only ever used Discord with my friends to shout my frustrations of how bad I am at Call of Duty, so I thought this would be a good way to be more acquainted with it. Holy hell did I get what I wanted out of it.

In Lollapaloozas past there has never really been a way to communicate with other festival goers unless you either knew other people going, tweeted about it, or existed on their popular Reddit page. With this Discord, I felt united with all these other people. People who loved live music and the festival as much as I did. I felt uneasy talking on there at first since I had never really talked with these many strangers all at once virtually. I had used dating apps and Among Us prior to this so it wasn’t foreign, but still took some practice. Plus both of those apps are mainly lying about who you are so…

Within a week, I felt like I didn’t have to think too carefully about what to say in these chats. I felt as though if a guy can shout “Tove Lo” in the chat every single time he enters then I think I can be myself a little more. Becoming so vocal in this chat had its rewards as the people running the server were granting people access to the “Discord Lounge” for frequently utilizing the chat. An area that sat next to one of the stages at the festival that offered many amenities including private restrooms, life-size Jenga, and complimentary beverages. I felt like Buddy the Elf the way I would go into the bathrooms and snag a Starburst from these jars along the sinks every time I would exit.

This lounge helped me put names to faces as most people were just going by their usernames and not actual ones. I shot myself in the foot because my username included the first part of my last name, which nobody can pronounce anyway. Just ask my elementary school librarian who knew me for five years. Not only that, but I used the actor David Cross as my profile pic since, again, I thought being on the internet meant your identity was hidden. So a handful of the people I met would shake my hand and then say, “Oh! I thought you were bald.” Whoops.

The morning conversations between us all of who we were going to see felt like Love Actually. Where we would all have separate stories, but essentially end up in the same place overlapping with each other (minus the uncomfortable Laura Linney brother story). It felt like the most Midwest version of Jersey Shore the way there were free drinks at times too. Regardless, this lead me to a path of people I never thought I’d need in my life and honestly helped conquer my hesitations towards those on the internet. Though I still don’t trust those aunts on Facebook.

Wait… is that a Dude Dressed as a Wombat?

This was by far the most eccentric I’ve ever seen performers at the festival. While the Green Day bunny was nothing new, there were people dressed as bananas, wombats, and many men in dresses (which is far from a bad thing). That energy was reflected in what I initially found to be a weaker lineup. Eventually I warmed up to it, I mean how could I hate a lineup that has 100 Gecs and Billy Strings the same day? This will be a landmark year in the future of the festival.

Lolla the past few years, whether it be due to the pandemic or other factors, has suffered with selling out. It could be that artists can sell better if they do venues/arena tours or if they’re looking to appeal to a more specific demographic, but I’ve noticed the FOMO has definitely been the biggest draw for these past few years. They see all these people on Twitter and Snapchat flashing their wristbands and outfits and want in on the four days or at the very least ONE day. I had a friend that bought tickets last minute to see J. Cole on Saturday because he thought he would bring out guests (which he did). It’s little things like this that make the festival environment different than before. People are more like in an “ah fuck it” mindset instead of “I must go to this.”

As stated earlier, this fest was a lot more out there and I think that brought in a nicer crowd. All the people I was surrounded by were drunkenly very nice, very dedicated to their artist they were seeing, or just thrilled to be there. After all these years of media outlets and angry no-life Twitter users saying that these “young Naperville kids” are ruining the festival and passing out from doing drugs, I found the old people to be the worst part of this festival. During Metallica’s set, a very sweaty, probable Harley Davidson cover athlete, was very persistent on offering up his doobie. Not that I wouldn’t love wet lipping the poorly rolled devil’s lettuce this total stranger had to offer. I’m sure I would’ve grown a black leather vest from my arm hairs and distaste towards my girlfriend.

Another older dude socked me in the face on the manic walk out of the Green Day crowd. What for I have no idea, but I learned that day that I can take a punch very well, so thank you random Green Day fan. I’m sure you’ll make your kids very proud when it’s your weekend with them. Point is that the younger crowd was typically more likely to start a conversation with you or just be more polite when it came to navigating through the pandemonium of Chow Town or a large act. For where the acts lacked in attendance, there was at least two groups of very dedicated fans there who were very excited for the show ahead of them.

Running Up That Road, Running Up that Hettfield

There was a video that went viral on the first day of the festival of a man, nicknamed ‘Metallica Man’, that was waiting first in line at the gates Thursday morning. Once 11am hit, he was patted down, scanned his wristband, had his bag checked, and immediately booked it half a mile down Grant Park to get to the barricade of the main stage. The stage that Metallica would grace nine hours later.

Metallica wasn’t the only act that people camped out for. I met people that had waited patiently for acts like J. Cole and J-Hope for the entire day. They had only left to grab water or to use the restroom. There’s some people who don’t leave that spot at all the entire day though, which I never understood. The reason I was able to have those conversations with the people that camped out was because at some point in the day I had made it up there with them after seeing multiple other acts before one at that stage.

The draw for some headliners in past years has had a lot of people excited, but this year it seemed like there was more dedication to other artists too. Ones that would have people camping at smaller stages as well. The crowd for The Regrettes, a popular alt-rock band, had a massive crowd on Friday afternoon. Other acts like Coin, Charli XCX, and even Idles had a lot of fans eagerly awaiting them to do their thing on stage. The science behind why more people camped for these smaller acts fascinates me. Are they camping because they dedicate this day to this artist only? Is it because the headliners lack and they want to get a headliner-like experience because they don’t find these bigger acts appealing? My theory is that Lolla recruited a lot of artists of a specific demographic with loads of streams earlier in the day to get people excited and maybe stay for the end of day.

This to me is the future of the fest. Wherever the lineup may lack, those who already bought the four-day pass have time to explore the smaller artists and those who have the FOMO will rapidly search for those newbies. So Lollapalooza is definitely turning into a great place for the smaller acts to get some attention and love. That’s something that was rarer in the earlier years, but I’m very glad is the case now.

Future Nostalgia?

Lollapalooza has had a lot of change in this ‘post’ Astroworld Fest world. Of course with some exceptions, there has been more space in the crowds where in the past you would be cheek to cheek. There’s this weird action of moving forward in a crowd once the artist before the main act is over and shoving those leaving to get a better spot. People get squished, irritation is high, and the sweat is gliding from person to person.

Before J. Cole graced the T-Mobile stage on Saturday, Big Sean garnered a humongous crowd. One of the biggest for the weekend. A big chunk of his fans tried leaving the area once his set was over and the Cole fans rushed it like Karens at a HomeGoods Black Friday sale. This lasted for about five minutes until loud bass blares emitted from the stage and a flashing red sign popped up on screen. The sign read “Safety Warning. Take five steps back” as a man over the speakers shouted “We need everyone to be safe and have a good time. On the count of three, we need everyone to take steps back.”

Even someone behind me whispered to their friend “uh oh Astroworld part two.” The way that event has still remained relevant is great. People are more cognizant of the dangers of the festival scene nowadays. It shows. Nobody complained when asked to take steps back.

I also want to commend the medical staff at the stages. Every one of them I met or saw was very kind and were passing out waters to crowds in between sets and even during some as well. That was something I had never seen a lot in the past and I was elated to see them taking actions like this. One of the many reasons Lollapalooza has always reigned superior to other festivals in my eyes. If a massive, worldwide attraction like Lolla can show they care about safety and take the necessary steps to prevent potential danger, it makes you wonder why the smaller ones are not able to do it.

Lolla Superlatives

Best Crowd: Dua Lipa/Glass Animals

The reason I listed two acts is because it was pretty much the same group of people I stuck near for both sets. After Cordae’s set, we all took a few steps forward and awaited for Glass Animals, an act that no doubt was going to attract a massive crowd as Heat Waves is one of the biggest songs to ever hit the charts. Some people were dedicated fans, some only knew Heat Waves. This taller kid and his friends near me said he was only here for that song. Totally fine. The show is what you make of it, which is exactly what he did. Every song he started to slowly get more into the band, to the point where when the bass of Other Side of Paradise began, he yelled back to his friends “This is fucking lit!”

Dua Lipa had a very kind crowd as well. The people around me were never annoying and knew the words to every song. When the energy and excitement is tangible, you know you’re at a good show.

Hon Mentions: IDLES, Beach Bunny, J. Cole

Worst Crowd: Green Day

I’m sure this comes as no surprise if you read earlier, but this crowd was horrendous. There’s a difference between moshing with good intent and looking for ways to take your anger out on others. The crowd around me had a bunch of older millenials that found issue with most of what was around them instead of finding issue with the air they were polluting with their circle of cigarette smoke. Any little bump into them lead to a shove or dirty look, which if you’ve ever listened to Green Day wouldn’t you expect this?

The definition of rock as a genre doesn’t mean to be kicking the shit out of each other and being rude to anyone within eyesight that is doing something other than standing still. Everyone paid for the same ticket. Your perception of the experience should not include how you treat others and how annoyed you are by them.

Best Food: Budlong Hot Chicken’s Chicken Sandwich

Chicken sandwiches have been on the rise in fast food restaurants and recipe sites ever since Popeyes’ caught traction back in Summer 2019. Ever since then, I have also been converted to this following of finding the best chicken sandwich around. Budlong might hold the crown as of now. The chicken was seasoned wonderfully. Had a great kick that was complimented beautifully by their comeback sauce. I mean any place that makes coleslaw tolerable is a winner in my eyes and that sat perfectly underneath two fluffy brioche buns. It was the last meal I consumed at the fest and man was it the best sendoff.

Hon Mentions: Rainbow Cone, Brisket Tacos from Beat Kitchen

Best Stage: Discord

Discord stage has always been a great place to get a full Lolla experience. There’s mosh pits, there’s trees for people to cool off, there’s a nice hill to sit on, Chow Town is right behind you, and there’s restrooms next to the stage as well.

The artists that performed on that stage utilized the space well too as there were many shows where the artists acknowledged the beauty of the trees and the still massive crowd capacity that can be held despite it technically not being a headlining stage. It’s the best Lolla experience that might be held by Tito’s as well if not for there being hard granite in case people fall while jumping around.

Hon Mentions: T-Mobile, BMI, Tito’s

Biggest Fest Improvement: More rock artists and variety of vendors

Rock/alternative acts were on the decline, especially when these ‘alternative acts’ were just pop acts with guitars. This year there were a LOT more actual alt artists. Those who complained about the lack of rock clearly didn’t look hard enough. Inhaler, Crawlers, IDLES, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, and Meet Me @ the Altar all were rock acts that drew somewhat of a big crowd (except Rolling Blackouts who deserved a bigger turnout). The “there’s no rock” excuse isn’t valid. Go look up other acts.

Whoever is in charge of choosing vendors did a great job this year. The Liquid Death Club, Hulu Motel, and Dunkin lounge were all very well organized and actually improved my experience at the festival. Discord above all I raved about already, but this definitely was a big hit too and I hope that all the ones I listed come back next year.

Needs Improvement: Image

More than anything, Lollapalooza needs to get their image back under control. Back in the day there used to be a kooky carnival character theme with lots of mascots that gave off a similar vibe as the three eyed fish from The Simpsons. This gave the fest a personality that was pretty recognizable.

There was a Legend of Lolla game that revealed some of the acts before the lineup drop that had a design that reminded me of that old festival vibe. Surprisingly they didn’t stick with it for the rest of the weekend as the same design existed as the past five years. If there was a mascot of some sort or at least fun design, Lolla would be a step above the rest in terms of marketing. Look at how popular Benny the Bull is for the Chicago Bulls. People immediately recognize him as associated with the team.

Top Ten Sets of the Weekend

10. Tove Lo

Before the festival, I hadn’t thought about Tove Lo in years. Probably since she was last at the festival back in 2017. I enjoy her style and personality, but I just never felt the need to return to her tunes. I did a little research prior to fest time and came across a new single, True Romance, which might be the best song she has ever dropped. Her vocals behind that minimal beat worked so great. Hearing it live felt like something special. She is a great performer that still has a dedicated following after all these years.

9. Goth Babe

Goth Babe had to drop out of the 2021 lineup. I was pretty disappointed since he was an act I didn’t know until I found him on the lineup last year. I was very pleased to find him back this year and man did he put on a show.

Even without a full album yet, he was able to captivate the crowd with his very summery tunes that have crept their way into my life multiple these past few years. Hearing Encinitas live was one of my favorite Lolla moments ever. The way I envisioned his set in my mind is exactly how it played out on stage. It was the quickest set of the weekend as the energy and presence carried the whole crowd early in the afternoon Sunday.

8. Cordae

Cordae has slowly become one of my favorite artists in hip-hop the past few years. He was the best act in the 2019 XXL Freshman list and put out one of the best albums of last decade, The Lost Boy. While I wasn’t crazy about his drop this year, I was still stoked to see how he was as a performer since I last saw him VERY far away in 2019.

I don’t think Cordae had a lot of fans before his set started since most seemed to be waiting for Dua Lipa, but I think he had a lot more after leaving the stage. He came out on stage, destined to be drenched in sweat as he bore a fake beard and windbreaker/jeans combo. Clearly perspiration was not in his list of fears as he captivated the crowd with ease. He played all his hits and wasn’t afraid to slow it down either. He’s only going to grow larger in these coming years.

7. 100 Gecs

If you know anything about 100 Gecs, you know you’re going to get an interesting experience. The pioneers of hyper-pop knew their audience and gave them a treat. They came out dressed as wizards and left as Lolla legends. Their set was an equal blend of meme hits like Money Machine and Doritos & Fritos, as well as unreleased tracks presumably on their new project.

It didn’t matter what they played because the crowd was eating that shit up. They put on an insanely fun set.

6. Glass Animals

After How to Be a Human Being, Glass Animals fell off for a little bit. A little too long. I LIKE Dreamland, but it’s not nearly as good as the first two albums they put out mid-2010s. That being said, Dreamland songs sound amazing live. I last saw the group back at 2017 Lolla and they put on a good show, nothing grand, but a fun one. This time around they really perfected their stage presence and setup as well. From wall to wall there was retro neon signs, tv sets, and really dope visuals.

Davey is a really humble performer as he graces the stage and owns the catwalk that would be used by Dua Lipa a few hours later. He knows the vibe and how to work this crowd. As I said earlier, the crowd for Dua Lipa only really knew Heat Waves prior to the show and were groaning while waiting. Song after song though, those people were dancing their asses off and had smiles on their faces the whole time.

5. Metallica

Back in 2015, the only songs I knew by Metallica were For Whom the Bell Tolls (because of Zombieland) and Enter Sandman. Seeing them at Lolla that year was cool, but I didn’t appreciate it the way I would’ve now. Good thing I got a little redemption at this year’s fest. I know Metallica’s core discography pretty well now and it paid off big time. I can’t help but feel that if you are a big fan of the band this was one of their best shows. They played over two hours of classics, introduced a whole new audience of Stranger Things fans to some amazing tunes and even flashed the Master of Puppets scene from the show.

James and co’s presence was immense, as big as their sound echoing throughout Grant Park. The crowd was also very kind to the younger fans and the older fans were acting like excited kids that age too. Metallica brought out the best of all ages that weekend. James poking fun about St Anger being not as bad as people say was a good laugh too.

4. IDLES

IDLES has had a massive impact on me these past few years. Their passion and anger towards the political bullshit they’ve shown their distaste for on all their records bleeds into their performance so well. Joe would shout “fuck the queen” and naturally as ignorant Americans we screamed too. They know how to put on a damn good show too. The guitarist hopped in WITH his guitar and started moshing with us during Colossus. Joe looked out at the audience as if he was absorbing all the energy from thousands of sweaty chicagoans and visitors. They wasted no time and put on an anger fueled set that was full of dedicated fans who were as equally as excited to see the band as they were to perform for us.

3. Dua Lipa

Oh man. Camping out for four hours unintentionally for Dua Lipa was one of my best Lolla decisions ever. Physical is one of my favorites from her and she opened with it… It could only get better and better. She brought the heat with her background dancers, parodying her viral hip twist dance from a few years back, and even fought a giant lobster. Yes, a giant lobster.

Dua put on a professional show that didn’t feel too corporate or that she treated it as just another performance either. Given I was only about 25 feet away from her I saw a lot of genuine smiles and the choreography was really neat that close too. Her band played well, her vocals sounded nice, and the visuals meshed with the dancers and props made it one of the prettiest shows of the weekend (partially thanks to her too of course).

2. J. Cole

If you asked who was in my top five must see artists in college, J. Cole would’ve definitely been seen in big black print. As someone who has been through a handful of tough shit since I first heard 2014 Forest Hills Drive as a sophomore in high school, this concert meant a lot to me. J. Cole always has a winning spirit. It reflects in his music and in his personality as well. Between the songs he would make sure the audience knew how much he appreciated everyone being here. He would preach to the audience that they gotta work hard for what they love. Love was a very central theme of the show.

Love Yourz was one of the most beautiful, unreal moments I’ve had at a show before. Cole knows how to pull on the heartstrings, but also how to hype up a crowd of dedicated Dreamville fans. He brought out JID and Bas for support too. HELL YES. They all gave it their best and it more than paid off. The entire crowd knew all the words to all the songs and begged for an encore after he went over for time anyway. One of those shows where you walk out instantly wanting to see them again.

1. Beach Bunny

I feel so inspired by Beach Bunny. Not just because Lili and all the bandmates are from around Chicagoland, but because of their sound. It’s very homey feeling. Her new album, Emotional Creature is about love and all of its beauty and struggle as well. The fact that she started off at high school/college level of putting out music gives me a lot of hope to continue writing for the blog and even writing songs of my own too.

By pure coincidence, I actually ran into Lili and her partner on the way to one of the other shows. Both were exceedingly nice and I of course geeked to her how much her music meant to me too. It was a favorite moment of the weekend no doubt.

How was the show though? It was one of those rare perfect sets that you don’t always see. Usually there’s maybe one or two key songs they should’ve played or maybe they didn’t have a good stage presence… Not the case here. Beach Bunny played to a massive crowd at 5 on Sunday afternoon and I was so happy to be at barricade for it. She played a little bit of everything from her discography. Promises and April live were my favorite songs that weekend no question. I adored this set and I very eagerly shouted through every single track. I hope to see them again very soon.