PART TWO OF THIS YEAR'S LIST:
61. Shittin’ Me (A$AP Rocky):
wobbling synths and bass-heavy percussion from producer Kelvin Krash hit like an unexpected pothole; Rocky’s bars range from basic flexes (“Couldn’t ride the wave and now you ridin’ dick”) to references to movies like Juice, but they’re not really the main attraction here. We’re here to witness Rocky maneuver Krash’s hyperactive monster of a beat—and its meme-spoofing playhouse of a music video—with the energy of a first-time driver running a red light. (PITCHFORK)
62. HAPPY (Slowthai):
in a year of mass emotion running hip/hop, Slowthai unleashes his most vulnerable track yet.
63. Get Him Back (Olivia Rodrigo):
“I want sweet revenge” yells Rodrigo in this delicious dish that unbalances it’s aim with clever lyrical twists.
64. Silent Running (Gorillaz feat. Adeleye Omotayo):
effortlessly groovy, entrancing, and hypnotic. That sense of exhaustion doesn’t just live in Albarn’s lyrics, which are inspired by the 1972 sci-fi film Silent Running that revolves around reforestation, sunlight, and avoiding the complete extinction of biological life. When Omotayo makes his entrance, his and Albarn’s voices swirl around each other atop trance-like synths, creating an overwhelming, emotionally loaded feel. (CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND)
65. Sitting Ducks (Mick Jenkins feat. Benny The Butcher):
thuggery aside, deep message decoded.
66. Homeless N**** Pop Music (Jim Legxacy):
proving that patience and great mixing skills really is a virtue
67. Kill Bill (SZA):
her dreamy vocals help sell the minor comfort the hallucination brings her. Referencing Tarantino's film duology of the same name, in "Kill Bill" SZA is ready and willing to get her hands messy in her personal revenge fantasy. "The text gon' be evidence, this text is evidence," she plans, performing with such calm that you're left wondering if you heard her right. "I did it all for us, oh I did it all for love," she belts out desperately in a final attempt to justify her crime of passion. Even if the jury remains unconvinced, she's willing to pay the price. To her, in this moment, jail, and even hell, is worse than being alone. (NPR)
68. Rush (Troye Sivan):
a sweaty, lusty ode to physical connection, Troye Sivan’s “Rush” combines a pumping house beat and a horny-guy-gang chant to staggering effect, with the Australian pop enigma playing winking ringmaster at its center. The unrelenting three minutes of “Rush” feel like a snapshot of those summer parties that seemingly never end, stretching from the not-late-enough sunset to the too-early sunrise and beyond, bodies pressed up against each other even after everyone has collapsed from giddy, gleeful exhaustion. (ROLLING STONE)
69. Damn Gloves (Serpentwithfeet):
the double entendre is clear and very slyly made.
70. Twin Flame (Weyes Blood):
Mering knows how to spin a creepy, goth-infused tale and all her powers are on show here.
71. C’est Comme Ca (Paramore):
the sound of a band gleefully careening out of control.
72. Shit Talk (Sufjan Stevens):
“Did I cross you? / Did I fail to believe / In positive thoughts?” Stevens questions as he searches for answers wherever he can, asking himself if there was anything he could’ve done to prevent a tragic loss in his life. The back-and-forth motion that builds with, “I will always love you / I don’t wanna fight at all,” showcases Stevens grappling with the finality of death and the complexity of human connection. Stevens chooses to hold on to his love through it all, repeating, “Hold me closely, hold me tightly lest I fall,” with a heartbreaking inflection in his voice. (THE ITHICAN)
73. Glorietta (Tennis):
baked-in hooks allow this to simply fly!
74. When You’re Not With Me (Belle And Sebastian):
groovy little nugget.
75. The Fields (Nourished By Time):
shouldn’t work as well as it does but that beat is infectious.
76. My Kink Is Karma (Chappell Roan):
released over a year now but really just gathering steam in it’s delicious ‘revenge of the ex” screen grab.
77. Bruises Off The Peach (Ryan Beatty):
the sonic embodiment of coming to terms, whether it be with a relationship or your own inner turmoil. Its acoustic guitar dances like light off a lake while the cavernous reverb of the vocals slowly narrows into a warmer, settled sound. It grows to answer its own repeated question, spinning the grief-fueled crooning of “What did it ever have to do with me?” into a meditative statement by the song's culmination. (ONES TO WATCH)
78. Come Home To God (Amaarae):
don’t be fooled by Amaare’s angelic delivery: beneath it lurks carnality at its finest including line of the year. “Shawty say she love me like she love the Lord/When I'm in that pussy, I'm above the law”.
79. Contact (Kelela):
when she’s on her creeping shyt, Kelel can sound out of this world happy.
80. The Roach (Genesis Owusu):
described as “tiny, insignificant, but will not be crushed” — as he fights a chaotic, brutal, uncompromising world, personified as “God” or “The Old Man.” Roach stumbles as he questions his existence on “See You There,” picks himself back up on “Freak Boy” and “Tied Up!,” and slowly makes peace with his life and the inherent absurdity it includes throughout the rest of the project. (WERS.ORG)
