Part three is a go:
41. Mona Lisa (Lil Wayne feat. Kendrick Lamar):
refers to a deceitful character in the story. She’s a beautiful type that a rich man might try to impress at a nightclub, but she’s secretly setting him up to be robbed or murdered. Of course, the Mona Lisa of the iconic da Vinci painting is similarly withholding of her intentions, with that ambiguous smile that is both warm and untrustworthy. Also, Wayne and Kendrick are “painting a picture” with their lurid dramatization, straight out of those urban romance novellas found in the black section of your local bookstore. (SPIN)
42. Shotgun (Soccer Mommy):
with punctuated guitars and a constant whirring, hazy keyboard line, “Shotgun” leans into Soccer Mommy’s harder, punk rock side and sets the tone for her album sometimes, forever. As Sophie Allison sings, “So whenever you want me I’ll be around,” there’s a painful relatability to the desire to make yourself constantly available. It’s a strong example of Soccer Mommy’s approach to songwriting—raw honesty and a cathartic release. Allison’s instrumentals blend seamlessly with her jaded lyrics, a way of knowing what the outcome will probably be, and choosing to sit in that feeling. (TREBLE)
43. Once Twice Melody (Beach House):
they have swapped clean-toned electric guitar for surging shoegaze fuzz, traded the thrift-store keyboards and rickety home-organ rhythm presets for hi-def synthesizers and powerhouse live drumming, while Legrand’s ambiguously imagistic lyrics have become more grandiose and diffuse. (PITCHFORK)
44. Billions (Caroline Polachek):
in the middle of winter's deep freeze, Caroline Polachek released "Billions"— an icy, glitch pop single that breathed fresh air into a room of stale circulation. Polachek proved once more that she is as ethereal as we all remembered; her vocals soaring to new heights in all their spatial brilliance. "Billions," co-produced by Danny L. Harle, is the artist's attempt to create something that "captured the afterglow of a reopening" — and what a reopening indeed. The lyrics, with stark phrasing like "Headless, angel / Body upgraded" and "Psycho, priceless / Good in a crisis," conjure visceral images devoid of intrinsic meaning that ultimately make room for individual interpretation — a choose-your-own-adventure of sorts. (EXCLAIM)
45. Shirt (SZA):
there is the jagged blow of “fuckin’ on my ex ’cause he validate me,” and later, the bitter truth of “my past can’t escape me/My pussy precedes me.” As the song comes to a close, she becomes effusive, her voice floating into a modulated whistle register. “It’s so embarrassing/All of the things I need/Living inside of me,” she sings. After all this time, there’s still no one who conveys modern love’s cruelties like SZA. (PITCHFORK)
46. The Boat I Row (Tame Impala):
track showcases the band’s distinctive synth sound, transporting us to outer space with its celestial richness. It flawlessly complements the drum rhythm, adding to the already firm foundation laid by the myriad of additional instruments that emerge as the track develops. Also, the bass leaps from the speakers with an infectious cadene; it will have even the most stern of listeners tapping along. (GSGMEDIA)
47. Backwards (Lil Silva feat. Sampha):
silky synths meander endlessly in this stunner of a track.
48. Black Be The Source (Fly Anakin feat. Pink Siifu & Billz Egypt):
a contemporary banger pro-blackness.
49. Watersnake (Scott Hardware):
crafts its appeal slowly with a tinge of hysteria.
50. Puththi (M.I.A):
Maya embraces the TikTok generation grandly.
51.So Be It (Black Star):
welcome consciousness trope.
52. You Will Never Work In Television Again (The Smile):
decades into their career and reinvention continues briskly for Yorke and company.
53. Question…? (Taylor Swift):
while everyone is trying to figure out which ex Swift may or not be referencing in the track, she constructs a new smart classic while adding new flourishes.
54. Rapture In Blue (Cautious Clay):
dazzles with its lyrical simplicity, as much as the heavenly soundscape sprouting from his core. “We always go too far / Then we turn it into art / I don’t write the script / I just take the trip,” he sings. The arrangement soon erupts with the intoxicatingly warm sound of sax, almost like wrapping the listener in purple smoke. (TO THE POINT MUSIC)
55. Satellites (Ravyn Lenae):
a kiss-off to a former lover, moves through melismatic harmonies like clockwork. “I hope she keeps you warm at night/This is our lullabye,” she croons, but you know she’s going to be OK just by her composure. (PITCHFORK)
56. Watercolour Eyes (Lana Del Rey):
the song is slight in stature, with Lana’s now characteristically fragile, breathy vocal sat over an instrumental as washed out and hazy as the titular watercolor eyes she sings of. Her gorgeous vocal swoops take centre stage as the track gently drifts in a state of anhedonia. Meanwhile, the lyric depicts a tortured relationship, a young love derailed to such depths that “Wild horses can’t keep us together”. It is a song haunted by the stasis of the destructive relationship it finds itself trapped in, left to question and despair. (EXEPOSE)
57. B-side (Khruangbin & Leon Bridges):
don’t be fooled by it’s easy groove, there is stunning subtle stuff lurking beneath.
58. Unpeopled Space (Daniel Rossen):
in short, there is a lavish literary feel to the track, as though it is soundtracking Franz Kafka on tour in some Ernest Hemingway style European retreat. While that might sound a little too much for some, when it catches you on the right whim it’s a muse that can add an explosion of wistful sonic escapism to your dismal daily life. Perhaps the only thing missing is some of their neck-snapping moments of prose. (FAR OUT)
59. Jennifer B (Jockstrap):
pieces all of its moving parts with great precision.
60. One Way Or Every N***a With A Budget (Saba):
the literal definition of more money, more problems.
