The Best Songs of 2024 (20-1)
#20 Remi Wolf - Alone In Miami
I don’t think I ever really paid attention to Remi Wolf until “Alone In Miami”. “Toro” was the song that got me through the door, but “Alone In Miami” was the one that made me notice the door was open in the first place. It starts innocuously - a breezy guitar and blocky percussion lead into Remi Wolf watching the environment around her. The obnoxious crypto bros who run the place, the girls wearing thongs and running around in the sun, the warm water she dips her toes in while eating a Cubano sandwich. It’s a nice relaxing day in Miami, but she’s all alone. It seems like whoever she’s talking to is there too, likely an ex, but they’re practically irrelevant in her mind. Most of the song is just about Remi Wolf spending time in Miami, making friends, and getting into trouble. The song starts pretty relaxed and steady, but there’s something so freeing about it. The sort of breezy, summery atmosphere that makes you throw your arms open as you feel the breeze blowing past you. She’s having fun, but that ex is still just in the corner of her mind. Pretty gradually the song starts building through the second chorus, with some subtle piano backing and the percussion getting more and more elaborate in its drumming.
If the song stayed in that mode, I’d probably call it a fun, breezy jam. But when the bridge hits and Remi Wolf starts raising her voice, describing how fast she’s going down the highway at 4 am and jamming out to German techno music in a white tent, something about the song shifts. Very subtly, the song’s emotions start heightening, and Remi’s raised voice turns into an outright shout as every instrument goes harder and harder. That final chorus begins with an emphatic shout of “ALONE IN MIAMIII WITH YOOOOUUU THERRREE!!!”, and it feels like we’ve reached the moment the entire song has been building up to. One huge release of emotion when the pure joy and euphoria of losing yourself to the scene and having the time of your life bursts out of you. At first, I remember thinking Remi’s voice was shrill, really straining itself to hit those high notes without entering a falsetto. But the more I listen to this song, the more that shrill, strained shout works for me. The more I feel that endorphin rush uncontrollably burst out in a moment of pure, unfiltered bliss. The cathartic shriek of “IF YOU DOOOON’T UNDERSTAAAND ME THEN WHOOOOO CAAAAAN!?!?” as you’ve truly eradicated all those negative feelings and insecurities nagging at you throughout the trip is indescribable. You’ve never been happier.
#19 Chromeo ft. La Roux - Replacements
One of my favorite experiences in listening to music throughout the year is when you decide to revisit an album, and one of those songs you knew you liked, but didn’t go back to very often, suddenly sounds fresh to you again. Like you somehow heard it for the first time even though it’s only been a few months since you last spun it. All of a sudden, that song enters back into your rotation and becomes your obsession for the next few months. That happened with me and “Replacements”, a song that was a single back in April of 2023, was put on an album in February 2024, and that took me six whole months to realize was the best song Chromeo has ever made. It’s not that different from what Chromeo usually does. It’s another breakup song about how their ex was so amazing that every subsequent partner hasn’t come close to giving them the same feeling she did all those years ago. But the production is also some of P-Thugg’s best-ever work! It opens on a vocoded “ah” playing every other beat, reminiscent of the way Lady Gaga’s “Edge Of Glory” begins, as the drums kick in on the second verse, and the chorus itself introduces a zippy synth and a buoyant main melody playing in sync with Dave-1’s voice. One of my favorite two seconds in pop music this year was the way Dave starts the chorus with, “Time again!” in conjunction with the synth harmonizing with the exact same melody. Just that quick little moment is enough to get me sucked into the chorus, whose jerky rhythm and flashy keyboard sounds always gets my shoulders moving.
I didn’t ever expect La Roux of “Bulletproof” fame to appear on my list anytime soon, but her verse on this song is tremendous. She knows exactly what she’s getting into with a Chromeo song, really hamming it up as she recounts her own ex she can’t stop thinking about. She’s such a natural fit for this production. Tight, synthetic, and deeply forlorn. Another great two seconds on this song - David-1 and La Roux singing the bar, “Oh I wish you had a sister instead!” together. A cheeky little moment and a wonderful show of hetero-sapphic solidarity. There are so many great little melodies and hooks crammed into all four minutes of this song (four and a half with the extended version). I went back to this song again and again and again after rediscovering my love for it, and it pretty quickly became one of my biggest comfort listens of the year.
#18 Quadeca & Kevin Abstract - TEXAS BLUE
I admire the ambition and range that Quadeca has. Even when the albums as a whole don’t quite get there for me, there’s always at least one instance where he leaves me a little breathless. The first time it was “born yesterday” from I Didn’t Mean To Haunt You, the centerpiece of the album that showed the immense, booming heights of what Quadeca was capable of reaching. Now we have the closing song of SCRAPYARD, “TEXAS BLUE” with Kevin Abstract formerly of Brockhampton (they’ve shown up numerous times on previous song lists). Unlike the audaciousness of “born yesterday”, “TEXAS BLUE” kind of snuck up on me. An off-kilter piano progression followed by a more elegant, softer piano on top of it that lingers throughout the track. When voices and strings start slipping into the song, it feels less like a progression and more like a flourish. Almost like it’s drifting in the wind and slowly lifting you off the floor. This is such a beautifully composed song. All the instruments play off each other so naturally, never overpowering one or the other and focusing on simply creating a landscape of violins and flutes.
Quadeca and Kevin Abstract sing in very low voices, almost singing in a hushed whisper as they describe a distant relationship that seems to be losing its grip. There’s not necessarily desperation in these lyrics, but there is enough urgency where their honesty feels like everything is on the line. I think what helped this song stick with me was hearing it in early February. It fits the cold air and pale blue skies beautifully, but also the melancholic sadness that comes with it. Where the seasonal depression just kind of lingers on you. Feeling like you’re dissociating as you go through the motions and just try to get through the day. But once everything starts coming back into view, and you’re noticing the world around you, you hear those beautiful flute melodies and the sweeping strings. The many different voices and howls coming from Quadeca and Kevin, repeating phrases like “Watching you dancing up there” and “Waking up next to you” almost as if you’re hearing the voices of the people around you. There’s something mystical about everything in the song coming into view. In a way, it matches the relationship at the core of this song being mended after opening up and being honest about how you feel. I dunno, I think I needed that early in the year. Maybe I need it again this year.
#17 Porter Robinson - Cheerleader
In 2021, Porter Robinson gutted me with the deeply sincere and emotionally overwhelming nurture, one of my favorite albums of that year. It was such a worthy successor to his breakout album Worlds that reminded me how much I love not just art as a medium, but the artistic process and how it reflects in that art. But I worry that it might’ve broken something in Porter. You can tell he stressed himself out trying to perfect it and deliver on the immeasurable expectations that Worlds set up, and it didn’t seem like he was entirely in his right mind by the end of the album. In a sense, I’m not surprised the lead single to the next album was such a radically different mode for him. Right when the song starts, the song launches in full blast with blaring synths and pop rock-like drumming. The structure is reminiscent of pop rock, and pop punk production, but the instruments are all distorted and blast on the chorus like a gust of wind.
The “cheerleader” in question is unambiguously referring to Porter Robinson’s fanbase, painting them as obsessive, invasive, insane weirdos who dig their claws into Porter and drive him insane. With a sudden style shift like this and the lyrics that portray his fanbase so poorly, you’d think this song would be completely alienating and potentially controversial. It’s certainly a choice for Porter to go from the “I love you guys, you mean everything to me and I want to give you the best I can” of nurture to “You guys are fucked up weirdos who draw me kissing boys and threaten to kill me”. But throughout the song, Porter is also admitting how much he depends on and loves that fanbase, eccentricities and all. The explosive blast of the production is essentially a cathartic yell, especially with Porter reaching parts of his voice he’d never even thought to explore on Worlds and nurture. That love he has for his fanbase, and the love his fanbase has for him is so… frustrating. I think some personal experience with having enough of a platform where people who drive you nuts look up to you has made me really, really, really attached to this song, on top of being a head-rushing monster of a banger.
#16 Tyla - Safer
I’m always happy to embrace more amapiano artists into the mainstream, so I’m glad to see Tyla persist and start to become a regular hitmaker in and out of the US. “Water” is a pretty great song, but her follow-up “Truth Or Dare” was even better, so I was very eager to check her album out when it was ready. The opening song, “Safer”, was pretty much the last step in making me a fan, and it instantly became one of my top summer songs of the year. This song’s vibes are immaculate. From the swaying rhythms of the percussion to the gorgeous choir and soft synths building up in the background, this song just sounds unbelievable. It provides just enough space to let Tyla be the star of her own song, but the crowd in the back knows exactly when to come in and sing along with her. You feel a sense of community with this song, which is pretty hard to pull off with a studio-recorded song. But the chorus being so easy to sing along to makes it easy to feel like you’re right there in the crowd, watching people dance and watching whoever’s drumming tear it up and keep the rhythm going. It also helps that the song itself has such a great mix of flirtatious curiosity and cautious danger. Meeting someone new on the dance floor and being drawn in by their charm, but also getting flashbacks of your previous relationship which started the same way, but ended in heartbreak and trauma. Ultimately she takes the “safer” route, but there’s enough lingering attraction and curiosity to make you question if you should have gone for it anyway. Which I find fascinating and gets me even more invested into the atmosphere of the song.
#15 Tommy Richman - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
I was introduced to Tommy Richman through “Upset”, my favorite song on Brent Faiyaz’s Larger Than Life. Still, I didn’t immediately recognize him when this song suddenly started blowing up four months into the year. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I finally listened to the song, but it’s one of the quickest that a hit song has latched onto me in recent memory. A thrumming bass starts the song and kicks into the sharp trap beat and wirey synth hits, giving the song a strong bounce that immediately got my head bobbing before Tommy Richman even said a word. Huge credit to the producers of this song, they created an absolute masterwork of jammy jam jams. The timbre of “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” is a little nostalgic, calling to mind the early works of The Neptunes in its cheap sounding, but otherworldly synth presets. It never gets too overwhelming, and the song’s rhythm is so tight and polished that it never loses sight of its tempo. Tommy himself has such a unique voice that works for this kind of trunk-knocking jam. He’s got a yelpy, slippery voice that bounces with the song, but never feels too rigid or married to the beat. I love that moment in the middle of the song where his voice warbles into the declaration, “I’ve been losing my miIIIiind! I said the city is ‘miiIIIiiIne’!!”. This song would not leave me alone for the whole year, and I mean that as a compliment. Even months after its peak, it was just as fresh and infectious as the first time I heard it. For what it’s worth, I quite liked his debut album COYOTE, even though “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” was sorely missing from it. I certainly respect wanting to be seen beyond your big hit, but at the same time, there’s a reason it became your big hit.
#14 Rema - MARCH AM
I didn’t think Rema would be an artist who makes my favorite song lists two years in a row, especially with such a radically different song. Last year Rema made a big splash with his accessible Afrobeats jam “Calm Down” with Selena Gomez. He followed that song up with a hard turn into a much harsher, aggressive form of Afrobeats. The drums on this song are quick, strong, and booming over the electric pulsating synth and Rema’s sporadic flow. The subtle cellos and explosive drum hits are borderline menacing as Rema skitters through the track like an unkillable cockroach. Rema’s occasional snickering as he keeps up with the rapid pace of the drums is ridiculously adrenaline-pumping, especially as the sounds of cars revving their engines emphasize the stakes of the song. It’s a straight-up villain song, and it’s not even the song on the same album called “VILLAIN”! I was so captivated by this song all year. There were a lot of other songs off of HEIS that I loved, but “MARCH AM” was the one I kept coming back to. I think primarily because it’s the performance from Rema that kept me locked into the song all the way through. Anyone can make an instrumental this intense and fast, but few could ever match its energy. Rema’s feral snarls and laughs made him sound just as demented and fearsome as the instrumental. I could see the dangerous, explosive street race this song could soundtrack. I desperately want to watch the carnage.
#13 Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe!
It has been incredibly rewarding to see what a massive feminomenon Chappell Roan turned out to be. Not only did she release a massive Top 10 hit this year, but several songs from her outstanding debut album ended up becoming belated hits thanks to momentum, including songs from my best songs list last year like “Red Wine Supernova” and “Casual”! But those were songs that defined my 2023 a lot more than my 2024. So instead I have her equally incredible single released this year in anticipation of her sophomore album. This song became so instantly iconic to me from the first listen. From its Kate Bush-esque synth progression to Chappell taking the next step in her queer storytelling by venting about an ex who can’t seem to confront the truth about her sexuality. It’s a very relatable story for anyone with a flaky, cowardly ex, but the story at the center of the song is undeniably a sapphic one. The frustrating experience of falling in love with someone afraid of confronting the truth about herself and her relationships. She would rather retreat into heteronormativity rather than truly explore her attraction to women, specifically to Chappell Roan and the memories they share. Chappell sings this song with so much poise and confidence, but you can feel that poise slip into frustrated anger and disappointment. It’s not like she doesn’t understand why coming out and embracing your queerness can be scary, but she’s also getting hurt in the process. This perfectly good relationship is being tossed away for the sake of safety and conformity rather than liberation.
Like basically every song she’s ever made, Chappell is the star of the show. Her passion and energy throughout the song, the floaty high notes she hits, the slight attitude in her voice as she tosses aside an “it’s fine, it’s cool”, she acts her ass off in the song. I’m so impressed by the frustrated inflections in her voice that remain heavenly and beautiful but convey just enough emotion to feel the snarl coming out. And it comes through in the bridge, where she imagines a future of heterosexual mediocrity that leaves her ex unfulfilled and defeated. Watching her cry and think about what could have been, and with the queer exuberance that made me fall in love with her, all Chappell could say is “I TOLD YOU SOOOOOOOO” as the song explodes into its final chorus. High notes and vocal runs trilling in the background. All behind one of the best-crafted choruses of the entire year. It’s the natural continuation of what Chappell started on The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess, and with added visibility thanks to Olivia Rodrigo and a couple of songs bubbling in the viral charts, it was the song to begin Chappell’s imperial takeover of pop culture in 2024. Fame has been tough on her, but after hearing her speech about winning the Best New Artist Grammy, getting pushback from greedy, soulless music executives trying to diminish her voice, and for her to take it in stride and defy their power over her, I know she’s gonna be just fine. Good luck, babe!
#12 Bruiser Wolf - Dope Boy
“I wonder if they can tell I’m a dope boy?” Bruiser Wolf asks himself in his usual suave yelp. Behind him, a beautiful vocal sample plays with the light thump of the beat and a triumphant trumpet note trailing behind it. From there Bruiser Wolf ponders his successes and lifestyle with his signature charm and sense of humor. “Dope Boy” is a quote machine of a song. Every time I listen to this song in private, I find myself imitating his cartoonish voice and reciting his hilarious punchlines every time they come up. Sometimes they’re genuinely witty punchlines (“My pure white makes yours look like imitation, vanilla!”), sometimes they’re just normal things he says with a funny inflection (“We bouta eat off this, sayyy the grace!”). Out of every other song I’ve heard from Bruiser Wolf, no song of his has ever convinced me what an incredible personality he is as much as “Dope Boy”. His pimp-esque delivery and Greg Zola’s phenomenal beat give the song such a regal, wealthy atmosphere. You could practically see the throne Bruiser Wolf is sitting on and the white girl on his lap as he wonders if people can tell he’s a dope boy. But on second thought, he doesn’t need it. He knows he’s a dope boy. He looks over an empire like a bright orange sunset on the horizon. It’s a very funny song, but it’s also a lowkey-inspiring one. It’s a “rags to riches” song that truly appreciates those riches and where it’s taken him, and it makes the whole song feel triumphant. “On second thought, don’t tell, I’m a dope boy” is practically a victory speech.
#11 glass beach - motions
A lot of people were put off by the hard pivot that glass beach made on their second album, which I understand. Part of the charm of the first glass beach album was how homemade and raw the music was, to the point of being imperfect but still deeply passionate and creative. A lot of that got touched up for plastic death, making for a more polished album that leaned harder into prog-rock over power pop. While part of me does miss the charm of songs like “classic j dies and goes to hell part 1” and “cold weather”, I also have to give credit to the band for not only managing to make a follow-up album that they’re proud of but for improving immensely as musicians and instrumentalists. “motions” was the song that stood out to me as not only their best song but one of the most exhilarating rock songs I’ve heard in recent memory. William’s drumming kicks off into a riveting groove led by Jonas’ bass and Layne’s wailing electric guitar. The band sounds fantastic here, seamlessly creating a swirling landscape peppered in with string accents and cymbal crashes. J has improved as a vocalist too, keeping their strained murmur but matching the ferocity of their band when the song powers through the chorus. I read that this was the band’s first foray into implementing horns into their music, and honestly, I think they did an incredible job. Those horns fucking SOAR as they carry the main melody from the explosive chorus into the chaos of the bridge. They pair insanely well with William’s drum work and especially Layne’s guitarwork, which goes nuts throughout the song! My favorite part is the lead-up into the second chorus, where the drumming stops and starts as J’s voice is filtered and peaking in the mix and Layne lets it rip in the background. The moment where William’s drum hit slams like thunder and J shouts, “I WANNA FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND” at the top of their lungs as the rest of the band go into overdrive in the final stretch, leading into that chaotic horn bridge afterward is so explosive and powerful that it alone cemented it as one of the best songs I’ve heard all year. An incredible storm born out of a band being in sync with each other and blasting away the listener with full force. God, what a fucking moment.
#10 Maxo Kream - Bang The Bus
“Bang The Bus” wins the honor of having the best beat of the year. Evilgiane and Devon Workman deserve a huge standing ovation for their remarkable beatwork. They sampled the excellent Frou Frou song “Let Go” and paired it up with an ethereal beat whose plush synths and organs build into this bassy rumble as the gentle tap of the snares carries the song and keeps it bouncing, even when the production remains soft and heavenly. It’s such a subtly catchy song that doesn’t hit hard or is very tight in its composition, but it keeps up its momentum with every tap and ripple from the bass. That coupled with the Frou Frou sample floating to the top with its chopped vocals and higher tones makes this one of the best beats I’ve ever heard not just this year, but this whole decade. Making this already tremendous song even better is the lead rapper Maxo Kream, who delivers the exact level of chill, sexy braggadocio to make this beat work. His demand for these girls to stop playing with themselves and let him hit already would be obnoxious to most people, but his authoritative presence and unbothered flows make it easy to sink into the horny, sweaty, but unbelievably fun vibe of the song. Most of the song consists of its ridiculously catchy chorus, but how could it not? It’s such a fun, catchy hook that keeps asses bouncing and the vibes immaculate. This blew me away the first time I listened to it and even on my hundredth listen I’m still blown away by how perfectly this song was crafted.
#9 Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy)
I would not have predicted before the year started that the biggest country song of the year would come from Shaboozey. Not even because I didn’t know who he was. I actually did know of Shaboozey long before the Beyoncé cosign when he had some viral attention for his song “Beverly Hills”, which was also a country/trap fusion that worked surprisingly naturally. I knew that “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” was something special the first moment I heard it, and I’m glad the rest of the country agreed. The breezy acoustic guitar and handclaps that kick off the song are such an easy way to get people bobbing along as Shaboozey vents about his problems. The build-up in the pre-chorus with stomps and cascading guitars is such a great touch. So much so that the first time, I didn’t even notice that Shaboozey was interpolating 2000s crunk classic “Tipsy” by J-Kwon. Hearing this big sing-along chorus, asking for another drink, and celebrating the whole bar getting drunk and raising their glass, something in me lit up. Shaboozey’s hangdog charisma and the backing vocals that sounded like the crowd at a bar singing along were such a pure joy to listen to. The song has the catchiness and rhythm of a rap song, but it’s still very country at its core. But even both elements felt secondary to the core of the song itself and its pure comradery. No judgment, no tension, just the acknowledgment that we have shit to get through, so let’s make this a memorable night. I’ve heard some people try to adopt the term “recession pop” to refer to this comeback of the prevalence of pop music in pop culture as it was in the late 2000s-early 2010s, but I think it’s regressive to just slap that label on any catchy pop song that happens to be really popular or about partying. If anything, I think the only song that could truly apply to the concept of “recession pop” is “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”. A song about financial troubles and getting through a tough life, but finding solace in the party around you and celebrating with them as if it's the last night of your life. It’s not Lady Gaga making a hollow imitation of the music she used to make or Charli XCX singing about doing coke at a party, it’s complaining about working too hard and going to the bar as a distraction. This song anchored me throughout 2024 as I held a full-time job for an entire calendar year. It only seems fitting.
#8 Charli XCX - Von dutch
2024 was the year I finally got Charli XCX. Well, that’s not entirely true. I got Charli XCX long ago, she just never really hit a sweet spot for me beyond general respect for her creative ambitions. I liked her, she had songs that worked for me, but she never consistently worked for me until now. I didn’t think I would like “Von dutch” at all when previews started going around, but when I listened to it in full, I slowly but surely found myself bobbing along. I was hooked by the frantic clicking of the percussion and the back-and-forth whooshing of the synths as Charli mocks you for being obsessed with her, confidently proclaiming “I’m your number one” as the song escalates and whizzes through flashing lights and hot models on the runway. I think what kept me locked into this song was how relentless it was. From the production always moving and keeping the grooves going, even when it slows down, to Charli XCX’s ruthless attitude. This song is bratty as hell, but it’s bratty in a way where you have to admit, yeah, you kind of are a little obsessed with her. The way the production whips around her and the way those vocal effects carry the echo and power in her voice makes her sound so fucking cool, and no matter how much she puts you down you just keep coming back and validating every single one of her egotistical claims.
There’s something that gets me about the way the song punches back in every time she says, “I’m just living that life”, almost like you’re experiencing the surges of her power trip in real time. It’s magnetizing to me. This started as a favorite early in the year, but the more and more I listened to it, from when Brat first came out to when Charli finally became the dominant force in pop music she was destined to be for years, the more I was convinced this was the song to set it all into motion. Even if other songs like “360”, “Apple” and “Guess” became bigger hits, to me nothing signaled Bratmageddon as much as “Von dutch” did. A truly powerful song where a pop artist declared “This will be MY year and YOU will put your hands up and be a part of it”. Thus, here we are.
#7 Joey Valence & Brae ft. Z-Trip - NO HANDS
“NO HANDS” is so perfectly catered to me and me specifically. My favorite rap songs tend to fall under the following categories: Endlessly quotable, sticky production, and rappers who believe every single word they say, no matter how ridiculous the punchline is. The crux of the song lies in the central conceit that this duo is so good at rapping and making beats they can practically do it with no hands (aka all by themselves with no outside help). Ironically, this song does have a helping hand in the form of Z-Trip’s record scratching, but the beat and bars are all them. They made a video on their channel breaking down the making of various songs on their album, and the way they talk about “NO HANDS” specifically is fascinating. Essentially, the song is various punchlines cobbled together and reformatted into a beat that took an incredibly long time to perfect. But they worked so hard on the song and getting it exactly right that despite its fragmented pieces, it came together so perfectly and exactly how they wanted it to turn out. The stellar saxophone sample that anchors the song is such a great instrument to lead the sandy drums and Z-Trip’s record scratches to make a song that feels as classic as it is timeless. The quotable bars that Joey Valence and Brae picked out are A-tier too. So many great little moments I can quote from this song alone. “When I was ten I was sipping Shirley Temples/Present day, I’m still sipping Shirley Temples”, “And I failed statistics… but I aced sex ed!”, “You a square, you Roblox”, “All Crustable and an orange soda!”, “Helped my sis open a business”, “Living life with no plans, look, mama, no hands!”. That’s just half of the song’s unforgettable lyrics that aren’t connected in any meaningful way but are delivered with such confidence and pride that you can’t help but join the fun. Could have done without the bars referencing Drake and Jay-Z, but the song was made before both of their public fallouts so I can let it slide. There are so many songs on NO HANDS I could consider my favorite, but it was also never gonna be anything other than the title track. I love this song so dearly as a perfect amalgamation of the boys’ appeal and a shining example of everything I want out of a hip-hop banger. In most other years, this would be the best rap song of the year. We’ll get to that one later though.
#6 Fat Dog - Running
I could not believe what I was hearing when I heard “Running” for the first time. It starts pretty quickly with the pitter-patter of the drums as a couple of organs build in the background. Joe Love sings some alarming lyrics about moving away from “the shooting” and watching it from afar, almost like they’re in the midst of a war or some major fallout already. The drums kick in a little louder and the organs and chorus are building and building, and once the chorus kicks in with literal barking, the song kicks into high gear with an infectious dance groove and apocalyptic instrumentation. Seriously, it sounds like something that would play at a rave in the darkest depths of hell. The pace of the song makes it feel like you’re running while listening to it, the drums pounding at a rigid pace as different keys and horns whirl around you like a tornado, and the urgency of the song is turned up so high that you can feel your heartbeat speed up with every moment of the song. It is BRILLIANTLY executed. This song is such a rush, and Joe keeps up that momentum throughout the entire song. His frantic and disheveled repetition of “running and running and running and running” does so much to sell the atmosphere of this song.
The lyrics make it seem like this is a song where plans have gone completely awry and all you can do is just fucking run. No questions asked, no time to figure out a good escape plan, just get fucking moving. Even when the song slows down, that ticking time bomb of the percussion keeps ticking ahead and prepares for the song to build up to that frantic chorus again. When you get to the second half of the song, where the instrumentation quiets down aside from a flashing keyboard melody, it’s like that brief moment to breathe while the chaos is still happening outside. Eventually, you have to hop back in though, and you hear it through the occasional drum smash puncturing your skull. Then the song builds up again, bringing back the barking melody as the drums get faster and faster and everything around you gets louder and louder. Finally, off the second “From the grey thoughts in my mind”, the song’s final form appears in all of its monstrous, overbearing, apocalyptic glory. Never loses its groove, but in the process loses its sanity. That final stretch is the biggest rush I experienced in any song this year. An incredible masterwork of crescendo and build-up that makes running feel like a meteor crash landing toward Earth. One of the definitive bangers of the decade so far.
#5 Remi Wolf - Pitiful
Sometimes you listen to a song for the first time, you point it out to your friends and say, “Mine. This is mine. No one else can have it”. Right from the opening drum fill into this wacky beat with wobbly synths and a jammy guitar just kicking ass in the background, I was instantly hooked to the bubbly bounce of this song. Delightfully fun and quirky in all the best ways, fitting into a groove that’s sickeningly catchy and sounds just as sweet. Remi Wolf only drives it home further with her usual joyous charm, although this time she’s kind of lashing out and complaining about how miserable she is. She’s in a pathetic state of getting wasted, calling her ex, and throwing up amid a terrible hangover. But Remi Wolf delivers it with so much joy and doofy charm that you get the sense that she’s kind of enjoying being at the bottom of the barrel. Maybe she’s just mid-blackout and letting the chemicals in her brain do all the work, but whatever it is, she’s having fun and embracing the most pitiful, embarrassing version of herself. It’s very irresponsible and she’s blowing up her life, but this song is having way too much fun for that to matter too much. This was nearly my most played song of the second half of the year, and that’s solely because I was so immediately captured by how catchy and fun it was that it was all I wanted to hear for six months. My love for music in its purest form where every single timbre, drum fill, lyric, and inflection to come out of this song hits my happiness receptors and makes me want to spend so much time listening to it over and over and over again. Pop perfection.
#4 Charli XCX ft. Billie Eilish - Guess featuring Billie Eilish
If it was too obvious that my favorite song on HIT ME HARD AND SOFT was the one where Billie has sex with another woman, it’s even more obvious that my favorite Charli and Billie song of the year is where Billie flirts with Charli and describes all the ways she wants to pull her panties off. Everyone’s been rightfully raving about the incredible moment of solidarity on “Girl, so confusing” with Lorde, but the collaboration that had me in a chokehold was Billie making a rare feature appearance on one of Brat’s bonus songs, “Guess”. I like the original a lot as is. The Dare takes the production on this song and delivers in making a sleazy, clubby banger with buzzy synths, a blocky drum machine beat, and all the garish, obnoxious club noises that make you feel like the room is blasting lights and colors all around you. Charli sings very bluntly about the listener being curious about what kind of underwear she’s wearing. Describing in detail all the kinds of pairs it could be and even more graphically describing the ways you want to try it, lick it, spit it, pull up to the side, and get all up in it. It’s almost uncomfortably hot, especially since Charli’s bratty husky whisper gives you the impression she wants it to, she’s just waiting for you to make the move.
But the remix with Billie is the one that made me consider on more than one occasion if this was the best song of the year. Because she gets bold and takes the spot of that person speculating on the color of her underwear. Except, she doesn’t need to, because she already caught a peek of it and knows it’s the lacy black pair with little bows that she bought for Charli in Tokyo. Suddenly the context of the song changes entirely, as instead, Billie is the one beckoning Charli to look her way and let Billie hit. Which, probably won’t happen, Charli likes boys, but Billie still coyly leaves the door open juuuust in case. Right after that whisper is when The Dare drives the song into this buzzing storm of acidic synths and it leads into Billie and Charli repeating the word “guess” over this maddeningly catchy bridge. It’s so great to not just hear Billie more openly embrace her queerness and especially her top energy, but that this sexual tension, whether it’s ever seriously resolved or not, is just treated as fun and embracing the sweaty horny vibes of the club. It’s a queer sex-positive anthem that will have me losing my shit at the club and wishing I had Billie’s effortless game with women.
#3 Lucky Daye - HERicane
So earlier this year I went on a cruise, and I figured I’d try a fun little experiment and listen to music on my old iPod Nano rather than just using Spotify or Apple Music on my phone. It was a wonderful time and a fun way to get back in touch with how I used to listen to music before streaming. I loaded up a bunch of my favorite summer songs on it, from years before to songs released early this year that I felt fit the summer vibes (“Safer”, “All To Myself” and “Not Like Us” were among them). I was really happy with my selection, but there was always one song I regret not listening to in time because it would have been the perfect song for a summer cruise playlist, and that was “HERicane”. I didn’t hear this song until I heard Lucky Daye’s full album, but it was one of those songs I immediately identified as the song of the summer from the moment I heard it. The opening drums leading into the bright, shimmery guitars and keys instantly gave me images of clear skies and soft waves. The bass groove keeps the song anchored as Lucky Daye promises this girl he’s gonna make sure they make the most of their time together and make some incredible memories. Lucky Daye has such unbelievably smooth charisma it makes me wonder how the hell radio hasn’t picked him or this song up yet. He’s got an incredible voice that’s up there with Usher and Miguel as some of the best in R&B. His hook on top of this incredible beat is so memorable and fun, that it’s SUCH a perfect soundtrack to a summer vacation. Honestly, if I did hear this beforehand and this ended up on my cruise playlist, I think this would legitimately be my song of the year. But even without it, I could not stop listening to this song for the rest of the year. Even after the summer was over and everything got colder, I still listened to this song so many more times. Because while the song is at its strongest when the sun burns the brightest, it’s such a phenomenally crafted jam that you can listen to it at any time and it’d still be one of the best songs you’ve ever heard. I fucking love this song with all my heart. If I ever get to go on a cruise again, this is the first song I’m putting on that playlist.
#2 Kendrick Lamar - euphoria
Okay. So.
“Not Like Us” is a phenomenon that at this point transcends beef. It’s an instantly iconic song that has become so undeniable that even the industry can’t help but give Kendrick two Grammys for opening his mouth. As evidenced earlier, I love “Not Like Us” and agree with all of the accolades it’s received. But the most memorable and exciting part of that beef to me was when Kendrick dropped the first bomb. “Like That” was Kendrick taking a shot and seeing if Drake took the bait. Drake not only took the bait, but he tried to taunt Kendrick with it, mocking him for taking his time and letting Drake victory lap around him before the game even began. Right when all seemed a little too quiet, there it was. A new song on Kendrick’s YouTube page where once and for all the rap battle began and right then and there, Kendrick won. Like, I know narratively it makes more sense for Kendrick to win with “Not Like Us” or even “meet the grahams”, but nothing exemplifies why Kendrick is not only leagues better than Drake, but also the greatest rapper of my generation.
“euphoria” isn’t as maniacal as “meet the grahams” or is the instant hit that “Not Like Us” was, but “euphoria” is a song that so definitively ends Drake by simply being better than him in every single way. The quiet opening where Kendrick calmly confirms that yes, he thinks Drake is a phony and has no respect for him is just a taste of what's to come. Once he drops the line “Don’t tell no lie about me, and I won’t tell the truth about you”, the horns come in and Kendrick lets out some goofy sound effects before starting the song in earnest. From there, every lyric is hit after hit after hit after hit. His voice shifts from frantic to calculated to angry to intentionally obnoxious and his flow is never interrupted nor does it stumble even once. Bells ring in the background as an organ trails behind and the horns continue blasting over Kendrick’s relentless bars. And those bars are so incredibly memorable and fun. I said repeatedly that my favorite type of rap songs are quote machines, and you can make an entire Top 20 off of the best lyrics in the first half alone. “What is it, the braids!?”, “Dementia must run in his family, but let it get shaky… I park your son”, “I’d rather do that than let a Canadian [person] make Pac roll in his grave”, “Yeah fuck all that ‘pushin p’, lemme see you ‘Pusha T’!”, “I know some shit that makes Gunna Wunna look like a saint”, I could go on, and I will. I could even keep going with all the bars in the second half, kicked off by a rumbling build of horns the minute Kendrick says “You walk around like Daaaaft Punk, REMEMBER!?”. “Hey, Top Dawg, who the fuck they think they’re playing with?!”, “Yachty can’t give you no swag either, I don’t give a FUCK about who you hang with!”, “Some shit just cringeworthy, it ain’t even gotta be deep I guess!”, “Keep making me dance, waving my hands, and it won’t be no threat”, “When I see you standing next to Sexyy Reeed, I believe you see two bad bitches”, “You signed to a[n artist] who signed to a[n artist] who signed to a[n artist] who said he was signed to that [artist]”, “‘Back To Back’, I like that record!”, and the entire run of bars where he repeatedly calls Drake “crodie” while threatening to kill him? I cannot stress enough how many incredible lines are on this song that played on my mind all year and into the next. Even the line where he gets something factually incorrect (Joel Hael Osteen was not in the movie A.I., that was Hayley Joel Osment) is completely forgiven because he delivers that train of thought so perfectly that all he has to do is reference it at the beginning of “Not Like Us” and it’s water under the bridge.
This is what makes Kendrick Lamar such a legendary rapper. When Drake tried to go at Kendrick, he delivered it in his usual marketable style with promo gimmicks and frequent drops. It worked against Meek Mill, why wouldn’t it work now? Kendrick took his time to craft a song that not only jabbed at Drake repeatedly but also flexed his incredible skills as a rapper and a writer. To be able to deliver so many iconic lines packed into one song, delivering them with all kinds of different voices, flows, and natural beat switches that only up the ante and get the crowd even more hype. Drake could NEVER make a song this good. Neither could Cole, or Future, or Rick Ross, or anyone else who was involved in this beef in any capacity. They could try, but they wouldn’t have the talent that Kendrick has to be able to make such an elaborate, action-packed song like this hit as hard as it does. This really couldn’t come from anyone else. When Kendrick rambles on about how he “hates the way that you talk, the way that you walk, the way that you dress”, that’s real hatred and anger in his spirit. That’s the kind of determination that comes from realizing you have to wake the entire industry the fuck up. Drake can’t be the one on the throne. Drake, as many times as I’ve enjoyed his music, only encourages mediocrity and runs the game like a business rather than doing it for the love of the game. “Not Like Us” was the song to knock Drake off that podium, but “euphoria” was the song to make it shake. Motherfuck the big three, it’s just Big Kendrick.
#1 Jamie xx & Honey Dijon - Baddy On The Floor
Is it a little predictable that my song of the year is my favorite song off the follow-up to my favorite album of all time? A little. But it’s no less true. “Baddy On The Floor” was the song to introduce everyone to the upcoming rollout for In Waves. But it’s not the kind of moody, dreamy festival compositions that made In Colour a special album. Instead, it’s an incredibly groovy, high-energy song that takes to the dance floor and lets loose. Jamie xx gets some additional help from Honey Dijon who brings her flavor of disco-centered house to Jamie xx’s piano-driven melodies and voice-chopping grooves. The composition of this song is immaculate. It hits you immediately with the main groove and instrumental flourishes come and go as they please. From the aforementioned piano to sharper organ melodies and a blast of horns that keeps the energy going in the main chorus. It is ridiculously infectious. The percussion groove keeps the song bouncing, the horns are glorious, the wompy wiry synths give the song a bit of an edge beyond its stellar piano anchor, the chopped-up vocals telling you to move your body on the floor and not stop until the beat drops follow the instrumentation so perfectly. The song ends with one last instrumental switch-up where a violin kicks in and sweeps the song into one final climax as the horns are muted and the beat slowly builds back up. After the song gets back to normal, we’re left with the same instruments we started the song with, and one final “stop” brings the song to its end.
I’ll be honest, I was close to knocking this down to #2 and calling “euphoria” my favorite song of the year. It just didn’t feel right having my song of the year being such a matter-of-fact favorite with no real backstory behind it beyond “I loved it and listened to it incessantly”. “euphoria” gave me a whole artist journey to talk about, “Baddy On The Floor” just gave me a damn good song. Then again, that’s exactly what makes “Baddy On The Floor” my favorite song of the year. It’s an incredible song that I listened to all the time. It defined my year for me and it made me so unfathomably excited to hear the follow-up to my literal favorite album of all time. Even now as I listen to it I’m so hypnotized by its composition, the way Jamie xx and Honey Dijon so seamlessly work with each other (love having a trans artist feature so prominently in this song by the way!), and all the memorable little passages and melodies that stick to my head and make me want to listen to it all over again, it’s just everything I want in a song. To put it lower than “euphoria” would be so dishonest of me. I love this song. No amount of writing, describing how it sounds, or personal connection could ever express how much this song has been a comfort for me all year. Something to look forward to, something to put on in any mood, something to think about and observe all of its intricate details. I think on any given day every song in my Top 10 could be considered my song of the year. But I can’t see myself crowning it to anyone else.
Thank you everyone for stepping out tonight.