Here it is, the end of the year list time! While there were still plenty of awesome music from 2023, it does feel like a step down from last year. Both the songs and projects lists are still full of fantastic music that I highly recommend! As always, this is my list, so don't take anything here too personally. Every artist is only allowed one song on the list, although there are a couple slight exceptions to the rule. There will be a Spotify playlist at the end of Part 2 with all 50 songs in it. Please let me know some of your favorite songs of the year down below! But for now, lets get into my list!
50. Fred Again.. & Baby Keem - "leavemealone"
Review
This list wouldn’t feel complete without a Fred Again song on here. In a year where I have enjoyed the most dance music I ever have, and Fred being a big part of that, he needed to be on here. This track with Baby Keem only came out a couple weeks ago, (Editor’s Note: It’s the day the song came out as I’m writing this), but it’s definitely the best thing Fred’s put out this year! He chops up Baby Keem’s vocals from two of his tracks and pitches them wildly at points to make it fit the beat he put underneath it. Even though Fred clearly had the final say on everything, there are many different people on the credits to this song, including both Four Tet and Skrillex. Sure, this might not be the best thing that Fred has ever done in his career, but it’s yet another notch in his belt to the top of EDM.
Favorite Moment: The weird noises before the drop at 2:52
Selling Point: Another fantastic dance track from one of EDM’s brightest young names
49. Black Country, New Road - "Turbines/Pigs - Live At Bush Hall"
Review
After releasing the most impressive album of 2022, Black Country, New Road was still in a difficult position this year after their lead singer left the band for mental health reasons. Instead of following up Ants From Up There with another studio album this year, they decided to release a live album of completely new material. They take turns being the lead singer. May Kershaw takes the lead on this song, which is very similar in style to the band's older style of long tracks that morph throughout. The first half of the track heavily relies on May’s vocals and piano playing, whereas the second half blossoms into a gargantuan art-rock closer. Sure, it’s not the easiest song to replay since it’s nine minutes long, but “Turbines/Pigs” is a rewarding listen that proves the band is far from finished.
Favorite Moment: The chorus in the first half
Selling Point: One of the best bands proves that they can still make fantastic music without their lead singer
48. Rosalía & Rauw Alejandro - "Vampiros"
Review
Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro may have broken up after releasing an EP together earlier in the year, but that doesn’t mean that the music itself loses its spark. At the time, they had been engaged after dating for multiple years and this was the first time they had creatively collaborated. All three songs on the EP were pretty good, but “Vampiros” is the stand out. It combines the more accessible reggaeton of Rauw with the experimentation that Rosalía has brought to her music. Their vocal chemistry is great, which is especially helpful when you’re like me and don’t understand a single word either one of them is saying. I’m sure maybe fans that really care about the personal relationships of their favorite artists might not enjoy this song anymore considering they are separated, but personally, I still absolutely love this track.
Favorite Moment: The weird production hits towards the end of the track
Selling Point: An experimental reggaeton banger
47. Sumbuck - "Hold It All"
Review
Sumbuck is the solo project for Caamp lead singer Taylor Meier. He put out a pretty nice album that showed him both staying in a similar feeling of Caamp, but also branching out and trying a few new things. This song, “Hold It All”, closes the record on a heartfelt note that has really stuck with me. During most of the album, he’s talking about being in loving relationships with lovers, family, friends, etc. “Hold It All” takes the opposite side, where he is talking about how hard it is to be alone and how it’ll get better. Sure, it’s not innovative in the slightest, but I really appreciated the flip in circumstance at the end of the record. Of course, Taylor’s voice is always helpful, but it’s really the lyrics and meaning that keep me coming back to this one.
Favorite Moment: The lyrics during the first verse
Selling Point: A slightly emotional indie-folk ballad
46. Buffalo Nichols - "The Fatalist Blues"
Review
Let's just start sonically here. This song could easily be a trap banger if you took out the guitar. The drums here are unlike anything that I’ve ever heard in blues music before. I don’t know how he thought to put 808s onto a blues track, but he somehow makes it work beautifully. The song itself is about how he feels stuck in the situation life put him in. Each verse looks at a different part of his life. The first one is about money, the second one is about how the world sees him, and the third one is about institutionalized racism. The weight of this heavy subject matter is felt through the deep drums and his menacing and worn voice. It’s not the easiest song of his listen to, but it might be the most important song I’ve ever heard from him.
Favorite Moment: The combination of the drums and his voice
Selling Point: A unique take on blues music
45. Smoke DZA & Flying Lotus - "Drug Trade" (Feat. Black Thought)
Review
As someone who’s never really listened to Smoke DZA before, him having a song on here is a bit surprising. He’s a pretty solid rapper, but there’s not much about him that stands out in this day in age. But when you surround him with a beat from Flying Lotus and a feature verse from Black Thought, he can make a fantastic lyrical hip-hop track. There are a few tracks like this on the list, where there isn’t much special about it, it’s just a great track with great rapping. Black Thought comes in and shows why he’s one of the most skilled rappers of all time. While the entire project didn’t live up this lead single, it still remains one of the most underrated hip-hop tracks of the year!
Favorite Moment: Black Thought’s verse
Selling Point: A good rapper, great producer, and amazing featured rapper make a great track
44. Danny Brown - "Jenn’s Terrific Vacation" (Feat. Kassa Overall)
Review
I hate how long it took me to get what the title means. Even after listening to the track multiple times, I still had no idea why this was the title. In case you all are on my level, if you say the title fast, the words blend together from “Jenn’s Terrific Vacation” to gentrification. The song is about gentrification in his home city of Detroit. He does this over a sample of the Goodie Mob classic, “Cell Therapy”. Fans may also recognize it from Travis Scott’s “5% Tint”. He flips it with Kassa Overall bringing some frantic live drums to the mix that add a whole new feeling to this sample. In fact, the production overall is a highlight of the track. It’s haunting, and makes the listener feel the incoming doom that people who are pushed out of the neighborhood have. While the track has only been out for a little over a month, this might end up going down as one of Danny’s best tracks!
Favorite Moment: The percussion on the track
Selling Point: An incredible rapper still releasing what might be one of his best tracks ever
43. Dua Lipa - "Houdini"
Review
It’s time. After three and a half years of Dua promoting one of the most iconic pop albums of the 2020s so far, Future Nostalgia, she is back with her debut single to introduce this new era, and it’s fantastic! First, let’s start with the production. It’s another throwback to the 80s style, but with a modern edge. A big part of this is due to having Kevin Parker from Tame Impala and Danny L Harle from PC Music on production. There are so many little things in the production that add to this track, such as the little sub-bass hit at the start of the verses. As usual, Dua comes with a fantastic melody and lyrics that are both generic enough for everyone to understand, but also entertaining enough for people to not zone out during the verses. Even though it hasn’t performed great commercially so far, Dua Lipa is off to another fantastic start and if the album is anything like this, she’ll continue her reign as one of the best pop artists of this decade.
Favorite Moment: The little sub-bass hit during the verses
Selling Point: An instant classic dance-pop track
42. Beyonce - "My House"
Review
It’s only been a couple weeks since this track came out, but I really wanted to have it on this list. The energy that comes from this track is insane! It’s clearly a celebration of Renaissance, her opus from last year. It blends the HBCU/marching band feeling that she did with her Homecoming performance with the weird electro-pop moments that were on Renaissance. The song also debuted during the credits of her new documentary/concert-film that was in theaters at the beginning of December. I was lucky enough to see the movie opening night, so I was able to hear this song a couple hours before it was officially released. It was a nice little easter egg for people that watched the movie, and a perfect way to send off this era of Beyonce.
Favorite Moment: The weird production and song structure
Selling Point: One of the most energetic tracks Beyonce has ever released
41. Blake Mills - "Press My Luck"
Review
“Press My Luck” shines the brightest on this magnificent album. I don’t know if it’s just because Blake Mills is a super-producer, but the overall feeling of this song makes it feel even more intricately produced than anything else in the sound. It makes the song feel timeless, but it’s simultaneously taking all the advantages of the modern technology available to keep it pristine for generations to come. The songwriting itself is obviously fantastic as well, so much so that Brandi Carlile did a live cover of it with him at her show. This has all the meanings of a classic folk song, and who knows, maybe it will be someday.
Favorite Moment: The simple, but intense guitar line
Selling Point: A timeless, experimental folk song
40. ICECOLDBISHOP - "D.A.R.E."
Review
This isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word, “D.A.R.E.” I don’t know about everyone else, but I always think of the organization with the same name that stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. In the song, ICECOLDBISHOP is looking at his surroundings and the mission of the company, and slightly poking fun at it for not being as effective as it should be. The song clearly isn’t pro drugs, it’s just looking at how he has many people around him still on hard drugs and not getting any help. Musically, the track is super entertaining as well. The beat holds off during the entire first half of the track, which makes the drop even more satisfying. His rapping is great as well. It’s a great, thematic hip-hop track with a unique meaning.
Favorite Moment: The way the beat progresses throughout the track
Selling Point: A thoughtful, thematic hip-hop track that doubles as a great banger
39. Ken Carson - "Fighting My Demons"
Review
The top comment on the Genius page for this song says, “The hardest cry for help ever.” After reading the lyrics, I have to agree. Obviously, there are lines that are full of way too vivid sex references and lines that seemingly make no sense, but there are also many lines about using drugs to cope with his demons. For example, I also can’t tell if the line, “Let’s play Russian roulette, bitch, who gon’ die first, you or me,” is about being suicidal or not. The overall feeling of the song is extremely dark, but the line doesn’t immediately line up with everything else in the track, so I’m not sure. What is undeniable about the song is that the beat here is absolutely wild! Even amongst his peers, this beat and song stand out as one of the best.
Favorite Moment: The first beat
Selling Point: A banger of a song that is surprisingly dark
38. Caroline Polachek - "I Believe"
Review
Caroline Polachek’s Desire, I Want To Turn Into You is one of the most critically loved albums this year. While I enjoyed it, the entire thing didn’t quite connect with me the way it did for many other people. But this song, “I Believe”, is a beautiful electro-pop song that is dedicated to iconic electronic artist, SOPHIE. SOPHIE passed away at the beginning of 2021, and this song is about wanting to believe that you’ll meet those that have passed on again. Caroline’s lyrics are simple, but they get the emotion across in a song that doesn’t have an emotional sound. Caroline also just has a great voice in general! Maybe it is just because this is a tribute to one of my favorite artists that was taken away from us too soon, but “I Believe” is a standout not only from that album, but from Caroline’s entire career.
Favorite Moment: The melody in the chorus
Selling Point: An emotional electro-pop song that could still be played in the club
37. Tyga & YG - "Brand New" (Feat. Lil Wayne)
Review
A song with this lineup being one of the top bangers of the year feels a decade too late, but nope, these three managed to release a pretty awesome track in 2023! This comes from an entire collaboration project from Tyga and YG. It wasn’t as bad as one would expect, but this was one of the only highlights that is worth returning to. I can’t lie, a big part of this song being great is Wayne’s verse. This verse absolutely destroyed anything on his solo project from this year, which came out on the same day. Every line on here is a double entendre, and it’s so impressive that even Eminem had to publicly state how he’s disappointed he hadn’t thought of the line first. Of course, this isn’t the most thought provoking track ever, but it’s a fun banger with some nice wordplay.
Favorite Moment: Lil Wayne’s verse
Selling Point: A fantastic rapper helping on a throwback banger
36. Björk - "Oral" (Feat. Rosalía)
Review
I mean, c’mon, of course this was going to be in my favorite tracks of the year. “Oral” is a song that was originally written by Björk in the late 1990s, but didn’t make the final tracklist for either Homogenic or Vespertine due to it being too pop-oriented. This song came about now when Björk revisited it earlier in the year and decided to release it as a charity single. In an official announcement, the song was released to, “shed light on the alarming cruelty, and severe environmental and ecological consequences of open-pen ocean salmon farming in Björk’s native country, Iceland.” So yes, while the song is musically and vocally amazing, that is not the reason the song was released. So while I could talk forever about the music here and how special a moment in music it is to get a new Björk song from this era with someone like Rosalía attached to it, that’s not the reason the song was put out. But you should stream the song to help raise money!
Favorite Moment: The way their vocals work together
Selling Point: A beautiful ballad between two iconic singers for a good cause
35. Leroy - Her head is so0o0o0o0 rolling (POST-MORTEM MIX)
Review
This is easily the wildest song that’s on the list. There are so many samples that it’s hard to keep track of what’s original. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are in here, but so are Addison Rae and glaive. Everything about this track is the most clinically online music you’ll hear all year. I know that’s disappointing to the artist themselves, so I won’t say who Leroy is an alter-ego for here, but this track they dropped is absolutely insane! The way the song’s drops change the whole tempo of the tracks multiple times is incredible, and the use of all the samples above and about half a dozen more into one track is genuinely mind blowing. I have no idea how someone is able to do that and still make a cohesive track. Unless you love insane dance music, you likely won’t enjoy this, but if you do, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Favorite Moment: The drop at 2:28, especially the drums and the tempo
Selling Point: The most insane experimental dance track you’ve ever heard
34. Paris Paloma - "labour"
Review
Paris Paloma is someone my mom and I saw at Summerfest without knowing much about her, but we were both heavily impressed! Unfortunately, she has yet to release an official project, but this track, “labour”, is a great place to start with her music! It takes a look at the patriarchy and how it affects women over the generations. The video exemplifies this point by looking at how women were treated just a few generations ago, and how there are little things that are still here that should have been dropped long ago. For this to be someone’s song before they have even released a project shows just how much potential she has. Whether or not she’ll capitalize on that potential is yet to be seen, but “labour” is a great place to start!
Favorite Moment: Everything about the bridge
Selling Point: A feminist singer-songwriter anthem
33. Ryan Beatty - "Little Faith"
Review
Quick warning, this track has the possibility to wreck you emotionally, even before you listen to the lyrics. For months, I had no idea what the song was about, but Ryan’s vocals and delivery here is heartbreaking in itself. Having Ethan Grushka and even Bon Iver lead singer Justin Vernon playing the instruments here clearly elevates the track as well. But learning that the track is mainly about Ryan’s struggle with taking medication to help his mental health. I remember going through a similar struggle when I first started medication. Lucky for me, I’ve had a mostly positive reaction to medication, but there are many people who don’t. The third verse on here goes into why he’s taking the medication, as it appears that something may have happened to his mother. It could be the trauma from growing up gay in a religious family, or something traumatic could have happened to his mother. There is no confirmation either way. No matter what, “Little Faith” is heart wrenching.
Favorite Moment: The vocal harmonies during the chorus
Selling Point: You want to hear beautiful music
32. Chris Lake - "In The Yuma [Four Tet Remix]"
Review
This is a fantastic remix from Four Tet of the Chris Lake track, “In The Yuma”, but it’s not here just because of the song itself. Four Tet premiered this remix during the barely prepared Coachella headlining set from him, Fred Again, and Skrillex. They filled in with only a couple days notice for Frank Ocean, who had to pull out due to an apparent injury. Everytime I hear the track, I am immediately pulled back to that set! This set changed my perspective on dance music, and I think it could for many others as well. In fact, I’m not even going to put the track below, it’s instead a timestamped version of when Four Tet played it at the Coachella set this year. I’ve watched the video of their set enough times that it could probably count as one of my most played projects this year! I just need to give it a shoutout one more time. Just a fun fact, the original track was also inspired by Chris Lake’s 2019 Coachella set in the Yuma tent, so this track has multiple connections to the festival. Even though I do have a personal connection to this track, I do think everyone can still enjoy this track!
Favorite Moment: The final drop back into the heavy beat
Selling Point: A creative house-inspired remix
31. JID - "Van Gogh" (Feat. Lil Yachty)
Review
This song has been circling the internet since before the pandemic. It was first teased at the beginning of 2019 before leaking in February 2020. Heck, they even played it live in April of 2019 at JID’s tour stop in Atlanta! The song did come out early last year, kind of. It only came out on Cardo’s Youtube channel that was created just to hold this music video. Here we are at the end of 2023 and the song finally came out and surprisingly, there haven’t been any changes to the track over the years. It was released with another great JID track, “Half Doin’ Dope” with Lil Yachty and BabyTron. It shows him trying a new sound, which is nice to see that after all these years, he’s doing new things. While we wait to see what JID does next, it’s nice to have a couple loosies from him to hold us over.
Favorite Moment: The way that JID and Yachty play off of each other’s flows
Selling Point: A fantastic banger that finally saw the light of day
30. Noname - "namesake"
Review
It’s wild to say, but this might be Noname’s best rapping performance. For most of her career, she’s been balanced between spoken word and hip-hop, but a track like “namesake” shows that she’s an elite rapper. This is even before we get into the lyrics, which shows her taking aim at everybody, herself included. She looks at what she is doing to help push her vision of the future, and is taking shots at people who are doing things that go against her vision. The most apparent example is when she goes at how all these prominent Black figures are supporting the NFL, but then she turns it back on herself at the end of the verse and how she played Coachella this year despite not agreeing with their values just because she needed money. But even aside from all the politics of this track, she’s just an elite rapper making an elite rap song.
Favorite Moment: The flow switches she uses
Selling Point: An incredible rap song with thought provoking lyrics
29. Olivia Rodrigo - "bad idea right?"
Review
I understand why this hasn’t become the most popular single from the album, but I can’t help but love it! This track shows Olivia indulging in what she knows is wrong by going back to her ex that’s delivered in this sarcasm-tinged pop-rock package. It’s a perfect combination between angsty teenage music, and musically sophisticated enough to be entertaining on that level as well. The spoken word-esque verses contrast well with the sung vocals during the chorus. The guitar riff and bassline from Dan Nigro help propel the track, whereas the electric guitar solo is so fuzzed out and random that it could easily find its way onto an accessible Jack White song. She’s turning into one of the seminal artists of this generation, and songs like this are why!
Favorite Moment: The way she delivers every lyric
Selling Point: One of the best pop-rock tracks by a new superstar only getting better
28. Yard Act - "Dream Job"
Review
Yard Act is a group I only became a fan of after seeing them perform live in Madison this fall during a university-lead show. They are a rock band from the UK that tends to focus on existential and social justice subjects. “Dream Job” is their newest single that officially announced their upcoming album. It shows the band going in a new direction, but an enjoyable one. The lyrics are about finally achieving your dream job, but also having to dance around office politics to keep said job. According to the band, their upcoming album is a concept record, so it’s hard to fully analyze the lyrics here with only a piece to the puzzle. But outside of the lyrics, the song is still a fantastic piece of pop-rock. In fact, this is easily the most sonically accessible song that the group has ever made! Make sure to pay attention to this group for their new album, Where’s My Utopia, on March 1st!
Favorite Moment: The melody during the chorus
Selling Point: An introduction into a fantastic new rock group from the UK
27. Tyler, the Creator - "Sorry Not Sorry"
Review
Tyler may have ended his trend in 2023 of dropping a new album every two years, but he did drop a quick deluxe at the beginning of the year with more great hip-hop songs. “Sorry Not Sorry” ends the deluxe on an incredible note! It’s just three and a half minutes of Tyler rapping about both feeling genuinely sorry for people he’s wronged, but also poking fun at people that he’s offended that he thinks don’t deserve his attention. It’s a thin line that I’m not sure if Tyler stays on the right side of, but I do appreciate how it’s an honest look into his mindstate. The production here is fantastic, but the video is on another level, even for someone as visually talented as Tyler! It might not make as much sense to people that don’t know Tyler’s career, but it’s still incredible either way! In fact, just watch the video as a way of listening to the track, it elevates everything.
Favorite Moment: The emotion in his voice towards the end of his verse
Selling Point: A career culmination of a track
26. Larry June & The Alchemist - "Palisades, CA" (Feat. Big Sean)
Review
First of all, The Alchemist is insane for this beat. It’s so laid back, but still full of interesting samples and sounds that add to the atmosphere perfectly. Most producers can’t do something this laid back and have it be interesting. But the star of this track is Big Sean, which is something I’m not sure I’ve ever said before. Don’t get me wrong, Larry June still sounded great and provided a simple, catchy chorus, but the flows that Sean did on here absolutely decimates anything Larry June does on this song. Neither of them are mind blowing lyricists, but there are plenty of memorable bars by each of them. For example, each of them talk about sea moss juice and fish oil supplements instead of anything drug related. It’s a surprisingly clean, beautiful hip-hop track with two fantastic verses over a gorgeous beat.
Favorite Moment: Big Sean’s verse
Selling Point: A straightforward, elegant hip-hop track
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