The Top 100 Songs Of 2023

Welcome to the songs list. More than any other list I publish this is the one that is most purely about what the best work is. Many artists appear on here multiple times and none of the placements have anything to do with anyone else's reception but mine. These are MY favorite songs of the year, though please take the chance to share yours wherever you can. Enjoy <3

100. Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily - Shadow Forces

Thank god for the positive critical buzz surrounding Arooj Aftab's last solo album because without it I would have never heard this strange and surprisingly dark chamber jazz album. That also means I wouldn't have heard its defining moment Shadow Forces which uses its expansive and in the second half even oppressive composition to really surround you on all sides with its eerie mysticism. 

Key Lyric: "Oh God, I love my heart, oh God, I love my heart, no one can cure my heart, oh God!" (translated)

99. Jane Remover - Backseat Girl

Jane Remover, alongside artists like Underscores, ANOHNI, Lana Del Rey, Model/Actirz, and more, will be appearing on this list multiple times. For Jane's first moment, she has the less stunning and more brash Backseat Girl which somehow became my passenger princess anthem of 2023. She isn't too on the nose lyrically to actually imply that on the song, but it deploys her sounds in a magnificent, buzzing, blissful, and dreamy way where it's at its very best. 

Key Lyric: "A twisted body on display, You couldn’t pay me to care about anything or anyone, And at my lowest, I’m afraid, I never thought about the way I look when I’m on the run"

98. Drake - 8am In Charlotte

Shortly before the release of his highly-anticipated new album For All The Dogs Drake shared the surprise single 8am In Charlotte. The song features a nocturnal beat, the kind Drake has been feasting on for years and he once again pulls it off perfectly. He also delivers one of his most quotable outings in a long time with one clever lyric after another delivered in an impressively intense tone given the song's chilling reservation. This is the moment that "old" Drake fans are likely to love most from the new album. 

Key Lyric: "Things get quiet after me statin' the obvious, Things get kinky after fifteen years of dominance"

97. Olivia Rodrigo - pretty isn't pretty

Olivia Rodrigo's new album Guts is impressive for a myriad of reasons. But on top of improving upon much of what she was already good at, Olivia also manages to take her sound in brand new directions. I never expected this piece of late album bliss to pop up. pretty isn't pretty feels like the kind of dreamy irresistible vintage pop that artists way below Olivia's caliber made their name on but she isn't merely immitaing, she's improving. The song is adorable, anguished, and absolutely infectious.

Key Lyric: "I could change up my body and change up my face, I could try every lipstick in every shade, But I'd always feel the same, 'Cause pretty isn't pretty enough anyway"

96. Model/Actriz - Donkey Show

The opening track to your debut album is historically such a crucial moment for rock bands, and Model/Actriz absolutely nailed it. The band kicked off Dogsbody with a song that perfectly displays everything they do so well. Grinding electronic textures meet with an irresistible urge to dance along to a ripping chorus and when paired with the viscerally intimate lyrics the song and the entire album that follows it is a full-body experience.

Key Lyric: "The sun turns slowly over me, Across my face, across my hands, Under my nails glowing like porcelain"

95. John Cale - EVERLASTING DAYS (feat. Animal Collective)

My favorite song from John Cale's surprisingly bold new album MERCY changed often throughout the year. But ultimately I settled on this piece of dark psychedelia which leans heavily into Cale's scary and somewhat withered vocals. The song gets some of its vibrant wooziness from the subtle but very impactful additions brought on by Animal Collective, making it a match made in heaven and my favorite of the surprise collaborations Cale brought on board for the album. 

Key Lyric: "Is there something you could say?, Is there something you could do?, Stop the memories from drifting away"

94. ANOHNI - Sliver Of Ice

ANOHNI revealed in an interview that this song was inspired by something Lou Reed said to her and that made far too much sense. The song has that same jagged poeticism as Reed's best work and makes use of similarly slow-acting revelations. But it's less of a tribute and more of a lesson, one that ANOHNI proves she's learned and is passing directly onto listeners. 

Key Lyric: "I couldn't believe it 'til tonight, This whole place, made of light, I made myself a home"

93. underscores - Johnny Johnny Johnny

Wallsocket is a masterfully impressive album for a variety of reasons. One of the main ones being how little hard-hitting instrumentation and catchy refrains needed to be sacrificed in order to tell compelling stories. Very few are as well executed as Johnny Johnny Johnny which details a case of grooming that is ALL too common among transfemmes. Whether you relate to this song personally or not, the story is masterfully woven to a conclusion that you'd be well within your rights to stand up and cheer for at the song's finale.

Key Lyric: "'Cause when I was eleven years old, I just wanted to be pretty, And when Johnny was eleven, huh, I hadn't even been born"

92. Christ Stapleton - It Takes A Woman

Chris Stapleton is all too often walled off as a sort of mature, stoic veteran of country music. That's a big part of why this album's ripping lead single White Horse clicked so well with me. But at the end of the day, the man does what he does, and he does it well. It Takes A Woman is another self-reflective country ballad the likes of which he's dabbled in before and it's an excellent continuation of his legacy. His detail-rich vulnerabilities make for an incredibly compelling story and his hearty performance is the icing on the cake. 

Key Lyric: "Oh, it takes a woman, To be all I can, To feel like a man"

91. Sampha - Dancing Circles

Sampha took QUITE a long time to follow up his impressive debut Process with a sophomore effort. And the resounding response from fans after hearing the album, who cares. It's packed full of cloudy, futuristic R&B odysseys and one of the most impressive is the delicate Dancing Circles. The song sways from moment to moment in a way that kind of feels like dancing in itself, but at the end of the day, it's in the magnificent refrains sung perfectly by Sampha himself that elevates the entire song. 

Key Lyric: "We talk about life, Talk about children, look in your eyes, Talk about crimes, Government lies like ain't nothin' new"

90. Nicole Dollanganger - Gold Satin Dreamer

Nicola Dollanganger's Married In Mount Airy was one of the first albums I heard this year so I've had a LOT of time to work through my thoughts on it. All that time did was make the dreamy, meditative, and girlish slowcore of Gold Satin Dreamer hit even harder. The song's absolute crawling pace makes the gentle physique of its structure and mixing so much more impactful and highlights all the pretty lyrical flourishes along the way. 

Key Lyric: "All of those dreams left out in the sun, They run like syrup and clot like blood, Disfigured beyond recognition"

89. The Kills - New York

Even if I didn't like the new Kills album as much as I wanted to, I can't deny that this single still absolutely rips. From the thick grinding guitar riffs to the expansive mix leaving so much space for them to echo out into this song has a dark sonic demeanor but still manages to leave quite an impact with it. I can't think of a much quicker way to announce you're back immediately than dropping a song like this. 

Key Lyric: "Down here on the Bowery. The city's got me feelin' high, Got me where you want me, In your midnight eve"

88. PinkPantheress - Mosquito

Instead of graduating from the TikTok bedroom pop that I think has been holding her back artistically for a while, PinkPantheress instead perfected it on her new album. It's hard for me to imagine this formula being done any better than the extremely catchy, sweet, and infectious Mosquito. 

Key Lyric: "'Cause I just had a dream I was dead, And I only cared 'cause I was taken from you"

87. Parannoul - Arrival

Parannoul's follow-up to their critical darling 2021 breakthrough is a very different album in a lot of ways. But fans of the first record will find a safe haven in Arrival, a song that erupts in dense shoegazey layers and synthetic textures. After the record starts on a pair of moments that are compelling, but lack the caliber of intensity I was expecting, Arrival burns the house down. 

Key Lyric: "Rough waves and quiet road, I feel like I can do anything" (translated)

86. Doja Cat - Paint The Town Red

On top of being one of my favorite hit songs of the year, this track was just compelling and enticing in a way I found very hard to resist. From the excellent sample to Doja's unwavering confidence and her never-ending series of catchy refrains. There was a lot of talk about Doja this year that didn't have anything to do with music, but for me, this song cuts through all of it. 

Key Lyric: "I'm going to glow up one more time, Trust me, I have magical foresight"

85. Blake Mills - Skeleton Is Walking

The single that started my excitement and anticipation for Blake Mills' new album in the first place unsurprisingly also turns up on the songs list. For somebody who has crafted so many ornate instrumental palettes in the past, it was impressive to see him exist in a space that felt too rough around the edges and presented in such a raw format. 

Key Lyric: "A skeleton is walking, Someone's getting paid, Someone's building a fire, As someone's getting flayed"

84. George Clanton - Justify Your Life

I talked about this song on the singles list and I'll double down here, this might be my favorite thing George Clanton has ever done. It achieves his promise of a combination of synthetic and vividly human that also intersects with shoegaze and vaporwave. It erupts with a chorus that feels straight out of the 80s with vibrant synth layers and a completely irresistible hook that kept me coming back all year. 

Key Lyric: "You've got to take a leap and start all over, Justify your life"

83. Kelela - Contact

In one of the spaciest moments of her new album Kelela still manages to be so punchy. The vibrant R&B vibes on Contact embrace her nocturnal demeanor in perfect fashion. The result is one of the most conventional songs on her new album Raven, but also one of the moments where she shines the brightest. 

Key Lyric: "We're workin' hard every day, Don't need your help, I can pay, You're stressin', that's not allowed, There's nothin' holdin' us down"

82. Full Of Hell / Primitive Man - Tunnels To God

This may be the first BIG left turn on the list. This album wasn't a particular critical darling and I don't think it received much recognition outside of the experimental metal community. I can't even really say I've seen much chatter about this song in particular. But wow, any time this year I needed to be throttled by an eruption of sludgey brash doom metal this is what I kept returning to. From the muttering dark ambient intro to the 10+ minutes of crushing force and intensity, this song occupied a place that very little else I heard this year could compete with. 

Key Lyric: "Worse than hell, Undefinable suffering: punishment built for the spiritually blind, Crushing weight of nothing"

81. Danny Brown / JPEGMAFIA - God Loves You

There's a half of Danny and Peggy's new collaborative album that is dedicated to the loudest and most brash production and performance sounds the two experimental MCs are capable of mustering. While I tend to prefer the other songs on the record to those noisiest outings, God Love You is a big exception. The short track is absolutely all over the place stylistic and holds nothing back as it wanders into any territory the pair of rap veterans can imagine. I think we all know this sound couldn't have come from anybody else but these two. 

Key Lyric: "That pussy on my face, I'ma talk in tongues, Legs in the air, scream hallelujah, Make her squirt that holy water, Drinkin' on wine but no communion"

80. Blur - Avalon

Would a Blur album even be a Blur album without a randomly underrated and overlooked deep-cut masterpiece? On the Britpop legend's newest effort The Ballad Of Darren that masterpiece is the dreamy and irresistibly sweet Avalan which serves up one infectious refrain after another through an utterly whimsical sound palette of veteran indie rock poise.

Key Lyric: "What's the point in painting Avalon, If you can't bе present when it's done?"

79. Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter -  I KNOW HIS BLOOD CAN MAKE ME WHOLE

Though much has changed for Kristin Hayter as she transitioned from Lingua Ignota into her new vintage religious project, a lot has stayed the same. She is still an absolutely terrifying artist capable of conjuring some incredible darkness with her powerful vocals. But on this song she haunts with her words, continuing to dive into some of the deepest pits of human emotion and bending them around her own disturbed whims. This song exudes desperation in a way I find paralyzing and entrancing at the same time. 

Key Lyric: "I was a gambler just like you, I walked in darkness just like you"

78. Lana Del Rey - Fishtail

Ending up with just three Lana songs on this list was a pretty serious undertaking for me given there are more than a dozen songs on her new album that I absolutely love. Fishtail may not seem like a standout right away and it wasn't. But as other tracks on the record like Sweet and Grandfather lost their luster slightly as the year went on, Fishtail continued to grip me with sweet refrains, and a cloudy pop vision weaved through it all. 

Key Lyric: "Palm trees in black and white, I like to watch them sway, You're so funny, I wish I could skinny-dip inside your mind"

77. Hozier - All Things End

Let's cross another surprise off the board. Hozier fans have long called me a hater for negative comments I've made about his album in the past but he's normally good for at least a few great songs per era. This time we got the first taste of the best he had to offer in 2023 on an early-year EP. The dramatic and theatrical eruption of existential angst fits right into the greater world of his music and is the definitive statement from his new album. 

Key Lyric: "And all things end, All that we intend is scrawled in sand, And slips right through our hands"

76. Shame - Alibis

This is another album that I've shifted back and forth with a LOT this year. Ultimately, I don't think I like it as much as the band's previous outing which really clicked with me. That's why it's no surprise that the song that most resembles the dark rumbling fury of that album is my favorite of the bunch. Alibis bursts into a grinding hook that is surprisingly catchy as it cuts through the grinding instrumentation. 

Key Lyric: "I don't see no point in coming back, I don't see no point at all, I let my friends rise above me, And then I let them fall"

75. Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist - Sirius Blac

The eye-roll that followed the announcement of Earl and Alc's new album being released exclusively to an NFT platform nearly caused my eyes to fall completely out of my head. But in the months since the album has slowly started to warm up on me, partly because of a widely available full version but also just because it has some great songs. The best of which is Sirius Blac a song that unfolds some incredibly impressive and focused bars from Earl over a spare but no less compelling beat.

Key Lyric: "Loose change rattlin' in my pocket, Threw it back to the block where I found it"

74. ANOHNI - Rest

ANOHNI's new album is a mature step from the justifiable rage of her last outing and that includes a moment of reflection and rest. ANOHNI understanding the work it takes to both process and fight back against the institutions lambasted across the album also requires realistic expectations and time to rest. That's what makes one of its most linear songs one of its most compelling as it saunters thematically and sonically through dynamic emotional territory.

Key Lyric: "Rest like the soul of a diamond, Rest like a woman in a field of wheat"

73. underscores - you don't even know who i am

I understand why this song was a sleeper for many people. The other three singles from Wallsocket we're hard-hitting, genre-blending bangers full of digital noise and catchy hooks. By comparison, you don't even know who i am is a slow and endlessly creepy ballad that doesn't even achieve its full potential until the context of the record is apparent. But once I heard Wallsocket every eerie detail of the song began to connect. Alongside the sparse presentation of the track and dramatic conclusions, it sets up a fantastic deep cut, that somehow made it out as a single. 

Key Lyric: "Today is the best day of my life, I invited myself in and wore your clothes, Took your pills, cried your makeup off, And for once I felt just like you"

72. Jess Williamson - Time Ain't Accidental

Jess Williamson has had a pretty substantial 18 months. Following the release of her wonderful collaborative effort with Waxahatchee last year she dropped her best album yet and the title track Time Ain't Accidental is a perfect encapsulation of its strengths. Her flavorful blend of indie and country is only outdone by her sobering demeanor and refusal to be bitter about the comings and goings of her life. I described the record as a "breakups album" and this is one of its most compelling entries. 

Key Lyric: "We don't belong to anyone and both need time alone, Won't promise tomorrow"

71. Jane Remover - Lips

When this song first dropped as a single I absolutely drowned it in praise. Little did I know that almost everything Jane would go onto release would be equally, or even more stunning. So if Lips isn't as high as you'd expect, it's only because the excellent kept coming in. Jane's blistering guitar tones and compositional wanderings are still so compelling to me, and even with one of the tighter compositions on her new album, this song feels like an entire journey unfolding in just a few minutes. 

Key Lyric: "Take a step back, boy, I'm so afraid, You want crazy, I'll give you insane"

70. Kelela - Missed Call

A lot of what Kelea has done across her past two albums is great BECAUSE it defies so many R&B conventions. That's why it's surprising that two of her most familiar songs have already popped up on this list. But to allow me to be defensive about it for a moment, Kelela knows exactly what she's doing. She places the moody atmosphere and impressionistic lyrics into these songs with a direct purpose and on Missed Call it sees her realizing an R&B vision that, while established, is still extremely rewarding.

Key Lyric: "Do I wanna fall in love again?, And I don't know, but I just might, Go ahead and take a bite"

69. Zach Bryan - East Side Of Sorrow

The track that Zach Bryan described as one of the "happiest" he's ever written begins with him being shipped off to war and begging to come home, just to return and watch a loved one die. But that low point is crucial for the optimism of the chorus to soar as high as it does. Not only does he perfectly nail the metaphor he's attempting as a songwriter, which is nothing new, but he also delivers a fantastic performance on one of the best choruses I heard in all of country music this year. 

Key Lyric: "He said the sun's gonna rise tomorrow, Somewhere on the east side of sorrow, You better pack your bags west, Stick out your chest, And then hit the road"

68. Tamagotchi Massacre - hermit crab

If Tamagotchi Massacre's album i guess i'm a woman now is a journey towards finding self-satisfaction in the progress you've made as a trans person, hermit crab is the perfect microcosm. The song manages to compress quite nebulous feelings about recognizing unproductive thoughts and brushing off small aggravations into a quite succinct and thoughtful package. But even more impressive is just how much the track manages to let those catchy refrains we've in and out of a lo-fi hyperpop bliss, soaring in a way that doubles down on the already potent subject matter at its core. 

Key Lyric: "At this point it's like fuck why even bother?, I left my shell to find a slightly bigger one, I'll cut my hair and change my pronouns to whatever"

67. Peso Pluma - LADY GAGA (feat. Gabito Ballesteros & Junior H)

What a year for Peso Pluma. He established himself as the brightest and biggest voice in the extremely strange trend of regional Mexican music taking over the Hot 100 this year and that included a LOT of material. But he saved his very best outing for his own album when he dropped the absolute earworm LADY GAGA. The song features some of his best singing, collaborating, and instrumental choices to date and proves that this style has more potential than casual observers may realize. 

Key Lyric: "Dom Pérignon Lady Gaga, glasses on my face, 2C and washed" (translated)

66. Jessie Ware - That! Feels! Good!

This year Jessie Ware proved that her 2021 album What's Your Pleasure? was no fluke, she really is the queen of this shit. Aside from her ability to belt to the rafters on tracks, we'll read about later, she also proved her ability to be genuinely sexy without sacrificing any of her maturity and veteran popstar poise. The best example of that is this smooth and sensual title track that reminds us pleasure is a right while not having to sacrifice a bit of its sonic stride. 

Key Lyric: "Every time I get a little bit of an inclination, You can throw me to the shock of a new sensation"

65. Ellie Goulding - Cure For Love

Songs like this are the EXACT reason I've continued paying such close attention to Ellie Goulding over the years. Every once in a while she is able to channel her pop songwriting into something utterly irresistible and she does it frequently on her best album in years. But the absolute peak of her performance comes on the fiery and confident Cure For Love whose perfect pop hook is absolutely sure to drill into your head and stay there.

Key Lyric: "I don't need a cure for love, I'm movin' on, Given too much, didn't get enough"

64. The Drums - The Flowers

The Drums are a machine that can translate any idea into an irresistible summer malaise of indie pop bliss. That's true all over the new album Jonny and The Flowers is one of the biggest highlights of the bunch. Even beyond the sheer disbelief, I felt hearing one amazing single after another throughout this era, The Flowers is one of the songs that kept sounding immediate and immaculate time and time again.

Key Lyric: "And I might be alone some other time in my life, But I’m not tonight"

63. Model/Actriz - Mosquito

There's absolutely no such thing as "objective" judgement of any art but on this list, I at least try and work to justify my decisions in practical terms. Because if it was all about emotion this would be in the top 5. There were very few songs I craved hearing any more than Mosquito. And when the song erupts into its erotic pummeling chorus, my favorite moment in all of music this year. We will talk later about what I think is greatest all-encompassing achievement of the band's wonderful debut album but for now, I have to stop and listen to this song again.

Key Lyric: "With a body count, higher than a mosquito"

62. El Michels Affair & Black Thought - Protocol (feat. Son Little)

Hearing a rap song this inciteful and talking about the soul-flavored chorus feels like a cop-out but it's just where we have to start. As Black Thought once again delivers on an era with remarkable consistency Son Little serves up the perfect chorus to pair with this rich instrumentation. On an album where the execution is so perfect it can be easy to lose sight of the emotional peaks, but this song always clicks with me. 

Key Lyric: "What if they just abandon me? Maybe it's how they planned it, Crazy there's still a scar on my shoulder where I was branded"

61. Kaytramine - Master P (feat. Big Sean)

Did anybody have the best Big Sean guest verse in years on their 2023 bingo card? Stop lying. On an album that felt like such a sure thing but was ultimately somewhat of a letdown, the highlight song features one of the biggest surprises of the year. Over Kaytranada's impossible smooth production, both Amine and Big Sean manage to serve up some of their best material full of witty wordplay and charming demeanor as both refuse to take themselves too seriously. 

Key Lyric: "Niggas sayin' they bubblin', they still ain't poppin'"

60. Armand Hammer - The Gods Must Be Crazy (feat. El-P)

This might be the rap beat of the year. El-P has been an innovator for a long time but it's been a while since he felt THIS ahead of the curve. Seriously this instrumental is hard-hitting in ways it's hard to even conceptualize. But the results are an excellent palette that billy woods and ELUCID are absolutely ready to take on. For a sound that is so over-populated it can begin to glaze my ears over sometimes, this song makes sure you both recognize and remember it. 

Key Lyric: "Don't kill the messenger, Henry Kissinger my album's only feature"

59. Lana Del Rey - The Grants

Lana Del Rey's aesthetic is utterly overwhelming. The way she manages to sink it into all of her music no matter where she wanders stylistically is one of the things that makes her such a compelling artist. But sometimes she just needs to remind fans that she's a spectacular songwriter. The Grants is that moment of sheer flexing where she both literally and metaphorically conjures songwriting greats in the process of becoming one. 

Key Lyric: "My pastor told me when you leave, all you take, Oh-oh, is your memory, And I'm gonna take minе of you with me"

58. James Blake - Tell Me

The first masterpiece off of James Blake's new album Playing Robots Into Heaven was obvious and we'll get there trust me. But this second and equally compelling effort took its time winning me over. Whether that's because it saves the punchiest drums for deployment on the back half of the song or because some of its most beautiful moments are even more obscured by vocal effects than usual, this song went from an eerie motif to a sweet treat as the year went on.

Key Lyric: "Tell me when it’s darker than nightfall, Tell me when you're all done"

57. Thantifaxath - Solar Witch

When mysterious Canadian black metal outfit Thantifaxath returned after a LONG absence I was excited to see where their blend of abstract, harsh, compositionally dynamic black metal would go. They didn't take long to completely blow me away with the ripping opener Solar Witch. The song spends some time serving as an appropriate intro for the album before diving into the darkest grinding core of their style. It's a loud and brash sonic palette that is weaved into an impressively assembled and explosive composition. 

Key Lyric: "Let your story drown, Let your pain be decaying stars, Let your limbs be her roots"

56. Xiu Xiu - Maybae Baeby

Xiu Xiu albums have been dark, thematically and sonically, for a long time. But on Ignore Grief they may have reached their darkest point yet and that was projected by a crushing lead single. On Maebae Baeby Xiu Xiu crushes with space deploying an eerie expanse that feels like falling into a black hole. It's through that lens that the unpredictable unfolding of sounds and refrains across the track makes the most sense. 

Key Lyric: "Do you ever turn into a butterfly or a wasp?, Do you never change?, My finger is getting closer, Am I going to smash you?"

55. Eartheater - Pure Smile Snake Venom

Thank god this song clicked with me as a single because the resulting album was quite a treat and one of my favorite things Eartheater has ever done. In that context, the song somehow holds up even better with whimsical refrains, sung in Eartheater's eerily majestic vocals. The song is a piercing and mysterious vision of electronic futures that never stopped wowing me. 

Key Lyric: "I choose not to bite you, In spite of my venom welling up"

54. Jeff Rosenstock - DOUBT

I've spoken constantly all year about how much I've gone back and forth not just on this album but on many of the songs on it. But the one point Jeff unquestionably impresses is on DOUBT. The song begins by showing Jeff off at his sentimental and emotional peak before reminding everyone listening that he still has some of the most significant muscle in all of music. Hearing Jeff absolutely go wild never stops being amusing no matter how many times he does it and this is by far the most satisfying instance on HELLMODE.

Key Lyric: "Speak, Even if it's hard to, Even if it hurts you, Even if your brain begins to melt"

53. Travis Scott - LOST FOREVER (feat. Westside Gunn & James Blake)

Songs like this are why I can't completely give up on Travis Scott when his antics become completely intolerable and he sounds like he's barely even trying in half of his performances. But this short and directly-to-the-point blending of his styles with the masterful combination of James Blake and Westside Gunn shows a level of ingenuity that elevates Travis above his peers. Even if Travis was mainly just serving as a collector of talent, he deserves credit for doing it better than some of his far less culturally tuned-in contemporaries. 

Key Lyric: "Whip got the wings of angel kit, I been wanting this shit my whole life, I didn't pray for it"

52. Oneohtrix Point Never - A Barely Lit Path

All across his new album, Oneohtrix Point Never indulges in a lot of instrumental wanderings that split from his history of ambient, sound collage, and plunderphonics. But on the album's lead single A Barely Lit Path he occupies very familiar territory. The song has a masterfully chilling atmosphere with icy synths and droning layers of sound. But it also fittingly takes you on a true sonic journey that even occasionally blends into the narrative one. It's a masterfully crafted song at the hands of one of music's best detail-oriented acts. 

Key Lyric: "Nothing's inside, Just a slug that provides, A barely lit path, From your house to mine"

51. Timber Timbre - Ask The Community

I liked this song the very first time I heard it, but it took the same creeping path to memorable opulence that Timber Timbre has made its name as a musical outfit off of. This one may be a more direct embrace of dark subject matter than is typical but that doesn't make it any less potent as it slimes through its composition slowly and methodically unfolding. I've said it before and I'll say it again, at their best Timber Timbre makes my skin crawl in the best way possible. 

Key Lyric: "Do you wanna see a dead body?, Don't you wanna see a dead body?, Ask the community"

50. Jess Williamson - Hunter

I've been saying all year that 2023 has been a breakout year for Jess Williamson but it's more like the first time she clicked with me personally. And boy did that click happen fast when she dropped the lead single to her new album. Hunter is the kind of song that any good singer-songwriter is capable of conjuring. She not only showed off an approach to songwriting filled with her unique flashes of charming detail but also an incredibly impressive knack for strong melodies and meaningful moments. 

Key Lyric: "I want a mirror, not a piece of glass, We went a hundred down the highway, I've been known to move a littlе fast, I'm a hunter for the real thing"

49. Drake - Rich Baby Daddy (feat. SZA & Sexyy Red)

I know I'll get much more backlash for including this on my best hits of the year video than on this list, even though for Drake and Sexyy Red haters this should be the far more egregious choice. For as little sense as this song makes in ANY capacity putting it on a song like this feels like I'm trying to troll. But honestly returning to this song time and time and time again I just can't deny how much every individual part of it clicks with me and how compelled I am by it when everything comes together. 

Key Lyric: "You been so good and you deserve to end your suffering, I need a dick and conversation, can you comfort me?"

48. Angel Olsen - Nothing's Free

When Angel Olsen announced a new EP of essentially leftovers from her last album it didn't instantly grab my interest, until I heard this song. She's just so magnificent as a vocalist and lyricist that assembling this song with her always gentle touch makes it masterful. By the time the surprise sax bridge emerges, it feels right at home in an array of sounds so masterfully subtle that it was impossible for me to not fall in love immediately. 

Key Lyric: "Here it comes, No way to stop it now, I'm broken, Down for you like no one else"

47. Rosalia & Rauw Alejandro - BESO

Much like I said on the EPs list, putting this here feels morbid. The song has obviously shifted its meaning and even its place within both artists' discographies following the dissolving of the engagement that inspired this track and the entire project it landed on. Through that lens, I still find this song absolutely spectacular. I won't overanalyze the impact of a split that neither artist knew was coming at the time of recording and focus on the fact that they blend their styles together perfectly. 

Key Lyric: "Being away from you is hell, Being close to you is my peace"

46. Olivia Rodrigo - bad idea right?

One of the best hit songs of the year is unsurprisingly also one of the best songs of the year. It's impressive that Olivia resisted the urge to call this Brutal 2 because it takes the ethos of her best track to date and improves upon it in every way. The ittery composition jumping between styles the snarling pop punk attitude and the hilarious self-awareness are all here and they're even better than before. Olivia isn't going away any time soon and as far as I'm concerned she established herself as one of pop's best. 

Key Lyric: "And I pull up to your place on the second floor, And you're standing, smiling at the door, And I'm sure I've seen much hotter men, But I really can't remember when"

45. McKinley Dixon - Run, Run, Run

On his new album's title track, McKinley impresses but he isn't solely the star of his own show. But on this song, he doesn't hesitate to snatch the crown. It's an unfolding of infectious refrains and remarkably clever lyricism given the unbreakingly serious subject matter underneath. For McKinley, this is an entire portfolio of his magnetic dynamism and overwhelming talent all wrapped into one song. 

Key Lyric: "Worry later, no time for us to focus on what's past tense, And besides, none of our problems getting over that fence"

44. Beach Fossils - Dare Me

Similarly to bands like Future Islands and Tennis, Beach Fossils has a sweet enough sonic palette and catchy enough songwriting to spawn at least one masterpiece on every album. Even if I was expecting quite a bit following a long absence from the band, they seemed to deliver everything I could want or hope for on Dare Me. The cloudy airy chorus hovers beautifully over the sugary guitar tones and crafting a dreamy indie landscape that is completely irresistible. 

Key Lyric: "Kill the cliché for a moment, And I'll tell it like it is, Dare me to say something stupid"

43. Sampha - Only

Sampha's new album LAHAI is a stunning look into the distant future of R&B and everyone should have known that's exactly what was coming when they heard Only. The song is a magnificent single managing to be supremely catchy and inviting while also genuinely fresh and inventive. Sampha captures something so strikingly unique and so far ahead of almost all his peers but it never sounds confrontational or even challenging. You'd have to TRY not to enjoy this song.

Key Lyric: "Projectilеs comin' from the side, Projectilеs comin' for my life, War zone when I close my eyes"

42. Caroline Polachek - Blood And Butter

Caroline Polachek is a remarkable vocalist but when she broke through on her first solo album it didn't come packaged with songwriting or production that showed her off at her peak. Those accessories are VERY much present on her new album and what started on Bunny Is A Rider ultimately translated into the record's standout moment Blood And Butter. The gentle electronic effects adding texture and character to her already masterful performance is functionally icing on the cake. 

Key Lyric: "Call you up, Nothing to say, No, I don't need no entertaining"

41. Slowdive - skin in the game

In a year where everyone seemed to go crazy for Slowdive at their most dream-pop to date on kisses, I couldn't help but adore their muted return to the foundational elements of shoegaze they helped craft. Yes the song is sparse compared to almost anything else in the genre but you can tell the group has the poise of literal decades crafting this kind of music. The results are stunning and the band proved they can absolutely wow me without having to dial the up the noise to ramp up the impact. 

Key Lyric: "Blood in the highs and count the sun, Poise in the heart will go so far"

40. Noname - hold me down (feat. Jimetta Rose & Voices Of Creation)

Later on this list and on the albums list that follows I'll have to defend my Noname praise, but I wouldn't start that here. Instead, I'll say that this is Noname in her absolute bag delivering the witty and verbose jazz rap that she's always been so brilliant at writing and performing. The bright beaming soul of this song sounds like pure goodness personified so it's no surprise I wanted to keep coming back to that well over and over. 

Key Lyric: "That wasn't us, that was colonialism, We keep our babies fed, We don't beat and rape on our women, we good"

39. Wednesday - TV In The Gas Pump

This year Wednesday got louder and more brash than ever before and were rightfully met with boatloads of praise for it. But for me, the band retains their most impact when the presentation is at its most raw. From the dreamy girlish vocals to the lyrics tightrope walking the blissfully surreal and objectively practical the entire song is fascinatingly unique. Nothing about it will blow you away, because it isn't trying to. But let it seep under your skin and it will find a reason to stay there and that's exactly what I love about the song. 

Key Lyric: "TV in the gas pump, Blares into the dark"

38. Susanne Sundfor - blomi

Susanne Sundfor took a lot of time off and when she returned it was with an album that continued a few trends in her career. She is sounding more mature than ever as a lyricist serving up thought-provoking meditations. But she's also refining her more stripped-down sound and leaning into some of the most vulnerable traits of folk music. All of that comes together on the dramatic title track which hooked me instantaneously in a way that so far songs that sound like this are truly capable of. 

Key Lyric: "Believe, believe in love, in love, It's no wonder you're cryin', it feels like we're dyin'"

37. Julie Byrne - The Greater Wings

Speaking of mature and fascinating folk songs from artists who have been away for a while, the cup runneth over. Another title track, this time from Julie Byrne's 2023 comeback project and one that I find even more spellbinding. This song has one of the best choruses of the year easily and it grew on me almost every single time I heard it throughout the year. I can genuinely say that if the year went on for a few more months this would have only moved further and further up the list. 

Key Lyric: "Measure me by what I've risked, For these are not ordinary moments"

36. Liturgy - Djenneration

Liturgy's indulgent new album is a masterpiece of composition. The project isn't just stacked full of songs that support each other wonderfully but also overflowing with individual marvels. That's why I'm surprised that my two favorite songs of the bunch are among the simpler. But maybe it's just the raw production and blistering noise that grab me the tightest when they're let loose completely. The record's most grinding cut sits firmly among the best metal music I heard anywhere this year.

Key Lyric: "We'll unbutton everything, A hornet cut in half, Hoarding up pink little veins, Giving power to the lamb"

35. ANOHNI - It's My Fault

ANOHNI is a master at tackling emotions in song through methods I can sometimes hardly even wrap my head around. Somehow on this song, she manages to face down both the individual guilt people can feel for the impact of an entire species on planet Earth. But in the same breath, she processes that it really is particular people who are responsible, and those people aren't the ones who feel bad. I don't see many people highlight this as a standout from her stellar new album, but for me, it was one of many songs I just couldn't turn away from. 

Key Lyric: "It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault, The way I broke the Earth"

34. El Michels Affair & Black Thought - I'm Still Somehow

Many of the songs on this list deploy creativity at its most innovative, something I'm quick to reward. But occasionally something doesn't have to be strikingly new to be masterfully assembled and incredibly enjoyable. That's why hearing Black Thought in his bag so much in recent years has been infinitely enjoyable and this might be his greatest achievement. As it turns out, stripping him down to as close to bare bones as you can possibly get while still having an actual song was a formula for some of his most masterful craftsmanship to date. 

Key Lyric: "Bein' a Black man's been a job, Look at the loved ones I have lost"

33. Tim Hecker - Anxiety

Every year there's at least one ambient song in the mix, I just can't help myself. Even though for many they occupy some kind of other musical lane entirely I feel comfortable saying that Anxiety is a masterwork that will transcend those bounds. The song's patient but omnipresent keys make the soft droning sirens exactly as anxiety-inducing as you'd expect but without the necessity to blast you with as much noise as possible. Tim Hecker kills in quiet and this is a deeply unsettling moment of ambient bliss. 

Key Lyric: Instrumental

32. underscores - Cops And Robbers

Take me back to the day when this song came out and I was trying to figure out what the hell it was. That started with what it was even about narratively, something I couldn't have understood in full context until hearing the first album. But also how this song could be such a synthetic and glisteningly digital approach to pop-punky rock music. The combination clicks in such a tailspin that it embodies the formless genre of "internet music" perfectly, but as usual, Underscores is leaps and bounds ahead of her contemporaries.

Key Lyric: "When's the last time you saw someone with a ski mask and a gun, Get on the inside?, You gotta do it, gotta do it, gotta do it like me"

31. Kelela - Happy Ending

Last year I was wowed by Kelela's long-awaited comeback single. The luster of the song hasn't worn off a bit in the full year since then. Happy Ending still bursts out of its moodiness with an absolutely irresistible drum and bass beat. It's the kind of instrumental palette that would swallow plenty of R&B vocalists but Kelela is more than ready for the moment. Another one of my most-listened to songs of the year was a shoo-in for this list. 

Key Lyric: "But we're too far away, I'm reading all the writings on the wall, And if you don't run away, Could be a happy ending after all"

30. Fever Ray - Shiver

As is the case almost every year, there were a LOT of horny songs on this list. Among them are some of the most unique and visceral depictions of sensuality I've heard in years. That includes one of my favorite Fever Ray songs ever where they morph into a lethal painter of magnetic sexual fervor. Shiver works its best magic in the details where Fever Ray's depictions of physical contact are likely to send the same chills down your spine that they're singing about.

Key Lyric: "Killer skies, Thick thighs, Some girls will make you blush, Some girls will make you shiver"

29. Tennis - Forbidden Doors

Even though this song might be more impressive as a single than on yet another airy and imprecise Tennis album, it's still an extremely impressive undertaking. This feels like the band's indie pop bliss honed into near perfection with gentle clanky instrumentation and one hooky refrain after another throughout the entire track. Tennis average about one truly excellent song per album and this is their best one yet.

Key Lyric: "Cut through the silence, I've got no patience. We're knocking on forbidden doors"

28. Slayyyter - Purrr

Even among Slayyyter's long history of turning the dark hedonism of club life into vivid musical depictions, Purr feels like a breakthrough. The thumping circular electro-pop banger tributes everything that makes her inner kitty purr and it's exactly as degenerate as you're expecting. Following the likes of songs like Daddy AF and Self-Destruct Slayyyter is assembling a pre-gaming catalog that rivals anybody not named Azealia Banks. 

Key Lyric: "K, make this kitty go, 'Err', Coke, make this kitty go, 'Work', Money, make this kitty go, 'Brr;, Molly, pussy goin' berserk"

27. M83 - Laura

For listeners that didn't come into M83's new album Fantasy already fans, it may not have been exactly intuitive how to find stand-out deep cuts. With an album packed with the dramatic builds and soaring climaxes that often highlight underrated album spectacles, the sentimentality helps separate the strength of the pack. Laura is the album's emotional peak which fully fulfils the loud and vivid sonic vision of the album. 

Key Lyric: "We look deep into the heavens, We are the planet makers"

26. Jpegmafia & Danny Brown - Kingdom Hearts Key (feat. Redveil)

In a year where Redveil crept close to the breakout fans think have claimed for years that he's poised for. Along the way, he picked up some major underground rap allies in Danny and Peggy. The trio come together on one of the most purely impressive rap songs of the year. With cloudy instrumentation and simple transitions making the handoffs between these three quite elegant, the trio shows off not just what makes each of them impressive, but what makes them so unique. 

Key Lyric: "Feel like Ezra when I'm on the scene, All these felonies, they'll never see, Got my cup, like I’m Argentine"

25. James Blake - Loading

This is the one. Anybody who has read my lists before knew this was coming. At some point, often many points in any given year James Blake emerges with a combination of brilliant emotional poeticism and masterful sonic texture. Loading is the definition of that talent and it's on full display. From Blake's mesmerizing looped and layered refrains to the punchy synthetic instrumentation punctuated by irresistible drums and wiry synth haze. This is Blake's most recent masterpiece of craft and vision.

Key Lyric: "Wherever I go, I'm only as good as my mind, Which is only good if you're mine"

24. Jane Remover - Video

Spoiler alert, this isn't the last Jane Remover song on this list. It's the highest second track from any artist on the list and trust me, this is an act of resistance. Video is such a good song that it should probably be even higher on the list. The magnificent walls of sound cut through with sweet and infectious refrains sound like a magnificent contrast all over Census Designated but there isn't a single moment where they shine brighter than here. For an eerie and isolating conclusion to an album that dabbles in so much desolation, this is almost impossibly inviting. The song's secret may be closer to entrapping than enticing, but I'm willing to give myself completely to its every emotional whim. 

Key Lyric: "If I could write a pop song, I’d get you to steer in my direction, I’d get you to start chasing after me like it was already in your head"

23. Blur - The Narcissist

Blur's comeback this year is a bit less of a marvel in retrospect knowing that Damon Albarn and company are already over it. But it's impossible to forget how blissful it was hearing the band return with something this sweeping and masterful. As the lead single to the first album I ever got to review from one of my favorite bands this was a treat that will never stop delighting me until the end of time. 

Key Lyric: "I'ma shine a light in your eyes, You'll probably shine it back on me, But I won't fall this time, With Godspeed, I'll heed the signs"

22. Lil Yachty - Reach The Sunshine

One of the most common occurrences of 2023 was rap fans showing a surprising admiration for Lil Yachty's psych-rock experiment only to slowly fade on the album as the year went on. That happened to me too, but one song on the record still sounds as vibrant and exciting as the first time I heard it. The album closes with an absolutely masterful, sweeping finale which achieves a psychic haze through its crushing mix only to burst through it with one of the most sunny sonic eruptions of sound I've heard all year. 

Key Lyric: "Dividin' time, livin' between the lines, Only one goal, To reach the sunshine"

21. Zach Bryan - Hey Driver (feat. The War & Treaty)

My favorite hit song of the year is unsurprisingly also one of my favorite songs of the year. Zach Bryan had an extremely impressive 2023 showing off his worldliness and mastery of numerous musical styles all at once. On this track, he teams up with southern soul duo The War & Treaty for a brilliant indulgence into the realm of folk music that feels as vivid and lived-in as anything I heard this year. With his detail-driven songwriting, Zach paints a masterful picture of a world that the music soars within. 

Key Lyric: "Hey, driver, pull on over, I'm in a fight with God, This Carolina shoulder, Seems the place I'm gettin' off"

20. Troye Sivan - Rush

My top 3 singles of 2023 are unsurprisingly coming on the remainder of this list to the surprise of almost nobody. Rush suffers the most of the trio in the transition from single to song only because without its impact it's just a really great pop song, as if that's anything to hold against him. The song is sticky, energetic, sensual, and higher impact than Troye has ever been before. I wish the entire record that followed it was half as punchy and creative.

Key Lyric: "You got my heartbeat racin', My body blazin', I feel the rush, Addicted to your touch"

19. Kali Uchis - Moonlight

Kali Uchis' new album does occasionally feel like an attempt to recapture the magic of Isolation with mixed results. But at its very best it takes the nocturnal pop and R&B-flavored sensuality of the song and improves upon it on all fronts. Moonlight might be her very best song yet and the immaculate vibes combine with blissful lyrics about getting high with your lover to brilliant ends. The song is one of the smoothest things I heard all year and the pinpoint impact of its aesthetic bliss hasn't dulled a bit.

Key Lyric: "I just wanna ride, get high in the moonlight"

18. Susanne Sundfor - Alyosha

Susanne Sundfor returned with something absolutely mesmerizing when she shared Alyosha as a single and it reminded the beautiful whimsical highlight of her new album. It's the blissful conclusion of her transition to stripped-back poise and a subtler more nuanced approach to songwriting. Despite her increased reservations she still manages to reach such a memorable harrowing and dramatic conclusion that I'm dumbfounded. Susanne can take all the time away that she needs because every time she returns it's with strokes of utter brilliance.

Key Lyric: "They say it's kill or be killed, Love has died and all is worthless, But that is not what I believe in"

17. Boygenius - Not Strong Enough

Boygenius stans have been LIVING in my comments for years waiting for every middling review of any of the three girls involved. So when I came away from the trio's debut album with very mixed feelings I felt the hate again. Despite that negative connotation, Not Strong Enough is a transcendentally good song. It's the best thing any of the three have ever been a part of, tapping into a meditative and absolutely brilliant femininity. The song also has some seriously impressive muscle the likes of which I didn't think the band was capable of. What results is a conclusion that feels custom-made to close out a music festival amid a sea of fireworks. 

Key Lyric: "I don't know why I am the way I am, There's something in the static, I think I've been having revelations"

16. Sufjan Stevens - Will Anybody Ever Love Me?

If you ask me, Sufjan's new album is a revelation even among a career full of revelations. He expands upon the vision of 2010's The Age Of Adz but with the magnificent volume of all the lessons learned in the years since. Yet the album's highlight is one of its least immaculate tracks. On Will Anybody Ever Love Me?, Sufjan channels his anxiety for an inevitable lack of love through the lens of how great love is while you're experiencing it. It's impossible to say what is more beautiful about this song between the touchingly vulnerable songwriting and the masterfully arranged bliss of the music. Regardless, when it all comes together it makes for one of the most emotionally potent experiences I heard anywhere in music this year. 

Key Lyric: "Will anybody ever love me?, For good reasons, Without grievance, not for sport"

15. Julie Byrne - Summer Glass

Even coming into Julie Byrne's new era as a fan of her gentle swaying indie folk bliss I wasn't expecting her to emerge with something THIS good. Somehow this track nearly became my song of the summer despite its slow unfolding composition and subtle instrumental palette. Julie shines in the song's quietest moments and serves up achingly personal songwriting that helps sell every bit of the intimacy pouring out of every moment. In a list FULL of great singer-songwriter music. Julie might have served up the sparkliest gem on this song. 

Key Lyric: "You lit my joint with the end of your cigarette, Spun the pavement spirit, harnessed into flesh"

14. Noname - namesake

I don't like controversy very much. I can tolerate reactions to a negative review by Noname attracted some real ire this year and even I chimed in on her hypocrisy. But I also can't deny that she continues to have the sharpest pen in rap music. Even worse I can't deny that when she leans into some of her most divisive takes that talent comes out even stronger. Such is the case on namesake where she holds nothing back from her fellow rap contemporaries, and even herself, for selling out. But her critiques continue to sound like their born of such down-to-earth care for the subject matter at hand. It's that intrigue that seems to guide some of her smartest, most poignant, and most uncompromising writing yet to a powerful conclusion on namesake.

Key Lyric: "Go, Noname, go, Coachella stage got sanitized, I said I wouldn't perform for them, And somehow I still fell in line"

13. Yaeji - For Granted

In a year where the Songs list is heavier with lead singles than usual, this was one of the absolute best of the bunch. Yaeji reintroduced herself with a smash that showed her artistic ingenuity stretching further than ever before. This song is a wonderful combination of dance, pop, and electronica that is entirely different from the ways she's fused those genres in the past. But it's also built around nonstop infectious refrains and an undercurrent of astonishment at her own success. It's a song whose progression and layers kept it sounding rewarding over and over and over again. 

Key Lyric: "I don't even know, How it got to be this way, How it got to be so good"

12. 100 Gecs - Dumbest Girl Alive

This one was always going to click with me. Gecs opened their highly-anticipated sophomore album with a type of song that is near and dear to my heart, a bimbo anthem. As usual, the thesis here seems to be a brash and unstoppable desire to make the loudest and most chaotic bangers possible. Dylan and Laura's magnetic combination of bombastic production and overflowing personality is at its absolute best on this absolutely ripping track. 

Key Lyric: "If you think I'm stupid now, you should see me when I'm high, And I'm smarter than I look, I'm the dumbest girl alive"

11. Model/Actriz - Amaranth

Model/Actriz is basically always at their emotional peak. Between their quiet, intimate, and often quite scary sensuality oozing out of the quietest moments to the most brutal domination of the sonic blasts in between the band is always conveying something fascinating. But on Amaranth, they match that emotion with absolute technical brilliance. Using the grinding machinations of their sound to set up for one eruption after another they strive for an all-time spot on the darkest, raunchiest, and kinkiest playlist with this one. But even outside of that context, the band is dazzling.

Key Lyric: "Following an afterglow to, Following parades of ashes to, Following red embers leading, To flames to flames to flames"

10. Parannoul - We Shine At Night

Parannoul's new album is a break from tradition that was met with mixed reactions from fans. While I missed some of the sharper edges and truly blistering sounds of their last project, the project returned to its absolute sweetest point on We Shine At Night. This song is hooky in a way almost no other Parannoul track has ever been and its shift from grinding shoegaze noise to shimmering shoegaze bliss perfectly highlights what makes the music project so special. And as Parannoul is so adept at doing, the track takes a journey to a place so much more chaotic and dissonant than it started and I absolutely adore being along for the ride. 

Key Lyric: "That summer night we outpaced the world, After the times that won't come anymore, Will we still remember each other?"

9. Jessie Ware - Pearls

One lesson I learned in 2021 is that I will never be able to ignore Jessie Ware letting her voice absolutely soar. She's released quite a bit of great music where she dials it back and delivers a more cool and casual performance. But to me, she will always be at her best belting over bright stunning pop instrumentals. That's why Pearls is her newest masterpiece, following in the footsteps of her most dramatic climaxes of albums past. Not only is the song a dance number that's purely impossible to not shake along to but it comes to a perfectly crafted hook that knocks it out of the park every single time. 

Key Lyric: "Too good to be true and I do what I wanna, A perfect primadonna"

8. Sampha - Suspended

By the time I was deep into Sampha's new album LAHAI, it was obvious that the album was a masterfully crafted and highly ambitious glimpse into the future that R&B deserved. But on repeat listens I wasn't ready for something as truly magical and transcendent as Suspended to reveal itself. From the stuttering beat that gives the song a definitive punch beyond its already angelic veneer to the absolutely masterful vocal performance from Sampha himself listening to this song really does feel mystifying in the truest sense of the word. The song is so vivid and so alive it's difficult to even grasp how he and his collaborators managed to pull off something so excellent. Something tells me it will be years before another artist reaches the level of Sampha's effortless strides. 

Key Lyric: "Suspended, I've been lifted by her love, I fell lifted from above"

7. underscores - Locals (Girls Like Us) (feat. Gabby Start)

My number one single of the year turns up at number 7 on the songs list, which is by no means a slight against the hardest banger of 2023. Even in a genre that has produced so many girlish bangers in the past 5 years, April's hyperpop-tinged internet-music masterpiece hits harder than any of them. A chorus this simple just shouldn't hit this hard but it breaks through a lot of the dizzying complexities of the track's instrumental and composition to emerge as a stabilizing force that also happens to be one of the most anthemic rallying cries I've ever heard. I'm not sure anyone will ever make a song as well equipped to do exactly what Locas does ever again. 

Key Lyric: "Stop me if you've heard this one before, girls like us are rotten to the core"

6. Liturgy - Before I Knew The Truth

It's rare to walk away from a black metal record this ambitious and challenging and think that one of the shorter and most compositionally predictable songs is the highlight of the bunch. But that's a testament to just how unwaveringly crushing Before I Knew The Truth is from its opening notes. The track begins with an alarming array of noises from the harshest guitar tones to the most shrill blistering chimes and never lets go of its layers and layers of enveloping sound. That combined with an all-time great and emotionally harrowing vocal performance from Raveena Hunt-Hendrix and you have the best metal song of 2023, even if any genre die-hards may not think so. 

Key Lyric: "Plans that I made for yesterday's world, Before I knew the truth, Before I grew"

5. The Drums - Obvious

I've used words like catchy and hooky a lot on this list, but there's getting stuck in your head and then there's taking up permanent residence in there. The soaring melody that cascades over one of the brightest instrumental climaxes of the year on Obvious will be playing on a permanent loop in my mind until the oxygen stops flowing to my brain. For a band I've been saying for years has their songwriting down to a science this is somehow an even greater achievement for their sunny indie pop style than I even thought possible. 

Key Lyric: "So next time I see you, I'll throw my arms around you on the street corner, 'Cause everything inside me wants to hold you, And I realize it's obvious that I need you"

4. Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter - I WILL BE WITH YOU ALWAYS

The word harrowing feels like it was invented specifically to describe Kristin Hayter's music. While her music as Lingua Ignota was harrowing in a blistering, crushing, and often quite epic way, her new album is much more content to induce fear and anxiety in between the margins. Part of that is the vintage aesthetic which underlies songs like I WILL BE WITH YOU ALWAYS with an impossible eerie undertone. And when her paralyzing vocals erupt from the cracks of the song it is genuinely terrifying. That's even without taking into account that she crafts a true musical journey with her lyricism across this track and presents it in a deeply challenging package. Kristin has found an entirely new way to be impressive, reigning herself in and still managing to craft one of the most horrifying things I've heard in this entire decade along the way. 

Key Lyric: "My tears soaked my bed, The blood of many wounds soaked my bed, The sweat of many fears soaked my bed, And I begged, Release me, release me, release me"

3. Jane Remover - Census Designated

The weekend that Lingua Ignota's astonishing I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU dropped it didn't sit atop my best new tracks of the week list. That's because coincidentally Jane Remover has chosen that same weekend to drop this transcendently good exploration of space, self, and sound that's central to her brilliant new album. The track is a poignantly written critique of the meat-processing factory that is the music industry but I'd be lying if I said I didn't hear something else entirely. That's been the case for many observers who have found something truly self-projected onto the song. I think that's because Jane paints with imprecise brush strokes and in broad colors that emote FAR more than they detail. In that sense, she conveys a very specific feeling rather than a very specific story. Where that feeling takes you to will be different for every listener, but to overlook the sonic and compositional mastery of this song and what she manages to achieve aesthetically with it would be a true tragedy.

Key Lyric: "And I bet she's so lucky to have a voice like that, I'm young blood, fresh meat, and I like that, Can't help but think the man I love the most is lying to me"

2. ANOHNI - It Must Change

This is the kind of sharp-edge political masterpiece that only comes once in a generation. It's no surprise that so many people compared the song to Marvin Gaye's What's Goin On when it dropped. It's the only other song that's ever conveyed the bleakness of its subject matter while sounding so blissfully inviting. This song is cutting and unapologetic in its insight and unflinching with its demands but you could never tell from just how warm, soulful, and caring it sounds. It's truly the thinnest of all tightrope walks and ANOHNI executes it to perfection. She doesn't downplay the severity of the pain and anguish rooted in everything she sings about but in her swelling instrumental palettes she implies a level of optimism that can't possibly be justified in the text. It's a song that completely swept me off my feet the very first time I heard it and what it manages to achieve is just s stunning to me now. 

Key Lyric: "The way you talk to me, it must change, The things you do to me, The way you leave me, The seeds you give to me, it must change"

1. Lana Del Rey - A&W

Call me predictable if you want, I deserve it. This year the most universally acclaimed song in all of music happened to also come from one of my favorite artists ever whom I've poured out praise for on this blog for years now. Of course, it was going to be my song of the year. But can you blame me, Lana Del Rey always manages to find new ways to be stunning. This is far from the first time she's deployed a compositional mastery well beyond her contemporaries. Longtime besties will remember that Venice Bitch was my song of the year in 2019 for many similar reasons. But this isn't just the next masterpiece in line for Lana, she reinvents herself every single fucking time. This track brilliantly building through its often isolated early minutes only to conclude with one of the most unexpectedly slick and infectious moments of her entire career is incredible. But what makes the song so fascinating is that it retains every single drop of Lana's definitive style. From her most impressionistic and airy singer-songwriter side to her most confident and lethal pop star instincts, this song has it all. Lana Del Rey has to be, by almost any measure, one of the definitive artists in all of music right now. And you can hear her entire masterful arrangement of talents and vision present all on just one song. A&W is THE crowning achievement of any artist in 2023, without question.

Key Lyric: "It's not about havin' someone to love me anymore, No, this is the experience of bein' an American whore"

Listen to all the songs in a playlist here

Thanks for reading <3