my 22 favorite songs of 2022!

well, it was another banner year for music, folks. we're having a good run! i narrowed down this list from like 55 songs, so this is just a fraction of the tracks i loved in 2022, but hopefully you find at least a couple you dig as well! full spotify playlist for easier listening here.

honorable mention:

widowspeak - "the drive"

arlo parks - "softly"

ty segall - "hello, hi"

partner - "time is a car"

soccer mommy - "don't ask me"

alex g - "runner"

44phantom - "hurricane"

22. parker gispert - "stuck inside someone else's dream"

i've vehemently held that the whigs are one of the best and most underrated bands of the 2000s — mostly just to myself because nobody else cares that much or even knows who they are. buuuut if you're so inclined, i highly recommend listening to all of their albums because they're flawless. while the band is on indefinite hiatus, frontman parker gispert has ventured into solo work in recent years that retains the alt-country swagger i know and love. this rollicking deep cut from his latest, golden years, was an immediate standout for me.

21. wednesday - "bull believer" 

y'all know i'm a sucker for that early '90s sound, and there are a handful of current bands that i think are really nailing it, including wednesday. this song is a true *journey* and trying to describe it in words would be a disservice; you just have to listen to it to understand what i mean. preferably while feeling angsty in your bedroom at night.

20. quarters of change - "t love"

it's giving gen z fitz and the tantrums! i dare you to listen to this song and not nod your head and/or smile real wide. 

19. harry styles - "keep driving"

confession: personally, i think harry's house is the weakest album in harry's discography (don't @ me!). but that's probably because i am decidedly not into it when every artist/band inevitably makes a synthy pop album. why do they all do it? you don't have to do it! so it's no surprise that my favorite songs on this record are the '70s soft rock, fleetwood mac-y tracks that are more reminiscent of fine line fare: "grapejuice," "daylight," and this one! i also dig the vague, slightly naughty stream-of-consciousness lyrics that include "cocaine, side boob, choke her with a sea view." ope! you wildin', mr. styles.

18. dry cleaning - "don't press me"

in theory, i should dislike dry cleaning, because in theory, they're quite similar to black country, new road, whom i cannot STAND. you know that nick cave quote about the red hot chili peppers? that's literally me with black country, new road. pretentious, pseudo-intellectual, critic's wet dream nonsense. but i digress. i love, love, love dry cleaning. it must be the female vocalist, because their lyrics are just as ridiculous ("don't touch my gaming mouse, you rat!"). but the guitars are tight and searing and i can't help but bop along to this quirky gem; it's very reminiscent of the british indie rock acts of the mid-2000s like the cribs, art brut, and the subways.

17. bad suns - "life was easier when i only cared about me"

bad suns have been churning out upbeat, '80s/new-wave flavored indie pop for the past decade that just makes you feel all sparkly and happy and bright. the chorus alone rockets me to the moon.

16. camp blu - "madame murder"

i've been in my *~spooky~*/darkwave era for the past year — please hit me up if you want some playlist recommendations — and omg, "madame murder" makes me want to don a red velvet cape and sulk around my lair in a vampire's castle. or, like, do the pulp fiction dance in the basement of a goth club with a dude wearing eyeliner. 

15. day wave - "blue"

hearing a lotta shoegaze and a little early smashing pumpkins influence here and it soothes my soul. this song is a big, cathartic sigh and a big, cathartic hug from someone who gives really good hugs at the end of a bad day. :)

14. pool kids - "i hope you're right"

pool kids are a florida-based emo outfit with a pop touch. "i hope you're right" is lush, dreamy, and haunting. i especially love the "ha-ha-ha-ha" pre-chorus and when the guitars are totally unleashed at the end!

13.  diane coffee - "our love/the run"

i've been a fan of diane coffee, the solo project of foxygen drummer shaun fleming, since i caught his absolutely electric live show at the 4knots music festival in brooklyn back in 2016 (i also highly recommend his fantastic NPR tiny desk concert, my favorite to date!). since, shaun and i have struck up a bit of an internet friendship on twitter and instagram and it's great to know that he is just a super cool and funny human in addition to being an incredible singer and musician. the latest diane coffee record, with people, was a bit of a return to form in terms of his soulful retro sound while incorporating the synth pop elements of his last release, internet arms. i always lean toward the former, so "our love/the run" caught my ear right away. it draws you in with a unique, isolated vocal melody that is constantly stuck in my head and and slowly reveals a soaring chorus. 

12.  PHONY - "the middle"

my only complaint about this song is that i wish it was two to three times longer! neil's songwriting and melodies just resonate so much with me — "great white" was my #3 song last year before his full album, at some point you stop, was released this past summer. but "the middle" manages to pack so much gorgeous, raw emotion into two minutes. love the production on this track, too.

11. dani mack - "fleabag" 

one thing about me is that i love a good banger about catholic guilt. just kidding, sort of. i don't really know how to explain it properly, but "fleabag" is one of those songs that just sounds so much like ME, from the vocal delivery to the sarcastic/deadpan lyrics to the handclaps, because another thing about me is that i fucking love a song with handclaps.

10. golden apples - "high school"

fuzzy, hooky, lo-fi goodness straight outta philly. the "come and get it, don't regret it" part and subsequent instrumental just hits my earholes so darn favorably.

9. sorry - "key to the city"

i don't know if i've ever described a song as "evocative," but that word really encapsulates this beautiful, dark, understated but surprisingly complex tune. it's one that stays with you. and, like, the lyrics "i know that you're somewhere out there, being fucked in someone else's bed?" oof oof oof. been there, babe.

8. kurt vile - "hey like a child"

quoth a random youtuber: "oh you like a little twang? a little distortion? a little trippy and totally groovy? songs that feel like the sun is shining directly on you? lyrics that hug your insecurities and give you an understanding that you aren't alone? you should definitely listen to kurt vile." preach, sister.

gotta be honest, though: (watch my moves) is definitely my least favorite KV record. i know the man likes to wander around within songs a lot and i love that about him, but he went off in some very meandering, strange directions a bit too often and for too long for my taste on this one. but! there are several bright spots, including "fo sho," "like exploding stones," "mount airy hill (way gone)" and this one! if you listen to nothing else, listen to the way he says "in a-da-reeeeam i da-rewww my blueprint" because it's 100% kurt vile core. god bless.

7. the berries - "prime" 

first, i will urge anyone reading this (for the second time) to listen to the berries' jaw-droppingly good album, high flying man, immediately. while there's not a filler or skip track in the bunch, the undeniable riff and catchy, simple-yet-relatable chorus of "prime" wormed its way into my brain this summer and it came out on top for me. so goddamn groovy.

6. russ - "yes sir"

my introduction to russ was kind of funny and quite roundabout. i was visiting a friend in portsmouth, new hampshire for the day back in the spring, and i forget what exactly we were talking about, but she brought up the remix of his song "handsomer" — which had been making the rounds on tiktok — and played it for me in her car. i immediately loved it and added it to my playlist. the next day as i was scrolling, because the 'tok is always watching and listening, this clip came up of a smiling, happy fellow drinking a cocktail on a boat and without even seeing who it was, i was like "who is this man with such IMMACULATE VIBES?? I MUST KNOW WHO HE IS!" and surprise, surprise, it was russ!

"yes sir" was undoubtedly my #1 summer jam. russ' style is sing-songy, fun, and playful but also delightfully clever — e.g. "baby i'm a star, of course i'm hangin' out the moonroof" and "come here, kitty kitty/i don't mind a couple whiskers." we love a body positive, feminist king! yes sir, we do. side note: the scenes in this video of him eating pasta on a parisian rooftop are going onto my vision board because this is the energy i want and need in my life, always.

5. bendigo fletcher - "broken routine"

can someone pay me to write about music like this (minus my gratuitous "like"s)? because music writers generally don't, and i feel like they should instead of trying to be clinical and academic, because feelings are the essence of why we love music, right? right?! thaaaanks!

ohhh, how i love bendigo fletcher. "sugar in the creek" made my top 10 last year, and the first time i heard this tune from their new EP wingding, i was like "those bastards have done it again!" i'm typically not super into lyrics when it comes to music — it's usually all about the sound for me — but BF's lyrics so beautifully capture the mundanity of everyday life in such a gorgeous, humorous, authentic way that i can't help but pay attention to them above everything else. i can't be sure, but "broken routine" seems to elegantly describe the idea that as long as you're with your person, even the boring, bad, annoying stuff is no big deal because you're together. "how can i ever be ornery?/doin' your laundry/i imagine you slippin' into every garment/walkin' a clothesline over the carpet"? or "how could we ever be off base?/gettin' stoned in the crawl space/we imagine the locked door turning to chocolate/we are eating our way out of every problem." relationship goals. and that high note in the chorus? chills. every. time.

4. nilüfer yanya - "the dealer"

a track from one of my other favorite (and one of the most underrated) albums of the year, PAINLESS, "the dealer" is somehow urgent and ethereal, mysterious and familiar all at once. no one is quite doing it like she is right now, IMO.

3. my idea - "cry MFer"

ah, yes, my requisite "main character in a '90s movie stares out a window moodily during a train ride" soundtrack. from that hypnotic, looping riff to the yearning chorus, it's easy to get carried along for the four-plus minutes without even realizing it's been that long. 

2. shane t - "night drive"

it's so funny to think about the first time i heard this song because i really liked it, but i had a completely different impression of what it was until a few listens later. it originally came across to me as pure sugary pop, but i soon realized that shane is an indie singer-songwriter that reminds me a lot of briston maroney, whom i also love, and listening to his EP painted a clearer picture of his sound ("deeper" is also pure FIRE.) "night drive" is immediately catchy and intriguing, but goes in a bunch of unexpected directions that it definitely doesn't have to, and that — along with the copious amount of pure VIBES and eminent danceability — is what takes it from good to great for me. 

1. momma - "speeding 72"

big year for songs about driving, i guess! momma first appeared on my radar back in 2020 ("biohazard" was my #3 favorite song) and they struck gold again with their sophomore album, household name. while admittedly, i enjoyed the slightly darker tone of their debut, two of me, overall, "speeding 72" is by far the best song they've written thus far. its sunny, windows-down feel and crunchy riff perfectly match the laid back theme of the track; there are major shades of veruca salt and the breeders, and even a reference to my favorite pavement song in the chorus! as most know, guitar is v personal to me and i'm a slut for good riffs and solos, and that little mini-jam outro makes my mouth water. that TONE, dude. 10/10, no notes.

5 things i love right now

1. the iced oatmilk latte from dunkin' donuts

PLEASE, DUNKIN', NEVER TAKE AWAY THE OAT MILK, I BEG OF YOU. i've been using oat milk lately to make chia pudding so i'm on a bit of a kick, and when i saw that i had a dunkin' perks free beverage reward to redeem, i spared no expense and went balls to the wall with their latest offering. i swear to god it was the best coffee beverage i've ever had? 

...to make sure it wasn't a fluke and because i couldn't stop thinking about it, i obviously had to get it the next morning and my opinion remains unchanged. the creaminess of the oat milk and the bite of the espresso are just unreal. and i got it with one sugar, so maybe that takes it over the top. try it and let me know what y'all think.

2. this song by mad wave, "caroline"

i don't know what it is about september, but i feel like historically, my spotify september playlists are my favorites. the songs on them are just, like, much better than those from other months for whatever reason. and every year, there are one or two tunes that really stand out to me and capture the feel of the month. "caroline" is that song for september 2020. it's got a great, chill groove and earworm chorus and the harmonica is an unexpected and cool touch. it sounds like apple picking, the first day you put on a scarf, and pulling down your mask on a coffee shop patio to take a sip of your cider. :(

3. this extremely accurate gemini meme

personally. attacked.

4. this new hgtv show, selling the big easy

when i visited new orleans with gleni nearly 7 years ago on one of the best vacations ever, i was immediately obsessed and have been thinking about going back ever since. it's historic, charming, colorful, mystical and magical and slightly spooky, and full of amazing food and drink. so basically, it's me in city form...heyyyo (along with st. augustine, florida and savannah, georgia). 

while that return trip obviously won't be happening any time extremely soon, i can now live vicariously through folks who are shopping for amazing shotgun-style houses in the french quarter thanks to this show. it's essentially just house hunters: new orleans, but so what, who cares?

i must say, though, that HGTV really dropped the ball on the show's name; so many catchier options! ownin' NOLA, french quarters, big easy digs, etc.  

5. rediscovering this performance of kurt vile's "bassackwards"

to me, no musician quite captures the spirit of autumn quite like KV. i mean, yeah, i listen to him excessively all year anyway, but i go nuts when that first cool breeze hits—i've probably played "jesus fever" 20+ times in the past week alone. this mini-documentary on youtube that came out last fall is beautiful and autumnal and worth a full watch if you have 20 minutes to spare, but i always come back to this porch performance of "bassackwards." the rain is pouring and it's so earnest and cozy and brings a tear to my eye every time. can i just go hang in a huge catskills house with kurt vile and bake pies? i feel like it would be a great time.

my 18 favorite songs of 2018

it was a less fruitful year than most for me, musically, but there were still plenty of gems to be found. let's get right to it!

playlist for your listening pleasure HERE.

honorable mention:

the brian jonestown massacre - "who dreams of cats?"
ariana grande - "no tears left to cry"
deeper - "pink showers"

18. cherry glazerr - "juicy socks"



sorry, the title of this song is kind of weird and gross ... and so is the video, but i swear it's a really good tune! it's a simple little slice of lush, dreamy garage pop from singer clementine creevy and her ever-rotating cast of bandmates. it's funny, too: a lot of the comments i read about this song from longtime cherry glazerr fans expressed some disappointment in the new direction she was taking the music in, but i felt just the opposite. i was never super into anything i heard from them until this song!

17. khalid f/ normani - "love lies"




the power of a smooth r&b jam cannot be underestimated, and "love lies" puts me in a chill, happy place. khalid and normani (formerly of girl group fifth harmony) have such sexy vocal chemistry, and the bridge is as catchy as the chorus.

16. calpurnia - "greyhound"



no, your eyes are not deceiving you...that is indeed mike from stranger things, aka finn wolfhard. turns out that he has an indie band on the side that's pretty good! calpurnia's scout ep was produced by my boy cadien lake james from one of my favorite bands, twin peaks (and by "my boy," i mean i just have a weird crush on him and gleni and i refer to him as my "white trash boyfriend"). anywho, this sleepy, groovy song appears to be about someone whose partner either broke up with them or committed suicide, leaving them to go to a concert they planned to attend together by themselves. :( either way, a bit dark to be sure, but the instrumentals are lazy and light and i love the harmonies at the end. perfect for a long train or...erm, greyhound ride.

15. bass drum of death - "too high"



he's baaaack! while i was extremely wary of BDOD's new album just business after hearing the decidedly Not Good first single, "heavy," he fortunately returned to form for the rest of the record, adding just a bit more polish and doo-wop flair to his brand of garage rock. this song immediately stood out to me with its singalong quality, and the chorus just makes me want to do the pony (you know, the '60s dance).

14. teddy - "i was in a cult"



whoops! i definitely just wrote about this song like, two weeks ago and then realized it was probably going to end up on this list immediately after i posted it. so, i guess i'll just copy and paste what i said about it because i feel the same today:

i can't be the only one to remember the shaggy-haired, blue-eyed heartthrob teddy geiger, can i? his earnest acoustic tune, "for you i will (confidence)" was kind of a sleeper hit back in the mid-2000s, and he starred on the short-lived, ill-conceived, but mostly enjoyable show love monkey with tom cavanagh from ed.

fast forward 13 years, and he is now a she, who has apparently co-written mega-hit songs for the likes of shawn mendes, one direction, and 5 seconds of summer. one of her own recent tunes, released under the moniker teddy (i can't add the heart because blogger thinks it's HTML code), popped up on spotify and it is a certified BOP.

it has an undeniably catchy melody, there are shades of fuzzy garage/psych pop, and how about that little piano riff?! just makes me want to strut down the street.

addendum: seriously, i feel like i have to physically restrain myself from pretending i'm on a catwalk when i'm listening to it in public. and i didn't really notice it at first, but the vocal flourish at 2:07 gives me LIFE, honey.
 
13. tancred - "reviews"




this is the second time tancred (the solo project of jess abbott, formerly of now, now) has made my year-end list—"bed case" was on my 2016 list as well. "reviews" has a more subtle, decidedly darker vibe, and a pretty interesting melody that's somehow still really catchy as it takes all these twists and turns. i had the pleasure of attending a *~secret show~* by her and her band at the boston spotify office this past spring (probably because i had been listening to this song all day, errday), and i felt like i was in one of those "cool concert" scenes from a movie or tv show and it was extremely sweet. sounded great live, too!
 
12. 5 seconds of summer - "youngblood"



i swear to god, the first 20+ times i heard the beginning of this song on the radio, i was absolutely convinced it was ZAYN (which is another reason i love it, probably) and then when the beat kicked in, i was like "goddammit, tricked again!" i finally got it through my thick head a few months later and fully embraced the song and its true identity. between the groovy, shoulder-shimmying, finger-snapping "you push and you push and i'm pullin' awaaay" to the larger-than-life, foot-stomping chant of a chorus, there's so much to dig about this perfect, not-so-little pop song. btw, that's not the band in the video. they're australian. so...no idea.

11. the voidz - "leave it in my dreams"



like a much dreamier (sorry) early strokes song, "leave it in my dreams" took a while to grow on me. but it wasn't long before its subtle sweetness and casual cool started to endear me to it and i craved it like my morning coffee. so...basically, also how i feel about julian casablancas.

10. eminem - "killshot"



never thought i'd see the day that i included a rap diss track on this list, but if everyone hadn't already agreed that em's the greatest rapper of all time, this confirmed it, despite his last few terrible albums. it does help to watch machine gun kelly's original diss video (which was surprisingly decent) for context. but when i first heard "killshot" without having listened to it, i was still blown away. i won't spoil any of the lines because it's so much more fun to listen to the sweet, slow burn of every jab and yell "yaaaaas." but i will say that the "man bun" line had me like:





and the "you dress better" one had me like:




9. gender roles - "about her"




i love me some bratty british indie rock, and gender roles came through this year with "about her," a crunchy little nugget with a headbanging earworm of a chorus. after the first time i heard it, i'm pretty sure i listened to it aboooout 50 times in 3 days, which is one of the most satisfying musical experiences ever, IMO. love the brit-as-fuck spoken-word breakdown. CRUSH IT UP AND PUT IT IN MY DRINK!

8. phantastic ferniture - "fuckin 'n' rollin'"



block your ears, children! if it weren't for the fact that the lyrics to the chorus are literally "fuckin' 'n' rollin, roll in the night/fuckin 'n' rollin'/just feels right" this laid-back, folksy song would be the LEAST likely to have such an explicit title by the mere sound of it. it’s gorgeous in the simplicity of the melody, the bassline is groovy as hell, and julia jacklin’s voice adds a layer of richness to the whole breezy affair. the video is so enjoyable to watch, too.

7.  donovan wolfington - "ways"



i wrote at length about these cats earlier in the year, and "ollie north" was on my 2015 list, so i've been loving d-wolf for quite a while. sadly, they broke up in the spring, but their final album waves is such an excellent goodbye note, and certainly one of my most-played this year. "ways" in particular encapsulates their sound perfectly, IMO: joyous, unabashed skate punk with dark undertones and unexpected layers and textures to it. the alternative put it really well, describing the beginning as "a gargantuan riff with the crunch of a dozen Nature Valley bars." totally, bruh.

6. kurt vile - "bassackwards"



"remember that time that neil young had a baby with tom petty and he was born with long scraggly hair and a sneer and a flannel? hi kurt." - some guy on youtube 😂

would it even be my favorite songs of the year list without an appearance by kurt vile?! while "loading zones" and "yeah bones" from his latest album, bottle it in, were in the running, i kept coming back to this languid, hazy, almost-10-minute trip that's not a second too long. "bassackwards" —and much of kurt's music, really—feels like big, long hugs from your favorite person, aimless solo drives where you pretend you're in a movie, good, cathartic cries, finding shapes in clouds, and the all of the beautiful, weird little moments that make life so lovely. kurt vile is the only person who can have a lyric like "i appreciate her to the utmost degree" and have it somehow sound like he's saying "whatever, maaaan."

5. greta van fleet - "brave new world"



IN THIS HOUSE, WE LOVE AND RESPECT GRETA VAN FLEET.

man, it's a good thing i don't require bands to write a fucking thesis on their innovative compositions in order for me to like their music, because if i did, i'd miss out on some excellent tunes like this one. are greta van fleet currently derivative as hell? absolutely. do i care? not one damn bit. my criteria for enjoying music is the following: it makes me feel good when i listen to it, and...nope, that's it. it makes me feel good when i listen to it.

if they aren't your cup of tea, that's fine! but to dismiss them or worse, spew hate because they have the same "sound" as another—incredible!—group (who, may i remind you, isn't making music anymore) when 95% of indie bands sound alike is pure bullshit. i laugh so hard when i see critics referring to them as "precious," because TRULY, the only element of preciousness here is the fact that pretentious assholes are taking a super fun young rock band so seriously. like, it's not greta's problem that you'd prefer to quietly cry yourself to sleep while listening to neutral milk hotel every night than have a couple of beers and play air guitar. please calm down. it's only rock 'n roll, baby!

when i fell in love with this band just over a year ago ("edge of darkness" was my favorite song of 2017 and i stand by that assessment more now than ever), all i knew is that they were going to get really, really big—probably really, really fast. then, i saw them live in july. i've been to around 200 shows at this point in my life, and theirs was easily in my top three, ever. it was certainly the most fun i've ever had at a concert. the maturity, musicianship, energy, and charisma these guys play with at 19(!) and 22 years old is straight-up insane and i will not let a mumble-rap-loving journalist tell me otherwise, because i know what i saw, heard, and felt.

ANYWAY (shh, don't tell the haters!), this song—along with about half the songs on the new album—sounds absolutely nothing like zep. break out your lava lamp and get ready to stare at your favorite tapestry for five minutes, brothers and sisters. it's grungy, heavy, atmospheric, and rush-meets-neil young and crazy horse-meets-black sabbath-meets-the mars volta. more than anything, though, it's very greta van fleet. as a youtube commenter said, "the chorus sounds like you're a knight fighting a dragon on a cold night." fuck yes. also, i'm pleased to announce that i'm now pregnant as a result of that fuzz-pedal guitar solo and drums at the end.

admittedly, i preferred last year's double EP from the fires to anthem of the peaceful army, but it's a solid, highly enjoyable album with some true flashes of greatness like this one. i really look forward to seeing these young bucks continue to grow as musicians and hone their own sound, because they absolutely have what it takes to be legendary, and i'm not being hyperbolic. i'll proudly be going to new york to see them live again in may. think the dude from pitchfork will be there? ;)

p.s. if you're interested in joining the party and opening your ears and heart to GVF, i recommend you set aside 26 minutes, light somethin' up, and watch this...one of my favorite activities these days, tbh.   
 
4. post animal - "gelatin mode"



in the second appearance from a band featuring a stranger things cast member (joe keery aka steve harrington played guitar on this record), we have post animal's swirly, psychedelic adventure, "gelatin mode." this track is part soulful '60s garage ditty, part sludgy '70s acid trip, part '80s video game soundtrack, and most importantly, a really good time. without a doubt, it's also one of the most creative and unique songs i heard this year. but see? that's the beauty of music, guys. you can enjoy a great (mostly derivative) song AND a great (mostly unique) song. both can be excellent! there's more than enough room for all of it in this big, wonderful world. thanks for coming to my ted talk.

3. anna burch - "tea-soaked letter"



hiiii, jangly '90s indie rock vibes! indeed, this song wouldn't be out of place at all on the soundtrack to singles, reality bites, or the clueless tv adaptation. anna's voice is like the best parts of juliana hatfield's and liz phair's all mixed together and baked into the perfect pie. also, i credit this video for inspiring the majority of my style this year.

2. flatbush zombies - "headstone"




i still can't believe that i accidentally discovered these guys at the boston calling music festival a couple years ago. this track—the first single from their album vacation in hell—is not only an absolute banger (that beat, tho!), but also a masterclass in old-school hip-hop. every single line of every single verse is a reference to those who came before FBZ, from biggie to slick rick, and it's all woven together flawlessly; i completely lost my shit at the bone thugs' "crossroads" and kanye's "jesus walks" nods. if you're as nerdy as i am, these dudes break down the references pretty thoroughly.

don't even get me started on the flows, y'all. erick, zombie juice, and meech all spit fire, as the kids say, and have their own distinct voice and vibe that makes the song so dynamic and interesting the whole way through. i'll give you a moment to laugh as you picture an extremely white girl rapping "put money over bitches on my headstone" as she drives through suburban boston.

1. soccer mommy - "your dog"



in 1969, iggy and the stooges were like, “i wanna be your dog” and in 2018, soccer mommy (aka sophie allison) is all “i don’t wanna be your fucking dog!” JK, i'm pretty sure that the former song has absolutely nothing to do with the latter, but it was my first thought. 

clean, the album on which this track appears, was also my favorite of the entire year. the whole thing is earnest, angsty, and bare-bones, really showcasing allison's excellent songcraft and understated-yet-powerful voice. my favorite time to listen to it has been driving around at night, because it evokes such a distinct mood. in "your dog," a haunting guitar riff sets the scene for pleas like "i'm not a prop for you to use/when you're lonely or confused/i want a love that lets me breathe/i've been choking on your leash." the lyrics are very of-the-moment, but also timeless, because…dudes. in many ways, it's a perfectly fitting closing track for 2018.

my 17 favorite songs of 2017

this list ended up being all over the place, but i guess my taste in music is, too. playlist available here. let's get to it!


honorable mention:
bad nerves - "bad kid"
adult mom - "full screen"
NE-HI - "rattled and strange"


17. logic f/ alessia cara and khalid - "1-800-273-8255"



let's start on a super-depressing note, shall we? this is a total downer of a tune, but one that has a positive message at the end (and is catchy as hell). logic's bummed-out verses and chorus meets alessia cara's gorgeous vocals for a powerful song that sticks with you and provides a welcome reprieve from the vapidness of top 40 radio. the number in the title? that's the national suicide prevention hotline.


16. BLOXX - "coke"



for the past year or so, british indie rockers BLOXX have been quietly churning out singles--all of which i've loved--but this may be my favorite so far. this one is obviously about drugzzz but also maybe about infidelity?! the intrigue and mystery (courtesy of kickass frontwoman ophelia booth) are set to slightly dark, new-wavey instrumentals and i'm here for all of it.

15. harry styles - "meet me in the hallway" 



even though one direction has disbanded, you better believe that i'm continuing their legacy on this list through its individual members. the ever-enigmatic harry has always been my favorite; the resemblance to a young mick jagger, the cheeky sense of humor, the inexplicable tattoos and old soul quality. while i enjoyed his bowie-esque, larger-than-life single, "sign of the times," this one (the opening track of his debut album) caught my attention immediately for its haunting, ethereal vibe. this live version actually showcases that really well. come on, what other boy bander would have a song with the lyrics"give me some morphine"?! only mr. styles.

14. portugal. the man - "feel it still"



i've mentioned before that i was late to the game when it came to loving this song, and only really came around when a classic convertible started blasting it on the streets of NYC, inspiring an impromptu pedestrian dance party. as youtube commenters have pointed out, the chorus DOES have a lot of similarities to the marvelettes' 1961 classic "please mr. postman," but hey, 60% of music today is derivative, and i can think of many worse offenses.

13. post malone f/ 21 savage - "rockstar"




i feel like post malone invented his own hip-hop subgenre. like, i'll get into moods where only the smooth, chilled-out r&b stoner swagger of posty will do. i mean, he talks about fuckin' hos and poppin' pillies and then in the next breath references AC/DC's bon scott. the addition of 21 savage on this track injects just a biiiit more rap flavor into the whole debaucherous affair. also, every time i hear the absurd line, "they like, "savage, why you got a 12-car garage and you only got six cars?"" i chuckle and go "saaaaame!"

12. walk the moon - "kamikaze"



the walk the moon that i know and love is back! i was crazy about them when they first hit the big tine (in fact, "anna sun" was #1 on my 2012 list), but they started to lose me when all the basic bitches started singing "shut up and dance." :( fortunately, i'm really digging their new stuff--it's soulful, catchy indie pop that still has their unique flavor. this song stood out to me immediately as the grooviest of the bunch.

11. tristen - "glass jar"



DAT CHORUS, THO. besides being a total earworm, "glass jar" perfectly, subtly, and sweetly gives the middle finger to some terrible dude without sounding bitter at all. "i don't have to say goodbye/you don't get to see me cry/you put me in a glass jar and tap, tap, tap to see how i move." sing it, sister. and yes, that's jenny lewis on backing vocals if you were feeling the rilo kiley vibes.

10. cloud nothings - "up to the surface"



it's been so cool to see cloud nothings mature from lo-fi one-man indie band to a polished four-piece outfit without losing the originality that made it special from the beginning. their most recent album, life without sound, has been vastly underrated IMO, considering i haven't really read or heard much about it on best-of lists. but this song is wonderful and poignant and just really pretty.

9. kesha f/ the dap-kings horns - "woman"




she's back, baby! kesha's transformation from hot mess party girl to wise, um, woman this year made me so happy. she looks and sounds great, and it seems like she's finally making the music she really wants to. and, in 2017 of all years, this song resonates more than ever. the explicit chorus is nothing but empowering, and the dap-kings horns give it a little something extra special.

8. charly bliss - "glitter"



another fabulous female vocalist, eva hendricks fronts charly bliss with sweet, squeaky vocals (she reminds me of a more low-key kim shattuck of the muffs). but lemme tell ya, i saw them live in june, and she was jumping, kicking, and twirling around in a pink sequined prom dress the whole set. punk af. i loved this whole album, but the real talk in this song made it my favorite. who hasn't wanted to ask someone "am i the best? or just the first person to say yes?"

7. the obsessives - "it's ok if"



this lil' nugget, by shaggy-haired slacker indie duo the obsessives, is two minutes of pure fun. from that crunchy riff after the chorus to the playful "la la la la"s. plus, the adorable lyrics about crushin' hard on someone just make me swoon: "i like your lips/they look like somethin' botticelli would have wanted to paint back when the moon first put us to sleep." sigh.

6. ZAYN f/ PARTYNEXTDOOR - "still got time"



sorry, harry, but this one was a total banger and deserved to be much more popular than it was. basically, "still got time" is just super chill and perfect for the activities depicted in the video: smoking joints, wearing cool beanies from urban outfitters, making out with aloof skater dudes at a party. you can definitely hear zayn smirking as he sings, "this could be somethin' if you let it be somethin'" and "you're already used to the games, babe." like, yeah, he's super hot, but you know he absolutely takes 4 days to text you back and then replies, "sorry, just saw this." i digress. great song!

5. courtney barnett & kurt vile - "over everything" 




these two officially take the crown for my favorite rock 'n roll friendship, and this video might just be my favorite of the year. a much less toxic kurt and courtney, my man KV's goofball demeanor and freewheeling, meandering style are the perfect complement to barnett's stream-of-consciousness lyrics. they both have a sly, deadpan delivery that just works so well. mellowest musical power couple ever.

4. beck - "up all night"



man, i'm so glad that beck got over whatever he was going through during that whole somber sea change phase, because he's much more fun to be around now. "dreams" was on my 2015 list, and "up all night" has that same carefree, electro-pop feel that brings a smile to your face and just makes you wanna moooooove and flirt and whip your hair. i lost track of how many times i danced my little heart out in my apartment to that "living up in the air" part at the end, but it was A LOT.

3. shawn mendes - "there's nothin' holdin' me back"




to borrow a term from my 23 year-old coworker, this one is a "total bop." i've been a shawn mendes fan since "stitches," and i feel like the fact that he's canadian has a lot to do with that? what i mean is that all of his songs have a distinctly canadian quality in that they're somehow much cooler than a pop song by an american artist in a way i can't put my finger on. a less extreme musical version of trudeau and trump, if you will. this song was also hittin' hard during my june trip to seattle and portland and it made me feel v, v adventurous and free-spirited, so points for that.

2. state champs - "slow burn"




pop-punk lives!! “slow burn” is a prime example of a perfectly-executed tune within the genre. it’s got fuck-yeah chorus about a girl, obvs (with references to “everlong” and gettin’ it on, to boot) and lead singer derek discanio's voice has that essential slightly nasally quality. on a completely unrelated note, this video is extremely aesthetically pleasing and i want to hang out with these dudes so bad. listen to this one with the windows down.


1. greta van fleet - "edge of darkness"




some years, my #1 song just comes flying out of nowhere at the 11th hour, and this is one of those years. my friend mike had turned me onto greta van fleet a couple months ago, telling me i was going to love them if i hadn't heard of them already, because they were the second coming of led zeppelin. spoiler alert: he was right.

i liked them well enough at first. yet, it wasn't until this tune from their new EP came on my spotify "release radar" that i stopped in my tracks and did what i do every time i hear THE song: listen to it in my house, in my car, at the office, everywhere, all day long, for like a week. lead singer josh kiszka's voice is rich and classic, like the best parts of robert plant, grace slick, and geddy lee. even better, three of the four dudes are brothers, two are twins, and none are older than the age of 21. CARRY THE TORCH, BOYS! the chorus is grand and magical, and you can also play air guitar, air drums, and belt the fuck outta it (very important #1 song qualities).

as part of my obsessive ritual, i ended up falling into a youtube vortex and watching live GVF performances for way too long. this one is my favorite, not only because of the incredible outfits and mannerisms, but also the damn kid playing the damn guitar solo behind his damn back at 5:38. i don't care if it's the same as playing it normally, it looks so sick and you can't deny it. ok bye!

5 things i love right now

1. the collaboration between kurt vile and courtney barnett



pure joy and loveliness. a much less toxic kurt and courtney, KV & CB make meandering, beautiful autumnal music that's refreshing and familiar all at the same time. i especially love this video for their newest single, "continental breakfast," because it's so real and kurt's such a goof and his daughters are the cutest. imagine kurt vile being your dad, man.

2. pumpkin spice brulee oolong tea from teavana

OH GOD, I'VE BECOME A PUMPKIN PERSON. the mere thought of a pumpkin spice latte is enough to make me puke, and i'm extremely discriminatory when it comes to all other pumpkin incarnations. but i was shopping with my mom last weekend, and can't resist a good free sample, so i tried a lil' cup of this elixir at teavana and immediately spent a billion dollars on a tin of it in loose leaf form. it's somehow...creamy? and tastes like frolicking through foliage and snuggling in a blanket with a hot bearded guy. i know i'm not making sense, but that's what this tea has done to me. i'm obsessed.

3.  this new show, kevin probably saves the world

i'm typically into anything involving jason ritter, and this new show is no exception. the premise is silly, but interesting: "Kevin, a down-on-his-luck man, is tasked by God with a mission to save the world." a premise which is amusingly similar to the premise of one of the first shows he was on, joan of arcadia. regardless, the pilot had wit and charm and was super heartwarming, so i'm a fan thus far.

4. these apple pie bites i made today

 

i ain't much of a cook, but i DO love baking. partially because it's strangely therapeutic, and partially because i get to eat the fruits of my labor. and in this case, actual fruit. heyyyo. i found this recipe during a pinterest spree last week, and it seemed easy enough: crescent rolls filled with a mixture of brown sugar and apple pie spice, chopped pecans, and butter-dipped apple slices. 10 minutes in the oven, and bam. a homemade dessert that's fall af (and delicious af).

5. this dance routine to portugal. the man's "feel it still"



so, i didn't really "get" this song until about a month ago when i had just arrived in new york city for the weekend. as i lugged my bag with me to the subway station, a classic car rolled by, BLASTING it, and everyone on the sidewalk--myself included--instinctively started dancing. it felt like a movie scene IRL, and since then, i think of that joyful moment every time i hear it. this choreography perfectly captures that joy; i was smiling from ear to ear the entire time, and i hope you are, too.

5 things i love right now

1.  kurt vile's new song, "pretty pimpin"



he's baaaack! admittedly, it took me a while to get the whole KV "thing." i totally missed the boat on his epic smoke ring for my halo album, but quickly became obsessed with wakin on a pretty daze and have been a fervent vile fan ever since. i think i enjoy this tune from his forthcoming record, b'lieve i'm goin down, more and more with each listen. can't wait to see him live in october!

2. this local taqueria, victoria 

on my way back from a saturday afternoon matinee of paper towns (good, clean, whimsical movie BTW), i stopped at this spot in my town that i'd been wanting to check out for a while. i'm always a fan of "street food" that is, um, not on the street, so i got an order of the fish tacos and promptly fell in love. i think there is one in beverly, too. muy bueno.

3. this advice column, ask polly

i've always been a loyal boston.com love letters reader, but a friend sent me one of these "ask polly" columns a few weeks back and -- sorry not sorry -- her advice is far superior. funny, thorough, and filled with pearls of MMHMM wisdom, there's always some value to be gleaned from each response, even if you can't relate to the reader's sitch. my personal favorite is this one about tepid dudes (or, "tepid MFers" as polly colorfully dubs them). polly (real name: heather) goes on a tangent about kanye west, and leaves us with an amazing mantra which seems unrelated, but also makes perfect sense when encountering half-assed people in your life: "fuck you and your hampton house." i've used it about 5x this week already.

4. my new record player!

insound.com was going out of business and selling turntables for next to nothin'. i finally took the vinyl plunge and i'm already scouring flea markets like a fiend to build my collection. all i have so far, besides jimi, is prince's purple rain. someone buy me all the records, please.

5. PICNICS

i'd basically been begging anyone and everyone to go on a damn picnic with me for the past 2 years, and my dreams finally came true this weekend. my friend kathleen and i got word that a bunch of local restaurants were offering picnic baskets for a zillion dollars, so we snagged one from precinct in the loews hotel. it was adorable and we found a relatively clean-looking bench in the public garden and went to town. charcuterie, cheese, grapes, little pickles, and individual boston creme pies in tiny jars. oh, and a bottle of wine! we got tipsy (shhh) and shared stories, watched the people and dogs, and had a lovely afternoon. highly recommended.

my top 10 songs of 2013!

i started this tradition last year since my attention span is usually too short to deal with full albums unless they're completely amazing. what were your favorites from 2013?

p.s. you can enjoy all of these in playlist form right here.

honorable mention: wavves - "sail to the sun," driver friendly - "ghosts," smallpools - "mason jar," walk the moon - "tête-à-tête""

10. macklemore & ryan lewis f/ ray dalton - "can't hold us"



so this song was technically released all the way back in 2011, but let's be real -- were any of you cool enough to hear it back then? me neither. plus, it was re-released this year, so i'm counting it. i know everyone hates it now, but the first 20 or so times i listened to it were magic. ALRIGHT, OKAY!

9. parquet courts - "stoned & starving"


so early '90s/pavement-ish and i love it. simple. catchy. undeniably awesome bare-bones rock 'n roll.

8. fitz & the tantrums - "the walker"



every year-end song list has to have a tune that includes whistling, right? this one was in heavy rotation for me over the summer. it's just a ton of fun and has a great retro vibe. and so. much. soul!

7. the neighbourhood - "sweater weather"



proof that a song can be really hot without being vulgar. i mean, i appreciate the vulgarity too, don't get me wrong, but this is the most subtly sexy song i've heard in a long time. plus, it's the only one i know of that gives a shoutout to high-waisted shorts, aka my favorite item of clothing.

6. bass drum of death - "way out"



i'd been jamming out to BDOD's second album since he released it this past june, but actually didn't get into this song until i saw him perform it live a few months ago. kind of grungy, kind of psychedelic, kind of haunting, and totally delicious to my ears.

5. new politics - "harlem"



oh, this song deserved so much more than a taco bell commercial. i kept waiting for it to blow up and it just ... kind of never did. not really sure why, because you can't help but want to dance when that chorus hits.

4. queens of the stone age - "i sat by the ocean"



i'mma let you in on a secret. if you want me to do anything or go anywhere, just have josh homme sing the request to me. sigh. it's no "how to handle a rope," but it's a killer track nonetheless.

3. one direction - "kiss you"



1D keeps sneaking onto my list every year. how did they make it into the top five?! whatever, it's not my fault that this song is basically the perfect pop nugget and sounds like a choir of angels serenading you on a mountain made of gumdrops and skittles.

2. walk off the earth - "red hands"



basically just in love with WOTE and everything they do. from the lady of the band, sarah, helping my friend and i get into their sold-out show last year, to lead singer gianni complimenting my blog post about said show, these guys are not only super-talented, they're super-sweet, too. of course, there's also the incredible one-take video for this song that still blows my mind.

1. kurt vile - "never run away"



I. LOVE. THIS. SONG. there really wasn't any hesitation about choosing this as my #1 when making this list, and my spotify year-end thing confirmed that, in fact, mr. vile was my most-listened-to artist. from the yearning chorus to the "hey hey hey hey hey hey maaaan" and lush instrumental, it's basically perfect. he made a legit video for it, but i much prefer this one due to his intense leg-crossing, awkward air guitar motions, and adoooorable daughter.

kurt vileophile

still obsessed with this like a week later. i've always been lukewarm on kurt vile, but his new album is SO GOOD. and the promo video for his first single is the most adorable thing i've seen, like, ever.