The past 12 months of music felt like a return to a bygone era, when things didn’t seem quite as diffuse and we had more than one monocultural event to rally around. Charli XCX’s Bratmobile and Shaboozey’s bar-stomping anthem each made national headlines; everyone from kids to grandmothers were singing “Red Wine Supernovaâ€; Kendrick versus Drake was litigated for months on end. Even our pop-star flops felt like tentpole events. The songs on our best-of list represent some of the year’s most notable artists (along with a few exquisite below-the-surface players). Popularity and peerlessness don’t always go hand in hand, but it was hard to ignore just how many good songs floated up to the mainstream in 2024.
10.
“A Bar Song (Tipsy),†Shaboozey
If rap and country music can unite over one thing, it’s a good drinking song. Still, J-Kwon’s vodka-soaked party track “Tipsy†shouldn’t translate to fiddle-laden, boot-stomping country so easily. Credit Shaboozey, a unique genre bender and charming everyman, who can spin a few familiar lines into a deeper story about how his “9 to 5 ain’t workin’†and the bills are stacking up. That chorus is powerful enough to make anyone forget about paying the gas and electric. —Justin Curto
9.
“girl, so confusing remix featuring lorde,†Charli XCX feat. Lorde
Who wasn’t riding for Charli this year? The OG fans still begging for “Red Balloon†in the set list, the newcomers taken in by the influencer-studded “360†music video, Jake Tapper for some reason. Certainly Lorde was, as she emphatically states at the end of this four-on-the-floor burner. One of the many centerpieces of an endless album rollout, Charli first teased the titular girl on an episode of Las Culturistas. It didn’t take a psychologist to know who she was talking about (“They say we’ve got the same hair …â€). But Charli and Lorde weren’t planning on any sort of public feud, they were, yes, going to work it out on the remix. The story line turned the new version of “so confusing†into an event, with each line more quotable than the last: “I can’t tell if you want to see me falling over and failing†sings Charli; “‘You walk like a bitch,’ when I was 10 someone said that,†replies Lorde. The year’s biggest pop meetup culminated in a victory-lap live performance between the two stars, during Charli and Troye Sivan’s Sweat Tour stop at Madison Square Garden. It was loud, it was emphatic, it was very bratâ„¢. —Alex Suskind
8.
“The Last Year,†Jessica Pratt
Like the rest of her new album, Here in the Pitch, Jessica Pratt’s “The Last Year†drops in like a visit from an old daydream — sweet, wistful, a tad melancholic. Over a gentle guitar and smoky reverb pulled from a ’60s soul track, Pratt sings of a favorable future: “You’d wonder if ever there’s been hope for me / I think it’s gonna be fine / I think we’re gonna be together / And the story line goes forever.†In an era where recycled culture threatens to blot out anything original and doomer temperaments show up in everything from weather reports to clothing commercials, Pratt’s vintage approach sounds both bracingly alive and refreshingly hopeful. —A.S.Â
7.
“Hang Tight Honey,†Lainey Wilson
If you want to know how Lainey Wilson earned Entertainer of the Year honors, it’s all on the spunky barn-burner “Hang Tight Honey.†Literally, she’s singing about playing “two hundred days to a hundred townsâ€Â for audiences “gettin’ straight-up sideways,†as she hoots and belts over freight-train guitars. Wilson’s ultimately singing to a man she can’t wait to come home to — but before she does, she’s going to make every second on that stage count. —J.C.
6.
“Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,†Karol G
If any song deserved to be released on the first day of summer, it was “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido.†Karol G’s merengue-pop track is a light, exuberant daydream, best listened to with the sun beating down and a cold drink in your hand. The sound is simple but precise: The jaunty piano riff is an instant earworm, the percussion is enough to get your hips shaking, and Karol’s voice is radiant as she dreams up a future with the guy across the bar. —J.C.
5.
“All You Children,†Jamie xx and the Avalanches
If Jamie xx’s second solo album, In Waves, is a full-length callback to the dance floor — an invitation, after a pandemic and amid more polarization than ever, to form a community among the blaring bass and flashing lights — “All You Children†is its thesis statement. Jamie, alongside sampledelia greats the Avalanches, turns a recorded children’s poem from the poet Nikki Giovanni into an invitation that “we will dance together,†pausing before the last word for emphasis. The track behind it expands and contracts to the sampled chants of a children’s choir, like a living, breathing organism. —J.C.
4.
“Commas,†Ayra Starr
The year’s sweetest-sounding tell-off and a heartfelt ode to a higher power, “Commas†is a charming cross-genre earworm that exudes cool confidence. “I carry God so I fear nothing,†she sings over an indelible acoustic guitar loop, before providing a quick and easy guide to dealing with the gossip of those who continue to doubt you: “Energy wrong, I log off.†Even when she’s brushing her haters aside, the singer’s soprano hugs the melody like a soft pillow. —A.S.
3.
“Pink Skies,†Zach Bryan
The funeral at the center of Zach Bryan’s “Pink Skies†isn’t his mother’s, but Bryan still sings about her with a familial sense of care — and candor. “If you could see ’em now, you’d be proud / but you’d think they’s yuppies,†Bryan admits of his subject’s kids, over warm, folky chords. He knows what’s coming next is the more important part anyway: “Your funeral was beautiful / I bet God heard you coming!†Bryan is a muted narrator for most of the song, until that last line, as if he’s building all his resolve to shout to the heavens. —J.C.
2.
“Hiss,†Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion is truly vicious on “Hiss,†piling on bars about everyone who’s so obsessed with her — reminding us that Nicki Minaj is married to a sex offender and calling Drake a “cosplay gangster†with a fake accent. She raps at a breakneck clip, shuffling through all the flows in her arsenal, with every line more quotable than the last (a feat when you come out rapping, “My pussy so famous, might get managed by Kris Jenner nextâ€). The most impressive part is how much fun Megan is having here, cackling between verses. She’ll grin in your face while rapping the nastiest line you’ve heard. —J.C.
1.
“Alesis,†Mk.gee
On “Alesis,†Michael Gordon, the 28-year-old songwriter and performer known as Mk.gee, sounds like he’s in the thick of an identity crisis. “I’m in another body who’s in somebody else,†he says. And later, “Why bleed when we don’t have to?†It sounds undeniably dour when you consider the year Gordon’s had, having morphed from niche indie artist and Dijon collaborator to SNL performer and music journo-approved “Guitar God,†praised by the likes of John Mayer and Eric Clapton (the latter of whom called him a “young Princeâ€). That alliterative term may have lost its luster back in the Reagan administration, but its resurrection feels fitting here. It’s not just that Gordon nails the look (long, scraggly hair), cockiness (he’s called his album Two Star & the Dream Police “perfectâ€), or — especially with “Alesis†— the ability to create a classic top-line melody (he’s currently working on music with Justin Bieber). It’s that he can make his instrument sound like anything — a warble, a flood, a person speaking. On “Alesis†it’s as gnarly as a buzzsaw and as fuzzy felt. It’s the only song this year that feels like a trust fall. —A.S.
Other Song Highlights From This Year
Throughout the year, Vulture maintained a “Best Songs of the Year (So Far)†list. Many of those selections appear above in our top ten. Below, the rest of the songs that stood out to them this year, presented in order of release date.
“Sticky,†Tyler, the Creator feat. GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Lil Wayne
A Chromakopia highlight that asks the questions, You know who would sound sick together? And, Why don’t we make the beat sound like one of those 2000s Trick Daddy joints? Let’s put these four in a supergroup next. —Alex Suskind
“Afterlife,†Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory
Sharon Van Etten has been reinventing herself over the past few years, pivoting from spare indie-rock songwriting toward the darker, more synthetic sound introduced on her 2019 album, Remind Me Tomorrow. Her backing band has been central to that transformation, adding even more of a punch behind the moving songs Van Etten has always sung. Now, Van Etten is giving them equal billing as the Attachment Theory on her upcoming album. Their dramatic lead single, “Afterlife,†is a compelling introduction as the band — drummer Jorge Balbi, bassist Devra Hoff, and keyboardist-guitarist Teeny Lieberson — pushes Van Etten to go louder, rawer, and altogether more evocative at every turn in the song. —Justin Curto
“Perfect Stranger,†FKA Twigs
A sparse, sexy dance-pop anthem about hooking up with a total stranger without having to know their alma mater, astrological sign, or (God forbid) politics. As Twigs says, “I don’t know, and I don’t care.†—A.S.
“Surfing a Tsunami,†Future
“Future is still talking about the same thing†(girls, drugs, depression over how much money he is/isn’t spending). But who cares when it sounds this sharp? —A.S.
“I Hate Love Songs,†Miranda Lambert
While much of Nashville was scrutinizing her divorce from Blake Shelton nearly ten years ago, Miranda Lambert started escaping to Marfa, Texas, to write songs with her friends Jon Randall and Jack Ingram. These were some of the more painful songs Lambert had written — and they still cut just as deeply today, like “I Hate Love Songs,†dusted off for her new full-length, Postcards From Texas. An early Marfa track, “Love Songs†is piercing in its plainspoken conviction. “Have you ever hated yourself / For runnin’ right off the rails? / For chasin’ demons? / For no good reason?†Lambert wonders, digging into the words over little more than an acoustic guitar and a drumbeat. The emotions of the song may have passed, but Lambert sings it as if she remembers them vividly. —J.C.
“Wavy Navy University,â€Â Babyface Ray feat. Veeze
Ray and Veeze pull off the near-impossible: rapping their asses off over a sample of Britney Spears’s “Toxic,†then actually getting it cleared by Spears’s team. —A.S.
“Coloured Concrete,†Nemahsis
A pop-ish/rock-ish anthem with late-aughts Santigold energy. The hook will claw its way into your brain and never leave. —A.S.
“booboo,†Yaeji
Yaeji’s new Jersey-club cut is the year’s catchiest bust-a-move instruction manual (“Dance and shake your booty from the left to the right,â€) plus a commentary on the young producer’s rise to fame. After her 2017 track “Raingurl†led to her breakout moment, Yaeji felt she needed to take some time away from clubbing (“You know that I wasn’t really ready at the time†she sings). With respect to her excellent but more downtempo 2023 album, With a Hammer, it’s good to have her back on the dance floor. —A.S.
“Hell 99,†Foxing
If you’re gonna curse in a song, you’ve gotta make it count — like Foxing’s Conor Murphy does in “Hell 99,†screaming “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!†at the top of his lungs. He has a lot more to yell about too: “Told myself there has to be a better quality of suffering,†he sings. “There has to be fatigue worthy of something but there’s nothing.†Once the song fades into feedback, there’s no respite. Murphy just sounds exhausted, wondering, “Is this all that there is?†—J.C.
“Holy, Holy,†Geordie Greep
The year’s most bombastic song is a razor-sharp parody of a creep badly shooting his shot. “The barmaids know my name / I’ve had them all before / You are new; I’ll have you, too,†Black Midi front man Geordie Greep spits over some lovely Donald Fagen–esque jazz chords. Listen to the song — then stay the hell away from its main character. —A.S.
“Get Still,†Alan Sparhawk
The gorgeous “Get Still†sees Sparhawk exploring grief through glitches, sawtooth waves, and an absurd amount of Auto-Tune. —A.S.
“Finer Things,†Post Malone featuring Hank Williams Jr.
Post Malone may be new to country music, but he’s not new to a brag track. On “Finer Things,†he’s traded the girls and drugs for caviar with his catfish and designer pistols. But this is still a Post Malone song, too: “Plat’num on my teeth / Wagyu on my grill,†he grins. Yeah, it sounds like Posty’s enjoying the country life. And it’s infectious — even 75-year-old Hank Williams Jr. loosens up, singing about swigging thousand-dollar bourbon from a Solo cup and blasting his dad’s music at the lake. —J.C.
“No One Else,†Elias Rønnenfelt
Iceage’s Elias Rønnenfelt sings in a slurred growl that often sounds like he’s a few drinks deeper than you. But strip his band’s rock symphonies down to just a few strummed guitars, like on his new solo song “No One Else,†and Rønnenfelt now sounds anguished. “Her kisses truly sweet like no one else / But I couldn’t keep my fingers to myself,†he sings, the pain in that seemingly invincible voice now on full display. —J.C.
“problem,†Cash Cobain
“Problem†is like a buffet for sexy-drill fans: 14 MCs rapping progressively libidinous bars across eight minutes over a twitchy Laila flip. Highlights include Rob49 asking whether “you tryna cry in a Rolls-Royce or a Camryâ€; Flee yelling, “I’m a slut! I’m a freak!â€; and Flo Milli being Flo Milli (rapping, “I know hoes hate my guts, but I guess that’s not my problemâ€). —A.S.
“Active,†Asake featuring Travis Scott
Asake is restless. Having risen in the Afrobeats ranks and conquered amapiano, he’s searching for something new on Lungu Boy. “Active†is one of his most fruitful discoveries, blending Nigerian fuji, New Orleans bounce, and Travis Scott’s Houston trap. The propulsive beat sounds instantly club bound (Mike Dean co-produced), and Scott sounds especially comfortable, rapping a perky, proficient verse. It’s Asake who’s in unfamiliar territory, but even so, he’s all cool: “And if my success dey disturb you, go recover,†he warns. —J.C.
“Continuum 1,†Nala Sinephro
A quiet snare roll, a meandering saxophone, and a bleep-bloop synth riff form the beautifully bewitching opener to multi-instrumentalist Nala Sinephro’s Endlessness. —A.S.
“It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking),†Jack White
For all those eccentric, indelible turns of phrase, Jack White still doesn’t get enough credit as a lyricist. (What other rocker even knows the word lazaretto?) So as awesome as it is to hear him shredding again on surprise album No Name, let’s take a moment to appreciate these fantastic lines: “As bad as we’ve got it / It sure must be rough on rats.†Yeah, he’s one of the only songwriters who would turn a song about how humans are destroying society and the planet into one about rodents — and top it off with a wailing garage-blues guitar solo. —J.C.
“Low Threshold,†Navy Blue
I wouldn’t go so far as to call “Low Threshold†a protest song, but it is refreshing to hear any artist today call out America’s fixation on using its citizen’s paychecks to bomb civilians abroad. “My tax dollar killing children and they mothers,†Navy Blue raps over a player-piano beat. “Fathers, aunties, cousins, uncles, all that / Guess it’s safe to say the bottom is the place to fall at.†For him, death in the news and in his own life haunts him like a specter: “Why does life feel like a hug and death is just a kiss? / Don’t you drift away from us and fall in that abyss.†—A.S.
“Catfish,†Doechii
One of the smoothest flows in rap, showcased over a distorted kick-snare-cymbal combo. Bonus points to Doechii for somehow rhyming “Ventura†with “jeweler†and “hoorah.†—A.S.
“Add Up My Love,†Clairo
On her third album, Charm, Clairo challenged herself to step out of her pensive, often somber comfort zone. She wanted to write songs that were more playful, but in reality, she found an even wider spectrum of emotion — including some delicious sass on the standout “Add Up My Love.†Facing a floundering relationship, Clairo decides to lean into not only her sadness, but her anger. “Was it enough?†she asks her counterpart, pounding the piano like mid-’70s Carole King. There’s disdain in that line, but the next verse packs cruel irony: “Do you miss all the ways I put you in your place? / You say you like all of my attitude.†—J.C.
“When I’m Called,†Jake Xerxes Fussell
Jake Xerxes Fussell is not a songwriter; he’s a song-finder. A trained folklorist, he often performs tunes he’s learned from mentors and field recordings. He can even turn a fisherman’s sales pitch into a song. “When I’m Called†pulls from a more contemporary artifact, a stray piece of writing seemingly from a student in detention. When Fussell sings the lines, after minutes of curling guitar, it sounds out of place: “I will not breakdance in the hall� But Fussell delivers them with the same warm reverence as he would a song passed down for generations, before leading into a verse from the folk standard “Look Up Look Down That Long Lonesome Road.†It amounts to something mysterious yet moving, bringing new meaning to a century-old song about the passage of time. —J.C.
“Scooter Blues,†Johnny Blue Skies
Sturgill Simpson wanted to get away from it all. So for his new album, Passage du Desir, he didn’t just change his name — the modern country outlaw spent chunks of time living abroad. It worked. Simpson’s time in Thailand, riding his moped and opening a bar, inspired “Scooter Blues,†maybe the most laid-back track he’s ever cut. The song sounds like a blissed-out summer afternoon with Simpson channeling his best Jimmy Buffett as he dreams of fishing, tanning, and scootering around an island. Simpson contends with identity and death on some of Passage’s heavier moments, but here, he sounds content, even relieved: “When people say, ‘Are you him?’ I’ll say, ‘Not anymore.’†—J.C.
“Yayo,†Rema
Don’t call Rema a sellout. After making Afrobeats’ biggest crossover hit yet, he could’ve continued chasing the western mainstream. Instead, on new album Heis, Rema keeps his focus on stretching the genre. “Yayo†is a glowing example of the Afro-rave style he perfects on Heis — a pulsing, sweaty, bass-heavy track with an earworm hook that sounds best after midnight. —J.C.
“Lucky Sometimes,†Midland
Midland knows that little things can make a difference. Maybe it’s hitting a few green lights or winning a football parlay, as they sing about on “Lucky Sometimes,†or maybe it’s the song’s breathtaking howl of a harmonica. This is the trio’s old-fashioned country at its most charming, and it doesn’t take much — a crisp piano, a few acoustic guitars, and some heart-melting three-part harmonies. It’s a wonder this is the band’s first time crossing paths with Dave Cobb, a producer chasing their same classic sound. —J.C.
“She’s Leaving You,†MJ Lenderman
MJ Lenderman is fascinated with losing. He sang about being a “beat-down rodeo clown†and literally falling on his face on his 2022 breakout, Boat Songs; even “Dan Marino†focused on the Hall of Fame quarterback being replaced by Tom Brady on the Wheaties box. On “She’s Leaving You,†Lenderman has never made failure sound so good. His character is a sleazy faker who loves Clapton and Vegas and, as the title suggests, can’t keep a woman around. Not the kind of guy you might want to be singing about — until you hear that roaring chorus: “It falls apart / We all got work to do.†Cap it off with a coarse, Crazy Horse–esque guitar solo and you’ve got a winner of a song. —J.C.
“TGIF,†GloRilla
Congrats to Glo for dropping 2024’s best pump-up song (hey, Rihanna agrees with me!) and its wildest nature-as-genitalia lyric. The world’s moose population will never be the same. —A.S.
“Put Em in the Fridge,†Peso Pluma feat. Cardi B
On his latest album, Éxodo, Peso Pluma is out to prove that he’s not just one of the biggest stars in música Mexicana — he’s a pop star. So on “Put Em in the Fridge,†he takes on one of pop’s biggest challenges by going toe-to-toe with Cardi B. Amazingly, he holds his own, spitting threats to his enemies and even rapping the hook in English, over a corrido-goes-trap beat full of squealing horns. Peso’s presence challenges Cardi, too, as she raps her best Spanglish verse yet (“En Jalisco ven mi culo y dicen, ‘Diablo, Cardi’†goes hard in any language). It’s an unrelenting two and a half minutes, and both performers come out bigger stars than before. —J.C.
“Big Boy,†Normani
The cards were stacked against a Normani debut album. After five years of false starts, fans had lost hope it would even arrive (Normani eventually chalked its absence up, at least partially, to her mother’s cancer diagnosis). That makes Dopamine’s existence a small miracle. It’s an even bigger one that it absolutely hits. Opener “Big Boy,†with its slap-heavy bass line, sharp Starrah ad-libs, and eff-the-haters lyrics (“Small change, turn them small pieces into big boysâ€), sets the tone. This isn’t the mainstream pop of Normani’s 2019 hit “Motivation.†It’s funkier, sexier, sleeker. —A.S.
“Please Please Please,†Sabrina Carpenter
“Espresso†finally has some song-of-summer competition — from Sabrina Carpenter herself. “Please Please Please,†the rising star’s follow-up, is somehow breezier and weirder than (and completely different from) her undeniable dance-pop hit. Carpenter plays a 21st-century Olivia Newton-John on the sun-kissed pop-country–ish song, pleading with a lover to not embarrass her. She packs the song with silly quotables with help from “Espresso†co-writer Amy Allen: “I know you’re cravin’ some fresh air, but the ceiling fan is so nice,†she sings with the pep of a cheerleader. And just like “Espresso,†this one’s all momentum too: Carpenter sticks the landing on a thrilling second-verse key change and Swiftian outro. —J.C.
“Death & Romance,†Magdalena Bay
For the first few years of their career, Magdalena Bay were overeager students of pop music, stuffing their music with styles and homages. Now, they’re quickly becoming masters themselves. “Death & Romance,†the presumed leadoff to a new album, is denser and sleeker than anything off their debut, Mercurial World. A house piano line grows into a full kaleidoscopic track, flourished with twinkly synths and groovy bass. The duo hasn’t lost their prog-rock roots, though, as Mica Tenenbaum sings from the perspective of a woman whose alien boyfriend has left her. The hook splits the difference between a perfect pop earworm and a prog declaration: “You know nothing is fair in death and romance.†—J.C.
“Lunch,†Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish didn’t release singles ahead of her third album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, but she was hiding an obvious one in plain sight. With “Lunch,†Eilish gives one of her coolest performances yet, gliding over an ’80s New Wave–ish groove as she sings about a girl who seems, well, good enough to eat. “Taking pictures in the mirror / Oh my God, her skin’s so clear / Tell her, ‘Bring that over here,’†sings Eilish, balancing wide-eyed eagerness with sexy nonchalance. “Lunch†made headlines as Eilish’s first track about being with a woman, but beneath that, it’s just a charged-up pop song. —J.C.
➽ Read Craig Jenkins’s review of Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft.
“Delphinium Blue,†Cassandra Jenkins
Cassandra Jenkins recites the spoken hook to “Delphinium Blue†with an entrancing, eerie swagger, like she could be anything from a gang lackey to a housewife: “Chin up / Stay on task / Wash the windows / Count the cash.†Really, she’s working at a flower shop, as the title gives away. It’s a job Jenkins actually took, in a moment of confusion. But her daily duties began to feel mythic, she said, like she “was surrounded by a Greek chorus.†She translates that feeling to song on “Delphinium Blue,†backed by a plodding, cinematic track and, yes, even a choir. —J.C.
“Old Dutch,†Bonny Light Horseman
“Old Dutch,†from folk supergroup Bonny Light Horseman, is about two lovers struggling to verbalize their terrifyingly big feelings. “You know that you move me and I don’t know why,†sings Eric Johnson, best known for his indie-folk project Fruit Bats. The song doesn’t build toward any epiphany or resolution — instead, Bonny Light Horseman wants to make listeners feel the same way. So near the fourth minute, Johnson’s howl gives way to a singing crowd, recorded live in an Irish pub where the band tracked half their new double album. —J.C.
“Not Like Us,†Kendrick Lamar
The filthiest diss track in decades, Lamar’s “Not Like Us†turned Drake’s alleged shortcomings into spectator sport. The war between the two had been simmering for a decade before J. Cole made the mistake of referring to himself, Drizzy, and Kendrick as rap’s “big three†on Drake’s song “First Person Shooter†(Kendrick’s response, on “Like Thatâ€: “It’s just big me.â€) Thus ensued multiple rounds of diss tracks — Cole infamously bowed out early — before Kendrick threw down the hammer. You know you won the beef of the century when everyone in America is shouting along to lyrics that claim your rival is a colonizing pedophile. —A.S.
“Love Me Not,†Ravyn Lenae
Ravyn Lenae’s early standouts like “Sticky†and “Free Room†were full of youthful playfulness — after all, the singer was only a teenager when she recorded them. After exploring a more mature, sultry sound on 2022’s Hypnos, she finds that levity again on “Love Me Not,†with help from a playground game. The single is springy throwback R&B: crisp drums, sly bass, and a good dose of reverb set against Lenae’s classically trained voice. —J.C.
“Baddy on the Floor,†Jamie xx feat. Honey Dijon
Jamie xx’s ears work differently. When most listeners hear Divine Styler’s boisterous hip-hop track “Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’,†they gravitate toward that squealing horn, sampled from Motown’s Junior Walker and later made famous in House of Pain’s “Jump Around.†Not Jamie. He takes a few stray bars from Styler’s first verse and mashes, stretches, and loops them into the hook of this slick dance track: “Move your body on the floor.†With the blessing of house evangelist Honey Dijon and some slick piano and horns from Keni Burke’s forgotten “Let Somebody Love You,†that command becomes easy to follow. Where Jamie’s recent singles like “It’s So Good†have been dense and intricate constructions, “Baddy†shows that sometimes, just a few perfect sounds can be transportive. —J.C.
“Nasty,†Tinashe
Tinashe fans spent the last decade telling you how slept on their fave was. It took until 2024 for casual listeners to finally start paying attention. Credit “Nasty,†a sultry, sexy ear worm and guide directed at would-be suitors. (“Is somebody gonna match my freak? / Need somebody with a good technique.â€) The song turned into an instant meme thanks to this hero and went on to become Tinashe’s first solo entry on the Hot 100 since her 2014 single “2 On.†—A.S.
“Comin’ Around Again,†Amber Mark
Amber Mark’s first solo follow-up to her debut album is feel-good music to the max. Mark blends high-gloss turn-of-the-century R&B with a joyous gospel piano line and sunny Motown-esque songwriting for a love song that feels fresh yet genuinely timeless. (Okay, minus the one line about cell phones.) She’s maturing as a lyricist too, trading the clichés that could weigh down 2022’s Three Dimensions Deep for satisfying concision on lines like, “Let’s take it easy, no diamond, no pressure.†Falling in love has never sounded so smooth. —J.C.
“Dream State,†Kamasi Washington featuring André 3000
A meandering ambient-jazz sesh by two of the coolest people on the planet — one of whom has admitted to not knowing how to play his growing collection of flutes despite making an entirely new career phase out of it. You need that kind of blind confidence when you’re playing next to someone like Kamasi. André’s anti-textbook approach sounds like birdsong as the veteran saxophonist keeps a steady hand. —A.S.
“Self Sabotage,†Katie Pruitt
Katie Pruitt directs her most penetrating lyrics at herself. “I wish my head had a trapdoor / For when I need escaping,†she opens her song “Self Sabotage.†An early peak to Pruitt’s second album, Mantras, the song faces the negative thought patterns that inspired the record head-on. The anthem builds from a whimper to a full-throated cry, amplified by wailing electric guitars and pounding drums: “I’m not some narcissistic God / Abandon this self-sabotage.†Pruitt may fashion herself a folky country singer in the vein of her hero Brandi Carlile, but here she sounds closer to the exposed indie-rock songs of Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus.—J.C.
“Cheerleader,†Porter Robinson
Porter Robinson has grown a lot in three years. His last album, 2021’s Nurture, was marked by anxiety over following up his 2014 debut — a weight he carried for years before channeling it into a collection of explosive, life-affirming songs. On “Cheerleader,†the first single off a new album, Robinson sounds like he’s having fun again. It’s a slick turn from EDM to indie pop, like a Passion Pit song went to a rave: bubbly, bright, and loud. —J.C.
“Get It Sexyy,†Sexyy Red
Who’s writing better hooks right now than Sexyy Red? Over a brooding Tay Keith beat, the St. Louis rapper becomes her own cheerleader: “Walkin’ through the club lookin’ like a snack (But you knew that though)â€; “Catch me slidin’ in a Benzâ€; “Go on, Sexyy, do your dance.†Like “SkeeYee†and “PoundTown†(and “Hellcat SRTs†and “Rich Babby Daddyâ€), everything here is quotable. —A.S.
“Classical,†Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend can rewind to 2008 with just one sound. A few seconds into “Classical,†a riff drops in that sounds like a harpsichord, immediately transporting you back to quirky early cuts like “M79.†But that’s a fake out. Listen closer, and the harpsichord is actually a guitar riff, distorted like many of the other instruments on Only God Was Above Us. “Classical†pulls from other Vampire Weekend eras too: the jaunty acoustic guitar from Father of the Bride, the pensive politics of Modern Vampires of the City. It builds up to something new for the band: a chaotic, free-jazzy breakdown. “It’s clear something’s gonna change / And when it does, which classical remains?,†Ezra Koenig wonders. For Vampire Weekend, the answer is a little bit of everything. —J.C.
“Symptom of Life,†Willow
Willow’s artistry is one of adaptability — a flexible performer who can flip between alt-R&B jams, nü-metal covers, and scratchy pop-punk with ease. On “Life,†she pivots to hypnotic jazz-rock about masking your true emotions. “I know I’m not fine,†she sings over major-dominant piano chords. “But yes, I say I’m fine.†—A.S.
“Von Dutch,†Charli XCX
Charli XCX’s music exists at two ends of the swinging pendulum. She goes for middle-of-the-road pop gloss when her major-label contract is up and makes a song for the biggest movie of the year, then she returns with a breezy, sleazy club track that she played at the Boiler Room. “Von Dutch†is an immediate hit of the messy Charli we’d been missing since 2017’s Pop 2, pushed from zero to 100 and then into overdrive. “Von Dutch, cult classic but I still pop,†she says, over the dirtiest synths you ever did hear. —J.C.
➽ Read Jason Frank’s scene report from Charli XCX’s Boiler Room set.
“Peacekeeper,†1010benja
“Peacekeeper†is one of the many genre-mashing magic tricks producer-singer-rapper 1010benja pulls off on his spectacular debut album, Ten Total. Yes, I’m as surprised as you are that “sex raps over a bossa nova drum beat†sounds as good as it does. —A.S.
“Ogallala,†Hurray for the Riff Raff
Honestly, I could have picked anything off The Past Is Still Alive, an album-as-road-trip folktale from Alynda Segarra’s Hurray for the Riff Raff. I flipped a coin and went with “Ogallala,†the final montage soundtrack for Segarra’s cross-country trek. After an epic journey of freight-train-hopping, sleeping on trash piles, and ducking the cops in Nebraska, they’re ready to take it all in. “We’ll get lost in a city forgotten / ’Cause I don’t like change / And I hate good-byes.â€Â —A.S.
➽ Read Jenn Pelly’s profile of Alynda Segarra.
“Yearn 101,†ScHoolboy Q
The aggrieved ScHoolboy Q fans who spent the last five years begging for new music (hi, it’s me) can finally shut up now that the rapper dropped his sprawling new record, Blue Lips. The bass-rattling “Yeern 101†feels like a personal challenge Q made to himself, stuffing as many neck-snapping bars as he could into a two-minute track. —A.S.
➽ Read Craig Jenkins’s review of ScHoolboy Q’s Blue Lips.
“Bored,†Waxahatchee
Katie Crutchfield has found a home making glistening, easygoing country music — first on 2020’s Saint Cloud, then with Jess Williamson in Plains in 2022, and now on her album Tigers Blood. Though she took a long, winding path to get there — she began her career making punk music with her sister Allison — she still has that rocker’s spirit, just with a bit more twang now. “My spine’s a rotted two-by-four,†she cries, over a wall of guitars. (MJ Lenderman, from the Southern punk band Wednesday, plays on the track.) Telling the story of a messy split from a friend, Crutchfield chooses her words carefully: “I get bored,†she repeats, the line becoming more cutting each time. —J.C.
“16 Carriages,†Beyoncé
On “16 Carriages,†Beyoncé tackles the sort of track that country artists have been cutting for decades: a road song. “At 15, the innocence was gone astray / Had to leave my home at an early age,†she sings, remembering her first tour with Destiny’s Child. Beyoncé fashions herself as the weary troubadour, reminding fans that her glamorous life didn’t come without sacrifice. It’s the most Beyoncé has opened up on a record in years, and it’s no coincidence that it’s on a country ballad — her own three chords and the truth. Robert Randolph’s resounding steel guitar adds a touch of Southern gospel, while Bey brings some soulful riffing throughout. To paraphrase her, “16 Carriages†is more than country music — it’s Beyoncé music. —J.C.
➽ Read Craig Jenkins’s review of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter.
“Don’t Forget Me,†Maggie Rogers
As the engagement photos crowd Instagram and the wedding invites pile up, it’s hard not to let your mind run wild. Even Maggie Rogers knows the feeling. On her sepia ballad “Don’t Forget Me,†she watches in shock as her friends’ relationships progress. “I’m still tryin’ to clean up my side of the street,†she sings. The title is a double plea: to the men who Rogers isn’t quite with for the long haul (“a good lover or a friend that’s nice to meâ€) and to her friends, progressing onto new stages of life. Rogers has made a name off emotional honesty, and she rarely sounds more unadorned than in the chorus, wailing over a swaying, ’70s-ish piano.
“Fashion Icon,†Aliyah’s Interlude
An influencer attempting to parlay their GRWM videos into a successful music career is the kind of thing annoying industry-plant discourse subsists on. But who cares about that when you’re making earworm-y club bangers like “Fashion Icon� —A.S.
“Where We’ve Been,†Friko
“Where We’ve Been†is a song just begging to soundtrack the climax of a coming-of-age movie, from a Chicago duo who only just came of age themselves. The song starts out claustrophobic, with Niko Kapetan’s voice hushed and quivering over an acoustic guitar. Then comes an electric riff, some pattering drums, more singers. It’s a formula executed to perfection — until it all crashes down in the bridge. The band’s passion is combustible; Kapetan said everyone was in tears by the end of the recording. That’s the power of a great rock crescendo. —J.C.
“Bye Bye,†Kim Gordon
Is it Soundcloud rap? A noise-rock anthem? A grocery list masked as spoken-word poetry? Yes, and also, just a Kim Gordon song. —A.S.
“Lego Ring,†Faye Webster featuring Lil Yachty
Faye Webster and Lil Yachty are two of the biggest tricksters in their respective genres, but they’ve both gotten pretty serious lately. Thankfully, though, the two middle-school friends can still help each other kick back, as they do on Webster’s “Lego Ring.†There are fleeting moments of beauty, like Yachty’s warbling harmonies or Webster’s simple, piercing lyrics (“It’s a mood ring / It’ll pick for meâ€), but that’s not what this song is about. It’s about Yachty rapping “Always together like string beans†(the new “She blow that dick like a celloâ€) in the outro. Seriousness is overrated, anyway. —J.C.
“Lucky,†Erika de Casier
“Lucky†is a specific type of love song, about an infatuation that gives you butterflies. Erika de Casier finds the most thrill in the small details of her crush, like the perfect way their white T-shirt fits. “I felt it in my body like whoa,†she sings, making that one syllable soar. The whole track flutters with ecstasy, especially the racing, clubby drum track, racing like a heartbeat. It’s an understated twist on the same thrilling formula de Casier helped execute on songs like NewJeans’ “Super Shy.†—J.C.