40. Wilco—Love Is Everywhere (Beware)

I’m convinced that Jeff Tweedy could write a good song under heavy anesthesia, so my appreciation for “Love Is Everywhere” isn’t founded in its lyrics but in its wonderful, sunny-yet-mournful composition.

39. Joël—Vent

A good R&B song. Also, this one is (wonderfully) produced by COLIN MONROE. Somebody else out there will appreciate what a throwback that name is. I have been listening to music on the internet for too long.

38. BROCKHAMPTON—NO HALO

Brockhampton’s batting lineup of collaborators still works like a dream when things click like this. The texture of the instrumental is great. I need a Matt Champion solo album.

37. Freddie Gibbs and Madlib—Giannis (ft. Anderson .Paak)

At one point, Freddie Gibbs says he watches Dora The Explorer with his daughter each morning. In the next line, he says, “Then I get right back to the pot. Kitchen stankin’, that’s potty trainin’.” Also, if you don’t like the Anderson .Paak verse, never talk to me again.

36. Big Thief—Cattails

Big Thief’s U.F.O.F. has this remarkable quality that could be described as both “rural” and “mystical.” I can’t help but compare it to season 1 of True Detective or the (impeccable) podcast, S-Town.

35. Wilco—Everyone Hides

Late-period Jeff Tweedy in his bag.

34. Signals Midwest—Pin

The Cleveland outfit opens their newest EP with predictably evocative songwriting. “The turnpike gate clamps down to start the scene,” sings Max Stern. “Like a shutter snapping candids of a dream.” It feels like something only they could write.

33. Rex Orange County—Pluto Projector

The biggest reason Rex Orange County’s Pony failed to live up to my lofty expectations is that I felt like it pulled back from some of the more probing, nuanced writing that graced Apricot Princess. “Pluto Projector” is a notable exception. “Seventy-mil projector, I could show you everything,” he sings. But, alas, “I don’t think so. I don’t think I’m meant to understand myself.” Rex is good at yearning and grappling. I need more like this.

32. Still Woozy—Habit

The power of musical viscosity at play. It pools in syrupy choruses before dribbling and running through livelier verses. If this were a movie, I’d applaud its pacing.

31. Kevin Abstract—Baby Boy

Kevin Abstract’s mystique lies in his knack for melody and world-building, two things that bubble right on the surface in “Baby Boy.” I think I could recognize Abstract’s work just by reading the lyrics, yet the rest of its thrust doesn’t arrive until you get the catchy hook and lilting backup vocals. “Something is missing now, I need to find the right way to your house. Head lights pointed at the dawn. Stuck in the mosh pit, lost in the crowd.”

30. Lana Del Rey—How to Disappear

I first heard this song when Lana Del Rey performed it at the end of an Apple event in 2018 (there’s some joke to be made here about her early-career knock as an industry plant). I instantly fell in love. It’s a love song for a relationship that’s either broken or real, depending on how pessimistic you feel like being. “All of the guys tell me lies. But you don’t, you just crack another beer.”

29. Dogleg—Fox

Punk music is not dead. Truthfully, I’m not sure why this song is the one music critics at large decided to latch onto, but I’m not going to be the one to complain. The “mainstream” music scene is just better when bands like this, and music like this, get to play a part.

28. Big Thief—Not

Big Thief became a bit of a polarizing group in 2019, but only a fool would deny the impact they’ve had. I mean, they had two albums in the top 15 of Pitchfork’s best of the year. I appreciate their work a lot, especially their first album of the year, U.F.O.F., yet I wouldn’t consider myself among those carrying their flag into 2020. Having said that, “Not” is the proof of their potential as an indie darling. It rips.

27. Jai Paul—He

Every nerdy internet music kid around my age has spent years dreaming of a Jai Paul return we all had grown to assume would never come. I’ve been pining after it since high school, college, and even as recently as this spring. Then in June, he just kind of… popped back up. Perhaps equally miraculously, “He” is exactly what we were all waiting for. It’s a return to the spacy, synthy, dance anthem yet still a progression from songs we’ve been replaying for a decade now.

26. Bon Iver—Hey, Ma

“Hey, Ma” is less a reinvention for Justin Vernon than it is a reinforcement. Sonically in line with Bon Iver’s earlier work, it’s brimming with nostalgic lyrics and a warm, sensitive palate. It may sound counterintuitive, but singles like this are proof of Vernon’s distinctive voice and power. The greats reinvent themselves regularly but always return to their strengths and find ways to bring new energy to well-worn ideas.

25. Billie Eilish—xanny

Billie Eilish emerged as a force in the pop scene in 2019. “Bad Guy” seems to be popping up in commercials and movie trailers every other week, but the most gripping song in my eyes is “xanny.” It’s a quiet, rattling, textured indictment of our modern drug epidemic. “What is it about them? I must be missing something,” she wonders. “They just keep doing nothing—too intoxicated to be scared.” Meanwhile, Eilish is “still just drinking canned Coke. I don’t need a Xanny to feel better.”

24. Rex Orange County—10/10

Rex Orange County released my favorite song of 2017, and 2019 saw his long-awaited major debut with Pony. “10/10” was the first single, and it serves as an emergence from a tough time. With the album’s release, Rex shared a bit about the rocky period he experienced during the recording of this album, and it gives this song an extra weight. “I had a year that nearly sent me off the edge,” he confesses. “I feel like a five, I can’t pretend.” But he’s hopeful for a better future: “If I get my sh*t together maybe this year I’ll be a ten.”

23. Signals Midwest—Your New Old Apartment

Nobody is better than Max Stern at writing about themes of connection across time and space. “Your New Old Apartment” is about reconnecting with an old friend, catching up, and the joys and anxieties that come in those conversations. The song was first released in a solo, acoustic form by Stern in 2017, which leads to a great little easter egg: The original song stated that his father was “buried in his work.” 2019’s album version says he’s “finished with his work.” Mr. Stern retired in 2018.

22. ROLE MODEL—minimal

A really well-communicated song about how nice it is to have someone you don’t have to constantly communicate with. Let’s keep it minimal.

21. 100 gecs—money machine

“You talk a lotta big game for someone with such a small truck.”

20. Freddie Gibbs and Madlib—Flat Tummy Tea

Freddie Gibbs and producer Madlib first linked up back in 2014 for Piñata, one of my favorite albums of that year. 2019 saw their long-awaited return, and while it didn’t hit the same highs for me, “Flat Tummy Tea” was a real standout. It’s everything you want from the pair: An intricate and dusty beat from Madlib and two long, knotty verses from Gibbs.

19. Bon Iver—RABi

Justin Vernon has all but locked up a legendary music career, regardless of what he does from here on out, but he does two unique things here that make “RABi” one of my 2019 favorites. First, he has a song that manages to feel a bit like Frank Ocean. (It turns out that Bon Iver doing a Frankie-esque thing is great. Who knew?!) Second, he’s happy. We don’t get many outright happy Bon Iver tracks. It’s nostalgic and cozy. “Sunlight feels good now, don’t it?”

18. Beabadoobee—Space Cadet

Beatrice Kristi Laus is only 19 years old, but she’s at the top of the short list of musicians most likely to break big in 2020. The English artist exists at the intersection of pop and singer-songwriter, a place where many have found huge critical and commercial success (see: Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey). “Space Cadet” is about escapism and leaving negativity behind.

17. Bruce Springsteen—Tuscon Train

I supposed much of Springsteen’s music could be described this way, but it’s essentially baroque country. It just feels nice knowing that Bruce can still bring the heat when he wants to.

16. Lil Nas X—Old Town Road (Remix) (ft. Billy Ray Cyrus, Mason Ramsey, Young Thug)

I unironically enjoy this song and the artists featured on it.

15. Mallrat—Charlie

“Charlie” is a song about loving someone intensely regardless of what you’re getting in return. It’s no coincidence that Grace Shaw named the song after her golden retriever. It’s a great piece of elevated pop music.

14. Lana Del Rey—Looking For America

In the aftermath of mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Lana Del Rey penned a song about our bleeding country, with the proceeds going to local charities. I can’t express enough how much this entire premise should not have worked. Songs released in the immediate aftermath of disasters with a goal of fundraising are never very good, but I give Lana a lot of credit for doing it right and making exactly what her version of this should have been. It’s a genuinely impressive and tender piece of songwriting—a love letter to a broken country.

13. Dominic Fike—Phone Numbers

The future king of 2020 catches the lob from Kenny Beats and brags about getting rich and famous and leaving his friends in the dust. “Why you switch phone numbers like clothes?” they ask. Fike signed a reported $4 million record contract with Columbia last year. Here he reminds us that our past isn’t always something nostalgic that we should constantly pay homage to. Sometimes, if you’ve made it, it’s nice to leave it all behind.

12. Choker—Lucky

Nostalgia is a powerful drug, and a lifetime of fame and fortune awaits any artist with the ability to distill and bottle it like Choker has done here. It just feels like a late-August, one-last-vacation kinda song. Also: I knew this couldn’t possibly have inspired Waves. And I know this song didn't appear in Waves. Yet somehow the movie and “Lucky” seem inextricably linked in my brain. I think it’s a compliment to both.

11. Dominic Fike—Açaí Bowl

Dominic Fike released his Don’t Forget About Me, Demos EP last year, getting himself onto radars across the music world. He followed it up with a trio of singles in 2019, catapulting himself to the top of my most anticipated artists of 2020 list. Fike has the potential to be massive next year, and “Açaí Bowl” proves why. He’s got green hair, face tattoos, the voice of an angel, and rapping and writing chops. Just listen to this. Look out, world.

10. Kevin Abstract—Georgia

BROCKHAMPTON may have better overall projects, but I think Kevin Abstract has a better knack for making great songs. “Georgia,” like the rest of his ARIZONA BABY album, gets the lob from producer Jack Antonoff. Antonoff had a massive 2019, cementing his status as one of pop’s preeminent craftsmen. He executive produced Lana Del Rey’s album and worked on nearly all of Taylor Swift’s. Abstract’s was his boutique project of the year, but it’s no less compelling and enjoyable. “Georgia” is its gem.

9. Signals Midwest—Sanctuary City

“Sanctuary City” is an empathy anthem, a celebration of the beauty of simple moments we carve out in this crazy world. “There is such quiet grace in private moments in public spaces. We sing on stolen ground and borrowed time.” If we don’t put ourselves in other people’s shoes, it’s easy to grow calloused and cruel. Or, as lead singer Max Stern eloquently puts it: “It’s easy to forget that there are so many other things to be.” Be grateful. Be empathetic.

8. Vampire Weekend—This Life

Opening line of the year? “Baby, I know pain is as natural as the rain. I just thought it didn’t rain in California.” Vampire Weekend lifted the chorus from iLoveMakonnen’s “Tonight,” and built around it a mea culpa of infidelity and personal failures. If the classic Ezra Koenig songwriting isn’t enough, the cheery melodies and sunny guitars will be.

7. PUP—Free at Last

Sometimes when you have depression it feels good to assign it to something. It can be helpful until the thing on which you’ve placed the blame gets resolved and you find yourself no better off: “a compass without a map,” “a drifter on the side of the tracks.” In turn, you may discover the best way to help yourself is to realize you aren’t unique and that millions of others are dealing with the same crap. “Just ‘cause you’re sad again—it doesn’t make you special at all.” PUP’s Morbid Stuff is a catchy hook factory.

6. PUP—Scorpion Hill

“Scorpion Hill” is a five-minute, downhill sprint into masochistic madness. “I’ve been having some pretty dark thoughts,” wails Stefan Babcock on the chorus. “I like them a lot.” The song chronicle’s a fictional character’s descent into alcoholic despondency, separated from his family, deep in debt, out of work. Our protagonist is beaten down. “The glass was cracked and the man starting back, he don’t look like me anymore.” It’s a depressing topic, but the key to the song’s replay value lies in the next line. “And if the world is gonna burn, everyone should get a turn to light it up.” It’s all kind of sickly fun and darkly enjoyable. It’s also just very well-written.

5. 100 gecs—xXXi_wud_nvrstøp_ÜXXx

100 gecs took Soulja Boy’s “Kiss Me Thru The Phone” melody and stuffed it in a closet for the last 11 years, feeding it nothing but LSD and spare computer parts. When it finally bursts free here, it’s a shell of itself, riddled with Auto Tune and screeching across your speakers before disintegrating into a chiptune frenzy that no longer resembles human vocals. It’s all great.

4. Sticky Fingers—Loose Ends

There’s just so much great music coming out of Australia right now, and Sticky Fingers is the next band to grab my attention with their celebration of life in the margins. Society has certain expectations of all of us. Go to school, get a job, work until you die. I’m fully caught up in “the machine!!” (and I don’t plan to change that), but sometimes it’s fun to pretend to live outside the lines. “Loose Ends” is an indie rock-reggae anthem for society’s loose ends.

3. PUP—Kids

“Kids” is a love song for the apocalypse, a dedication to those of us who manage to find someone to ride out the storm with. Life is crazy and only seems to be getting crazier. But “I guess it doesn't matter anyway,” says PUP. “I don't care about nothing but you.”

2. Vampire Weekend—Harmony Hall

“Every time a problem ends, another one begins,” it goes. “Anybody with a worried mind could never forgive the sight of wicked snakes inside a place you thought was dignified.” Yet, is there a happier song about our current situation? “I don’t want to live like this,” begs Ezra Koenig. “But I don’t want to die.” Pianos dance and guitars churn as Koenig pleads for relief—for something better. It’s five minutes of perfect Vampire Weekend, a summary of why Father of the Bride was such a critical success.

1. Lana Del Rey—The Greatest

On Morbid Stuff, PUP fantasized about watching highlights of the apocalypse. On “The Greatest,” Lana Del Rey just wants to revel in the middle of it. “I'm facing the greatest,” she sings. “The greatest loss of them all. The culture is lit and I had a ball.” It’s a perfect decade capper. California is burning to the ground, Hawaii is panicking over missile alerts, Kanye is off his rocker, and the internet is blasting all of it into our eyeballs.

Favorite Songs of 2019