Well… sorry for the delay! But let’s not dwell on that, and dive right into my favorite tracks of 2022 (in no particular order).
Credit: MXDWN
- Plains: Problem With It
A surprising track that invokes the alt-country sound that I so sorely missed. Arguably this genre of music is some of the most honest and raw- and there was a little reason not to add this gorgeous track to my favorites for the year.
2. Katherine Li: Never Had a Chance
This is beautiful track from a young newcomer that brings back all those young adult feelings of unrequited love. I do not think it is a secret that I gravitate towards these themes and feelings (do not mind me, I am just sitting in my angst in my mid-thirties). But this just demonstrates just how universal the feelings are.
3. Beyonce: Cuff It
Honestly, if you told me at the beginning of this year, Beyonce would release an album deeply inspired by 90’s house music (and a deeper homage to 70’s gay ball room culture), I probably would not believe you. Then Renaissance came out, and you know what, it made absolute sense. So much of Beyonce’s career has been a deep and personal celebration of black culture, and her discography would be lacking if there was no exploration of the importance of black house culture. It was nearly impossible to pick a favorite track off the album, but I picked “Cuff It” because it was the first track that I instantly bonded with on the album. All hail Queen B.
4. Tove Lo and SG: Call On Me
My gosh I do love this track. Interviews about this track indicate that Tove initially wanted this track to be far more serious, but after listening to the track as prepared by SG, she knew she had a dance pop hit on her hands- and you know you have a certified banger when Gay Twitter (insert TM) lost their absolute shit over this one. This one tracked with nostalgia, whether it be the drums of “You Spin Me Right Round” or the homage to Blondie, you really cannot go wrong with this one. Dancing in your living room to this is very encouraged.
5. Blackpink: Ready for Love
To be fair, 2022 was the official release of this song. Blinks (the Blackpink fandom) were well aware of this track since the release of their Netflix special “Light Up the Sky,” and several bootleg versions of this track have existed online. But what makes this track so great is a reminder that BP shines the best doing the bright pop song that made them famous in the first place. “Ready for Love” treads no new ground, but emphasizes the girl’s vocal abilities and more importantly, the charm that made them spiritual successors of the Spice Girls.
6. Tove Styrke: Another Broken Heart
The often overlooked but just as talented Tove. She has always been a pop supernova in her own right, with a slight edge to her that I always gravitated towards. “Another Broken Heart” is just Swedish pop done right, that fully embraces getting hurt as simply the inevitable, so why deny it?
7. Charli XCX: Sorry If Hurt You
Anyone that has followed my music blog knows that I have followed Charli for years. She is a true pop visionary that has always had such incredible agency of her own music. Her album Crash is a return to mainstream form, as just a reminder to us she knows and understands pop music, nearly better than anyone. “Sorry If I Hurt You” is an unexpected choice from her bangers filled album, but it shows that Charli’s writing is just as sharp and melodic as ever.
8. Tove Love: How Long
I broke my rule this year, adding more than one track from an artist for my end of the year list. What a freaking year it was for Tove Lo. Tove released an outstanding album, went on a gay pride PR tour, and reminded us she is a force of a nature as a Max Martin protege. What makes this song even more frustrating is this was not a regular album cut, it was made for the television show Euphoria, encapsulating the yearning of both Cassie and Maddie. But what drives this cut for me is the bridge where Tove quietly reflects “I know love isn’t fair, the heart wants what it wants, there is no way to prepare, for burning brutal rejection, I know it takes some time, to feel the pain of losing a lie…” K Tove. Savage.
9. Muna: What I Want
Honestly, just put on “Winter Break” from Muna’s debut album and I will gladly sit in my own corner and cry out my feelings. So for Muna to come back full throttle this year is everything I wanted for this talented trio. “What I Want” is loud, boisterous, and incredibly free and gratifying. As a gay individual, I feel like so much of my time was hiding and not being allowed to just want what I want. So what an incredible act of liberation and freedom to scream at the top of your lungs “I want to dance in the middle of a gay bar!”
10. Sigrid: A Driver Saved My Night
One of the most talented young pop singers at the moment, Sigrid always has a new but inventive twist to her songs. “A Driver Saved My Night” is a simple premise- she’s having a bad night until her Uber driver Party in the USA her, blaring a song that suddenly changed her mood. It is incredibly simple, yet haven’t we all been there before?
11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Wolf
Oh fuck to the yes on to this track. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been indie mainstays since the early 2000’s and leave it to them to release such an outstanding powerful track in “Wolf.” There is something so incredibly delightful as Karen O screams “I hunger for you only…” only for the track to break out the strings and lift it to another place.
12. Cannons: Strangers
I recently saw Cannons in person, and they are as lo-fi and dreamy as you think they would be. Their signature sound (which made it rounds all over the internet with their very dreamy “On Fire”), just works so very well for them. Like any good pop song, by the time the chorus hits, you are singing along to the lines “I’m not going down!”
13. Number One PopStar: Dance Away the Pain
True to her name, Number One Popstar is both a parody and loving homage to the glitz of pop music. Yet through badly needed injection of satire, is really thoughtful and well produced pop music. This track in particular is a highlight, with its glossy 80’s synth line, is somehow both a caricature yet seriously produced track. Somehow striking the right balance, I hope there is more to come from this pop parody band.
14. FLO: Cardboard Box
Before I even heard the first note of this song, I had read a description that this song channeled the late 90’s/early 00’s R & B girl power anthems (think a forgotten Destiny’s Child/3LW song) and I knew I would like this song. Then once the nostalgic filled production kicks in, I knew I was hook line and sinker. Especially the line “I am going to put your jeans next to the dreams you sold me.”
15. MO feat. Rebecca Black: New Moon
I think MO has established herself as indie pop star. So I do kind of love she’s using the opportunity to duet with other talents, namely the sadly ridiculed Rebecca Black (while the lyrics to her most famous track, “Friday” are the literal definition of insipid), who actually has a wonderful moment in the track to shine vocally. Brava for MO for another fabulous track, and to highlight another talented female artist.
16. Rina Sawayama: This Hell
As the fantastic Tove Lo explained this year about the unique connection between female pop stars and gay men, there is a special relationship between “pop bitches” and the gay community, and really, she’s spot on. I am already obsessed with Rina, so for her to release this honestly LGBTQ+ anthem full of wit, righteous condemnation, and sarcasm, is… it’s just everything (also yes, fuck the paparazzi for what they did to Britney, Lady Di, and Whitney). It was also sheer brilliance to make this song a country pop anthem and the homage to Shania with “Let’s Go Girls….” Urg, just chef’s kiss. This is main pop star energy.
17. King Princess: Let Us Die
Speaking of queer icons, King Princess continues to impress me, ever since her chill yet powerful debut with “1950.” King Princess calls this her “big girl” song, realizing that a toxic relationship needs to end, and that “they should just die” in terms of being in a relationship to spare both each other the pain. The verses are jarring and invoke the edge of the early 90’s female alt pioneers like Liz Phair. Yet through it all, it is such self-depreciating KP saying goodbye to a relationship.
18. Bastille: Revolution
I recently read somewhere that you should never ignore a beloved artist’s deluxe/B-sides. I mean, come of think of it, Dua Lipa’s “If It Ain’t Me,” from Future Nostalgia (hell, even rejected tracks like the now widely circulated “Crocodile Tears”) or the now beloved C-side of CRJ’s legendary Emotions, “Cut to the Feeling,” are some of the best track of their respective discographies. So, I had to check out the deluxe version of Give Me the Future, and I was more than happy to dance to “Revolution,” which blends that tragic stadium filling sound of Bastille with the EDM that Dan Smith has flirted with this year (aside from wanting him to flirt with me). There is also something so gratifying about the line “I feel the universe, we got the modern curse…”
19. Lizzo: 2 Be Loved(Am I Ready)
Listen, is it a really a best of 2022 list without the one and ONLY Lizzo? Her follow-up to her smash album
Cuz I Love You had a lot of expectations to meet, and damn, did it ever. I remember in the lead-up to the album, Lizzo stated she wanted her album to sound big, and in general, for songs to be “loud” again. This feels, well, quite a general statement, but listening to the album, you get exactly what she was aiming for. “2 Be Loved” starts out from what you expect a typical Lizzo banger to be, but when she dives deep (and maybe a little too personal for me) about learning to love yourself to finally be ready to accept the love of another person, you realize what a universal and importance message this is- I mean RuPaul ask this question at the conclusion of nearly every episode of Drag Race, but somehow this message feels so deeply personal to minorities and women. How do we learn to finally love everything about ourselves that maybe society has taught us not too- and can we do it in time to let someone in? Damn it Lizzo. You’re amazing. Also special shoutout for key change of the year.
20. Sakima: Pretty Boys
Hi… it’s me… the one that will forever tell you that representation matters. Representation matters. The way we normalize minority groups is to have them represented in media- whether it be television, youtube, film, music, etc etc. Representation makes people feel seen, visible, and most importantly, humanizes them to others. Now that my rant is complete, this is an utterly gorgeous track from Sakima, filled with longing for “Pretty Boys,” and likely, one in particular. This makes me feel so seen, who has not utterly fell for a “pretty boy” even though as the great Adele once said, it is nothing but chasing pavements.
21. Ellie Goulding feat. Big Boy: Easy Lover
If you needed a reminder during the short break between her albums that Ellie Goulding is a superstar, here it is. Ellie comes back stronger and more confident than ever, attempting to find that sound of mainstream pop and that indie-folktronica that made me fall so very deeply in love with from her first two albums. Ellie’s lyrics here tread no new ground for her, of a scorned lover that ask “Easy Lover” as she mulls through her heartbreak and the painful realization there was nothing between her and her lover.
22. Oliver Sim: Fruit
I simply simp (I use this phrase with some blessing from some very cool 20 year olds) the band the xx, and all of the individuals members. Oliver is the last of the trio to release solo work, and like Oliver himself, is so incredibly thoughtful and, dare I call music, handsome? The radical honesty of Oliver on this song and the rest of the album, as a true celebration of his true queer identity, all while mixing it so beautifully with the 80’s Brit-pop (done masterfully by fellow xx member, Jamie xx), makes this is a triumphant this year.
23. LewistheMan and Carly Rae Jepsen: Move Me
Honestly, what song does not get better with the addition of the great Carly Rae Jepsen? This piano driven track (can I call it a diddy?) somehow encapsulates a feeling of nostalgia, but somehow feels very modern. LewistheMan has all the trappings to keep the song interesting, but it really is the glowing charisma of Carly that sends this track over the edge. Mainstream music continues to miss the mark that CRJ is the real deal.
24. Florence and the Machine: My Love
What is there left to say about the power house that is Florence? “My Love” has all the classic hallmarks of a Florence pop smash, powerful instrumentation, Florence’s highly powerful and emotive vocals, and somewhere deep within it, a deep nautical call to the ocean (as any fan of Flo will know, she feels deeply connected to water, and has it made it known in her writing). “My Love” continues Florence’s excellence of combing baroque motifs all unified with exceptionally powerful vocals.
25. Annita: Boys Don’t Cry
Like Blackpink, Brazilian pop sensation Annita, reminds me that pop music is universal. Annita has all the main star pop energy when she tells her FWB that it is not serious, she’s not the one, and that maybe it is not the fairer sex that is the more emotional one- all with a thumping pop beat.
26. Blackpink: Shut Down
This year, as seen above, I broke my rule and allowed myself to put multiple songs by the same artist on my list. While “Pink Venom” got most of the attention for my girls’ comeback this year, it is really is “Shut Down” that cemented their return as the biggest girl group in the world, with all the typical braggadocio and swagger that we now expect from the girls, all backed up by the polished production of Teddy and his inventive reimagining of “La Campanella.” This feels in a way safe, yet a stronger BP, and reminds us that our girls are not going anywhere. Also, it is typical Jennie Kim gets the best line of the entire song with “Bunch of wannabes that wanna be me, Me three if I was you…” Shut it down Jennie.
27. SZA: Nobody Gets Me
This song was released days ago (along with SZA’s stunner of an album SOS) and by the first note of longing from SZA, I was hooked. I have long been a big fan of SZA, from her early EP tracks like “Julia,” to loving every moment of her masterpiece that was was Ctrl, a deeply personal journey of control and growing up, all with SZA gorgeous voice and a recall to the 90’s R&B that I grew up with. So of course I jumped right into SOS and instantly fell in love with “Nobody Gets Me,” deeply telling lyrics set to gorgeous ballad that really only SZA could pull off. By the time the chorus kicks in and SZA sings the titular “nobody gets me,” you’re a goner.
28. Mr Little Jeans: Jump To Fall
I was such a fan of Mr Little Jeans first album, the fantastic album Pocketknife and I have closely followed her since that release. I was not always a big fan of her recent singles, but “Jump to Fall” this year was a true delight. I think a lot of Mr Little Jeans music is less about the lyrics (as fun and witty as they are) and more about a mood that she is able to set with her production and vocals. As Mr Little Jeans layers her voice over the hypnotic chant of “Jump to Fall” you find yourself just wanting to get lost in the fall with her.
29. MUNA: Sometimes (Britney cover)
Leave it to MUNA to rework this sometimes forgotten but much beloved Britney classic. Like any good cover song, it takes what you love about the song, but done in a new way. MUNA adds their signature electronic pop sound (much like from their album), modulates Katie’s voice and ups the tempo the this mid-tempo ballad that just has you singing along. I once read that cover songs of tracks during this era that strip away all the bells and whistles of the original tracks does remind you how simple yet beautiful many of these songs were, and this is a great example of it.
30. Avril Lavigne: Breakaway
True story, one day while scrolling through Youtube, I heard an interview with Avril explaining that she had written Kelly Clarkson’s hit, “Breakaway.” I was so fascinated by this bit of information years later, I literally texted all my friends asking if they knew this piece of information. The more and more I thought about it though, it made perfect sense. It is an Avril Lavigne song, even if Kelly’s amazing vocals brought it to life nearly two decades ago. The opening line “Grew up in a small town,” is Avril, who’s candid lyrics have informed us that she herself grew up in a small Canadian town. Or the theme of the entire song if wanting to remember where she wanted to remember where she came from, but wanted to breakaway. It’s perfect Avril. So, when I started seeing clips of her performing this version on tour, I was excited when she released a fully recorded album version. It’s different from Kelly, cause honestly, who could try to compare vocally against the American Idol? But Avril does her own wonderful version, that makes you think of 17 year old Avril looking out her window in her small town, hoping to breakaway.
Musical Musings of Ho 