• Bigbang - Zutter - OH, the music video involving piss play kinda forced me to love this song, it's also the sexiest they've been in a while.
• Azizaa Music – Black Magic Woman - This dark and sexy jam is an anticolonialist bop through the celebration of traditonal Ghanian spirituality.
• Hailee Stanfield – Love Myself - Masturbation songs have always been a part of pop culture but never have they been this positive or life affirming.
• Hellovenus – I’m Ill - oh, don't even get me STARTED on their dancing.
It's a really nice EDM club banger that manages to keep the energy it establishes all throughout the song.
• Especia – Security Lucy - This sounds kinda Jun Togawa, but more synthy. They're usually a lot more squeaky clean sounding but this gritty new wave revival track is no joke!
• Shamir – Call it Off - A trash-house bop to realizing that you are just superior in every way to some boy you're occasionally ****ing and they are not worth your time.
• Prince – Ain’t About 2 Stop - Prince and Rita Ora slay me on this electro Rock&B jam.
• Miley Cyrus – Slab of Butter (Scorpion)
• New Order – Tutti Frutti - My favorite song from Music Complete. I feel like this could have been a Pet Shop Boys song too, with the voice that says "Tutti Fruitti."
• Mamamoo – Freaking Shoes - K-Pop was BIG on those sax sample songs. This is a standout for me because of how light and fluffy it is.
• Dreamtrack – Direct Connection
• Dawn Richard – Adderall / Sold - Dawn Richard says **** it, she's not going to write songs with structures!
• Grimes – Realiti (Demo) - I think the album version is missing that MAGIC, probably because it's a couple BPM slower. This demo hits hard though, even if it feels like the end of a Grimes era (while FWB is the beginning)
• BoA – Kiss My Lips - The instrumental sounds vaporwave at points! The ancient queen of Korean Pop still manages to be ahead of her time.
• Jazmine Sullivan - Stanley - This samples The Greatest Hit by Annie, right? Well, it samples a song that samples Madonna so it's obviously AMAZING. Jazmine's honesty
• Melanie Martinez – Pity Party - Melanie is a tacky **** and it shows especially in this song that samples Lesley Gore
But I live for the sample. And the entire song tbh.
• IU - 23 - Nice GaIn reject! I guess it's a bit less gritty though.
• Petite Nor – Till We Ghosts - Some light 2015 Post-Punk
• Future Brown – Room 302 - I kinda did stan for Tink's material this year. Future Brown's too many cooks in the kitchen approach was really flattering for Tink's Aaliyah-esque approach.
• School of Seven Bells – Open Your Eyes -
• ESNO - 夕暮れパラレリズム - The standout from ESNO's album for me. Indie Pop bop
• Tove Stryke – Walking a Line -
• Danny L Harle – Broken Flowers
• Alice Glass - Stillbirth
• Jason Derulo – Get Ugly - I really hope this is a hit, it's like, full of personality. Love Jason's reinvention.
• Kacey Musgraves – Biscuits - As usual, Kacey releases a country single that slays me with its songwriting.
• Pungdeng-e – 삐삐빠빠 - For when you're in the mood for Crayon Pop but want something else.
• Young Juvenile Youth – Animation - 33423, but with a Pop core. I'm waiting to hear more from her!
• Joanna Newsom - Sapokanikan
• Wonder Girls – John Doe
• Kendrick Lamar – For Free
• Lilly Wolf – Pop Dream - Sad girl apathetic synthpop RULED this year, or well the first half of this year. This song is a standout from her album.
• Roisin Murphy – Gone Fishing
• Demi Lovato – Confident
• Jessica 6 – Shadow Dancer
• Nervo –Hey Ricky - After Something Bout Kreay flopped harder than just about anything that year even Nelly Furtado, her career basically is guaranteed over, so us Kreay fans have to cherish the moments we do get
• Rich White Ladies – Ransom
• Cheetah - Catharsis
• Sexwitch – Helelyos - Bat For Lashes and some random guy cover middle eastern folk tunes giving them a dark edgy spin. The whole concept is quite silly sounding but it really turns out better than you'd think.
• Frankie – New Obsession
• Sugar’s Campaign - 香港生活 - I really like this aesthetic they have going on, and if they hit all the right spots on more songs like they do on this I will stan.
• Justin Bieber – what Do You Mean? - Where are U Now's more mature older brother!
• Santigold – Radio - Santi goes back to a much more New Wave direction, and it's successful. It's been a while since I've heard her with Rock instrumentals.
• Years & Years - King - The only song of theirs that had a memorable melody and a nice instrumental at the same time. The potential is there, girls!
• CLC - Like
• Panda Bear – Crosswords
• Abra - Roses - Oh, look, PBR&B. It's on the more minimalistic side so it reminds me of early Kelela.
• Of Montreal – Last Rites at the Jane Hotel - Here for their cute indie rock bops this year. They have that quirky edge as opposed to last year's nonsense.