The Best Songs of 2023
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2023 was a year drowning in its (musical) riches. From the newly anointed, but deeply promising acts, like Ice Spice and Victoria Monét, to the return of legends and favorites like Kelela and Paramore, and the ongoing reinvention of enigmas like Liv.e and Lil Yachty, we’re blessed to be inundated with the sounds of the modern music landscape. So while we all try to dive in and catch up, we’ve taken the time to sift through the bounty and round up the best music of the year.
"The aisle" by Pinkpantheress
There are almost too many songs to pick for this list on Pinkpantheress’ phenomenal debut album, Heaven knows. The U.K. songstress combines the best of her early discography with a future focused sound on “The aisle,” a melancholy and breezy tune that carries me through most of these long winter nights.
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"Out of Luck" by Tkay Maidza (feat. Lolo Zoui? & Amber Mark)
Fresh off the stellar three EP run of Last Year Was Weird Vol. 1-3, Tkay Maidza is back with her second album, Sweet Justice. “Out of Luck,” a funky bop, is perhaps the best of Maidza’s deep catalog, an accomplishment that speaks to her growth as an artist in recent years.
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"Got Me Started" by Troye Sivan
Troye Sivan was just about anything anyone could talk about this summer. Coming off the unsurprising success of “Rush,” his second single “Got Me Started” is the first song to ever sample Bag Raider’s “Shooting Stars.” That the electronic maestro deemed it the only worthy use of the catchy beat is an accomplishment Sivan should be proud of.
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"Tension" by Kylie Minogue
Tension and its titular single are almost unbelievable follow ups to 2020’s DISCO, which marked Minogue’s impressive comeback as the reigning queen of pop music. A bit camp, the song’s an earworm that hasn’t left my brain since I first heard it.
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"Will Anybody Ever Love Me" by Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens’ new album Javelin was an unexpected coming out for the indie legend, the release of which coincided with news his partner Evan Richardson had passed. Marked by Stevens’ signature confessional style, “Will Anybody Ever Love Me” is a cathartic admission of an understandable fear brought on by the grief of losing a loved one.
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"GO GO GO" by Jorja Smith
Listening to Jorja Smiths’ “GO GO GO” feels just like the name of latest album, Falling or Flying. The new sound suits Smith’s enchanting vocal work on the track, harried along by a pounding drumbeat and that infectious guitar.
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"The Sea" by Romy
Romy defined the sound of the early 2010s with The xx, and her new album feels set to conquer the musical stylings of the new decade. The entire listening experience brings back memories of flying down a country road with “VCR” on the stereo, except now I’m in the club feeling that same rush of euphoria.
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"Needs" by Tinashe
Tinashe’s ability to perpetually impress me is the stuff of legend. As a California girl myself, it makes me long for the vibe of a West Coast kickback I’ve sorely missed on the East Coast — they just aren’t the same! The woman knows her way around a hook, and her command of the beat is as impeccable as her dance skills.
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"Cobra" by Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion’s long awaited comeback single shocked fans for its emotional vulnerability. I mean, who hasn’t texted their friends in recent weeks: “THIS PUSSY DEPRESSED!” Still, it’s good to have Meg back on the radio. Nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, does it quite like thee Hot Girl of rap.
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"On My Mama" by Victoria Monét
Victoria Monét’s songwriting ability is unmatched. From Ariana Grande to her own discography, the hitmaker pumps out hits at an impressive speed. “On My Mama,” the breakthrough single from her excellent Jaguar II, is nostalgic and catchy, with a killer music video to boot.
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"Psychedelic Switch" by Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen’s latest, The Sweetest Time, was basically the only thing I played in the car this summer. “Psychedelic Switch” burrowed itself so deeply into my brain that it swiftly climbed the ranks of my most played Apple Music songs… ever.
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"A&W" by Lana Del Rey
“A&W” is seven minutes long, and even that feels too short for the heights Lana takes it to. Epic, pensive, and fraught with the lyrical tension at the core of so much the songstress’ music, the song is one of the years true, few knockouts.
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"Houdini" by Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa turned “Houdini” in just under the wire. Were I a technologically clueless woman, I’d think my computer had been infected with a virus set to only play this song at all hours of the day. Moving past the more nostalgic leanings of her most recent album, Dua’s new direction feels aimed squarely at the ‘90s.
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“Who Told You” by J. Hus feat. Drake
In 1996, Ice Cube’s rap supergroup Westside Connection declared “Gangstas don’t dance; we boogie.” The sentiment became a mainstay in the culture, with rappers insisting as such up to the present day. But British rapper J. Hus is finally pushing back. “Who told you bad mon don’t dance?” he prods, antagonizing the lasting try-hard tough rappers with a breezy afrobeats production that begs for a dance.
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“Counterfeit” by Amaarae
Amaarae grew up between Ghana, New Jersey, and Atlanta. On Fountain Baby, the artist’s sophomore album, the multi-hyphenate (who has a production credit on every track) mashes and jumps between the genres of each of her hometowns: the afrobeat of Ghana, the somewhat off-kilter hip-hop of Atlanta, and even the emo that defined New Jersey and the tri-state area in the early 2010’s. And she does each one justice and then some. “Counterfeit” is a standout track from the impressively amorphous LP, with a beat that rivals some of Timbaland’s hottest productions.
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“That! Feels Good!” by Jessie Ware
Over the last few years, there’s been an undeniable disco resurgence. From Dua Lipa’s sleek yet sterile power hits, to Chloe and Halle Bailey’s sophomore album composed of groovy R&B, it’s been an omnipresent influence. But none of the recent homages seem to be as realized as Jessie Ware’s That! Feels Good! On its title track, Ware leans into the upfront and effortless sexual ecstasy of the era, acting as a modern vessel for liberated disco icons like Donna Summer, Sister Sledge, and Gloria Gaynor.
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“The Hillbillies” by Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar
“The Hillbillies” is what it sounds like when a Pulitzer Prize winner lets loose. “5’7, I’m Messi girl,” Lamar raps, giving a nod to fellow short king, and GOAT of his respective field, Lionel Messi. Alongside Lamar’s real life cousin Baby Keem, the two rappers exchange similarly goofy bars across the track as if they’re freestyling during the late night hours of a sleepover they begged mom for.
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“Little Things” by Jorja Smith feat. Nia Archives
Before PinkPantheress reintroduced the Gen-Z masses to London’s drum and bass, Jorja Smith’s 2017 breakout “On My Mind” brought UK’s garage sound to the charts. Nearly six years later, Smith has returned to the dancefloor with “Little Things,” a carefree ode to what gets us by. Nia Archives - who leads her own jungle music movement - added her golden touch to the track’s remix, making it a bit more ready for the sweatiest underground dancefloors.
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“What It Is” by Doechii feat Kodak Black
Doechii deserves it all. The Tampa popstar has catapulted herself into the limelight over the last few years, leaving a trail of megahits in her wake. With hyper-clean choreo and sonic blend of 2000’s hip-hop and modern pop, Doechii’s “What It Is” is the latest one-off that’s attached itself to the public consciousness as an undeniable earworm.
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“C’est Comme ?a” by Paramore
It’s been ten years (!) since Paramore's last full-length album, and in that time, as much has changed as has stayed the same. The pop-punk veterans are still led by the inimitable range and presence of frontwoman Hayley Williams, but on tracks like “Ce’st Comme ?a,” their openness to new sounds is apparent. The track oscillates between Talking Heads-style spoken-word and pop-punk-heavy verses, which are pinned down with a hypnotic, sing-a-long style chorus. Underneath it all, it’s clear the group has never lost their groove.
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“Princess Diana” by Ice Spice
As of 2023, the Bronx has its very own Princess. Ice Spice has the cooled-off demeanor of someone who has seen and done it all, rapping with a casual sui generis that has become as much of a part of her brand as her curly and cropped, orange coiffeur. On “Princess Diana,” Ice Spice evokes the similarly sweet, and distinctively rebellious, air of the late former princess, crowning herself as her borough’s own leading lady.
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“the BLACK seminole.” by Lil Yachty
Equipped with whirring, psychedelic guitars and fuzzed out vocals, Lil Yachty stepped into this year as a new man with the release of Let’s Start Here. Most commonly recognized as an affable, and maybe even occasionally goofy (read: “I took the wock to Poland”), rapper and lyricist, on “the BLACK seminole.” Yachty taps into something a bit grittier, harnessing his usual use of auto-tune for a track that sounds somewhere between Yves Tumor and Tame Impala.
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"I Wish you Roses" by Kali Uchis
Kali Uchis is the reigning queen of dreamy alt-R&B. Her latest single is an ethereal ode to a temporary lover; "My petals are soft and silky as my sheets/ So do not be afraid to get pricked by the thorns / While I'm here, I'm someone to honor / When I'm gone, I'm someone to mourn." The track paves the way for high expectations for her upcoming album, Red Moon in Venus.
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"Cuff It (Wetter Remix)" by Beyonce
Beyoncé's remix to Renaissance's breakout track "Cuff It" upped the ante on an already perfect song. It's moodier, sultrier, and has Bey flexing her signature vocal gymnastics without sacrificing the song's original groove. Rumor has it another version with Chicago hip-hop legend Twista could be incoming.
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"Love from the Other Side" by Fall Out Boy
Dare we say Fall Out Boy sounds like Fall Out Boy again? After a five year break since their last studio album, the crew is back together again with "Love from the Other Side" — a reflective ode to fame and infamy and growing older.
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“Contact” by Kelela
The eternally elusive Kelela has returned. After a nearly five-year break, the pop queen of sublime feminine divinity has returned. “Contact” is a sophisticated take on house music, with Kelela’s ethereal vocals keeping things calm amongst an undeniably swanky sound.
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Goodbye Texas by Harriette
With a simple melody and a sweet voice pinged with a homely tang reminiscent of some of country’s best pop vocalists, Harriet’s “Goodbye Texas” is both a rebellion and a love letter to her nuanced hometown in the Lone Star State. “And if I don't vote republican / Can I still come home again around Christmas,” she asks cheekily.
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“Echolalia” by Yves Tumor
In some ways, “Echolalia” sounds familiar, like it’s both a relic and an ode to the indie rock reign of the early 2010’s. But, Yves Tumor’s vocals separate his sound via a nearly incomparable, inherent sex appeal that’s only heightened by his admission of spellbound franticness: “You know that you’re making me uncomfortable; I don’t know how to act,” he coos.
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"Flowers" by Miley Cyrus
"Flowers" is Miley Cyrus at her most vulnerable as well as at her vocal best. The infectiously catchy pop song details the end of her marriage to actor Liam Hemsworth and how she's emotionally grown since their separation. It's planted itself atop of the Billboard charts and has become a modern day single-girl anthem. Growing up looks good on Miley.
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"Herrera" by Yendry
While so many musicians continue to tiptoe into the musical genres of the Dominican Republic, it's refreshing to hear a native artist pay dues to the music that raised them. Yendry is a beyond promising act whose voice floats upon the fluttering heartbeat of the guitar in this traditional bachata.
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