TOP FIVE SONGS OF 2023 (so far)
This is a list of my favorite tracks released so far in 2023. Understanding there will almost certainly be more great songs put out over this final sixth of the year, it’s nevertheless always fun to look back on the year to date, and I decided rather than focus on albums I would mix things up a little and go with specific songs here. I may still end up doing a true year-end top five list for albums if I’m moved to do so, but we’ll see.
We’ll start with the honorable mentions I wanted to shout out before getting into the top five. There were so many more songs I wanted to talk about, but in the interest of this piece not being insanely long I decided on the somewhat arbitrary number of a half-dozen tracks to highlight as honorable mentions.
Bad Rabbits-Goin Up
As an admitted new jack swing respecter, hearing Bad Rabbits continue to carry the torch with their nü new jack swing brings me joy. The positive energy on this track is infectious, with the euphoric ebullience and catchiness of “Goin Up” keeping me coming back time and again.
Doja Cat-Paint the Town Red
It’s entirely possible that because BBC Radio One played this song basically hourly when I was in Scotland this summer I’ve been the victim of a state-sponsored brainwashing campaign, but the song is a legitimate earworm with its chilled-out beat based around the Dionne Warwick “Walk on By” sample perfectly complementing Doja’s easy confidence and seemingly-effortless smoothness here.
To the Grave-Deadskin Skimask
This is just absolutely filthy, ferocious deathcore, harkening back to a less polished, more brutally nasty era of the genre.
Thrown-On the Verge
These Demi Lovato-approved Swedes are gathering serious momentum. Thrown is one of those bands I just call “core-core” or “heavy.” I’ve seen this style referred to as “pissedcore” and it’s easy to see why. Regardless of what you want to call it—and does it really matter?—what adds a memorable wrinkle to Thrown’s airtight fury is that it’s sneakily catchy, incorporating the very unexpected, in their own words, “slick, hypnotic rhythms of modern phonk.” It slaps.
Electric Callboy-Everytime We Touch
Given the heavy Europop/dance influence on Electric Callboy, it is only fitting they’d look to fellow Germans Cascada for this cover. It’s not reinventing the Electric Callboy wheel, but it’s a fun track that pays homage to a cornerstone of their sound while making the song their own.
Emarosa-Forgiveness
If “Preach” and its modernized version of late-80s-style pop which leads off January’s release Sting hadn’t already been released as a single in 2022, it would’ve been a slam-dunk top five selection. Alas, I don’t make the rules (actually I do, but I’m trying to only highlight music that appeared this year for the first time), so it stays off the list. Having said that, the whole album Sting is excellent, finding Emarosa leaning heavily into the 80s pop with some Don Henley “Boys of Summer” vibes strewn throughout the record for good measure. The vocal performance is exceptional. If I had to choose one Sting exclusive, I think I’d go with this one, but I also love “Cinnamon.”
TOP FIVE
5. Heart Attack Man-Freak of Nature
On the edgier side of pop punk, with some hints of Nerf Herder, these guys offer up a huge chorus that makes it feel like we’re right back in the genre’s mainstream heyday.
4. Bilmuri-ALL GAS
Somehow not only did both Attack Attack! alums Caleb Shomo and Johnny Franck level-up dramatically this year, they both released countrycore bangers. What kind of cosmic energy connects them I cannot speculate upon, but Franck’s recent output (including "Boutta Cashew" and "Livin’ Laughin’ Lovin’")—like Beartooth’s The Surface—is exceptional. On paper, working country and djent riffing into the same song should be a disaster, yet it’s anything but.
3. Bring Me the Horizon-LosT
The genre-hopping and -blending Brits have been on an absolute tear lately, operating at an impressive level of output and skill; “LosT,” though but one example, is the best of the most recent bunch. Its seamless incorporation of 2000s mall emo, hyperpop, and metalcore produced one of the most memorable, creative, and anthemic songs of the year. Setting up a massive breakdown with the lyrics "If I keep this up / I think I’m gonna break down" and then repeating the line “I think I'm gonna break down” over it is a nice touch.
NOTE: I used the audio-only video here as the music video is age-restricted and can only be viewed directly on YouTube; it’s worth a watch!
2. The Amity Affliction-I See Dead People
I remembered this band from years ago being a solid-if-unspectacular Risecore-type band and never really followed them, so when I happened upon this song I was…surprised. I was definitely not expecting something this punishing and dark. The tortured feel of the song is borderline overwhelming—this isn’t paint-by-the-numbers, it’s urgent and raw. The torrential drumming is really interesting and adds a distinctive aspect that might in theory clash, but it doesn’t, rather adding to the claustrophobic atmosphere.
1. Beartooth-I Was Alive
I could’ve put half a dozen songs from The Surface on here, but the one that resonates deepest with me is the gorgeous and uplifting “I Was Alive.” It’s pretty much the polar opposite of a lot of heavy music that often goes past catharsis and into wallowing and self-defeat. The message of embracing life and living without fear and regret is a vital reminder to cherish what is truly valuable and not let lower emotions drag us down and away from realizing our potential. The song is a perfect capstone to the incredible achievement that is without question my album of the year in The Surface.
You can read my full review of that album here.