A Venezuelan singer who moved to the United States and attended Berklee College of Music, Nella won the 2019 Latin Grammy for best new artist. "Stay With Me," a single off the record, shimmers with its disco-clad vibe, as if it’s meant to be cried over in the club. "Used To Be Lonely," from the new record, is lovely as well, looking at loneliness and how freeing it is once it subsides. Memorable lyric: “Am I a smoke? On her latest album, All Mirrors, indie icon Angel Olsen sounds like she wants to want to become a full-blown, stadium-sized pop star. V The single re … but there’s someone outside that caught my eye”. Tierra Whack is one of (if not, the) most innovative names in hip-hop right now. When to play it: When you’re chillin’ in Dubai. “You can send a diss / I will never write back”. The band helmed by Mia Berrin has been a constant in the Brooklyn indie scene for the past few years, playing shows non-stop and igniting tearful fits in fans with their vulnerable, lashing punk. The synth-pop song slowly builds as Swift indicts herself and the wars she's both started or been drafted to ("I've been the archer I've been the prey / Who could ever leave me, darling? . But it doesn't feel weary, just a gentle embodiment of reflection. JB. The song is a masterclass in songwriting and Lewis' forlorn voice conveys a closeness only true friends can offer. When to play it: On payday when you’re feeling flush. “I wanted to be his hope when he was feeling hopeless,” she said. This track from his 2019 album, “African Giant,” is both insinuating and ambitious. Welcome to 2019, where all the world’s a meme and all the songs are merely players in it. Danielle Haim has explained that this gorgeous tune was inspired by the devastation of her partner’s cancer diagnosis. We’ve all been there, babes. In "Burning," she's lit a spark, and you’ll feel it too. “Used to arch my back for you and now I’m your arch-nemesis”. Memorable lyric: “Ridin' on a horse, ha/ You can whip your Porsche/ I been in the valley/ You ain’t been up off that porch, now.”, A riot of retro-funk filled with soul and sexiness, Lizzo gives Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars a joyous run for their money with this hit. Much like this new wave-y pop-punk band themselves, the sheeny, bubbly track is impeccable -- the kind made for bedroom dance parties. The indie folk darlings released two major albums, both to great acclaim -- which checks out, as the Brooklyn-based band consistently creates an organic, earthy world in all that they release. When to play it: As you’re “flight-catching, train-taking” to your next vacay. The mildly unsettling Billie song that’s better than the other mildly unsettling Billie song. Like the subjects of Sofia Coppola movies or Sylvia Plath's writings (the latter's name dropped in the track), her Norman Fucking Rockwell! In the club, dancing on your own (and loving every second). After six years that felt like an eternity since the release of. With the release of LA alt band HUNNY's debut record Yes. When to play it: If you need to get out of a funk – fast. While ‘Deal Wiv It’ doesn’t slap you round the chops with its message, we learn plenty about social mobility, tall poppy syndrome and personal politics as we join Slowthai bimbling through his day. Yet ‘Vossi Bop’ is anything but lightweight, its PM-baiting lyrics are words to live by: “. When to play it: In the club, dancing on your own (and loving every second). ‘Seeking Thrills’, which is due out in 2020. Megan Thee Stallion literally reclaimed and dominated an entire season by pioneering (what has since become a social media phenomenon co-opted by brands) "Hot Girl Summer." Giddy up -- because the yeehaw agenda said, "This town ain’t big enough for the two of us," and proceeded to take over culture this year. Low-key, touching and heart-felt, the song elevated the 21-year-old from You Tube phenomenon to bona fide pop star. Taylor Swift had a confounding roll-out leading up to the release of what turned out to be the glistening Lover. Church bells toll, guitars pick modal patterns and gothic drama builds as Blake Shelton links rural piety and endless, thankless farm work, in a song as grim as it is proud. He's so emo that his excellent album Basking in the Glow is about attempting to give your all to move from the darkness toward the light, and learning to love that side of life. Her dark, alternative pop has already produced stylish international hits like "New Rules," but no release thus far has felt like her sound fully realized and hit as hard as "Don't Start Now. "Xanny" intoxicates, and shows there’s no blowing away the smoke around Eilish’s emerging popularity. On "Drunk II," the loud band who continues to stun is that internal conflict personified, a sonic journey of how insane and debilitating it can feel to let go and truly engage with what's going on inside. It's freeing and tastefully (p)optimistic, the Happiness Begins lead single "Sucker" one of the most fun on the Hot 100 this year. Memorable lyric: “These are black-owned things/ Black faith still can’t be washed away/ Not even in that Florida water.”, 16. slowthai, Nothing Great About Britain, A snarling, pessimistic portrait of Britain from the street – covering Brexit, class warfare, and widening inequality – but told with bluntness, wit and wordplay. RD, Key lyric: “Can’t nobody tell me nothin’ / You can’t tell me nothin’”. On "Burning," she's on fire. The distorted echo of her screaming “. The track in particular follows a chilled out, jazz rhythm with a slight reggae influence, but her lyrics about colonialism and her personal journey to success are what truly stands out. Brown sounds his best bonkers, and the punchline, carried all the way to the final verse, slaps on this one. After six years that felt like an eternity since the release of Night Time, My Time, Sky Ferreira finally returned The alternative pop artist released her debut album to much acclaim back in 2013, but hit label roadblock after roadblock during the production of her sophomore effort. Brother or sister, get healed. The lyrics were empowering, too, King Princess celebrating submission and telling a lover, “I don’t care if you degrade me / ‘Cause after all you are my safety / And everything you touch just feels like yours to me.” RD. That's not the only praise owed to the experimental, alt-rapper's track. Am I the sun? Fittingly. Memorable lyric: “Vivo rápido y no tengo cura/ Iré joven pa’ la sepulture.”, Breaking up is hard to do, and sometimes even harder to explain. Their 2018 album A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships may have been about trying to stay optimistic but with the first official single of their upcoming 2020 album, "People," it's like they're screaming in our faces that we must turn that forward-thinking into something revolutionary. Portland-to-Philly transplants Strange Ranger's "Leona," from their new album Remembering the Rockets, could basically be a dead ringer for "Semi-Charmed Life." When to play it: When things are getting hot and heavy. It's not easy listening because DIIV doesn't want to be a passive band; here, they're in disarray and they've never sounded so great. Trading guitars for piano and bongos, one could imagine the track lighting up the dance floor on a singles' cruise, but its disco intonations are a true joy to surrender yourself to. When it arrived in summer, ‘James Bond’ presented a new take on, over and over, later adding in details to paint an intriguing picture of a woman who “. Yes. She should, and we should all aid the singer-songwriting in this journey, because she's one of the most powerhouse talents today. The world's defining voice in music and pop culture since 1952. That line was the backbone of this devastating masterpiece, in which she detailed the aftermath of a relationship that played out under the scrutiny of an unsupportive public, her heartbreaking retelling played out over sparse piano and a lethargically beatboxed rhythm. She raps, "I’m on the train throwing soup / The racist men making threats / I’m not gangster but I can tell you I love to throw hands on racists, bigots, and scum," and references hating domestic abuse. Nowhere did the theme come into greater focus than on ‘Seventeen’, the glorious third single from the New Jersey native’s first album in five years. Rapping about how he flips gender norms, and that everyone is valuable no matter their identity, he's bringing something fresh to Latin rap. DIIV's guitars are always intoxicating, especially when they sound disordered, which often feeds into tracks exploring Smith’s recovery, but on their Deceiver song, "Blankenship," it feels as if it alludes to the climate crisis ("The earth is ownerless / Blankenship / Children lead the cry"). In part, it was because actor Dylan Minnette, who stars in the buzz-worthy Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, fronts the band and Season 1 of the series had just dropped, but also because the ‘60s guitar tone, surf-rock-influenced group is really good. On this year's LEGACY! Andrew Trendell, Key lyric: “I’m the dead girl in the pool, what the fuck is going on?”. Despite that, it’s packed with steel pan base, disco ball shimmer and Lykke Li’s purred vocals, which all combine to make it one of the most gloriously upside-down tracks of the year. While some women take ownership of their choices, as well they should, for others it's more complex, like something to make light of or mask. Lil Nas X feat Billy Ray Cyrus, Old Town Road (Remix) Love it, hate it, or even love to hate it, you can’t deny the song’s domination in 2019. Their post-punk/noise/jazz/mind-altering music took off in the London underground and garnered them a great deal of conversation and "best new bands" superlatives once they debuted at festivals stateside -- and once their debut dropped, they secured their position as one of the biggest, weirdest breakout acts only the coolest know about. It’s not all been utter dogshit though. Think. The lead single from his album Fine Line, "Lights Up" is a good indication; it fashionably transplants '70s pop rock in 2019 with its vague, nonsensical lyrics delivered in a rock star croon. On "Door" she sings in a bouncing falsetto, "Back in the city, I'm just another girl in a sweater," before the song turns into a fantasia as she imagines running through a series of doors to someone, or something -- perhaps it's someone she loves, or perhaps its the artistry of strange pop she's ready to pursue. It took a minute to hear from the Kendrick Lamar collaborator and core TDE signee to release solo work after his 2016 career-defining record Black Face, but that doesn’t mean the introspective, fierce LA rapper ran out of things to say. The band of three childhood friends finally released their first full-length Nothing Happens this year, and it was well-worth the wait. The wah-wah pedal gets a serious workout in this invocation to rain deities from the Malian guitarist and singer Oumar Konate, revving up a twisty, modal, six-beat groove into psychedelic frenzy. Yet, somehow, Billie was similarly confused. Like she sings on the single “ZORA,” Chicago-based soul artist Jamila Woods' "weaponry is [her] energy." “This is the morning after, my mind is such a disaster. His album Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent was the fastest-selling UK album of the year. The first taste of BTS’ ‘Map Of The Soul: Persona’ was an incredibly sweet one – a vibrant burst of bubblegum pop with an added Halsey twist. This is the album’s most succinct and razor-sharp moment, which makes it even more devastating when Zachary Cole Smith intones: “Children lead the cry / You sold them all away / Blankenship.” TS. U The single re-entered the top ten on the week ending December 14, 2019. On Cuz I Love You''s "Juice," the hip-hop artist unapologetically touts how incredible she is, and she makes the case to give you every reason to believe she's telling the truth. It sweeps you off your feet with its synthesizers and violins that feel like the moment the lights drop in the theater to the penultimate, final big-screen kiss. Named in honour of the much-worshipped NBA star Lebron James, .Paak pays homage to both the baller and NFL player-turned-social-activist Colin Kaepernick on this triumphant track, while also railing against police brutality and Donald Trump’s bullshit border wall. TS. She's known for angry bars, and even infuses a hardcore/pop-punk mentality into her music, but here she sounds matter-of-fact, as if to say she stands up for justice because she feels compelled to, not for the notoriety. In a nutshell: A rousing battle cry that set the Dublin punks on the way to huge things. The song is a solemn number from the solo artist who makes clever folk music in a variation of DIY aesthetics, hip-hop production, and Americana twang, although it sounds romantically worn as if it's playing off a tainted cassette. Third Eye Blind's "Semi-Charmed Life" came out in 1997. There’s a twinkle in his eye when he rolls out good-natured boasts (“I could never die – I’m Chuck Norris”), half-serious, half mucking about. It should have happened with 2017’s unfairly overlooked concept album ‘Stillness In Wonderland’, but the world finally caught up with ‘GREY Area’, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. But in reality, everybody breaks at least a little when shit hits the fan, and some of us are just better at wearing a collected mask. Alt-pop prodigy Billie Eilish quietly became one of the biggest pop stars in the world because of her depressingly dark music -- her vulnerable and frank lyrics are exactly what her young audience connects to. Nightmare! The tension will convince you the time for anarchy is now. When you need to giddy up and spur yourself on to success. When to play it: Any time you have an existential crisis about Britain’s future. By picking up exactly where you left off if, I don’t wanna live like this, but I don’t wanna die, ”), but Ezra and the gang took that sentiment to far groovier places. The 24-year-old emocore rapper started off the year declaring he was forced to retire due to conflicts with his former label, but since he struck a deal with JAY-Z's Roc Nation, he came back hot-as-ever with "Free Uzi." Where her original releases relied on the euphoria of keys and dainty lyrics of Gen-Z relatability, the first single off her debut Immunity is a bittersweet statement piece to her artistry. But as somber as the self-referential piano ballad is, she has hope that this apathy isn't everlasting, and as desperate as she sounds, you believe her. Many may have written off ‘Old Town Road’ as a throwaway novelty, but one of 2019’s most inescapable tracks was also one of its most important. This year she dropped "Only Child," which is just as interesting and continues to classify her as a bold name in music; on the track, she stresses she has no time for people with only child syndrome, smartly sing-song rapping about the inherit coldness of those who "think about nobody but yourself." Previously we shared our picks for 2019’s Top Albums; today continue today with our Top 50 Songs of 2019. Sharon Van Etten surprised many fans with her gutsy rebirth on rocky fifth album ‘Remind Me Tomorrow’. In a nutshell: A lo-fi anthem for the aftermath of a house party gone horribly wrong. Yes. There's much more to the group fronted by Zachary Cole Smith than a look, however; in recent years, Smith has become candid about his struggles with addiction. The perpetually rebellious Algerian songwriter Rachid Taha left behind an album in progress when he died in 2018. When to play it: In the first fearful – but exciting – days of a new crush. It's funky as hell, and like a disco fantasy. Bruce Hornsby melds chamber music, jazz, Minimalism and a folksy hoedown with some science-based metaphors to offer advice and warnings for the future of humanity. Her signature rasp is as domineering as ever, as she even hilariously flips the samples' chorus, spitting, "If you're feeling like a boss bitch, go." For a band known for brash punk sounds, it's as if this number was pulled in from another ethereal dimension with its synthesizers and chorus that builds like the final cinematic sequence of a classic movie when the hero is running into the arms of the one they love. He also fronts the best emo band today, Long Island's Oso Oso. It never ceases to go away when you’re young, with every car ride feeling as if it's is the first one since you’d gotten your license. Like all of What Chaos Is Imaginary, on this song they search to "understand what this sadness means," but even then you sure can hear them find the prettiness in the mess. With a sing-song delivery that dynamically picks up in pace, Boogie talks about wrestling with inner demons and that ruthless voice that haunts your head. This rolling, bass-led track is a defiant statement of intent, Simz reminding us, simply and powerfully, that she’s a “boss in a fucking dress”. The song itself, going viral since 2018, could have come and gone as a novelty ditty. (It's right there in the name!) The thing is, you can’t claim the lead single from their impossibly brilliant sixth album. The American Dream and the Hollywood fantasies that singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey writes about and pine for are starting to go up in ash, and even she is struggling to put out the flames. Wrapped in their shared folk rock of empathetic songwriting, the project is entwined in their togetherness while exploring their individual experiences feeling unavoidably alone. It's delightfully extra, and flips men objectifying women in music on its head as she sets a bar of standards for anyone even looking her way. Dive right in. In part, it's what she comes to realize on "The Greatest," singing, tongue-in-cheek, "The culture is lit, and if this is it, I've had a ball." As you grab your placard and start marching for change. Khalid’s approach couldn’t be more sensitive — “Can’t we just talk/Figure out where we’re going?” — as synthesizer chords tiptoe forward ever so tentatively, even as the tryst proceeds. Then this song might be more relatable than a Kanye West song has any right to be in 2019. To CHAI, which deviates from the increasingly internationally popular J-Pop style by embracing louder, art-rock sounds, everybody is cute in their own way, whether they're conventionally attractive or not (the latter being especially embraced). The sound actually allows you to give the song a shallow listen, when really the slur in Lilitri's voice is as if it suppresses whatever it is he's really feeling. They may be known for front woman Adrienne Lenker's revelatory songwriting, but their lead single "Not" from their second album of the year, Two Hands, is all about the words left unsaid. It's what Mark Ronson and his fleet of co-writers/vocalists turned to for Late Night Feelings. , Whack took aim at someone who’d done her wrong with the resigned sorrow of someone who did want to work it out really, whatever she said on the track. over the stuttering production, which perfectly fuses Charli’s avant-pop sensibilities and Christine’s funk-flecked sound. She'll lay out her post-breakup depressive episode for you, just as she's excited to exclaim she's in need of a fast-and-casual hook-up. It's a vision we can all turn to in one way or another, her call to not let the fire overcome us and the culture. His soft voice in tandem with warm synthesizers, Lange sounds golden, like the strength of his Latinx background, singing powerful verses like, "Lifelong history shows that brown won’t go, brown just glows," an ode to his Ecuadorian immigrant parents and cultural history. You hear this shift in emotion in the growing song, its repetitive chorus so catchy you sense it in your soul that it's always possible to bite through the sour. The instrumental introduction sounds like the titular character's escape from the indulgent candy home, but by the end, the warm guitars and the repeated line, "I don't wanna go back / Nobody's gonna push me track," you're out of the woods and in line with the storybook ending you're writing for yourself. In ‘Love Song’, Lana Del Rey made one of the most deeply romantic songs of her career so far – albeit one still coursing with her trademark undercurrent of darkness. Brazen lyrics are accompanied by Rosalía’s trademark nu-flamenco sound, infused with skittering club beats and synthesiser licks. ‘Psychodrama’’s is one of the most compelling debut albums in recent years, a fact largely secured through Dave’s vivid and unflinching story-telling. When to play it: After you’ve finished watching the tear-jerker Call Me By Your Name, which Tyler cleverly references on the track. Cherry Glazerr, the fiery, garage LA output, fills that void, and Stuffed & Ready track "Wasted Nun" finds frontwoman Clementine Creevy singing about feminine exhaustion over red hot, exuberant guitars. Dance to this song alone in your room after an evening out, and it might have you feeling regretful come morning. Unlike the best movies and TV shows of the year, where the release of genuinely good entertainment feels finite, the amount of great, new music in a given year feels endless. Unless you're on indie Twitter or into experimental electronic music, there are not enough "gecs" in the world to understand 100 gecs if you aren't already familiar with them. For those who don't know, 100 gecs is the batshit electro pop duo of producers Dylan Brady and Laura Less. True, there’s a lot of fun, dumb braggadocio here, but Rico’s final verse offers true empowerment to all her ladies: “Don’t give that boy the pussy if you know he ain’t worth it / Ain’t you learnt yet? The general consensus seems to be that Michael Kiwanuka truly came of age with his spectacular self-titled album; a modern-day soul classic that turns a lack of self-confidence into a joyous celebration of identity and individuality. She described the single as "one to cry to," which is a fair assessment, as the wallowing song explores the paranoia of focusing on a relationship's fate ("I know it’s hard to swallow / I don’t know if I’ll be here tomorrow"). The entire song likes a blissful homage to her dreams for a nonsensical, whimsical world of yesteryear brought to today -- her words poignant, nostalgic and like she's throwing her arms up in the air, laughing without a care as a '70s Laurel Canyon-like guitar plays. But here alone, you can tell that she's one to remember, as her fierceness positions herself to be one of the next great songwriters of tomorrow. The momentum was so strong, in fact, that Georgia delayed the release of her second album ‘Seeking Thrills’ (now due in January) to let the momentum bubble up even further. ‘Got To Keep On’, the finest song from stunning ninth album ‘No Geography’, saw the Brothers try their hand at a little disco number, twistingchucka-chucka guitars and adding Chic-sized bell rings into the song’s chorus. As her hangover and recollection of the night before turns into an existential crisis, Ulven starts to question reality and her own mortality as, to her horror, she discovers that the watery corpse is in fact…. Zsela Thompson’s debut single, a somber ballad, introduced her suspended-time phrasing, the melancholy comforts of her lustrous alto voice and lyrics that find a spiritual overlay for the ambiguities of a breakup. Remember when Post Malone seemed like a niche concern? Filled with lyrics so silly they’re brilliant (“She’s sparkling like a fresh glass of Perrier / She’s happy like my birthday”), several scoops of funk and topped off with a sprinkling of sugary hooks, it’s a sweet sonic treat. This rolling, bass-led track is a defiant statement of intent, Simz reminding us, simply and powerfully, that she’s a “. AT. Camila Cabello may have left Fifth Harmony before the pop outfit officially went on hiatus (and she's certainly been doing alright for herself), but when Normani dropped "Motivation," she put forward a convincing case that she was the real star of the group. Not bad for a track with a, “Can’t nobody tell me nothin’ / You can’t tell me nothin’”. This is what makes the rising pop singer "Miss Universe" -- we sense and identify with all of her hysteria, which just so happens to be impeccably paired with a spritely new wave beat. When it arrived in summer, ‘James Bond’ presented a new take on Iggy Pop – suave, sophisticated and sounding like he was about to slink to the bar and order a martini shaken but – and this bit’s important – not stirred. It took over seven years to hear new solo music from British electronic/R&B savant Jai Paul. It's as if Whitney meant to inspire this camaraderie, a togetherness the multi-piece band knows best. NME recently named Robyn‘s ‘Dancing On My Own’ the best song of the 2010s, and as we enter a new decade, Georgia has gifted us its spiritual successor. Over twinkling pianos, distorted drums and several buzzing synths, a non-rapping Tyler – with a little help from a jittery Playboi Carti and the ever-soulful croon of Charlie Wilson – implores and pleads over a heartbroken hook in a last-ditch attempt to salvage a relationship. Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated? ‘Motivation’ bulldozed the internet with trumpets, a persistent loop of sharp notes and a video featuring that basketball trick. "QUE PRETENDES" is a stand-out on the eight-track project, finding the two complementing each other's talents: Balvin crooning elegantly on the chorus and Bad Bunny's smokey rap bringing ample speed to the atmospheric beat. Yes. The album’s opening track is a four-minute distillation of this life-affirming majesty, all shimmering Danger Mouse production, unchained backing vocals and clattering percussion. It doesn't sound like disco in the slightest, but it sure is a movie-like party we're all longing for an invite to. You may not know her name until now, but you've probably heard Caroline Polachek's music before. A jarring piano and repetitive guitar try to make sense of the fallout, and of course they can't, but her vulnerability is profound enough to prove she'll get through. She crafts verses listing the banalities and details that life is not about, but as the rock ballad builds and indulges in pure shredding cacophony, it's as if the group's left whatever life is about to be felt right then. Thankfully, it was also co-opted by women with strong knees who were labeling themselves hot girls, whether or not society agreed. ©2020 Group Nine Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. She didn’t so much rip up the rule book as write her very own, detailing the blueprint for the next decade of pop music. JB. When to play it: In an Uber, leaving the party early. KS-W. Memorable lyric: “I will treat you with the utmost respect only if you respect me a little bit, Elizabeth.”, 15. Folk artist Field Medic knows this, no matter how painful it may be. Her Dedicated number "Now That I Found You" is especially the sort of song you crave from her -- synthesizers and a chorus that builds until it bursts into glitter and rainbows. Her songs are daring, and genuinely sound like how you might imagine music will be when we're all living in space in the next century. Memorable lyric: “Duh.”. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Music, Culture, Capital, Future and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday. The title track epitomizes the record's mood: how an aching heart feels when the clock creeps closer to midnight, and the leverage it has over our actions. Jade Lilitri is very emo. When you’re getting glammed up for the biggest night of the year. That duality persisted on Sunshine Kitty with songs like the chilled out, tropical "Glad He's Gone." It's extremely heartwarming to hear Lilitri come to this conclusion, and if you surrender to the emo, nothing's stopping you from also moving towards the lightness. Synthesizers and Hatchie's hushed, yearning voice make "Stay With Me" euphoric, even as she recalls a romance that's ended. The indie noise band sounds especially pure and entrancing when meshed with the frantic. It was simple, perfect and potent. “Breaking Down,” with its electric sitar and distorted lead guitar, plunges tersely into darker moments. Part of Ronson’s divorce-inspired album of sad bangers, title track ‘Late Night Feelings’ captured the sensation of a heart in turmoil, chasing after partners who’ll only hurt it more. Back in January, modern folk favorites Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst combined forces and surprised fans with a duo project titled Better Oblivion Community Center. Memorable lyric: “Can you see me? “My childhood was small, but I’m gonna be big,” it not only sounded like a mission statement from a soon-to-be-huge band, but also served as a rally cry to any downtrodden kid who needs some hope to cling to.