100. Adrienne Lenker — anything
It’s always impressive to see how the rockish sensibilities of Big Thief become a gentle hush, all pastoral blanketing calm, in the context of lead singer Adrianne Lenker’s solo material. That’s not to say that her solo material is somehow more slight, if anything it’s the opposite — in a year where isolation is the thought on everyone’s minds, Lenker’s almost unnaturally close recordings, with every touch of the guitar string and every vocal warble audible, threaten to swallow you whole. She makes use of the rapt attention she holds on ‘anything’ well — an impressionist tale of love and heartbreak, all sunlight refracting through your tears. — Rai
99. Disclosure — My High (feat. Aminé and Slowthai)
Before they’d established industry connections, Disclosure had to resort to sampling motivational speaker Eric Thomas in order to cobble together a vocal track with the charisma and feel of a rap feature. Five years later, exactly halfway through 2020, they released their first bona-fide hip-hop track of their own with ‘My High’. The duo has always had a knack for high-tempo, stuttering breakbeats that propel songs forward with anxious excitement. MCs Aminé and Slowthai take full advantage of the rhythmic complexity of the backing track, squeezing and weaving in as many extra syllables as they possibly can amidst the blown-out snare and bass. The most remarkable segment of the track is easily the menacing hook. Amine swaps out his fast-spoken verse for a smirky taunt sung at the object of his discontent. Even with an almost complete lack of melody, the chant of “My high, my high, my high” will still inevitably worm its way into your head. — forthecommongood
98. SG Lewis — Impact (feat. Robyn and Chanel Tres)
In a year where we couldn’t go to the club, the club came to us. Initiatives such as Club Quarantine took DJ lineups to the virtual space, and Dua Lipa and The Blessed Madonna tasked a host of producers to turn Future Nostalgia into a seamless set of remixes. Yet nothing could quite replicate the feeling of the dance floor as well as ‘Impact’. With its pulsating bass and flashes of neon it’s hard to resist the track’s nocturnal rush, but its guests make it near impossible. Channel Tres’ velvety tones are disarmingly intimate and Robyn’s hook soars with palpable euphoria, beckoning as though you need invitation. The sweaty crowds and tangible thumps of the nightclub will have to wait, but ‘Impact’ brings you a slice of the action even if just for a few minutes. — Travo
97. Lianne La Havas — Weird Fishes
Musically, Lianne La Havas’ 2020 album tributes the neo-soul and R&B that shaped Havas’ childhood. Conceptually, it follows the stages of a relationship in a way inspired by flowers; in her own words, “A flower has to dry up and die in order to be reborn. You have to get to the rock bottom to rebuild yourself.”
In both of these ways, ‘Weird Fishes’ represents the album’s centerpiece (honorable mention to ‘Bittersweet’ and ‘Sour Flower’). It may be odd to designate it such given that it’s a cover, but it’s a testament to her ability that she re-invents one of Radiohead’s best songs into a more soul-based and arguably personal song with such ease; Havas is clearly weaving two childhood passions (Radiohead + soul music) into her own emotional tapestry.
I can’t even think of a single other cover of any Radiohead song that distinguishes itself as much as this does. The first section of both versions seem interchangeable (which is impressive enough, mind), but the subtle tinges of soul create a mystical atmosphere not quite like the original.
The second section is where the song really grows its wings. Following the transitory a cappella verse, Havas and co. must have had the time of their lives in the studio. Havas, her band, and that choir go all out with passion, soaring all the way from the bottom of the sea to the stratosphere (I’m ignoring the fact that rising too fast from deep water could probably kill you; they’ve totally transcended the limitations of the human body by now anyway). — ExtraEater
96. Harry Styles — Golden
An audacious “hey!” opens ‘Golden’ and also introduces you to Fine Line: the second studio album by the not-at-all-controversial and subreddit-civil war-inducing Harry Styles. ‘Golden’ is sung with such a sultry tone that embodies that nostalgic recalling of a memory set many summers ago. Ironically this song was first released in December 2019 and didn’t get its accompanying music video until nearly ten months later but its placement on this list speaks to the effervescent vibe that rises above all calendar seasons.
‘Golden’ isn’t exactly a deep dive into the mind of Styles — the title itself is repeated 41 times — but it does have some ambiguous lyrics that take it beyond a song you would blast cruising down a sunset coastline. “I know that you’re scared because I’m so open / because hearts get broken” suggests Harry’s vulnerability (sexually? emotionally?) is at risk of jeopardizing the sparks of a new relationship unless they quickly catch on the tinder. Fine Line is ultimately a breakup album about having sex and feeling sad. Sometimes the flame dies out and sometimes it roars to life. — shhhneak
95. Carly Rae Jepsen — Summer Love
Pretty much since I first really got into Carly Rae Jepsen, one of my dream artist-producer collaborations has been Carly and Kevin Parker of Tame Impala fame. With Kevin’s documented love of pop music and disco and Carly’s turn towards 80s-tinted indie pop, it would seem like a match made in heaven. I held out hope even further when it was rumored that Carly’s highly anticipated fourth studio album would feature a more disco-influenced sound. However, this would not come to pass, and while I enjoyed Dedicated when it was finally released in 2019, it would really only have touches of disco sprinked throughout. Carly, known for writing and working on hundreds of songs during the creation of her albums, wasn’t done yet though, and put out the companion piece Dedicated Side B a year later. Along with expanding on the similar outtakes project Emotion Side B by essentially releasing a whole second album, Carly also dropped a truly fantastic electro-disco groove with ‘Summer Love’. While it is not actually a collaboration with Kevin Parker, ‘Summer Love’ fills in nicely in the absence of one. Some musical ideas feel very reminiscent of the Tame sound, such as the heavy bassline right out of ‘Is It True’ or ‘Elephant’ and layered walls of synthesizers, but there are some nice touches that come from other places, like the midi strings on the bridge that feel right out of an early 2000s Kylie Minogue song. This isn’t to sell Carly short either, because she rocks the chorus with some help from some very pretty vocal layering. If this was what the whole scrapped “Disco Sweat” project would have sounded like, than I will not be satisfied until Carly releases it. Also, please work with Kevin Parker, Carly. I will buy another concert ticket if you do, I promise. — ThereIsNoSantaClaus
94. Arca — Mequetrefe
When ‘Mequetrefe’ opens with whooshing snare, followed by disembodied moan by Arca herself accompanied by what sounds like a laser gun SFX lifted straight from 90’s FPS, you know it’s going to be another hell of a ride engineered by one of electronic music’s most exciting talents in the recent years. The energy doesn’t stop there, as you’re being greeted with twisted neoperreo percussion and fast-paced vocal delivery which explores themes of liberation. The somewhat calming, Drukqs-esque piano melodies that seeped into the choruses creates a nice contrast from the already high-octane backdrop. Oh, and you bet it has beat drop too! Couple of them, in fact, with Arca amplifying all of the song’s elements to 11 and letting all hell breaks loose. The end result of this daring experimentation is both terrifying and captivating. She has said that ‘Mequetrefe’ is about “the tenderness behind expressing who you are without shame”, and without a single damn shame she did. — izeasklapaucius
92. Katy Perry — Daisies
Katy Perry has never been one for subtlety. If she’s going to sing about being resilient, she’s going to put a song called ‘Resilient’ on her album, and the first line of the chorus will go “I am resilient,” and the song’s going to suck. ‘Daisies’ is another such song that doesn’t try to hide anything (a lack of subtlety that physically manifested in her baby named fucking Daisy), yet its strength comes not from any kind of forced cheeriness, but from a genuinely emotional vocal performance from a woman whose career has been a test of resilience for several years at this point. The way she pushes the title out in the chorus, culminating in that belt-shriek that’s pained yet exhilarating, feels like a physical effort to keep out the voices trying to take her down. Like the title, the song is ultimately not about the forces beating her down, but in the beauty that comes as a direct result. — letsallpoo
90. Troye Sivan — Take Yourself Home
Troye Sivan’s In a Dream EP last year was met with varied reception, with a general consensus that it was mid to above average. Sonically, the EP was deeply set in the genre of synth-pop, with a couple of interesting choices that made the project feel a bit incomplete to some (like including an interlude in a 5–6 song project).
The front runner for the project, ‘Take Yourself Home’, however, punched out, and took the sub by surprise, with an April Fools Day release. If only Troye knew to look at the sub and realize that releasing anything on April Fools Day was going to get overshadowed by Peppa Pig memes.
The track itself is a mellow, and somewhat somber cut, a striking new look and sound for Troye, after ‘My My My’, ‘Take Yourself Home’ is dark, moody, but is also able to keep a mature and level headed approach to the message of the song. Around the 2:49 mark of the track, the song appears to be winding down, and the song seems to be ending in a hallowing send off.
Then at 3:27, the acid hits. In a complete breakdown, the song’s sadness turns to madness, and Troye’s sonic transition comes to a full realization. It’s not just his ‘artpop’, it’s a fully realized blend of emotion, synths, song writing, and mania. It’s the kind of depression that can only get out of your system through a complete reset, that kind of reset can be what you want it to be, for some it’s drinking, drugs, screaming, crying, dancing, but Troye’s reset is exhilarating synths, electronic drums, and a vocoder laced break down.
It’s the most promising follow-up single I’ve heard in a long time, and the creative direction any pop star would wish to pull off, and make it sound just so damn sexy. — wailord_fan
89. Shygirl — SLIME
One of the cultural kickers of 2020 of course is that clubs simply stopped being part of our lives — so it’s all the more impressive that Shygirl is offering up sexed up songs that evoke every last grimy corner of the sweaty and dark London nightclubs that she probably meant to play these at. ‘Slime’ produced by SOPHIE, Sega Bodega and Kai Whiston takes staple sounds of 00s UK club culture — R&B, grime, acid house — and transforms it into something seedier and significantly hornier. Shygirl’s delivery of course brings the whole thing together, whose butter-smooth tone when she raps belies the fact that she could probably be a very successful dominatrix if the music thing doesn’t work out. — Rai
88. Machine Gun Kelly — Forget Me Too (feat. Halsey)
If ‘Forget Me Too’ did not prove to you Machine Gun Kelly’s prowess and how perfect a fit he is within pop punk, frankly, nothing will. Everything about this song is just one brilliant step after another, and the way that it continually builds upon itself is astounding. Starting with the gentle, jangling emo opener where the hook and the sentiments are laid out straight away, the song immediately launches into the rage and frustration with shredding guitars and pounding snares as MGK spits out his anxieties and frustrations at rapid pace, but never giving much detail as to why he feels this way. Everything then gets shattered as Halsey bursts in on the second verse with some of her angriest, most powerful delivery ever as she tears MGK a new one for never having the courage to talk to her or clear anything up.
The reason this song works at its core is because of how good the chemistry is between the two singers, which makes sense given their rocky IRL romantic relationship which broke up many years before the recording of this song. Both of their verses come from real emotional and strongly held places, but neither ever overpowers the other, leading to a pent-up back and forth venting session on the bridge that all culminates in a final refrain where the production says “fuck it” to any concessions to a mainstream pop formula and the song basically becomes a Rise Against track as Travis Barker howls away on the drum kit in the most visceral punk thrashing anywhere on ‘Tickets To My Downfall’. This is a clear standout on he album, one which even people who didn’t like MGK’s shift to pop punk seemed to have a begrudging respect for. But if you were fully onboard with MGK becoming a new wave of rockstar (like I am), then this is one of his crowning jewels that will no doubt open pits around the world once pits can once again be opened. Now if only he could convince Halsey to drop a pop punk project too… — camerinian
87. EVERGLOW — LA DI DA
The recent k-pop retro wave has been relentless (perhaps a second wave after the Wonder Girls had their ‘I Feel You’ moment) and it’s not difficult to see the influence of songs like The Weeknd’s ‘Blinding Lights’ on EVERGLOW’s effort. That said, it’s incredibly difficult to complain about it anyway, when it easily matches up to any of the other 80s songs of the moment with its own unique charms to boot. The adrenaline rush of little moments like the “E-ver-glow, for-ever let’s go” chant or the trap-flavoured verse simply could not be pulled off in the same way if done by a Western artist, while the choice to go for a traditional sung chorus instead of a drop marks it from many other k-pop songs too. “Got no time for haters” indeed, but really it’s difficult to see how they could have any in the first place. — Rai
86. Selena Gomez — Rare
Although people seem all together sick of Selena Gomez singing songs about a certain toxic ex, you can’t deny that every so often she hits it out of the park. One of the strongest songs from her album of the same name, altogether it’s quite similar to the songs from her “droplet era” a few years back. The production leans into being a little bit experimental while still being entirely accessible, and Selena leans into her strengths as a vocalist. Admittedly strange lyrics like “burning toast on the toaster” do kind of bring the song down a little, but I think all together it’s a really fun surprisingly strong song. — idkwhatnametouseaa
85. Kesha — Resentment (feat. Sturgill Simpson, Brian Wilson and Wrabel)
With a track titled ‘Resentment’ one might expect a song filled to the brim with angry energy. Maybe some shouting, some fury, and a big fuck-you to the recipient. But Kesha takes the subtle route and leans toward the quiet “I despise you and telling you is already more effort than you’re worth”-type of anger. Kesha does a masterful job leaning toward her country side on the track, with restrained vocals and little more than a guitar backing her for most of the song. Sturgill Simpson, Brian Wilson, and Wrabel also feature on backing vocals/instrumentation (though if you weren’t told beforehand you could probably hardly identify them).
What hurts Kesha most is this isn’t some random person, it’s someone she cared for; “Isn’t that just the thing about us? I’m still thinking you could be the one.” Despite her latent feelings she knows there are some serious issues on one side, “It’s a shame knowing we could be good. That you could treat me better if you really wanted to.” She really does want to work with them, but if all she gets is pushback eventually it’s going to blow up.
And blow up it does. Once the chorus kicks in Kesha reveals her true feelings toward her partner. At first “I don’t hate you babe” creates an expectation that maybe some sort of reconciliation is coming. Until she drops, “It’s worse than that.” The lyrics reach their climax as Kesha sings “I’ve been building up this thing for months. Oh, resentment.” This isn’t some blowback after a fight, this is a long-time anger caused by repeated issues on one side of the relationship. She isn’t able to cut the connection just yet, but with this song she is ready to give them an absolutely scathing criticism of their character. And this time she’s doing it for her sake. — TiltControls
“Kesha - Resentment (feat. Sturgill Simpson, Brian Wilson and Wrabel)”
84. Little Mix — Sweet Melody
Back in the day when Little Mix entered into the music scene, they were making hits like crazy in the UK. However, in the recent years, the girls have been struggling with all the issues the fame brings, but they weren’t achieving the same amount of chart success they had at the beginning. This changed with this song, ‘Sweet Melody’, which took them back to the spotlight. I’m not usually a huge fan of records where the artists aren’t deeply involved in the writing process, but for some reason, this song and even Confetti as a whole hit totally different.
The sound, the lyrics and their voices, it all converges perfectly. However, being more specific, the exciting part comes when you realize they’re probably talking about ‘Sweet Melody’ while singing ‘Sweet Melody’: “I wasn’t crazy about the words, but the melodies were sweet” the lyrics are innocent and the plot isn’t anything too creative, but the emotion they’re transmitting is completely palpable, like the song inside the song. They’re singing about someone who misses their ex and how he used to sing and write songs for them, and although the lyrics weren’t brilliant, they liked the melody because of all the feelings involved, which happens when you listen to this song. In one way or another, you’re probably going to feel related while you enjoy its simple but extremely catchy notes. Therefore, besides the emotional appeal, what I love about this song is how it comes as some kind of a musical inception, because I can’t think of a sweeter melody than the one in ‘Sweet Melody’. — thegolding
83. Allie X — Save Your Love (feat. Mitski)
It does make sense that Allie X is the person to bridge the seemingly disparate universes of Troye Sivan and Mitski on a single album (well, besides their shared love of queer yearning) since her pop sensibilities have always come with narrative-heavy Americana weirdness trailing behind just like Mitski always has done. What’s the sonic midpoint of the two artists? Well, apparently it’s something along the lines of a modern take on a Carpenters song, or ‘Bennie and the Jets’ played at the wrong tempo on a record player. And if you were looking for queer yearning, it’s definitely here for you as Mitski and Allie take turns using the gloriously silky smooth melodies to pine for the titular Susie. — Rai
82. Arca — KLK (feat. Rosalía)
Experimental nonbinary producer Arca, despite having the sound of a distant planet, reality or future, never leaves behind her roots. It’s not just her cover art, holding the flag of her country, Venezuela, it’s the title: ‘KLK’, which stands for ¨¿Qué lo que?”, is the equivalent to English “What’s up?”, and is a very common phrase used in her homeland. Lyrics aside, the art on this song resides in its production: Arca made sure to create a song like you have never heard before. Classic reguetón, experimental electronic and Venezuelan folk combined into one, and with the help of la talentosa Rosalía, it all crafted a sound that is as unique as boppable. Arca has said many times that her percussion is inspired by the furruco, a wood instrument that she herself played in her teenage years, very used in “gaitas”, joyous folk songs more akin to Christmas carols.
KLK is a victory lap for both artists (whose individual work is a must listen to any music lover) in the form of a deconstructed club bop. Arca even makes reference to a popular Latin American meme, where a guy’s livestream was interrumpted by a trembling; it’s no coincidence, she wants people to “sandunguear” and collectively shake their booties to this song. Sadly, neither society nor Latin America is ready for that. Maybe someday, we will reach that enlightment. — Jexan13
81. Tove Lo — Bikini Porn
It wouldn’t be a Tove Lo song without an explicitly sexual reference that may in fact have nothing to do with sex at the end of the day. ‘Bikini Porn’ is a wonderfully odd celebration of doing nothing at all, being able to just relax and sunbathe until you develop the tan lines for which the song is named. Despite the seemingly breezy lyrics, the production is menacingly off-kilter, backed by unsettling whoops and deeply pitched vocoder. Is this meant to suggest that there is a darker underbelly to her hedonism, or is it more of a reference to the monotony of life for the modern corporate automaton who only has “those sad eyes for money”? Regardless, Tove Lo’s infectious hooks invite us along for a good time, and it’s difficult to not want to go along and just “drink champagne all day” with her. — HaHaImActing
80. Chloe x Halle — Forgive Me
It’s been a while since an album’s first track has hooked me in so hard. Sonically the song is a punchy bass-driven jam with incredible harmonies. Lyrically the song tells the story of confidently getting over a breakup. However, and maybe I’m reading too much into this, after learning that ‘Tipsy’ is about killing a lover, I can kinda get those same vibes from ‘Forgive Me’. In this universe, CxH aren’t asking for forgiveness due to getting over a breakup so quickly, they’re asking for it since they plan on killing their ex. Seems like the ex should be the one asking for forgiveness huh.
Vocally the song is absolutely gorgeous. Chloe and Halle both have amazing voices and play off of each other really well. And while I don’t want to compare the 2 because they’re both extremely talented in their own right, Chloe steals the show for me on this track: the way she delivers the outro as if its a killing blow never fails to give me chills. I find in general Chloe tends to sing with more intensity compared to Halle’s softer more angelic tone, so it suits the track much better.
‘Forgive Me’ sets the bar really high for the rest of the album (spoiler: it delivers), and while the other tracks are astounding, there’s something that keeps bringing me back to this song again and again. — 1998tweety
79. Carly Rae Jepsen — This Love Isn’t Crazy
Carly Rae Jepsen has always had pure feelings as her biggest muse and her best songs know how to transform these enormous and complicated feelings into simple words that thousands of her fans can enjoy. On ‘This Love Isn’t Crazy’ the insecurity yet also confidence she feels in her relationship are perfectly expressed. It’s a song full of small fun and big developments as she describes how her relationship has changed both them. In a year where everything seemingly went wrong she is here to assure that this love is right. Isn’t that crazy? — runaway3212
78. Ariana Grande — 34+35
As Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone put it, “there was something heroic about” Ariana Grande’s insatiable horniness on positions. Rather than writing about the more horrifying and depressing elements of our collective reality in 2020, Ariana instead decided to let the entire world know exactly what she was doing with her free time. For the people quarantining with romantic partners it was relatable. For the people quarantining sad and alone it was some nice escapism set to catchy music.
‘34+35' served us a sweet and innocent sounding instrumental with horny lyrics, and it meshed surprisingly well. Maybe it wasn’t the most groundbreaking song of all time — as Popheads loves to point out — but sometimes the world is ending and you just want Ariana Grande to sing to you about how much she loves to fuck. This was one of those times. — ketchupsunshine
77. Magdalena Bay — How to Get Physical
Did anyone ever have to do ‘beep tests’ in sports classes in school? Where you’d run from wall to wall as an increasingly quicker beep brutally eliminated those who couldn’t keep up with its punishing tempo; presumably all the losers were to be incinerated or fed to a crocodile or something. The anecdote is only barely related to this, but maybe our fascination with exercise metaphors in our pop music comes from traumatic events in our childhood (I’m accepting PhD applicants). If you rendered Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Let Get Physical’ in half, the two resultant parts of it, its yin and yang would probably be Dua Lipa’s ‘Physical’ and also Magdalena Bay’s ‘How To Get Physical’. Where Dua took the original’s promise of sweaty sexed up testosterone to its logical extreme, Magdalena Bay have interpreted it via the way of sugary chiptune, the Wii Fit edition of the burner workout. The song talks of lack of self-confidence to get down and dance, but its frothy melodies and inextricably sunny production feel like everyone’s inner hype man, telling you to get to the dance floor regardless.
— Rai
76. Rico Nasty — IPHONE
First teased on Instagram Live in 2019, ‘IPHONE’ quickly became a fan favourite months before actually being released. It finally arrived in August as the lead single to Rico Nasty’s debut album Nightmare Vacation, and sees her link up with producer Dylan Brady of 100 gecs for the second of their many collaborations in 2020. The song has some noticeable similarities to their previous collaboration (100 gecs’ ‘ringtone’ remix,) continuing the theme of relationships through the lens of technology, but this time with more nostalgic references to late 90s and 00s culture, such as Tamagotchi and Myspace. The track opens with the chorus, one of the catchiest hooks of the year with the “chipmunked” vocals that are a staple of the PC Music/hyperpop genre, and doesn’t let up, keeping up the same incredible level of energy throughout almost the whole song. It has plenty of Rico’s signature swagger and confidence, but there are surprisingly vulnerable moments too, as Rico lets her guard down, and admits that she does need her man’s love and attention. ‘IPHONE’ stands as a highlight of both Rico and Dylan’s careers so far, and shines in equal parts due to Dylan’s abrasive production and Rico’s charismatic delivery. — pat-rickstar
Intro & Honorable Mentions | 100–76 | 75–51 | 50–26 | 25–1 | Full List | Stats & Numbers
