60 Best Songs of 2018
The best songs of 2018 include Gretchen Peters, Troye Sivan, Bronze Avery, Candi Carpenter, FRANKIIE and more!
Welcome to our Best of 2018 series, in which we explore the year’s best albums, songs and extended plays.
2018 was a blockbuster year in music. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Across the board, from the dirt-in-your-ears Americana music to electronica and pop to whiskey-soaked country, the craft of music-making and performance art reached new levels of earnest songwriting and genre-defying production mixes. Many of this year’s best songs tapped into serious issues of identity, mental health, the world’s dire state and romance. Now that the year is finally in the homestretch, with just over a week to go until Christmas, we are taking stock of the singers, songwriters and musicians who set trends, broke down barriers and shook up the status quo in invaluable ways.
Below, B-Sides & Badlands has chosen the 60 best songs of 2018.
The Deep Hollow, “Anna’s Gone” (buy)
Genre: Americana
Album/EP: Weary Traveler
Label: Independent
The sharp blade of suicide can be swift and severe. It’s a troublesome, road-weary darkness from which many can never recover. With “Anna’s Gone,” Americana trio The Deep Hollow carve out a haunting and brittle tale of a dear friend named Anna who takes her own life, and its reflective, mournful state is mirrored in the weeping acoustic guitar and the soft, but tragically heavy, harmony work. “Now, I stay up way too late / Thinking ‘bout what went wrong / And what I could have said / To make her see that she belonged / And that she wasn’t better off dead,” singer Micah Walk sculpts out ashy tragedy with great compassion and beauty, a way to soothe the unrelenting cruelty of the world into which we’re all swallowed. – Jason Scott
serpentwithfeet, “bless ur heart”
Genre: R&B/Soul
Album/EP: soil (buy)
Label: Tri Angle Records
“bless ur heart” feels wonderfully infinite, as if seprentwithfeet pulled from the cosmos and heavens the true meaning of selfless adoration, and in writing this song, played messenger to the gods in sharing the ancient language of love. It’s queer love so pure and powerful that it sounds drawn from the beauty of the world around us, love that stands tall and that grows untamed, beyond the coils of mortals. It unfurls itself inch-by-inch, with every melody the masterclass vocalist plucks from his captivating croon and flawless falsetto. – Chris Will
Avril Lavigne, “Head Above Water” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: Head Above Water
Label: BMG
Five years since her last studio record, Avril Lavigne turns to her faith as a way to wrangle the demonic powers and survive Lyme disease, a deadly arm that had such a grasp on her body she nearly suffocated. Foamy, bubbly waves of percussion clash against a commandingly pristine vocal line, warbling through an oceanic upheaval of gospel inflections and turmoil. “God, keep my head above water” rings as both a truth-seeking prayer whispered from her ruinous bedside and a monumental mountain-crumbling roar for a woman reclaiming her life. “Don’t let me drown,” she later pleads. Her voice is wrapped in chilling echoes that bounce and float behind her, and it’s a striking reminder of her strength as a torch-singing interpreter. – Jason Scott
Troye Sivan, “The Good Side”
Genre: Pop
Label/EP: Bloom (buy)
Label: Universal
“The Good Side” showcases a different kind of Troye Sivan, the pop superstar immersing himself in gentle acoustics, flanked by a gossamer harp strings that pour like sunlight through an open window. It’s a quiet and calm break up song, not too emotional but not too distant, as Sivan muses almost absent-mindedly on a past relationship and the benefits he drew from it. But the real magic comes before and after the final chorus, where the track lifts off into skies of celestial keys and strings, vast and untethered like the uncharted future after a relationship dies. – Chris Will
SG Lewis, “Hurting” featuring AlunaGeorge
Genre: Pop/R&B
Album/EP: Dark EP (buy)
Label: Universal
British bop-makers SG Lewis and AlunaGeorge team up on the ultimate dance banger, “Hurting,” each respective act’s most passionate release to-date. Clocking in at just over three minutes, Aluna provides a sleek vocal that melts right into the smooth beats arranged by the 24-year old producer. Full of sensuality and tension, “Hurting” doesn’t miss a beat for the dance floor and turns up the heat even higher as Aluna leads into the main hook, “Hurting for your body / Hurting for your body and your soul.” There is no denying that this track was designed for a night of intimate dancing. – Galvin Baez
Lori McKenna, “People Get Old”
Genre: Country
Album/EP: The Tree (buy)
Label: Thirty Tigers
Nostalgia is an enduring template in much of country and Americana music. There’s a bittersweet sorrow embedded in our memories, and in walking through the past, flushed with ghosts and fleeting moments, accomplished singer-songwriter Lori McKenna gives the theme an update with “People Get Old,” a cut from her exquisite new record The Tree, which sees her reflecting upon her father and her childhood and where she is these days, emotionally. “I spilled every last drop of time that summer in the sun / My daddy had a Timex watch / Cigarette in his hand and a mouthful of scotch / Spinnin’ me around like a tilt-a-whirl on his arm,” she paints a vision vividly and viscerally her own but one which plucks the heartstrings of very single human being alive. – Jason Scott
How to Dress Well
, “Nonkilling 6 | Hunger”
Genre: Pop/Alternative
Album/EP: The Anteroom (buy)
Label: Domino Recording
“Nonkilling 6 | Hunger” is sad, unsettling and comforting all at once, an understated earworm of a club track with supple hooks that belie the morose (but undeniably gorgeous) songwriting. There’s a sort of self-questioning introspection in the way How to Dress Well’s Tom Krell parses through his perceptions of the world around him, the way seeing something heartbreaking on the news can sometimes launch someone into a deep spiral of despair, with an insatiable hunger to understand their place in this twisted world. As a whole, the song feels like twirling on a crowded dance floor to forget the loneliness inside, a technicolor thump thinly coating a stark existence. – Chris Will
Ella Mai, “Boo’d Up”
Genre: R&B
Album/EP: Self-Titled (buy)
Label: Summers Records
No song in 2018 had more universal appeal than Ella Mai’s debut single, “Boo’d Up.” Everywhere the song played, you saw different people from all walks of life either put their hands up, start singing along or yell out the occasional “This is my song!” With its smooth, throwback production and simplistic, yet charming, hook of a chorus (the lyrics are quite literally “Dee dee da dum, boo’d up”), the hit factor in “Boo’d Up” is undeniable. In fact, so undeniable that it became a Billboard Top 10 hit and scored a Grammy nomination for Song of The Year, rightfully so. – Galvin Baez
Greg Hawks, “The King of Hate”
Genre: Americana
Album/EP: I Think It’s Time (buy)
Label: Independent
Silence is complicity. Greg Hawks fills his lungs with the cold potion of truth and roars from the mountaintops with shrewd force, bellowing the most intimate of his soul’s enraptured confessions. “The King of Hate” is a transparently smart examination of President Trump and his corrupt shenanigans in completely dismantling freedom and our very way of existence. “Can’t believe a single thing he has to say,” sings Hawks in a plainspoken and starkly-shining delivery. He allows the lyrics to land forcefully on the ears without unnecessary filters or biases or proclamations of “fake news.” “Well, it’s hard to sleep or read / I can’t concentrate / Just lie awake and hope it’s not too late,” he exposes his unease and that of our very basic fears in a way that’s utterly crucial to our survival. – Jason Scott
Carrie Underwood, “Spinning Bottles” (buy)
Genre: Country
Album/EP: Cry Pretty
Label: UMG Nashville
Carrie Underwood is a bedeviling talent. A mainstream radio staple, she’s one of a last few links to tradition, and even with her new album Cry Pretty, which is dipped in sugar-coated confection, she keeps storytelling close to the vest and offers up many of her most emotionally-charged entries of her catalog. With “Spinning Bottles,” a delicately-sewn tear-soaker on alcoholism, she’s at her most vulnerable than she’s ever been. “Can’t live like this anymore,” she sings as guitar and lap steel wail and moan quietly, yet sharply, in the distance. Even more impressive, she co-wrote the song, alongside album producer David Garcia and long-time friend and collaborator Hillary Lindsey, and so, you feel every ounce of pain dripping from her lips. It’s an exemplary performance, top to bottom. – Jason Scott
Bronze Avery, “Want 2” (buy)
Genre: R&B/Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Good Problems
Budding popstar Bronze Avery has begun cementing his place in the LGBT pop world with “Want 2” his most successful single yet, which makes sense to anyone who’s enjoyed the track since its release this November. Juxtaposing the trop-pop island beat with Bronze’s uniquely high vocal makes the perfect recipe for a steamy hit with high replay factor, especially with a hook that blasts “Imma take my time on you / Swear I got a list of the shit I wanna do / We could do it all if you really want to.” Keep your eyes peeled for Bronze Avery’s name as we enter the new year. – Galvin Baez
Slayyyter, “BFF” featuring Ayesha Erotica (buy)
Genre: Pop/Alternative
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Slayyyter Records
One of the most popular music videos this year involved a re-imagining of Mean Girls, but if any song in 2018 deserved to have a Mean Girls-themed music video, it’s Slayyyter and Ayesha Erotica’s “BFF.” A hot pink, candy-coated ode to excess, flaunting fierceness in every turn, the gooey dance-pop collaboration is loaded with gummy, red-hot synths and sticky-sweet hooks. Slayyyter and Ayesha Erotica trade off lines about living lavish with your bestie, every soft and sugary syllable slathered in autotune like honey. But unlike consuming your favorite candy, there’s no sugar crash here, just a pure pop paradise to blast everywhere and anywhere you want to flip your hair and feel fabulous. A bona fide Regina George anthem if there ever was one. – Chris Will
lovelytheband, “these are my friends” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: finding it hard to smile
Label: The Century Family, Inc.
We’re still not talking about mental health nearly enough. But lovelytheband frontman Mitchy Collins puts great care into examining his own enormous emotional and psychological triggers with “these are my friends.” Fashioned upon a sturdy foundation of shiny, volatile percussion and vocal distortions, the incisively cut anthem jingles and jangles, as he wrestles with his demons, which may or may not be his “friends” when things get tough. “Everybody needs a pick me up / But I should probably slow it down / But it’s pretty good company / It cheers me up when I feel bad / These are my insecurities that keep me going,” he observes, mournfully playing against a sunny backdrop. “These are my friends, I love them.” – Jason Scott
Alina Baraz, “I Don’t Even Know Why Though”
Genre: R&B
Album/EP: The Color of You (buy)
Label: Mom+Pop
“I just wanna put my weight on you.” Find me a sexier lyric from 2018. Chill-pop songstress Alina Baraz laid it down for this deep cut on her 2018 release, The Color of You, and gave you another addition for your “Netflix & chill” playlist. Leading the song in with an eccentric Mint Condition sample, the track smooths out into the alluring beauty that has Alina advising her lover “Know I shouldn’t, Imma wait on you / I don’t even know why though” on the chorus. Whether you switch it or smoke it, this non-single is one of the year’s highlights, and we do even know why though. – Galvin Baez
Ariana Grande, “No Tears Left to Cry”
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: Sweetener (buy)
Label: Republic
“Thank u, next” may be currently dominating the collective pop conscious, but it’s undeniable that Sweetner’s first single is one of the biggest left-of-center chart successes of 2018. The draw is less in the lyrics (though the second verse is pretty stellar), and more in the production and the melodies, the way the rough drum loop adds some grit and edge to the glittery synths that dust the soaring choral harmonies. That melody in the hook is transcendent, how it hits your brain like a Gregorian chant, otherworldly and weighty, timeless and refreshing. It’s a standout in her catalog, if not in chart placement (it’s her third highest charting solo single), then definitely in its unique sound. – Chris Will
Charlie Puth, “The Way I Am”
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: Voicenotes (buy)
Label: Warner Records
Hook monster Charlie Puth proved to be one of pop’s leading men with the release of his sophomore album, Voicenotes, this year, and the evidence can be heard in the opening track, “The Way I Am.” Charlie sings about his newfound fame woes while practicing the most recent trend in pop music by stacking hook on top of hook throughout the song. From the first verse (“Everybody’s trying to be famous, I’m just trying to find a place to hide”) to the main chorus (“You can either hate me or love me / But that’s just the way I am”), it’s nothing but grade-A catchy melodies for three minutes. – Galvin Baez
Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, “New Ways to Fail”
Genre: Americana
Album/EP: Years (buy)
Label: Bloodshot
When a toxic entanglement finally rubs off, you’re left with nothing but exhaustion. But in the throes of a house on fire, Sarah Shook, leader of her band of Disarmers, wallows in the already-accumulated rubble. “Too damn tired to walk away / Too tired to make it through another day / Just gonna lie here and complain instead,” she spits in scathing glory, igniting honky-tonk swagger in scalding juxtaposition to the rattling darkness inside her skull. The production is tauntingly jovial, and even though the emotions are dragging her heart and mind through the mud, she manages up enough venom to inject into her prey. “I need this shit like I need another hole in my head,” she eyes, her gaze both fragile and seething. – Jason Scott
Vardaan Arora, “What If” (buy)
Genre: R&B/Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Independent
Rising LGBTQ artist Vardaan Arora gave us an emotional, yet breezy, song for the summer when he released “What If” this past June. “What If” serves as an anthem for battling insecurities and keeping charades of positivity up while out in public. “It’s perfect, it’s perfect / On the surface, it’s perfect,” these are fitting lyrics considering the sunny attitude in the ebullient production and breathy vocals. However, it’s the message in the song’s lyrics that make you take a step back and realize it’s not the uptempo bop you think you’re hearing, a clever move on Vardaan’s part. – Galvin Baez
Maggie Rogers, “Fallingwater”
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: Heard It in a Past Life (buy)
Label: Capitol Records
“Fallingwater” reads like a time-halting realization, even as Maggie Rodgers pours her stunning voice over the steadily tumbling beat, a moment of crucial self-introspection amongst the wild rush of life. Her admission of fault is heartbreaking yet empowering, understanding her shortcomings in the relationships around her and using these insights to mature and grow. She immerses herself in her flawed humanity and embraces it, comparing herself to a babbling brook or a rushing river, forever moving forward, striving to filter what’s harmful to sustain those around her whom she loves. And above all, she shows that there’s a sort of chaotic beauty in each and every struggle. – Chris Will
Kim Petras, “All the Time” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: BunHead
West Hollywood’s it girl Kim Petras has kept the bops coming all year long, and “All The Time” is undoubtedly the peak of the power pop queen’s string of singles. The pre-chorus rings “Wanna kick it with you all the time / Yeah I’m all the way down” on what sounds like the catchiest melody on Kim’s short but impactful discography, accompanied by her most ’80s-nostalgic synths to create the perfect sunny jam to blast down the streets of LA. After your first listen, it’s safe to say that you will want to blare this track every day, all the time. – Galvin Baez
Demi Lovato, “Sober” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: Self-Titled
Label: Island/Hollywood/UMG
We’ve never deserved Demi Lovato. She’s the consummate underdog, ever fated to fly just enough below the radar not to be the true global phenomenon she rightly deserves to be. “Sober,” a predominantly piano-based ballad, is written with the kind of simplicity for which pop music has been starving. Its brightly-lit candidness about her lack of sobriety these days is heart-wrenching but also illustrates her continued fearlessness. She utilizes her voice in a way she rarely does, pulling back the reigns for harrowing honesty, rather than boisterous power notes. “Momma, I’m so sorry / I’m not sober anymore,” she confesses in a whirlwind of gutting emotional trauma. – Jason Scott
Kota Banks, “Child”
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: PRIZE (buy)
Label: NLV Records
Aussie up-and-comer Kota Banks burst onto the scene in a brash and fearless manner with the release of her debut album Prize, a collection of tracks that show off the singer’s star quality and fiery personality. The second single from the record, “Child,” serves as the ultimate kiss-off track with a chorus that belts “Boy, you’re a child / I need a big bad man / I’ll never understand what I saw in you.” “Child” would not sound out of place on Charli XCX’s new mixtape, that is thanks to Kota’s main producer, Swick. With over half a million streams and views, here’s to hopes that Kota’s impact will reach past the land down under. – Galvin Baez
Jackie Lee, “Long Year” (buy)
Genre: Country
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Independent
“I’ve been to hell and back,” Jackie Lee sings over searing ivory. His vocal is creamy but splinters and cracks when the emotion gets too overwhelming. He holds it together, as is often his way, displaying just enough distress to hook you in and rip out your veins. “I wake up haunted, like I saw your ghost / Time was racing until you let go / Now, it moves so slow,” he brandishes his heart, each throb wavering on his tongue. He strips away the drum loops and the cash grabs for clear-cut radio hits for sincerity, permitting himself to ditch the flash for substance. Admittedly, I had all but written him off as bro-country-lite, but he hits a home run here. [Full review here] – Jason Scott
Azealia Banks, “Anna Wintour” (buy)
Genre: Hip-hop/Rap
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Entertainment One
From personal experience, no song managed to fill a dancefloor at an LGBTQ nightclub faster than Azealia Banks’ “Anna Wintour.” The second that high-hat loop starts and goes into that bass guitar, everyone in the space knew that it was time to pause whatever conversation was being held and completely let loose to the club anthem with everyone screaming “Now I feel in love, baby / Everywhere we are.” Azealia unleashes a beautiful vocal performance reminiscent of ’90s house divas such as Robyn S and Crystal Waters without losing touch of the intense rap flow that fans admire her for. – Galvin Baez
Leland, “Middle of a Heartbreak (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Universal
Leland’s voice is invaluable pop currency. This year alone, he’s landed cuts with Troye Sivan, Carrie Underwood, Sabrina Carpenter, MNEK and Betty Who, among others, and his penmanship shimmers under the effervescent glow of one 20-something’s exploration in sexuality, relationships, love and loss. With “Middle of a Heartbreak,” a flickering bling-bling of succulent, irresistible blips, he continues setting a solid foundation for his own solo music career. “On my worst days, there’s no safe space / ‘Cause everything I do and see reminds me about you,” he sings. That kind of rose-cheeked frankness is as profound as it is universally accessible. He’s a vision. – Jason Scott
Tinashe, “No Drama” featuring Offset
Genre: R&B
Album/EP: Joyride (buy)
Label: RCA
Underrated R&B songstress Tinashe released her heavily anticipated album Joyride this year, and it was led by blazing single “No Drama.” Accompanied by hip-hop star Offset on the trap track, Tinashe bosses up as she spits “Tried to be myself but they won’t AKA me / AKA a pop star, AKA a problem / AKA don’t old me back, I swear I got ’em” on the first verse. Tinashe is self-made and will not tolerate having her talents be confused for any two-cent popstar that tries to get in the lane she’s created. Tinashe simply wants no drama, so stay out of her way. – Galvin Baez
Christine & the Queens, “Doesn’t Matter”
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: Chris (buy)
Label: Because Music
Is there a better bridge in 2018 pop than in Christine & The Queens “Doesn’t Matter”? After two verses and two refrains filled with building tension and anguish, peppered with questions on faith, death, the struggle of being a woman and the general callousness of the world around her, she breaks and turns her gaze from inward to outward. She speaks to a different version of herself, maybe one from a brighter future or a different reality, one less bleak and painful. She tells her to run if she’s found some light in the world and in her life, and to never come back. She repeats it over and over again, calling out above the refrain and pleading for this luckier version of herself to never return, her voice cracking in pain as its backed by a lush choir and punchy, ’80s-inspired percussion. – Chris Will
Nicki Minaj, “Good Form” featuring Lil Wayne
Genre: Hip-hop
Album/EP: Queen (buy)
Label: Cash Money
Nicki Minaj may not have released a record in the four years preceding her newest album, Queen, but her presence has not faded thanks to her numerous features and single releases. It’s important to have new Nicki projects, however, because we get singles like “Good Form” out of it. On the rap queen’s latest single, she shows off her wordplay prowess on the track’s chorus singing “I let him eat the cookie ‘cause it’s good for him / And whenever he eat the cookie, he got good form.” This lyrical ability asserts why Nicki Minaj is referred to as the queen of rap. – Galvin Baez
Genre: Alternative
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Independent
Stuck in neutral, Francesca Carbonneau of alt-rock outfit FRANKIIE found herself burrowing down into such a sunken place, and that’s where “Glory Me” was bred. Carbonneau’s lyrics are beautifully bleak. She makes no hesitations about expressing exactly what we’re all thinking. “They say death’s not easy / It takes work just like being born / The soul clings to the body, trying to keep warm,” she mutters into fuzzy guitar ripples. “We’re all afraid of what’s after / Taking that last sigh…” In the accompanying visual, directed by Jeremy Wallace-MacLean (JOY, The Alchemist), the group pin together grainy, found-footage style pieces, bringing the lyrics into even clearer focus. It’s a snapshot, fleeting moments from a normal, starkly-lit evening walk down the street. It’s both profound and plain. [Full review here] – Jason Scott
Charli XCX, “Focus” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Warner Records
Charli XCX is of the rare breed of artists whose new music is always her best music; it isn’t often that artists raise their own bar with each release. Charli has turned sporadic single releases into mini pop events, and “Focus” was no exception. Released in conjunction with fan favorite “No Angel,” “Focus” sticks to Charli XCX’s brand of repetitive pop and cosmic production. The lyrics very plainly sing “I just want you to focus on my love” for the most part. Charli is not here to reinvent the wheel but by refusing to do so, she is doing just that. – Galvin Baez
Sir Babygirl, “Heels” (buy)
Genre: Pop/Alternative
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Father/Daughter Records
Sir Babygirl wrote “Heels” about entering the dating world as a queer individual, and it’s ridiculously fun to chart step-by-step how the song (both lyrically and sonically) matches that theme. From the way the wild and rollicking beat gallops gleefully ahead like the first weeks haphazardly throwing yourself into dating in an attempt to make up for lost time, to the push and pull of lyrics flawlessly framing the euphoric highs and startling lows of experiencing the intricacies of dating queer individuals. The bridge is a work of art in itself, the rising pop-rock powerhouse screaming into the abyss “you don’t know me anymore, I CHANGED MY HAIR!” reminiscent of the feeling of infinite reinvention in exploring your queerness, and thinking your particular newfound expression of queerness as the most radicalized thing in the universe that no one else has ever experienced (and being both gloriously right and inconsequentially incorrect in that belief). – Chris Will
Sabrina Carpenter, “Almost Love”
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: Singular Act I EP (buy)
Label: Hollywood Records
If anyone feels Sabrina Carpenter hasn’t shed her Disney Channel image, politely point them in the direction of 2018’s “Almost Love.” This Stargate-produced track wouldn’t sound out of place at a DJ Mustard nightclub, filled with claps and whistles to encourage high energy and body gyrating. Sabrina shows off her newfound maturity singing, “We could give it a minute / But what’s the fun in a minute? When we could push all the limits,” on the track’s thumping pre-chorus. The ex-Disney star has proven that she is not to be taken anything short of seriously, who can blame her with a heavyweight jam like this? – Galvin Baez
Jesse Saint John, “MOVE” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: We Are: The Guard
There are few songs that can get you all hot and bothered quite as easily as Jesse Saint John’s debut single. “MOVE,” a musical jerky mix, is a tic-tac-toe of influences, from the slurpy sexuality of Madonna to the charred bite of ’90s floor-slamming hip-hop. “I must be a masochist to love you / ‘Cause you’ll never come around / Waiting by the exit for you / Light a cigarette to put it out,” sings John, known for writing pop bangers for Britney Spears, Camila Cabello and Charli XCX. But his solo work is needled with even more sex-positive messages, employing knee-knocking cowbell, licorice-whipped beats and one helluva sticky melody. – Jason Scott
Ariana Grande, “God is a Woman”
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: Sweetener (buy)
Label: Republic
Long overdue but Ariana Grande finally has her first controversial hit. The most recent single used to promote her fourth album, Sweetener, had the public looking at Ari in a different way since she paired the sexually suggestive with religious imagery. In her own words, however, what about it? “God Is A Woman” is Ariana’s favorite song off the album, and if I had to think of why, it could be due to its incredible trap-inspired production, forward-thinking concept and lyrics or the instantly iconic video which featured the queen of controversy herself, Madonna. With a new album on the horizon, one can only wonder how many more buttons Ariana is willing to push, and how beautiful she’s going to sound doing it. – Galvin Baez
Janelle Monáe, “Crazy, Classic Life”
Genre: R&B
Album/EP: Dirty Computer (buy)
Label: Bad Boy Records
Janelle Monáe fills every inch of “Crazy, Classic, Life” with pure, unbridled pride and joy, redefining the MAGA-fied USA of today as a place where a black woman can thrive, flourish and stand as a public representation of America’s values instead of feeling like an outlier. Every line is like a breath of fresh, poetic air, but the best lyric in the song, and maybe in all of 2018? “Remember when they told you I was too black for you / And now my black popping like a bra strap on you?” This is Janelle Monáe’s world, and we should all just be grateful that we get to watch her soar. – Chris Will
Sabrina Claudio, “Creation”
Genre: R&B
Album/EP: No Rain, No Flowers EP (buy)
Label: SC Entertainment
Seductive and sultry to its core, Sabrina Claudio loses all coyness on the honest “Creation” off her latest project, No Rain No Flowers, where she lets her ex-lover’s new partner know that she has her to thank for any and all of the pleasure she’s receiving. Throughout the track, the R&B vocalist taunts them both with such sharp lyrics such as “Don’t he make you feel good, girl? / His fingers never used to move that way / So you’re welcome for the pleasure.” Sabrina remains clever despite this display of petty behavior, but could we expect anything different from the sassy Miami star? – Galvin Baez
Kacey Musgraves, “Rainbow”
Genre: Country
Album/EP: Golden Hour (buy)
Label: UMG
The storm clouds roll away, and rain’s lingering kiss drips down the vines, leaving the leaves replenished and far greener than before. Kacey Musgraves steps through the parting sky-marshmallows much like the Good Witch of the South, her flowing pink-hued gown upgraded for Musgraves’ equally-marvelous and twinkling penmanship. Only on piano, “Rainbow” is one of those timeless ballads, weepy but hopeful, that cement legacies. “Let go of your umbrella ’cause darling I’m just trying to tell ya that there’s always been a rainbow hanging over your head,” she gently caresses your cheek, wiping away the red stains and teary trails. It’s an unfussy but rather eloquent, understated and wholly incinerating performance. – Jason Scott
Alessia Cara, “Growing Pains”
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: The Pains of Growing (buy)
Label: Def Jam
The lead single on Alessia Cara’s sophomore album, The Pains of Growing, shows Alessia telling listeners what they already know: growing up is the worst. A declaration for anyone who is or has been a lost twenty-something, “Growing Pains” describes the anxieties and hopelessness felt as we shed our youth and enter the portal of doom known as adulthood. Alessia poignantly conveys the message on the song’s hook, reflecting “And I can’t hide / ‘Cause growing pains are keeping me at night,” all preceded by the haunting voice at the beginning of the song to remind us, “You’re on your own, kid.” – Galvin Baez
Lyman Ellerman, “The Addict” (buy)
Genre: Americana
Album/EP: I Wish I Was a Train
Label: Independent
Addiction is a modern-day black plague. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who has not been impacted by the grisly epidemic. Lyman Ellerman slips into the shoes of an addict, the well-worn soles of his son, who has since passed away from the disease, with “The Addict.” One of the year’s most impassioned emotional performances, the soul-heavy, heart-stricken ballad serves to humanize addicts, who are so often extricated by society and perceived as ravenous beasts with no hope of recovering. Lyman infuses truth and forgotten humanity into his story and grounds his vocal with a savagely compassionate delivery. “It’s not like I’m the only one who’s ever thought / Nothing’s wrong when nothing’s right,” he sings, shedding light on the tired, decayed mental state of an addict. – Jason Scott
Kelsy Karter, “Too Many Hearts to Break” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: Bad Girl, Sad Girl EP
Label: Independent
Guitars lurch forward underneath a perpetually-funky smattering of soul and glittery Top 40. In the video, Kelsy Karter stares down the camera, and it’s enough to melt the screen. And don’t worry, she’s fully aware of her temptress-like ways. “Dandelions in the breeze / As far as I can see, planted just for me / They remind me of the hearts I squeeze / I kiss them on the nose and with the wind they go / And they go,” she murmurs ahead of a stream of glistening claps which erupt into one of 2018’s most obsessive, exhilarating hooks. She snarls her way through male objectification, priming her prey. [Full review here] – Jason Scott
Jesse Saint John, “WHAT DO U LIKE” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: We Are: The Guard
Songwriter extraordinaire Jesse Saint John continues to prove how much of a star he is on his most recent single, “WHAT DO U LIKE.” With glossy production courtesy of Lars Stalfors, Jesse’s glittery pop heart shines its brightest and paints pop fans a nighttime scene over the bright synths and slick vocal delivery. The hook poses a rather simple question, “What do you like? / What do you like?” Whether it be through his intelligent songwriting or through other measures that involve going all night, all that Jesse Saint John wants is to give it to you, and so far it sounds like that’s exactly what he’s doing. – Galvin Baez
Song Suffragettes, “Time’s Up” (buy)
Genre: Pop/Country
Album/EP: n/a
Label: Independent
Time’s up for country music, which (like most industries) has a long, storied history of sexism and abuse against women. “The scales are tippin’ and the veil is rippin’ and the clock is tickin’,” 23 strong, world-weary women roar in succession. Song Suffragettes have been at the forefront of change, alongside such campaigns as CMT’s Next Women of Country and Change the Conversation, initiatives which have arisen in recent years to combat the gross mistreatment of women not only on the airwaves but at festivals, award shows and other high-profile avenues. Together, they send up a chilling rallying cry with “Time’s Up,” a somber tune calling out the “ruthless, the wicked and the vain,” also known as angry straight white men. [Full review here] – Jason Scott
Ava Max, “Sweet But Psycho” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Atlantic
Ava Max’s voice pops and fizzes over soapy glitter bombs of handclaps and decorative synths. “Sweet But Psycho,” which takes cues from Lady Gaga and Kim Petras with maddening quirkiness, pushes the boundaries with striking fervor, yet remains clutched to conventions laid out by her predecessors. “See, someone said, ‘Don’t drink her potions’ / She’ll kiss your neck with no emotion,” Max unfolds of the complexities of a devilish woman, who preys on emotions and manipulates her lovers into submission. It’s the kind of down-and-dirty club-floor banger which writhes around in broken disco-ball fragments with playful charm. – Jason Scott
Normani & Calvin Harris, “Slow Down” (buy)
Genre: Hip-hop/Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Keep Cool/RCA
“Slow Down” is a marvel of a collaboration, and not just because it pairs one of the biggest DJs and dance producers of our time with one of the most promising rising pop stars in current music. It’s the way Normani absolutely owns the song, taking complete control and driving Harris’ beat forward instead of riding it. She flips syllables and switches tempos with the versatility of a veteran, gradually speeding up her delivery until it sounds like the beat is actually fighting to keep up with her. And once you pick out the lyrics in her cheetah-like flow and warbled croon, the song reveals itself as a cleverly written breakdown of the anxiety and longing that comes with wading through young love without any established boundaries. – Chris Will
Gretchen Peters, “Wichita”
Genre: Americana
Album/EP: Dancing with the Beast (buy)
Label: Scarlet Letter Records
Devilishly spellbinding, “Wichita,” from Peters’ new album, Dancing with the Beast, is a dark tale about abuse and revenge. Peters looks through the eyes of a child and spins a sticky web of lies, deceit and grim consequences. “My momma sleeps a lot / She leaves the TV on / You bring some groceries by / Take anything you want,” she sings, unwinding a southern gothic-inspired narrative about a young girl’s journey underneath the Grim Reaper’s icy shadow. Her vocal is languid; she hangs onto the notes to hammer home the harrowing reality that night in Wichita. “Mama always told me ‘if you want something done, you do it for yourself,’ and so I loaded up her gun,” she later exposes, blood pouring over her hands. – Jason Scott
Rayvon Owen, “Gold” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Independent
“Gold” shimmers to the bone, discharging a sparkling, euphoric explosion. Written with Nate Merchant, the glowing, fire-proof track…feels like an important moment for Owen. His charm seeps onto the record, his confidence kicking into overdrive by the last few stanzas. “We’re changing the rules / I promise I won’t play those games with you,” he avows at the outset before a heavenly frenzy carries the song onto the dance floor. “Feeling good is gold / Almost invincible,” he chants, production thick and sprightly. While 2016’s “Can’t Fight It” was more confessional, “Gold” is a fearless, colossal anthem. [Full review here] – Jason Scott
Candi Carpenter, “Cry Baby”
Genre: Country
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Sony
“Cry Baby” is a soft burn, and Candi Carpenter’s vocals, coming off such immediate tunes as “Burn the Bed” and “Nights & Weekends” (a rather Wynonna-esque jam), have never sounded so plush. “You make me cry-y-y-y,” she swoops, alighting on Patsy Cline’s signature way of raw delicacy. “Now, baby, don’t make me cry / Rain, rain, go away / Stay out of my eyes / Blue birds never sing / Grey clouds cover the sky.” [Full review here] – Jason Scott
Mariah Carey, “GTFO”
Genre: Pop/R&B
Album/EP: Caution (buy)
Label: Epic Records
Mimi will always reign as the diva of divas, with a catalogue and pen game that thus far remains unmatched. “GTFO,” the first promotional single from her 2018 album Caution, is further proof that her exemplary taste has far from faded over the years. Written with “Bitch Better Have My Money” songwriter Bibi Bourelli and sampling the wildly talented Porter Robinson (one of the most underrated producers of our time), “GTFO” is a kiss-off that plays like a care-free smirk. Carey puts a lighthearted spin on kicking her good-for-nothing man out of her house, employing a faux-Jamaican accent in the pre-chorus as she calls a valet to expedite him leaving her alone – a Mariah-level flex if there ever was one. – Chris Will
The Darcys, “Chasing the Fall” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Independent
Skittering, space-synths crack across the sky and break open the greying clouds. Chaos rains down in funkadelic grooves, and wavy pop duo The Darcys embrace the unexpected in a lavish, warm melody that seems to go on for days on days on days. “I’m chasing your love / And I want it all,” they coo into the downpour. In giving up their heartbeats, which fade like television static into the song’s rumbling pulse, they are risking everything they have. Their boldness serves them well in upending pop convention, and “Chasing the Fall” is sweetly tender and comfortable while zipping away into a foggy, fuming escapade down the west coast. – Jason Scott
Kacey Musgraves, “High Horse”
Genre: Country
Album/EP: Golden Hour (buy)
Label: UMG
Kacey Musgraves did not win the Innovator Award at Billboard’s Women In Music ceremony for no reason. The country star’s ability to fuse her country roots with dance sensibilities on this notable track from her third album is flawless. “High Horse” manages to give a sonic rush that could only be describe as cosmic country thanks to its sheer guitar power and simple yet bouncy hook, “You and your hi-i-i-igh ho-o-orse.” As chronicled in tracks “Follow Your Arrow” and “Biscuits,” Kacey has never had time for people with superiority complexes, and “High Horse” is an effervescent reminder to those people. – Galvin Baez
The 1975, “Love It If We Made It”
Genre: Pop/Rock
Album/EP: A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships (buy)
Label: Dirty Hit
“Love It If We Made It” has been both hailed and scoffed at as being the “We Didn’t Start The Fire” of the 2010s, but it reads more like a social media rant set to brawny, glossy synth-pop. 1975 frontman Matt Healy spits every line in the verses and bridge like a news headline or a sound bite, catapulting each word from his mouth like a piece of rotten food. He addresses everything from Trump’s tweets to the opioid crisis, and he does it with an unhinged and angry panic that most of us feel any time we read the news. The chorus, a terrified, gut wrenching call out to the heavens that hopefully, maybe we can survive all of this madness and chaos, neatly and succinctly wraps up each verse with a razor-sharp bow. – Chris Will
Cam, “Road to Happiness” (buy)
Genre: Country
Album/EP: Road to Happiness EP
Label: RCA
Cam has been grossly mishandled by country radio for years now. It’s unforgivable. In the aftermath of her genre-splicing debut album, 2015’s Untamed, she began to undergo a jarring and frustrating abandonment by TPTB. Some time away certainly cleared her mind and her creativity, and she gives up two-tons of vulnerability on “Road to Happiness,” an ember-crackling entry that chronicles her emotional journey in this life, both onstage and off. “Is the future that we’re chasing worth the right-nows that we miss?” she asks herself ⏤ and the listener, challenging us to dig deep and really examine what we want in this all-too-brief existence. – Jason Scott
Charlotte Lawrence, “I Bet”
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: Young EP (buy)
Label: Human Re Sources
Charlotte Lawrence’s “I Bet” burns, and it burns angrier and hotter than the sun. It’s not in the production, lithe and ethereal as it swirls around her croon and falsetto. It’s not even so much in the lyrics, though they are poetically pointed and reveal a bit of her pain. It’s her delivery, the way she uses her voice like a weapon, each word serrated like a knife, bristling in agony but unwavering in fury. It’s the way her voice lowers to a throaty growl when she says “you’re with some girls who look just like me,” and the way she stretches her voice upward when she cries “I bet you’re not alone, you’re not alone, no.” – Chris Will
Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, “Shallow”
Genre: Pop/Folk
Album/EP: A Star is Born soundtrack (buy)
Label: Interscope
The latest incarnation of A Star is Born is an expected runaway critical and commercial success, and for good reason. Not only is the story of a beleaguered pop star a timeless one, but the vocal conviction of both Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is a marvel. “Shallow,” an acoustically-fashioned torch ballad, showcases their vulnerability and a daring allure of unconditional love and addiction, and the tragically poetic space between the two. A seemingly live-to-tape performance, the song riddles life’s hardcore realities in vigorous jaw-line fractures ⏤ with Gaga offering one of the most impressive, high-flying vocals of her career. – Jason Scott
Kacey Musgraves, “Slow Burn”
Genre: Country
Album/EP: Golden Hour (buy)
Label: UMG
“Slow Burn” fills every second of its roughly four-minute span with light, warm and soothing, yet clear and crisp, like the sun stretching across the cloudless sky in the middle of fall. The guitars ponder quietly, but Kacey’s voice shines bright, portraying the kind of calm confidence and acceptance that comes with someone who’s surrounded themselves in the deepest, most wholesome love. It’s her ode to living in the moment and appreciating the beauty that lives in every day; a welcome reminder in the global and personal chaos that can fill our heads. – Chris Will
Girl Wilde, “Nervous Breakdown” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: Independent
Close your eyes for a sun-exposed, blue-jean rendezvous with Girl Wilde’s second single. “Nervous Breakdown” snaps together grungy, dive-bar pop with a weepy lyric of newly-departed love. Masked behind a smoke screen of foot stomps and rollicking, yet scratchy, synths, the pop rabble-rouser ⏤ who has shockingly not yet been signed by a major, a tragedy on its own ⏤ leans into the anxious energy of a relationship’s burning out, the cigarette ash falling at her feet. “Why don’t you take me home / Kiss me goodbye while I’m on the way down,” she sings, exacting the buzz wearing off in the twilight, moon-struck air. She’s unashamed of her bad decisions but urges us not to make the same mistakes. – Jason Scott
Mariah Carey, “A No No”
Genre: Pop/R&B
Album/EP: Caution (buy)
Label: Epic Records
Mariah Carey returned with her first album in four years, Caution, and the immediate standout track was the Lil’ Kim “Crush On You”-sampling single “A No No.” Mariah manages to take a ‘90s classic and revamp it into a modern slapper, incorporating bouncy hi hats into the classic piano chords over Mariah singing outlandish lyrics that only Mariah Carey would write: “Snakes in the grass / It’s time to cut the lawn.” Mariah tends to be successful when she’s at her least serious and allows herself to be the sassy goofball we’ve come to know through hits such as “Obsessed” and “Touch My Body,” and now “A No No” joins the pack. – Galvin Baez
Jesse Saint John, “Fake It” (buy)
Genre: Pop
Album/EP: TBD
Label: We are the Guard
Jesse St John’s “Fake It” plays a few different ways depending on how you look at the master-class singer-songwriter’s refrain, a gold-coated, glittery, hands-in-the-air hook that’s lush, lovely and lavishly layered at each and every turn. On one hand, it could be a critique on an Instagram-obsessed culture, using expertly staged still photos and boomerangs to depict a carefully curated lifestyle filled with false fulfillment and happiness. On the other hand, it could just as easily be a beautifully written depiction of the steps we sometimes take to work through anxiety, depression or just that feeling of being numb, blasting hopeful or happy music in an attempt to absorb some of that energy into our very essence. – Chris Will
Kiana Ledé, “Show Love”
Genre: Pop/R&B
Album/EP: Selfless EP (buy)
Label: Republic
Kiana Ledé released her stunning debut EP, Selfless, earlier this year, which was filled to the brim with luscious R&B tracks and vocal powerhouse moments. On “Show Love,” Kiana takes us back to the easygoing vibes of the ’90s on the silky track, showing off a laidback vocal performance and feel-good production reminiscent of the TLC and Toni Braxton days. What makes “Show Love” so magical lies in how the track doesn’t try too hard to be anything but a simple and warm R&B bop, Kiana’s voice wrapping you up like a blanket as she woos “keep showin’ up / and I’m-a keep showing love.” – Galvin Baez
Thomas Abban, “Sinner”
Genre: Pop/Folk
Album/EP: A Sheik’s Legacy (buy)
Label: RCA
Genre-bender and multi-instrumentalist Thomas Abban keeps one foot in the past, even though his future seems far more luxurious and full of splendor. “Sinner,” his debut single for RCA Records, borrows imagery of sin and rapturing glory from the Bible to frame his story, cloaked in a dark story arc to salvation of his own devising. Abban, who came to the states from Wales when he was just 10, bites the syllables and lets them flick from his tongue’s venomous tip. The gurgling of hard strings slice into the outer layers of skin. [Full review here] – Jason Scott
Honorable Mentions: “Lost Myself” by Unbloom; “High in the Valley” by Dominique Pruitt; and “Letting Go” by Cam Monroe.
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