24. Hold Me by The Strumbellas

The Strumbellas came back this year with their album Part Time Believer. From it, comes the excellent single exploring what life is about and wondering where a large amount of it went so fast. Hold Me is a song bemoaning the parts of life that have left us feeling empty, while coming out of the “shadows that hide us” in order to connect. An upbeat song musically, it also lyrically emerges from the darkness to “find our own way to love”.

23. I Got Heaven by Mannequin Pussy

Of all the bands on this list, this is the one I’m most excited to see live. Full of raucous feminine energy, this song is an existential crisis that also remembers there is beauty underneath that the world shall not take away. “What if I’m an angel? Oh, what if I’m a bore? And what if I was confident, would you just hate me more?”, Marisa Dabice screams in the verse. And then they beautifully croon, “Oooohh, I got heaven inside of me, and oh, I’m an angel, sent to keep you company”. It’s a beautiful dissonance, or maybe it’s just musical and lyrical snark. Either way, a song that asks “What if Jesus himself ate my fucking snatch?” is a lot of fun to me.

22. Stop on a Dime by The Ivy

The Ivy hits us with some upbeat electric indie pop. Lyrically we are beginning with a bit of a downer. The song explores the angst and depression of a relationship on the brink of ending. “Need you to shake me, say wake up from this bad dream. It’s becoming more clear, you’re not the best for me. But a day without you makes me wanna scream.” The feelings seem to unravel, despite the singers best intentions to “stop it on a dime”. The final lyric of the song is “I’m not alright”. Yet after a musical outro, we hear birds chirping, reminiscent of a Bob Marley song that states the opposite.

21. Justice by Pan Arcadia

Musical nostalgia that sounds like it has inspiration from Beck and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It’s a philosophical ride, examining the perception and reality of what justice is. It’s also the most visually mesmerizing music video of the year.

20. Light in a Quiet Room by Ride

Ride have been around for a long time, yet this is the first song of theirs I have discovered. Lo and behold, it’s a song about time passing us by too fast and now trying to capture all the light we can light before the final fade out. A little bit new wave, a little bit classic rock, the lyrics end about halfway through and the song finishes with a nice three minute jam.

19. Bless Yourself by Jack White

Don’t let others drag you down, don’t beat yourself up. “Are you feeling blessed? No? Then bless yourself!” It’s the typical excellent guitar work you’ve come to expect and enjoy from Jack White, in a song about self love….in many forms.

18. U Should Not Be Doing That by Amyl and The Sniffers

A punk band doing punk things…like naming themselves after “poppers”, giving the middle finger to societal norms and expectations, and calling out hypocrisy.

” Cause I was in Tokyo, popping shit off While you were down in Sydney trying to get jacked off. I was in London, being the Queen and you were in my head saying, “You should not be doing that”. I know my worth. I was in Naarm, working on my shit while you were down in Tassie saying, “Flash those tits”.

17. Sofa King by Royel Otis

A little mad gab rock and roll. Sofa King cool.

16. A Mirror by The Bevis Frond

The Bevis Frond is another band that’s been around forever, yet I’ve just discovered. It sounds like 90s alt/post grunge, and is a cool song about the human condition. “I’m a mirror. I’m just a blurred reflection. I’ve been to heaven, and I’ve been to hell. When people see me they see thеmselves.”

15. Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish

To me, Eilish is the best pop singer of this generation. This love song about trying to hang on is beautiful, desperate, poignant, and rife with great, albeit dark, imagery.

“I’ll love you ’til the day that I die’. Til the day that I die’ Til the light leaves my eyes’ Til the day that I die. I want you to see, hm, How you look to me, hm. You wouldn’t believe if I told ya. You would keep the compliments I throw ya.”

14. Bitten by a Lizard by A Certain Ratio

This is a really cool New Wavey song, by another veteran band. An excellent mix of binaural beats and guitar riffs that puts you in a psychedelic trance if you close your eyes and put the song on repeat.

13. Davey Says by King Hannah

It’s the introverts anthem to deal with angst. Grungy guitars are the backdrop for the advice “Davey says you gotta take it slow if you’re gonna make it outta here.”

12. Care by Hannah Vu

In the battle of nihilism vs hope, comes a song lamenting the difficulties in human relationships. Hannah Vu has the perfect voice to sing these heartbreaking lyrics.

“No one cares about you and no one cares about me, cause what is care anyway, I don’t know who’s to say. The more I think about it now, I’m just a book you threw away. ‘Cause you don’t know what I’m about, yeah, you don’t know. And you don’t care and that’s okay, it doesn’t matter either way”

11. Lithonia by Childish Gambino

An unintentional piggyback off the theme of the last song, Donald Glover reminds us that no matter how hard we work at anything, we will eventually come to the realization that “Nobody gives a fuck”. The changes in tempo mimic the emotional roller coaster that life often is. Or, in the case of the music video, Fright Fest at Six Flags.

10. The Last Dance by The Mysterines

My wife called this “Halloween music”. Sounds about right, for a song that begins with dancing at “midnight at the Texaco, in the car headlights like Luna moths or extraterrestrials”. The guitars are grungy and dark for sure, and Lia Metcalfe’s vocals hauntingly beautiful. But, like Blink 182 once said, I’d also have Halloween on Christmas. Or any day for that matter. If you’ve also, “never been anything but another freak show”, this is the song for you.

9. If It’s Gone by Good Looks

From their website, “Good Looks write kindhearted and cathartic rock songs about the persistence required to make it through hard times.” It’s an apt description, especially for this song about a relationship meeting it’s demise. On spirituality and love Tyler Jordan sings, “And I don’t believe in Jesus, God, or Buddha or beyond. Ok, a little bit in Buddha trying to keep from hanging on.” I can’t wait to get a “Good Look” at this Austin based rock band at a live show.

8. Teardrop by Telenova

Most of us can probably identify with saying something hurtful during a moment of rage, “Throwing all my words like a weapon was not my intention”. And at some point after anger, the regret leads to sadness, “Dark clouds in my mind, a teardrop on the fire of sunshine”. Beautiful imagery bursting out of human emotion from this Australian alt pop trio.

7. Life: as if I know it by Pan Arcadia

The wisdom to see that there’s a lot that we’ll never understand: “Sometimes I need a place to hide, lay back and reside where no one comes and goes. I read between the lie to figure out what’s mine and show what I don’t know.” The difficulty of sorting out reality can be so anxiety provoking at times. But this song, this band, makes me feel so relaxed about it all.

6. Superstar by Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes

This passionate rock song from the excellent album, Dark Rainbow, begs you to “Dance like no one’s watching… Fuck me like they all are!”. It’s a shockingly quick evolution from bashfulness to exhibitionism. Fine line I suppose?

5. Nothing Matters by The Last Dinner Party

An intensely racy and erotic thrill ride. “I will fuck you like nothing matters”. That is what she said. Yew!

4. Everyday Masquerade by Velvetine

Sludgy, grungy goth from across the pond about muddling through life trying to see through the masks we all wear.

3. House Parties by Dawes

Taylor Goldsmith is my favorite modern philosopher. The way he turns philosophy into poetry and then music, makes Dawes one of my favorite bands. This particular song is probably the most fun one in their entire catalog. The verses are full of cynicism regarding many of the annoying aspects of modern society, like “Disneyland, beer bellies, or farmers tans”. Then the chorus transports us to a sing along good time. Who doesn’t want “good weed with some Joni fans”!?

2. Scooter Blues by Sturgill Simpson

One day, a few weeks before I discovered this song, I was driving to work when I passed a guy on a skateboard. He was shirtless, barefoot, wearing a pair of jorts, long hair blowing in the wind, shades on, with a joint in his mouth, and exuding a happiness that only pure freedom will grant you. This song embodies the last part of that sentence, except it’s set in Thailand, far away from the modern societal worries of the West. Whenever I turn this one on, I get swept away to a warm, sunny spot, feeling the breeze on my face and the sand beneath my feet.

“I’ve been feeling like a piece of rice paper
Think I’ll move to an island and turn into vapor
Get a scooter and a house on a hill
Fish all day just to fill up the grill.”

1. Discothéque Inside My Head by Telenova

Do any of us know who we really are? Beyond the anxieties we get wrapped up in, what is left but a body going through the motions. “I wear a name tag, but write a stranger’s name in the blank space. I see reflections but I can’t even tell if it’s my face.” And still, while bearing the burden of our fellow humans, we try to remind ourselves to be grateful. “Stranger in the taxi telling stories of wars in other countries. Riding in the back seat, wasting time on a pocketful of worries I’ll survive.” The lyrics about getting stuck in your mind are countered with music that begs you to dance and thus awaken your body. Because staying stuck inside that “discothéque”… “Oh, what a funny prison” indeed.

Complete top 100 Spotify playlist below. What’s your favorite song from the top 24? Anything in my top 100 that should have made the 24?