From yesterday: 100 – 81
80. Jade “Fantasy”
Finally: A Little Mixer coming for the pop crown in a real way. “Angel of My Dreams” was the breakout (and quite an unexpected artistic statement), but “Fantasy” is a slice of disco heaven that I listen to way more.
79. KennyHoopla “keep a window open//”
Carrying on the tradition of weird Black kids from white towns, KennyHoopla grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and started putting music out on Soundcloud when he was 18. Fast forward a few years and this brand of indie rock makes me feel like I’m still flat-ironing my bangs over a can of PBR.
78. NLE Choppa “SLUT ME OUT 2”
Choppa is a FOOL! Everything he does is so charming and hilarious to me, and there aren’t many heterosexual male rappers who will put out a song, have it criticized for sounding too much like vogue/ballroom music, and then tell the gays to buy it and come to his shows. NLE Choppa is for everybody!
77. Citizen Queen “Love The Way I Love You”
Citizen Queen has gone from five members down to three over the years, but dare I say they sound tighter than ever. As a trio, all three members have stepped into their own as lead singers, and the grown-up direction of the music is a great fit for their new sound.
76. Big Freedia “Explode”
“Explode” came out in 2014 (and Beyonce made it famous in 2022), but in 2024 Big Freedia performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic. Hearing an orchestra behind Freedia’s trademark delivery gave a new classic even more energy.
75. Clara Pople “Hot Moon”
Clara Pople is what you’d call a vocal looper — she sings a phrase, puts it on repeat, and then builds the song on top of it, much the way you’d sample a piece of music. It’s not a capella, because there’s background instrumentation, but she puts her voice front and center to tap into a variety of styles. If you like “Hot Moon” check out some of her other stuff – she’s got great taste.
74. Japandroids “D&T”
After 20 years and four albums, Brian and David have called it quits. Brian wants to focus on his family and sobriety, but David will probably keep making music in some form. Regardless, they left on a high note delivering one last garage rock event to sink your teeth into.
73. LION BABE “So Pretty”
Moving farther and farther away from the summertime neo-soul vibes of their very first single, Jillian and husband Lucas leaned fully into sparkly club music for a rooftop, a basement, or a strut down 5th Ave on their latest album (no skips, btw). And I do feel pretty when I put it on.
72. Miranda Lambert “Wranglers”
Miranda Lambert is one of my top 5 songwriters in music right now, so it surprised me that one of my favorite songs from her last album wasn’t written by her! “Wranglers” served as the lead single from her 10th album, written by a trio of writers, including Audra Mae who also wrote “Little Red Wagon” for Miranda a few years ago. Maybe that means I need to look a bit closer at Ms. Mae….
71. horsegiirL “take it offff”
I do not know anything about horsegiirL. I was hanging out with young people and ended up at a party where the DJ put this on and the kids started turning up. I hit the Shazam and now whoever this is has a new (Elder Millennial) fan.
70. Clare Dunn “Colorado”
Another favorite singer-songwriter in country, Clare Dunn still hasn’t broken into the mainstream, but every project she releases feels ready for radio and primed to win awards.
69. Ekko Astral “baethoven”
What happens when a climate journalist who discovered her trans identity during the pandemic links up with an old college buddy who just moved to town? They make a noise rock band with a style they call “mascara mosh pit” and put out some of the best punk music DC has ever produced.
68. Raiche “Half & Half”
For the girls who want to sing in italics, you should be aiming for Raiche, not Jorja — just a tip!
67. BLACKSWAN “Roll Up”
A multi-cultural K-Pop group featuring the genre’s first Black African, these girls were the grown-up Katseye before the reality show. They don’t have quite the same marketing muscle behind them (and the multiple lineup changes under a different name before debuting as Blackswan didn’t help), but seeing these four feels solid and I’m hoping they can build from here.
66. Chelsea Wolfe “House of Self-Undoing”
I heard Chelsea Wolfe’s name twice before this year: She’s one half of rock duo Mrs. Piss and she did the soundtrack to Ti West’s X back in 2022. On her own though, Wolfe’s latest album is an ambitious project spanning a variety of genres from trip-hop to industrial rock. “House of Self Undoing” feels the most mainstream and accessible, so it has a lot of replay value on an end-of-year playlist.
65. GRANT KNOCHE “INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS”
Grant Knoche wrote a coming out song to his dad that went viral on TikTok, and while I think a lot of TikTok singers who break big with a gimmick wear themselves out quickly, Grant has continued to improve and hone his craft making gay pop feel fresh.
64. Tyla “On and On”
Tyla is just cool. She has a little bit of Rihanna’s trolling internet spirit with Aaliyah’s breathy vocals and a little splash of Zendaya’s style sensibility. She’s still trying to make a case for being a splashy pop star, but a late Saturday night lounge vibe is where she really finds her groove.
63. Linkin Park “The Emptiness Machine”
Controversy over the new lead singer be damned, Linkin Park came back in a big way with three hits back to back from their new album. You could make a case for any of them as the best of the bunch, but “The Emptiness Machine” surprised me because I didn’t think they’d be able to replicate the magic of Chester while still being their own new thing.
62. Flo Milli “Life Hack”
Tamia Monique Carter dropped her second album and reminded us why she was BET’s Best New Artist of 2020. There’s a lot to stan on this project, but she got pregnant after going on tour with Gunna and the promotion died down. There’s nothing stopping you from going back to revisit it though, and you should!
61. The Smile “Wall of Eyes”
Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead linked up with jazz drumer/producer Tom Skinner for The Smile. If you ever wondered what Radiohead would sound like in a used bookstore or pottery class, listen to this album.
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