It's that time of the year again when I look back on all the music that was released in the past 12 months, as well as songs from past years that I enjoyed this year. In the following list, I'll count down 15 songs that particularly peaked my interest this year. Most of these songs came from my Spotify Wrapped 2019 playlist, but since a lot of artists were repeated, I didn't include every single song in that playlist. Let's get started with the countdown!
15. Skinny Dipping- Stand Atlantic
I had heard of Stand Atlantic before I initially saw them live at Sad Summer Fest, however, for whatever reason, I never listened to them. That all changed after I saw them live. Their song "Skinny Dipping" is the one that caught my attention the most. It's just so high energy, and I absolutely love it. It's a song that makes you want to sing along. And yes, I can confirm that it's amazing live as well.
14. Slow Burn- State Champs
Oh hey, look, another song that I heard live for the first time at Sad Summer Fest! Truly, this festival was an absolute blessing for my music library. I had known about State Champs for a while before this, but just like Stand Atlantic, I hadn't really listened to them much before. The only difference here is that I had a few songs saved by State Champs prior to the festival. "Slow Burn" is kind of known as a pop punk anthem, and I can absolutely see why. It's one of those songs that the fans go crazy for and have to crowd surf to. I don't know why, but this song makes me feel like I can do anything. And just like "Skinny Dipping," this song is also amazing live.
13. Lonely Dance- Set It Off
When Set It Off announced that they were releasing a new album at the beginning of this year, I was extremely nervous. I was extremely disappointed in their last album, "Upside Down," and I didn't want this new album to end up the same way. However, when it was released in February, I was pleasantly surprised. There wasn't really a single song on the album that I hated. The song that I found myself coming back to was one of the singles, "Lonely Dance." It's extremely relatable to me and is really catchy, too. Hearing this song live back in March only made me love it more, and now it's a part of my regular rotation.
12. Hotel Room- Point North
Point North has been on my radar since their drummer, Sage Weeber, followed me on Instagram. Ever since that moment, I decided to dive into their music, and I haven't looked back since. Everything I've listened to, however, their song "Hotel Room" is one of my favorites by them. The electronic/ rock feel is something I never thought I'd like, but they make it work beautifully. I definitely recommend this song.
11. Wood Worm- NOEL
Half of Tiny Meat Gang, Noel teamed up with his friend Spock on this song. Spock has produced previous TMG song and always does an amazing job, and "Wood Worm" is no exception. This song really shows off Noel's flow, and the beat is amazing. The intro really gets you hyped up for the song, or at least it does that for me. I really enjoy this song, and I'd love to see Noel to do more solo songs.
10. Hellboy- SWMRS
The next song on this list is a song that I just discovered this year. After my friends tried to persuade me to listen to SWMRS for years, I finally broke down and did it. The song that initially peaked my interest was "Hellboy." The chorus of this song really just catches your attention, even though it is pretty simple. The vocals in this song are phenomenal, and this is the perfect song to start with if you want to try to get into SWMRS.
9. Icarus- With Confidence
Earlier this year, I got the privilege to hear this song live for the first time. Since With Confidence's album "Love and Loathing" was released, this has been my favorite song by the band. The guitars, the vocals...everything about this song is absolutely amazing. Hearing this masterpiece live only elevated my love for it. (And yes, this song did make me lose my voice that night)
8. Watch What Happens Next- Waterparks
I'm not going to lie, Waterparks' latest album, "FANDOM" didn't interest me. There was a few good songs, but compared to their last album, it isn't the best. However, the songs on this album that did peak my interest are absolutely amazing. One of these songs is the single, "Watch What Happens Next." Not only is the music video for this song entertaining as hell, but the song itself just really knocks it out of the park. When I heard their first single, "Turbulent," I was convinced it would be the best single. Boy, was I wrong. "Watch What Happens Next" is better by a long shot, and you can really hear the hard work Knight put into this song.
7. King of Nothing- Broadside
On last year's top song list, I raved about the masterpiece that is "Coffee Talk" by Broadside. Well, I finally discovered more music by them and they made my top song list yet again! This year, we're highlighting "King of Nothing" off their ep that was released this summer. While both songs on this ep are very good, "King of Nothing" caught my attention more. The chorus of this song leaves me at a loss of words because it's so good. It's definitely the type of song that would be really fun live. I definitely recommend checking out this ep; both songs on it are amazing and deserve more attention.
6. Absinthe- I Don't Know How But They Found Me
When idkhow's first ep, "1981 Extended Play" came out last year, I was hooked. Every single song on it was super catchy, so catchy, in fact, that I didn't dislike a single one of them. The one that I found resonating with me the most, however, was "Absinthe." Just like many other songs on this list, I heard this song live earlier this year, and that alone made me fall in love with this song all over again. Dallon and Ryan are such great performers and they definitely deserve more attention.
5. Hey Look Ma, I Made It- Panic! At the Disco
This song has stuck out to me since its release in 2018. Most of you probably know that my mom tragically passed away in 2017, and once I heard this song, it really resonated with me. I had always been one to live to make my mother proud. I'm actually using lyrics from this song on my graduation cap. I had been planning this since the moment I first heard the song.
4. Watermelon Sugar- Harry Styles
I can hear the Harry stans now: "Why is this song so low on the list? This song is amazing and so is Harry blah blah blah this should be number one blah blah blah" Okay, yes, I agree, however, it just came out, so calm down. If this song had been out longer, it would definitely be higher on the list. Since it just came out last month, it gets the number four spot. I was a HUGE One Direction fan back in high school, and once they went on ahem...."hiatus" I was extremely upset. However, this solo career is one of the best things to ever happen to Harry. You can really tell he's finally able to be himself and write music that he loves. "Watermelon Sugar" is no exception. This song is amazing, Harry Styles is amazing, and he deserves all the love in the world. (Also look out for my review of "Fine Line" after it comes out!)
3. Flowers on the Grave- The Maine
Another song that has a lot of sentimental value to me is "Flowers on the Grave" by The Maine. From my perspective, this song sounds like it's about someone growing up and learning from their mistakes. I've gone through a lot in my short 22 years of life, and I'm finally starting to learn how to change for the better. I have many favorite lines from this song. The line "I was on the verge of breaking down, then you came around" really hits home for me. There's so many people in my life that have helped me through my worst moments, and for that, I'm extremely thankful. The lyrics "everything is temporary" really hit hard, in a sort of bittersweet way. Your hurt won't last forever, but neither will the good memories. The lyrics "flowers on the grave of the child that I used to be" were almost going to be go on my cap before I decided to go with "Hey look Ma, I made it!" in the end. This is an amazing song, clocking in at over nine minutes long. If we got to pick a graduation song for college like my class did back in 8th grade, this would definitely be it.
2. Walk Man- Tiny Meat Gang
A few days ago, I decided to check my results for my Spotify Wrapped this year. To my surprise, not only was Tiny Meat Gang my top artist, but also all five songs that were my top songs of the year were by them. According to Spotify, my most listened to song by them was "Stay Safe," but my favorite song by them this year was definitely "Walk Man." Everywhere I went, I found myself listening to this song. I'm surprised my friends, family, and dorm neighbors aren't concerned by how much I play this song. It's just so good. This song has absolutely no flaws. The carnival-like beat, the bars Cody and Noel spit, the telephone bits...everything about this song is perfect in my eyes.
1. You Should Let Me Know- Hoodie Allen
You saw this coming, don't even lie. Where do I even begin with this song? As soon as Hoodie's newest album, "Whatever USA" dropped, I listened to it. Every song was good, however, "You Should Let Me Know" caught my attention the most. Hoodie's vocals in this are just so damn good. They're so smooth and one of the best vocal performances on all of his discography. You can tell he's been taking lessons, and it's really paid off. The best part of this song is definitely the second verse, especially the line "if the grass is always greener, why you always on the fence?". Every time I hear that line, I just have to sing along. I don't think I've ever skipped this song on Spotify; every single time it comes on shuffle, I put it on full volume and enjoy it to its full potential.
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