Thousands of songs have passed through our earphones this year. Let’s look at the tracks that topped the rest.

It’s been an incredible year of music. Looking back and rediscovering the highlights of January and February and realising how long it’s been is always a shocking pleasure.

Whilst it’s a joy listening back to all of the year’s music, it’s much harder to filter out the cream of the crop. The diversity of the year’s great music means that the contenders represent all corners of the earth and sounds so disparate yet uniquely gratifying.

Here are the 10 best tracks of the year.

Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter – All Of My Friends Are Going To Hell

The unexpected transition of Hayter from Lingua Ignota (a project she’s now retired) to Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter was backed by her emotional passage away from the trauma that powered it. What she creates on this record as Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter is something like a grainy B-movie thriller from the 70s set in a rural Christian Covent in the American hills.

This track is a dramatic, dreamlike exploration of faith and judgement. A breaking piano plays the refrain with an almost Alice Coltrane-like sound of eastern resonance. Largely a vocal performance, it’s a strangely straightforward arrangement however the strangely enticing discordance leads to a powerful performance that only enraptures where it should scare away.

Troye Sivan – Rush

A sensual song about the rush of ecstasy in physical touch, passionate love – the horn essentially. It’s one of the most addictive songs of the year with an irresistible driving beat and a punchy chorus chanted out like a true anthem, responded to with Sivan’s silky voice exclaiming: “It’s so good.”

KNOWER – I’m The President

KNOWER’s album was full of punchy hits but this one sits top of the list, thanks in part to its great video. This super-jazzy, funky track tempers musical complexity with a basic song structure that is so tight and enjoyable you’re immediately along for the ride. The bassline is so groovy, the array of musicians on display all build a massive sound, and Genevieve provides one of the year’s catchiest choruses.

The video is a joy to watch as well. A cramped live performance of the song features the main band in a tiny room, Genevieve singing in the stairwell, and a full brass section and orchestra hiding downstairs, whilst a chorus of singers stand in front of the house waiting for their cue. Pianist Joe Cornish has to run downstairs to the piano for his solo. It’s all enlivened with silly little edits to keep your eyes peeled for.

Lana Del Rey – A&W

A downtempo song that nevertheless captured audiences heavily this year. It’s something of a reflective crescendo, building up from a nostalgic glance at childhood innocence to the contrast of adult lust.

The song then breaks from soft piano to a big bassy beat and a rhythmic vocal pattern from Lana pushing the song into a completely new place.

Big Thief – Vampire Empire

You can always trust in Big Thief to provide a song powerful with raw emotion and that is perhaps no truer the response than in Vampire Empire. The song was supposedly not even intended for release but fans clamoured for it after snippets circulated. The sound is unrefined and messy, Adrienne Lenker’s vocals quivering as she reveals her feelings. A powerful chorus propels these monotone revelations into an outburst that you cannot resist.

Olivia Rodrigo – vampire

Olivia Rodrigo’s bombastic track begins with her hurriedly talking in hushed tones, almost confiding to you her story of jilted love. The song builds and builds throughout verses and choruses until it all explodes with theatrical power, the strings coming out to build up the tension until a triumphant finish.

Sufjan Stevens – Will Anybody Ever Love Me?

Vocals that sound like they’re coming from a tinny radio whilst the neighbour plays a steel guitar on the porch only pushes the powerful concerns that Sufjan explores on this song to a higher, more visceral level. It’s a beautifully arranged, almost cinematic song in which Sufjan’s vulnerability shines through to grab the listener with all of its relatability.

Cheekface – Popular 2

Cheekface have had a stellar year, their tongue-in-cheek approach to rock slowly beginning to filter out to audiences. Popular 2 is maybe the most compelling of their 2023 releases with its jangly verses and completely captivating chorus that will not leave your head ever after first listen. The song jovially explores a genuine anxiety about the prevalence of rooted cameras, your person so often being captured wherever you go and often without your knowing.

JPEGMAFIA, Danny Brown – SCARING THE HOES

Perhaps rap’s two greatest weirdos right now joined forces for a crazy experimental hip-hop album released this year. This single sums up their position as they rap on making it in an industry going your own way, making weird music that won’t appeal to the masses, despite the potential pushback. Ironically, in doing so they released some of the most interesting music this year that just so happens to also be loved. This track’s bizarre saxophone sample leads you down a surreal melody path to find a cacophony of eruptive drums at the end like some garage punk breakdown.

PinkPantheress, Ice Spice – Boy’s a liar Pt. 2

The year’s most infectious track? Mura Masa’s backing provides a luscious nostalgia of flip phone reminiscence for PinkPantheress’ smooth vocals to flow over the top of with a stellar hook. Ice Spice hops on this update to the track to provide the Yin to PinkPantheress’ Yang with her raspy vocals and braggadocious sexual lyrics offering contrast to PinkPantheress’ almost childlike wholesomeness in tone and lyrical approach to the questions of failed romance.

In the words of The Needle Drop: Y’all know this is just our opinion, right? If you disagree or feel like we left any important tracks of then let us know down in the comments below.