Every year has its own vibe. I listened to a lot of albums, and in the process, didn’t digest individual songs as much as I would have liked.

That being said, there were still a lot of standouts this year. I sipped cocktails to Big Thief, enjoyed the re-released and improve synthpop gem “Go” by LeTrainiump, rejoiced in T-Swift’s entry into the nighttime music realm, and pondered the overlap of hip hop, emo and goth with Kali Dreamer. I blasted the dark synthpop/R&B of The Weeknd in my car at absurd volumes. I listened to walls of sound from SOM and Birds in Row and felt the vibrations in my chest as I drove on business trips. I searched for the next rainy day tune and found some in Ali Sperry and Left Out. I indulged in the happy-go-lucky tracks from Joywave and The Wombats. I prepared for Steadfast Festival by playing “Golden Gate” by The Midnight on repeat.

So, this was an enjoyable year.

The first 90 in no particular order:

Ali Sperry – Excuses

alt-J – Hard Drive Gold

alt-J – U&ME

arlie – poppin

Big Thief – Simulation Swarm

Birds in Row – Rodin

Bob Moses – Love Brand New

Bob Moses – Seen it Coming

Brothertiger – Torn Open

CAAMP – The Otter

Charli XCX – Constant Repeat

Cherimondis J – Let it Be

Cherimondis J – RUSH

Crozet – My Racing Heart

Damn the Witch Siren – Vulture Culture

Davis Evanoff – Stranger’s House

Death Cab For Cutie – I Miss Strangers

Demon Hunter – Defense Mechanism

Durry – Big Boy

El Camino Acid – Near or Far

Emery – Concussion

Emery – Enemy

Eugenius – The Last Dance

Fontaines DC – Skinty Fia

Gable Price and Friends – I Don’t Wanna Live Like This

Goose – Dripfield

half alive – Hot Tea

Hatchie – The Key

Hello Luna – Mind Games

Highasakite – Keep It Alive

Jack White – Taking Me Back

Jady – Inverted Forest

Jay Joseph – Let Go

Jay Joseph – Maybe

Joywave – Every Window Is a Mirror

Kali Dreamer – Corpse Boyfriend

Kali Dreamer – Harvest Moon

Kendrick Lamar – The Heart Part 5

Khamsin – Conniption

Khamsin – What’s Left of Life

KitFai – It Was Never Supposed to Be

KitFai – You

Left Out – Uno

Let’s Eat Grandma – Insect Loop

Little Image – LUNGS BURN

Metric – Doomscroller

Michigander – Stay Out of It

Mitski – Love Me More

Mountains Like Wax – A Lovers Plea (Act II) (feat Julien Baker)

Nightbirde – Fly

Nightlands – No Kiss for the Lonely

Outsider Heart – Crop Circles

Owel – Beneath the Static Haze

Oyarsa – Lament

Pocketshot – Donner Party

Pool Kids – Further

racecar – Salt

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Black Summer

Ronnie Martin – Snow Like Wool

Safari Room – All Is Said and Done

Sansol the Artist – Pocket Size

Silent Planet – :Signal:

Silversun Pickups – Alone on a Hill

SOM – Clocks

St Paul and the Broken Bones – Ghost in Smoke

Still – Daylight

String Machine – Dark Morning (Magnetic)

Taylor Swift – Lavender Haze

The 1975 – About You

The 1975 – Oh Caroline

The Black Keys – Wild Child

The Head and the Heart – Every Shade of Blue

The Head and the Heart – Starstruck

The Linda Lindas – Oh!

The Midnight – Golden Gate

The Retrospect – BURN

The Smile – The Smoke

The Weeknd – Gasoline

The Welcome Wagon – Knocking on the Door of Love

The Wombats – Work Is Easy, Life Is Hard

Toro Y Moi – The Medium (w. Unknown Mortal Orchestra)

Truslow – Take Me Back

Underoath – Hallelujah

Valleyheart – Your Favorite Jacket

VHS Collection – The Space Between Us

WHY NOT – In Love with the Sound

Wolves at the Gate – Kiss the Wave

Wolves at the Gate – Peace that Starts the War

ZAMPKAMP – California Freakin

Zoo Trippin’ – Feelin’

And the top 10:

10) Death Cab For Cutie – Asphalt Meadows

9) LeTrainiump – Go

8) Pool Kids – Swallow

7) Wet Leg – Too Late Now

6) Joywave – We Are All We Need

5) Charli XCX – New Shapes (feat. Christine and the Queens, Caroline Polachek)

4) Hatchie – Giving the World Away

3) Anberlin – Circles

2) The Midnight – Avalanche

And, finally the number 1 song: The Weeknd – How Do I Make You Love Me?

Follow the whole playlist below: