2022 in Music.

It's list time baby…

Right, I know loads of people do this but hey, you might find something you like so hit the Apple or Spotify link above and stick it on shuffle, play the tracks you don’t know, play the tracks you think are cheesy.

*Standard warning: there are plenty of grown-up words and themes in this music, maybe don’t play it in the car with kids or your disapproving aunty.

Apple Music playlist · Spotify playlist

little story – Kehlani

When Frank Ocean released Channel Orange he caught a mood that none of his peers were getting close to, in 2022 Kehlani released Blue Water Road, the closest anyone has come to that theme since.

Little Story is the intro track to a no skip low key classic.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Wintering – The 1975

OK so The 1975 are a band that make themselves very easy to dislike, they do it on purpose.

And yes, I’ve picked a Christmas song….

But what a Christmas song. The line about getting home on the 23rd is something I've texted almost every December since I moved to the UK. And of course the cheeky dig at his famous mam is funny.

I'm all lined up to see them in early January and can't wait.I'm all lined up to see them in early January and can't wait.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Lights Out – Fred again.., Romy, HAAi

If you're missing The XX there's always bits from Jamie, Romy and Oliver in between. (indeed Oliver comes later in this list)

Fred has been around a long time and he's quietly produced at least 10 big song you know - google it yourself- this year he broke out himself with "Actual Life 3" which follows a really simple idea, use voice notes from your mates and loads of samples.

If you're as much of a music nerd as me check out the video of Fred showing Zane Lowe how it works.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

United In Grief – Kendrick Lamar

This is not a party album, this is raw, this is kendrick talking about entitlement, self doubt, abuse,infidelity, letting people down, making mistakes on stands he took and basically realising that the people who meant most were ready to walk away unless he changed.

Big stuff right?

Mr Morale & The Big Steppers couldn’t have gone on a further tangent from every other rap release this year.

United in Grief is the opening track that sets out to explain why he dissapeared for 3 years since the pulitzer prize winng DAMN.

Don’t get stuck in the harsh language and tone, it’s clearly defensive. The point is simple, everybody has crap to deal with and acting out as a famous multi-millionaire is still just that… acting out.

I saw the tour in November and it wasn’t just not like any rap show I’d ever seen, it was like no show I’d ever seen.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Invincible – Omar Apollo ft. Daniel Caesar

I honestly know very little about Omar Apollo.

American born of mexican heritage, jobbing musician on the LA scene and very well thought of in the industry.

What I do know is the songs are great, Evergreen, Want U Around and this one… Invincible with Daniel Caesar.

It's pop, don't over think it.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Everything's Electric – Liam Gallagher

I saw Liam in Belfast this year and let's cut to the chase….Yep, he's still got it, maybe even more now than anytime since 1998. It was, to use his phrasing, Biblical. Sound great, band great, setlist great, swagger turned up to 100 and most of all the new songs didn’t seem out of place with the old songs. Yeah the guy can’t stop writing about his brother but who cares, this song bangs, probably helped by the cameo of Dave Grohl on drums… C'Mon You Know

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Eazy – The Game, Kanye West

OK so Kanye is on it and he's a problem in a million ways, in fact this track became more known for him both talking about his grown up divorce and making threats on his ex wife's boyfriend than anything else.

Never mind that for a sec, there's a reversed 808 with a ton of reverb all the way through the track and that will always be cool.

The verses are well crafted and the delivery is elite level.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

As It Was – Harry Styles

Once Harry stopped trying to be a "serious artist" he suddenly became very good. Hated his first album, got on board with his second album… love his third album.

(and yes, I've got tickets for Wembley in June)

If a flowery, weird, cheeky swordsman is what you are then do that, and do it big, g'wan lad

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Say Nothing – Flume, MAY-A

Flume makes the best Gym Music (and I don’t go to the gym)

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Gorilla – Little Simz

After "Grey Area" & "Sometimes I might be Introvert" sims could do just about anything she wanted including releasing a whole surprise album on a random monday in December.

She doesn’t care about your schedule and she doesn’t care about your end of year lists, but I got ya.

This song just bangs.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Skinty Fia – Fontaines D.C.

Ah sure we always have to have one local hero in the list but what a local hero.

This album is on top of lists all over the world for a reason. In a funny way I see a lot of paralells between DC and the previously mentioned Little Sims, uncompromising, inventive and unapolagetically of their place.

This is a definite loud in the car song, and sure, who doesn’t love a proper Dublin accent.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Massive – Drake

Drake got a lot of stick for this album, but then Drake get a lot of stick about a lot of things and mostly deserves it.

Dude spent some time in Ibiza, liked it and thought he'd have a go himself.

It’s far from the first time he's got a bit dancey so I'm not sure why it caused such a stir, and beat Beyonce by a whole month (don’t worry she's later)

Massive is just a four to the floor club banger for all the lads who work in retail to play at being players for the night, no harm in that we've all been there.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Calm Down – Rema, Selena Gomez

Another year of some great output from Africa and as with everything cool the big labels in the states have decided to jump all over it, hence a remix with Selina Gomez.

But y’know I’m not mad, Gomez fits the track quite nicely and she's far from the worst.

Calm down was knocking about for quite a while during the summer and this addition just took it all over the world.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Free Mind – Tems

While we're on afrobeats let's throw in another.

Tems has been around for a while now, coming to a lot of people's attention when she guested on Wizkid's made in lagos album, the track "essence" which was on my 2021 list.

Then, like with Rema, the big names came calling and she featured with Drake & Future on "wait for u"

Well she's stepped out proper now and her album For Broken Ears in 2020 slowly found an audience, truly breaking out in 21 & 22

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Escapism – RAYE, 070 Shake

so let's get into it… the TikTok section, the next few track all blew up on TikTok, and I'm not mad at that, it's just another way for songs to cut through in an increasingly noisy space.

Raye paints a picture of a fairly messy broken place and it's up to you how much is autobiography and how much is hyperbole. What's undeniable is the beats by 070 Shake, and that refrain at the end of the track, brilliant.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

DESPECHÁ RMX – ROSALÍA, Cardi B

Look it just all bop, give into it, and the remix even has Cardi B on it.

Check out Motomami too

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Bel Mercy – Jengi

See the baby? Look Familiar?

If you know this baby you know this track, another TikTok scene.

What you probably don't know is the name of the track and the artist, doesn't really matter I'm sure they'll dissapear a quickly as they arrived but not without leaving a bop.

Anybody wanna buy ski gear and goggles?

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Starlight – Dave

Dave's lyrical delivery over an electronic interpolation of a swing classic, what's not to like?

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CUFF IT – Beyoncé

So to call this a TikTok hit is probably right and wrong at the same time, yes it was pretty huge on TikTok and an absolute must play at every wedding and Christmas party this year (Yep, I dad danced to it I admit it) but on the other hand it's Beyonce, I think it wouldve been pretty huge with or without the dance craze on the App.

Drake thought he had the dance thing covered this year, then Bey came in a took it.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

London Is Lonely – Holly Humberstone

Holly first popped up mid pendemic with a couple of EP's recognised very quickly as a cut above most, indeed she won the rising star award at the 2022 BRITS (and performed this song) but without normal promotion and touring she's still a bit under the radar.

I saw her in a small and very packed room in birmingham in November knowing full well that next time around the rooms will be a lot bigger.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Too Late Now – Wet Leg

Yes they are media darlings and everybody is on about them, normally that’s enough to cast these bands aside.

But this album has given us track after track and it’s worth calling them out.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Delilah – Fred again.., Delilah Montagu

Every year somebody ends up with two tunes on the list and this year it's Fred. He's just caught a mood and most of all comes across as a really good guy, even stopping to pull pints while DJ'ing at a Dublin pub last month.

Delilah follows the Actual Life 3 format again using voice notes and sample from a friend (the eponimous Delilah) to create an airly and uplifting scene.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Stay With Me – Calvin Harris, Justin Timberlake, Halsey, Pharrell Williams

I mean it's the Funk Wav Bounce formula…

This time with Pharell, JT & Halsey, how could it go wrong?

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Hideous – Oliver Sim ft. Jimmy Somerville

The second member of The XX to make the list this year (sorry Jamie)

Hideous Bastard is a beautiful and fairly heavy album and the almost title track is a pure distilation of that.

A short but perfect cameo from Jimmy Sommerville leading up to that final line statement from Oliver himself, his time to talk.

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify

Mel Made Me Do It – Stormzy

It'd be hard to have a list without STormzy in there somewhere and for me it had to be this track.

And it important you understand how much is in this, over 7 minutes of pure bars bars bars. Most rappers would ve got 4 or 5 tracks out of that many lines.

But then it all made sense, this was Mike clearing the decks, he had all these lines to get out but they didn’t have a home on the new album so… one big drop.

Also, watch the video

Listen: Apple Music · Spotify