2022 finally felt different. Now more than two years into COVID-19, people have either gone back to their pre-pandemic lifestyles or accepted that nothing will ever be the same and tried to live with it. No matter which mindset you resonate with, both sides can probably agree: The music made this pivotal year even more memorable.
Music has been one of the only constants throughout this mind-numbing pandemic, and as we watch ourselves gradually fade from its restraints, let’s honor the songs that carried us through.
Here are the best songs of 2022 from 10 different artists:
10. “Pistol” by Cigarettes After Sex
Cigarettes After Sex has figured out the formula: majorly reverbed guitars, hushed vocals and a steady backbeat. That’s why basically all of its songs sound the exact same (and also why they’re all so dreamy). As frontman Greg Gonzalez faces the after-effects of a devastating breakup, he wanders into the desert and starts shooting a gun into the air while fighting every urge to think about his ex. He convinces himself she’ll come back, but the otherworldly guitars fade into dust without providing any indication as to if his wishes come true. Whether or not you relate to the lyrical content, it’s the kind of production that quickly clears brain fog, a sublime accompaniment for a late morning walk.
9. “One Man’s Cringe” by Dance Gavin Dance
Dance Gavin Dance’s music just gets better with time, even if its members don’t. Jon Mess screaming his tail off never gets old, and the reference to his own “mindless screeches” — the criticism he gets for using his solos to spew random lyrics — is an iconic opening. Piercing guitars rip through the soundscape for the first two minutes before being stripped to a math rock-esque twinkle as vocalists Tilian Pearson and Andrew Wells dispense a juicy back and forth in which it feels as if they’re trying to outdo each other. Wells opts for a higher pitch and tries to intensify the metaphors about trying to become more likable, and Pearson goes for his recognizable falsetto at the end. There’s invariably something so satisfying about this group’s work despite no discernible consistency in the kind of music they make, but perhaps that’s the beauty of it.
8. “What Can I Do” by Reneé Rapp
Reneé Rapp has completed possibly the biggest year of her life: She finished the second season of The Sex Lives of College Girls, which was just renewed for a third; it was announced she will reprise her Broadway role as Regina George in the Mean Girls movie musical; and she released her first EP. The biggest standout within all that, though, is one of her least appreciated new songs, “What Can I Do.” In her first openly gay track, she tackles the difficulty of navigating what to do after realizing she’s in love with one of her closest friends, who’s in a relationship but constantly admits she deserves better. The song’s beauty is in its subtlety: Piano keys come to life like gently falling raindrops, and Rapp’s silky, soft voice feels like a lullaby. Though she wonders how she could prove herself, she ultimately keeps her questions to herself, deciding it’s best to maintain what they have, even if it breaks her.
7. “About You” by The 1975
Matty Healy said himself on the song’s Spotify commentary notes this is meant to be a continuation of 2013’s “Robbers,” and everyone who’s been a fan of The 1975 since the beginning can attest to that. It feels like every instrument is getting a warm-up before completely meshing together and setting off a universal astral projection. Even though Healy and his ex have completely cut ties, he will always remember the way she made him feel, and he sees her in almost everything he does, everywhere he goes. The track is both blissful and heartbreaking, feels both incredibly nostalgic and a push forward. It’s one that’s hard to condense to words and needs to be heard rather than explained.
6. “Kill Bill” by SZA
I know this track has only been out for a matter of weeks, but geez, it’s more catchy than a cold (though “Big Boy,” her song from a Saturday Night Live skit, might’ve taken the cake if it were released on streaming platforms). Likening her plan for revenge to one of the storylines from Kill Bill, in which Bill slays his ex, Beatrice, during her wedding, SZA admits killing her ex probably isn’t her best solution, but she feels helpless without him and seeks therapy to help her move on. I find myself multiple times whispering to myself “I might kill my ex,” trying to imitate SZA’s creamy vocal delivery and failing miserably. I just can’t get it out of my mind, and I don’t want to, either.
5. “Hysteria” by Spiritbox
Not everyone was pleased with Spiritbox’s divergence from the djent stylings of its highly lauded debut album, Eternal Blue, via its three-track EP in 2022. Each song felt less aggressive until the absolute monster of a breakdown on “Hysteria,” but the song is perfect in its entirety regardless. Frontwoman Courtney LaPlante pleads to have her entire life withdrawn from her grasp, knowing that she ruins everything she loves and it would be better if she were no longer in control. Her breakdown slowly builds up until the sounds of sirens surface and she shreds her throat, yelling for one last bit of relief before her wish comes true, the strain departs her body and she fades into nothingness. Everything Spiritbox touches is kickass, and this track would be an incredible wrestler entrance song in terms of its intimidation factor.
4. “What I Want” by MUNA
MUNA did what most haven’t: It gave the LGBTQ+ community a masterful collection of pop songs with which they could completely resonate and celebrate, and it feels like utter joy. Katie Gavin has come to terms with her sexuality and is ready to shout from atop a barstool that there’s nothing wrong with any way she feels. Over glimmering synths, she proclaims that she’s going to get what she wants after almost a lifetime of tears and anxiety, whether it’s the girl across the bar or just a moment of feeling secure with herself. The track was destined for mainstream radio, from its absurd catchiness to its glittery feel, and it’s a reminder that MUNA can basically do no wrong.
3. “Parallel” by Dayseeker
Talk about a gut-wrencher. In what’s frontman Rory Rodriguez’s most personal song to date, he conjures up an alternative universe in which his father is still alive and he can treasure his presence one last time. The intro mimics a heart monitor gradually slowing down as Rodriguez revisits walking into the hospital to witness his father’s last breath. Swarms of oohs zip around the soundscape, offsetting the lyrical heaviness and making everything feel weightless, as he comes to terms with a life without his father, and it’s all so beautifully devastating. Even after 100 listens, it doesn’t get any easier to digest — just as it doesn’t lose its sheer grandeur.
2. “Aching Longing” by Holding Absence (feat. Alpha Wolf)
Holding Absence is one of metalcore’s biggest up-and-comers (though Lucas Woodland has had golden pipes since the band’s debut album in 2019), and this song epitomizes that. He no longer feels a desire to adventure nor any excitement in the world, begging someone to strip him of his life and let him start anew. Cheery guitars juxtapose his inner anger, but Alpha Wolf’s Lochie Keogh sets the song on fire and yells his gritty lungs off, promising to wreak as much havoc as possible while he still can. This track is every metal lover’s fantasy, and it only gets better with each new listen.
1. “ceilings” by Lizzy McAlpine
After seeing Lizzy McAlpine sound better live than in her studio versions and already thinking Give Me A Minute was one of the best albums of the decade, I waited for five seconds flat like a lonely dog at its owner’s closed bedroom door. I was already fascinated by the simplistically gorgeous acoustic intro on my first listen, and by the end of the chorus’ first rendition, I felt my entire body shutting down. McAlpine’s mellifluous tone, intermingled with strings that help me remember to make sure my chest is still rising and falling and lyrics that snap my heartstrings in two, is just exquisite. I can’t accurately portray what it does to me — because I’m not even sure myself. I just know I long for it when I’m going to bed, in the morning because I want it to be the first thing I hear, in the car so I can feel like I’m moving with a purpose. This song obviously just came out this year, but I feel like I’ve unknowingly prayed for it all my life.
Bre Callahan 