top 40 of 2019 | 10-1

10. Lake Malawi - "Friend Of A Friend"

This was the Czech Republic's entry into this year's Eurovision Song Contest and my personal favorite of the bunch. It's just a super fun pop song.

9. Kevin McHale - "Help Me Now"

I'm so glad that queer pop is continuing to creep ever closer to the mainstream, and it's thanks to artists like this just being themselves and churning out bangers. Midtempo dancepop, man. I'm a fan.

8. Aly & AJ - "Not Ready To Wake Up"

This straight up sounds like it was written in 1989 and then rediscovered in 2019 and produced on modern equipment. Absolutely killer dancepop!

7. Ximena Sariñana ft. Girl Ultra - "No Se"

Mexican pop singer Ximena Sariñana has been around for about a decade now, but I discovered her just this year after hearing this track on my local public radio station. It has the feel of a warm, breezy day that complements the lyrics about a burgeoning love interest.

6. Ava Max - "Sweet But Psycho"

A great parody/excoriation of the sexist "psycho ex girlfriend" trope that leans pretty heavily into it in the form of a modern club pop romp.

5. Riki - "Napoleon"

This is the very first song ever released by new group Riki. Their debut LP comes out on Valentine's Day of next year, and if this single is any indication of how great it's going to be, I'll be first in line to pick it up. Her vocal presentation and the chorusing of her voice over those punchy drum samples is just [chef's kiss].

4. Dorian Electra - "Career Boy"

In which an enbie twink hilariously shits on people who pride themselves in putting their work before their health. This is just some amazing subversive synthpop with excellent production and vocal effects.

3. Alec Benjamin - "Let Me Down Slowly"

What an incredibly well-written pop song! Alec is a singer/songwriter from Phoenix who had a well-deserved breakthrough at the beginning of the year with this track. He also cut a duet version with Alessia Cara.

2. Ollie Wride - "The Driver"

Ollie is now a full-time member of FM-81, with whom he's been recording for several years, but he's still pumping out excellent solo work. This track has the feel of the opening credits of an LA crime drama, and his voice is absolutely flawless.

1. Envelope Generator - "Emasculine"

A decade ago, I came across this video of three young Brits playing a fabulous synth medley. Earlier this year, I was going through some of my earliest YouTube bookmarks, rediscovered this video, and clicked the channel to see if they'd been up to anything in the decade since. Lo and behold, Envelope Generator (which, best I can tell, is really just singer/songwriter/synthesist J. Cronin) had indeed released a few very excellent EPs, including this year's Songs I Hate. This structure of this track is just so delicious - J really knows their way around that mega synthpop chord progression and how to write a vocal melody that complements it.

top 40 of 2019 | 20-11

20. Kero Kero Bonito - "When The Fires Come"

I don't think I've ever heard another song that sounds quite like this. It's vaporwavey, but the core is undoubtedly an indie pop song, and the whole thing is kinda presented in a Sega Saturn jewel case. The first time I heard this, it was all I wanted to listen to for the rest of the day.

19. Louis La Roche & Mylo - "Lovers"

Over the summer, I wondered one day whatever happened to Mylo and why he hadn't released any new music in years, only to Google him and discover that he had, in fact, just released his first single in years. His signature Mylo dancepop sensibility permeates through every note of this tropical bop.

18. Gunship - "The Video Game Champion"

I don't use the word "epic" often because the internet has made it corny as hell to do so, but I'm not sure that there's a better descriptor for this track. It gets me feeling pumped as hell and ready to beat a level that's been giving me grief.

17. Electric Youth - "ARAWA"

Electric Youth's first album from back in 2014 might be my favorite of the entire decade. It's a gorgeous day packaged into sunny synthpop that oozes into your ears like agave.

I was thrilled to see them release some new music this year following the unfortunate scrapping of the movie whose score/soundtrack was their sophomore LP. It's an odd choice for the title to be an initialism when the lyrics aren't enunciated very well, making what I'd guess is a good chunk of your listeners think you're talking about how "racist" you are, not "restless," but hey, the production is still tight as hell.

16. Shawn Wasabi ft. Raychel Jay - "Snack"

I always get pumped when Shawn Wasabi drops a new track, because it's not a terribly frequent occurrence. A friend of mine once described Shawn's music as "bleep pop," which is a great descriptor; he relies on layers of cutesiness, bounciness, oddball samples, synth stabs, and bass kicks. At first listen, I was kinda ho-hum about this, because I felt like it's the same schtick I'm used to by now: Pop culture references and childishness, like, we get it, right?

But idk man, Raychel Jay is just so stinkin cool, and Shawn is just so lovable and he puts his entire heart into his music, and it's pretty much impossible not to love both it and him. (I came around after a couple listens.)

15. Greyson Chance - "Yours"

Greyson Chance's path to fame has certainly been unique: He appeared on Ellen about a decade ago after a video circulated of him performing the Lady Gaga song "Paparazzi" on piano in his school talent show. Ellen subsequently founded a record label and signed him as her first artist. The album flopped, and Greyson faded back into obscurity. He never gave up songwriting, though, and this year he made a more genuine debut by coming out as gay and releasing an album of songs he'd actually written. It's full of well-written, personal tracks; this just happened to be my favorite.

14. Maggie Rogers - "Retrograde"

I'm such a sucker for midtempo synthpop, I know. Blend it with girlie indie rock and I'm swooning. It's rare that we get to hear this kind of singing voice over a drum machine, because usually people who can sing well in this style are either doing torch songs or ultra-acoustic. This track has a beautiful build to an addictive chorus, which falls away with some perfect backing vocalizations.

13. The Bad Dreamers - "Somewhere In This City"

When a synthwave group really leans into the "nightdrive" aesthetic, magic can happen. The Midnight has always been the group that best pulls this off, and this track rivals their best songs. It's got a bubbling, driving synth base, with a live drum bottom, live guitar motifs, and a live lead sax to stand in for a chorus with a perfect melody. Outstanding all around!

12. MUNA - "Number One Fan"

MUNA continues their trend of releasing one killer track on an album of songs that I forget about before they're finished playing, but you know what? That's okay. Because their message of self-love is the most important thing about them, and if they can crank out one banger per LP to remind all us listeners to be kinder to ourselves and one another, I am a fan.

11. Absinth3 ft. Nick Leach - "Suburbs"

Speaking of great nightdrive tunes, my buddy Absinth3 showed us how to handle that style from the purely electronic side of things with this sparkly track carried by a beautiful, just-restrained-enough vocal performance from Nick Leach. It makes you feel like you're lying under the stars in the country with someone cute.

top 40 of 2019 | 30-21

30. Katy Perry - "Never Really Over"

I'm not sure if Katy Perry is becoming less annoying, or it's just been enough time since her last annoying release that I didn't have fatigue from it and was able to listen to one of her songs without immediately being turned off by the mere fact that she was the performer.

This is a great track, though, and I hope this trend of her being less annoying continues.

29. Normani - "Motivation"

The ladies of Fifth Harmony are a talented bunch, but since their split, the solo attention has focused almost entirely on Camilla Cabello. I was so glad to see Normani spring forth in her own right with a couple of super fun singles this year, because she really deserves every bit of that same success. Her music, much like Fifth Harmony's, recalls a very specific fun sound from the early '00s. That's not an era of which I'm particularly fond, which speaks all the more to her talents.

28. tofubeats - "Plastic Love"

This came up on Spotify Radio one morning, and my immediate thought was "This sounds like a 2019 version of City Pop," which makes sense as it turned out to be a cover of a classic of that genre. If you're unfamiliar, City Pop is a subgenre of adult contemporary and soft rock that was popular in Japan in the early 1980s.

I love love love his vocal delivery on this, and the production is perfect!

27. Futurecop! ft. Parallels - "We Belong"

A beautiful synthwave track about humankind's place in the universe, brought to life by Holly Dodson's gorgeous voice. Parallels have been doing their thing for over a decade now and are still as great as ever, and this new collaborative partnership with Futurecop! seems to be keeping the creative juices flowing.

26. Caroline Polachek - "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings"

I absolutely love the reserved way with which she sings this song, as it's a hilarious contrast to the hyperbolic title. The video is funny too -- it's sort of like watching a preteen try to put a spell on her class crush because she stayed up late on a Saturday and saw The Craft.

25. Rebecca Black - "Anyway"

I don't think any other pop culture figure of this decade has turned more bitter lemons into deliciously sweet lemonade than Rebecca Black. I'm glad to see that she continues to laugh the last laugh as she makes quality pop music with a big beautiful smile.

24. Meg Myers - "Running Up That Hill"

Kate Bush is one of those artists that's on such a high pillar of reverence that covers of her music are few and far, far between. This is the second-best one I've ever heard, behind only Solange covering "Cloudbusting" one time in concert, which was absolutely brilliant. I feel like Meg's version of this iconic track finally let it breathe as the italo song that it's always begged to be.

And what a cool video!!

23. Stacey Q - "Trippin' Me Out"

I didn't really know what to make of this on my initial listen, but in true Stacey Q fashion, the hook embedded itself in my brain and I caught myself humming it for the rest of the day. It's reminiscent of a song that she did with longtime collaborator Jon St. James' on his Echo Junkies project about a decade ago, and really, this psychedelic sound isn't too much of a surprise from her, because she's always been kind of a hippie at heart. I'm excited to see what else she comes up with in the coming months, and I'm beyond stoked for the return of SSQ next year!

22. Kygo & Whitney Houston - "Higher Love"

I'm a big fan of Kygo and I obviously love Whitney, so when I heard that he'd decided to rework a cover that she'd recorded in 1990 and only released on the Japanese version of I'm Your Baby Tonight, I was 100% on board. This is great!

21. Great Good Fine Ok - "Change"

I haven't heard a song that quite taps this specific sound since the early 1990s. It's something about the way it's layered and the way the lyrics are written. I can't quite place exactly one thing that makes it recall that specific era in pop for me, but it does, and it's wonderful!

top 40 of 2019 | 40-31

40. CNCO - "Pretend"

A sneaky '80s pop sample spun into a latin pop boy band number - I'm into it!

39. Missy Elliott - "Throw It Back"

Missy made a long-awaited and promising comeback a few years ago with the insanely fun "Where They From." I, like everyone else, expected an album and a few more bangers to follow, but that sadly never happened.

Now, four years later, we got a 5-song EP led by this booty bouncer. She shadowdropped it after asking her Twitter followers to remember a time when "we all just danced and had fun," so all of this is a pretty clear nod to the Supa Dupa Fly era, and I'm not mad about it. Uptempo Missy will always be my favorite Missy, but this shit makes me wanna dance too.

38. Slayyyter - "Mine"

'90s house music presented through the lens of LA youth. This is a really well-produced track that really nails the sound it's going for, right down to those iconic Korg M1 organs.

37. La Neve - "Stability"

Sonically and aesthetically, this thing is all over the place, but it's just so goddamn queer and I love it. On the surface, this should be annoying as hell, but I cannot help but dance my ass off every time it comes on while I'm getting ready in the morning. I know this entry won't be for everyone, but hey, it is my year-end top songs list, right??

Definitely also worth watching amazing video of La Neve quitting their job in stylish fashion from a few years ago.

36. SRSQ - "Unkept"

This will be the first of a couple of appearances by Dais Records artists on this year's list. (Big thanks to my friend Ian for alerting me to their existence earlier this year!) They're producing some fantastic new wave, synthpop, and darkwave over there, and I'm very into it.

SRSQ's origin story is not a happy one: It's a pseudonym for singer/songwriter Kennedy Ashlyn, who lost musical partner Cash Askew in the tragic fire at the Ghost Ship warehouse in San Francisco in 2016. Her sadness is very much reflected in this new music, but her angelic voice shines like a beacon above the wall of gloomy synths and drum machines.

35. Code Elektro - "Cosmonaut's Dream"

I hope everyone is fully prepared for my Top 100 Songs of the 2010s list next year to be chock full of synthwave, because it was the genre that defined my decade, and there are no signs of my love for it slowing down whatsoever.

This is just a very cool instrumental track that reminded me of a slightly more polished track from the brilliant Stranger Things score.

34. Jai Wolf - "Still Sleeping"

This song fits really nicely between synthpop and modern pop. The delivery is all 2019, but it has the production sensibilities of a midtempo crush lament from 1986.

33. Mabel - "Don't Call Me Up"

Top 40 has really fallen off for me in the last two years, but there are still occasional bright spots like this. You've heard this song structure hundreds of times throughout the decade, but the production here is airtight and that chorus slaps.

32. Automatic - "Calling It"

It may start off like a Talking Heads b-side, but this goes full-on indie pop once the vocals kick in. I can't even pinpoint exactly what I love about this song so much, but I loved driving around with it on when it was really, really hot this summer.

31. Georgia - "About Work The Dancefloor"

Unf, that bassline. Really excited to hear Georgia's full LP next month, because both songs she's released from hit have been excellent.