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.