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.

top 40 of 2018 | 10-1

10. Fickle Friends - "Glue"

Some damn fine retro-tinged pop coming out of Brighton, England. I had to pick this one up on cassette not just because the packaging was so cute, but is there any better medium on which to listen to music like this?

9. Gigi Rowe - "Got That"

I love that music written specifically for video games is becoming a thing, and even though this isn't really in that exact spirit, it counts! I was absolutely blown away by this when I came across it in Just Dance 2018. It recalls everything that was so perfect about mid-'80s R&B-flavored dancepop like Deniece Williams' soundtrack hit "Let's Hear It For The Boy" and Five Star's criminally underrated "If I Say Yes". And come on -- how cute is she?!

8. Troye Sivan - "Bloom"

I gushed in the last post about how Troye's debut single from this album was his emergence as a true pop star, but this second single and title track took things very quickly to full blossom: It's the right proper butt sex anthem that the world didn't know it needed. I had absolutely nothing like Troye growing up, so I'm very thankful for his existence for today's queer youth. The video is a perfect complement, too -- even driving home its early '90s motif by being shot in 4x3.

7. Christine & the Queens ft. Dâm-Funk - "Girlfriend"

A funny, funky twist on the concept of masculinity. We in the queer community often preach about how men often need to be more in touch with their femininity, but what about the inverse? Bring on the butchies!

6. Anna Burch - "Tea-Soaked Letter"

An absolutely perfect little indie pop-rock romp that made me realize how badly I was missing this specific sound from my college radio days. The melodic structure of this song is so damn well-written, right from the very first note, when she comes in singing the harmony instead of the melody that you expect.

Side note: I actually heard this for the first time while I was peeing in a restaurant bathroom, and I used my free hand to Shazam it -- a fact that I didn't necessarily have to tweet to and share with Ms. Burch, but I did anyway. Don't worry; she thought it was funny.

5. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - "The Punishment of Luxury"

Listen, I'm just as surprised as anyone that frickin OMD is showing up on my year-end top songs list in 2018 CE, but I had the grand fortune of seeing them live back in March, and they simply killed it. The first time I actually heard this song, the title track from their most recent album, was at that show, performed live, and it sounded just as good then as it does on the album. I've caught myself countless times the rest of this year humming this melody!

4. Jack Antonoff & MØ - "Never Fall In Love"

This is from the soundtrack to one of my favorite movies this year, Love, Simon. I wish Jack and MØ would do an entire album of synthpop like this!

3. Pale Waves - "Television Romance"

I'm so glad that there's still a new wave scene (if you know where to find it, anyway)! Manchester's Pale Waves absolutely crushed it with this one - every note, both played and sung, is perfect.

Worth noting: There are two mixes of this song, and I prefer the one used in the video to the one on the album.

2. Betty Who - "Just Thought You Should Know"

Betty Who is one of those artists who I stan more out of image or politics than the actual music. She blew me away with "High Society" from her debut EP in 2013, but I've never come close to loving any of her other songs like I loved that one, until now.

What so spine-tinglingly delicious about this track is the way it progresses from a quiet pop whisper into a pop punch. When it starts, you're nodding your head with her, but by the one-minute mark, it's "DAMN! Ok then Betty!!"

1. Kim Petras - "Heart To Break"

I honestly don't know what else to say about this except that it's literally a perfect dancepop song, and that I hope Kim has a long and fruitful career.

top 40 of 2018 | 20-11

20. Loote - "Your Side Of The Bed"

The lyrics and vocal delivery on this one are, to me, its biggest detriments -- but their shortcomings are ultimately irrelevant because the production is fantastic. It's no secret that I'm a sucker for a proper meshing of electric guitar and synth riffs.

19. NOTD & Bea Miller - "I Wanna Know"

Two Swedish high schoolers who know how to bedroom-produce teamed up with a booming-voiced young lady (and former The X-Factor contestant) and the result a modern pop banger that just kinda works. Hard to believe this one didn't even crack the Hot 100!

18. Lady Gaga - "Hair Body Face"

All of the attention paid to the soundtrack of A Star Is Born has focused on the country-pop ballads. Gaga wrote some amazing material for her pop-star persona, and everyone needs to stop glossing over it and/or sleeping on it this instant!! Frankly, you're all being VERY Jackson Maine about it!!

Gaga is the best at reminding us that we can dance and feel feelings at the same time, and nowhere on this album is that displayed more than on this track, about the insecurity that comes with being in a relationship with someone whose friends don't like you.

17. Netta - "Toy"

This is the first year I've gotten into the Eurovision Song Contest as it was actually happening, and I'm honestly not sure what I've been doing for the past 31 years while I wasn't paying attention to it. This song was the instant favorite of both my only two Eurovision-obsessed friends and me, and lo and behold, sweet lil Netta ended up winning! She even got to come to America and perform this on the Today Show!

A song about the #MeToo movement performed on only a sampler/looper. Who says I'm only into being retro?

16. Marianas Trench - "Rhythm Of Your Heart"

I know exactly three things about Marianas Trench:

1. They are Canadian
2. They look like they are from 2006 and work at GameStop
3. I would probably hate literally all of the rest of their songs

But you know what? That's fine, because this track is amazing.

15. Shawn Wasabi - "SQUEEZ"

What is not to love about Shawn Wasabi? He writes some of the catchiest pop melodies I've ever heard, he has beautiful bright green hair, loves video games, is always smiling, and tweets about his big ass. Like Netta, I love artists who choose pieces of modern technology as their primary instruments (a Midi Fighter 64 in Shawn's case). He's definitely the reigning king of both midi controllers and Bleep Pop(a-pop pop).>

14. Mikolas Josef - "Lie To Me"

The other song from this year's Eurovision that made my list, this one easily wins my award for the year's best lyrics. Some examples:

• "I know you whomp-bomp-a-loo-bop on his wood bam-boom / But you were still seeing me and well he didn't even knew"
• Then it got heavy, mom I'm feeling home already / But steady plenty mothafuckas wanna eat my spaghetti

I mean dude...yes.

13. Glades - "Not About You"

Glades are an indie trio that met in college in Sydney, Australia and just released their debut album (which, incidentally, sports my favorite album art of the year). This is undoubtedly a modern pop track, but there's something deliciously and undeniably 1987 about it, and I just love it.

12. Troye Sivan - "My My My"

Troye is on full display in all his goofy glory in this video, with a strut that rivals that of Jagger or Morrissey and a swagger exudes a confidence that we hadn't seen from him until this moment. His first EP and album were still very much in his reserved, private, bedroom YouTuber persona, so it's great to see him finally peacock out into the queer nerd we've all always wanted him to be.

11. Janelle Monae - "Make Me Feel"

Speaking of becoming a queer icon, hey Ms. Monae! This is one of the best albums of the year, led off with a single that is probably the last-ever Prince song, and hoo boy are there purple fingerprints all over this thing. She's just so damn cool and so sexy, and this track would make somebody shake their shoulders at their own funeral.

top 40 of 2018 | 30-21

30. Kasey Musgraves - "High Horse"

Is this the first country/dance crossover since "Cotton Eye Joe"? I mean nobody saw that one coming either, but I think we're all glad it exists, right? Same here.

In all seriousness, as someone who spent three years as a country radio disc jockey and drowned every day in a sea of banal pedal steel and scooped notes, I love seeing country stars branch out and get experimental.

29. Jay Som - "O.K., Meet Me Underwater"

There's something pleasant and calming about Jay Som's music. The combination of her soft delivery and her college rock guitar progressions put my mind in a happy place. This is one of two songs she released this year that were outtakes from her full-length LP last year.

28. CHVRCHES - "Grafitti"

CHVRCHES delivers yet again with another album of just-edgy-enough-to-dance-to synthpop. This track was my instant favorite, but the keyboard progression that carries "Really Gone" is one of the best I've ever heard from any artist of any era.

27. Morgan Willis - "Beyond The Stars"

I mean, just...how awesome is this?! If you don't feel like a sci-fi hero in an early '80s made-for-TV movie while listening to this, what are you even doing, my man?!

26. Gryff - "Jessie"

This is where I give (the abbreviated version of) my semi-regular spiel about how so many modern artists who emulate '80s synthpop barely miss the mark and end up sounding more modern than they think they do (which is not necessarily a bad thing!). I don't know what they're doing down under in Aussieland to get this shit so, so, right, but add Gryff to the list of Aussie synthwave artists who absolutely, convincingly nails this sound. (A list which, incidentally, previously only included my buddy Absinth3.)

25. Chris Huggett & Parallels - "Golden"

Some more flawless synthwave here from either a guy who's been in the synth game a long time or a nerd who has very carefully chosen his stage name and Parallels, who are kind of OG's in the synthwave scene. Seriously, if you like this stuff, check out their first two albums. This track is 1986 beach driving perfection.

24. Confidence Man - "Boyfriend"

I heard this one in the movie To All The Boys I Loved Before, co-starring America's 2018 boyfriend, Noah Centineo. It's the kind of thing that makes you want to peacock around and maybe kick someone's ass in the process.

23. The Midnight - "Lost Boy"

The lead single from their fourth full-length LP shows New York's The Midnight growing ever more confident and owning the hell out of the synthwave sound. They definitely win my "Favorite Album Art of the Year" award for this one too!

22. Hayley Kiyoko ft. Kehlani - "What I Need"

It's really great to see some queer representation in pop that isn't a cis white gay dude or a riot grrl lesbian (not that I don't absolutely love both of those things, but diversity is nice)! This is an absolute dancefloor decimator -- just listen to that synth bass!

21. Soccer Mommy - "Cool"

To fully appreciate this one, you have to listen to it the entire way through. You'll be fooled at first as I was that it's just an average midtempo alt rock song, but in its last 30 seconds, it does something so bizarre and unsettling that really makes it burrow into your psyche. I didn't really appreciate how influenced by '90s alt rock these folks were until watching the music video, either.