12 Best Songs Of 2018

  • 12 Best Songs Of 2018
    POSTED

    Best Of 2018

    Christmas? Try Listmas! We love making lists to wrap up the year that was - it gives us a chance to revisit the last 12 months, remember some of its best moments and set the stage for what the next year will bring.

    It seems every year we're more and more excited for music as a slew of artists outdo themselves, and 2018 was no different. 

    Here are our top 10 songs of the year, which we may or may not be chucking in our triple j Hottest 100 lists.

    GLADES - Eyes Wide Shut

    When this song first came out, we were stunned at its sheer force and production finesse. Every time we listened to it, we discovered something else we loved about it. Then, it's minimalist, powerful music video came out and we somehow ended up loving it even more. It's not the only banger on the electronic pop trio's debut album, To Love You, but it definitely is the song that carves out a big corner of your brain.

    Kwame - Wow

    Kwame seemingly burst onto the scene out of nowhere, but this song deserved all the heads it turned. With a fresh beat he produced himself and lyrics that were both fierce and meta, WOW is an undoubtedly huge song that Kwame followed up with songs like CLOUDS and NO TIME. We can't wait to see Kwame continue going stupid packing up the place wow. 

    Janelle Monae - Make Me Feel

    Queen Janelle almost broke the internet with the numerous feminist anthems on her album Dirty Computer this year, and Make Me Feel was the lead single that made us all start to take notice. With a Prince-penned riff and Janelle-penned sass, this song gets us amped for whatever the day will bring and doesn't fail to make us move. In short - it makes us feel! 

    PYNK gets an honourable mention too for its absolutely stunning visuals and its sex-positive message. 

    CXLOE - Show You

    The Sydney dark pop princess had already had a few tracks with the likes of last year's Tough Love and Sicklaced with Super Cruel, but it was this year's Show You that really marked the young singer as a breakout popstar. The song's massive breathless chorus and sleek production was instantly memorable, and later we realised that CXLOE was fantastic live and even alone at a piano. CXLOE can do it all and Show You shows us that. 

    Troye Sivan - Plum

    Bloom was a stellar album by all accounts - and so was its lead single, My! My! My! - but one of the other highlights on the album is Plum. With arguably one of the hookiest choruses around, the break-up anthem has an indie-rock riff that sets it apart from the rest of the album and just makes it super memorable. 

    BROCKHAMPTON - 1998 TRUMAN

    Released as a stand-alone ahead of their latest album iridescence (before we even knew that album was coming, tbh), 1998 TRUMAN goes as hard as only BROCKHAMPTON know how. Joba's at his best in his verse, Bearface leads a downbeat R&B moment, and even its music video reflects the song's frantic energy. iridescence was great but 1998 TRUMAN was a huge stand-out in the band's catalogue this year.

     

    Charli XCX & Troye Sivan - 1999

    Every year needs a big, shiny, silly pop song and this year it was Charli XCX and Troye Sivan who awarded us that. Both Charli and Troye had a great year with their own tracks but they let their hair down for this nostalgia-inducing pop that put the spotlight on their lovable personalities. Few would get away with popping in a Michael Jackson “hee, hee” or namechecking JTT in a song that references the year you turned four but these two can. No song was funner than 1999 this year regardless of whether we actually want to go back or not.

    Cardi B - I Like It (Feat. Bad Bunny & J Balvin)

    Listing things you like for an entire verse is hardly an inspiring idea but that’s what makes Cardi better than most out there right now. She's got quick wit, humour and charisma in droves which makes everything she puts her voice to golden. Over a Latin-influenced beat sampling a 1967 boogaloo song, Cardi is in her absolute element rapping about shoes that look like socks and the like. It’s the most feelgood song of the year and for a few months it blasted from every car in the world.

    Robyn - Honey

    Robyn has always been there with us on the dancefloor. She’s that immediate hit of heartbreak or joy but on Honey she refuses to give it all at once. She taunts us, pulling us closer with each vocal move while the instrumental slowly gets denser. It expertly emulates that 3am feeling where the music envelopes you and the tiniest details are beautiful, even if just for a moment. Honey is full of those beautiful moments from the golden waves to the sun setting on the water. We thought we knew what we needed from Robyn this time around but it turns out she had what we wanted.

    Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next

    The past two years have been rough for Ariana Grande and yet despite it all she continues to respond with positivity and gratitude. The first few lines of Thank U, Next suggested she’d gone down the petty road with Thank U, Next, and we probably would’ve been fine with that, but instead she flips it into an anthem of growth and liberation. Recorded in just a few days, she takes us right back to bare-boned R&B bleeding with feeling. It’s hardly surprising that it topped charts worldwide in just as much time as it took her to make it.

    Travis Scott - Sicko Mode (Feat. Drake)

    Sicko Mode is arguably hip hop’s two biggest names joining forces in the perfect moment to create something huge. Scott and Drake are two very different artists but the reason Sicko Mode is so good is that neither have to sacrifice their stylings. Drake is allowed to be goofy (“I just took a Xan, 14 hours ‘til I land, had me out like a light”) while Scott is psychedelic, driven by the overall aesthetic. It’s a five-minute epic that switches back and forth between beats as the pair play basketball with their verses but ultimately they compliment each other. 

    Mallrat - Groceries

    For the second year in a row Mallrat is the mastermind behind the best local pop song of the year. On Groceries, the opener to the EP that also houses last year’s Better, she turns mundane imagery into a genius picture of budding love. “I just wanna get groceries,” sounds so casual but it’s all about strolling comfortable with someone, picking free grapes from the fruit section. Mallrat’s songwriting continues to grow as she recognises not just the feeling but the setting and the action. It’s all-encompassing and on Groceries, we’re right there with Mallrat however different our personal circumstances might be.

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Best Of 2018

Christmas? Try Listmas! We love making lists to wrap up the year that was - it gives us a chance to revisit the last 12 months, remember some of its best moments and set the stage for what the next year will bring.

It seems every year we're more and more excited for music as a slew of artists outdo themselves, and 2018 was no different. 

Here are our top 10 songs of the year, which we may or may not be chucking in our triple j Hottest 100 lists.

GLADES - Eyes Wide Shut

When this song first came out, we were stunned at its sheer force and production finesse. Every time we listened to it, we discovered something else we loved about it. Then, it's minimalist, powerful music video came out and we somehow ended up loving it even more. It's not the only banger on the electronic pop trio's debut album, To Love You, but it definitely is the song that carves out a big corner of your brain.

Kwame - Wow

Kwame seemingly burst onto the scene out of nowhere, but this song deserved all the heads it turned. With a fresh beat he produced himself and lyrics that were both fierce and meta, WOW is an undoubtedly huge song that Kwame followed up with songs like CLOUDS and NO TIME. We can't wait to see Kwame continue going stupid packing up the place wow. 

Janelle Monae - Make Me Feel

Queen Janelle almost broke the internet with the numerous feminist anthems on her album Dirty Computer this year, and Make Me Feel was the lead single that made us all start to take notice. With a Prince-penned riff and Janelle-penned sass, this song gets us amped for whatever the day will bring and doesn't fail to make us move. In short - it makes us feel! 

PYNK gets an honourable mention too for its absolutely stunning visuals and its sex-positive message. 

CXLOE - Show You

The Sydney dark pop princess had already had a few tracks with the likes of last year's Tough Love and Sicklaced with Super Cruel, but it was this year's Show You that really marked the young singer as a breakout popstar. The song's massive breathless chorus and sleek production was instantly memorable, and later we realised that CXLOE was fantastic live and even alone at a piano. CXLOE can do it all and Show You shows us that. 

Troye Sivan - Plum

Bloom was a stellar album by all accounts - and so was its lead single, My! My! My! - but one of the other highlights on the album is Plum. With arguably one of the hookiest choruses around, the break-up anthem has an indie-rock riff that sets it apart from the rest of the album and just makes it super memorable. 

BROCKHAMPTON - 1998 TRUMAN

Released as a stand-alone ahead of their latest album iridescence (before we even knew that album was coming, tbh), 1998 TRUMAN goes as hard as only BROCKHAMPTON know how. Joba's at his best in his verse, Bearface leads a downbeat R&B moment, and even its music video reflects the song's frantic energy. iridescence was great but 1998 TRUMAN was a huge stand-out in the band's catalogue this year.

 

Charli XCX & Troye Sivan - 1999

Every year needs a big, shiny, silly pop song and this year it was Charli XCX and Troye Sivan who awarded us that. Both Charli and Troye had a great year with their own tracks but they let their hair down for this nostalgia-inducing pop that put the spotlight on their lovable personalities. Few would get away with popping in a Michael Jackson “hee, hee” or namechecking JTT in a song that references the year you turned four but these two can. No song was funner than 1999 this year regardless of whether we actually want to go back or not.

Cardi B - I Like It (Feat. Bad Bunny & J Balvin)

Listing things you like for an entire verse is hardly an inspiring idea but that’s what makes Cardi better than most out there right now. She's got quick wit, humour and charisma in droves which makes everything she puts her voice to golden. Over a Latin-influenced beat sampling a 1967 boogaloo song, Cardi is in her absolute element rapping about shoes that look like socks and the like. It’s the most feelgood song of the year and for a few months it blasted from every car in the world.

Robyn - Honey

Robyn has always been there with us on the dancefloor. She’s that immediate hit of heartbreak or joy but on Honey she refuses to give it all at once. She taunts us, pulling us closer with each vocal move while the instrumental slowly gets denser. It expertly emulates that 3am feeling where the music envelopes you and the tiniest details are beautiful, even if just for a moment. Honey is full of those beautiful moments from the golden waves to the sun setting on the water. We thought we knew what we needed from Robyn this time around but it turns out she had what we wanted.

Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next

The past two years have been rough for Ariana Grande and yet despite it all she continues to respond with positivity and gratitude. The first few lines of Thank U, Next suggested she’d gone down the petty road with Thank U, Next, and we probably would’ve been fine with that, but instead she flips it into an anthem of growth and liberation. Recorded in just a few days, she takes us right back to bare-boned R&B bleeding with feeling. It’s hardly surprising that it topped charts worldwide in just as much time as it took her to make it.

Travis Scott - Sicko Mode (Feat. Drake)

Sicko Mode is arguably hip hop’s two biggest names joining forces in the perfect moment to create something huge. Scott and Drake are two very different artists but the reason Sicko Mode is so good is that neither have to sacrifice their stylings. Drake is allowed to be goofy (“I just took a Xan, 14 hours ‘til I land, had me out like a light”) while Scott is psychedelic, driven by the overall aesthetic. It’s a five-minute epic that switches back and forth between beats as the pair play basketball with their verses but ultimately they compliment each other. 

Mallrat - Groceries

For the second year in a row Mallrat is the mastermind behind the best local pop song of the year. On Groceries, the opener to the EP that also houses last year’s Better, she turns mundane imagery into a genius picture of budding love. “I just wanna get groceries,” sounds so casual but it’s all about strolling comfortable with someone, picking free grapes from the fruit section. Mallrat’s songwriting continues to grow as she recognises not just the feeling but the setting and the action. It’s all-encompassing and on Groceries, we’re right there with Mallrat however different our personal circumstances might be.

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