In many ways, it feels like we’re living in a post-single world. People may not be lining up outside of record stores to buy full albums, sure, but the idea of a song of the summer or a generational anthem seems all but obsolete. Instead, artists are reappropriating ancient memes in the hope of scoring a TikTok hit or, in the case of Kate Bush and “Running Up That Hill,” hoping a decades-old song of theirs gets featured in a Netflix team teen drama. Given this context, it may seem pointless to try and rank the best songs of the year. But just because it may be pointless does not mean that it’s futile. Operating just beneath that stagnant pop landscape is an exciting world of talented songwriters and musicians who poured their blood, sweat, and tears into some excellent entries of the popular music canon. I’ve listed the first 15 of the 25 best examples below.

25. “Supermarket” – Wet Leg

Wet Leg’s self-titled debut album constantly walks the line between fun and stupid, and no song finds itself straddling that boundary quite as impressively as “Supermarket.” Harkening back to the days when hangdog songs like “Cut Your Hair” and “El Scorcho” ruled alternative rock airwaves, the shaggy guitars and tossed off backing vocals give “Supermarket” a casual, dare I say fun, quality that’s been missing in most non-mainstream music nowadays. Rhian Teasdale’s lyrics may evoke the drudgery of lockdown by treating grocery shopping like an event, but the idea of finding someone you’re so enamored with that their mere presence turns a buy-one-get-one-free deal into an aphrodisiac hints at a kind of sexual chemistry most of us can only dream of. It’s the kind of superficial, crotch-first thinking indie rock could use a lot more of nowadays.

24. “I’ve Got You Surrounded (By My Love)” – Jack White

Jack White has always been a much better performer than songwriter, and that contrast made his acoustic-based album Entering Heaven Alive the lesser of the two albums he released in 2022. But while his strummy ballads may not impress, White still found his groove on that album with “I’ve Got You Surrounded (By My Love),” a jazzy jam session that scatters his musical trademarks across a lightly bopping canvas. Rumbling to life with a drumbeat that feels plucked from a tropical jazz club, “I’ve Got You Surrounded” is still first and foremost a showcase for White’s guitar playing. His contributions range from light blues-ey picking, to his trademark scratchy licks, to wah-wah abusing solos, but his vocals display a laid back, confident disposition that’s been absent from his heavier, nervier work. This also creates more space for the other members of his quartet (Daru Jones on drums, Quincy McCrary on piano, and Dominic Davis on bass), and the four move in and out together in what feels less like a vulgar display of chops, and more like a celebration of the very miracle of making music itself.

23.  “Anti-glory” – Horsegirl

The inherent tension found within most post-punk music is it tries to convey a nihilistic, disaffective worldview through what is frequently enthralling, occasionally danceable, music. Chicago-trio Horsegirl jump feet first into these contradictions on “Anti-glory,” which matches deadpan vocals with the most thunderous, attention grabbing drumbeat of the year. While the chorus’s request (or is it a demand?) that you “dance” feels out of place in such a gloomy song, the pounding drums and buzzy guitars build up to a headrush of a coda that could inspire movement in even the most aloof concert crowd. Some songs hit you like an atomic bomb – “Anti-glory” sounds like the kind of thing we’ll all be dancing to amongst the ruins years after the bomb hits.

22. “I Fall Into Her Arms” – Mo Troper

Power-pop is an inherently desperate genre, but Mo Troper’s take on the style turns romantic longing into a matter of life and death, clawing towards the objects of his affection in a harried attempt to stave off the end, an approach that’s typified on “I Fall Into Her Arms.” It’s wonderful that the return on his lover makes Troper want to stay alive – but that also implies that at some point, he didn’t want to stay alive, and the tears of joy and cannonball metaphor he uses to describe what should be a moment of relief cast a sinister shadow over this otherwise simple, jangly tune. The lo-fi production and Troper’s warped falsetto makes “I Fall Into Her Arms” sound like a beat up 45 you might find at your favorite record store. It also makes you wonder if you might be better off not knowing a whole lot about what happened to the guy who recorded it. 

21. “Chaos Space Marine” – Black Country, New Road

Youthful pretension can get pretty hard to tolerate once you hit a certain age, but it pays to be original. Black Country, New Road may have just been chasing the UK post-punk revival on their first album, but on Ants From Up There, they create something entirely new, and one that’s perfectly encapsulated in “Chaos Space Marine,” a mini-epic that reaches out its metal hand towards the operatic ambitions of precursors like Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens and tries to claim them for Generation Z. Accompanied by the scrappiest sounding symphony ever assembled, vocalist Isaac Wood contrasts epic imagery of setting sail from England to New York with distinctly modern signifiers like Warhammer 40,000 and Billie Eilish, as his broken heart fixates on the trivial to save him from scarier, all too real troubles. His croak may be an acquired taste, but his pledge that he’s “leaving this body, and I’m never coming home again” carries the DNA of similarly bold declarations made by artists like Bruce Springsteen, Japandroids, and other death or glory daredevils; that Wood may be singing about a tabletop game instead of a highway does nothing to diminish “Chaos Space Marine”’s considerable scope.

20. “Pressure Cooker” – Dazy and Militarie Gun

90s nostalgia has dominated most musical genres over the past decade or so, but most artists tend to mine critically acclaimed Clinton era trends like grunge, shoegaze, and gangsta rap instead of the slightly more embarrassing mainstream sounds that actually played on the radio. On “Pressure Cooker,” one-man power-pop project Dazy and post-hardcore favorites Militarie Gun join forces to churn out a fuzzy, rattling homage to the kitchen sink ethos of artists like Beck and Happy Mondays. Like many great 90s songs, the lyrics aren’t as important as the sneering, snotty attitude typified by Ian Shelton’s fuming ad libs, where he rants about “caffeinated beverages that will flip my brain upside down.” A fitting line for a song that sounds like it was written for the coolest Mountain Dew commercial ever made.

19.  “Jackie Down the Line” – Fontaines D.C.

The current post-punk revival may be headquartered in the UK, but it’s being perfected in Ireland, where Fontaines D.C. set themselves apart by eschewing the starter pack leftism of Idles and the random word association of Dry Cleaning for darker, more personal ruminations. 

Playing off of Irish slang meant to convey selfishness, “Jackie Down the Line” sees vocalist Grian Chatten warn a potential lover against committing to him, because he knows he’ll only hurt her eventually. The band is loose and jangly, but they are still Irish, which means that this is also the most morbid and dreary jangle you’ve ever heard. If lyrics like “what good is happiness / If I’ve to wield it carefully” are any indication, though, such gloominess suits this band just fine.

18. “Bad Habit” – Steve Lacy

Perhaps the most unlikely Billboard number one of recent years, it’s hard not to read “Bad Habit” as a flex disguised as a lament. Steve Lacy may begin the song woozily regretting his failure to act on his feelings years ago, but by the second verse the tables have turned, and the person who thought they were too good for him is now the pursuer. It isn’t quite “Under My Thumb” in the way that it celebrates romantic conquest, but compared to the shallow positivity of modern stars like Lizzo and Harry Styles, Lacy’s gummy guitars and slinky grooves course with sex and danger. There’s actually a risk being taken here by the characters in this song and –  between the acapella bridge and the kisses of acoustic guitar in the background – actual production choices being made as well. Top 40 playlists are in need of a reset – and they could do a whole lot worse than using “Bad Habit” as a template.

17. “What’s the Trick?” – Jack White

Despite making his name as the 2000s’ foremost blues rock traditionalist, Jack White has a long history in dabbling with rap-like cadences, stretching all the way back to 2000’s “Hello Operator” and reaching (in my opinion, at least) its peak on The Dead Weather’s “Treat Me Like Your Mother” and “Three Dollar Hat.” White explores a similar style on “What’s the Trick?,” perhaps the most fine tuned fusion of rap and his trademark guitar playing yet recorded. Rattling off a list of dilemmas and frustrations and some abstract pieces of advice, White feels like he’s making things up as he goes along, hammering on the same rapid fire riff for most of the song’s runtime, digressing only for the bridge and a brief solo. Like most of White’s best work, it’s blistering, busy, and even a little corny. It’s also the clearest musical idea he’s had in nearly five years.

16. “There’d Better Be a Mirror Ball” – Arctic Monkeys

On one level, “There’d Better Be a Mirror Ball” seems like it’s about the break up of a relationship, but on another, it’s about Arctic Monkeys breaking up with their past selves and, perhaps, some of the fans they won in their early days. Opening with an almost theatrical overture, “There’d Better Be a Mirror Ball” is a melancholy farewell, one last drink between two people who used to know each other very well. It’s the kind of situation that’s hard not to get sappy during, and, despite his prior promises, Alex Turner doesn’t try hard at all to not “give the old romantic fool.” He may not feel like telling us how good we look on the dance floor anymore, but, if only for old time’s sake, he’ll insist we go somewhere with a mirrorball, at least to watch the glittering sphere turn and turn like the time that’s forcing us to drift apart.

15. “Headspace” – Sharon Van Etten

Lyrically, Sharon Van Etten’s “Headspace” is a pretty simple snapshot of the period of married life where physical intimacy becomes less frequent, prompting Van Etten to demand that her partner pay attention to her (“baby don’t turn your back to me”). But musically, it’s impossibly dense and driving, powered by plodding bass and synths that feel as dense as a neutron star. Van Etten already took a big leap forward stylistically on 2018’s Remind Me Tomorrow when she departed from her quieter, slower folk music for anthems inspired by 80s Bruce Springsteen and early 2000s Smashing Pumpkins. But “Headspace” goes one step further – she’s no longer aping the past, instead she’s forcing her way to the future by creating something more concentrated and potent.

14. “Shotgun” – Soccer Mommy

Soccer Mommy’s recent albums have left me a bit wanting, but I’ll be damned if Sophie Allison still can’t write a great single. Perhaps the most refreshing thing about “Shotgun” is how deliriously in-the-moment Allsion sounds, relishing the taste of her lover’s breath, the fog in their car’s windows, and the natural and artificial things that are keeping her heart aflutter. There’s not a whole lot of thinking going on, but there is a lot of feeling, which is only heightened by Oneohtrix Point Never’s hypnagogic production flourishes and Allison’s breathy vocal delivery. That she can only afford booze and ice cream, and that her love comes conditional (“You know I’ll take you as you are”/”As long as you do me”) isn’t of any concern – she’s got four minutes of indie rock bliss to get through first.

13. “Big Time” – Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen’s music tends to be either quiet and reflective or bombastic and emotional, so it’s nice to see her take a deep breath and relax for a while on “Big Time.” All walks by the lake and campfire songs, “Big Time,” which was co-written by Beau Thibodeuax, Olsen’s partner at the time, is a rich snapshot of some quiet, tender moments between two lovers that feels as clear and fresh as a mountain stream. While the arrangement is pure psych-country bliss, Olsen is keen to acknowledge that things haven’t always been a bed of roses for her (“And I’m losin’, I’m losin’, I’ve left it behind”) but, considering that all of her troubles have led her to this moment (“Guess I had to be losin’ to get here I’m time”), it sounds like she wouldn’t change a thing.

12. “Me & My Blue Angels” – 2nd Grade

Featuring melodies and harmonies that soar as majestically as the titular Navy air show squadron, “Me & My Blue Angels,” like all good power-pop songs, is both an escape and a vehicle for yearning. 2nd Grade frontman Peter Gill sings about the joy and loneliness of looking at the world from 8,000 feet in the air, an experience that lets you both escape from your troubles and separates you from the people you want to be with. It’s that promise, of “being too high to be hurt by the ones you love” that’s at the core of power-pop. The songs may not always be happy, but they’re always sweet enough to provide at least a little bit of an escape by letting you bear witness to something that sounds perfect. Like this sub-two minute song, that perfection doesn’t last forever – but when you’re gliding through the clouds on sounds this sonorous, it feels, just briefly, like it might.

11. “Hangover Game” – MJ Lenderman

World class athletes, they’re just like us, or so posits MJ Lenderman’s “Hangover Game,” a fuzzy, twangy barroom rocker that doubles as an elegy for the innocence of youthful idol worship. Casting doubt on the official explanation of Michael Jordan’s famous 1997 flu game, fellow North Carolinian Lenderman concludes that, given His Airness’ hotel bill from the prior night, Jordan wasn’t suffering from food poisoning, but the mother of all hangovers. It’s a cheeky, almost sacrilegious accusation for Lenderman to make, but one that leads him to conclude that he has more in common with his hero (“I love drinkin’ too”) than he realized when he was a kid. It’s also a realization that prompts him to close the song on a sour, almost melancholy guitar note that seems to sigh at the notion that things that seem pure and triumphant will never live up to modern scrutiny.