After several years of uncertainty, some of music’s biggest names decided to make their long-awaited returns in 2022, resulting in one of the best years for music in recent memory. We saw the return of pop icons (Rihanna, Beyoncé), pop punk architects (Paramore, My Chemical Romance), new wave veterans (Tears for Fears, a-ha), indie cult favorites (Alvaays, Daniel Rossen), distinguished wordsmiths (Black Star, Kendrick Lamar), and R&B songstresses (SZA and Sky Ferreira).

Over the course of the year, we’ve reviewed thousands of songs and albums. In this week’s newsletter, we attempt to rank the best of them. We’ve included excerpts from some of our previous newsletters below.

100 Best Songs of 2022 🔥

From Steve Lacy’s viral bedroom pop hit to JID and Kenny Mason’s infectious trap duet to Zach Bryan’s poetic country heartbreak, we’ve compiled the 100 best songs of 2022. We’ll countdown the top 25 here, but you can find the full list on Spotify.

25. Hatchie, Quicksand (Alternative Dance)

“Imagine if shoegaze music was designed for the dancefloor, or better yet, if a pop princess was plucked from a girl group and dropped into My Bloody Valentine—that’s what Hatchie’s music sounds like.” – April 25

24. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Perfume Genius, Spitting Off the Edge of the World (Dream Pop)

23. Beyoncé, VIRGO’S GROOVE (Dance Pop)

“Though it’s technically Leo season, RENAISSANCE’s centerpiece is the six-minute disco-funk odyssey VIRGO’S GROOVE. The album’s apex might be expected near the end, but the track marks the halfway point, letting listeners know to stay on the dancefloor because DJ Beyoncé has a lot more to her set.” – August 1

22. Fontaines D.C., Jackie Down The Line (Post Punk)

“Softer and brighter than the band's typically depressing demeanor, Jackie Down the Line offers an exciting new sound while retaining the group's unmistakably moodiness. With his crisp, thick accent, lead singer Grian Chatten channels his inner Liam Gallagher to deliver a superb hook over a track that sounds like a cross between The Cure and The Smiths.” – January 17

21. Quadeca, Born Yesterday (Folktronica)

20. Ethel Cain, Strangers (Slowcore)

“Ethel’s emotionally wrecking music recalls a time before glitz and glamour took over the radio waves, when songs told the bleak stories of America’s working class. In her short but incredibly impressive discography, Strangers stands alone. Though we’ll surely hear a lot more from Ethel in the future, it’s hard to imagine how she’ll be able to top this.” – April 11

19. Paramore, The News (Post Punk Revival)

18. Alex G, Runner (Indie Rock)

“Runner is a bluesy, acoustic song with bright pianos and inviting vocals. It’s a Tom Petty-esque tune reminiscent of a ‘90s rock station.” — June 27

17. LCD Soundsystem, new body rhumba (Dance Punk)

16. Kelela, Happy Ending (Breakbeat)

“Over an atmospheric drum and bass beat, Kelela’s smooth R&B vocals bring a chill vibe to an old-school jungle rhythm. She effortlessly bends a pounding dance floor beat into something sensual. It’s only fitting for a song whose title is an overt double entendre.” – October 24

15. Caroline Polachek, Billions (Art Pop)

“Billions, a staple of Polachek’s 2021 live shows, is a glossy atmospheric track that expands on the singer’s distinctive brand of pop.” – February 14

14. Jessie Ware, Free Yourself (Disco)

“Has disco’s Mount Rushmore already been solidified, or is there still time to carve another face into its side? Though the diva era is long gone, Jessie Ware’s Free Yourself evokes that spirit with pounding keys, a groovy bass line, and a vibrant horn section. The infectious chorus and the masterful breakdown on the bridge make Free Yourself a modern disco classic.” – July 25

13. Joey Bada$$, Survivors Guilt (Conscious Hip Hop)

12. The Smile, Free in the Knowledge (Art Rock)

“With contributions from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, as well as longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich, Free in the Knowledge inevitably sounds familiar. Godrich pairs his cinematic string arrangements with Yorke’s nihilistic lyricism and Greenwood’s soft, yet crescendoing acoustics—a formula which has never failed the trio.” – April 25

11. björk, Fossora (Art Pop)

10. Alvvays, After The Earthquake (Jangle Pop)

9. Sufjan Stevens, Fourth of July (April Base Version) (Indie Folk)

“Fourth of July, originally released on Steven’s 2015 album Carrie & Lowell, is possibly the most harrowing song he has ever written. The gut-wrenching track is structured as a conversation between himself and his dying mother, Carrie, who passed away in 2012. This new version takes an already devastating song and makes it even more agonizing.” – July 11

8. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, The Dripping Tap (Acid Rock)

“A winding psychedelic-krautrock jam, The Dripping Tap features a sonic boom of guitars, endless hooks, wild solos, and inexhaustible energy. Driven by a punching beat, the track is incredibly catchy, and though it’s the band’s longest song to date, The Dripping Tap never bores.” – March 14

7. Danger Mouse, Black Thought, Michael Kiwanuka, Aquamarine (East Coast Hip Hop)

“18 years after Danger Mouse dropped the mashup masterpiece The Grey Album, the producer has finally decided to return to his hip hop roots by collaborating with one of the greatest living rappers, Black Thought.” – July 18

6. Denzel Curry, Walkin (Conscious Hip Hop)

5. Black Country New Road, Snow Globes (Art Rock)

“A slow burning, nine-minute epic, Snow Globes is an arresting number and a tasteful finish for what will be the penultimate track on Ants From Up There.” – January 31

4. Big Thief, Simulation Swarm (Indie Folk)

3. black midi, Sugar/Tzu (Avant Prog)

“On the jazz fusion track Sugar/Tzu, black midi tells the story of a young boxer who executes another fighter for publicity.” – July 18

2. Weyes Blood, God Turn Me Into a Flower (Ambient Pop)

“God Turn Me Into a Flower, in all of its ambient beauty, is one of the most spellbinding tracks we’ve ever heard.” – November 23

1. Kendrick Lamar, The Heart Part 5 (Conscious Hip Hop)

“Holy smokes, out of nowhere, Kendrick Lamar released THE best song of the year. There’s so much to unpack here: it’s his first proper song in five years, it samples Marvin Gaye’s smooth soul hit I Want You, and it comes with a wild deepfake music video featuring O.J. Simpson, Kobe Bryant, and Kanye West.” – May 9

25 Best Albums of 2022 💿

25. ROSALÍA, MOTOMAMI (Neoperreo)

“In a pop landscape currently gripped by Latin fever and saturated with reggaeton, Rosalía’s flamenco sound is a breath of fresh air. As the biggest Latin female crossover star since Shakira, Rosalía has been lauded for re-contextualizing a centuries-old musical style for the digital age.” – March 21

24. Viagra Boys, Cave World (Dance Punk)

“On their new record, Cave World, Viagra Boys narrow their focus to what they do best: frantic, driving punk. The band attempts to make sense of our bizarre post-pandemic era existence by satirically mocking the new crop of conspiracy theorists, including the anti-vaxxers and those who believe lizard elites are drinking children’s blood.” – July 11

23. Backxwash, HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING (Horrorcore)

“Backxwash’s entirely self-produced album is full of abrasive, industrial beats and macabre lyrics that are equally devastating. The Zambian rapper explores the most soul-baring parts of her life as she travels back in time, reliving the scars of her youth.” – November 7

22. Sudan Archives, Natural Brown Prom Queen (Alternative R&B)

21. Soul Glo, Diaspora Problems (Hardcore Punk)

20. Beyoncé, RENAISSANCE (House)

“The title RENAISSANCE is befitting not only because of society’s post-lockdown revitalization but also because it nods to the reawakening of disco and house in popular music. Drake is probably punching the air somewhere right now because this is how a popstar delivers a proper DJ set.” – August 1

19. Chat Pile, God’s Country (Noise Rock)

18. Conway the Machine, God Don’t Make Mistakes (East Coast Hip Hop)

“Like most rappers, Conway the Machine has spent most of his career penning lyrics about his invulnerability. However, it is his mortality on God Don’t Make Mistakes that listeners may find a deeper connection with.” – February 28

17. Quadeca, I Didn’t Mean To Haunt You (Folktronica)

16. Daniel Rossen, You Belong There (Progressive Folk)

“More vulnerable than ever, Rossen sings about isolated living, his spiritual connection to nature, and the dauntingness of adulthood on You Belong There. Borrowing elements from classical, baroque, and jazz music, Rossen crafts gorgeous, grandiose arrangements which never fail to excite.” – April 11

15. Jockstrap, I Love You Jennifer B (Art Pop)

“London duo Jockstrap, which consists of Black Country, New Road violinist Georgia Ellery and producer Taylor Skye, exist in a discordant space that leaves listeners on their toes, making it impossible to predict what the next song has in store. I Love You Jennifer B is an astonishing debut, certainly one of the best in recent memory.” – September 12

14. The Smile, A Light for Attracting Attention (Art Rock)

“The Smile, Radiohead’s latest offshoot, elicits sounds of ‘90s art rock and jazz-laced film scores.” – April 25

13. billy woods, Aethiopes (Abstract Hip Hop)

12. Nas, King’s Disease III (Conscious Hip Hop)

“King’s Disease III is pure, unadulterated Nas. Over Hit-Boy’s boom bap beats and soul samples, Nas revels in his past successes while keeping his eyes solidly focused on the future. At nearly 50 years old, it’s astounding that Nas still has this much to say.” – November 23

11. Natalia Lafourcade, De Todas las Flores (Mexican Chamber Folk)

10. JID, The Forever Story (Southern Hip Hop)

“The Forever Story finds JID at the top of his game. He uses his stunning penmanship and sensational flow to explore his formative years. Despite the fact that the album is packed with talented guest features, JID is able to showcase his own abilities, making a solid case that he’s the best rapper on Dreamville, not J. Cole.” – August 29

9. Weyes Blood, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow (Baroque Pop)

“Natalie ‘Weyes Blood’ Mering’s 2019 magnum opus, Titanic Rising, was essentially a prophecy of imminent doom—not that Mering could’ve ever predicted the global pandemic that followed. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow picks up the story in the midst of that doom, but this time, Mering has a real-world crisis to draw from.” – November 23

8. Alvvays, Blue Rev (Indie Pop)

“Alvvays continue their dreamy, jangle pop sound on Blue Rev, but with the help of producer Shawn Everett, they push their genre boundaries into darker, noisier, shoegazer territories.” – October 10

7. Denzel Curry, Melt My Eyez See Your Future (Conscious Hip Hop)

“On his fifth studio album, Melt My Eyez See Your Future, Denzel Curry trades in mosh-pit classics for jazzier beats, abandoning his characteristic hardcore sound.” – March 28

6. Beach House, Once Twice Melody (Dream Pop)

“18 years into Beach House’s career, it is difficult to imagine how Once Twice Melody could be this good. It’s another soaring feat for the band’s illustrious catalogue.” – February 21

5. Kendrick Lamar, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (Conscious Hip Hop)

“Though the beats on Kendrick’s new album are exceptional, the emotional toil hits harder than any of them. By touching upon topics that are taboo in hip hop, Kendrick proves yet again that he is light years ahead of his peers. It’s a raw, soul-baring project from one of this generation’s greatest.” – May 17

4. Danger Mouse, Black Thought, Cheat Codes (East Coast Hip Hop)

“Virtuosos at the top of their game—Danger Mouse’s immaculate beats and samples pair perfectly with Black Thought’s scholarly rhyme schemes. A tight 38 minutes, the duo leaves no room for filler. Cheat Codes is reminiscent of hip hop’s golden age, where rapper-producer duos like Eric B and Rakim or Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre reigned supreme.” – August 15

3. Big Thief, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You (Indie Folk)

“Big Thief’s latest project, an 81-minute double album titled Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, is as colossal as its title suggests. The project showcases the band’s insatiable genre palette, floating between Americana, ‘70s hippie-folk, and ‘90s jangle pop.” – February 14

2. black midi, Hellfire (Avant Prog)

“black midi may have graduated from the same performing arts school as Amy Winehouse, Adele, and FKA twigs, but the English rockers sound nothing like their fellow alumni. In fact, the band doesn’t sound like any artist you’ve ever heard of. black midi’s unconventional, remarkably singular style of avant-garde music makes it impossible for music reviewers to find an appropriate genre title for the band’s work.” – July 18

1. Black Country New Road, Ants From Up There (Art Rock)

“Ants From Up There revels in patient, slow build-ups. This allows for a contemplative, emotionally-wrecking epic. Lauded for the dry humor on their debut, Black Country, New Road is anything but funny on Ants From Up There.

Rarely do we find ourselves so aware that a chapter is coming to an end—fortunately, Ants From Up There is a brilliant opus on which to end frontman Isaac Wood’s term with the band.” – February 7

15 Best Music Videos of 2022 🎥

Before we rank our top 15 music videos of the year, we’ve got a handful of honorable mentions we’d like to highlight:

• The gripping Phillip Youmans-directed video for Michael Kiwanuka’s Beautiful Life follows a group of teenagers playing Russian roulette. As each player holds the gun to their head, we watch their lives flash before their eyes.

• The Beatles have shared a series of new videos in tandem with a deluxe version of 1966’s Revolver. Our favorite is an animated video for I’m Only Sleeping which features over 1,300 oil paintings by Em Cooper.

• Using simple text and image prompts, artificial intelligence can now create entire music videos. Two of this year’s most impressive ones were the Felix Green-directed video for Magdalena Bay’s Dreamcatching and the SPOD-directed video for King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s Iron Lung.

And now for the top 15:

15. Harry Styles, As It Was (Directed by Tanu Muino)

14. Adele, Oh My God (Directed by Sam Brown)

13. Pusha T, Diet Coke (Directed by Omar Jones)

12. Denzel Curry, slowthai, Zatoichi (Directed by Adrian Villagomez)

“Inspired by the legendary 1960s samurai movie character of the same name, as well as Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 2, Zatoichi continues the storied fusion between the Japanese samurai ethos and hip hop culture.” – February 28

11. Tove Lo, No One Dies From Love (Directed by Alaska)

“In the song’s retro-space-age video, Tove Lo falls in love with a robot named Annie 3000 before ordering a more realistic robot named Eva. After catching Tove Lo and Eva getting cozy, Annie 3000 rips out its heart and explodes into flames.” – May 9

10. Lil Uzi Vert, Just Wanna Rock (Directed by Gibson Hazard)

9. Charli XCX, Used To Know Me (Directed by Alex Lill)

8. black midi, Welcome To Hell (Directed by Gustaf Holtenäs)

“On Welcome to Hell, listeners follow the journey of Private Tristan Bongo, a soldier with PTSD who becomes unrecognizable after his military leave. Riddled with immense trauma, Bongo represses his pain through extreme acts of debauchery.” – May 17

7. Pharrell Williams, 21 Savage, Tyler the Creator, Cash In Cash Out (Directed by François Rousselet)

6. björk, ancestress (Directed by Andrew Thomas Huang)

“Something about funerals rubs Björk the wrong way. The eccentric Icelandic legend hasn’t attended one in 20 years. In the music video for her latest single, ancestress, Björk finally gets the opportunity to display her “strong ideas on how a ritual should be.” – September 26

5. Doechii, Crazy (Directed by C Prinz)

4. A$AP Rocky, D.M.B. (Directed by AWGE & A$AP Rocky)

“The video for D.M.B. is an ode to the “ghetto love tale,” with Rocky and Rihanna playing ride-or-die hustlers despite their frequent run-ins with the law. Halfway through the video, Rocky proposes to Rihanna with a golden grill that reads, “Marry me?” Rihanna sports one that says, “I do.” – May 9

3. The Weeknd, Sacrifice (Directed by Cliqua)

“Dawn FM tells the story of a geriatric nihilist infatuated with the intersection between death and love. In the video for Sacrifice, The Weeknd picks up where he left off in Take My Breath. Donning the same black leather suit, The Weeknd regains consciousness before becoming the “sacrifice” for a cloaked group.” – January 10

2. ROSALÍA, SAOKO (Directed by Valentin Petit)

1. Kendrick Lamar, N95 (Directed by Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar)

Dave Free and Kendrick Lamar have been on fire this year. Though we picked their N95 video as this year’s best, any one of the dynamic duo’s videos could’ve taken the spot. Their videos included The Heart Part 5, which used deepfake technology to transform Lamar into modern Black American figures; the single-take Oscar contender We Cry Together, which starred Lamar and actress Taylour Paige as an extremely toxic yet real couple; and Count Me Out , which starred the legendary Dame Helen Mirren as Lamar’s therapist.

10 Worst Songs of 2022 🗑️

10. BLACKPINK, Pink Venom (K-Pop)

“BLACKPINK keeps dropping carbon copies of the same song. Pink Venom is a mess. Its beats are all over the place, its hook is annoying, and its lyrics amount to nothing. Given the girl group’s lengthy hiatus, we were hoping for something better, but after two years, BLACKPINK’s sound is as stale and predictable as ever. Their formula is no longer working.” – August 22

9. Joyner Lucas, Ye Not Crazy (Trap)

Welp, this one didn’t age well.

8. Black Eyed Peas, Shakira, David Guetta, DON’T YOU WORRY (Dance Pop)

“If you close your eyes, it sounds like you’re listening to the Black Eyed Peas’ 2009 album The E.N.D.—it’s really bad.” – June 20

7. GAYLE, ur just horny (Pop Rock)

6. Jason Derulo, Kodak Black, Slidin’ (Dance Pop)

5. Justin Bieber, I Feel Funny (Comedy Rap)

“I Feel Funny is ironically not very funny. Towards the end of the song, Justin sings, ‘Laugh it up, chuckles,’ as if telling his listeners to laugh will make it any better. In Justin’s defense, his 2020 country remix of Yummy was actually pretty funny, though it probably wasn’t meant to be.” – May 2

4. Jax, Victoria’s Secret (Pop Punk)

3. Kid Rock, We The People (Rap Rock)

2. Stellar, Ashes (Electropop)

Technically, this song was released two and a half years ago, but Stellar has been milking it ever since. God, the social media campaign for this song is annoying.

1. Leah Kate, Twinkle Twinkle Little Bitch (Pop Punk)

We should’ve listened to the “defend pop punk” rallying cries of the early 2010s.