While I felt like I had no time to keep up with new albums, the initial version of this list stretched to 80 songs. But I was still able to whittle it down to 50 tracks. You can hear them all in this handy Spotify playlist.
The 1975 – “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)”
Fiona Apple – “For Her”
Bear and the Beasts – “Asian-American”
Phoebe Bridgers – “Garden Song”
Leon Bridges feat. Terrace Martin – “Sweeter”
BTS – “Dynamite”
BUMPER – “Red Brick”
Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion – “WAP”
Christine and the Queens – “People, I’ve Been Sad”
Brandy Clark – “Long Walk”
Diet Cig – “Thriving”
Dirty Projectors – “Lose Your Love”
Bob Dylan – “Murder Most Foul”
Father John Misty – “To S.” / “To R.”
Lupe Fiasco feat. Virgil Abloh – “Shoes”
Ben Folds – “2020”
HAIM – “I Know Alone”
Nick Hakim – “Qadir”
Ben Hopkins – “Laugh Track”
Carly Rae Jepsen – “This Is What They Say”
India Jordan – “For You”
The Killers – “Dying Breed”
Lianne La Havas – “Weird Fishes”
Lady Gaga – “Stupid Love”
Love Regenerator – “Hypnagogic (I Can’t Wait)”
The Magnetic Fields – “The Day the Politicians Died”
The Naked and Famous – “Bury Us”
Noname – “Song 33”
Nrthrn – “Nine Left Behind”
Kelly Lee Owens – “Melt!”
Margo Price – “Prisoner of the Highway”
John Prine – “I Remember Everything”
David Ramirez – “I Wanna Live in Your Bedroom”
RMR – “Rascal”
Run the Jewels – “Walking in the Snow”
SAULT – “Free”
Rina Sawayama – “Love Me 4 Me”
Chris Stapleton – “Maggie’s Song”
Sufjan Stevens – “Video Game”
Bartees Strange – “Mustang”
The Struts with Albert Hammond Jr. – “Another Hit of Showmanship”
Taylor Swift feat. Bon Iver – “Exile”
Thundercat – “Dragonball Durag”
Yves Tumor – “Gospel for a New Century”
Joshua Ray Walker – “Cupboard”
Jessie Ware – “Spotlight”
The Weather Station – “Robber”
Tierra Whack – “Dora”
Worriers – “End of the World”
X – “Cyrano deBerger’s Back”