The best songs of the year, in no particular order.
‘On My Mama,’ Victoria Monét: This blockbuster single is a loving tribute to the singer’s mom and her daughter, with Monét’s buttery voice and bright brass production carrying throughout. It may very well be the best R&B track of the year — with one of the best samples, utilizing Chalie Boy’s 2009 banger “I Look Good.” It takes a real talent to borrow from such a recognizable sound. Monét doesn’t just manage to do that — she makes it her own.
‘Monaco,’ Bad Bunny: This Latin trap song with a need for speed wouldn’t feel too far removed on the artist’s debut album, 2018’s “X 100PRE.” Benito’s smooth, somber baritone carries the track, as does the rush sound of a Formula One car that bleeds into baroque production.
‘Flowers,’ Miley Cyrus: There’s a thin line between courageous and corny when it comes to uplifting pop records. But on Cyrus’ first No. 1 hit in a decade, the pop superstar makes magic happen. It’s a summery, retro-pop single teeming with optimism born out of divorce. She finds an emotional solution and musical resolve in her chorus: “I can love me better than you can.”
‘Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2,’ PinkPantheress and Ice Spice: It is the song of the summer — heck, the year — and it came out in January. The Bronx rapper and hyperpop-punk hero made an examination of modern dating with an undeniable hook. It is so space-y as to take flight; a lackadaisical remix for the current moment.
‘I Remember Everything,’ Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves: Bryan’s first No. 1 track is confessional, rich, balladic songwriting amplified by his full-hearted voice — those open, resonating notes — and the sweetness of Musgraves’ tone.
‘Crave,’ Paramore: Long gone are the burnt orange pop-punk days of Paramore’s youth. This song reflects a propulsive, matured band dancing around a prickly guitar riff. At its core is frontwoman Hayley Williams stretching her vast vocal range, belting out frustrations and excising misguided desires.
‘Rush,’ Troye Sivan: The pop powerhouse’s single is all falsetto, locker room chants and utopic homoeroticism: “I feel the rush/ Addicted to your touch,” a group of men harmonize. Bravado is instituted only to drive home a sort of sweaty sexuality, all fun and light atop house and EDM beats.
‘Dumbest Girl Alive,’ 100 gecs: Laura Les and Dylan Brady’s musical art is fueled by pixelated chaos. In this cut from the hyperpop duo’s LP “10,000 gecs,” the nu-metal bass lick and distorted vocals deliver unintelligible lines like “Put emojis on my grave/ I’m the dumbest girl alive.” It’s 2023’s best song that sounds like getting sucked into a computer simulation, fun and dumb in equal measure.
‘OMG,’ NewJeans: This tune was the catalyst for the K-pop girl group’s fame, with its addictive trap rhythm, propelled by U.K. garage-inspired production, tasteful cowbells and a sticky staccato synth that lays a strong foundation, brought to the next level by the quintet’s ebullient harmonies
‘Tantor,’ Danny Brown: The track is prog-rock avant-rap, retro- futuristic hip-hop filtered through, like, “Robocop.” If cyborgs aren’t your thing, look away — but then you’d be missing one of the most welcomingly clangorous and charming tracks of 2023.