Part 4 - #40 to #21
40. Juice WRLD – “Lucid Dreams”
Following in the footsteps of Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Llif3”, “Lucid Dreams” is this year’s sadboy trap anthem about relationship issues. The song is based on a Sting sample which accentuates its wistful atmosphere.
39. E^ST – “I Don’t Lack Imagination”
Even though I’ve known about E^ST since 2015, I really do feel like this is her true breakout year. Signing to Fueled By Ramen is probably the best decision she’s made for her career so far.
38. The Chainsmokers – “Sick Boy”
When artists I like go on hiatus, I usually tend to start liking other artists trying to copy their style to fill the void. This is why The Chainsmokers’ pastiche of Twenty One Pilots’ style “Sick Boy” was so effective to me. So much so that the TOP fanbase ended up making The Chainsmokers stealing their style as a big meme.
37. Post Malone – “Better Now”
It’s no secret that Post Malone takes a lot of influence from the rock music he listened to growing up, and I think the smooth guitar riff running through this track makes this obvious. There’s also a lyrical reference to the Jonas Brothers that I’ve always found hilarious.
36. Charli XCX & Troye Sivan – “1999”
Given the state of the world today, it’s not hard to look back at the late 90’s as a time of fun pop culture and carefree living. Heck, I was only 3 years old at the time. I would also happily go back.
35. Gang of Youths – “What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out?”
While “Let Me Down Easy” was the big single off Gang of Youths’ last album, this was the real standout for me. It’s a track about questioning your passion in your life and your faith, all the while playing with a storming indie rock beat reminiscent of Arcade Fire or The Walkmen.
34. Post Malone (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) – “Psycho”
If “Congratulations” signified 2017 as the year of Post’s big come-up, then his first single of 2018, “Psycho” signifies that this year is the peak of his success. It’s basically just four minutes of him and Ty Dolla Sign flexing their jewelry at us.
33. Ariana Grande – “thank u, next”
Breakup songs about how you’re glad to have left your former partner have gotten stale. You know what’s a better concept? A breakup song about the things you’ve learnt from your previous relationships.
32. Robinson – “Nothing To Regret”
When I first heard this, I was easily tempted to call Robinson yet another Lorde knock-off. In hindsight, I think that’s probably unfair. Where Lorde seems to see parties as a hollow escape, Robinson actually seems to be having fun here.
31. Alice Merton – “No Roots”
Alice Merton was born to a German mother and an English father, and has moved to many different countries in her lifetime. “No Roots” is a sort of ode to her nomadic life. As someone who has lived in 3 different countries and travelled to more, I feel like I can relate.
30. The 1975 – “Love It If We Made It”
The centrepiece of The 1975’s third album, “Love It If We Made It” sees Matty Healy contemplating the current state of the world, going through a stream-of-consciousness list of news headlines, memes and other bits of decontextualized information, as if it were like a millennial “We Didn’t Start The Fire”.
29. Ball Park Music – “The End Times”
I have been a fan of Ball Park Music for about 6 years now. They are quite probably my favourite band from Brisbane. In 2018 I finally got the pleasure to see them live. They opened with this track, and my god, the crowd went absolutely wild for it.
28. Twenty One Pilots – “My Blood”
Twenty One Pilots were the other band that I saw live this year. The indie-funk stylings of their latest single “My Blood” has proven to be a big crowd-pleaser. So much so that when I saw them perform it live, Tyler Joseph called on the dads in the audience to bust a move to the track. That was a lot of fun.
27. Camila Cabello – “Never Be The Same”
In a classic pop-star move, Camila Cabello followed up her smash pop hit with a massive stadium ballad. She sings about how love has changed her as a person and confesses how this love makes her feel like a quick rush of nicoteen, heroween and moar-feen.
26. A$AP Rocky (feat. Skepta) – “Praise The Lord (Da Shine)”
A$AP and Skepta team up in a trans-Atlantic union of hip-hop culture. I have listened to this song so many times this year because my brother would almost always put this song on the car stereo every time we drove to gym.
25. Bruno Mars (feat. Cardi B) – “Finesse” [Remix]
Bruno Mars’ time machine of nostalgia hits the early 90’s for its next stop with “Finesse”. That Bell Biv Devoe-inspired intro. Those massive orchestra hits. That In Living Color-like music video. It’s all there, and Cardi B comes in to add some extra character into the remix.
24. King Princess – “Talia”
“Talia” is a heartbreaking ballad in which King Princess mourns the death of her relationship – which can be interpreted both metaphorically or literally by the “buried you a month or two ago” lyric – and drinking through the withdrawals to try and numb the pain.
23. Pale Waves – “Television Romance”
With this being their fourth entry in the list, it’s no surprise that Pale Waves one of the newest bands I’m excited about. My first impression of them was through YouTube suggesting “Television Romance”, which is still my favourite song of theirs. While their aesthetic initially put me off, the songs are catchy and attention-grabbing.
22. Peking Duk – “Fire”
Peking Duk released one of the best singles of their career this year with the EDM and disco-funk fusion of “Fire”; accompanied by an epic two-part spaghetti Western-inspired video. It also features an incredible vocalist who was uncredited and had me guessing at first listen. It sounds a bit like MØ? Or could it be Vera Blue?
21. Imagine Dragons – “Natural”
Reinvigorated from the massive success of Evolve last year, Imagine Dragons wrote enough songs to quickly follow it up with the Origins album just one year later. Lead single “Natural” casts a darker tone on their often motivational songs, as it calls on listeners to “be so cold to make it in this world”.
#100 to #81 | #80 to #61 | #60 to #41 | #40 to #21 | #20 to #1 | Full List
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