Hello, everyone! Welcome to my list of my top 50 favourite songs of 2022! I recommend reading my previous post with songs 100-51 of this list before reading this one, especially because at the start of that post I explain a bit about the list, but that’s up to you. Anyway, here are the top 50!

#50: “POW Blues” by Ian Noe

Ian Noe put out one of my favourite albums of 2022, and this song in particular stands out as my favourite from that record, telling the story of a prisoner of war trying to escape. It’s a fascinating track which also sounds fantastic!

#49: “Pale Imitation” by Saidan

The second of multiple Saidan songs on this list, “Pale Imitation” is an excellent black metal song with incredible mixing and production, and despite the heavy subject matter, describing it as a ‘banger’ doesn’t feel like too much of a stretch because the instrumental is just so much fun to listen to!

#48: “Very Online Guy” by Alvvays

This song has one of the best synth melodies I’ve heard from 2022! It kicks off with that fantastic melody before just gliding past you with that fantastic production, before you immediately hit the replay button!

#47: “sleeping with my friends” by GAYLE

If me putting “abcdefu” in the honourable mentions of my best hits list wasn’t controversial enough … well, here’s this placement!

And I kind of hate to admit how much this resonated with me, not because it’s by the person who made “abcdefu” and it might be ‘uncool’ to put this here … no, it’s because I’m admitting to having unwanted emotions. But the thing is, having unwanted emotions is part of being human. I’m guessing we all have them, whether we want to admit it or not.

GAYLE said that she wrote this when she was having a hard time differentiating platonic, sexual, and romantic feelings toward her friends.

When GAYLE mentions ‘sleeping with her friends’, I kind of wonder whether or not she’s literally talking about having sex or if it’s just a metaphor for sexual thoughts she’s having about her friends, but either way it’s a really fascinating song lyrically!

I mean, I can’t say I really relate to the song all that much, but it still hits really hard for me, especially when the guitars and percussion are so powerful. Excellent song!

#46: “Velveteen” by Alvvays

This is the song on Blue Rev that comes right after “Very Online Guy”, and this song works for very different reasons, but it also has incredible production and melodies.

This song seems to describe a failing relationship, and the feeling of frustration comes through in the instrumentation, and it’s hard to describe why, because on the surface, it sounds like an upbeat, happy sounding song.

I don’t know, this is definitely a strange one for me to try to describe, and I’m not sure how to really describe it well … so I’ll just put it on the list, and hopefully you take the time to listen to it for yourself … in my opinion, it’s absolutely worth it!

#45: “Parasite Signal” by Artificial Brain

HOLY SHIT! This song is absolutely terrifying, as it seems to be from the perspective of someone who’s about to die, and is just realizing that as the song goes on.

I love the guitar riffs on this track, and how well mixed the song is! There’s a kind of fuzzy feeling to the production, too, that I absolutely love!

#44: “Impulse Control” by Special Interest

This is probably the closest thing to an IDLES song on this list. When I think about it, that comparison totally makes sense.

I’m thinking of IDLES songs like “Gram Rock”, “Well Done”, and “1049 Gotho”, and this song works for the same reason those songs do! It’s totally one of those songs where I’m thinking, ‘What the hell am I listening to?’ And even more, I’m thinking, ‘Should this really be this fun?’

This is a song that’s calling out lots of problems in the world, and it’s angry, that’s for sure. But is ‘fun’ usually a word I’d use to describe these kinds of songs? No, but in this case, it fits. That melody on the chorus sounds fantastic.

And yes, this song opens with the line, ‘86 my life,’ which would usually piss me off, but in a song like this, I can’t take that seriously at all. And yeah, the hook of the song is also way more fun than it ‘should’ be, but I’m not going to deny how fun the song is! So, here it is on this list!

#43: “Why” by Chat Pile

I’m going to try to have empathy here when I say all of this, because I can’t see anyone’s perspective other than my own. But that being said, while I don’t know a ton about economics, or politics, or how money works, or anything like that (I really should know more about it than I do, but I’m learning), I can confidently say that while homelessness isn’t a problem that’s easy to fix, it’s easier to fix than many people want to admit.

To quote this song, ‘Why do people have to live outside when there are buildings all around us?’ And I feel like there’s something all of us can do, especially the richest of the rich, and lots of people just don’t want to help at all. And I’m not trying to make people feel bad, nor am I trying to say I’m not a part of the problem—I feel like most of us are … but it we all work together, I feel like we can end homelessness … I just hope enough people actually care.

While the album is full of songs that shouldn’t be taken at face value, this isn’t one of them. It gets to the point, and it sends a very important message. If you haven’t listened to this song, I highly recommend that you do!

#42: “Lambert Goes To Dinner” by lobsterfight

So, we go from a song which is pure anger to a song that is just someone’s mind telling the person a bunch of different things … or maybe that’s totally a stretch, I don’t know. The lyrics, at least to me, don’t paint a clear picture, but that’s one thing I love so much about this song.

It seems to describe some sort of party or event, and we see a conversation happening, while even the narrator is seemingly having no idea what is even going on.

I mean, I’m not even sure how much I’d recommend this song, because I kind of feel like it won’t click for the majority of people, but it really did for me!

#41: “Glitch Cannon” by Artificial Brain

Artificial Brain put out one of my favourite albums of the year, and while I totally get why some might not like this song, I think it’s incredibly hard-hitting with that fantastic drumming, the amazing production, and the overall messy feeling of the instrumentation that, for whatever reason, makes it one of my favourite songs of 2022!

#40: “End By Forever” by Asian Glow

A fantastic closing track to one of my top 5 albums of 2022!

This song is super well produced and well mixed, and some of the string melodies are gorgeous! And the percussion sounds great, too!

But what really puts this song on another level for me is that incredible chorus, where the instrumentation is so well layered and the vocals and vocal melody are incredible!

#39: “My Dear Heart” by Spade

As much as I love “Home Is Where the Art Is”, this song is on a whole different level! I talked to Steve Wright, one of the members of this duo, about this song, and he said it’s a song about a real life heart transplant, and that it’s also a breakup song. He also called it his favourite on the album.

And yeah, this song absolutely works for me, feeling optimistic and just being such a joy to listen to! Oh, and that guitar riff in the chorus is MIND-BLOWINGLY GOOD!

#38: “Sneezing : Seasonal Creators” by Asian Glow

I love the jumpy instrumentation on this track, and like the rest of the album, it’s super well produced!

The strings sound incredible, and the vocal melodies and vocals are fantastic as well!

It’s not my favourite song from Asian Glow’s newest album—we’ll get to that—but that says more about the album than anything! Phenomenal song!

#37: “Jean-Michel” by Cordae

I discovered this song in early 2022, and I was pretty sure this would be making this list—and I was right! Cordae has a lot to say on this excellent rap song with a fantastic instrumental, and this song seems to partially be about not knowing how to do the right thing, but eventually growing up and realizing that you don’t always need all the answers. Maybe I’m totally wrong about that interpretation, but either way, this song rules!

#36: “Inamorata” by Northlane

I feel like I was disappointed by a lot of what I heard in this kind of melodic metalcore in 2022 … and I hate to say it, because I love melodic metalcore … but at least I discovered Northlane’s new album, and this song is so detailed in the instrumentation, with those super distorted guitars in the background that add so much to the track!

It’s also full of great melodies that make me want to hit the replay button! Phenomenal track!

#35: “Work Is Easy, Life Is Hard” by The Wombats

Do you hear that groove with the bass and guitar? I’ve got to say, I absolutely love this kind of groove where the melodies in the instrumentation play a big part in giving it that swinging feeling musically!

I mean, it’s also incredibly well mixed with the percussion sounding fantastic! And also, the distorted guitar is at just the right volume for those awesome riffs to stand out without taking away from the fantastic rhythm of the percussion and all the other fantastic elements in the instrumentation!

And it also shows a sense of frustration which really hit hard for me in 2022 … wow, this song is just so incredible!

#34: “A Lofty Grave” by Artificial Brain

HOLY SHIT! THIS IS TERRIFYING IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE!

Yeah, those synths are just … WHAT DO I EVEN SAY? They sound phenomenal and add so much terror to this futuristic track, which, at least to me, represents struggling to accept change and the passage of time.

And yeah, it’s terrifying, not an easy listen, but it really clicked for me!

#33: “Formentera” by Metric

It shocks me how little attention this song has gotten, even from others who like the album. I mean, those synth melodies alone are pretty much enough for me to love the track!

But this song is so much more, and as much as I love “Enemies of the Ocean”, this one is on a whole different level, with amazing production and so many fantastic melodies. And also, Emily Haines is a phenomenal vocalist who makes this already great song so much better!

#32: “Come Back Home” by 070 Shake

In my Top 50 Best Albums of 2022 list, I said this song was pretty much a lock for this list … and yeah, here it is!

This song is incredibly eerie, and while I’m not sure what it’s about, I can’t deny that it’s super haunting, and these melodies are fantastic!

Yeah, not an easy listen, but one I highly recommend you listen to if you haven’t already. I think it’s worth it!

#31: “Baby Criminal” by Viagra Boys

So, do you remember what I said about “Impulse Control” by Special Interest about that question, ‘Should this song really be this fun?’

Well, that applies here as well, as this song tries to understand what makes someone want to commit serious crimes … this song doesn’t defend the person’s actions, it just shows the narrator trying to understand what would cause someone to do such things. The song mentions that criminals, like everyone, start out as babies, and includes the line, ‘What happened to my child? It’s unexplainable. He used to be a little baby, and now he’s just a criminal.’

So, why is this song so much fun? And an even bigger question, why is the song kind of funny at points? Because there are a few parts of the song that I find funny, for whatever reason.

I mean, with such a good groove to it, and such great production … I mean, it’s just an absolutely awesome track that, again, is way more fun than I feel it ‘should’ be. But with all the big problems in the world, while it’s important that these problems get solved as soon as possible, until then, what’s wrong with at least making great art out of them? Especially when it’s this incredible!

#30: “Pratfall” by Gilla Band

Just like the other Gilla Band songs on this list, this is a style of experimental, glitchy, industrial music that is clearly not meant to appeal to as many people as possible. In other words, there is a very good chance you won’t like this song at all.

But personally, there’s something about this song that I just can’t quite describe that makes it really click for me … and there’s a lot of similar music to this which I find really fucking annoying, but for whatever reason, there’s something about this song that’s different … and even I don’t fully know what that is.

#29: “Spiritual Level Of Gang Shit” by Soul Glo (ft. McKinley Dixon & lojii)

If you read my list of my favourite albums of 2022, you might be surprised that my favourite song from Soul Glo’s new album is only at #29 … but while there are only 2 songs from the album on this list, I’m not even sure there was one song that was particularly far from making the list. Yeah, the album is that good!

And yeah, what a fantastic closing track! Especially with that ending which absolutely blew my mind! The horns sound incredible, the melodies are awesome, and I love the way it builds!

And while the album is full of total bangers that are amazingly well produced, I don’t think any of them hit harder than this one. It’s such a joy to listen to, and even if you’re not a fan of punk, I highly recommend that you listen to this track!

#28: “Insects and Android Eyes” by Artificial Brain

More absolutely terrifying Artificial Brain music! And yeah, it’s terrifying in a way that really clicked for me! The production is tight but still experimental, the drums hit super hard, and the song really has a feeling of horror to it that I could understand ruining the song for some, but personally, I think it’s a fascinating listening experience, and one that really amazed me with how much I like it! Great stuff!

#27: “Asylum” by Billy Woods

A mind-blowing opener from one of my favourite albums of 2022, “Asylum” is such an eerie track which seems like it was probably at least partially influenced by the pandemic, mentioning being ‘locked up in your own house.’

Now, there’s a lot here lyrically, and while I’m not the best at analyzing lyrics (it’s why I probably won’t say as much here about this track as many others would), I can say there is a sense of feeling trapped here, and it’s captured amazingly well in the haunting sound of the track … if you haven’t heard this track, I highly recommend that you do. I think you’ll be glad you did.

#26: “Uncanny Valley Forever” by Courting

This is arguably one of the most creative rock songs I’ve heard from 2022, with the tension that keeps building throughout the track, with some excellent guitar melodies and fascinating lyrics which seem to be telling the story of someone falling in love with a fictional character, and the production makes this song even better!

Those snares sound absolutely awesome, and lead singer Sean Murphy-O’Neill’s vocals are excellent, too! Every element of the instrumental fits super well, and those final few minutes … well, let’s just say I’ll let you hear them for yourself!

#25: “I Am the Witch” by Saidan

I don’t even want to say much about this song because it’s the closing track from an album I highly recommend you experience all the way through, from start to finish … the album isn’t an easy listen, but I think it’s a fantastic album, especially considering it’s got this song as a closing track!

#24: “Catch Me In The Air” by Rina Sawayama

Realistically speaking … Rina Sawayama probably put out the most disappointing album of 2022 for me. I gave it a 5/10, I don’t think it’s bad, but after such a great debut, I couldn’t believe how little I ended up liking this album!

But at the same time, she put out her best song to date! Or, well, her best song on an album. I haven’t heard her debut EP yet (when I listen to music that isn’t new, I often take that time to listen to music I already know and like, but I’m sure I’ll listen to that EP eventually), but still, yes, I said it: nothing on SAWAYAMA reaches this level for me, this song is that amazing!

I mean, it’s just such a comforting song to listen to, at the same time as being a motivational anthem that really works for me! It’s also full of amazing melodies, and while it’s not as ‘experimental’ as most of SAWAYAMA, it doesn’t need to be. It’s a truly phenomenal track, and I haven’t even mentioned how pretty much perfect the production is, where every instrument comes together to create these amazing builds, and the instruments are cut out and added in at just the right times to give the song so much more power!

Again, while the album was a big disappointment for me, at least it has a few songs I like … and most notably, it has this!

#23: “Stalled Flutes, means” by Asian Glow

I’m not really sure what this song’s lyrics mean, but it’s got an emotional resonance for me with the sound alone, with some of my favourite instrumental melodies of 2022, and absolutely phenomenal production, giving this track some amazing atmosphere, and it’s a beautiful track.

#22: “Avalanche” by Avril Lavigne

Yeah, I know, this is probably an ‘uncool’ pick, whatever that means. But if I’m being honest, it really resonates with me, because … well, 2022 was a very difficult year for me. And yeah, you can call this song’s lyrics cliché all you want, with lines like, ‘I say that I’m just fine, but I don’t feel alright on the inside.’ I mean, I’ve realized I should have opened up earlier than I did, but still, that’s a line I related to early in 2022, and it still hits really hard for me. I felt like I was running from an avalanche in 2022, and with those incredible drums that add so much intensity … yeah, this song meant so much to me in 2022, and will continue to going forward. I remember listening to this album early in 2022 and this easily standing out as my favourite on the album. And honestly, it might have even grown on me since then.

And finally, there’s one more line in particular I want to mention: ‘I wish my life woulda came with instructions.’ Yeah, Avril, there were times in 2022 when I felt the same way. Wow, what a powerful song!

#21: “Embalmed With Magma” by Artificial Brain

Another incredible musical experience from Artificial Brain’s self-titled album, full of unsettling guitars and intense drumming.

I love that intro with the blazing guitars and great drumming with a great buildup in the instrumentation!

The mixing is incredible, and I love the guitar melodies. And the music works really well when paired with these terrifying lyrics. And really, it’s a song that has to be heard to be believed. Phenomenal track!

#20: “Oh Please” by Metric

“Oh Please” absolutely rules with it’s electrifying guitars, booming snares and a fantastic bassline! Oh, and I can’t forget to mention that Emily Haines’ vocals here are incredible! Her personality as a singer shines through here, and her vocals on that bridge along with the amazing melody is just absolutely incredible!

This high on the list, usually there would have to be some sort of emotional connection I feel to a song, or something more complicated than ‘it’s a banger’, but when it’s this much of a banger, that is not the case!

#19: “Father Time” by Kendrick Lamar (ft. Sampha)

You may have noticed a lack of Kendrick Lamar on this list, and, well … here you go!

But this isn’t making the list because, ‘Oh! Kendrick Lamar has to make the list, doesn’t he?’ It makes the list because Kendrick said, ‘Hey, how about I keep putting out songs that blow Simon’s mind?’

Sampha’s chorus here is incredible, and Kendrick’s flows are great as usual, and I love the lyrics, too, which show that adults aren’t always as mature as people often expect, and there’s a lot more being said in this song, too.

#18: “Celestial Cyst” by Artificial Brain

Just like “Baby Criminal” by Viagra Boys, I’m wondering, ‘Why is this song so much fun?’

This song has a super intense, terrifying instrumental, and it’s combined with these vicious lyrics from the perspective of a villain who’s not only doing terrible actions, but not even apologizing or showing any kind of depth in the person beyond that.

But for some reason, it’s so much fun to listen to this apocalyptic jam! And even I don’t entirely know why!

#17: “If It’s Okay To Cry” by Asian Glow

Another fantastic song from Asian Glow’s newest album, “If It’s Okay To Cry” is another amazingly produced song with some phenomenal melodies in the instrumentation, and while this song doesn’t give me much to say, it’s still absolutely excellent, and I feel it needs to be heard to be believed!

#16: “Love It When You Hate Me” by Avril Lavigne (ft. blackbear)

Hey, I never said “Avalanche” is still my favourite on the album! And yeah, I know this is a controversial pick. I know so many people hate this song. And yes, the song is incredibly stupid, but that’s why it works! And no, I’m not saying it’s ‘so bad it’s good’ … I’m not even saying ‘I love it even though it’s bad.’ Because I don’t think it’s bad at all!

This is such a fun pop-punk song with incredible vocal melodies, a super catchy hook, Avril killing it vocally, the amazing drums which add so much power to the track, and yes, the lyrics aren’t deep, at least I don’t find much depth in them … it’s about a toxic relationship, and Avril ‘loves it when this person hates her’, and she’s drinking a lot … yeah, that’s not healthy, but I don’t take it seriously. It’s a stupid pop-punk song that’s immature, and that’s the whole point! Because who isn’t at least a little bit immature sometimes? And that’s why it even has an emotional appeal to it for me, because most people, myself included, has gotten caught up in some sort of unhealthy pattern at some point. And it’s not saying it’s right (because it’s not right), and while Avril is ignoring the warning signs here, the upbeat sound of the song, and something about the melodies, implies to me that a solution will be found, whatever that solution is. And yeah, when we’re in these unhealthy patterns, I think it’s a good idea to break out of them, but it’s probably still kind of a relatable song to most people, because who hasn’t been there before, whether it’s a relationship or something else?

But then there’s blackbear. I don’t know much of blackbear’s music, but based on what I’ve heard, I’m not a blackbear fan. One listen to his 2020 album, Everything Means Nothing, was enough to make me not want to listen to the album again. But this song isn’t this high on the list despite blackbear’s verse, his verse is a big part of the reason this song is so high on the list! And part of that is adding another perspective to the song, where it becomes unclear who’s the bigger problem here. But replace blackbear with a different artist and this song doesn’t work nearly as well! His attitude here fits the song perfectly, as he sounds frustrated but is trying to keep his cool, and it’s such an incredible verse I really didn’t expect to hear from blackbear!

So yeah, this song has that emotional appeal I talked about, and it’s also a ton of fun to listen to! Oh, and that moment after blackbear’s verse when the two of them sing the line, ‘And I ignore all the warning signs’ … it’s right up there among my favourite moments in 2022 music!

There are SO many songs from 2022 that got WAY more critical acclaim that are either lower on this list or not on the list at all, and if I ever become a famous music reviewer, people will probably be talking about this placement on this list a lot due to how controversial it is. But to me, this song is an absolute MASTERPIECE, for so many reasons!

#15: “Kurdish Radio” by Special Interest

And on the topic of punk … but a total different style of punk … or, you know what? While this song comes from a punk album, I’m not sure it’s a punk song. Actually, I don’t really care what genre it is. What I will say though is that it’s a phenomenal track that really blew my mind.

This is an eerie track with some clicking percussion which fits really well, and that high-pitched synth/guitar (I’m not sure what’s making that sound) adds so much to the eerie feeling of the song.

And I could also mention how great the vocal melodies are, with a super catchy hook that I fucking love!

But lyrically … well, it’s dark, with the lyrics about racism, being controlled, and questioning the meaning of love … and the elements of this song all come together into an incredible political track, with a phenomenal final verse which I interpret to mean that the mental struggles from big issues in the world need to turn into action. Something has to be done.

And also, Alli Logout’s vocals are just perfect for this song, as they sound frustrated, but in a way that still lets the melodies be really fun to listen to!

And while we’re on the topic of Special Interest …

#14: “Love Scene” by Special Interest

Yeah, if you can’t tell already, I absolutely love Special Interest’s new album, and this is one of those songs that isn’t a ‘fun’ listen at all. It’s not a song to just throw on in the background, or to put on if you’re looking for something uplifting … no, not at all.

In my Top 25 Worst Songs of 2022, I described one song as ‘a nightmare in song form’ … and honestly, this might be, too … in a very different way, of course.

This is not an easy listen at all, because with the lyrics describing sex as a distraction, where clearly these people aren’t happy, combined with the incredibly haunting instrumentation with all the distortion and the booming percussion, I get why it might be too much to handle. But as lucky as we all are to be alive in this world, it still comes with some harsh realities … and music that acknowledges that often hits incredibly hard for me.

#13: “Bois Lie” by Avril Lavigne (ft. Machine Gun Kelly)

That’s right! Not only are there three songs from Love Sux on this list, there are three songs from Love Sux in the top 25! And yeah, it might not be the ‘cool’ opinion to have as an online music reviewer like me, but I don’t care! THIS SONG RULES!

Avril Lavigne’s newest album, Love Sux, is an album I like way more than most critics, but even I’ll admit it’s not a super consistent album, and the inconsistency of it kept it off my top 50 favourites of the year, but its best moments are MIND-BLOWINGLY GOOD!

And yeah, this is my favourite song on the album, with some of the best production I have heard from 2022! The drums are punchy but not overpowering, the guitar distortion sounds amazing, and it all comes together pretty much perfectly! And it’s got so many fantastic melodies in both the instrumentation and the vocals!

Avril and MGK both sound amazing here vocally, and it feels like a real argument! And while it’s not particularly deep … that’s why it works! It’s pretty simple lyrically, as both of them claim to be in the right, and the lack of depth keeps this from being too sad that it takes away the fun of the track, and it makes it feel more like a scene in a play … especially because both singers absolutely kill it here, making it feel real, but not too real.

Yeah, I know, putting this here might make me seem ‘uncool’ … but why should I care about that?

#12: “No Hard Feelings” by Billy Woods

But now something more agreeable … and this is one of the most haunting tracks of 2022 that I’ve heard, with that incredible usage of a sample of “Seppia” by Picchio Dal Pozzo that adds a super eerie feeling to the song!

But there’s also a lot going on here lyrically, telling two different stories based on the phrase ‘no hard feelings’, where the narrator says this phrase to someone in the first verse, and the song goes to some really interesting places from there, with the last line of the song being super powerful. And while I’m not very good at analyzing lyrics, there is a lot more to this, and I highly recommend you listen to this song if you haven’t already! It’s hard for me to explain why I love this song enough to put it this high on the list … but I think I’ll let the song speak for itself.

#11: “Out Of Place” by Show Me the Body

And speaking of haunting songs … yeah, this is my favourite song on Trouble The Water, one of my favourite albums of 2022. It’s very different musically from most of the album, but it’s absolutely incredible! Those synth melodies are fantastic, and I love the way it builds throughout!

And, well, I’m going to tell you something I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned before on this website: 2022 was the year I found out I have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and it’s the year I started to notice it a lot. And it made 2022 a super difficult year for me, because it was so hard to focus on things I wanted to focus on when my mind was constantly finding things to worry about. And this song hits so hard for me, as someone who has felt ‘out of place’ at times. One of the hardest-hitting lyrics for me from 2022 is in the chorus: ‘Who I hurt and who I blame, it all comes back to me again.’ Because one of many things OCD has done to me is made me think, ‘Have I done something horrible without knowing it?’ I wonder who I’ve hurt, and who’s to blame for it, and even though I’m almost positive it’s just my OCD playing tricks on me … it all comes back to me again.

And I’m working through this challenge, and I’m doing way better now, but it’s not easy. And this song is incredibly special to me.

#10: “brothers” by Gang of Youths

But then there’s a song like this, which … honestly, this song has nearly brought me to tears so many times. In this song, Gang of Youths’ lead singer Dave Le’aupepe sings about information he’s discovered about his late father that he didn’t know about until after his father’s death, including another family.

Dave shows complicated emotions in this song, including feeling guilty because his brothers thought their father had died decades before.

But I think the biggest reason this is so high on the list is that it’s a tribute to Dave’s family, and it makes me think of my own family. And I don’t really know what else to say, because especially this high on the list, it’s hard to fully explain why songs resonate with me as much as they do. I mean, there are a lot of songs that celebrate family … but something about the beautiful piano and vocal melodies when combined with the lyrics just makes it such a heartwarming track, even with all the complicated emotions.

Yeah, again, this song nearly brought me to tears many times … and that’s extremely rare for me. But there’s something about this track I can’t quite put into words, but I know how special this song is to me. And for now, I’ll leave it at that.

#9: “Aquamarine” by Black Thought & Danger Mouse (ft. Michael Kiwanuka)

My favourite song from their collab album Cheat Codes, “Aquamarine” is a truly mind-blowing track from Black Thought and Danger Mouse, with incredible production and mixing, and incredible lyrics with so many great lines, with a lot of philosophy, wondering how we ended up lucky enough to be alive on this planet, and also putting in hard work to accomplish your dreams.

But it’s also got incredible flows from Black Thought, and when combined with this amazing instrumental which uses multiple samples, and Michael Kiwanuka’s fantastic hook … yeah, it’s a song that needs to be heard to be believed!

#8: “Anywhere” by Chat Pile

One of the most terrifying songs I’ve heard from 2022, maybe even the most terrifying. This is a very serious song about gun violence, and how anyone’s life could potentially be in danger at any time without knowing it, and when someone dies in a tragedy such as a shooting, there’s that thought that comes after: had the victim been in a different place at that time, things could be totally different.

It’s not an easy listen at all, and it’s fucking terrifying, but it’s a song that hits incredibly hard for me, as I—like most of us—am often worried about that possibility that I and/or someone close to me could die at any time. And that’s a terrifying thought to have … but hopefully songs like these can help put an end to gun violence … we can at least hope, right?

#7: “My Displeasure” by Special Interest

And here’s another song that is absolutely not an easy listen … but it’s such a fascinating track!

It’s full of industrial sounds, with some static-like sounds, and the percussion is incredibly eerie with that crashing snare that fits super well with the super eerie instrumentation. It sounds incredibly messy, but somehow in a way where it all comes together to create a masterpiece!

But when you combine it with the lyrics, that’s what puts it this high on the list. In a world full of horrors, this song seems to be questioning how real empathy really is. I mean, maybe we’re all more selfish than we want to admit, because when you feel bad for what someone else is going through, it’s making you feel bad, too. And do you feel bad because of that person’s feelings or because of your own feelings caused by that? And I know this is a very complicated question that might not really have an answer, but the main line in the chorus of this song is incredibly powerful and striking; ‘The terror of my displeasure is all I’ll let haunt me.’

And I think how complicated this topic is is a big part of what makes this song work so well, because it seems to subtly be bringing up the idea that we might not really know the true meaning of anything, or why anything happens. I mean, it’s a messy, terrifying nightmare of a song, but when everything falls into place pretty much perfectly like in this song, that’s what makes it so fucking phenomenal! To me, it’s easily one of the best songs I discovered in 2022!

#6: “The Weirds” by Gilla Band

I’m not even sure what to say about this one. I have no idea what this song is about, and I have no idea why this clicked for me as much as it did … but I highly, highly, highly recommend you listen to it for yourself! I don’t even know what to say about it. Words can’t describe this song.

#5: “Artificial Brain” by Artificial Brain

This song has some absolutely fantastic guitar riffs, and I love the drums here, too! I get that this style of music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I think this is one of the most hard-hitting songs I heard in 2022, and the lyrics are incredibly dark, describing an invention that kills people, and showing the inventor’s reaction to what is probably an experiment gone wrong, reacting with, ‘What have I done?’ It’s a fascinating song that might subtly be saying that even well-intentioned people sometimes make huge mistakes, and as terrifying as this song is, I think it’s phenomenal!

#4: “Mother I Sober” by Kendrick Lamar (ft. Beth Gibbons)

It’s been interesting seeing the mixed opinions on Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, and while I don’t think it’s his best album, I still think it’s great, and it made my top 50 favourites of 2022 … and it also contains what is easily one of my favourite Kendrick Lamar songs—maybe even my favourite, although this is Kendrick Lamar we’re talking about, so I’m not even sure this is my favourite song of his, despite how high it is on this list.

But holy shit … I feel like whatever I say about this song won’t be good enough. I feel like whatever I say about it won’t do the song justice, because this is one of the most powerful songs I’ve heard this decade, and it blows my mind every time I hear it. It’s a song about so many things, but part of the reason it resonated so much with me is the feeling of guilt and feeling like you’re not good enough, which I dealt with a lot in 2022. Thankfully, things have gotten better for me since then, but this song still has the power to bring me close to crying, which is saying a lot coming from me.

Beth Gibbons from Portishead delivers a super emotional chorus here, and it’s one of my favourite choruses of 2022, with the line, ‘I wish I was somebody, anybody but myself.’ And the piano throughout this song is incredibly gorgeous!

But I think my favourite thing about this song is Kendrick’s storytelling. And it’s a lot to take in, and I’m not going to mention all of the lyrics and everything discussed, but a big theme of this song seems to be trying to see the human in everyone, and trying to understand why people might be acting the way they are—and he’s not defending abusers or anything like that, or saying they shouldn’t face the consequences of their actions, but he’s still trying to view them as humans like the rest of us, because, well, they are, and I think one of the steps to creating a better world is viewing every human as a human—a human who doesn’t have to do terrible things.

There’s so much more to this song about guilt, and addiction, and much more, and I highly recommend you listen to it for yourself … yeah, Kendrick made another masterpiece … and possibly my favourite song of his to date.

#3: “Kate” by Saidan

I’m not even sure what to say about this one. It’s such a beautiful piece of art, even though it’s incredibly heartbreaking. It’s very open to interpretation, and I don’t feel ready to talk about this one, really. I’ve been trying to get these lists out, and even if I didn’t feel like I was in as much of a time crunch, it’s just so difficult to explain a song like this. This song means so much to me emotionally, and I don’t feel ready to explain it. I probably will someday, but not now.

But it does leave this question: what 2 songs could possibly be better?

#2: “Snow Globes” by Black Country, New Road

Just like with #3, I’m not going to say much about this one. Because I’d rather the song speaks for itself. To me, this is way more than a song … to the point where calling it a ‘song’ doesn’t even feel right, even though it is a song.

That’s because, to me, this feels more like a life-changing experience that separates the 2020s into a pre-“Snow Globes” era and a post-“Snow Globes” era.

And it’s the kind of song that doesn’t even feel possible. It perfectly captures a moment in time that will never be here again. And it has one of the most insane musical builds I’ve ever heard, and the fact that everything falls into place perfectly in a song that is pretty much the definition of flawless, despite how experimental and risk-taking it is … it’s one of the most shocking things I’ve experienced probably ever, in music or otherwise. And no, I’m not exaggerating when I say that, I mean that literally.

In terms of both emotional resonance and musical impressiveness, this is everything I could have asked for in a song and much, much, much more!

For a while, this was my song of the year, and I had a feeling nothing else would top it. I mean, how could anything top this? It seems impossible for anything to top a song this life-changing, this thought-provoking, and this perfect with everything falling into place just right!

And yet …

#1: “Origins” by Saor

Quite a few times on this website, I’ve mentioned that I’m a fan of black metal. But even as a fan of black metal, it’s a genre I usually like more in full albums than individual songs … and yet my favourite song of 2022 is a black metal song!

“Origins” is the closing track from Saor’s newest album of the same name, one of my favourite albums of 2022. The main theme of the album lyrically is The Picts, and while I’m not the biggest history expert and I couldn’t tell you exactly what the story being told in this song is, it seems to be about how very old art sculptures are often all we have left of people from the middle ages.

And this is another example of the passage of time … and back in the middle ages, the current day we’re living in now probably seemed like it was never going to come … and yet here we all are now, and what was the present now feels hard to believe really happened—I mean, obviously it happened, but it feels strange to think about, at least to me. And maybe I’m overthinking this, but either way …

Well, nothing musically could represent this better than the build toward the end of this song, which … not that I can fully describe it with words, but it’s got one of my favourite melodies of 2022, with some fantastic strings and guitar, with a bassline that feels like the foundation of it all … and if it wasn’t already mind-blowing enough, there’s that incredible snare that keeps changing and sounds perfect in the mix, and it adds so much more detail to the song!

And as much as I am a reviewer who you could say nitpicks a lot … I don’t know what there even is to nitpick here. The production, the mixing, the instrumentation, the vocals, the lyrics … everything falls into place perfectly, and even with most of the songs on this list I could point to something where maybe I think it could have been a bit better—but I can’t do that here.

And I don’t know how to fully explain this, because emotions are complicated, and there are various different reasons for what music resonates with people the most … but this was the kind of magic in 2022 that I didn’t see coming at all, and it resonated with me emotionally in a way that I’m not sure any other song from 2022 did.

So, for me, “Origins” by Saor is the best song from 2022 that I heard. And thanks for reading, everyone! I’m curious to hear what your favourite songs of 2022 are, although that does feel kind of awkward to say now, considering how close we are to the end of 2023. But still, feel free to comment your list if you want.

I guess it won’t be long until I make this list for 2023 … but for now, I’ll be back with some reviews soon!