Ranking songs is very hard. We give major props to all the media outlets who are able to do it. We can’t quite make up our mind or become a giant Allston Pudding Mega Zord to make an intelligent decision on The Best Song of the Year™. Instead, we’ve put together a playlist of some of our favorite songs of the year for you to enjoy. Maybe you’ve heard some. Maybe some of them slipped through the cracks in 2015. We’re here to help you make 2015 The Best Year for Music Yet™.
Ava Luna, “Coat of Shellac”
“Coat of Shellac” presents its listener with the true essence of Ava Luna: a noisy, artsy, soulful band that toes the lines of genres better than anyone since Talking Heads. The groovy, soulful vibes propelled by Felicia Douglass’ perfect voice make “Coat of Shellac” one of the catchiest songs of the year that not enough people will have stuck in their head. Hopefully this list will change that.
-Christine Varriale
Infinity Girl, “Dirty Sun”
I’m not much for cassettes to be quite honest, but Disposable America is one of the rare exceptions to my disdain and Infinity Girl’s Harm was the label’s crown jewel in 2015. Shoegazey, but never formulaic, Infinity Girl manages to blend noise with impossibly catchy riffs so seamlessly, it’s (a little) easier to forgive them for moving out of Boston.
-Tim Gagnon
Speedy Ortiz, “Homonovus”
Foil Deer was all about challenging toxic forces, both in relationships and on a larger scale, and to me, no song summed that up better than “Homonovus”. Building from a deceivingly low-key intro into the chorus’s decisive, squealing guitars, the track doesn’t reveal its full power until halfway through, perfectly mirroring lyrics about recognizing ability and claiming full agency after “letting them stand on our feet.” I’m usually a fan of dramatic dynamic structures to begin with, and never more so than when they back a lyrical theme this thoroughly.
-Karen Muller
Diet Cig, “Sleep Talk”
“Sleep Talk” opens with Diet Cig singer Alex Luciano’s belting “I can’t play instruments very well / And I’ll eat all of your cereal” – and builds into a rousing anthem about going back home and feeling lost at the same time. The song is simple in structure and content, yet it’s the one I kept reaching for in 2015. In a year full of new, emboldened artists unafraid of challenging the heteronormative white male status quo of the music industry, there’s something incredibly powerful about writing a song that’s not technically complicated, lyrically literary, or full of slick production tricks to surprise the sound guy. It’s art for its own sake, it’s not for you, and no matter how well you judge that Luciano can play her instruments, it’s a fantastic song, and it’s sticking around.
-Sydney Moyer
Juan Wauters, “Woodside, Queens”
The chillest
-Andrew Gibson
Carly Rae Jepsen, “Run Away With Me”
Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit song starts off with a sax riff that puts the sax from M83’s “Midnight City” to shame. What follows is writing that feels effortless and distinguished among pop music today. There’s wants and desires and lust and love: “Baby, take me to the feeling.”
-Jeremy Stanley
Potty Mouth, “Cherry Picking”
From the very first guitar strums and lyrical harmonies over “fresh, sweet, cool, sleek” you know this song from Northampton punk outfit Potty Mouth is going to be great. Throw in fuzzy basslines, a snappy chorus and some interesting spoken word lyricism and you end up with a near perfect punk rock track.
-Andy Sears
Courtney Barnett, “Elevator Operator”
I was reluctant to listen to Courtney Barnett at first, but her new album later became my most listened-to record of the year (thanks last.fm). As far as this song goes: “I’m not suicidal, just idling insignificantly” just about sums it up. The lyrics could have been extracted from the discography of your favorite emo band, but instead they’re jauntily juxtaposed with Barnett’s signature pastoral rock sound and inate ability to weave together vivid and all-too-lifelike imagery in her songs.
-Deanna Archetto
Mothers, “It Hurts Until it Doesn’t”
Everything about this song is beautfully haunting and just sticks. That line, “I was crushed by the weight of my ego, but never honest enough to say it,” gets me every time. I’m so anxious for everything Mothers will have to offer in the new year.
-Lauren Moquin
Krill, “Mom”
Never have I related to a lyric more than Jonah Furman’s command “unclench your jaw, and open your mouth to me.” Every year fills itself with the dim frustration that comes with measuring the desires of others to your own. Krill’s “Mom” tackles that and so much more. It’s a poem wearing the faded jacket of garage rock greatness. I suggest reading, listening and repeating.
-Becca DeGregorio
Toe, “オトトタイミングキミト (Ototo Timing Kimi to)”
The Japanese group known simply as toe has been a band that has been near and dear to my heart for a good number of years. Having traveled to Japan and experienced their music first hand, it was magical to see them release a new album this year and actually tour the US in earnest. This song really emcompasses that album for me with its simple yet deep, soothing yet entoxicating sound that brings me back to brighter days.
-Reggie Woo
Lady Lamb, “Ten”
Almost five minutes long, “Ten” is a repetitive series of visceral, but far away memories. Sung just by Aly Spaltro’s raw, crooning voice and an electic guitar, her melodies throughout the last verse specifically bring me to my knees. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: No one today is making music quite like Lady Lamb.
-Jackie Swisshelm
Grimes, “Flesh Without Blood”
While Claire Boucher admits that the Grimes narrative is no longer one she has complete control over, she has certainly helped push it along with a deep, sleek pop record. Against a propulsive beat, Boucher documents a fragmented and fading relationship while pulling no punches. The pairing of musical highs and lyrical lows helps make this one a standout, and when the video dropped, Christine and I basically had an out-of-body experience while giving it a first listen.
-Andrew Stanko
Ought, “Beautiful Blue Sky”
Ought makes messes look beautiful. In just under eight minutes, the post-punk Canadians strip back the catalog appeal of suburbia to reveal its muted, bloodied, depressed whimpers held hostage behind a white picket fence. Every conversational line Tim Beeler spits out to an imagined neighbor, the more heightened the song’s anxiety escalates until it eventually drowns out in wondering guitar lines. I cried a lot this year. This is the song I cried to the most.
-Nina Corcoran
Stove, “Jock Dreams”
“Jock Dreams” has been impossible to stop listening to since its release. It simultaneously exemplifies Steve Hartlett’s sense of humor and sincerity.
-Sami Martasian
Laura Stevenson, “Torch Song”
My dream is to one day run with the Olympic Torch while listening to “Torch Song” and the rest of Cocksure on repeat.
-Mark Zurlo