Best Songs of 2022

After a couple years of struggle in gathering enough songs I actually liked enough for my typical 100-track playlists, this year I was back to figuring out which songs I had to eliminate to get down to my arbitrary-but-not cutoff. I don’t think that says as much about the quality of the music in previous years, nor my access to it, as it does about the unmooring of the pandemic slowly beginning to wane.

It’s pretty clear to me, for example, that my listening habits have returned, in a few small ways, to what they once were. For one thing, I spent more time listening to music out in the world again, whether via headphones on an afternoon walk, blasting on the car stereo on a long drive, or best of all, in the presence of others. Often, the latter meant hearing music in concert again in earnest, and there are a handful of those artists reflected here.

Mostly, though, I wonder if it was just a simple bit of luck, that such a large number of artists whose previous work I have either briefly or long admired, happened to release new music in 2022. Surprisingly, given my propensity for biographical statistics, I have not done any calculations on whether or not this year represents a new record in “via past experience” references, but I would venture it to be close, if not at the top. Such is the nature of an aging music fan, I guess.

Also reflective of my age—as well as my longstanding love for the genre— is perhaps my longest-ever stretch of Americana, folk, and country tunes, beginning first with Maren Morris and continuing, for over an hour of this nearly 7-hour playlist, through Angel Olsen. Though there are plenty of uptempo, rollicking songs in this group, as a whole, they reflect my growing tendency toward softer, more naturalist sounds. And as a more traditional rock music sound recedes from the culture, these acts remain my tie to that old standby, the guitar.

I do not see myself as too stuck in my ways, however. There are still new (to me) artists on this list, and there are even a few honest-to-god zeitgeist-y pop songs to be found. So I’m not completely out of touch. Which is nice. I will take what I can get at this point. And I hope that you will take, too. Take a listen, that is. Which you can do on either Spotify or Apple Music.

Show Grid

The Loneliest Time

Carly Rae Jepsen featuring Rufus Wainwright

The Loneliest Time

Schoolboy/Interscope
via past experience library: 10/23/2022
Coast

Hailee Steinfeld featuring Anderson .Paak

Coast digital single

Universal
via Stereogum library: 10/7/2022
Tonight

Phoenix featuring Ezra Koenig

Alpha Zulu

Glassnote
via past experience library: 10/23/2022
The Only Heartbreaker

Mitski

Laurel Hell

Dead Oceans
via past experience library: 3/30/2022
As It Was

Harry Styles

Harry’s House

Columbia
via past experience library: 4/15/2022
Big Energy

Latto

777

RCA
via MTV Live library: 8/19/2022
Yuck

Charli XCX

Crash

Asylum
via past experience library: 3/25/2022
Solid

MUNA

MUNA

Saddest Factory
via Evie on KEXP library: 7/22/2022
Heartbursts

Lucius

Second Nature

Mom and Pop
via past experience library: 8/19/2022
Humble Quest

Maren Morris

Humble Quest

Columbia Nashville
via past experience library: 4/15/2022
Angel

First Aid Kit

Palomino

Columbia
via past experience library: 8/19/2022
Problem With It

Plains

I Walked With You a Ways

Anti-
via past experience (Waxahatchee & Jess Williamson) library: 10/23/2022
Like the Thunder

Joan Shelley

The Spur

No Quarter
via past experience library: 6/24/2022
Through the Glass

The Dead Tongues

Dust

Psychic Hotline
via past experience library: 4/1/2022
All My Love Is Coming Back to Me

S.G. Goodman

Teeth Marks

Verve Forecast
via Greg Vandy on KEXP / Mark Baker library: 9/1/2022
Falling Apart (Right Now)

Wilco

Cruel Country

DbPM
via past experience library: 7/8/2022
Spud Infinity

Big Thief

Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You

4AD
via past experience library: 12/28/2021
Breast of Glass

Jake Xerxes Fussell

Good and Green Again

Paradise of Bachelors
via past experience library: 8/19/2022
Karaoke

Cass McCombs

Heartmind

Anti-
via past experience library: 8/19/2022
Natural Information

Bill Callahan

YTI⅃AƎЯ

Drag City
via past experience library: 10/23/2022
A Random Act of Kindness

Kevin Morby

This Is a Photograph

Dead Oceans
via past experience library: 5/7/2022
Come Home With Me

Lydia Ramsey

Like a Dream

self-released
via past experience library: 10/23/2022
Backwater Blues

Kelsey Waldon

No Regular Dog

Oh Boy
via Mark Baker library: 10/9/2022
Outta Time

Orville Peck

Bronco

Columbia
via KEXP library: 4/15/2022
Big Time

Angel Olsen

Big Time

Jagjaguwar
via past experience library: 8/19/2022
Mistakes

Sharon Van Etten

We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong

Jagjaguwar
via past experience library: 5/6/2022
Home Maker

Sudan Archives

Natural Brown Prom Queen

Stones Throw
via past experience library: 3/30/2022
Rollercoaster

Burna Boy featuring J Balvin

Love, Damini

Atlantic
via KEXP / Barack Obama on Instagram library: 9/25/2022
Purple Hearts

Kendrick Lamar featuring Summer Walker & Ghostface Killah

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

Aftermath
via past experience library: 9/25/2022
Because

Danger Mouse & Black Thought featuring Dylan Cartlidge, Joey Bada$$ & Russ

Cheat Codes

BMG
via past experience library: 8/19/2022
Gangsta Rap

Fatlip, Blu, and Madlib

Gangsta Rap digital single

Guilt By Association
via Fluxblog, past experience library: 2/11/2022
Why We Speak

Robert Glasper featuring Q-Tip & Esperanza Spalding

Black Radio III

Loma Vista
via Fluxblog, past experience library: 8/19/2022
Twin Flame

KAYTRANADA & Anderson .Paak

Twin Flame digital single

RCA
via past experience library: 9/2/2022
B-Side

Khruangbin & Leon Bridges

Texas Moon

Dead Oceans
via past experience library: 12/28/2021
New Gold

Gorillaz featuring Tame Impala & Bootie Brown

New Gold digital single

Parlophone
via past experience library: 9/2/2022
The Loop

Toro y Moi

Mahal

Dead Oceans
via past experience library: 6/16/2022
Go On

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom

Reset

Domino
via KEXP / past experience (Panda Bear) library: 6/25/2022
Go Down River

The Heavy Heavy

Life and Life Only

ATO
via Greg Vandy on KEXP library: 9/25/2022
Grow

Samm Henshaw

Untidy Soul

Dorm Seven
via Fluxblog library: 9/25/2022
One

Amber Mark

Three Dimensions Deep

Universal
via past experience library: 9/25/2022
Wanna Know

The Soft Pink Truth

Is It Going to Get Any Deeper Than This?

Thrill Jockey
via Jenn Wasner (Flock of Dimes) library: 10/23/2022
Birthday Girl

Lizzo

Special

Nice Life
via past experience library: 9/25/2022
Turn the Table

Empress Of and Jim-E Stack

Save Me

Major Arcana
via past experience library: 8/25/2022
Happiness

The 1975

Being Funny in a Foreign Language

Dirty Hit
via past experience library: 9/25/2022
Happy Music

Supershy

Happy Music

Beyond the Groove
via Fluxblog library: 5/6/2022
Down

Hot Chip

Freakout/Release

Domino
via Troy Nelson on KEXP, past experience library: 8/25/2022
Waterfall

Disclosure & RAYE

Waterfall digital single

Apollo
via Fluxblog, past experience library: 4/15/2022
The Last Goodbye

ODESZA featuring Bettye LaVette

The Last Goodbye

Ninja Tune
via KEXP library: 8/19/2022
Cloudy

Daphni

Cherry

TK Label
via past experience library: 10/23/2022
Rosewood

Bonobo

Fragments

Ninja Tune
via Fluxblog, past experience library: 10/28/2021
Break My Soul

Beyoncé

RENAISSANCE

Columbia
via past experience library: 6/28/2022
I’ve Felt Better (Than I Do Now)

Gold Panda

I’ve Felt Better (Than I Do Now) digital single

City Slang
via past experience library: 8/19/2022
Future, If Future

Michael Stipe

Future, If Future

EarthPercent
via past experience library: 4/25/2022
The Next Day

Chris Malinchak

The Next Day

Ultra
via past experience library: 3/27/2022
Geronimo

Young Fathers

Geronimo digital single

Ninja Tune
via past experience library: 8/19/2022
anotherlife

Nilüfer Yanya

Painless

ATO
via past experience library: 8/19/2022
Headrush

Georgia Harmer

Stay in Touch

Arts & Crafts
via Said the Gramophone library: 12/9/2022
Pure Love

Flock of Dimes

Pure Love / Time 12" single

Psychic Hotline
via past experience library: 3/9/2022
That’s Where I Am

Maggie Rogers

Surrender

Capitol
via past experience library: 4/15/2022
Heavy Heart

Bartees Strange

Farm to Table

4AD
via past experience library: 8/19/2022
Motorbike

Momma

Household Name

Polyvinyl
via unknown library: 9/2/2022
Roman Holiday

Fontaines D.C.

Skinty Fia

Partisan
via Kevin Cole on KEXP library: 5/15/2022
Shotgun

Soccer Mommy

Sometimes, Forever

Loma Vista
via past experience library: 3/30/2022
Summer Nights

Hazel English

Summer Nights digital single

self-released
via past experience library: 5/16/2022
Tidal River

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

Endless Rooms

Sub Pop
via past experience library: 5/6/2022
Stars

DEHD

Blue Skies

Fat Possum
via KEXP library: 3/25/2022
Everything Is Simple

Widowspeak

The Jacket

Captured Tracks
via unknown library: 8/19/2022
You Will Never Work in Television Again

The Smile

A Light for Attracting Attention

XL Recordings
via past experience (Radiohead) library: 1/22/2022
Silence Is Golden

The Beths

Expert in a Dying Field

Carpark
via past experience library: 8/25/2022
Very Online Guy

Alvvays

Blue Rev

Polyvinyl
via past experience library: 10/9/2022
Being in Love

Wet Leg

Wet Leg

Domino
via past experience library: 4/15/2022
Jimmy Neutron

Enumclaw

Save the Baby

Luminelle Recordings
via past experience library: 10/9/2022
Spitting Off the Edge of the World

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Cool It Down

Secretly Canadian
via past experience library: 10/9/2022
Lucifer on the Sofa

Spoon

Lucifer on the Sofa

Matador
via past experience library: 3/9/2022
Off Goes the Light

Bibio

BIB10

Warp
via past experience library: 10/9/2022
See You Better Now

Wild Pink

ILYSM

Royal Mountain
via past experience library: 10/9/2022
Running With the Hurricane

Camp Cope

Running With the Hurricane

Run for Cover
via past experience library: 1/22/2022
Arsehole

Ben Lee featuring Georgia Maq

I’M FUN!

Ten Finger
via past experience library: 9/22/2022
The Lightning I & II

Arcade Fire

WE

Columbia
via past experience library: 3/30/2022
The Dark

Eddie Vedder

Earthling

Seattle Surf/Republic
via past experience library: 9/25/2022
In Need of Repair

Band of Horses

Things Are Great

Dudes/BMG
via past experience library: 10/23/2022
This Is What It Looks Like

Craig Finn

A Legacy of Rentals

Positive Jams
via past experience library: 6/4/2022
I Miss Strangers

Death Cab for Cutie

Asphalt Meadows

Atlantic
via past experience library: 9/24/2022
I Was Neon

Julia Jacklin

PRE PLEASURE

Polyvinyl
via past experience library: 10/9/2022
Moves

Suki Waterhouse

I Can’t Let Go

Sub Pop
via Fluxblog library: 9/24/2022
Empty Head

Frankie Cosmos

Inner World Peace

Sub Pop
via past experience library: 10/23/2022
Saturdays

Broken Bells

INTO THE BLUE

Aural Apothecary / Columbia
via past experience library: 10/23/2022
What Happened to the Class of ’65?

Damien Jurado

Reggae Film Star

Maraqopa
via past experience library: 9/25/2022
Chain

Workhorse

No Photographs

Dinosaur City
via Apple Music library: 10/9/2022
If I Die Tomorrow

Jack White

Entering Heaven Alive

Third Man
via past experience library: 8/25/2022
Coming Back to You

Sylvan Esso

No Rules Sandy

Psychic Hotline
via past experience library: 8/19/2022
Friday Night

Beth Orton

Weather Alive

Partisan
via past experience library: 10/9/2022
Two Ways

Florist

Florist

Double Double Whammy
via Apple Music library: 9/25/2022
Wedding Dress

The A’s

Fruit

Psychic Hotline
via past experience (Mountain Man) library: 9/2/2022
Older Now

Courtney Marie Andrews

Loose Future

Fat Possum
via past experience library: 10/23/2022
Atomized

Andrew Bird

Inside Problems

Loma Vista
via past experience library: 9/24/2022
Summer Dream

Bonny Light Horseman

Rolling Golden Holy

37d30d
via past experience (Fruit Bats, Anaïs Mitchell) library: 9/2/2022
Weird Goodbyes

The National featuring Bon Iver

Weird Goodbyes digital single

4AD
via past experience library: 9/2/2022
Tears Are in Your Eyes

The Tallest Man on Earth

Too Late for Eidelweiss

Anti
via past experience library: 10/7/2022
California Girl

naomi alligator

Double Knot

Carpark
via Apple Music library: 9/25/2022