Best Songs of 2023

Welp, as I round very much into middle age, I am not at all surprised to say my musical world is getting smaller. A whopping 20% of artists on this list were on my 2022 list as well. Heck, I even kick off this new list with a repeat from last year (albeit in a new, equally transfixing form). And if last year was my new record for “via past experience” notations, this year is right there along with it.

If I were to try to pin down other trends among these 100 tracks and artists, I might also note that this list, in a weird way, resembles some of my playlists from the early ’80s, wherein I had tons of new, groundbreaking artists featured alongside aging rockers that are far beyond their best work. But what was true then is also true now, which is to say that I cannot ignore the artists that have been most important to me over my years, especially when they happen to release a song that proves meaningful to me in some way.

So yes, I have no shame about putting the octogenarian Rolling Stones on here, nor a handful of big names from later (but still old) decades. On the other hand, there are a handful of names on this list that surely were born after I entered college, so as long as I can keep connecting to music made by younger people, I can continue to make these lists every year. Which is great, because as I buy fewer and fewer albums (old and new), the songs I put on these lists not only mark time but keep me from living in the past.

As ever, you can listen on Apple Music and Spotify.

Show Grid

Spitting Off the Edge of the World (Lush Version)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs featuring Perfume Genius

Spitting Off the Edge of the World (Lush Version) digital single

Secretly Canadian
via past experience library: 7/3/2023
103

The Kills

God Games

Domino
via past experience library: 11/1/2023
Independence Day

Palehound

Eye on the Bat

Polyvinyl
via Stereogum library: 11/11/2023
No Way

Ratboys

The Window

Topshelf
via past experience library: 9/8/2023
My Eyes

Margaret Glaspy

Echo the Diamond

ATO
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
Long Goodbye

Smokey Brights

Levitator

Nine Mile
via past experience library: 7/3/2023
Really Really Light

The New Pornographers

Continue As a Guest

Merge
via past experience library: 5/27/2023
Fallout

Yo La Tengo

This Stupid World

Matador
via past experience library: 11/8/2023
All I Do

Bully

Lucky for You

Sub Pop
via past experience library: 7/17/2023
Under You

Foo Fighters

But Here We Are

RCA
via past experience library: 5/27/2023
Break Free

Dave Matthews Band

Walk Around the Moon

RCA
via past experience library: 5/27/2023
Save the World

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Weathervanes

Thirty Tigers
via past experience library: 7/17/2023
Mountains of My Mind

Chris Stapleton

Higher

Mercury Nashville
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
Like a Flower

Kevin Morby

Music From Montana Story

Dead Oceans
via past experience library: 3/3/2023
Painterly

Steve Gunn & David Moore

Reflections Vol. 1: Let the Moon Be a Planet

RVNG
via past experience library: 4/29/2023
Rains

The Antlers

Need Nothing

Transgressive
via past experience library: 7/3/2023
Deep in the Night

Future Islands

Deep in the Night 7"

4AD
via past experience library: 10/6/2023
Give Me a Hand

Michael Stipe featuring Gaelynn Lea

Give Me a Hand 7"

EarthPercent
via past experience library: 4/20/2023
Wet

Claud

Supermodels

Saddest Factory
via past experience library: 7/18/2023
Crashing Against the Sun

Heather Woods Broderick

Labyrinth

Western Vinyl
via live in concert, past experience library: 3/3/2023
Superficial Conversation

Madeline Kenney

A New Reality Mind

Carpark
via past experience library: 10/6/2023
Famous

Jenn Champion

The Last Night of Sadness

Gay Forever
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
Skipping Like a Stone

The Chemical Brothers featuring Beck

For That Beautiful Feeling

Universal
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
Odyssey

Beck & Phoenix

Odyssey 7"

Capitol
via past experience library: 10/6/2023
Touching Yourself

The Japanese House

In the End It Always Does

Dirty Hit
via past experience, Apple Music library: 7/18/2023
Old Man

Albert Hammond, Jr.

Melodies on Hiatus

Red Bull
via past experience library: 6/29/2023
The Main Thing

Ducks Ltd.

The Main Thing 7"

Carpark
via past experience library: 11/6/2023
Vaporized

Sea Lemon

Stop at Nothing

Luminelle Recordings
via KEXP library: 11/19/2023
I Want It All

The Drums

Jonny

Anti
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
Lights Light Up

Fenne Lily

Big Picture

Dead Oceans
via Stereogum library: 11/11/2023
Evicted

Wilco

Cousin

DbPM
via past experience library: 8/13/2023
Sick of This Feeling

Fruit Bats

A River Running to Your Heart

Merge
via past experience library: 5/27/2023
Psychos

Jenny Lewis

Joy’All

Blue Note
via past experience library: 7/28/2023
Roads

Jess Williamson

Time Ain’t Accidental

Mexican Summer
via past experience library: 7/18/2023
Yosemite

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway featuring Dave Matthews

City of Gold

Nonesuch
via past experience library: 10/6/2023
The Tree

Maren Morris

The Bridge

Columbia
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
Fear and Fridays

Zach Bryan

Zach Bryan

Belting Bronco / Warner Bros.
via Fluxblog library: 9/8/2023
Heaven Is a Place

The Arcs

Electrophonic Chronic

Easy Eye Sound
via past experience library: 11/13/2023
Glorious Game

El Michels Affair & Black Thought

Glorious Game

Big Crown
via Troy Nelson on KEXP, past experience library: 11/113/2023
No More Lies

Thundercat & Tame Impala

No More Lies 7"

Brainfeeder
via past experience library: 7/18/2023
Daydreaming

NxWorries

Daydreaming digital single

Stones Throw
via past experience library: 10/6/2023
The Hillbillies

Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar

The Hillbillies digital single

Columbia
via Stereogum, past experience library: 6/29/2023
Weightless

Arlo Parks

My Soft Machine

Transgressive
via past experience library: 7/3/2023
Time to Run

Tycho

Time to Run digital single

Mom+Pop
via past experience library: 7/18/2023
EYE

KaytrAminé featuring Snoop Dogg

KaytrAminé

Venice Music
via past experience library: 7/3/2023
Tied Up!

Genesis Owusu

STRUGGLER

Ourness
via John Richards on KEXP library: 11/1/2023
Frisco

Little Dragon

Slugs of Love

Ninja Tune
via past experience library: 10/6/2023
A Matter of Fact

Bibio

Sunbursting EP

Warp
via past experience library: 11/19/2023
Skinny Ape

Gorillaz

Cracker Island

Parlophone
via past experience library: 11/6/2023
The Garden

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

V

Jagjaguwar
via past experience library: 11/19/2023
Moonlight

Kali Uchis

Red Moon in Venus

Geffen
via past experience library: 3/3/2023
Freak Me Now

Jessie Ware

That! Feels! Good!

EMI
via past experience library: 11/19/2023
Psychedelic Switch

Carly Rae Jepsen

The Loveliest Time

School Boy / Interscope
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
Give It Up for Love

Georgia

Euphoric

Domino
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
Dominoes

Jungle

Volcano

Caiola
via past experience, Evie on KEXP library: 6/29/2023
Astral Plane

Say She She

Silver

Colemine
via Evie on KEXP library: 11/11/2023
In Your Own Home

Cleo Sol

Gold

Forever Living
via past experience library: 10/6/2023
Isolation

Caleb Elliott

Weed, Wine & Time

Single Lock
via Apple Music library: 11/13/2023
Suspended

Sampha

Lahai

Young
via KEXP, past experience library: 11/19/2023
Billions

Caroline Polachek

Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

Perpetual Novice
via past experience library: 3/3/2023
Float

Janelle Monáe featuring Seun Kuti & Egypt 80'

The Age of Pleasure

Wondaland Productions
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
Honey

BJ the Chicago Kid featuring Chloe Bailey

Gravy

RCA
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
See It Through

Durand Jones

Wait Til I Get Over

Dead Oceans
via Kevin Cole on KEXP library: 11/19/2023
Tiny Garden

Jamila Woods

Water Made Us

Jagjaguwar
via past experience library: 11/13/2023
Stranger Danger

Lucius

Stranger Danger digital single

Fantasy
via past experience library: 11/19/2023
Strong Swimmer

Josh Ritter

Spectral Lines

Pytheas / Thirty Tigers
via past experience library: 11/19/2023
Respect for All Living Things

Great Lake Swimmers

Uncertain Country

Phereomone
via past experience library: 11/13/2023
It’s Later Than You Think

Jenny Owen Youngs

Avalanche

Yep Roc
via Apple Music library: 10/6/2023
pawnshop

Kara Jackson

Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?

The Orchard
via KEXP library: 7/18/2023
Every Day Like the Last

Wye Oak

Every Day Like the Last

Merge
via past experience library: 7/3/2023
A Child’s Question, August

P.J. Harvey

I Inside the Old Year Dying

Partisan
via past experience library: 6/29/2023
Younger and Dumber

Indigo de Souza

All of This Will End

Saddle Creek
via past experience library: 4/20/2023
Steadfast

S. Carey & John Raymond featuring Gordi

Shadowlands

Libellule Editions
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
Eucalyptus

The National

First Two Pages of Frankenstein

4AD
via past experience library: 4/29/2023
Bug Like an Angel

Mitski

The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

Dead Oceans
via past experience library: 10/6/2023
Not Strong Enough

boygenius

the record

Interscope
via past experience library: 5/27/2023
Sheriff of the Salton Sea

Shana Cleveland

Manzanita

Hardly Art
via past experience library: 11/19/2023
American Airlines

The Golden Dregs

On Grace & Dignity

4AD
via Said the Gramophone library: 12/9/2022
Fur

Blue Lake

Sun Arcs

Tonal Union
via Apple Music library: 11/11/2023
Bending Hectic

The Smile

Bending Hectic digital single

XL Recordings
via past experience library: 6/29/2023
What You Did

Hannah Jadagu

Aperture

Sub Pop
via Stereogum library: 11/13/2023
In Lightning

Feist

Multitudes

Polydor
via past experience library: 12/2/2023
Ghosts Again

Depeche Mode

Memento Mori

Columbia
via past experience library: 3/3/2023
Sole Obsession

Nation of Language

Strange Disciple

Play It Again Sam
via Evie & Troy Nelson on KEXP, past experience library: 10/6/2023
Tuck Shop

Ben Lee

Tuck Shop digital single

Weirder Together
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
Barbaric

Blur

The Ballad of Darren

Parlophone
via past experience library: 10/6/2023
Cowboy Nudes

Geese

3D Country

Partisan
via Cheryl Waters on KEXP library: 7/3/2023
Desperate Days

The Heavy Hours

The Heavy Hours

Heavy Hours / BMG
via Apple Music library: 11/19/2023
Tell Me

King Tuff

Smalltown Stardust

Sub Pop
via past experience library: 7/3/2023
Grand Salami Time

The Baseball Project

Grand Salami Time!

Yep Roc
via past experience library: 7/23/2023
Good Time

Alex Lahey

The Answer Is Always Yes

Liberation
via past experience library: 7/3/2023
Grand Junction

The Hold Steady

The Price of Progress

Positive Jams / Thirty Tigers
via past experience library: 11/19/2023
Sweet Sounds of Heaven

The Rolling Stones featuring Lady Gaga & Stevie Wonder

Hackney Diamonds

Polydor
via past experience library: 10/26/2023
Meadow in Autumn

Brad

In the Moment You Were Born

Loosegroove
via past experience library: 8/13/2023
Open Water

Fust

Genevieve

Dear Life
via Stereogum library: 11/13/2023
Every Little Heart

The Tallest Man on Earth

Henry St

Gardner Songs / Anti
via past experience library: 4/17/2023
A Running Start

Sufjan Stevens

Javelin

Asthmatic Kitty
via past experience library: 11/11/2023
It Must Change

ANOHNI & The Johnsons

My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross

Secretly Canadian
via past experience library: 7/18/2023
I Will Be With You

Joanna Sternberg

I’ve Got Me

Fat Possum
via Apple Music library: 7/18/2023
i/o (Dark Side Mix)

Peter Gabriel

i/o

Real World
via past experience library: 12/1/2023