Heavy Rotation 2023: An hour of my favorite songs from the past year
Across a year spent making sense of everything, I listened to cartoon musicians, pop stars breaking through, post-hidden gem delights and a new favorite K-pop group.
In the tradition of every media outfit (both actual and pretend, like this one) attempting to sum up a whole year around this time, these are my favorite songs released in 2023, all sequenced together in a hour-long playlist.
Long-time readers may notice I have raved some of these songs in previous playlists, while others I haven’t mentioned at all. (I mean, I like these songs, but they don’t always fit whatever direction that month’s playlist was heading in.) But apart from being some of the songs I have returned to across the year, I realize—especially after listening to it at a Coffee Academics branch in Hong Kong a few weeks back—that these songs pretty much soundtracked a pretty weird year for me… which is the point of the Once Monthly, isn’t it? So yes, not so much a definitive best-of-the-year list… but then I already said as much.
Enjoy the playlist, then. I’ll talk about the song choices further down.
Kessoku Band—「星座になれたら」 (If I Could Be A Constellation)
Yes, this song was technically released in 2022—but it came out on Christmas eve. I can make an exception.
I was technically late to Bocchi the Rock!, but then again, the series was on air during a really difficult time for me, and I was in no mood to watch anything new. But I still caught up the following month, just in time to be able to write about it, and to have “If I Could Be A Constellation”—an ode to both the connections we make and the fear of losing them, a theme that really resonated with me all year—be a song I would play a lot. And before you say “but it’s a song from an anime!” well, it doesn’t sound like it. The anime is reverent to the scene it covers, and it reflects in its choice of collaborators for the soundtrack. And there are many like it. Just you wait.
Paramore—“Running Out Of Time”
I’ll admit: I wasn’t into Paramore during their early heyday. But then, I just wasn’t into emo, whatever that means; I was into indie, or at least trying hard to. The band’s shift in direction towards pop and new wave influences, evident from their 2017 release After Laughter, was more my thing, so I looked forward to This Is Why the way some of my peers probably didn’t. “Running Out Of Time” remains my spotlight: it sounds like someone trying to glue a broken vase together in the middle of caffeine withdrawal. Very Talking Heads-y. Or is it just because I am finally relating to Paramore?
Olivia Rodrigo—“Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl”
No way I would be putting “The Grudge” on here. But Guts is that rare beast: an album targeted towards teens that has really wide appeal, in part because the specificity of Olivia Rodrigo’s lyrics somehow lend it a universality, and her sounds are decidedly influenced as much by the febrile pop-rock of the 70s and 80s with the 2000s pop-punk that she grew up with. “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” captures all that the best, I think: an almost-rowdy sing-along you will not get out of your head.
Kimbra—“The Way We Were”
’s A Reckoning was the first album release I looked forward to this year—so it had the (unfortunate?) position of soundtracking those early confusing months after, you know, that break-up. I honestly could’ve chosen any one of the tracks on the record, so me ultimately choosing “The Way We Were”—a highlight from the album, and one that almost always got stuck in my head regardless of context—is much in service of the vibe of this part of the playlist, and of me wondering why the hell I had this mindset at some point. Why was I so positive it would work out in the end at some point?Jeon Somi—“Fast Forward”
I didn’t watch Sixteen, and I didn’t root for her on Produce 101, but I always liked Somi. She always had that something… but the right package was just not there. Lucky for us, her leaving JYP for The Black Label and finally debuting as a solo act gave us some really good slices of pop, of which “Fast Forward” is her best. In under three minutes you get her charisma and her credentials—long-time followers know this anyway, but again, the right package—in a song so irresistible you just can’t stop bopping to it at first listen. I was in love the moment it premiered. My feelings haven’t changed.
Yoasobi—「“アイドル」 (Idol)
Yes, I rode the bandwagon on this one.
I mean, I had read about Yoasobi before, but “Idol” is really the first track of theirs I heard. (And considering how wildly successful the song was—a fact you’d probably miss if you’re only focused on certain Korean groups—it’s the case for a lot of people.) I have listened to some of their other stuff since, but I still go back to this. This is when you call me a poser. Yep, sure. But this song makes this list because I still can’t get Oshi No Ko—the anime series where this was the theme to—off my head.
It’s already a harrowing story in itself, but “Idol” really adds to the experience by evoking some sort of cognitive dissonance, reminding you of the dark side of everything. Yes, Pieyon is a ridiculous character. Yes, no amount of bell pepper dancing can make Kana best girl. (It’s Miyako.) Yes, this show was created by the same guy that (indirectly) gave us this. But everything, underneath it all, is darkness—and every week, for eleven weeks, “Idol” set that up.
I should rewatch the show. It’s a good time—the show’s returning for a second season this February.
Echosmith—“Hindsight”
I don’t know who exactly I should be addressing this question to, but here goes: have you thought about Echosmith since “Cool Kids”? I’ll admit I haven’t—although the follow-up to their 2013 debut Talking Dreams came seven years after. “Hindsight” is from their eponymous third album, one that I took a chance on, and I was pleasantly surprised by how chill it was. I wasn’t deliberately slotting this song in my rotations; it just made its way there, and it worked way too many times, and I fell in love with it. I haven’t even thought about what it’s about. I just love it.
Blur—“Barbaric”
Blur isn’t going to be on the radar of the young, unless they’re already predisposed to Britpop. The Ballad of Darren was going to appeal mostly to those who have grown up with the band—although my entry point was the sublime Think Tank, which marked the band’s split-turned-hiatus—and reflecting the haziness of it all. We’ve settled, but we’re also broken down. But then, Damon Albarn’s been good at delivering that sentiment—”No Distance Left To Run” and “Out of Time” come to mind.
Personally, “Barbaric” does the best job of capturing all of that in their new record—although, again, you know my reference points. It’s my post-hurricane song. Very sad words masked by a cheery melody. Perfect.
CMAT—“Where Are Your Kids Tonight?” (featuring John Grant)
In an alternate universe, I’d be hearing CMAT in much more places. Instead, I’m rueing why I barely heard her on American radio, which usually is an indicator that someone’s zooming up there. Is she too weird? I wouldn’t say that—although I suppose she is hard to define to most of their tastemakers. I only learned about her this year but latched on in the months leading up to the release of her eclectic Crazymad, For Me. Its highlight remains “Where Are Your Kids Tonight?” though, and it’s because of all the reasons I have outlined before: it appeals to my childhood self filled with 70s pop, but works as a sort of torch song for the left behind. And I will always attempt to sing the end bit with the key changes.
Alex Lahey—“The Answer Is Always Yes”
I love Alex Lahey. I can’t explain how she always has this soaring nature to her songs, no matter the pace, no matter the persuasion. Is it the jazz background I was surprised to learn she has? Is it the cheeky Australian twinkle in her eye? I’ve followed her from the later years of the old music blog, and continued to do so as she surprises with what I think would be more of the (comfortable) same. Take the title track from her latest album. I wasn’t expecting something so heartfelt and so bittersweet. I may have almost shed tears at the mall. Never an ideal situation, but then, that’s happened a lot this year…
Miley Cyrus—“Jaded”
I’ll admit this song is on this playlist because I heard a lot of it on the radio in the middle of the year. I’m not complaining. I think some of us have given Miley Cyrus the short shrift because of whole “Disney girl gone bad” thing, never mind that she had reinvented—well, more of explored her other facets—after Bangerz, from the country of Younger Now to the glam pop of Plastic Hearts, to this year’s Endless Summer Vacation, which actually sounds so… comfy? Is that the way to put it? It’s weary and wisened, mature yet also playful (“Flowers” was the biggest hit, remember?) and very much her, even if it’s hard to put a pin as to how. It just is.
Benee—“Bagels”
I wasn’t aware of the origins of Benee’s “Bagels” until a few months after. As the story goes, it’s scientifically designed to reduce one’s anxious feelings, with the help of neuroscientists and New Zealand mental health charity Youthline. Knowing what this year has been about for me, is this why I gravitated towards this? Me, I just really like languid electronica, and I could slot this in anywhere. So, I suppose, job well done.
Avalon Emerson—“Sandrail Silhouette”
Club culture is one of my many blind spots, so I have not heard of Avalon Emerson before she started promoting her & the Charm record. It is a fun listen: dreamy, of course; melancholic, even; but with a keen sense of musicality that you’d expect from someone who spent most of her career leading some of the world’s most prominent dance floors and remixing for other indie darlings. Sure, she wasn’t going to be a breakout star—gatekeepers, of course—but this song was something I found myself going back to a lot in the past year. Not bad for a serendipitous find on the radio.
Olivia Dean—“Dive”
I wasn’t expecting to like this song, but at the same time, I could never slot it into any of my playlists—not for lack of trying.
Here’s the thing. I grew up with jazz and soul, but it’s a genre I haven’t specifically sought out in my music writing eras; I suppose I had long accepted that it would be a blind spot since my listening tended towards white boy music. But Olivia Dean’s “Dive” came on the radio streams and it caught my attention. It soars while staying on the ground. (And that last-minute key change.) But then, I read the lyrics and can’t help but feel pain, because… should I say it? It feels like the ex’s story, of her “choosing to stay alive”, in her words, and leaving me behind in perhaps the messiest way possible. And yes, I am mad, and I am still hurting, but she’s happy, as far as I know, and do I really want to be that guy after months of actively not being one?
So this utterly beautiful song makes me sad. (Also see: Carly Rae Jepsen’s “The Loneliest Time”, which I played a lot but is sadly outside this playlist’s time frame.) But it also makes me feel human, and so I stick with it. And the rest of the album isn’t bad, either.
Billlie—“Eunoia”
This year was the year this hardened and somewhat cynical K-pop fan decided to dive in again… kinda. I mean, I don’t think I’ll follow Billlie to the extent I did with Mamamoo—my age is a definite factor here, and I don’t want that competitive streak coming back out again. But then, I already have one of the group’s albums, and I almost bought a second in Hong Kong if not for the fact that I was buying something else on my shopping list. The stakes are already there.
Also, to be honest, I think I was destined to gravitate towards the group. Musically, they’re adventurous: they have straightforward pop, a surprisingly rousing rocker (that doesn’t infringe on Dreamcatcher territory), and one of the very few Christmas songs I will voluntarily and wholeheartedly play. The promotion for “Eunoia” may have been cut short by the death of Moon Sua’s brother, Astro’s Moonbin, but it’s a song casual fans should get into nonetheless: another audible facet in the group’s multi-dimensional charms. And that rap break… yes.
Jessie Ware—“Begin Again”
Jessie Ware’s transition from the voice of the morning after to queen of the disco dance floor (via a much-acclaimed turn as podcast host) was fully released in the past year—yet, she can still do those quietly uplifting tracks that defined her earlier work. Her 2020 record What’s Your Pleasure? had the warm embrace that is “Remember Where You Are”, which I played during a very critical moment in my year—but I can’t add it to this playlist because it’s not a new release. It’s eyes-on-the-dancefloor successor, That! Feels Good!, had “Begin Again”. While aping more into cool breezes and bossa nova, it still has the same effect. I mean, listen to the five-minute album cut, and let the last two minutes wrap around you. The moment it all goes up a notch, you’ll catch yourself holding back a tear.
Well, that’s a wrap for the year… kind of. One more (regular) playlist goes live on 18 December, and then we’ll do it all over again next year. Thank you for making it this far, whether you’ve been on board from the beginning, or just joining in! And if you’ve just stumbled upon this, why not subscribe? Come for the music recommendations, stay for the soul-searching. Or not.
Fun list, that Benee track was dope!
Great picks!