New year, new list- my Top 25 Songs of 2022. I'll keep the commentary brief until the top 10! You'll find the Spotify playlist embedded at the end of the blog, along with some bonus tracks not listed here.
25. "30 Degrees" - Dumb - Pray 4 Tomorrow
A smooth-shooting can-con slacker-rock love-tune from Vancouver band Dumb.
24. "Spitting off the Edge of the World" - Yeah Yeahs Yeahs - Cool It Down
Nearly 20 years on from their smash hit "Maps," indie rock icons Yeah Yeah Yeahs triumphantly return with an anthemic tune chock full of soaring synths and pounding drums.
23. "The Game" - Sports Team - Gulp!
A late-90s-esque guitar driven rock tune reminiscent of The Hives or Kaiser Chiefs.
22. "Wild" - Spoon - Lucifer on the Sofa
The standout track from Spoon's latest fantastic record.
21. "Pictures of You" - Drugdealer feat Kate Bollinger - Hiding in Plain Sight
A lovely jangly pop tune in the style of Montreal's TOPS.
20. "The Place Where He Inserted the Blade" - Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There
The magnum opus from Black Country, New Road's 2022 album - a triumphant, yet haunting song that covers love, loss and everything in between. The group harmonies at the end of the song will stay with you.
19. "Delilah (pull me out of this)" - Fred again... - Actual Life 3
The song that pulled me (and likely thousands of others like me) back into dance/house music in 2022. Fred again... took the music industry by storm this year, capped with his epic Boiler Room performance in which this song features prominently.
18. "Tides" -Bonobo feat Jamila Woods - Fragments
A hidden gem from Bonobo's 2022 album Fragments featuring the always incredible Jamila Woods on vocals.
17. "Expert in a Dying Field" - The Beths - Expert in a Dying Field
Melody, melody, melody. The Beths never disappoint when it comes to catchy, guitar led indie rock. A band in total control of their talents.
16. "Waiting" - PUP - The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND
Long time Continuous Thunder readers will remember the 2016 Top Song's list, which had PUP's "Familiar Patterns" at #2 for the year. While 2022 brought PUP's first misstep in terms of album releases, The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND still contained some great tracks. "Waiting" is very reminiscent of "Familiar Patterns," with both tracks centred around super heavy bass lines and contrastingly triumphant choruses. It's a formula I won't soon tire of.
15. "Shotgun" - Soccer Mommy - Sometimes, Forever
One of Soccer Mommy's best choruses since her break through hit "Your Dog." A great bass riff and excellent vocal delivery on this track.
14. "Respirate" - Pinegrove - 11:11
A yearning ballad about making it through the hard times that the pandemic brought on us. The reminder to "take it day by day//and do your best to respirate" felt appropriate at many times throughout 2022 for me.
13. "I Don't Live Here Anymore" - The War on Drugs feat Lucius - I Don't Live Here Anymore
The large-scale return to live music in 2022 meant I was finally able to check off some bucket list artists I hadn't seen live before. Snail Mail and Parquet Courts in early 2022, Lucy Dacus in the fall, and The War on Drugs at Edmonton Folk Fest. The later did not disappoint, bringing their new arena-rock-ish tunes to the hill and melting our faces!
12. "Medicine" - Momma - Household Name
The seems to be a never-ending stream of fantastic "sadgirl" indie bands springing up these days: Slow Pulp, Snail Mail, Pip Blom, NewDad to name a few. 2022 saw Momma burst onto the scene bringing great melodies and guitar playing on a batch of fantastic tunes.
11. "Roman Holiday" - Fontaines DC - Skinty Fia
We've watched Fontaines DC grow up in the last few years. Their 2019 debut record Dogrel was centred around rambunctious upbeat punk tracks like "Liberty Bell" and "Boys in a Better Land." 2022 Fontaines has brought a maturity in their songwriting we've yet to see from this post-punk band. "Roman Holiday" exemplifies this growth in a single tune. An effortless tight drum pattern pulls you in, allowing the reverbed guitar lead to drift in and out of time around it. Vocalist Grian Chatten changes up from his usual gruff Irish talk-singing, showing some serious pipes here. A triumph of UK post-punk.
10. "Outta Time" - Orville Peck - Bronco
My big musical surprise of 2022 was Orville Peck's amazing live show at Edmonton Folk Fest (closing the stage after The War on Drugs no-less!). I'd never really been a big fan of Peck's records. His songwriting and deep baritone voice always gave me Disney songtrack vibes. However, I gave Bronco another chance after seeing his incredible live show. "Outta Time" is a straight ahead country pop song with a memorable sing-a-long chorus and classic roadtripin' lyrics.
9. "Bad Love" - Dehd - Blue Skies
The best track from Dehd's stellar 2022 record. With a Springsteen-esque chorus, big tom-heavy drumbeat, and driving bassline, "Bad Love" is one to crank on the car stereo and drive down the open road.
8. "I Was Neon" - Julia Jacklin - Pre Pleasure
In an album otherwise dominated by plodding, emotional, quiet tunes, "I Was Neon" wakes you up . Written in the spirit of Jacklin's similarly upbeat "Pressure to Party" from her 2019 release, "I Was Neon" tells us a similar tale as well. Jacklin pleads with herself not to "lose herself again" while trying to contend with societal expectations and a rapidly deteriorating modern world.
7. "The Overload" - Yard Act - The Overload
The title track from Yard Act's debut album truly exemplifies what makes this Leeds, UK band so great: Cheeky, cynical British lyricism. Echoing legendary British acts like Art Brut or The Streets, Yard Act lead singer James Smith talk-sing lyrics are easy to digest and enjoyable to follow. However, unlike Art Brut or The Streets, whose lyrics tended to top out at the level of attracting a mate ("Good Weekend" or "Fit but You Know It"), Yard Act is taking on important topics in contemporary British culture. Expect commentary on gentrification, wealth inequality, Brexit, and more. A must-listen album for 2022.
6. "Memory" - Whitney - Spark
When a band with just two albums totalling 20 songs releases a third album of entirely covers (2020's Candid), you begin to wonder if the writing fountain has prematurely run dry. And if the creative well had run dry, I wouldn't blame them. Primary Whitney songwriters Julian and Max have been producing stellar records since 2009 when they were just 17 with their first band, Smith Westerns. So when I caught wind that a 2022 Whitney record was on the way, chock full of new originals, I was thrilled. And then I was disappointed.
"Memory" is the stand out track from an otherwise lack-luster album. A jaunty guitar and piano riff hooks you into the tune from the start. Julian's now-legendary falsetto vocals speak to the late-20's millennial panic that a lot of us are feeling right now. The perfect tune to bring you back to the "Golden Days" of the Light on the Lake-era Whitney.
5. "Spud Infinity" - Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe
It is hard to pick a best tune from Big Thief's gigantic 20 song double LP from 2022. Many critics went for "Simulation Swarm," a subdued tune from the back half of the record that is very much in the style of old Big Thief songs. Truthfully, before 2022 I wasn't really a fan of Big Thief. Sure, I'd listen to their hits like "Paul" or "Masterpiece" when they inevitably ended up on any indie folk Spotify playlist, but I was never drawn into their back catalogues.
What changed in 2022? Hard to say, but apparently my ear was much more open to country-rock tunes than ever before. Country-leaning artists make of 24% of this year's song's list. Three of the top five are country-leaning artists. Probably my favourite show of the year was indie country act Cat Clyde at 3am at North Country Fair. I guess you can just chock this up to my frontal lobe fully being developed - I've moved on from the aggression of punk rock to the softer idealism of modern folk. "Spud Infinity" is a fun barn dance bluegrass tune complete with fiddle and boinging jaw harp.
4. "Problem With It" - Plains - I Walked With You A Ways"
"If you can't do better than that babe, I got a problem with it" sings Katie Crutchfield midway through one of the best choruses of the year. With a The Chicks-esque female empowerment vibe, "Problem With It" is a foot-stomping country-rock tune about taking the reins back and moving on. Beautiful harmonies between Crutchfield and bandmate Jess Williamson really bring this track home. For fans of Crutchfield's band Waxahatchee, this album is mandatory listenin'.
3. "Unspeakable Things" - Kiwi Jr. - Chopper
Pure unadulterated riffage is at the heart of this indie single from Toronto rockers Kiwi Jr. Their 2022 album was produced by fellow Canuck Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits), whose influence is clear. The band credits Boeckner on "Unspeakable Things" with having the idea to bring in a synth to perform the lead riff, instead of guitar, with the band saying: "that sound brings the song into a sort of new-wave territory that was fun and different for us." What I've always loved about Kiwi Jr is that their music reminds me of the early 2000s Canadian indie scene, back when CBC Radio 3's Grant Lawrence was the leading voice in my musical discoveries. Bands from that era, like Rah Rah, Two Hours Traffic, or Zeus are clearly in the DNA of Kiwi Jr's music. Adding a producer who was most popular in that era only adds to the effect.
2. "Hangover Game" - MJ Lenderman - Boat Songs
My most listened to song of 2022 is a gritty rock song about the normal-ness of humankind. Lenderman uses the metaphor of Michael Jordan's NBA finals "food poisoning" which many now believe to have been a hangover instead, to show that even those at the pinnacle of society have their vices. "Oh, he looked so sick//It was all over the news//But it wasn't a pizza//And it wasn't the flu//Yeah, I love drinking too." Matching the excellent writing is a killer guitar riff and tight drumming complete with cowbell. While this is not Lenderman's first album, it's definitely the one that will put him on the map.
1. "Belinda Says" - Alvvays - Blue Rev
Alvvays broke the power pop curse of unpopularity in 2022. The spunky Toronto based, east-coast hearted shoegaze band topped best song and album lists across the internet, including Pitchfork, Exclaim, and more. Last week, they played "Belinda Says" on Jimmy Fallon, making their network TV debut. As a long time Alvvays fan (and as a Canadian!), I am thrilled to see their success.
I've been into this band since I first heard their 2014 breakout single "Archie, Marry Me." I brought along my then-new girlfriend Sierra to their 2014 Vancouver tour stop at the Biltmore Cabaret, and was blown away by their live performance for such a new band. Of course, I knew of guitarist Alec O'Hanley's brilliance, having seen him playing with his old band Two Hours Traffic the year prior in the same venue. Lead singer Molly Rankin grew up in the shadow of the Rankin Family band and logically knows her way around a stage or two. Sierra and I saw Alvvays a handful more times in Vancouver, once at a UBC outdoor show, and once at the Commodore Ballroom warming up for the fantastic Courtney Barnett.
Alvvays then dropped off the map for a few years. In 2017, when they started to roll out their new singles, Sierra and I were travelling Europe together. I distinctly remembering logging onto a hostel shared computer in Split, Croatia, having heard of a new single from one of my favourite bands and desperately wanting to hear it. "In Undertow" burst through the tinny computer speakers, and I was immediately transported out of the grimy hostel communal room by the wall of shimmering guitars and ethereal beauty of Rankin's vocals. Alvvays would play a double night in 2018 in Edmonton in support of 2017's Antisocialites, and I attended both nights, desperate for any live music coming to our northern outpost. In the summer of 2018, Sierra and I would also catch Alvvays in the heat of a Montreal parking lot at Osheaga Music Fest.
Fast forward another 4 years and a global pandemic, and Alvvays is somehow back with their best album yet. "Belinda Says" takes your heart in a grip of nostalgia from the first note. At just 2:45, this is short song, but Rankin needs only a few short lines to bring you into her heartbreaking depiction of a too-soon pregnancy. Rankin easily conjures up these crushing scenes to tell the tale:a teenaged Blue Rev vodka cooler slugged behind the rink; a collect call to a fleeing partner or disappointed parent; the move to the country with Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven on is a Place on Earth" sputtering through the car stereo. It is truly an opus packed into a power pop package - crushing, beautiful, emotional, nostalgic, yet catchy and singable.
Alvvays makes their way back to Alberta in early March this year, and I am happy to be going to the show with my now-fiancé - funny how music earmarks our life.
