My top ten songs 💃🏽 of 2024

This is not for you, Swiftie.

Dec 19, 2024

My top ten song list germinates in January with rolling Spotify playlists that accumulate around 15 songs per calendar month — predominantly a mix of hip-hop, eclectic electronic — largely melodic techno and deep house — though Spotify Wrapped described a “chill scratch future bass” period, whatever that sub-genre is — that are gradually whittled down into a master list of finalists that never equal 10.

This year, my finalists numbered 19 in total, and while I was tempted to list them *all* out of sheer gluttony, the editor in me reminded that “puppies need to be killed,” an old journalistic idiom that instructs an author that even his most elegantly produced sentences deserve to be trimmed in consideration of the reader. I dabbled with the idea of *12* due to lingering indecision but as I listened and re-listened, pitting songs against each other back-to-back in earbuds during workouts, on metro rides, while mixing cocktails and through brushing teeth, I settled on *10*, the most resonant, constant and acceptable numeral this time of year.

This is a free post to all subscribers because I genuinely do believe in the mantra that great friends share good new music. I spend copious amounts of time listening to and watching my own taste evolve each year, from the fairytale futuristic bliss of San Holo to the bombastic synths of Flume and into the other-worldly vision of Afterlife. Some constant staples will never be altered. (No, you can’t kill Kanye.) On my 2024 list, you’ll spot a mainstream artist who had a breakout year (a rarity for my selects), a disco-infused track propelled by sultry dreamlike lyrics and a full cinematic sweep embedded in the top track of the year, delivered by my current favorite techno duo, Mind Against. (Yes, you’ll spot a Kanye track too. Never fuck with grandma’s sauce.) I can’t track the amount of times one of these songs picked me up out of a lugubrious mood, lifted my confidence, transformed my motivation or involuntarily caused my body to gyrate in private or public. I now bestow this beloved list of 10 in all its iridescence. (See the Spotify link to the playlist below.) All I expect in return is for you to share some of your favorites with me, and if any of the drops on my list tickled your ear, to share this list with others. Oh and yes, why not get a friend to subscribe here while you’re at it …