ARIA New Entry Review: September 2024

 "Sailor Song" by Gigi Perez

So this one is kind of interesting as Gigi Perez is an American singer/songwriter who notched her first ARIA singles charting song courtesy of it going viral and given my history with viral songs being rocky at best...I was concerned about what we'd get from this but as it turns out we got a decent torch song out of it! I don't precisely love it, the details feel a bit too broadly sketched but I won't mind if it sticks around. Good song.

"The Emptiness Machine" by Linkin Park

Oh boy, I was dreading having to review this song because there is no easy way to talk about the return of Linkin Park given the death of lead singer Chester Bennington and now the controversy around new lead singer Emily Armstrong and her contentious religious beliefs because the controversy kind of overshadowed the song a bit however it makes sense because "The Emptiness Machine' is basically a nothing of a song that really takes away from the talents of the band members other than Armstrong, why is Mike Shinoda singing when he is a better rapper than singer? The instrumental also just sounds stale...like the band are trying on a shoe that just doesn't quite fit. I think forgetting this song exists might be the best thing for everyone.

"It's Ok I'm Ok" by Tate McRae

So Tate McRae is clearly trying to fill the hole in 2020s pop music that was left by Britney Spears and yet I am left weirdly annoyed by her newest single which somehow bas less flavour than that of cardboard or dry museli because at least Britney had a deal of charisma but Tate McRae cannot sell this at all and the hook might the most annoying hook on a song I've heard all damn year. Yeah, Tate McRae keeps striking out for me,,,,next!

"Dancing In The Flames" by The Weeknd

The return of The Weeknd fels one of the biggest events of the back of half of this year which is in part why I am tonr on this opening salvo for his upcoming new album and honestly? I am not that impressed, the song sounds like a pale facsimile of songs that The Weeknd has done better in the past, the instrumental doesn't represent what dancing in those flames represent in terms of danger, it almost feels weirdly to fluffy coming from The Weeknd of all people so yeah not a fan of this and I wanted to be.

"Talk Talk" by Charli XCX feat. Troye Sivan

So this is a song for Charli XCX's Brat remix album and given this is actually one of the songs from Brat that I was not a fan of (Yes, I have heard "BRAT"...I get the appeal but it's just not for me) and yeah, this just doesn't work, it just sounds like a pile up of noise that neither Charli or Troye sound good over. Think I'll be moving on from this.

"Diet Pepsi" by Addison Rae

 Oh god. We really are now so bereft of pop stars that we turn to some social media personality turned wannabe singer Addison Rae for a song that tries to evoke diet Lana Del Rey vibes and while this per isn't terrible, it sure does make me want to go back to Lana Del Rey's last album and listen to that instead. 

Worst of the Month: "It's Ok I'm Ok" by Tate McRae 

Best of the Month: "Sailor Song" by Gigi Perez (A rough month overall and this wouldn't get BOTM in an otherwise stronger month but the song is pretty good)

ARIA Singles Chart New Entry Review: August 2024.

 "Guy For That" by Post Malone feat. Luke Combs

Third time's the charm with regard to this country album Post Malone is rolling out, right? "I Had Some Help" feat. Morgan Wallen has only gotten more shrill and insubstantial since it's release and while "Pour Me A Drink" feat. Blake Shelton was marginally better however forgettable it is but again, there's apart of me wondering if Posty is pulling on a few too many old country tropes, well thankfully this song isn't about drinking, it's more about how he has people for fixing things like flat tyres etc but when it comes to fixing a broken heart..there's no one that can do that for this girl. 

Now this song has problems, its too short and could have afforded a third verse and a bridge plus why does Post Malone's vocal pick up sound so choppy and why is Post allowing Luke Combs to just steal the show from him on a song that's for his album? Overall the song isn't terrible but it's by no means good either.

"Guess" by Charli XCX feat. Billie Eilish

2024 is almost certainly the year of being incredibly horny and Brat so when Charli XCX invited Billie Eilish onto a remix of this song which is all about underwear and what Charli has got going on "down there" and yeah...it god damn works better as a duet than it did as a Charli XCX solo song. Billie absolutely nails the incredibly horny vibe of the song with her verse  claiming the underwear being worn is a pair brought in Tokyo...fucking love this. Check it out.                                                                                                                    

"Big Dawgz" by Hunamankind and Kalmi\

So Indian rap has crossed over to the charts with this song from Indian rapper Hunamankind and his producer Kalmi and you know I do hear the appeal with the warping instrumentation courtesy of the production from Kalmi but Hunamankind's vocals just don't do anything for me and when the lyrics don't do any heavy lifting...yeah...I'm going to move on real quick from this. 

"Apple" by Charli XCX

The slow drip of songs charting from "Brat" has been interesting to say to the least especially as this is probably one of the better songs from the album to have charted, probably because it reminds me the most of the early 90s big beat era and Charli XCX is introspectively exploring the relationship between her, parents and the rest of her family. I dig this, check it out even if like me you are having an "Well, there is other music" winter. 

"Backbone" by Chase & Status feat. Stormzy

So Chaase and Status are a UK electronic duo who have gotten a lot of praise from UK critics for their production work and that is certainly true here as the production on this song has a lot of bite and menace to it, it certainly sounds intimidating but then there's the track's guest feature and why this song has gotten so big out of the blue...Stormzy. I am sorry but his vocals do not add to the menacing or intimidating atmosphere set by Chase and Status especially when tbe lyrics are mostly just empty as hell flexing. I'll take the instrumental and move on. 

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"I Love You, I'm Sorry" by Gracie Abrams

Oh yay, another Gracie Abrams track hitting the charts and it's just not very good at all. on between the clingy "I just cannot get over you, I still love you" and yet it comes across as bland and cookie cutter as oatmeal biscuitsand cardboard. It just sounds like bog standard indie nonsense that got cut to ribbons in the 2010s, Pass. 

"Die With A Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars

In the early 2010s, this collab probably would have seen erections so big in the music industry, sales of Viagra would have probably taken a dip however in 2024, there's been an oddly sedate reaction to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars finally getting on a song together and it's hard to gage why especially as Lady Gaga hasn't really been that active in the music scene since Chromatica in 2020, you'd think people would be chomping at the bit for new Lady Gaga music 

All that preamble to say that I absolutely love this song, yeah, the song is a bit too squeaky clean to really pull off the throwback but this harmonies connect even if I think Bruno is a tad too loud in the mix but yeah this works as something of a pop/rock power balla. It's worth giving a chance, check it out.

"Taste" by Sabrina Carpenter

So I haven't heard all of Sabrina Carpenter's new album "Short 'n' Sweet" but I have been able to hear this song on the radio and via streaming and I think this song might be the best of the three singles more because it's got this coursing guitar on the verses that I am actually a sucker for however I will also add that it does sound like a "great value" Olivia Rodrigo song that Olivia would perform vocally with much greater hitting impact than Sabrina does, in any case, it's still good, check it out. 

"Kisses by Bl3ss x CamrinWatson feat. bbyclose"

So I cannot find any information about any of the artists involved in this song. I'm not surprised this is charting either it sounds like something that is pretty Brat by Charli XCX adjacent except without the swagger or punch that puts the aong over the top especially those vocals that sound like they had a child filter put over her voice. Other than that and some pretty generic lyrics that I forgot moments after hearing them, there's just not much to this song, Time to move on.

"The Door" by Teddy Swims

Oh look it's the better of the two Teddy Swims singles, thankfully "The Door" isn't as stiff and as controlled as "Lose Control" and does have a looser vibe to it which Teddy Swims can play into a lot more convincingly The content of this song is incredibly dark with Swims singing about walking out and getting away fron an abusive relationship in order to save his own life and yeah this one does hit hard. Damn good song that deserves to be a bigger hit than "Lose Control" ever was. Please check this out!

Worst of the Month: "I Love you, I'm Sorry" by Gracie Abrams

Honourable Mention: "The Door" by Teddy Swims, "Guess" by Charli XCX and Billie Eilish

Best of the Month: "Die With A Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars

ARIA Singles New Entry Review: July 2024. Brat! The Month of the Unwanted Comebacks

"Us" by Grace Abrams feat. Taylor Swift

I have absolutely no interest in checking out that new Gracie Abrams album. I haven't been at all impressed with the singles but maybe there would be something that could make me change my mind and look, it did come with the Taylor Swift feature so maybe I had some hope. Well no,...because this sounds like a song that was scrapped by Swift during the making of "The Tortured Poets Departmeht" and is nowhere near as interesting. Fast forward this one.

"Devil is A Lie" by Tommy Richman

So we are going to make Tommy Richman a thung now, "Million Dollar Baby" is a fine enough song but I was curious as to what Richman would follow it up with and we got "Million Dollar Baby" part 2. Richman has a formula and he is going to stick with it come hell or high water and as a result, I don;'t really care for this as much as "Million Dollar Baby", it's kind of weak.

"Pour Me A Drink" by Post Malone feat. Blake Shelton

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Second go around with "country" Post Malone and this apparent flirt with country, this time trading out Morgan Wallen for Blake Shelton and this is a little better even if Posty and Blake have very little by way of vocal interplay in a song where they are begging for somebody to pour them a drink. Ehh...it's fine enough but nothing to write home about.,..that's all. 

"Nights Like This" by The Kid Laroi

We could have moved on from this Juice WRLD carbon copy with worse vocals, Australia, we really could have but truth be told The Kid Laroi is doing a manful job of being an Aussie on the ARIA singles chart right now but this is still somewhat of a generic Juice WRLD sounding dud. We could have done without a Kid Laroi comeback.

"Girl, So confusing" by Charli XCX feat. Lorde 

So  I haven't listened to "BRAT" apart from the songs that hit the ARIA singles chart, Charli's music just doesn't do much for me generally so I have avoided it so to not rain on the parade of those having a BRAT summer or winter but this charted courtesy of a remix featuring Lorde and yeah, this is actually pretty damn good, mostly because it addresses some issues that had gone on between Charli and Lorde. Check this song out even if you are like me and having a non Brat season

"Girls" by The Kid Laroi

The second Kid Laroi song this month and I'll give it this, that hook is somewhat catchy but that's not saying much when The Kid Laroi has the enthusiasm of stiff cardboard in his vocal delivery. This actually could have been really good but just winds up being thoroughly mediocre so yeah, I am hitting fast forward on this one

"Hot To Go!" by Chappell Roan

Its weird how easily Chappell Roan songs from "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess" have crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100...seriously both "Red Wine Supernova" and "Pink Pony Club" are flying up the Hot 100 yet "Hot to Go!" is the only song to cross over to the ARIA top 50 in Australia, what gives, Aussies? Anyway, this song is not the best on the album but it's still really damn good and Chappell is just absolutely brilliant on here, it's still worth checking out as is the whole album.

"Misses" by Dominic Fike

Oh speaking of unwanted comebacks...Dominic Fike is back on the charts with this mess that sounds utterly terrible that tries to be sincere in the lyrics but winds up dripping in less sincerity than a damn Donald Trump rally speech. It's also noticeably undercooked in the production. Yeah, this is another fast forward...time to move on from this junk

"Lies Lies Lies" by Morgan Wallen

Sigh...Kind of disappointed that Morgan Wallen didn't release a song called "Chairs Chairs Chairs" given what he is currently confronting in his private life but we get this instead and it's fine...I guess?  Wallen has worse songs out there (*glares at "Thinkin' 'bout Me"*). Its a song about where Wallen is admitting that he is lying about  his drinking habits and behaviour to his partner because addiction is hard to get over. This isn't as bad as it could have been, check it out if you are curious.

"Tobey" by Eminem feat Big Sean and Babytron

So Eminem did indeed get an album bomb for his new album but this will be the only song I am going to be covering from it because yeah...I did not care for the album at all but "Tobey" was one of the better songs from the album and that's literally not because of Eminem himself but because of  both Big Sean and Babytron, both of whom deliver focussed and somewhat punchy verses to the point I am curious for what Big Sean has coming! Overall, this is pretty solid but nothing spectacular.

"Tough" by Quavo feat. Lana Del Rey

This was an unexpected collab and definitely one that gave me "This is going to be a mess" vibes going in and well...it's fine? The song lyrically feels a bit overwritten which kind of makes sense when you realize that a fourteen year old aspiring country singer is one of the co writers but otherwise the instrumentation is kind of pretty and Quavo and Lana have some decent chemistry, it's solid, check it out if you are curious

"Kehlani" by Jordan Adetunji

It kind of sucks a song using Kehlani's name in the title charts but nothing from Kehlani's mostly decent last album hasn't charted especially as I don't think this is anything worth caring about especially as this is just a song where this UK based rapper is trying to hook up with a girl he compares to Kehlani somehow and I don't know, the song just feels overall skeevy, I am going to forget this exists if it doesn't creep me out.

"28" byZach Bryan

Considering that male singer/songwriter types are currently what is appealing to the audience, I am kind of sad that more of "The Great American Bar Scene" didn't cross over especially as the album is pretty damn great with "28" being one of the stand out cuts from the album but it's also the song that sounds really close to Jason Isbell and that is a massive compliment! Zach Bryan reminiscing about loveless birthdays and now finally feeling content with somebody he loves, damn great song. 

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"360" by Charli XCX

Another song from Brat and this one is actually better than "Girl, so confusing", mainly because the song is short and catchy, there's a punch to this that WORKS so damn well and Charli sounds great over this. Ehh...what else can I say, this one works for me. Nice one , Charli.

Worst of the Month: "Nights Like This" by The Kid Laroi

Dishonourable Mention: "Misses" by Dominic Fike

Honourable Mention: "Hot To Go!: by Chappell Roan

Best of the Week: "28" by Zach Bryan

ARIA New Singles Review: June 2024.

"Pink Skies" by Zach Bryan

So the timing of this review is interesting considering I am writing this in the same week that Zach Bryan releases his new album "The Great American Bar Scene" with this song being the lead single for it and...I really like this! Sure, it's not Zach's best but it is a somewhat raw song where he is describing attending a funeral and a series of events that happened at this funeral and yeah the more stripped back arrangement does lend the song some weight and pathos, I like it, keen to hear the album.

"Band4Band" by Central Cee and Lil Baby

So I guess we were due to have a Central Cee song hit the charts in 2024, only this time he brought along Lil Baby and I have to be honest, there's really not much to this, its just Central Cee and Lil Baby basically whining and flexing over another lazy beat. Central Cee kicks off the song complainung about flights being delayed for goodness sake. Either way, this is really forgettable...let's move on.

"Houdini" by Eminem

Oh look, its return of Eminem and he is touting the death of his alter ego Slim Shady for this new album cycle, this time with a song that bares the same title as a Dua Lipa song earlier this year...and I am not going to mince words...this sucks and in ways that are hard to quantify but let's start with that sample of Steve Miller Band's terrible 1982 hit "Abracadabra" which sounds somewhat downtuned while Eminem makes a Megan Thee Stallion being shot joke and some really other cringey bars around trans people and others...ugh...this is garbage, See my worst list at the end of the year for this song.

"Please Please Please" by Sabrina Carpenter

Ahh, a reprieve from the mediocre to outright nonsense hitting the charts this month because it's time to deal with the new Sabrina Carpenter single. "Espresso" has only gotten more annoying and insubstantial everytime I have heard it...a decent if over mixed groove doesn't go far enough to hide the song's obvious flaws. I will say that "Please Please Please" is somewhat better in that the groove isn't as over produced and it does sound like a 60s bubblegum song with a more modern twist but again I am left struggling with Sabrina's vocals which hit between an Ariana Grande coo and so sugar sweet that if a person can give you diabetes by singing...this song would. I don't mind the song but overplay might kill it for me.

"Close to You" by Gracie Abrams

So we jump from one Taylor Swift tour opening act to another, while I have liked one or two songs from Gracie Abrams, I have never been impressed by her that much so this was an opportunity to win me over and unfortunately this doesn't do it for me, it sounds like a really horrendous Instagram or Tik Tok song for teenage girls who think they are so edgy because they shop at Supre or Forever 21 but is so gummy that it lacks any bite whatsoever. I'll forget about this in record time.

"The Man He Sees In Me" by Luke Combs

So I have been a bit surprised with just how quick Luke Combs has released a new album this year, you'd think with the success of the "Fast Car" cover, he'd sit back and take a break but no, in stead we got that song for the Twisters movie soundtrack and now this song for his new album about father-son relationships and yeah, this hits hard even with it not being my favourite from the album, it's a song that where Luke sings about wondering what kind of man his sons see him to be and hoping he is living in a manner where they see him in a good way. Great song, definitely check out the album!

"High Road" by Koe Wetzel feat. Jessie Murph 

Just me or is Jessie Murph doing a lot of country or country adjacent features this year? She's got that song with Jelly Roll and now this with Texas country star Koe Wetzel and yeah...this sucks, for a lovr song, it just sounds curdled and sour and Jessie Murph doesn't really add much to it so yeah this is absolutely a skip.

Worst of the Mionth: "Houdini" by Eminem

Dishonourable Mention: High Road" by Koe Wetzel feat. Jessie Murph

Honourable Mention: "Pink Skies" by Zach Bryan

Best of the Month: "The Man He Sees In Me" by Luke Combs.

ARIA Singles Chart New Entry Review: April/May. A serving of nasty ugly rap beef.

 "Like That" by Future and Metro Boomin feat. Kendrick Lamar

This is a diss track aimed at Drake where Kendrick Lamar pretty much goes off on Drake which has triggered one hell of a rap beef with it feels like everyone in rap piling in on Drake (we'll get to one such song later) and the song really does circulate around that one verse from Kendrick where he just takes aim at Drake and J Cole's song "First Person Shooter" and sets in train for what was to come. Overall not bad but it really does now feel like a scene setter...

"Million Dollar Baby" by Tommy Richman

Ahh here we go, Tik Tok blasts another one to chart success, this time, Tommy Richman who is an American rapper, singer and songwriter with this being his break out hit and look, I do actually get the appeal of this, it sounds like a song that has been around for years and could have come out in the 60s or 70s but man, does it sound like it was made with the TikTok crowd in mind. I don't hate this but I also don't really love it, not going to complain if this disappears to be honest.

"Good Luck, Babe!" by Chappell Roan

I've known about Chappell Roan for awhile now, she's an American midwest pop act who definitely has a bit of that theatre burlesque type presence who released her debut album "The Rise and Fall of a Mid West Princess" last year to a lot of critical praise and since toured with Olivia Rodrigo (they share the same producer in Danuel Nigro) with this song appearing to be a loose single to capitalise on attention from touring with Olivia and...yeah, while this is not better than "Red Wine Supernova", "Pink Pony Club" or "Casual", it's still really damn good with Roan looking back on how a secret relationship with another woman fell apart because of this idea of enforced heteronormativity aka man and woman. 

Also does anyone else hear the Kate Bush influence in this song? I sure do, Check this song out. 

"Euphoria" by Kendrick Lamar

So for the next few songs we are dealing with songs from the biggest rap beef possibly ever with Kendrick Lamar firing this shot at Drake and honestly...it might be the best of the disses that charted as Kendrick switches up his flow to warn Drake that if he continues to lie about Kendrick's family and Kendrick himself than the truth about Drake will be put out there and it won't just be subs thrown either as these two have been doing for years now. The atmosphere around the production from here also feels truly menacing and a definite sign that things were about to get quite real...

So low and behold...

"Family Matters"  by Drake

And from here, this is where the beef gets uncomfortably nasty because holy hell, do the accusations fly here and there are some really funny bars but Drake really isn't beating around the bush with the allegations of domestic abuse aimed directly at Kendrick  but along the way hitting out at Future, Metro Boomin, Rick Ross and The Weeknd to the point that instead of being laser pointed on Kendrick, it has the feel of Drake firing at all comers from the corner and while it's not bad and Kendrick hasn't really responded to the claims Drake made...Drake could have done better with a more focussed and refined verse,

"Meet The Grahams"  by Kendrick Lamar

Less than an hour after Drake released "Family Matters", Kendrick fired back with a murky piano sample where he addresses Drake's family one by one including his son, parents, a secret daughter and then Drake himself and this song gets really uncomfortable right from the get go because Kendrick opens the song with "Dear Adonis, I am sorry that that man is your father, let me be honest"...like whoa if somebody come up to me and said that about my dad, I'd be horrified but that's not the worst of it as Kendrick goes in hard on these accusations that Drake takes drugs and is a paedophile on verses aimed at Drake's parents, directs a lot of sympatby to a daughter that Drake apparently has before addressing Drake himself and accusing Drake of lying about everything from his religious views to the existence of this child, It's a song that I honestly skip because it's not an easy song to listen to at all. 

"Not Like Us" by Kendrick Lamar

So I am going to stress this because I think it bares so worth saying for as much as I love Mustard's beat here and some of the quotable lines here, I am not comfortable with this song at all especially as Kendrick doubles down on the allegations of Drake being a paedophile. hanging out with a crew of alleged paedophiles in the OVO bubble and how Drake rode on the backs of other rappers to get where he is now. The funny bars are rampant here with "certified lover boy, certified paedophiles", "why you trolling like a bitch, ain't you tired, tryna strike a chord and it's probably a minor" and "Lemme hear you say Ovhoe" but yeab, this song is still nasty and creates this discomfort watching people party to this song given its content. Don't be a surprised if even for as much as I like it, it's not on my best list at the end of the year, just saying,

"I Had Some Help" by Poat Malone and Morgan Wallen

Now we're out the other side of the rap beef, lets deal with the big new hit from Post Malone who is going country and bringing with him the chairs of the roofs of bars slinger Morgan Wallen with him and I have to be honest here because this song is just mediocre at best, it's a song all about how this other person in their lives is enabling their alcohol addiction, shame the verses are sing songy to the point of annoying and Morgan Wallen still sounds distractingly nasal on any song he is on, Yeah, I am going to hope for better from Post Malone. 

"Stargazing" by Myles Smith

Myles Smith is a British folktronica singer and songwriter with this song being his break out and hit and...I wish I cared for it as much as everyone else does, I mean it's fine but it just does nothing for me. I'd rather Avicii instead. 

"Lunch' by Billie Eilish

You know, it's interesting to remember how scandalised certain sections of the world were by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP" back in 2020 that I was expecting far right Christian fundamentalists lash Billie Eilish for this great and very funny song dedicated to eating this girl out for lunch and that she dances on  the tip of Billie's tongue. I guess when its as fun and as catchy as this...I don't blame the fundies for grooving to this. 

"Birds of a Feather"  by Billie Eilish

This is one of my favourite songs from that new Billie Eilish album because I just love how good Billie sounds over this production. Just a pretty song that leaves me with not much toi say to some degree except that the lyrics play to the notion that Billie wants this other person to stay with her until they die except unlike James Arthur in 2017, she doesn't overplay her hand. Damn good song that I am glad is sticking around.

"Ain't No Love in Oklahoma' by Luke Combs

So for some reason the culture has decided we need a new Twisters movie with this song being the first from the very country line up to be released by Luke Combs and look it's a respectfully good stab at coimtry rock song however this makes me think the people behind the soundtravk really wanted Chris Stapleton

Worst of the Month: Nothing too terrible this month. I'll give it to "Stargazing" by Myles Smith I guess.

Honourable Mention: "Birds of a Feather" ties with "Lunch" both by Billie Eilish

Best of the Month: "Good Luck, Babe" by Chappell Roan

My Top Ten Favourite Albums at the 2024 Mid year

So I have never done a mid year list like this before, mainly because I mostly deal with sdngs rather than albums here but I thought seeing as I enjoy hearing about the music everyone else is enjoying, I'd throw forth my own list of albums I am enjoying so far in 2024. Now I do want to say if you don't see your favourite album on this list than it's probably because I haven't heard it yet...nobody has heard every album that has come out this year...I feel behind as it is (Got a slew of albums on a list that I need to hear)

Anyway let's get to this list.

10. "Dark Times" by Vince Staples

Best Songs: "Little Homies", "Etoufee", "Freeman"

9. "Keep Me Fed" by The Warning

Best Songs: "Automatic Sun", "Escapism", "More"

8. "Love Ain't Pretty" by Charles Esten

Best Songs: "Willing To Try", :One Good Move". "Make You Happy"

7. "Prelude to Ecstasy" by The Last Dinner Party

Best Songs: "Caesar on a TV Screen", "Sinner", "Porttrait of a Dead Girl"

6. "The Heartbroken Record" by Lauren Watkins

Best Songs: "Gatlinburg", "Cowboys on Music Row" feat. Carter Faith, "Lovers Leave"

5. "Dangerous Men" by Addison Johnson

Best Songs: "The Busker",  'Waiting on the World to End", "End of a Rope"

4. "The Rose of Jericho" by Georgia Lines

Best Songs: "Trust", "The Letter", "Wayside"

3. "Hit Me Hard and Soft" by Billie Eilish

Best Songs: "Lunch", "Birds of a Feather", "Blue"

2. "Rise and Fall" by Scotty McCreery

Best Songs: "Cab in A Solo", "Little More Gone", "No Country For Old Men"

1. "Gravity Stairs" by Crowded House

Best Songs: "Some Greater Plan (For Claire)",  "Teenage Summer", "Blurry Grass"

The Super Short Top Ten Best Hit Songs of 2023

Let's be honest, 2023 was a wasteland for popular music but oddly enough I found plenty of stuff I like that made the year end of 2024 including a couple of songs that I was surprised but delighted to see made the year end list. It was an off year for pop in so many ways with plenty of the pop starlets opting to sit this year out or if they did release, they didn't impress me at all.

Anyway seeing as I am going to keep this super short, lets quickly go through the rules in case you don't know, a song can make this list if it debuted on ARIA's year end list for 2023 or appear higher on the 2023 year end list than it did on the 2022 list, Also this list is just my opinion so please don't get upset if your fave's song doesn't wind up here.

Now let's get stuck into this list'

10. "Escapism" by RAYE (Yeah, this faded on me a bit thanks mostly due to hearing it on the radio a lot but this is still an excellent song about somehow finding an escape from a terrible situation. By the way, check out RAYE's new single "Genesis")

9. "Miracle" by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding (Oh goodness, I didn't expect to love a god damn Calvin Harris trance song with Ellie Goulding just climbing straight to her lane, she sounds ethereal here. Love this!)

8. "Strangers" by Kenya Grace (Somehow I feel like this is going to be a one hit wonder which is unfortunate given her album "The Aftertaste" is really damn good and "Strangers" is apart of why, a drum 'n' bass song that delves into why they turn into strangers after kissing or talking for hours on end. It just became one of those songs I needed in 2023)

7. 'Lavender Haze"  by Taylor Swift (Of course a song from "Midnights" would make this list and it's the one that grew on me a lot since originally listening to the album, helps that the hook is damn sticky and the song is overall just a really tight slick pop song)

6. "Cruel Summer" by Taylor Swift (A song that became a hit and thus corrected history where because of COVID in 2020, this was not released as a single back then, that said "Cruel Summer" was always built to be a hit given that chorus and lines that actually make the song defiantly memorable)

5. "People" by Libianca (I was absolutely delighted that this song made the year end for 2023. Mostly because it's a song that nails what it's aiming for, a gentle afrobeats song where Libianca just wants people to stop for a moment and make sure that she is okay. I felt this one)

4. "I Remember Everything" by Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves (This song is the 2023 "Somebody That I Used to Know" with Kacey Musgraves the perfect choice to break through all of Zach Bryan's ego with some much needed context and spiked some of the ego aired by Bryan. This was also a much needed song given the rise of the utter garbage that was "Last Night" by Morgan Wallen and was all the antidote I needed)

3. "Fast Car" by Luke Combs (Yeah, this feels a little like cheating putting a cover of Tracy Chapman's 1988 classic "Fast Car" in this slot but honestly, I don't care, Luke Combs singing about this girl dreaming moving out of home to escape poverty and make something better of her life despite her mother up and leaving not coping with her husband's alcoholism, its a song that reminds everyione that if you want change in your life, sometimes you have to effect that change for yourself. What I also love is that Combs loved the song enough not make any weird changes to it and honestly...I think that was for the best).

2. "What Was I Made For" by Billie Eilish (For the longest time, this was going to be my number one, this piano ballad just hit a way too personal note that is really not one that I want to have to explain. Look, go listen to this song, its pretty self explanatory why it's so high on this list)

1. "Chemical" by Post Malone

2016 me would be horrified to see Post Malone at the top of a BEST hit songs list but in 2023, Post Malone's "Chemical" was the soing that I kept coming back to a little more so than "What Was I Mde For", it became the pop rock jam I needed even if it does feel like Post Malone cribbed a lot from his 2019 hit "Circles" but if that's the case, I can argue tbat "Chemical" is just a better version of "Circles" especially as "Chemical" is a song where Posty is admitting that he and this girl go round doing the same shit because yeah, its chemical and addictive, there's a high to be had in it, I honestly get it. 

It's also why it's the best hit song of 2023