- The Front Bottoms– “HELP”
After nine years of operating as an independent emo-punk band, New Jersey’s the Front Bottoms rose to the majors when they signed with the label Fueled By Ramen in 2015. The grittier production of past releases may be gone, but their latest album Back On Top leaves their wit and punky spirit intact. Nowhere is this more evident than in “HELP”, a rousing shuffle on which frontman Brian Sella professes his love to a girl who he likens to a poison coursing through his veins. “Some people no matter how much money they make/ can’t get out of their own way,” he later sings on the bridge, reflecting the newfound fame his band has received. The honest and autobiographical songwriting that initially garnered the group attention remains the focal point through which the entire operation revolves around.
- Carly Rae Jepsen- “Run Away With Me”
For a while, it looked like Carly Rae Jepsen was doomed to one hit wonder purgatory forever. Four years ago, it was impossible to escape “Call Me Maybe”, the pop smash that spawned numerous lip sync YouTube videos from celebrities and entire football teams. Thankfully, she has no need to worry. “Run Away With Me”, the opener from 2015’s stellar Emotion, shows her growing not only as an artist, but as a songwriter. A glistening saxophone announces Jepsen’s resurgence into the pop consciousness and sleek verses decked out with Big ‘80s drums explode into one of the strongest choruses of the year. She asks us to escape with her into the night and we have no choice but to take her hand and go.
- Kendrick Lamar- “The Blacker The Berry”
“I’m the biggest hypocrite of 2015,” raps Kendrick Lamar, the most exciting rapper today on the visceral “The Blacker The Berry”. Lamar turned the modern rap scene upside down with the release of To Pimp A Butterfly, an incendiary statement that has the MC taking on personas, telling vivid stories, and including free jazz samples for one hell of a rap odyssey. “The Blacker The Berry” bottles the main themes of the record (race stereotypes, privilege, gang violence) into a five minute tirade that fires in all directions.
- Chvrches- “Empty Threat”
Nobody in the contemporary music scene does synth-pop better than Chvrches. After bursting onto the scene in 2013 with an immaculate debut record, the Scottish trio’s follow-up, Every Open Eye, picks up immediately where they left off. One of the more upbeat songs in their repertoire, “Empty Threat” raises the stakes (and BPM) to new heights. Shimmering keys blend seamlessly with Lauren Mayberry’s spritely chirp that has only grown surer with time.
- Tame Impala- “Eventually”
Upon first listen, it’s hard to tell that “Eventually” is a breakup song. Tame Impala mastermind, Kevin Parker, adds twinkling synths to his trademark psychedelic guitars and pairs them with lyrics about the demise of a relationship. “I know that I’ll be happier/ and I know you will too/eventually,” sings Parker while a surly bassline and clattering drums keep the track chugging along. On the new album Currents, the frontman is constantly looking ahead in time. Maybe he doesn’t realize the future is already here, he brought it.
- Miguel- “coffee”
There’s a love song by any R&B singer, and then there’s a love song by Miguel. With a lustful tenderness, he discovers tiny details in intimate settings, enhancing the already captivating, widescreen music behind him. “I wish I could paint our love/ these moments in vibrant hues,” he sings as a humming bass carries this sunrise jam into the stratosphere. Where his other contemporaries like the Weeknd and Jeremih focus more on the salacious aspects of the bedroom, Miguel makes sex sound like religion.
- Drake- “Hotline Bling”
Sporting the most ubiquitous opening lyric in music this year, Drake’s “Hotline Bling” ascended not only the rap charts, but dominated the pop charts as well. “You used to call me on my cell phone,” laments the Torontonian to a former flame while a cha-cha beat ambles behind him. The rapper (and semi-talented singer) put his home city, on the map in 2015 as the center of an urban musical renaissance. His words paint a vivid picture of “champagne glasses out on the dancefloor”, girls he’s “never seen before”, and other questionable late night behavior. While his crooning isn’t noteworthy, Drake still pours everything he has into his performance (not unlike the accompanying viral music video that features him dancing as if no one’s watching). But at this point in his career, it’s the exact opposite-all eyes are on Drake.
- Justin Bieber- “What Do You Mean?”
A year ago, the very thought of superstar Justin Bieber being taken seriously as a musician was a ludicrous idea, but here we are, and he’s arguably had the biggest year of his life. With a litany of run- ins with the law and other public gaffs to his name, it looked like Bieber’s personal life would always overshadow his professional one. Aligning with producers Diplo and Skrillex last February proved to be fruitful for the 21-year-old singer as it gave him his first new song in three years, “Where Are Ü Now” an exotic EDM jaunt. But it wasn’t until the summer when “What Do You Mean?” was unleashed that a full-blown resurrection of Bieber was underway. Pan flutes whistle while a tropical, marimba- inflected house beat underscores the singer’s moody pleas. The lyricism is basic (“First you want to go to the left/ then you turn right”), but at its core, that’s what this song is all about- unadorned emotions and human relationships. For the first time in his career, Bieber sounds like he’s found the light.
- The Weeknd- “Can’t Feel My Face”
Love being compared to a drug is a well-worn metaphor in music. “Can’t Feel My Face” by the Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) injects adrenaline into this widely used trope as R&B’s resident lothario exits the corners of shadowy after-hour clubs to claim the dancefloor on 2015’s peak pop moment. Under the direction of Top 40 uber-producer Max Martin, Thriller era drums and bass pulsate and Tesfaye’s voice is a smooth shot of vodka capping off the night.
- Major Lazer- “Lean On”
In the last five years, mainstream EDM has grown stale. Anyone can call themselves a “producer” with the right software (and basement setup) which has led to an oversaturated genre. “Lean On” from producer Diplo’s Major Lazer project reinvigorates EDM through its instantly memorable, Bollywood indebted beat drop. Danish singer MØ lays her smoky vocals over the churning, addictive rhythms and as soon as the track fades out, it cries to be played again. Repeat until pop bliss is achieved.