The Best Songs of 2020
Written by Nathan Evans
The past 365 days have seen music shift away from the land of make-believe. We’ve seen songs about quarantine, songs about the Black Lives Matter protests, songs about the US election. There was a reactionary tone to the songs of the year, that sometimes made what was going on outside feel all too real, but also provided comfort in this grave hardship. Here are the best 50 from the year we never thought possible.
For sake of disclaiming, the first 25 songs will be run down with a small description no more than 5 words, to get the general gist of each and being more to-the-point, then the top 25 will be more in-depth. Some entries were released at the tail end of 2019, but only made the list because they are a part of a larger project released in 2020, and came to greater prominence this year. Apple Music and Spotify playlists are available at the end of the artlcle.
Finally, the descriptions of these songs will not attempt to draw greater meaning on the pandemic and being quarantined like every other list out there definitely will. These tracks deserve way better than to be tied to such an awful period in our lives.
50. Victoria Monet, Khalid & SG Lewis - Experience (breathy, sensual electro-R&B)
49. Red Axes - Arpman (sparse, throbbing club-night closer)
48. Jamie xx - idontknow (whiplash-inducing tribal house)
47. Ty Dolla $ign ft. Kanye West, FKA twigs & Skrillex - Ego Death (FKA twigs + house music = perfection)
46. Cautious Clay - Dying in the Subtlety (eloquently-written funk-pop)
45. Yaeji ft. Nappy Nina - Money Can’t Buy (outlandish, guttural bass house)
44. Jensen McRae - Wolves (earnest storytelling about dangerous figures)
43. 645AR - Yoga (endearingly infantile Tik-Tok banger)
42. Machinedrum ft. Freddie Gibbs - Kane Train (wonky and crunked gangsta rap)
41. The Avalanches ft. Jamie xx, Neneh Cherry & CLYPSO - Wherever You Go (space-soul / acid bass mashup)
40. Fleet Foxes - Sunblind (salvation in wake of death)
39. SZA ft. Ty Dolla $ign - Hit Different (bringing the Neptunes to 2020)
38. Jorja Smith - Rose Rouge (espionage film-esque lounge jazz)
37. Anderson .Paak - Lockdown (the definitive lockdown-BLM statement)
36. Billie Eilish - my future (a toast to living single)
35. Sault - Hard Life (two-part journey of of struggle)
34. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist ft. Tyler, the Creator - Something to Rap About (sublime yacht rap)
33. Alexandra Savior - Soft Currents (supple ode to bad luck)
32. Charli XCX - forever (quarantine toast to unforeseeable friendships)
31. Christine and the Queens - People I’ve been sad (lonely Parisian electro-pop)
30. Frank Ocean - Cayendo (Sango Remix) (sadboi hours + New Orleans bounce)
29. Yves Tumor - Gospel For a New Century (alien psych-punk)
28. Lady Gaga - Stupid Love (purely pureile dance-pop)
27. Moses Boyd - BTB (art-deco jazz-funk)
26. Rejjie Snow, MF DOOM & Cam O'bi - Cookie Chips (laidback, sunny psych-rap)
25: Lianne La Havas - Can’t Fight
Sweeping over the emotional turning point of her self-titled album, Lianne La Havas’ ‘Can’t Fight’ possesses a nimble hook whose innocent charm masks a hurtful obsession for her lover. Co-written and produced by Guernsey whizkid Mura Masa, just a tinny guitar, bossa-nova drums and light string accompaniment were all that’s needed to transmit the message so evocatively. Havas’ vocal harmonies hit like concentrated serotonin throughout; “I tried to run, but got my heart stuck / I can’t fight away this love”.
24: Odunsi the Engine - luv in a mosh
It’s difficult to make a striking impression in just over 90 seconds, but Nigerian psych-rap specialist Odunsi the Engine has a knack for getting to the crux of his ideas. Acting as the first attraction in the world of his 2020 EP, EVERYTHING YOU HEARD IS TRUE, ‘luv in a mosh’ is a technicolour nightclub scene set to slow-motion. Viscous synths wrap around his multiplicitous voice as he croons “shawty gon’ ride ‘til I’m bussing” as though it’s the pinnacle of human beauty. That he makes this so convincing is an achievement in and of itself.
23: Dua Lipa - Levitating
The 20-year nostalgia cycle has finally entered the 2000s (an era that had itself was going through a nostalgic obsession with the 80s), and Dua Lipa capitalised on this by abseiling back to the best pop of that time period. A key influence on ‘Levitating’ is the wave of throwback disco that flooded the UK charts at the turn of the millennium: think Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Kylie Minogue and French house movement. Every piece of the puzzle is machine-refined to lodge itself into your brain rent-free, a sign that Lipa has achieved the elusive ‘pop perfection’.
22: Disclosure, Aminé & slowthai - My High
Disclosure finally returned to album mode after a few gap years, and kicked up a storm with ENERGY standout ‘My High’. Supercharging the rattling percussion of UK garage with a newfound intensity, it shows a progression from the Settle days that calls back to the dance music of the 2000s. Freshened with squeaky bass tones and a punchy pace, it’s primed for Aminé and slowthai to spin talismanic performances.
21: Drake ft. Lil Durk - Laugh Now Cry Later
The world reached ‘Peak Drake’ a long time ago, but every now and then he does pull through with a sticky, good-times song. Ceremonial horns, a welcome feature from Lil Durk and that infectious “.....baby” hook line, it’s undoubtedly a repeat of the same victory lap we’ve seen time and time again, but it’s still enjoyable viewing.
20: Thundercat ft. Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington & Childish Gambino - Black Qualls
Thundercat has positioned himself as a go-to figure for body-morphing funk, and on ‘Black Qualls’, the bassist invites three other funk saviours for a shimmering, glitter-curtain bout in the smokiest club in the universe. Flipping between a sweaty, thumping groove and a satin-textured release, Thundercat describes himself becoming paranoid about being sucked into the trappings of fame, “and I bought a brand new ride, am I keeping it real?”. Then he brings in each guest one by one, ending with a bright spotlight on Childish Gambino. Slap this sucker on for premium good times; “no more living in fear”.
19: SG Lewis - Chemicals
In 2020, SG Lewis refound his voice, figuratively and literally. The producer has been looking to evolve past his EP trilogy Dusk, Dark, and Dawn, and has found a hyper-buoyant, windswept electro-funk sound that feels like another level-up. He even takes vocal duties here, a rare treat that comes around about once every project, and tells a tale of the addition of drugs to a budding romance - “I might be seeing double but you’re still the one”. Capped off with a soaring synth-horn melody, ‘Chemicals’ is the stadium-sized entrance his debut 2021 album deserves.
18: Flume ft. Toro y Moi - The Difference
Since his incredible, freeing mixtape Hi This Is Flume from last year, Flume has had a happy-go-lucky carelessness in the direction of his music. He doesn’t seem to be plotting a larger project, just scatter-gunning singles as he pleases in the manner of a scientific testing ground. ‘The Difference’ is a fantastic offshoot from this brain that’s landed by our feet. Hybridising drum-and-bass with overblown drums and an energising vocal sample on the breakdown, Toro y Moi is all that’s left to bring this one together.
17: Moses Sumney - Polly
Closing out the first disc of Moses Sumney’s masterful græ, it seems oddly perfect to end such an expansive suite with a track so insular and homely. Here, Sumney is alone, going through a sombre realisation that he is stretching himself, “octopusing” himself to breaking point, just to be noticed by his amore. His intimate vocal harmonies paint the portrait gorgeously, showing just the right amount of restraint for a character doing the exact opposite.
16: Megan Thee Stallion & Beyoncé - Savage (Remix)
When the ‘Savage’ remix dropped in late April, the world had already come to love the original’s juicy, infectious beat, alongside Megan Thee Stallion’s collected and confident flows and her equally self-assured hook, which seemed to come straight out of the oven ready for Tik-Tok. Then, less than two months after ‘Savage’ was released as a part of her Suga EP, the remix featuring pop music’s demigod happened; a Houston reunion that bolstered the track in new ways. The most vivacious verses and moments from the original are sewn together tightly with new verses and ad-libs from Beyoncé to create chemistry so turbo-charged, one could be forgiven for believing Meg was a former Destiny’s Child. In short, they killed the remix harder than Carole Baskin did her husband (allegedly).
15: King Krule - Cellular
There’s something about King Krule. Knowing that each song comes with an irreparable misery heightened by his signature jazz-punk amalgam, yet it’s tones and feelings are addictive. ‘Cellular’ opens up his most outlier album yet, and presents the rough sketchings of a hallucinatory love that’s “lost connection”, with a lofty atmosphere grounded by a pouncing drum rhythm. His lyrics are even more impenetrable than usual, but paint an abstract feeling of isolation despite having his cell phone, which should be an impossibility in the age of extreme connection, but as we all know, only exacerbates it.
14: Mac Miller - Good News
Connections to this song run deep. Released without prior notice as the first offering from rapper Mac Miller’s posthumous final album, ‘Good News’ was a pivot towards pure songwriting, pouring out an achingly-sincere guitar track that details his most depressive thoughts. “Good news, good news, good news, that’s all they wanna hear” is a crushing hook line that tells of a man feeling pressured to suppress his negative feelings, meanwhile Jon Brion’s earnest strings bring a comforting light as counterweight. In the context of Miller’s death, this song in particular takes a heavy toll. There is a silver lining though - after a troubled life in the public eye, Mac sounds finally at peace.
13: Joji ft. Lil Yachty - Pretty Boy
How George Miller has transitioned from edgy YouTube outcast to artful popstar is remarkable to see. Throughout, there’s always been an understood distance between him and his audience, first in hiding behind the freakish characters he used to do unspeakable things online, to now talking about himself almost only through his music. This doesn’t mean he refrains from being unguarded; ‘Pretty Boy’ sticks out from his new project Nectar not just for its bass-intensive beat, but for its insanely catchy hook that tells of the inner sadness that comes with living in the vapid sectors of LA. Lil Yachty turns in one of his greatest performances ever, adding another colourful dimension to the track’s dark predicament.
12: slowthai, James Blake & Mount Kimbie - feel away
Few could have foreseen slowthai still continuing his revolution after winning ‘Hero of the Year’ at the 2020 NME Awards, in which, ironically, he confronted hecklers head-on and had interactions with presenter Katherine Ryan that was uncomfortable to watch. His response, after a few treacherous loose cuts, was to open up like a flesh wound. Reverberating puddles of piano set the tone for him to dig below his rascal character, in a rain-soaked display of love to his partner. Thai’s solemn, dulled singing on the chorus is a fitting baton for James Blake to take over, whose lyrics trade off straightforwardness and poeticism (“I leave the dent in my car / to remind me what I could have lost”) as though he’s been possessed by slowthai. UK hip-hop is much richer with him around, and is fast becoming as soulful and boundary-pushing as its American counterpart.
11: Chloe x Halle - Ungodly Hour
Chloe x Halle have up until now felt like an industry plant of sorts. Plucked from YouTube by Beyoncé and given a record deal as kids, they’ve happily matured into rigorous songwriters on Ungodly Hour; the LP’s title song shows that they may be wise beyond their years. Lavishly produced by Disclosure, their swirling deep-house bounce weaves through the sisters’ epistle for their lover to come back when they are grown and can show them something different. Their glamorous vocal tone give hints of Motown, as though their talent has been honed the hard way, but equally, Chloe x Halle have found the joys in playing things loose.
10: James Blake - You’re Too Precious
James Blake has had the most prolific year of his career so far, and that’s without even releasing an album. There are so many different contenders for this list, be it the dark dance floor-primed material from his Before EP, or his piano covers that stemmed from his solo piano performances on Instagram live at the start of lockdown. But ‘You’re Too Precious’, an affectionate new dawn for Blake’s music, is the song that sticks out most. A suppressed, rococo-flared take on UK bass, it’s comforting in the year of self-isolation to have a piece of music that’s closer than pillow talk.
9: HAIM - Don’t Wanna
It seems deceptively easy to pen a HAIM song. ‘Don’t Wanna’ is the latest re-clarification of that, and it can often feel so simple because of their talent for natural, watertight songwriting. Every section walks into the next with ease, building to an irresistible chorus that glues itself to ear even in the whirlwind of cluttered noise in the final chorus that does call to mind Fiona Apple’s recent work. Only partially, though. What’s most impressive about the addictive pop-rock of ‘Don’t Wanna’ is that it doesn’t feel indebted to a particular artist or period - this is HAIM’s own, and they own it.
8: The Weeknd - Scared To Live
When The Weeknd performed on Saturday Night Live in March, there was eager anticipation surrounding his upcoming album, and whether it would be able to deliver. When he performed a brand new song that night, ‘Scared to Live’, all fears were bagged up and locked away. A gut-punch ballad telling his lover not to be afraid to find love again, The Weeknd found a way to make a song like this work with his promiscuous character, penning painful lines in the process (“You always missed the chance to fall for someone else / ‘cause you’re heart only knows me”). Backed by warm chords and power-ballad drums, he brings one of his most soaring and sparkling performances ever, just to sweeten the deal.
7: Dinner Party ft. Phoelix - Freeze Tag
Hip-hop’s response to the Black Lives Matter movement was emphatic. We received the soundtrack to the new revolution from artists we expect to fight injustice (Meek Mill, YG) and those we didn’t (Lil Baby). Of these new anthems, the pick of the bunch goes to Dinner Party’s ‘Freeze Tag’, part of a collaborative record between jazzmaster Terrace Martin, saxophonist Kamasi Washington, pianist Robert Glasper and hip-hop beatmaker 9th Wonder. The production is based on a typical Wonder loop, dripping with soul and dispersing that feeling of hearing something familiar. Chicago singer Phoelix cooly cries for help like a lost nestling calling for its ma: “they tell me if I move they gon’ shoot me dead”, looped again and again not just because the hooks are that strong. The performative response from the establishment is equally cyclical, as multinational companies who profit from keeping the boot down on the black population look to gain positive PR with vague pledges of allegiance on social media. The message needs repeating until we catch what we’re after and the problem stops, just like a game of freeze tag.
6: Sufjan Stevens - America
Sufjan Stevens has amassed a sizable catalogue of affecting art-folk songs, but ‘America’ argues a pretty good case for being one of his most dazzling moments. With his abandoned project to write an album for every US state, as well as a great share of his philosophy and lyrical content, Sufjan is a man deeply proud of his country, and his faith in God. However, in this reality, he is directly questioning his faith in the wake of what God did to America, a dramatic shake-up of the foundations of his entire work thus far like the part of the film where the hero questions everything. He makes the song cry, leaving us with an extended ambient finale that ventures out from the cabin in the woods.
Read KEYMAG’s review of Sufjan Steven’s The Ascension here.
5: Aphex Twin - qu 1
Last year, KEYMAG looked at the Soft Side of Aphex Twin, and this year, this quietly-broadcasted piece of music just so happens to be one of his most touching compositions ever. A short ambient piece in the vein of ‘Rhubarb’ or even Angelo Badalamenti’s soundwork for Twin Peaks, Twin trickles out warm, swelling waves of synthesizer that could caress anyone in their darkest hour. Silently posting the song on Soundcloud alongside a childhood photo with his dad, users could download the file, and within the comments section of that file was a single, crushing message: “See you on the other side dad”.
4: Caribou - Home
I harbour personal regret for not fully describing the wonder of Caribou’s ‘Home’ in the KEYMAG review of its parent album, Suddenly. Simply because of how unique it is for a Caribou track, hinging on a recycled, old-school hip-hop beat that displays a triumph of sorts, hinting towards the words that project mastermind Dan Snaith swoons. “She picks up all the pieces / she’s going home”, aligns brilliantly with the Gloria Barnes sample that serves the basis of the track, complete with its heart-warming strings. It would be remiss to pass by the kaleidoscopic breakdown in the latter half, letting the round bass take the reigns and liquifying each part into brand new shapes for just a moment. That’s the beauty of Caribou’s work, particularly on Suddenly, the brief, head-spinning bliss he can provide.
3: Ruthven - Have You Decided?
The best-kept secret of 2020, plain and simple. From the inception of Jai and A.K. Paul’s Paul Institute roster, Ruthven has grabbed ears with his artful reimagining of classic funk-pop. ‘Have You Decided?’ realises his potential more than ever as his serenade to a unresolved fling displays all the sentimental passion of a Renaissance Disney film. Its staggering spotlit intro puts his falsetto on a pedestal, before bursting into colour with all its Steve Winwood-infested kitsch. Lightning-bolt guitar crosses with galloping keys, setting the stage for many spectacular micro-moments - the impossibly-great key change after the chorus; the thunderous gated drums in the final section; the way Ruthven voice gorgeously pulls back with glee when he sings “I’m in heaven when you show me affection”. ‘Have You Decided?’ delivers a feeling of blue-eyed elation, one that you’ll give anything to sustain.
Read KEYMAG’s review of Paul Institute’s Summer 2020 EP here.
2. Childish Gambino ft. 21 Savage, Ink & Kadhja Bonet - 12.38
Starting as an early standout from Childish Gambino’s alienating yet humanitarian 3.15.20, ‘12.38’ has taken on a life of its own this year. Its carefree, bubbly beat was the ear candy that allowed listeners to breezily uncover the accompanying story, told in one of the most original and off-the-wall ways ever seen in music.
After hitting it off with an older woman in the track, Gambino has an enthralling experience with her that involved more than a fair share of narcotics. He adopts a cocky persona, telling this girl and the listener that “we were holdin' hands, tried to make me understand / Make girls fall in love, that's my (magic power)”. However, it becomes clear that it’s a front, his background vocals tempt him to “sing to her”, and Gambino responds nervously by turning the radio on instead. Then, verbally showing his rush of emotions boiling over as he starts to fall for her, his flow getting less hesitant before she pauses him briefly with a “finger to my two lips”. Alas, she admits she just wants to have fun and leaves him by the morning, alone with his Toni Braxton records, but there’s still time for a back-to-Earth guest verse from 21 Savage. Rarely in a rap song is there character progression like this, and techniques such the use of background vocals as his conscience and secondary thoughts, or the tightness of his flow to show when he’s drowsy and when he’s overwhelmed with emotion, bring the depth of the silver screen to music.
‘12.38’ is the tale of a hopeless romantic with a twist, but its success lies in the creativity of its narration. Gambino has always had a knack for storytelling, having created one of the greatest TV shows of the 2010s with Atlanta, but this may just be his best one yet.
1: JPEGMAFIA & Denzel Curry - BALD REMIX
We may already have the decade’s most iconic moment in rap. The initial ‘BALD!’ track sees JPEGMAFIA’s IDM fantasies come to live, with a rumbling rhythm lurking between a woozy synth concoction ripped from a 90s Japanese racing game. Peggy’s rapping was undeveloped, but that was fixed in face-melting fashion once Denzel Curry hopped on board.
Starting at full throttle with the beat cut out, Curry lifts the beat back in with a perfected density of braggadocio and airing the more stressful thoughts that encircle his mind. His ceaseless bars attack the beat as though he is a character from a Mortal Kombat fighting sequence, with killer combos (“the fast spitter slash cash ghetto pass…”) and impactful preachings on his mental state (“Ever so softly, suicide has cost me…”). The Florida titan even finds space to harness a deeper meaning to being bald-headed, taking the role of dreadlocks, a hip-hop symbol of longevity, and physically cutting it off in an act of enlightenment and great change - “dreadlocks had your boy like Sideshow Bob”. Curry ends the verse of the year with one final gut punch, screaming “BALD!” and likely storming away with invigorated energy, leaving the beat to cut out as if to skip to the next track in the queue.
Peggy and Curry have become fan-favourites in the hip-hop multiverse, each possessing charisma that has ignited in the times they have been together. ‘BALD REMIX’ is a meeting that has struck diamond, and is unquestionably the best song of the year.