Three Months Late: 23 Top Songs of 2023

When I started putting this list together, the intent was to check off my 23 Top Songs of 2023. I ended up with a playlist over eight hours long and decided to do the 123 Top Songs of 2023. Then I realized how insane that was and somehow whittled it down to the original idea of 23. That’s a lot of trimmed fat, and I’m pretty happy with how this ended up as a nice little representation of what made my my ears perk up last year, though it certainly doesn’t cover everything – not even close.

There’s a bunch of different genres, moods and hard-hitting lyrics folded into the two dozen tracks. Yes, two dozen. Like the compact discs in the days of old, there is a Japanese bonus track included, which serves no purpose other than to give me one less song to cut out. There was only one real rule, the root song had to be released in 2023. That means while there were astounding remixes of songs by the likes of Ladytron and Yeah Yeah Yeahs which dominated my speakers throughout the central 12 months, if the track being remixed didn’t come out in the calendar year, it was excised.

The list is not in any particular running order such as by date or how much I liked the song, but does sound best played in order as it’s got a certain flow. It starts off with the slow, slow burn of “Lane” by Massive Hassle and culminates with one of the first songs to make the list, the glorious kiss off “Nothing Matters” from The Last Dinner Party, one of the most unique and exciting bands to come out of the UK in quite some time. In between that there’s familiar favorites like Depeche Mode, The Church, Rancid and Filter (doing their best Muse impression) along with some artists I’ve been really hyped about recently like The Beaches, Johnny Dynamite and the Bloodsuckers, the incredibly talented guitarist Michael Lemmo, Brazil’s The Castaways and so much more.

Enjoy, disagree or maybe find something new you’ve not heard yet. I’m sure your list of songs from last year is just as fun, so feel free to send that along if you have it at hand. And next year I’ll try not to take so long.