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The Best Songs of 2019

While Kanye became a televangelist, Billie Eilish, Lizzo, and Lil Nas X made the music that mattered.

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Since we’ve already considered the best music of the decade and the best albums of 2019, it’s time to narrow the scope a little bit and discuss the individual tracks that mattered this calendar year. 2019 has been a transformative year for music—one in which the established superstars kept relatively quiet, making space for promising newcomers like Lizzo, Billie Eilish, and DaBaby to command the charts. Eilish herself has had such a massive debut in 2019, it’s easy to feel only a few months after her debut album that she’s been famous for years.

This is the year Kanye became a sleazy televangelist while Lil Nas X challenged genre lines with “Old Town Road.” It's a lot to take in, and we wouldn't blame you for having a certain amount of panic when you stare at a blank search bar on Spotify. There you are, with access to something like 105 million hours of music and it's so difficult to choose just one song. We live in a time where our incredible access to music is both a blessing and a curse. How does one curate the thousands upon thousands of songs that will be released this year alone? Thankfully, we're pretty much tethered to our headphones most waking hours listening to all the latest tracks from the best and least known artists of today. Here, we've curated the best songs of 2019 so far.

Listen to our Best of 2019 playlist on Spotify.

Yola — “It Ain’t Easier”

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Two years after an Americana Festival video went viral, British born singer-songwriter Yola’s debut album finally arrived in 2019. And Walk Through Fire, which came out in February, announced a new Roots Rock powerhouse in town. Produced and co-written with the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, the two draw from a rich sonic palette, folding in classic country, '70s balladry, Beatles-esque pop melodies, and old timey strings across the 12-song collection. Often, they move between these, but occasionally, as they do on the set standout “It Ain’t Easier” it’s a storming all-at-once approach. As a classic soul progression meets a cacophony of fiddle and keys, you’re aware that a lesser vocalist might get lost. Not Yola. The singer soars above the backing with her warm, flexible, undeniable instrument. It doesn’t just soar, it stuns. —Madison Vain

DaBaby — “Suge (Yea Yea)”

As the story goes, DaBaby made 2019’s breakout smash hit “Suge” right after begging his label for a check. As he told the Breakfast Club in October: “I asked [my label], ‘It's been two to three weeks. Where that check at?’ I want to know it’s there. I want to know if I’m really living like that. I don’t want to record no more. I’m tired of this and broke as hell spending all this money on flights and stuff. [They] was like ‘It’s in there.’” That night he went into the studio to record “Suge,” an ode to Suge Knight about the challenges and turmoil of just starting out in the industry. So it seems only fitting that this track would become a massive success, fully marking DaBaby as one of 2019’s most bankable new artists. His sense of humor and in-the-moment storytelling make him one of the most interesting new stars of the year—and considering his multiple Grammy nominations for "Suge," this is not the last we'll be hearing from him. — Matt Miller

Miranda Lambert — "Mess with My Head"

So you want to rock out? Look no further than the bombastic second cut off Miranda Lambert’s excellent Wildcard LP, which arrived in November. Country music’s Queen of Kerosene enlisted the help of Cage the Elephant and Eric Church producer Jay Joyce for the punchy set, and that partnership finds its peak here, on this ode to ignoring your instincts. Between the chopped up pedal steel and the '80s rock production, it’s the stuff of head-banging heaven. —Madison Vain

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Lil Uzi Vert — “Free Uzi”

“Free Uzi” arrived suddenly in March amid the rapper’s dispute with his label, Atlantic Records imprint Generation Now. At the time, it had been more than two years since his last album and five months since his last track, “New Patek,” went platinum. That’s a lifetime in hip-hop, when artists have the access to constantly provide fans with fresh material. So during his absence—what he called an early retirement—fans demanded his label “Free Uzi.” When the song quietly appeared on unofficial SoundCloud and YouTube accounts, Atlantic released a statement claiming “Free Uzi” was a leaked record and it was subsequently pulled from streaming services. The song’s appearance—allegedly leaked by Uzi himself—and title acts as a middle finger to the establishment. It has the energy of a mid-2000s mixtape cut, calling to mind a time when hip-hop felt more like the Wild West. That Uzi has not released anything since “Free Uzi” only increases the urgency and mystery of the track. —Matt Miller

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds — “Waiting For You”

To listen to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ 2019 album Ghosteen is to hear a heart break. Written following the unexpected death of his 15-year-old son, Arthur, four years ago, the two act-collection—the first batch of songs are “the children,” he has said, the second “the parents”—is a remarkably frank, stunning account of a father’s grief. For decades, the artist has wrapped his thoughts in intricate, perfectly formed metaphors and allegories. Not anymore. And nowhere is he more direct than on this sparse, heart-swollen piano ballad. “Just want to stay in the business of making you happy,” he laments as Warren Ellis’s violin kicks in. Later, voice breaking, he adds that he’s, “Waiting for you, waiting for you/Waiting for you, to return.” —Madison Vain

Earl Sweatshirt — "MTOMB (feat. Liv.E)"

It's incredible to see Earl Sweatshirt completely reject popular hip hop music. After his breakthrough solo album, Doris, it seemed that he was primed to be the next big star in hip-hop. But, throughout this decade, he's rejected that possibly trajectory more and more, with his music becoming more strange, more experimental, and increasingly more unique. His latest collage of creativity comes in the form of Feet of Clay, a 7-song album that clocks in at less than 15 minutes. It's a fascinating, and brief, collection of music. And throughout the expressionist rap and R&B, "MTOMB" might be its most approachable—a little over one minute of Alchemist production with a slowed down 70s funk sample. There's no chorus outside of the "Pray for the people" sample floating hauntingly in the background while Earl speaks a single verse on his own tempo, with lyrics like "Guess I was right, 25 was a quarter to life / I'm on it, I strike, trials." —Matt Miller

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Pusha T — "Puppets" (Succession Remix)

It's the crossover of the Succession theme song with Pusha T that no one expected or knew they needed. Who would have thought that affluent orchestral opening to the genius HBO show would make for a perfect hip-hop remix? And, who better to do this than Pusha T, a rapper who has long written about the gritty means of fighting your way to the top. Sure, lyrically it's not his most subtle work—listing off themes from the series like, Family, fortune, envy, jealousy—but the overall package is just too perfect of a match for both Pusha T and Succession fans to covet. It's the type of song that Kendall Roy wishes someone like Pusha would make for his family, but never would within the fiction of the show. But, in our real world, where Succession is the best show on TV, this is the most ideal intersection of an HBO Shakespearean drama about a Murdoch-type family and one half of Clipse. —Matt Miller

Angel Olsen — "Lark"

The opening track to her expansive fifth album, "Lark" places the listener directly in the middle of Angel Olsen's vast sonic landscape. Olsen's vaulting, echoing vocals bound over a wide-reaching chorus of strings and bold, marching drums. It's a statement that's at once intimate and vast, with Olsen singing "Wishing we could only find one another / All we've done here is blind one another / Hate can't live in this heart here forever." It's a build up of emotion trapped in a lonely place and sets the tone for a powerful album to come. — Matt Miller

Lana Del Rey — "The Greatest"

On her new album, Norman Fucking Rockwell, Lana Del Rey fully realizes the style and sound she's been cultivating for her entire career. "The Greatest" is a haunting, beautiful ballad, like a hangover from a bygone era. It has hope, and loss, and lush, layered production that allows Rey's yearning, breathy vocals to inhabit that lost and privileged persona that remains weirdly fascinating. — Matt Miller

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Normani — "Motivation"

In August, Normani swung through with a late in the game contender for song of the summer with "Motivation." Her first single outside of Fifth Harmony, "Motivation" is a genuine bop, firmly establishing her as a pop star that calls to mind the queens of the late '90s. It's worth noting that this video has some of the most impressive dance moves I've seen in a music video this year so far. Normani has it all. — Matt Miller

The Highwomen — "Crowded Table"

Watch out now, a new group of outlaws have rolled into Music City. Following in the footsteps of Johnny, Waylon, Willie, and Kris—aka the Highwaymen—Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Natalie Hemby, and Amanda Shires have formed a new badass supergroup, appropriately and ambitiously titled the Highwomen. Their striking debut single, "Redesigning Women," made waves late in July but it’s their quick follow-up, “Crowded Table” that will stop you dead in your tracks. With a honeyed, four-part harmony and a moving plea for inclusivity, it’s the exact song for these uneven times. —Madison Vain

HAIM — "Summer Girl"

With a doot-doo melody, a jazzy lean, and feather light production, the sweetest song of the summer has arrived. Danielle Haim penned the song for her partner, Ariel Rechtshaid, who co-produced the cut with Vampire Weekend-alum Rostam, following his diagnosis of testicular cancer several years ago. (He is now in good health.) “We were touring on and off at this time and every time we were on the phone with each other or when I would come home in between shows, I wanted to be this light that shined on him when he was feeling very dark,” Danielle wrote on Twitter after the song released. “I wanted to be his hope when he was feeling hopeless.” For him, and now millions of fans, mission accomplished. —Madison Vain

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Chance the Rapper — “I Got You (Always And Forever)”

Seven years after his first mixtape and three years after Coloring Book (his third mixtape, which won Best Rap Album at the following Grammy awards) catapulted him onto the A-list, Chance the Rapper has finally released his debut LP. The Big Day dropped in the second half of July and at 22 songs and 77 minutes long it frequently sags under its lengthy runtime, but the first half highlight arrives in the form of this ebullient love song. Featuring En Vogue, it’s an irresistible tribute to the rapper’s wife, Kirsten, and the ‘90s R&B Chance grew up on. —Madison Vain

Maren Morris — "Girl"

It was the cut that could. The last time a song from a female artist topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart was the week of February 24—in 2018. Until now, that is. With an intoxicating swirl of R&B and classic rock behind some seriously soaring vocals, the lead single and title track off of Maren Morris’s explosive second LP reached the summit at the end of July. “I won’t even wipe my tears because I’m proud of them and what this song has done,” the 29-year-old wrote on Instagram as the news broke. —Madison Vain

Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens — "Gone"

It’s hard to imagine a misery that feels as good as the new team-up from dance-funk master Christine & the Queens and Neo-pop royalty Charli XCX. “I feel so unstable, fucking hate these people,” Charli rails early on the second single off her upcoming self-titled LP. “How they making me feel lately/They making me weird, baby, lately.” But that discomfort is a win for her audience; the track explodes with hand clap rhythm, burbling atmospherics, and an extended, totally out-there, frantic coda. Go on and give in—or better yet, get grooving. —Madison Vain

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(Sandy) Alex G — "Gretel"

The way Alex Giannascoli describes the origins of his collaboration with Frank Ocean is hilariously casual: “His manager emailed me when we were on tour in the U.K. and was like, Do you want to work with my client? And I was like, Sure,” Alex told Fader. “I didn’t know enough to be excited. He makes good music. I was just like, Yeah.” And that's how Alex G, a beloved and amorphous indie singer-songwriter, began working with a musical genius like Frank Ocean on Blonde, one of the best albums of the decade. You can actually hear Alex's influence trickling all throughout Blonde, from his shapeshifting melodies to his gentle, gurgling guitar. And now, after a 2016 and 2017 that included working with Frank and releasing the masterful Rocket, Alex returns with "Gretel," another perfectly stunning, kaleidoscopic track. - Matt Miller

Mark Ronson feat. Angel Olsen — "True Blue"

It's not a collaboration that anyone would have expected—folk singer-songwriter Angel Olsen and funk pop master Mark Ronson. Yet, this meeting of artists is a surprisingly perfect match, with Ronson's glowing production propelling Olsen's dramatic vocals. It's a sweeping and beautiful club ballad, with Olsen's "I ran to you, I ran to you" reaching out achingly over a four to the floor beat. - Matt Miller

Stormzy — "Crown"

With the crossover success of his debut album Gang Signs & Prayer here in the states, Stormzy has become the biggest new voice coming out of the UK grime rap scene. With a headlining performance at this year's upcoming Glastonbury, he's currently on his way to being one of the most powerful new rappers in the game. That's what he's wrestling with on the gospel rap of "Crown," a surprisingly melodic and beautiful turn for the young rapper. Stormzy compares his own success — "They sayin' I'm the voice of the young black youth / And then I say "Yeah, cool" and then I bun my zoot" — with world leaders abusing their own power — "The irony of trappin' on a Boris bike." It's a beautiful track that ensures Stormzy will not be giving up his crown any time soon. - Matt Miller

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Raveena — "Petal"

Raveena occupies a powerful—and important—spot in pop and R&B. In 2018, she used her song "Temptation" to come out as bisexual to her fans and family. As she wrote on Instagram at the time: "Growing up, South Asian culture and queer culture felt like oil and water. Something that just simply couldn't mix. I'm pretty sure I liked girls before I liked boys, but it took me until this year, in my 20s, to be able to verbalize and know in my heart that this is one of my truths. ... I hope that for lil brown girls in the future, their queerness will feel nothing short of completely, 100% mundane and normal." Her music marks a welcome and beautiful blending of cultures and sounds. On the lush, inviting Petal, she leaves her album, Lucid, on a comforting and tranquil place. - Matt Miller

Denzel Curry — "Ricky"

As Denzel Curry told FADER about his new album, ZUU, "It goes from the sounds of where I grew up, to what I was raised around, to the people I was raised around, to the sounds that pretty much shaped the person I am.” That theme of his native Carol City neighborhood in Miami Gardens resonates most clearly on "RICKY." In a tight two-and-a-half minutes Curry is able to pack a sweeping narrative of his own upbringing. - Matt Miller

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