Favorite New Music of 2023

It was another great year for new music. I love how today’s artists are fearlessly mixing genres and styles, borrowing from classics, and making new classics of their own. It was also another banner year for female artists. Here is a shortlist of favorites, followed by a longer list including many honorable mentions.

The playlist is here and includes:

• Sea Lions, by Samia. Favorite track on the stellar album by this super talented singer/songwriter. I love how she weaves experimental sounds into this lovely ballad.
• A&W, by Lana Del Rey. The quintessential Lana song, and my favorite track of the year. Wittily self-loathing, with haunting vocals, supernatural production by Jack Antonoff, and a mind-bending turn toward playful hip-hop by the end.
• Baianá, by Nia Archives. It took me 25 years but I finally understand the appeal of drum and bass. Came back to this one again and again for the infectious, hyperactive beat.
• Escapism, by Raye. Close runner up for song of the year. Listen to her tell the backstory of this harrowing journey through a night of excess, harsh self-awareness, and coming through to the other side on the Song Exploder podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/song-exploder/id788236947?i=1000637710215
• My Love Mine All Mine, by Mitski. My favorite artist released one of the best albums of the year, and this is a standout track. Noboby’s songs move me like Mitski’s and Patrick Hyland’s production is gorgeous.
• Spirit 2.0, by Sampha. Brilliant composition featuring a panoply of sounds, rhythms, and languages that also benefited from the Song Exploder treatment: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/song-exploder/id788236947?i=1000634948774.
• ETA, by NewJeans. This group wins my Most Fun New Artist award.
• On My Mama, by Victoria Monet. No way not to dance along to this one. Love the horns, silky-smooth vocals, retro hip-hop samples, and message of self-affirmation.
• Vampire, by Olivia Rodrigo. The good folks at Switched on Pop chronicle why ORod is one of our most talented songwriters, and this song is among her best work: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/switched-on-pop/id934552872?i=1000626059553.
• What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish. A beautiful ballad by a deeply talented songwriter at the height of her powers.
• Always, by Jonah Yano. I was taken in by the jazzy sounds and soulful vocals of this artist new to me this year.
• Waile, by WITCH. My introduction to Zambia’s “Zamrock” — and what an introduction.
• Namesake, by noname. I was floored by the effortless flow and compositional skill of this socially conscious rapper.
• Oil, by Gorillaz, with Stevie Nicks. Loved hearing Stevie’s voice sounding so great in 2023.
• What It Is (Block Boy), by Doechii. An undeniable jam. Doechii’s vocal range and flow are impressive, and Kodak Black’s off-kilter verses offer a perfectly contrasting pairing (they offer a case study in how starkly flow can contrast among hip-hop artists, as discussed delightfully here). Also love the retro sounds of TLC that Doechii samples.

Longer list of favorites here.

I extend my deep gratitude to the team at NPR Music for their “New Music Friday” podcast — my #1 source for discovering great new sounds — as well as Pitchfork, Switched on Pop, and the great music journalists at the New York Times and Washington Post. Also — while this blog post focused on my favorite new popular music, I would be remiss if I did not highlight my appreciation for the wonderful team at WETA Classical for providing the steady stream of beautiful music that accompanies my commute and workdays.