Top 25 Songs of the 2020s
Not objectively the best, of course, just what I've listened to the most so far this decade. House rules: one song per artist. |
| 1 |  | Hail the Sun
Divine Inner Tension
60-Minute Session Blocks
Hail the Sun perfected their post-hardcore formula with this record. 60MSB showcases all the strengths of HtS in one singular package at just over 3 minutes. The guitar melodies are addictive, the songwriting is tight, and Donovan Melero's lyrics and vocals are no better anywhere in their discog than right here. |
| 2 |  | Trophy Eyes
Suicide and Sunshine
My Inheritance
I had almost lost faith in Trophy Eyes after The American Dream, but S&S brought the band back into focus. While I wasn't as big a fan of the whole package as others, there are a few songs I still come back to - namely, My Inheritance. Coincidentally, the structure, replayability, and catchiness of this song mirrors that of 60-Minute Session Blocks and I almost always play these two back-to-back |
| 3 |  | Nothing More
Carnal
FREEFALL
One of my favorite songs of the decade also happens to come off of one of the decade's most mediocre albums. A solid 2.5 out of 5, CARNAL is sterile to a fault and the production does each song an injustice, as the live renditions far and away surpass their studio counterparts. FREEFALL is like the be-all-end-all of feel-good pop rock anthems, putting household butt rock names to shame. |
| 4 |  | The Beths
Jump Rope Gazers
t/t
I think I was put onto The Beths via Pitchfork, which, from time to time, miraculously puts something worthwhile on my radar. Their brand of jangly indie rock stands as my current favorite rendition of the genre (always featuring some of the best-written lyrics as well) and the Jump Rope Gazers t/t has been on repeat for almost six years straight. |
| 5 |  | Greyhaven
Keep It Quiet
Show Me Where You Are
Even better than their Stereo Grief EP, Greyhaven have quickly climbed to the top of my "artists to fawn over" list. I could probably pick any song off of 2025's Keep It Quiet, but I've listened to none more than Show Me Where You Are, which features some of their best vocal writing, noodliest math/metal riffing, and most immediately gripping songwriting to date. |
| 6 |  | Thursday
No Devolucion
White Bikes
One of a series of singles Thursday dropped in 2024-2025 after 13 years of silence, now my favorite Thursday song--period. Every time Geoff hits that high note *chef's kiss*. |
| 7 |  | The Paper Kites
At the Roadhouse
Good Nights Gone
The Paper Kites - to me - resemble the best that modern folk music has to offer, though their 2020s output has, on average, left me wanting more. At the Roundhouse is a long, dense record best utilized for long backroad drives, campfires, or cookouts; but it rewards intimate listens just as well. The best way I can describe Good Nights Gone is that it's like the Kites' take on a classic Eagles tune, but more moving and likely to make you tear upon without knowing why. |
| 8 |  | Like Moths to Flames
No Eternity in Gold
The Anatomy of Evil
I loved the Moth crew when they fluttered as a common myspace-core band, but the glow up in their "please take me seriously" era has been richly rewarding. Anatomy of Evil is more or less what I want my "scene" metalcore to sound like, replete with a tasty "blegh" and nasty riffs. |
| 9 |  | The Menzingers
From Exile
Hello Exile - From Exile
Most fans of the americana pop punk band The Menzingers would argue that the acoustified re-recording of 2019's Hello Exile was an unnecessary endeavor and a step down from the original in most aspects. I disagree! Some of these tracks - the title track in particular - showcase a vulnerability that could be read initially in the lyrics, but isn't felt until you hear Greg Barnett's voice and sad guitar invite you to share in the brood. |
| 10 |  | Knocked Loose
Upon Loss Singles
Everything Is Quiet Now
Yes, better than A Tear in the Fabric of Life 100%, though the DNA of that short era is still very much felt here. It's HEAMVY and unga bUnga gets me going fam |
| 11 |  | Hot Mulligan
You'll Be Fine
BCKYRD
No. 1 Hot New Band ^TM. Hot Mully is kinda blowin' up these days, but I liked them before they were cool! I swear! Anyways, midwest-emo-mathy-5th-wave-emo-punk song BCKYRD is some of my favorite of that very specific genre tag to come out of the 20s. Makes me long for the itch of grass on my ankles. Does that make sense? |
| 12 |  | Gleemer
Down Through
Brush Back
imo, shoegaze band Gleemer's magnum opus. Corey Coffman is a genius producer in the underground west coast shoegaze/indie scene and I will check out anything he puts out. Brush Back is nice. |
| 13 |  | Mini Trees
Burn Out
Burn Out
I've been on the Mini Trees bedroom pop train since her 2020 Slip Away EP, and everything she's put out since has been refreshing and fun. Burn Out as a standalone track features some of her best songwriting and very on-the-nose lyricism that doesn't illicit a cringe, but hits home instead. |
| 14 |  | Black Country New Road
Ants from Up There
The Place Where He Inserted the Blade
Admittedly, I listened to this song a LOT when it came out, but haven't returned to it much as of late. Either way, I feel like Blade is the culmination of what the band was working toward - the purest form of their polarizing brand of "post punk" or whatever you want to call it. |
| 15 |  | Soft Blue Shimmer
Heaven Inches Away
Adore the Distance
Beautiful and serene indie shoegaze - that's pretty apt.
Hey, Corey Coffman of Gleemer produced this gorgeous album btw. |
| 16 |  | Defeated Sanity
The Sanguinary Impetus
Propelled into Sacrilege
DS is probably at the top of my list as far as top Sput finds go. Never would have found these guys if users like Hawks and Evilford weren't always volleying "best bdm ever" / "wouldn't argue" in the threads. |
| 17 |  | Ulcerate
Cutting the Throat of God
The Dawn Is Hollow
The Ulcerate bus picked me up with this album's rollout and I don't think I'll be getting off any time soon. Always thought The Dawn Is Hollow was great, but getting to see them play that shit live in the smallest, dingiest venue I've ever been to made me appreciate it all the more. |
| 18 |  | Turnstile
Glow On
DON'T PLAY
I can come up with myriad number of reasons why GLOW ON is undeserving of its relatively high rating and should be relegated to an eternal 2.5, but that wouldn't change the fact that I've listened to this album -a lot- since it dropped. There are no original ideas on this record, but it's always FUN, and Don't Play is the best part of the whole thing. |
| 19 |  | Carly Rae Jepsen
The Loneliest Time
Sideways
Very confusing record that's full of low lows and high highs. Sideways may not even be the best song on the album - in fact, it feels like the runtime was decapitated mid-production - but it's a BOP, men. |
| 20 |  | Crumb (USA-NY)
AMAMA
Genie
Crumb is a good psychedelic pop band. AMAMA is a great psychedelic pop record (maybe even their best). Think Candy Claws but without all the fuzz. Tbf, Genie didn't do much for me at first, but when that mix up comes in at the halfway point? ... that's good ish. |
| 21 |  | waveform*
Last Room
Hello Goodbye
Today, when I think of the "DIY" label as it's applied to music, my mind almost immediately connects to waveform*. Last Room (produced by Corey Coffman btw) showcases everything waveform* had been cultivating up until its release, which makes it the best entry point for the band. At times, it replicates the best sides of 90s indie rock (Hello Goodbye, Shooting Star), and at other times it displays their knack for truly unique soundscapes (Book of Curse). It's a breezy record that I would recommend to anyone who espouses a love for music. |
| 22 |  | Lord Huron
Long Lost
I Lied
Probably not the best song on the album but definitely my most listened-to. I was never completely sold on Lord Huron's brand of folk music but this album invited me to reevaluate his discography when it dropped (it's good). |
| 23 |  | The Weeknd
Dawn FM
Take My Breath
I think The Weeknd released this album at just the right time for me: when the oversaturation of 80s tropes in pop music was just about ready to burst, then this thing shows up. Purely indulgent. Grossly overstuffed. Delicious. |
| 24 |  | Harry Styles
Harry's House
Satellite
Imagine my surprise when a Styles song ended up in my top 25. Industry plant or not, Harry's House is mostly fun, and Satellite feels like the label blessed Harry with half-lidded supervision over his indulgence to experiment with traditional pop structures. |
| 25 |  | Cult of Luna
The Raging River
Wave After Wave
Post Metal titans Cult of Luna have been on an almost indiscernible, gradual decline (imo), churning out extremely quality sludgy tracks that... well, don't really do anything different than what they've already been doing. Wave After Wave is probably the freshest song they've put out since Vertikal, and it paid off. |
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