My Top 20 Songs of 2023

It’s been a couple years since I’ve written a top songs of the year list – last year, I elected instead to go with this TikTok that took way too long and burned way too many calories. As you can tell by the fact that you're currently reading, it's time to bring the blog post back, mainly because I overcame two challenging musical feats that I wanted to make sure others were aware of.

Feat #1: I thoroughly listened to six consecutive weeks of new albums from my favorite artists.

This one literally is not bad. Exhausting, for sure, but those albums were heaters. Sadly enough, this could've been seven-in-seven, but the last album (KARPEH by Cautious Clay) was so bad that I didn’t even give it a second playthrough.

Feat #2: I did not listen to a single Taylor Swift song from start to finish.

After this feat gets me into the Spotify Hall of Fame, I also want it to be on my headstone. But I digress.

Yes, six-consecutive weeks of new music from my favorite artists were amazing, but they made up the entirety of my Spotify Wrapped, and as we all know, we determine our personalities from our Wrapped. I like to believe that my personality extends beyond six artists, so here are my genuine Top 20 songs of 2023 (And if you're okay with spoilers and would like to follow along, you can find the playlist with each of these songs here).

20. “Everything I Love” – Morgan Wallen

Wallen released a certified jam when he tossed this song in with the 917 other songs he released this year.

19. “Vore” – Sleep Token

Fasten your seatbelts, because it’s about to get heavy. And with “Vore” at 19, imagine a roller coaster car that starts off not by slowly climbing a hill, but by imploding.

18. “Landmine” – Post Malone

Post said “Landmine” was his favorite off of AUSTIN, and I can’t blame him. Its simplicity in musicianship yet complexity in lyrics is what makes Post so great.

17. “Slow Death” – Big Spring

Big Spring? Remember these guys from my 2018 review? Of course you don’t. I’ll shout Big Spring’s praises for another half-decade if I have to, because this band knows the formula for crafting post-grunge earworms.

16. “DOGMA” – Crown the Empire

Back to the roller coaster, and now our imploded car has burst into flames.

15. “Nightmare” – From Ashes to New

Once the flames have subsided from our burning imploded car, it then is crushed into a cube by one of those junkyard compactors.

14. “Keeping You Around” – Nothing But Thieves

Annual appreciation for Conor Mason’s vocals, but the collective tone that the band formulates is what truly makes this song stick out.

13. “Ant Pile” – Dominic Fike

Fike’s first appearance on my blog and it certainly won’t be his last. It takes all of three seconds into a sick riff intro to see why “Ant Pile” finds its way here.

12. “Fog Machine” – White Reaper

White Reaper was not in my life at the beginning of this year. “Fog Machine” -- with combined elements of polished late-80’s hair metal instrumentation and low budget early-2000’s vocals -- is pretty solid way to say “Hello.”

11. “Something Real” – Post Malone

The powerful, choir-infused “Something Real” stands firm as the most memorable track from Posty’s AUSTIN.

10. “Running Out of Time” – Paramore

To be brutally honest, the verses here leave a bit to be desired, both in sound and in lyrical inspiration. HOWEVER, the choruses are insanely catchy, and Hayley Williams’ vocals bounce throughout as each chorus amplifies in energy. By the end of the song, we get some of the slickest 30 seconds in a song from the entire year.

9. “Losing You” – Del Water Gap

I get all giddy when a song spotlights a bass guitar as if it were a lead guitar, and with “Losing You,” we get taken on a spiritual journey by some pretty basic bass chord progressions.

8. “Pass the Nirvana” – Pierce the Veil

I missed the bus when Pierce the Veil had a deathgrip on the emo scene circa 2012, but I finally stumbled into the station with their latest release back in February, The Jaws of Life. The Jaws of Life starts off with five high quality hitters, none more evocative than "Pass the Nirvana," a mosh pit anthem that’s tightly wounds in the verses, then bursts with tense aggression and an elbow to the nose.

7. “Pasture Child” – Dominic Fike

There were plenty of songs from Fike’s Sunburn that I could’ve picked for the Top 10, but something about the hopeful yet somber guitars meshing with the mellow vocals left an impression on me.

6. “Relic” – Awaken I Am

At the beginning of writing this list about seventeen minutes ago, I knew nothing about Awaken I Am. Turns out the Australian prog-rock band has been around for over a decade and tragically lost their guitarist in 2018. A smaller yet seasoned band that's persevered, which makes me appreciate the heavy passion found in “Relic” even more.

5. “Right?” – Mammoth WVH

Wolfgang Van Halen can do no wrong. His raw talent goes beyond his writing and instrumentation – it's almost Reznor-ian how he can single-handedly carry every instrument in a project and consistently turn that into tracks that are nothing short of modern rock perfection, and by manifesting this so early in Mammoth WVH’s career, it’s now become a part of the band’s identity. “Right?” is the epitome of this.

4. “Guiding Light” – Caskets

Out of all the hard rock/metal bands that came across my speakers in '23, Caskets is the band to invest the kids' college funds in. They’re still early in their career, with most of their shows serving as supporting acts, but you give them ten more years and Caskets will be headlining massive festivals. The UK metal scene’s best kept secret, “Guiding Light” showcases the strength of Caskets, which is lead singer Matt Flood’s vocal versatility.

3. “If You Leave Me” – Niall Horan

In the midst of this brutal list of hard, unforgiveable rock songs is the metal god himself: former One Direction heartthrob Niall Horan. Niall brings his own punch, sentencing whoever listening to death by addictive melody and abandonment (as per the lyrics). Pair the groovy tempo with a synthesizer and bass, and you get an enchanting song that Niall ties together with his flawless vocals. I’m not going to be one of the thousands of other reviewers that compare Niall to Harry – instead, I’m going to appreciate how “If You Leave Me” and the rest of The Show gives us the pop-alt flavor that Harry left us hungry for after last year.

2. “Sick Mouth” – Sevendust

One of these days, I will write a review on why Sevendust is one of the most profound rock bands to come out of the 90’s nu-metal wave. Their talent and style of alternative metal is impossible to ignore, but their resiliency and consistency – especially considering all that they have endured as a young band – will cement them as one of the most respected bands in the rock community.

And one of these days, I will write a review on why cursing in art is best at a minimum. Nothing is worse than losing the validity of an F-bomb by tossing it around carelessly. Think of “Lydia” by Highly Suspect, Bojack Horseman’s thoughtfully and seldom placed F-words, or the one time “bitch” is used in the entire Harry Potter series. Save those curse words to build intensity, and unleash them right before the elastic is about to snap.

But for today, I’ll say that “Sick Mouth” is Sevendust utilizing their strengths to perfection and unleashing them at the last fucking second.

1. “The Summoning” – Sleep Token

There’s a beauty to the mystique and lore of Sleep Token. Here you get these four anonymous figures – known fittingly as Vessel (lead singer), II (drummer), III (bassist), and IV (guitarist) – with their masks glued to their face and their vernacular that of an 18th-century cult. Without a personal aspect to their music, we’re allowed to heighten our senses to the merciless yet angelic sound that is Sleep Token.

Then comes “The Summoning” that makes it rounds ensnaring TikTok with 1 part violence and 2 parts unexpected horny. There’s a clear moment in “The Summoning” where the tone and mood switch, enough for you to grab your funky shoes and send your significant other the smirk emoji. In fact, the impact this song made was relevant enough for two of my friends to reach out and ask if I knew about the enigma that is Sleep Token (for essential context, one friend had Zach Bryan as their Spotify top artist, and the other friend had Morgan Wallen. Sleep Token's reach has no bounds). I'm going to be that guy and say that I knew about them before it was cool: I came across Sleep Token back in college when they released 2019’s “The Offering,” and their 2018 single “Jaws” could make an argument in being the most melodically gripping metal song about mandibles. It’s good to see the dense, black aura of Sleep Token spread and suffocate the curiosity of those who fall into its gravity.

And if you need a quick recap of their discography, this video is pretty spot-on.

What were your top songs from 2023? Let me know in the comments!