THE CLASS OF '23: Our Top Songs of The Year! (ft Kasabian, Inhaler, Olivia Rodrigo & more!)

ALRIGHT YOU LOT!!?? Hope you didn’t miss us too much, I've been MAD busy with uni work, but thankfully the blog links to one of my assignments so I’m not procrastinating TOO much doing this. Anyway, it’s the end of another year, meaning it’s the time of year where loadsa music mags release a list of their top tracks of the last 12 months. And we @ Dead Pop Mag Society are no different. There have been some absolute CORKERS out this year and it really was hard trying to pick just 10 of ‘em. But we got there in the end. So get out the pringles (check with your Mum they’re not the ones that are “for Christmas” first!) and dive into some tasty tunes!

10. Punk’s Dead- Soft Play

Oh we are going HARD with this first track. The comeback single from the band formerly known as Slaves is a shoutout to all the twats who’ve slated their decision to change their band name to something a bit more, erm, cuddly? This song however, isn’t. As per ush with the ‘Play (Soft not Cold)), it's a bit of a shouty number and lyrically, it’s packed with gems (A personal highlight being “John Lydon is turning in his bed, I was gonna say grave but the fucker ain’t dead”). Oh, and if you still aren’t convinced, it features a guest appearance from Robbie Williams. What’s more punk than that? 

9. Nice Car- Deco

“Belt Up” because at number 9 we’ve got the title track from Deco’s Debut “Nice Car” EP. If you’ve read our review of their Norwich show, you’ll know how much I love this lot and their 80s revival tunes. If you like choons that are swarming with synths, I reckon you’ll love ‘em too. “Nice Car” is the perfect song to play when the sun's out (so not this time of year then, but you could do I suppose) and you’re speeding down country lanes with your windows down and your music thump-thumping out your speakers like some sort of boy racer. You’ve never known a feeling like it. 

8. Strangers- Kenya Grace 

We had to include a chart topper SOMEWHERE in this list. So we’ve gone with Strangers by Kenya Grace. A fave of ours a few months back, this drum and bass track is more soft and cool than “20 year old goes to local secondary school to pick up 14 year old girls to take to maccies in his battered 2005 corsa” and claimed the no1 spot for 3 weeks in October. Which, y’know, it so deserves, because it’s a banger, and everyone’s dealt with someone they were close with being a bit of a wrong’un haven’t they?

7. I Saw- Young Fathers

Y’know when you hear people banging on about an artist or band for years and it takes you years to get round to listening to them. Yeah, this was one of those. Sergio Pizzorno has raved about this lot for years and I now see why. Serge, you are always right. This year, ver Fathers released their 4th album, the mercury prize nominated “Heavy Heavy” and it's appalutely chocka with choons. This one, I Saw, is actually a bit, erm, “heavy heavy” itself. Well, the bass is. I could imagine this song being like speaker porn for the hard of hearing. 

6. My Lady Of Mercy- The Last Dinner Party

The Last Dinner Party have had one hell of a year haven’t they? It was as if at the start of the year no one knew who they were, next thing you know, they’re everywhere and have just been announced as the winner of the Brits Rising Star Award. AND- AND! To make things even more exciting, they’re releasing their debut album in February and I for one can’t wait. I could’ve gone with any of their tracks, however, if you read our Lugholes post from October you will know I babbled on about this one quite a bit. I described it as sounding a bit like the musical equivalent of a load of bunnies hopping in a field on a nice sunny day to a proper gritty grungy chorus, which I still stand by. If you like your music a bit airy fairy and whimsical, you’ll bleddy love this one. 

5. Lost The Breakup- Maisie Peters

I really LOVED Maisie’s sophomore record The Good Witch back in the summer so I just HAD to include a song from it in this list. Doing it for the girls, gays and they’s who’ve dealt with shitty boys, Lost The Breakup is a proper girl power anthem, complete with the all important synths and lyrics that say a big-eff-you-two-fingers-aloft to anyone that’s wronged you or one of your pals. 

4. Just To Keep You Satisfied- Inhaler

Another act who’ve also released their 2nd album this year is Inhaler. Aaaah Inhaler. That loveable irish indie boyband that have teenage girls in a chokehold (and spouting some of the most bizarre shit you’ll ever read on twitter). I love ‘em. And Cuts & Bruises was just as good as their first record, 2021s It Won’t Always Be Like This. But we’re not here to talk about that. We’re here to talk about the BEAUTY that is the opening track, Just To Keep You Satisfied. With a fuzzy electro rock groove, it kinda reminds me of The Killers and the chorus is great for a singalong. Lots of lalalalala’s in it. 

It was very difficult to stick a list of 10 top tracks together because there’s been some absolute bops out this year, so here’s another 5 that are equally just as good (yeah starting to realise I should’ve done a top 20)

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

• The Words To Auld Lang Syne by Antony Szmierek- No Antony, I don’t remember The Words To Auld Lang Syne, but this one’s a good’un. 

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• All American Bitch by Olivia Rodrigo- The title makes it sound all yanky and ‘murican, but it’s really not. Liv really said #girlpower with this one. Avril Lavigne on steroids. Love her. 

• Fairlies by Grian Chatten- Fontaines D.C. frontman goes all folky. And the acoustics are really quite something. 

• I Fell In Love With A Talking Head by Seb Lowe- Everyone’s favourite TikTok musical politico gets a bit too close to a journo. 

• Gloria by The Snuts- The scottish indie rockers go all soppy. They also name check Tesco. That says it all really. 

OK HERE WE GO TOP 3!

3. Easy Now- Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

Noely G brought out another album this year and despite the fact he’s pissed me off quite recently (just look at who's been supporting him on tour), I can’t deny the impact this man and his music has had on my life over the year has been MAHOOSIVE. Easy Now hit me right where it HURT. It might be the string section, that little guitarry bit in the middle (it's called a solo Cerys) or the lyrics about overcoming hardship but WOOOO, what a song. Fair play to you Noel, you did good here. 

2. To Do List (After The Breakup)- Blossoms ft Findlay

Our fave Stockportians (if that’s the word) are back with another brackets bop! Remember when they released There’s A Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls) in 2018 and it was a really big deal? Well they’ve done it again and this time they’ve nicked the lyrics from a Rupi Kaur poem (y’know that gal who had all the “art hoe’s” in a chokehold in 2017?) There’s a strong New Order influence on this one and you all know how I feel about that. It really does sound straight out of an 80s coming of age film and the duet with Findlay really adds a nice touch. It was about time we got another collab out of Blossoms. Get Rick on the new album lads, you know you want to. 

1. Algorithms- Kasabian

Ok so we might be biased. At the top spot in our Class Of ‘23 we have Algorithms by Kasabian. And to be perfectly honest, it was only gonna be this at no.1. The soundtrack to my summer, my beloved band had festival crowds in the palm of their hand with this little acoustic number about the power of music and how shit technology is (AI get stuffed x). Not only is it a total banger, but the marketing campaign was great too (Chat KSBN I love you). And the chorus is a great singalong. Altogether now…OH OH OH OOOOOOOOOOOOH!

That’s it. That’s our songs of the year. That’s us done for 2023, we’ll see you lot in the new year with even more chaotic takes on music, but until then have a crackin’ chrimbo!