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Writer's picturebethanyhildebrandt

PRESS PLAY: 11 Songs In 11 Months - 2023 Edition

It's almost the most wonderful time of the year - Spotify Wrapped season! We're SO eager to see how ours will play out this year and we can't wait to share what songs, artists and albums stole our hearts in 2023. But we're still a few weeks out from Spotify giving us what we wait all year for and we wanted to share which songs we've been digging so much this year. Our top eleven songs in the eleventh month of the year - LET'S GO!



#1 Alright - Charlotte Sands: Our favorite blue-haired girly who's based in Nashville dropped a life-changing track titled "Alright" in January 2023 and we'd be lying if we said we're still not crying to it. The ethereal pop anthem appeals to Gen Z and beyond who feel like outsiders with such lyrics - "All my monsters live in the mirror/So I stare 'em straight in the face/Tell them even though I'm lost I'm not afraid."



#2 VR Sex - Ultra Q: The electrifying single that was released from Ultra Q released in January this year and steers more towards the band's punk roots with thundering drums from Chris Malaspina to match wailing guitar riffs from Enzo Malaspina in conformity. Jakob Armstrong's crystal clear vocals provide illuminating melodies to perfect the chorus that grasps you into an adrenaline rush.



#3 BABY SAID - Maneskin: The sultry single from Maneskin's debut album Rush! broke through rock radio and was heard on every Rock playlist from Rock This, to New Noise, to New Music Friday and beyond.



#4 Ghost Run Free - The Lemon Twigs: "Ghost Run Free" hails from The Lemon Twigs' fourth studio album Everything Harmony. With soft acoustics and captivating harmonies, the Twigs instantly capture you with their dream-pop melodies and sweet lyrics.



#5 Push - Ryan Gosling: Hailing from the Barbie movie released in July, I never dreamed I would see Ryan Gosling doing a cover of "Push" by Matchbox Twenty. While I don't think it was the proper song choice for the scene, I do love the actor, song and Ken is enough.



#6 One Of My Lies (Live At Woodstock) - Green Day: To me, Green Day's 1991 album Kerplunk! is so underrated with the best tracks on them. I was thrilled to find out live versions of those tracks are included on the Super Deluxe 30th anniversary edition of Dookie. "One Of My Lies" is my favorite Kerplunk! track and hearing it live makes it so much better.



#7 all-american bitch - Olivia Rodrigo: How can you not relate to this song? Serving as the opening track on Olivia Rodrigo's sophomore album GUTS, lyrics and melodies go hand and hand as the 20 year old expresses what it's like to be a teenage girl in your twenties. A song we can all relate to, everyone's favorite part is "I scream inside to deal with you", a series of screams and ending with "All the time/I'm grateful all the (fucking) time/I'm sexy and I'm kind/I'm pretty when I cry."



#8 USA - Bad Nerves: Known as the bastard child of a Ramones/Strokes one night stand, Bad Nerves dropped their latest single "USA" as they played cities across America for the first time ever, in support of Royal Blood earlier this year.



#9 Now and Then - The Beatles: Known as the last Beatles song and released in 2023, "Now and Then" went straight to number 1 on the Billboard charts as soon as it released. While we were all certain "The Long And Winding Road" was the last Beatles track, I never dreamed I would have pre-saved a Beatles song nor would the band be topping the Digital Sales charts right now. The song provides soft melodies and closure for a band that changed the world forever.


#10 Club Heaven - Nessa Barrett: If you didn't know by now, this was one of my favorite releases of 2023 and I don't think anyone can top this track. "club heaven" is so personal to anyone who can connect with it and was released during a time when I needed it most. The emotional track is sitting at over 5 million Spotify streams alone and has captured hearts around the world with Nessa's alluring vocals, vivacious melodies and vulnerable lyrics.



#10 Farewell For Now - Greta Van Fleet: Oh, you thought we forgot about Greta? Never. We saved the best for last. The fan-focused anthem captured hearts as it's the ending track on GVF's third LP Starcatcher and solidifies the entire journey from TBAGG to Starcatcher. "It's all for you."


SONG & FURY

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