The Best Overlooked Tracks of 2022

22 of the best tracks missing from all the most influential "best of 2022" lists

Jan 30, 2023

I wasn’t planning on doing one of these, but after looking at the lists from some of the most influential names in the music space, I realized just how easy it would be to come up with a decent list of better music that had been completely ignored. There are a couple names here you’ll find on their lists as well, but they totally blew it on song choice. Seems Ted Gioia’s suggestion of giving listening tests to major label bosses applies to the people in media as well. Yikes!

Seems Ted Gioia’s suggestion of giving listening tests to major label bosses applies to the people in media as well

Billboard, RollingStone, Pitchfork, Buzzfeed… they were all bad, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but the most confusing was NPR’s list — particularly their number one.1 What?

Also, is it just me, or did all the legacy media lists have an inordinate number of songs in Spanish? I obviously don’t have a problem with that, but… they weren’t even good songs — generic, basically interchangeable Reggaeton-infused tracks that offered little more than ticked boxes. Honestly, box-ticking seems to be the overarching theme common to all the lists.

And why are they all published at the beginning of December? One of the main reasons I didn’t want make this list in the first place is that most of the songs I discovered in 2022 weren’t from 2022. There’s just so much stuff out there that taking it all in and being able to appreciate it is impossible, especially more than a month before the year is over. Not to mention that it took 30-some people to come up with all the best-of lists I mentioned, and yet, they all feel suspiciously homogeneous. Funny how that works.

Anyway, these are what I think are the best songs of 2022… so far. Loosely in order from “best” to “worst” starting at the top, though I swapped a few for better flow.

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January 14, 2022

Waldo's Gift is a three-piece band from Bristol [UK] with a penchant for improvisation. Their sound vacillates from the sophistication of modern jazz to cacophonies of experimental electronic music, all through the lens of various rock & metal influences. This is probably one of the most under-rated bands around right now. The above video, posted on band's account, didn’t get any comments until ~5 days into this (2023) year. I featured them in their own post back in August — if you haven't already, you should definitely check it out.

B-Side, Texas Moon – Khruangbin & Leon Bridges

February 18, 2022

This is a collaboration between Khruangbin & Leon Bridges. If you didn't already know, Khruangbin is a 3-piece from Houston, Texas. Heavily influenced by 1960's Thai funk, they're often described as "psychedelic" — which I kinda don't get, but they do have a couple good songs regardless. Though their best work seems to render them little more than an indistinguishable backing band for their guest vocalist — in this case, Leon Bridges.

That said, the first 3 tracks from the Texas Moon EP are among their best songs, despite each being slightly derivative... they all sound fresh but familiar. It was a struggle to choose which of the 3 to put on this list, so I just picked the most popular — but you really should listen to all 3 of them.

U DON'T HAVE TO ROB ME, NOT TiGHT – DOMi & JD Beck

July 29, 2022

DOMi & JD BECK are a jazz duo consisting of French keyboardist Domi Louna and American drummer JD Beck. Domi and JD Beck first met at the 2018 National Association of Music Merchants Show, and since 2019 they've been backing musicians for acts like Thundercat and Anderson.Paak.

While I just happen to prefer the album version of this song, I generally think their album recordings tend to feel a little flat and lifeless. I'd suggest checking out their live sessions first — their Tiny Desk appearance is a good place to start.

The Fool, Empty Hiding World – Windows 96

March 4, 2022

Windows 96 is an electronic music project by Brazilian composer and producer Gabriel Eduardo. He's one of the more well-known Vaporwave artists, helping define its sound as his own sound evolved. Another artist I've previously featured, and another artist you should definitely check out if you haven't already.

Ana, Oni – Darko US

September 26, 2022

Darko US is a... Nu-Deathcore (?) duo made up of ex-members of death/metalcore bands Chelsea Grin and Emmure, vocalist Tom Barber and drummer/guitarist Josh "Baby J" Miller.

Having only been releasing material together since 2020, they've managed to kinda create their own genre and people are still trying to figure out how to categorize them. I'm not a fan of the "Nu" prefix, but that seems to be one of the more common labels being used.

Personally, I see what they're doing as a natural evolution of what Ministry was doing all the way back in the late 80s/early 90s... though, I'm not a huge fan of the "industrial" label either, and I don't remember Ministry ever being called "Nu-Metal" just because it had electronic elements. Anyway...

Darko put out 2 super-brutal albums in 2022, and I actually flip-flopped several times on which song to include here. Ultimately, I went with Ana because I think it's maybe more accessible (lol)... but if you can handle Ana, you need to check out Future Doom.

Selfish Soul, Natural Brown Prom Queen – Sudan Archives

September 9, 2022

Sudan Archives is a violinist, singer, and songwriter originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, but now based in Los Angeles, California. The lead single from her latest album made 1 or 2 of the other lists, but “Selfish Soul” is the superior song, IMO. Despite the rather niche topic, I actually find it more relatable... even as a middle aged man.

Growing up, I never liked my hair so I was always doing something crazy with it... that is, it was mostly just a mess, but I tried to make it look like I meant it. By my late 20s genetics forced to make a decision and, even though it was the last thing I wanted, I shaved my head. I never felt better — after the initial shock and acceptance period anyway. It was such a relief that I felt stupid for not doing it sooner. Anyway... I felt those lines about not being able to "catch a vibe" because your hair situation was causing anxiety, and "does it make sense to you why I cut it off".

The song itself is this interesting dubby+indie combo that's super addicting. Honestly, I didn't even know what it was about the first few times I listened to it, I was just into how it sounded. It's got this super dirty dubby bass with all the reverb-soaked vocals any cute 2-piece indie band from the mid/late aughts and early 2010s could want, plus a super earworm-y chorus. All that cross-demo appeal… I think this should have been the lead single, which seems to be the pattern for inclusion on these lists.

The Ladder, The Ladder Single – Röyksopp

January 13, 2022

Röyksopp are a Norwegian electronic music duo who's been putting out bangers for over 20 years now. They're one of those groups that's always just kinda been there but no one is ever talking about outside of their silo’d fanbase. They're still putting out so much material that even as I make this list I'm hearing things I might have included had I heard them sooner, like Denimclad Baboons. I also liked (Nothing But) Ashes, too, though not really a contender for this list.

Void Theory, Void Theory Single – X&G

September 30, 2022

X&G is experimental trap music duo consisting of California-natives Christian Williams (Xian/Kollaba) and Aaron Spasiano (Gaszia), or was... in July of 2022 they announced that 2022 would be their final year together. They hit the scene in 2014, and after 8 years of setting new precedents for experimental bass sound design they’ve decided to go their separate ways.

Come On, Let's Go, I Know NIGO – Tyler, The Creator

March 25, 2022

Being the most popular artist on this list, I don’t think I really need to explain much about Tyler. This is another artist you’ll see on the mainstream lists, but they chose the wrong song, IMO. This track is also produced by Pharrell Williams, but from a compilation put together for Japanese fashion designer NIGO.

I liked this track because A) I’ve always been a fan of Pharrell’s production B) it felt kinda like old school hip-hop in that was more like relatable stories than whatever TF is happening now C) no auto-tune (how is that still a thing?)

All the articles I’ve seen about this track claim it’s about some generic “date night”, but in the 2nd verse we hear…

We got supper on the upper deck and the orchestra
Gon' play that shit I scored for LV Alboh projects…

“LV Alboh projects” being the Louis Vuitton/Virgil Alboh pre-fall men’s collection 2022 show. Tyler scored it, and you can see the practice for it here… and I’m pretty sure those are the people, or that at least that is the event, Tyler is talking about here.

ATOMIC WAVE DANCE, Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam – The Comet Is Coming

September 23, 2022

The Comet Is Coming is a London-based futurist electro-jazz project made up of synthesist & electronicist Dan Leavers and drummer Maxwell Hallett, who have been collaborating since they were students together at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. This track is from their 4th album since their 2016 debut.

Crows Nest, Weekly Releases 2022 – Mindtality

October 26, 2022

Mindtality is an electronic music producer from New Jersey whose only online presence seems to be his Soundcloud account. This track is from a two-month run in which he released one song a week. The track right before this, Buttermilk Falls, is pretty good too.

The Abysmal Eye, Immutable – Meshuggah

March 31, 2022

Meshuggah is a Swedish metal band known for their innovative musical style and their complex, polymetered song structures. They've been together since the late 80s, but really became known in various rock circles in the mid-late 90s. They're all in their 50s now and still as heavy & tight as ever, and this song is no exception. Though it can feel a little monotonous, the rhythm is kinda trance-inducing. The guitars I've seen described as "apocalypse trumpets" remind me of the guitars from the song “Alarma” from Breach's 2002 album “Kollapse”. Coincidentally, Breach is also from Sweden.

I'm Tight, Quality Over Opinion – Louis Cole

October 14, 2022

Louis Cole is a classically-trained jazz musician and multi-instrumentalist — a "bedroom" musician who doesn't like working in professional recording studios. He claims that it's his mission to write his own favorite music, and that he "never tries to make his music accessible to anyone".

Other than his solo material, he's produced music as a member of bands such a Knower and Clown Core. While he might not be a household name, he seems to be friends everyone in LA, from Jack Conte of Pomplamoose (and Patreon CEO… BOOOO! <throws tomato>), to list-mates DOMi & JD BECK, and apparently he's best friends with bassist extraordinaire Thundercat.

U Got It, U Got It Single – Jerry Folk

June 10, 2022

Jerry Folk is an electronic musician from Oslo, Norway. 2022's Castle Tapes was his third full-length since relocating to Los Angeles, California in 2017. While I personally don't think it was as good as 2021's Dotted Red , I thought "U Got It" was good enough to include on the post I did about him back in September.

Bond, Galerie – Anomalie

April 29, 2022

Anomalie is the name Montreal-based keyboardist and producer Nicolas Dupuis uses to release his electronic-jazz compositions. This track is from his 4th full-length album.

EDIT (02.09.23)

One of the main reasons I didn’t want make this list in the first place is that most of the songs I discovered in 2022 weren’t from 2022.

Only 10 days since posting and I’ve found a song that should be on this list… and like, upper-mids, too. I should do an updated 2022 list before the “Best of 2023”, if there is one.

It Could Be Nice, It could Be Nice (Single) – Chet Faker

August 29, 2022

Chet Faker is a singer-songwriter from Melbourne, Australia. He’s probably best known for the video for the lead single off his 2014 debut album [Built On Glass], Gold. Though, maybe it’s just me. I guess he’s done other things beside that video. To be honest, I kinda tuned him out a while ago because I was getting spammed by one of his songs, but this one is nice. The video is great too… I wouldn’t say it’s... gold, but I like it.

It wasn’t until I was adding in the links for the lists that I noticed the NPR list is actually 100 songs not 20 and I honestly can’t be bothered to waste any more time on this. By the time I got to NPR I was just relieved to only have 20 more tracks to get through… whooops. If I missed a hidden gem, let me know in the comments.