Freelancer journalist, pop culture enthusiast and Pure Shores DJ Louise Bruton shares her very favourite tracks of the year with Nialler9.
See Louise’s previous choices from and 2020 and 2019.
1.
Jessie Ware and Kylie Minogue – Kiss of Life
Life has been so much better now that Jessie Ware releases disco music and I say that even within the context of a pandemic. Sometimes I think that pop music can get caught up in being too sexy and while this song hits some sensual notes, it’s a joyous romp that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
2.
Shygirl, Kaydy Cain, Florentino – BDE (Florentino Remix)
While the original is pretty damn great, this remix reels you in a little bit more with reggaeton rhythms. I DJed three times this year and when I played this, I enjoyed watching people’s expressions go from “I don’t know this one” to “BEAT THE PUSSY RIGHT, BEAT THE, BEAT THE PUSSY RIGHT”. Smut for all the family.
3.
SOPHIE – UNISIL
While UNISIL is a re-release of a 2015 single, it’s important to keep SOPHIE in our sights nearly one year since her death and this crunching, glitching juggernaut of a song is just a tiny slice of what she was capable of. SOPHIE is largely responsible for the shifting gears in dance pop music and we will continue to see her influence for years and years to come.
4.
Lil Nas X – That’s What I Want
Pop titans of the past may have been vague about the meaning of their lyrics but not Lil Nas X. Where Backstreet Boys never really told us what it was that they wanted in I Want It That Way, Lil Nas X lays down the moral code and the pangs of sexual desire in That’s What I Want while breaking down barriers and clearing any lines of miscommunication.
5.
CMAT – No More Virgos
Delighted to announce that I’m the only Virgo that CMAT has time for.
6.
Little Simz – Point and Kill (feat. Obongjayar)
Every time Little Simz releases new material, you can mark her progress as a songwriter and performer and it in now way diminishes the quality of her previous work. She opens up entire worlds in three-minute long sermons, graciously educating us in style and substance.
7.
Laura Mvula – Got Me
I was slightly underwhelmed by her album Pink Noise, Laura Mvula’s Got Me is exactly the kind of song I want to hear by someone who was raised on Janet Jackson and Prince. 80s synth-pop at its core, it’s full of personality and soul.
8.
PinkPantheress – Break It Off
Running at one minute and 35 seconds, Break It Off would never qualify for the Eurovision (3:30 is the recommended max length of a song for all entries) but it gets dix points for its early 2000s drum n’ bass throwback and Lily Allen cosplaying.
9.
MUNA – Silk Chiffon (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
I always knew Phoebe Bridgers had a soft rock pop song in her but she just needed MUNA to tease it outta her. This is the kind of queer anthem that if it was ever played in the club, the small but dedicated group of people who know it would lose their minds and leave with new soul mates in their lives.
10.
Lana Del Rey – Tulsa Jesus Freak
Chemtrails Over the Country Club is the most perfect follow-up to 2019’s Normal Fucking Rockwell and Lana does not tone down any of her Lana-isms. She Lanas so hard on Tulsa Jesus Freak – destructive love, smalltown mindsets, boozy seduction – that the lyrics sometimes feel like they’ve been put through a Lana Del Ray lyric generator. And, listen, if that’s how she does it, I’m not complaining.
Special mention to Olivia Rodrigo’s Good 4 U and All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version). Here’s hoping we remain as bitter in 2022.
