On January 1st of last year, I made a commitment to expand my musical tastes. It is with no shame that I admit that, for as long as Apple Music has been keeping track, The National has dominated my attention by actual thousands of minutes relative to other artists. However, despite my lack of shame about this, I felt an urging to branch out and experience something beyond the silo of artists that I have long remained in. With this in mind, I committed to a reasonable (though in retrospect meager) goal of listening to one new album of music a week—ideally from an artist that was unfamiliar or perhaps unknown to me.

I’ll admit that this was perhaps not as successful as it could have been. This is largely because of two complicating factors. First, it seems like all of my favorite artists released an album this year, and so many of my weekly albums were occupied by simply keeping up with what I knew. Second, I found myself becoming more interested in getting to know an artist’s body of work well rather than trying out a variety of them. For example, three of my weeks were occupied with the discography of Billie Eilish. 

It is worth noting here as well that I did not keep as rigorous track of this project as the year went on. I’m confident there were at least fifty-two new albums I sampled (even as the year is not over yet), and I always attempted to listen to each new album twice. But the point was not to rigidly hold myself to this arbitrary goal. Rather, it was to simply nudge me out of musical stagnation. 

With this in mind, following are two Top 5 lists of songs from the albums I surveyed and some brief commentary to summarize the highlights of this experience.

Honorable Mentions:

Bleachers by Bleachers
A thoroughly enjoyable and resonant album, but I found that few of the songs emerge as especially distinct or similarly resonant/enjoyable outside of the album itself. I had the great pleasure of seeing Bleachers at Madison Square Gardens this year—which, of the two things that I know happened at MSG this year, was by far the best. That being said, the experience served to remind me that even though Bleachers is certainly the most “Bleachers” album, it doesn’t contain their best songs.

Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend
My favorite album by Vampire Weekend, almost without question—which is to say that I liked it a lot. That being said, it simply didn’t have the staying power within my rotation as other albums did. “The Surfer” is really the standout track from this, and once that made its way onto some of my playlists, the album was more or less abandoned. 

“Fortnite (feat. Post Malone)” [Acoustic Version] by Taylor Swift
You can read my thinly veiled disappointment (disdain?) for The Tortured Poets Department here, but despite that I find myself nearly unable to stop listening to this. Look, sometimes pop music is good at its job. 

Greatest Disappointment:

GREIF by Zeal & Ardor
I only occasionally dabble in heavy metal, but Zeal & Ardor’s previous self-titled album is a frequent revisit for me, and something of a moment for them (“Hold Your Head Low” is simply astounding). However, my excitement to see the momentum continue was quickly snuffed out by an album that isn’t so much bad, just largely unremarkable—a stark contrast to the preceding breakthrough. 

Top 5 Newly Released Songs:

5. “Chihiro” by Billie Eilish
As noted, I’m new to the Billie train, but it’s songs like this where I start to understand all of the “generational talent” discourse surrounding her. There are few artists that can conjure an aura quite like Eilish, and to me she is at her best when she tones down the psycho-girl persona and elevates something more sincere, when the drama isn’t played up into a revenge arc or sociopathic behavior, but is simply sat with as a question: “Did you take // my love away // from me?”

4. “I Love You, I’m Sorry” by Gracie Abrams
Gracie Abrams: the remedy to my years long, post-Folklore Taylor Swift hangover. To me, she is the most relatable of the “girlhood in crisis” string of pop artists, shaping the overt over-dramaticness of the cluster into a lovely, frank earnestness—to say nothing of when she pushes introspection towards actual insight on other tracks and albums. This song is perhaps the best example of her strengths, a lyrical steadiness meeting a bouncy, stripped-down sound that sacrifices nothing in terms of feeling. I’m very glad that this year she simultaneously broke out and broke into my rotation.

3. “Cutting It Close” by Iron & Wine
Sam Beam is a long-time favorite and, honestly, an artistic hero of mine. “Cutting It Close” embodies the folky grunge of his style in both lyric and sound while foregrounding the introspective, cynical sense of regret that has often been a place of retreat for me over the last few years. One of those songs that just hits a very personal place for me, even before it concludes with one of the most poignant landings I’ve yet encountered. 

1. [Tie] “i’m gonna find out” by Salvia Palth
One of the few songs that I play on repeat for long stretches. Just something deeply resonant in the texture and complexity of the sound mix, one that somehow amounts to an almost pop-riff feel before being perfectly paired with the cyclical folding and unfolding of the lyrics. It’s a mystical, magical song, one that carries within it many of the feelings of the last year for me.

1. [Tie] “So Many Planets” by St. Vincent
Is this the greatest song ever written? I’m only half-joking (maybe only like, ten percent joking). Every instrument feels like a weapon, one wielded with unmatched confidence and dexterity until it culminates into a military-grade guitar solo and conclusion. A blade dance of a song—just unreal. 

Top 5 New Discoveries:

5. “Smoke Detector” by The National
So this one is technically an exception to the qualifications for this list. Though it was released late last year, it felt like a discovery when I encountered it again this summer, and found myself emulsifying into its throbbing, garage-rock, suburban-crisis angst. A new favorite from a band that I thought I’d fully discovered.

4. “Rugged Country” by Japanese Breakfast
The punk-rock cousin of the aforementioned “girlhood in crisis” cluster. Teenage disillusionment, grief, earnestness—it’s a powerful vibe when it meets a relentless tempo and electric guitars.

3. “Taylor” by Ashe
A potent, special mix of nostalgia-hazed retrospection, forlorn intimacy, and a truly, truly lovely voice. Becoming disenchanted with young love? Hits me where it counts.

2. “Augusta” by Gracie Abrams
As I noted, Abrams does that thing for me that we all want artists to do: reflect the things we are feeling back to us. This song conjures a very familiar emotion for me, one captured not just in the lyrics, but also the steady pace of the vocals, the simple rhythm of the guitar’s top two strings. Anyone who thinks we can’t know exactly how other people feel is wrong, and this song is the proof.

1. “Griffith Park (2800 E. Observatory Ave.)” by Gabriel Kahane
It starts detached and recounting, letting through occasional bursts of disillusioned sadness, then it concludes with something truly aching and intimate—all while remaining dynamic and mysterious. A masterpiece.

The year isn’t yet over, and there are still albums and artists to be discovered (and a new concert album from the National that they will have to compete with), but on the whole this has been an exceptionally fruitful project, one that perhaps with some modifications can yield a greater crop next year.

Kipp De Man

Kipp De Man graduated from Calvin University in 2023, having majored in film and media studies. He is currently working towards a master’s degree in the same discipline at Washington University in St. Louis. He enjoys reading and writing poetry, rock climbing, and Coke Zero.