It’s #SpotifyWrapped season, and for the first time I think my top five songs reflect what I actively enjoyed listening to in the past year (no lo-fi beats chill playlists here). So here’s my top five songs of 2023 and some thoughts about them:

Queens Of The Stone Age - ‘Emotion Sickness’

Baby don’t care for me, but in 2023 I cared deeply for this frank dissection of a decaying relationship. Sonically from a similar place in Queens’ songbook as slow-burner ‘Make It Wit Chu’, but with single servings of pain, spite, and bitter reflection riding the most beautiful falsetto vocals and melodic bassline in the chorus. Glad to see it nominated for a Grammy too.

Foo Fighters - ‘Show Me How’

Perennially positive president of rock Dave Grohl absorbed not one but two major personal losses in 2022. While late drummer & best friend Taylor Hawkins got the tribute concerts, as well as a significant share of the subject matter on Foo’s 2023 album But Here We Are, Dave’s mother Virginia is the guiding light here in this dream-pop duet dedicated to her memory. Daughter Violet joins him on vocals to help take care of everything from now on in this serene salve of a song.

The Tubs - ‘Round The Bend’

London-based Welsh indie band The Tubs marry musings about mental health with melodic hooks and punk power on this zippy example from their debut album, 2023’s Dead Meat. With a folky twist to his delivery, singer Owen Williams’ booming baritone is one of the best parts about this album, but on this all-too-brief song, I keep losing my mind to the careening catharsis of the bridge and the band at full flight.

Mammoth WVH - ‘Another Celebration At The End Of The World’

Wolfgang Van Halen is the full package. Blessed with the guitar chops of the late Eddie, he also drums, plays bass, and sings with full-throated frontman conviction on his second solo album under the Mammoth WVH name. The title track is all alt-rock awesomeness, but you could easily say the same for the rest of this superb set of brawny bangers.

Fall Out Boy - ‘Fake Out’

I’ll be the first to admit that my fervour for new Fall Out Boy material fell over the past decade as the pop-punk band chased poppier trends and didn’t always stick the landing. 2023’s So Much For Stardust is a return to form in a few ways; one being the acoustic guitar-led new-wave vibes of the forlorn ‘Fake Out’. Another new direction but a great FOB song regardless of the era, or previous errors made.