- Words Notion Staff
- Words Solly Warner
- Words Aimee Phillips
- Words Tom Fogden
We've rounded up our favourite tracks that have helped us through this bizarre year.
Music has probably been used more than ever this year as a way to escape. It’s uplifted us when we wanted to smile, allowed us to embrace our feelings when we wanted a little cry and turned our bedrooms into a dance floor for when we longed for the rave. As we wait for that special day – when we can gather together and dance the night away, here are some of the tracks we’ll keep turning to.
"Hello" by Jelani Blackman
Jelani Blackman's "Hello" is so hard it hurts. The London rapper's breakthrough hit is sure to get stuck in your head for days on end.
"Frontline" by Pa Salieu
Coventry rapper Pa Salieu turned supernova this year with the raw and uncompromising "Frontline". Salieu's hard-hitting flow is matched with an infectious beat, making this easily one of 2020's standout songs.
"Don't Rush" by Young T & Bugsey
Nottingham superstars Young T & Bugsey linked up with Headie One for this MOBO award-winning song. The slick melody and smooth vocals made this a quiet head-bopper and an unfulfilled floor-filler.
"Princess Cuts feat. Young T & Bugsey" by Headie One
After a breakout year, which saw him dropping a freestyle with Drake, collabing with Jamie XX and cementing himself as the leading name in the U.K. drill scene, Headie One dropped his 'Edna' album in October. "Princess Cuts" featuring Young T & Bugsey is definitely one of the best on the record.
"Worth It" by beabadoobee
beabadoobee made it her mission to bring back 90s grunge with her album 'Fake It Flowers'. "Worth It" instantly conjures nostalgic flashbacks of teenage days dancing around the bedroom, festival bands piled high on wrists, singing into a hairbrush or slashing an air guitar.
"Garden Song" by Phoebe Bridgers
From her acclaimed 'Punisher' album, "Garden Song" is Phoebe Bridgers at her best. The barely-there melody makes Bridgers' delicate vocals and visceral storytelling stand out even more.
"Feed The Fire feat. Lucky Daye" by SG Lewis
"Feed The Fire" is another instantly addictive number from musical maverick, SG Lewis, and another taste of his debut album 'times', dropping next February. Everything SG drops gets instantly added to my basket, but "Feed The Fire" is a particularly brilliant sonic transportation to the dancefloor.
"Like That" by GRACEY
Dance-pop newcomer, GRACEY, knows how to make an addictive bop, but "Like That" will have you snapping, crackling and popping faster than a bowl of Rice Krispies.
"Save Your Tears" by Rose Gray
A euphoric ode to the dancefloor, Rose Gray's 90s Balearic house-inspired number will have you dancing like there's more than just bubbles in your drink at Ushuaïa beach club in Ibiza.
"Black Dog" by Arlo Parks
Arguably one of the year's most devastating songs, as well as one of the best, "Black Dog" is a searingly honest portrait of trying to help a friend through depression.
"People, I've been sad" by Christine and the Queens
A perfect quarantine anthem, this blunt yet gentle song from Christine and the Queens’ Héloïse Letissier made many of us feel less alone this year.
"Hu Man" by Greentea Peng
Psychadelic rhythms and spellbinding vocals, that's a Greentea Peng number for you, and "Hu Man" was her best this year.
"Envious" by Aluna
Aluna's upbeat and catchy number gave everyone a taste of what to expect for her debut solo album 'Renaissance', which dropped this summer. “I think people really need this song right now because I believe it’s my best ‘cry dance’ song; a style I coined to describe that exquisite feeling when all your emotions are released while dancing so you cry at the same time”, she said.
"Doable" by Shaybo
Nigerian-born South Londoner, Shaybo, is a drill star on the rise, and her confident track "Doable" certainly cemented this.
"Kryptonite" by Darkoo
Darkoo's silky smooth Afrobeats bubbler "Kryptonite" makes it a perfect tune for the afterparty - or literally any mood.
"APESHIT" by Bree Runway
Hackney's 'destructive pop' queen, Bree Runway, kicks it into high gear on "APESHIT" as she bungees between climatic build-ups and dancefloor breakdowns. All eyes on Bree for 2021.
"Guns Up" by Bad Boy Chiller Crew
"Guns Up" by Bradford rascals Bad Boy Chiller Crew is a high-octane anthem for lads from Luton to West Lothian (now there's a tongue twister).
