Best New Music of 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2015 has officially closed, which means I now feel fully ready to weigh in on the best songs of the past year, musical trends, and breakout artists. Way back in January, 2015 I embarked on an ambitious mission. My goal was to listen to all the new releases every week, and then lovingly craft the top 20 songs of each month into a playlist on Spotify, which was posted to this humble blog. I dutifully did that for 11 months, my lonely aural vigil, and then spent the month of December trying to whittle 220 very good songs into a cohesive playlist of the 100 best songs of the year. It was no easy task, and I'm proud to present to you the Best New Music of 2015 playlist featuring the Top 100 Songs of 2015.

These are not ordered best to worst. Like any good stereotypical pet project from a Millennial,everyone is a winner! Rather, they are arranged in an order that flows, gliding effortlessly through blurred genres. Keep your mind and ears open, dear readers, and enjoy!


In Alphabetical Order by Artist
Alabama Shakes - 'Don't Wanna Fight'
Allen Stone - 'Upside'
Andy Shauf - 'I'm Not Falling Asleep'
The Avener & Phoebe Killdeer - 'Fade Out Lines'
The Barr Brothers - 'Burn Card'
Beat Connection - 'So Good'
Big Grams - 'Fell In the Sun'
Big Wild - 'Aftergold'
BOOTS - 'Bombs Away'
Boy & Bear - 'Where'd You Go'
Brand New - 'Mene'
Cam - 'Burning House'
Cayucas - 'Moony Eyed Walrus'
Charlie Sztyk - 'God Damn Fool'
Chet Faker - 'Bend'
Christine & The Queens - 'No Harm is Done' feat. Tunji Ige
Circa Waves - 'Young Chasers'
Cloves - 'Everybody's Son'
Conner Youngblood - 'TXTN'
Courtney Barnett - 'Pedestrian at Best'
The Decemberists - 'Lake Song'
Django Django - 'Beginning to Fade'
The Dodos - 'Bubble'
Drenge - 'We Can Do What We Want'
EL VY - 'Return To The Moon'
filous & James Hersey - 'How Hard I Try'
Flume & Andrew Wyatt - 'Some Minds'
Foreign Air - 'Free Animal'
The Front Bottoms - 'Cough It Out'
Gary Clark Jr. - 'Church'
George Ezra - 'Barcelona'
Girlpool - 'Before The World Was Big'
Good Old War - 'Tell Me What You Want from Me'
GRiZ & Big Gigantic - 'Good Times Roll'
Gun Outfit - 'Legends of My Own'
Hodera - 'Feel Better'
Hop Along - 'The Knock'
Hot Chip - 'Huarache Lights'
Houndmouth - 'Sedona'
Ibeyi - 'Ghosts'
Jain - 'Come'
Jamie xx & Romy - 'Loud Places'
The Japanese House - 'Pools to Bathe In'
Joey Bada$$ - 'Paper Trail$'
Jose Gonzalez - 'Leaf Off/The Cave'
Joywave & KOPPS - 'Tongues'
Jr. Jr. - 'Gone'
Julia Holter - 'Feel You'
Julio Bashmore & Sam Dew - 'Holding On'
Kay Fresco & M. Maggie - 'Leaves'
Kendrick Lamar - 'The Blacker The Berry'
The Knocks - 'Dancing With Myself'
Kurt Vile - 'Pretty Pimpin'
Kwamie Liv - 'Pleasure This Pain' feat. Angel Haze
Langhorne Slim & The Law - 'Strangers'
Lawrence Taylor - 'Waiting for Your Love'
Leon Bridges - 'River'
Lord Huron - 'Fool for Love'
Lower Dens - 'Ondine'
Mac Demarco - 'The Way You'd Love Her'
Maren Morris - 'My Church'
Maritime - 'Roaming Empire'
Mavis Staples - 'Your Good Fortune'
The Milk Carton Kids - 'Monterey'
Missy Elliot - 'WTF (Where They From)' feat. Pharrell Williams
Miya Folick - 'Strange Darling'
MNEK - 'The Rhythm'
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - 'S.O.B.'
Neon Indian - 'Annie'
The Oh Hellos - 'Bitter Water'
Panda Bear - 'Boys Latin'
Pell - 'Queso'
Petite Noir - 'Down'
Pure Bathing Culture - 'Pray for Rain'
Purity Ring - 'heartsigh'
Romare - 'Prison Blues'
Rustie - 'First Mythz'
Ryan Adams - 'I Do Not Feel Like Being Good'
Saintseneca - 'Sleeper Hold'
Santigold - 'Can't Get Enough Of Myself' feat. B.C.
Shamir - 'On The Regular'
Sharon Van Etten - 'I Don't Want to Let You Down'
Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds - 'Sugar'
Sjowgren - 'Seventeen'
Sleater-Kinney - 'No Cities To Love'
SOAK - 'Reckless Behaviour'
Son Little - 'Lay Down'
St. Germain - 'Real Blues'
Statik Selektah - 'In The Wind' feat. Joey Bada$$, Big K.R.I.T. & Chauncy Sherod
Sunflower Bean - 'Wall Watcher'
Tame Impala - 'Eventually'
Toro Y Moi - 'Empty Nesters'
Warpaint - 'No Way Out'
Wavves & Cloud Nothings - 'Come Down'
The Weepies - 'Crooked Smile'
Widowspeak - 'Girls'
Will Joseph Cook - 'Message'
William Fitzsimmons - 'Pittsburgh'
Young Fathers - 'Shame'
Youth Lagoon - 'Highway Patrol Stun Gun'