My Favorite Songs of 2023
The Year of the Sax and Italo-Disco
There were two things I noticed this year in music, or more specifically in the larger goth/electro/wave scene. First was the amount of saxophone and horns I heard. Nearly everywhere I turned, I heard a sax wailing, or some horns blaring. It was a good year to be brass.
The second thing I noticed was just the utter dominance with which the Italo-Disco sound has taken over the scene. Nearly every band I came across on Bandcamp had an “Italo-Disco” label, even bands that had no Italo-Disco influence that I could discern. The takeover was so prevalent that even conversing with a younger colleague at work, when I mentioned I had seen a show at the local goth club, he responded with “Oh, you mean the Italo-Disco club?”. This was a guy not even involved in the scene - it was that noticeable.
So, with those observations observed, here are my favorite songs I listened to this year.
5. Bunny X & SelloRekt / LA Dreams - “Go Back”
I came across New York based synthwave duo Bunny X earlier this year as I was browsing, very nearly by accident. I tend not to be the hugest fan of synthwave due to the extremely small confines the genre works in. There’s only so far you can go with gated drums and Jan Hammer sounding synths. The microgenre’s transparent mimicry of accessible 80s sounding synths all collapse together in a nostalgia soup that mostly tastes the same to me, no matter the chef. Sorry, maybe that was a bit too harsh.
That all being said, I’ve unexpectedly been digging the sounds of Bunny X’s two albums, 2021’s Young & In Love and this year’s sci-fi themed Love Minus 80. Initially I latched onto this year’s release, and was likely going to place a song from that album in this spot (see those recommendations below). Then I listened to their 2021 debut and quickly gravitated towards the song “Go Back”.
On the surface the lyrics are about reminiscing on a past love, but, as the Trapper Keeper inspired album artwork suggests, are really about the nostalgia for youth, especially a youth born of the 80s. It’s just such an easy indulgence of a track, especially when those saxophones come in (I told you there would be saxophone). While not so much on this track, on several other of their songs I hear traces of Lady Gaga in the singer’s voice. This is easy listening for a new generation.
Also recommended, from their first album “Perfect Paradise” is a groovy summer jam; from this year’s album: “Breaking Away”, and “Chiba City Blues”.
4. VNV Nation - “Sunflare”
Ronan Harris of VNV Nation has always penned lyrics that have the greatest hopes of humankind in mind, though on the band’s past two albums that hope has been getting obscured behind Harris’ frustration with humanity’s inability to enact change. However, the band ends their 11th album, Electric Sun, on a more hopeful note. The song “Sunflare” finds Ronan Harris conveying wishes for “generations yet to be” as he sings a song of well-wishes and hope. As a parent listening to the chorus, I can’t help but think of my kids: “All our hopes and all our love/ Our greatest wishes go with you/ May you find the place that you were meant to find”. It’s typical for VNV to end albums with anthemic, inspirational pieces (see “Perpetual”, “Where There Is Light”), and “Sunflare” follows in the mold wonderfully.
Also recommended: “Under Sky”, the album ending instrumental coda to the above song complete with bagpipes; the dreamy contemplative-turn-condemnatory opening title track, “Electric Sun” ; the scathing cinema of “Wait”.
3. FIRST EVER TIE: Catherine Moan & Primer - “Pavement 2” and “My Heart”
The first time you watch this video you might think I’m trolling you. My initial reaction was bafflement - “what did I just watch?”. But although it was odd, there was something there that caught my ear. Maybe it was the contrast between the extremely low voice of Primer (in whatever’s the opposite of a falsetto) who opens the song and Catherine Moan’s pixie-on-helium voice that comes in after a minute, or maybe it was that soaring synth, or maybe it was that funky bass and those funky breaks, or maybe it was the way it all wonderfully comes together in that final harmonization. So much goes on here, all in a short two minutes and forty seven seconds.
There’s something just weird and offbeat about it, but it’s also kind of absurdly wonderful. I’ve honestly had it on repeat since February. I wasn’t familiar with either artist before, but I’ve become a fan of Catherine Moan, and even got to see her live (and talk to her after). I also have no idea why the song has a “2” attached to it (there is no “Pavement 1” as far as I can tell). This song was part of a two-track collaboration between the artists.
“My Heart” is the other song from their two-track collaboration. This video really leans into random wackiness, with the stock images of corporate boardrooms motif having absolutely nothing to do with the subject of the song. But the song itself is kind of peppy and wonderful. Honestly, I think they’re selling themselves a bit short by appearing to not really care about what they’re doing.
I couldn’t bring myself to separate this song from its other half, and so, after much deliberation, for the first time in my blogging history, I am giving a tie to both songs (gasp). They both come from the same artistic collaboration and were released together. They are like two sides of a coin, apart yet inseparable.
Also recommended: from Catherine Moan, “Jawbreaker” ; from Primer, the cathartic “Anesthetized”.
2. Nuovo Testamento - “The Searcher”
I came across Nuovo Testamento’s 2021 album New Earth right as last year was ending and it became my go-to album for the duration of the entire year. If the Italian name didn’t tip you off, Nuovo Testamento (pictured at top) are purveyors of the Italo-Disco sound that is so, so popular in the scene right now.
The band at least have a reason to identify as Italo-Disco, as two of the three members are from Bologna. What I find amazing is that previously all three members were formerly part of the SoCal death rock scene. They came together a couple years ago to form a sort of supergroup and they somehow, inexplicably, made an astonishingly great Italo-Disco infused dance album.
Enter lead single, “The Searcher”. This song has straight up become one of my favorite dance songs of the past ten years. I just can’t get enough of it. Once that synth line hits, I am there. I like how singer Chelsey Crowley manages to sound both confident and vulnerable at the same time. The video features a lot of SoCal nightclub regulars bopping on the floor, including Riki, who had my favorite song of 2021 (and who also was a previous death rocker). For the first half of the year I was sure this would be my number one pick.
The album New Earth perfectly walks the line between darkwave and accessible Italo-Disco and at just over 30 minutes can easily be listened to in a single sitting. I remember seeing the album on best-of lists two years ago but I overlooked it (maybe due to the dull cover art), but holy hell am I mad at myself for not noticing this band sooner. This year they also came out with their follow-up album, Love Lines. It’s good but I wasn’t as big a fan as New Earth.
Also recommended, from this year’s Love Lines, the catchy “Heartbeat”. From New Earth: the track “Vanity” is just crying out for a dancefloor. Also album opener “Michelle, Michelle”, the early Madonna-esque “Electricity”, and “Golden Boy”. Or really, just listen to the entire album.
1. Nuovo Testamento - “Intuition”
Yes, I’m doing it. I’m breaking all the rules and giving my top two slots to songs from the same artist from the same album. That’s how much I like both of them, alright. So sue me or cancel me or whatever we’re doing now.
Ok, while the first half of my year was dominated by “The Searcher”, after listening to Nuovo Testamento’s 2021 album New Earth on repeat for months, album ender “Intuition” snuck up from behind in all it’s wondrousness. By the fall it had overtaken my love of my Number 2 entry and stolen the crown.
There’s just so many little things I love about this song: the male response vocals sound like something out of Depeche Mode; I like the slightly unusual song structure - like how the breakdown is placed where you expect the second verse to begin; the little bell (cowbell?) that comes in during the breakdown at 2:05 and the way the song shifts gears at 2:45; and notice that the chorus isn’t repeated until the end.
I also like singer Chelsea Crowley’s vocal delivery. At times her voice approaches something resembling a transatlantic accent. The way she sings “Give me a haaand/ and show you understaaaand”, or, “You’ve got my atteeeention/ is this a conneeeection” evokes the likes of Katherine Hepburn. It makes her sound commanding while also sounding vulnerable. She employs this delivery on a few other cuts from the album too, most notably on track “Golden Boy”. Overall this song is a perfect ending to a terrific album.
Thank you for reading! That’s all for 2023, I can’t wait to find what will catch my ear next year. See you then!