Howdy y’all! I’d like to take a moment to get personal with you, my loyal readers. A lot of excellent new music came out in the first three months of 2018, and I want to share my favorites. Keep in mind, I’m a mere mortal; I haven’t listened to everything. Most of the music I listen to came out years ago. Can you believe I never dug into to Prince’s discography until earlier this month? The point is, cut me some slack if I forget your favorite single from that one Soundcloud rapper with the face tattoo. If you find yourself screaming at your computer screen about a song I’ve omitted, feel free to recommend it to me. I’d be happy to give it a listen. But before you can disagree with the list, you have to read it, so get to it!
1. Being Alive by Frankie Cosmos
The chorus goes “being alive, matters quite a bit / even when you, feel like shit.” It’s a startlingly straightforward condemnation of the nihilism that weasels its way into online culture and beyond, and it’s sung so sweetly by Greta Kline that I really believe her when she says it. No lyric has resonated with me this year as much as that one. Pair that with a musical backdrop that explodes out the gate with heart-racing, drum smashing, indie rock, then pumps the brakes to reach a heartfelt, slow motion sway for the chorus, and you have a song so powerful that it requires a physical and emotional response. It’s a two minute tour de force, and it’s required listening for 2018.
2. The Ways by Khalid and Swae Lee
You’re going to thank me for recommending this breezy pop gem right before spring. I can’t think of a song that would better fit those first warm sunny days of the year than this one. Lilting keyboards glide effortlessly over a Milly Rocking beat while Khalid sings about a mysterious “power girl” whose been on his “mind all day.” Pop songs don’t get much cuter than this, and they don’t get much catchier either. Listen to this one at your own risk; you might find yourself addicted.
3. 1539 N. Calvert by JPEGMAFIA
Baltimore-based rapper and producer JPEGMAFIA (all caps, no spaces) is one of the most exciting hip-hop artists making a name for himself in 2018. “1539 N. Calvert” is the first track off his glitch-hop odyssey, Veteran, and it strikes a perfect balance between euphoria and playful boasting. The beat is an ever-shifting collage of pillowy synthesizers, clipped vocal samples, and twitching percussion. Over the top, JPEGMAFIA (or “Peggy,” as his fans lovingly call him) claims he wants to “give that dick to Kelly Conway.” His rhymes are as chameleonic as the music he raps to, and “1539 N. Calvert” is the perfect track to introduce such a dynamic new talent.
4. Poem by U.S. Girls
This is the rallying cry that 2018 needs. In a year where sneering contrarianism dominates the 24-hour news cycle and social media, Meg Remy of U.S. Girls reminds us that “all blood flows the same” and asks “how did we end up this way?” “Poem” is as much a criticism of our money-obsessed society as it is a call to arms. The song ends with Remy wondering what we will do to change. Such fervent statements are introduced by an arpeggiated keyboard that gives the song a sense of gravity which is only reinforced by the swelling bass that comes in right before Remy starts singing. I get chills every time I hear it.
5. Tension (Interlude) by BØRNS
“Tension” is a snack of a song; one minute and 34 seconds of perfectly layered, disco-tinged electronic music. Garrett Borns laments over being kicked “to the side of the road” while the pulsating bass and percussive synth riffs keep the mood footloose. I’ve put this song on loop for a solid 20 minutes straight and never grew bored of it. Put it on and you’ll surely find yourself dancing (whether you want to or not), but a deeper listen reveals a groove that’s put together like a Swiss watch, with every sound perfectly engineered. It’s my guilty pleasure of 2018.
6. Me and Michael by MGMT
I couldn’t possibly make this list during an MGMT album year and leave them out. MGMT is the kind of band that I have very strong opinions on. I won’t bore you with those. What I will bore you with is how “Me and Michael” is the 80 synth-pop tune that the 80s wishes it could claim. Andrew VanWyngarden’s patient vocal melody always lands on the perfect notes. He goes high when your innermost soul desires it. He only adds flourishes to the end of lines that benefit from them. And his tale of enduring friendship (“Me and Michael, solid as they come”) is something everyone can appreciate. Possibly more exciting than the song itself is that it represents an encouraging return to form for MGMT, who have always had a knack for pop tunes, even if they don’t always show it. “Me and Michael” is the rare MGMT pop song that isn’t profoundly weird in any way. Savor it, people. Savor it. (Fair warning: unlike the song itself, the music video is indeed profoundly weird)
The Healthy Alternative 
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