2022 – The Mixtape

Sometimes, you take stock of your life over the course of one year, and what you find doesn’t make sense. It all happened to you, you were there for all of it, and it literally all took place within the same 365 days, you know that, it’s a fact. But the lived experience of a year can be confounding, stretched out and crunched together like a badly played accordion, or a tape that’s been warped in an oven. 

For example, we had a terrible pest problem this summer. An infestation of unknown scope that dominated our lives for…days? Weeks? Months? It was interminable at the time. Thinking back on it now, though, it’s so hard to fathom that it all happened in 2022. Surely it was ages ago, back when I was living in a different apartment, splitting time between my bed and my girlfriend’s. Time demarcated by place, the fixed rigidity of years made irrelevant by the room where you slept then versus the room where you sleep now.

Another year “past” the pandemic, and even as things “return to normal,” the sense of time has never seemed so arbitrary. September was last year, October was this year, December was next year. The angle of the sun at 5pm doesn’t mean a whole lot when you’re too busy navigating the world under your feet to look up at the sky.

Oh, and I got engaged. I’m getting married. A lot has happened. A lot is still happening.

Truly, the most normal, reliable annual tradition in my life now is this playlist. I knew it was 2022 because the words “IN PROGRESS” sat next to that number and The Weeknd in old age makeup stared at me from my Tidal home screen for 12 months. (Though I switched primarily to Tidal to provide more financial support to the artists I love, I still have a Spotify account (it’s a family plan), so for the first time it’s going to be accessible on two separate streaming services. But otherwise, it’s exactly the same idea.)

This is my sixth year compiling one of these mixes, and it might have been the hardest, for many complicated reasons I can get into further down. For now, a brief primer for those who don’t know:

I listen to a lot of new music. Too much, one might say (to the point where this year, I couldn’t limit the song count to the standard 100. Surprise, there’s 105!). And every year I put together a playlist of (at least) 100 tracks, no repeated artists, no two songs from the same album, all unique. Then, when the year comes to a close, I take these songs and carefully arrange them into a mixtape of sorts, meant to flow together from beginning to end. I like to crash songs together from completely disparate genres and imbue each with a new meaning from the context of what came before and after.

Please turn off your shuffle. What you’re about to hear is a compilation that has taken months to craft, shifted and changed again and again right up until, well, right before I started writing this. Maybe even a couple more times before I publish this.

In lieu of my previous tradition of breaking every section of the playlist into tiny titled chunks, I’m only going to do that for a few select movements to highlight common themes and thoughts I wanted to carry across. For the rest, I’ll try to highlight some of my favorite songs, albums, and artists in isolation.

Overall, this turned out to be the most difficult playlist I’ve arranged so far. There were few records that really wowed me this year, and a lot that fell into a sort of general “good” range that made it hard to distinguish what did and did not belong. And I had a hard time stringing everything together as smoothly as I usually try to do. All that said, I found myself casting songs in conversation with one another moreso than most years. I usually focus a lot on moods and vibes, and there’s a lot of that here too, but also there are more narratives and messages hiding throughout. I’ll explain more later, but suffice it to say my brain is just working a bit differently right now than this same time in 2021.

I hope you enjoy what I’ve put together. If not, feel free to let me know. If you found something you like that you hadn’t heard before, please let me know that too; it’s my favorite part about doing this! There’s also a runoff playlist titled “2022 – The Rest Of” which contains roughly a hundred songs that almost made the cut but didn’t. Again, I listen to too much new music for one person.

TIDAL

SPOTIFY

2022: The Mixtape

By Christian Hagen

1. The Weekend, “Gasoline”

• Dawn FM was the first great album of 2022, and consequently “Gasoline” stayed in this first slot for the entire year. No other opener felt right. The Weeknd continues to experiment and explore every boundary of R&B and hip-hop, and he’s dropped home run after home run of weird but expertly crafted pop perfection.

2. Marlowe, “Past Life”

• Marlowe 3 was my favorite rap album of the year, no question.

3. Fantastic Negrito, “Trudoo”
4. CMAT, “Every Bottle (Is My Boyfriend)”

• If I had to pick one genre which really thrived in 2022, it would be alt-country. You’ll find a lot of it in this year’s playlist, and for good reason. CMAT was probably the most exciting revelation of the bunch for me, raw and honest and funny while still managing to write some damn catchy tunes.

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Am I Ready? A Story About Me and Kady

5. Paolo Nutini, “Radio”
6. The 1975, “Happiness”
7. Foxes, “Potential”
8. Lizzo, “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready?)”
9. Beach Bunny, “Entropy”

• Beach Bunny has fast become my favorite 90s-esque female-fronted pop-rock band, which might sound like damning with faint praise on account of how niche that genre breakdown is, but it’s one of my favorite genres of music, so it means a lot to me.

10. Maggie Rogers, “That’s Where I Am”

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11. Gorillaz, “New Gold (ft. Tame Impala & Bootie Brown)”
12. Banks, “Holding Back”

• Banks was remarkably upbeat on her new album, and this song is a banger.

13. AURORA, “The Innocent”
14. han gaiden, “the more you think”

• Fuck SCOTUS.

15. Eli Derby, “Gaslight”
16. Saba, “Still (ft. 6LACK & Smino)”
17. Danger Mouse & Black Thought, “Aquamarine (ft. Michael Kiwanuka)”
18. Lil Silva, “Another Sketch”
19. Mice Parade, “Eisa Dancers”
20. Shamir, “Cisgender”

• There are a lot of songs on this list about gender, sexuality, and body positivity. Probably none are as intense and cathartic as “Cisgender.” Shamir is a talent to watch.

21. yeule, “Don’t Be So Hard On Your Own Beauty”
22. First Aid Kit, “Out of My Head”

• There were quite a few albums from artists I’ve previously loved that landed completely flat for me (I won’t name names, but trust me, there were a lot). Almost as numerous, though, were albums from artists I’d previously shrugged off that surprised me with their strength and musicality. First Aid Kit’s was definitely one of the latter.

23. Big Thief, “Little Things”
24. Buddy, “Ghetto 24 (ft. Tinashe)”
25. Smino, “90 Proof (ft. J. Cole)”
26. King Princess, “I Hate Myself, I Want to Party”
27. Florence + The Machine, “Dream Girl Evil”

• I waffled over which song to include from this album, because it’s probably the band’s best record yet overall, but it’s such a cohesive mood piece that individual songs don’t gel as well in a playlist like this.

28. Sunflower Bean, “Who Put You Up To This?”
29. Denzel Curry, “Zatoichi (ft. slowthai)”
30. Soccer Mommy, “With U”
31. Author & Punisher, “Maiden Star”

• There are going to be songs in this playlist which might challenge listeners’ expectations. This is maybe the first big swing on here, a strange, industrial-meets-dream-pop post-metal song full of longing and expansive beauty, reminiscent of Beach House covering Nine Inch Nails. I like it a lot.

32. Rosie Carney, “tidal wave”
33. Kehlani, “altar”

• Every time there’s a new Kehlani record, I listen to it and think, “This is good!” And then I forget about her. I don’t know why my brain does this. No more. I’ve resolved myself: Kehlani is good. I like and will listen to Kehlani. And you should too.

34. Jeremie Albino, “Acre of Land”
35. fanclubwallet, “Trying To Be Nice”
36. Boldy James & Real Bad Man, “Hundred Ninety Bands”
37. King Hannah, “All Being Fine”
38. Johanna Warren, “:/”
39. Billy Woods, “Wharves”

• The lyricism in this track is disturbing and masterful.

40. black midi, “Sugar/Tzu”

• I promise you this is the most overtly challenging song on the playlist. It’s brash and confrontational, but the musicianship on display is technically impressive and sonically unlike anything else released this year. It’s like Primus meets The Mars Volta, something which is definitely not for everyone, but for a certain type of person, it’s very much their shit.

41. And So I Watch You From Afar, “Il Dive Pt 2”

• A beautiful instrumental rock album from ASIWYFA (even the acronym is ridiculously long) that stood out to me this year.

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A Damn Good Dance Mix

42. Sigrid, “Dancer”

• This is the closest I think 2022 came to a “song of the summer” for me. An absolute gem that gets stuck in my head and makes me feel like I’m soaring every time I hear it.

43. Foals, “Wake Me Up”
44. Empress Of, “Dance For You”
45. Megan Thee Stallion, “Her”
46. Charlotte Sands, “Dress”
47. Harry Styles, “Music For a Sushi Restaurant”
48. Amber Mark, “FOMO”
49. CHOIZA, “Do what I do”

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50. Erin Rae, “Enemy”
51. Daniel Rossen, “It’s A Passage”

• I was so glad to hear Daniel Rossen back and basically just making a Grizzly Bear record again. 

52. Wet Leg, “Angelica”
53. Horsegirl, “Option 8”
54. Satellites, “Olurmu Dersin”
55. 070 Shake, “Cocoon”
56. Alice Merton, “Same Team”
57. Ella Mai, “Pieces”

• There are a few tracks in this playlist which I think are good songs that make the leap to “great” because of a particular section of the track. I think the pre-chorus of this one is an example of that for me.

58. Joey Bada$$, “Zipcodes”
59. Earl Sweatshirt, “2010”
60. Lola Kirke, “If I Win”
61. Tai Verdes, “3 outfits”

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I’ll Probably Be Fine

62. The Regrettes, “Anxieties (Out of Time)”
63. Sasha Alex Sloan, “I Blame The World”
64. Steve Lacy, “Bad Habit”
65. Plains, “Abilene”
66. SZA, “Good Days”

• Leave it to SZA to nuke critics’ year-end lists with a massive surprise album drop in the middle of December. But the five-year wait for a new full-length release was well worth it.

67. DoMi & JD BECK, “PiLOT (ft. Anderson .Paak, Busta Rhymes, & Snoop Dogg)”
68. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, “Magenta Mountain”

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Maybe We Won’t Be Fine

69. Grace Cummings, “Raglan”
70. iamamiwhoami, “Changes”
71. FKA Twigs, “minds of men”

• I had “meta angel” on here for a long time, but there’s an eerieness to this one that I find captivating.

72. Vince Staples, “WHEN SPARKS FLY”
73. Ravyn Lenae, “Deep In The World”
74. Carly Rae Jepsen, “Go Find Yourself or Whatever”
75. Julia Jacklin, “Love, Try Not To Let Go”
76. Sharon Van Etten, “Come Back”

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77. Ezra Furman, “Forever In Sunset”

• I’ve been waiting for Ezra Furman to make an album like All of Us Flames since I first heard Perpetual Motion People in 2016. I was lucky enough to see her live touring this new record, and it was a joy to see an artist I’ve been watching closely realize her full power. Confident, honest, politically potent, beautiful, anthemic. It’s a wonderful album at just the right time.

78. Kendrick Lamar, “Auntie Diaries”

• There were a number of standout tracks from Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, but I think it’s worth highlighting the complicated but ultimately groundbreaking foray into gender politics that Kendrick attempts here. On first listen, I bristled at the misgendering and slurs, but on reviewing the written lyrics, it’s a beautiful narrative of the struggle to understand which ultimately leads to a greater empathy and love for those marginalized because of who they are.

79. Sudan Archives, “Selfish Soul”

• Try not to get this stuck in your head. Just try.

80. Tove Lo, “Grapefruit”
81. Rina Sawayama, “Hold The Girl”
82. Placebo, “Beautiful James”

• All year, I thought I should maybe cut this song because it’s a bit stylistically outdated, and even a bit cheesy. But in the end, I decided the joy this song brings me outweighs my chosen air of hipster aloofness. 

83. Arcade Fire, “The Lightning II”
84. Beach House, “New Romance”
85. Little Simz, “Gorilla”

• Of course I was all set to let 2022 be over and then Little Simz drops a new album. Of course.

86. PUP, “Totally Fine”

• One of my favorite albums of the year, and almost certainly the best punk record I heard in 2022. PUP created something bitter, cathartic, and personal and managed to also make it exuberant and infectious. 

87. Crows, “Only Time”
88. Giraffes? Giraffes!, “Your Disgusting Head”
89. Pusha T, “Diet Coke”
90. The Beths, “Best Left”
91. Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”

• I don’t care for Taylor Swift’s public persona, and her fanbase is loaded to the gills with aggressive stans who sour any conversation about her music, but as mixed as my feelings are about her as an artist, I can’t deny that this song is an earworm, and surprisingly contemplative to boot.

92. Bartees Strange, “Heavy Heart”
93. Pool Kids, “That’s Physics, Baby”

• The last-added entry on the playlist, narrowly bumping out Caroline Spence’s “Icarus.” I enjoy a little mathy guitar rock, and this was refreshingly fun, reminiscent of Mannequin Pussy or Slotface from previous years’ lists.

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Work Whether You Want To Or Not

94. Kae Tempest, “No Prizes (ft. Lianne La Havas)”
95. Broken Bells, “Saturdays”
96. Avantdale Bowling Club, “Friday Night @ The Liquor Store”
97. Freddie Gibbs, “Too Much (ft. Moneybagg Yo)”
98. SG Goodman, “Work Until I Die”
99. JID, “Money”

• Similar to my point about the pre-chorus on Ella Mai’s “Pieces,” there’s a particular motif that really elevates this song for me, and surprisingly, it’s the recurring line about bologna sandwiches. Such a simple image and the transformation of his relationship to it over the course of the song rings so poignant and evocative to me.

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100. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, “Unbraid: The Merge”
101. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Spitting Off the Edge of the World (ft. Perfume Genius)”
102. Zola Jesus, “The Fall”
103. Weyes Blood, “Children of the Empire”
104. Guerilla Toss, “Heathen In Me”

• This was my original closer before I settled on the next track. It’s got a feeling of finality to it, uplifting and fun and expansive. 

105. Alvvays, “Belinda Says”

• Blue Rev is an album that blew me away from the first listen and has stayed in heavy rotation since. I’ve enjoyed Alvvays in the past, but I kept finding myself coming back to the same thought when listening to this record: “I didn’t know they were capable of making this.” It’s a stellar achievement of dream pop and indie rock, and seeing a band elevate their sound from “enjoyable” to “masterful” is really exciting. I loved it so much that I had “Pressed” wedged into the opening section of the playlist until the final week of arrangement, just because I wanted to make sure to highlight them as early as possible. But then, I was struggling with a closer, trying desperately to find something both tonally appropriate for an ending and personally relevant enough to act as a closing statement of what I’ve built. The answer became obvious when I re-listened to “Belinda Says.” The Weeknd’s Dawn FM was maybe my favorite album of 2022, so it makes sense to mirror The Weeknd’s introduction to my playlist with a song from my other maybe favorite album of 2022 to bring it to a close.

And just because I feel like it, I want to list out some of my favorite albums of 2022, in no particular order, just to highlight some standouts:

The Weeknd, Dawn FM

Alvvays, Blue Rev

PUP, THE UNRAVELING OF PUPTHEBAND

Marlowe, Marlowe 3

Ezra Furman, All of Us Flames

CMAT, If My Wife New I’d Be Dead

Beach Bunny, Emotional Creature

Kehlani, blue water road

fanclubwallet, You Have Got To Be Kidding Me

And So I Watch You From Afar, Jettison

Satellites, Satellites

Horsegirl, Versions of Modern Performance

Plains, I Walked With You A Ways

SZA, SOS

Weyes Blood, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow

Guerilla Toss, Famously Alive

Sudan Archives, Natural Brown Prom Queen

Wet Leg, Wet Leg

Amber Mark, Three Dimensions Deep

Sigrid, How To Let Go

Foals, Life Is Yours

Shamir, Heterosexuality

Fantastic Negrito, White Jesus Black Problems