Welcoming our new Spring interns cannot go without giving you a peek into our 2024 music taste. We thought what better way than to share our top song of 2024. With so many options, this choice was nowhere near easy for any of us, but we were all able to narrow it down to one top song for the year. Get to know each of us and feel free to judge our music taste below!
Casey: “toothache” by Searows
One of the releases that shaped my 2024 was “toothache” by Searows. As a big Searows fan, I felt it necessary to stay up for this single release. At 10:59 pm, I sat in my dark room in utter shock. Searows had put into words a feeling I had never been capable of verbalizing. The draining possibility of being perceived in a way you are afraid of, specifically by those whose opinions matter to you. The concept of “toothache” revolves around the idea of being too kind to those who don’t deserve it, and being seen as weak for not standing up for yourself.
Searows has been one of my top artists for a few years, which made it a nice surprise to hear a light and bouncy track in comparison to his usual slower, moody ones. I certainly was not expecting to press play and hear something other than a distorted intro, much less a positive beat. This track is one of the first upbeat tracks put out by Searows, but it does not lack the gut-punch you can find in all of his other songs. Its upbeat, country guitar is a distraction from the lyrics describing the challenges in finding yourself while being afraid to show other people who that someone is.
There is something so special about an upbeat, sad song. This track, to me, depicts the strive to feel you are enough even when life is throwing the hardest punches. It is a verbalization of how we crave approval, yet are scared to ask for it due to the possibility of not receiving it. There is also an understanding of coming to terms with your feelings. writing your deeper, darker thoughts to a track that depicts you as content and confident. That can be a lot like how we act in life. Oftentimes, we push those scary and dim thoughts down to avoid what feelings they bring. We pretend to be unphased and indifferent when in reality we feel heavy inside.
I would usually stray from picking a sad song as my favorite. Don’t get me wrong, I love sad music, but I wouldn’t want it to define a year for me. There was something about this track though, that I couldn’t let go of. Searows created a song that not only was enjoyable to listen to casually, but could easily become more relevant and applicable with a simple dissection of the lyrics.
Jack: “Soul-Net” by DIIV
The Brooklyn-based band DIIV (pronounced dive) did it again! From their latest album “Frog In Boiling Water”, the second single “Soul-net” captures its position as my favorite track of 2024.
When I first heard the singles from their then upcoming album, I was a bit taken aback. It certainly wasn’t from a place of disliking the songs, they just sounded different than I expected. At the time I was listening to their debut work “Oshin” from 2012, a shimmering, atmospheric, and fairly relaxed album. I forget that artists consistently evolve, nurturing their writing abilities and honing their sound. DIIV’s “Soul-net” is no different, retaining the dreaminess of their past art. But throughout their new album, it was evident that it took a turn to be more eerie and intense.
I’m continually entranced with the opening 30 seconds with a somewhat bouncy drum track building in itself echoes and a relaxed take of the lead guitar line. I also love the unrelenting, intense backing tracks in comparison to the whispery, gloomy vocals. This track evolves to sound larger than life and Herculean, carrying with it a wall of guitars with piercing guitars gliding over the mix by the end.
I did not expect this song to be my favorite of the year but it continually came back into my memory and satisfied my musical needs. Even with the incredible amount of music being released this year from some of my favorite artists such as Loving, mk.gee, and Boyscott, “Soul-net” was able to sway me to dream of something bigger than myself. Whether it’s musical, thematic, or vibe, DIIV is doing it right in my book.
Kate: “Everything is romantic” by Charli XCX
It would be amiss to discuss my favorite songs of 2024 without acknowledging the impact that the album “BRAT” had on my year. Charli XCX brought her experimental pop music to the mainstream, along with her unique perspective as a songwriter. Ranging from feel good clubbing music to introspective songs about the internal battles with motherhood, “BRAT” manages to capture it all!
The track on “BRAT” that stood out and cemented its place as my favorite song of 2024 was “Everything is romantic.” Charli takes listeners on a journey using vivid imagery to explain the different little intricacies in her life to show how everything can be romanticized. With lyrics like “Lemons on the trees and on the ground / Sandals on the stirrups of the scooters,” Charli manages to capture the feeling of falling in love with the things around you, no matter how simple or small.
“Everything is romantic” has an orchestral overture that opens the song before building into the electronic pieces that drive the song. Highlights of the track’s sound include Charli’s stacked vocal production and the absurd yet fun space-gun background noises. Charli’s ability to balance meaningful lyrics with a fun danceable track helped set the scene for a lot of my 2024 memories, earning “Everything is romantic” the title of my favorite song of 2024!
Juliette: “Favourite” by Fontaines D.C. ‘s
Within the past year there have been so many noteworthy and exceptional releases including Brat by Charli XCX, Two Star and the Dream Police by Mk.gee, Manning Fireworks by MJ Lenderman, just to list a few. There is one album I could not get enough of, Romance by Fontaines D.C. The Irish alternative rock sensation are making waves in the rock scene after touring with Arctic Monkeys and their release of their junior album Skinty Fia go deo. Romance blends Britpop, nostalgic alternative rock, and Fontaine D.C.’s signature soulful and complex sound on their senior album.
Fontaines D.C. ‘s “Favourite” was truly my song of 2024. The song introduces nostalgic instrumentation mixed with a punchy pop melody that brings a lightness to the album. The lyrics are dreamlike and sentimental with lines like “Did you know /I could claim the dreamer/ from the dream?/ Make you feel / Everything you’ve never even seen”. The lead singer, Grian Chatten, describes the song as sounding like “surrendering to the flow” which describes the feeling of listening to the song perfectly. The song contrasts with the darkness of the beginning track off the album Romance by closing the album out with an airy reflection of dreams, love, and the passage of time. The music video also mixes the sentimental lyrics with childhood visuals of the bandmates. The song not only is a personal and fan favorite, but also the bandmates’ favorite song they’ve produced yet. This song will always remind me of my favorite dreams and memories of 2024!
Tune in to 100.1 FM and lightning100.com all week to hear to hear more songs like these on Lighting 100! #Internpicks #2024
