The Best Songs of 2018

(Feature also published in ET)

A guide to this year’s best releases as told by me, Ruby.

‘All Wordz Are Made Up’ by The Voidz (Virtue)

The Strokes may be reaching the end of the line (fingers crossed they don’t) but The Voidz certainly aren’t. Frontman Julian Casablancas and his posse have given us a masterpiece this year in the form of Virtue. Described by Casablancas himself as “futuristic prison jazz”, the band’s second album is an emotive, genre-mashing, beautiful mess that speaks simultaneously to the past, present and future. My favourite song on the album, ‘All Wordz Are Made Up’, features bouncy keys, robot-like vocals, funky cowbell, and Daft Punk inspired synths. Casablancas opens the song singing, “no one will care about this in ten years,” but it’s so far from the truth.

‘Loading Zones’ by Kurt Vile (Single)

As someone who eternally misses the sounds of proud Philadelphian singer Kurt Vile, I had to include his first solo release for 3 whole years. ‘Loading Zones’ is a plucky guitar number that builds up through his lyrics to create an energetic surge of swirly synth. While Vile refers to Philadelphia as both “beautiful” and “dirty”, you can tell he loves both the flaws and the beauty of his little town. “One stop shop life for the quick fix/before you get a ticket/that's the way I live my life/I park for free”, Vile sings, describing how he avoids paying for parking by shopping as conveniently as he can.

Fun Fact: In order to promote ‘Loading Zones’, Vile posted out realistic-looking parking tickets to Philly-based fans and freaked the heck out of them. The envelopes had ‘VIOLATORS’ written on them in huge bold lettering and the tickets themselves were for parking in loading zones – a cheeky prank that fits well with the overall vibe of the song.

‘Wedding’ by Horror My Friend (Home Life)

‘Wedding’ is one of the most classic tunes to come from Adelaide’s own; Horror My Friend can do no wrong. The song reflects on the issues that surround establishing a healthy work/life balance when touring as a band and the strain that can have on relationships. Thrashing guitar, out of tune fuzz, throttling drums and emotive lyrics make up this intense and vulnerable track. Lyrics such as “I feel like a self-involved prick” describe what it feels like to pursue your dreams while being in a long-distance relationship. The music video for this track is a humorous look at what would happen if the band’s drummer Sam died and then had his identity stolen by an alien.

‘Burnt Out Star’ by Pond (Single)

This song is pure magic. Pond’s signature sound comes out in ‘Burnt Out Star’ through its building vocals, twinkling glockenspiel, psychedelic synths and sound effects, powerful breakdown, and politically-skewed lyrics. “I can wait a while/I can wait a while” lead singer Nick Allbrook tenderly gleams. The beginning of the song appears to be an ode to a lover, before transforming into questioning the planet’s future. “I might go and shack up in Tasmania/before the ozone goes and Paris burns/ and Australia?/who knows…” The song ends with Allbrook hypnotically singing a sequence of numbers over and over, sending you into a trip back in time to 1917. ‘Burnt Out Star’ is so captivating you won’t even notice it’s 8 minutes long.

‘Problems III’ by The Growlers (Casual Acquaintances)

A nostalgic nod to Chinese Fountain and City Club, Casual Acquaintances is an album for the unfinished demos and unreleased tracks The Growlers have acquired over the years, but they feel nothing of the sort. ‘Problems III’ is an 80s synth-pop track about love and its corresponding ‘problems’. The track describes singer Brooks Nielsen’s struggles with touring in a band while having two children and a wife to look out for (i.e. “Problems III”). “But rent’s on time/we've got cigs and cheap red wine/come on and share my table/and pour your heart into mine.” he sings in his raspy, washed-out vocals. The Growlers’ signature “Beach Goth” sound comes out in this track through its bouncy electronic drums and chunky bassline.

‘Down The Sink’ by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (Gumboot Soup)

While this song was technically released on December 31 2017, I think it still warrants a mention in this list. Sung by Cook Craig, one of three-ish guitarists in the band, ‘Down The Sink’ is a quirky tune seemingly taken straight from Sketches of Brunswick East, an experimental jazz collaboration with Mild High Club from earlier in 2017. This song makes me imagine a sewer rat observing the neighbourhood around him, crawling down sinks and wandering the streets. “On our street/people make things happen/concrete buildings greet the skyline/people meet by the subway station/feel the heat from the sidewalk pavement,” sings the rat, probably. I still mistake the saxophone in the breakdown for bagpipes, and I wouldn’t even be surprised if it was, but that’s what I love about it.

‘Days That Got Away’ by MGMT (Little Dark Age)
You should forget everything you thought you knew about MGMT circa their ‘Kids’ and ‘Electric Feel’ era because 11 years can certainly change a band. Little Dark Age is a 1980s-style electronic album with a psychedelic and experimental feel. ‘Days That Got Away’ is a dreamy tune you imagine a teenage girl listening to in their dimly lit bedroom, sprawled out on their bed wearing headphones and listening to lo-fi study music streams. This track feels alien-like, containing atmospheric synths that build spookily in the background, muffled gibberish vocals, and twinkly spaceship noises from the early 2000s.

‘Diabolo Menthe’ by Soko (Single)
Soko’s cover of ‘Diabolo Menthe’ is a very different version of Yves Simon’s coming-of-age love song from 1977. The lyrics remain completely in French but the instruments boast a more indie-pop feel. Whiny guitar licks and lazy drums set the mood for this melancholic tune. The opening lines translate to “In your school workbooks/are your dreams and secrets/all words you never say/words of love and tenderness,” which hit like a kiss from a crush, even in language that’s foreign to me. Soko covered this song due to its relatability and rawness; the accompanying music video features a film-like style of videography where Soko is positioned as a ghostly outsider, observing the beauty and hardships of all her previous romantic relationships in her old LA home.