With 2022 getting the music world back to track and so many put-on-hold projects being released we do feel we got lost in the process. Like any other year there are a lot of great songs released in the last months that we should have posted about earlier, and as usual, with this SGA list we do our best to homage them now. Yes, you may call this a best-of-list. Because when it comes to best-of lists they are all about what or which songs moved us the most. And these ones moved us throughout this year. And will continue to. We are sure of that.
Don’t expect your already favorite songs to be on this list though. Expect, however, to be surprised with great songs you never heard before that you will want to include in your favorites list.
This is part 2 of SGA 2022, you can check other amazing songs of this year here.
Apropos feat. Black Noi$e – Simple
Apropos is an international recording artist who has appeared on NBC’s The Voice and been featured on Pitchfork, Complex, Billboard, StockX, NPR and more. His debut solo album “(Verse)atility” was released in late 2018 to critical acclaim and received praise from music legends such as Elton John and Kem.
Apropos’ Modern Motown sound was best encapsulated by Hall of Fame songwriter Allee Willis: “If I could take Otis Redding and blend him with Marvin Gaye, throw in a whole lot of contemporary R&B, Hip Hop, and Funk that would be Apropos.”
Released in early September, Simple is produced by Black Noi$e and on Apropos words, “I think it really epitomizes the Modern Motown sound I’ve tried to cultivate throughout my career.“
Attics – Garbage Time
A group of friends who met in summer camp as the house band for a musical about Woodstock 1969, the members of Brooklyn-based Attics have been making music together for decades. In 2013, they released Time Is Falling, their first record as Attics. Since then they have continued to sporadically release music into the digital ether with little pomp and even less circumstance. Drawing inspiration from Brazilian Tropicalia, British Invasion, NYC art rock, and early electronic music, Attics makes music you can sing along to if you don’t mind odd lyrics and the occasional glockenspiel.
Out since late September, Garbage Time is a self-deprecating waltz that explores the shallowness of a life lived for public consumption. Spectral organ riffs float over an insistent 6/8 drum and bass vamp. The chorus layers in electronic drums and synthesized arpeggios while the vocals issue a resigned warning: “Hold your nose it’s garbage time / And I’m a garbage man.“
bigfatbig – Brink Of My Sanity
bigfatbig erupted onto the North East music scene in late 2019, and have since gone on to prove that nothing – not even a global pandemic – will stand in their way. The girls’ highlights so far include performing a set for BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend earlier in the year, for example. Aside from that, with 6 sellout shows under their belt in their short career, 2022 has been a really exciting year for bigfatbig having already been booked for a multitude of national level festivals.
Detailing their newest release, vocalist Robyn Walker explained: “I wrote Brink Of My Sanity after a very overwhelming few weeks when I felt like every little obstacle was the end of the world. For me, it’s a song about going back to basics: remembering to breathe, thinking of the bigger picture, and how in years to come none of these small issues will matter despite how they feel right now. When I inevitably find that lost perspective, losing my head always feels utterly ridiculous, but Brink of My Sanity is a song that recognises how important it is to work through those feelings. When it feels like the universe is against you-even for a minute-regaining that clarity is a very sobering and reassuring feeling. It’s my reminder to myself that nothing is ever as bad as it feels, and I’m never alone in feeling that way. One foot in front of the next, one day at a time, take a deep breath and go again“
Dreaming – Homebody
Dreaming is the musical brainchild of 26 year old UK based DIY musician Christian Robinson. Released in 2020, the debut EP Chillin’ In My Room embraces his love of guitar driven genres such as dreampop, indierock, shoegaze aswell instrumental driven genres such as ambient music/EDM to create melodic, chilled, spacy guitar/synth tracks.
This was followed up by 2021 single Corduroy Kid and now by Homebody, released on late September and marking the first single of his latest album Before The Sun Comes Up) where Dreaming continues this DIY approach to making music and continues to develop and build on the sound present on the debut EP..
GLOSSER – Disco Girls
Forged by musical intimacy of two in Washington D.C., GLOSSER has developed a dimensional sound rooted in reflective pop that stands on the shoulders of greats. The pair (led by Fanning’s voice and mind), sought to condense their lighter-than-air sound into something worthy of the dance floor. Inspired by the likes of Phantogram, Lorde and Beach House, the new record combines worlds, creating a dreamscape injected with visceral truth.
In 2023, patrons of pop GLOSSER return to cast their neon glow on the world with a new album – DOWNER. Born from beyond the comfort zone, Riley Fanning and Corbin Sheehan elevate their shimmering aesthetics into a gleaming new form. It’s lead single is Disco Girls, a banger “about being young, and how that time is both terrible and great” Fanning says. “The track was the start of something new for us” Sheehan adds, “and Riley’s lyrics and story made it really easy to piece the song together and create a new vibe.”
Laura Lucas – Melbourne
Canadian-born, Australian-based singer-songwriter and poet Laura Lucas fell in love with storytelling from a young age. Her introspective songwriting is charmingly delivered by delicate vocals and dreamy instrumentation rooted in a warm, modern take on the indie-folk genre. Laura’s ability to captivate listeners and distill complex emotions through song has earned her comparisons to the likes of Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift.
Melbourne is the third and final single to be released ahead Laura‘s debut EP “Light the Candle, Hold the Mirror” The song was written as a goodbye (or rather, see you soon) letter to the city of Melbourne after Laura spent a highly transformative year living there. The lyrics were born out of nostalgia for the life that Laura built in Melbourne and the hope to one day return. Her lyrical prophecy came true, as she moved back to her favourite city, Melbourne, in January 2022.
The track, along with the rest of the 5 song EP, was produced by Canadian born, Australian based singer-songwriter and producer Garrett Kato and mastered by Isaac Barter. The full EP was release in May 2022.
Moglii feat. Noraa – Water to the Moon
Cologne-based producer, songwriter and trained jazz pianist Simon Ebener-Holscher is the mastermind behind Moglii. With great attention to detail, he creates his own genre, “organic electronic”, defined by a modern mix of warm beats, analog synthesizers and soulful vocal samples. In addition to acoustic instruments (violin, saxophone, trombone, etc.) and unique soundscapes (field recordings, nature sounds, etc.), his own voice increasingly finds its place in his tracks: futuristic pop music influenced by artists such as Mura Masa, James Blake or Bon Iver. After more than 80 million streams to date, live performances as an opening act as well as festival appearances, 2022 brings his next LP. And also brings Water to the Moon as his latest single in a collaboration with Noraa.
As Moglii explains: “This song feels like a new beginning to me. In the last few months, I’ve been able to deal with myself a lot and discovered a new approach to the world. The insight that everything in nature is connected and that we as physical beings are exposed to the tides gave me a lot. the phases of the moon are also part of this eternal and beautiful cycle. it may be a bit of my imagination, but I feel more open to this cycle now. As far as being attractive to other people, and that’s what the song is about, we can also trust this magnetic force that magically pulls us together like the moon pulls the sea. In terms of production, I wanted to give expression to this magical glitter. Moonlight reflecting in the water through the synthesizer and an irresistible pulse through the groove and the baseline. Plus, the crystal clear and incredibly soulful voice of Noraa, of whom I’m a big fan.”
Munan – Freak Like Me
Munan is a new project from South Korean-Australian artist Peter Lee who is making a unique blend of surf-rock music with indie-pop elements,which can be likened to a mix between Unknown Mortal Orchestra,Parcels and Tame Impala.
Just a month after Peter launched the Munan project with an exceptional debut single called Your Life he’s coming back to us this week with his second offering, a funky indie-electro treat called Freak Like Me, which as he reveals below was inspired by the purchase of an old reel-to-reel tape machine,and also comes with a reassuring message that it’s totally okay to be weird.
As Munan told us, “the main catalyst for starting the track was when I came across a reel-to-reel tape machine being sold in my area. I wanted to give my new music its own distinct sound, so I bought the tape machine and started playing with it. My friend Sterling Silver came around to my home studio and we started toying with some ideas, which ended up becoming Freak Like Me . Using tape to create the track was a special experience and has definitely helped me to craft my own sound as a new artist. The song is about me coming to accept that being weird is okay and that there is someone out there who will love me for who I am.“
nina gala – tangerine
Baltimore based singer, songwriter and guitarist, nina gala, creates intensely intimate songs that draw attention to the richness of our inner worlds and the preciousness of our feelings, experiences and dreams. gala began performing her touching narrative driven songs in 2016, quickly becoming known in Baltimore’s rich arts community for quieting rooms with her unmistakable voice and emotionally charged solo shows. Following two independently released EPs “gala.” (2017) and “renaissance” (2020), gala returned with her debut full length album, swan heart on October 2022.
Out off swan heart and sounding natural, bright and warm, tangerine unfolds like a piece of citrus that bursts slowly in your mouth on a sunny afternoon. Accompanied by slow, slightly psychedelic guitars, nina gala sings sweetly of a simple, yet powerful experience, to be held closely by someone you love.
Proteins Of Magic – Lethal
New Zealand born, musician and unique multi-format artist Kelly Sherrod performs under the moniker Proteins of Magic. Splitting her time between NZ and Nashville, Tennessee, she most recently played bass and toured across Europe and America with Grammy and Academy Award winner Ryan Bingham. Following the release of three individual art gallery collections on canvas in recent years, she made a post-pandemic move back to New Zealand to focus on her debut solo project, Proteins of Magic.
Currently performing a series of shows in Auckland and beyond, Kelly takes over the stage with ambient layered loops of vocals and flute, adding rhythmic breath patterns, while triggering samples on her keyboard and playing piano. A living breathing performance, it morphs and transforms with every show. Proteins Of Magic debut self-titled album was released in August 2021.
Kelly co-wrote Lethal with Matthew Sherrod, in the woods of Nashville, during a brutal summer heat-wave where the natural environment can feel both nurturing and perilous. Kelly explains “Lethal is a meditation on the feeling of being empowered even in the face of negative forces.”
These are the surroundings that Proteins Of Magic thrives in.
Sfven – little things
Sfven is a unique and compelling artist. His music communicates intimacy and insecurity with an ambitious and wide-reaching multi-layered sound, whilst his visual identity and onstage persona reflect an affable and laid-back character with hidden depths and a love of the unsophisticated and raw.
Whilst spending most of his years in Leeds collaborating with friends from college, Sfven signed to 3 Beat Records and set out writing his debut album from the Scottish Highlands last year.
Now, Sfven reveals irresistibly catchy alt-pop anthem little things – a heart-warming reminder to “dance round the kitchen and shoot the breeze” with someone you love. An honest and down-to-earth earworm, the track is about “needing someone you trust to sit you down and tell you everything going to be okay“.
SYML – Howling
Born and raised in Seattle, Brian Fennell studied piano and became a self-taught producer, programmer, and guitarist. He released his self-titled debut album in 2019, which included the platinum-selling song Where’s My Love, followed by the grief-stricken EP DIM released in 2021.
Now, we’re closing 2022 and while he’s preparing his new album The Day My Father Died (due next February), SYML was able to present us with Howling, a track ” about worshipping your partner, wanting to be saved by their beauty,” Fennell says of the track. “That idea of being insatiable…we’re often told that’s a sinful thought, something hedonistic. But you’re this hurricane of sexuality and fulfilment being fulfilled by someone else. I love that storm.“