[REPOST] 2020 Honorable Mentions: Songs & Albums

On the cusp, but not quite in.

Jan 22, 2025

Ah, 2020. The year of the pandemic and the world shutting down. Even five years later, it still leaves a searing impact on me, and it certainly affected my writing back then. Below is my list of the songs and albums that were honorable mentions from that fateful year, published on January 8th, 2021. I didn’t originally write anything for the songs, so all those entries are brand new!

Check out the original website here!

ORIGINAL FOREWARD: There was so much good music in 2020 I had to throw in a couple more recommendations. Here's 10 songs and 5 albums that just missed my Best Of lists.

Songs

Trading the stark nature of All Mirrors for an instrumental suitable for a Nicolas Winding Refn film, Johnny Jewel works his usual magic with this remix. Olsen’s magnificent voice remains the main appeal, but the twinkly synths change the song’s emotion ever so slightly. LISTEN

Operating at a level underneath the biggest pop stars, Ava Max’s best songs threaten to catapult her to the top. “Tattoo” is one of her best, combining typical pop tropes with a strong vocal performance. You’ve heard other artists do it better, but Ava Max does a fine emulation. LISTEN

Making A Door Less Open is an uneven sonic divergence from Car Seat Headrest’s previous work, but they do find interesting sounds with this drone-ier approach. “There Must Be More Than Blood” takes over 7 minutes to fully develop, slinking along with synths and drum loops while Will Toledo leads us along. It’s worth the time it takes to realize itself, making it an interesting path the band could further explore in the future. LISTEN

The sessions for any Carly Rae Jepsen album are fruitful beyond belief, given that they all produce a full album of B-sides. “Stay Away” is the best of the bunch from Dedicated Side B, a breathy pop single about longing to be by your lover. It’s typical Carly and she nails it as expected. LISTEN

Carpenter Brut gives the original 80’s smash a violent update, fitting of the lyrical content about a serial killer. It’s what you’d expect from a Brut track, with synths that beat you down in rapid fashion throughout. But the catchiness of the original track remains, and it’s a fun rework in a style I wasn’t expecting. LISTEN

CHAI released a few one-off singles in 2020, and my personal favorite was “Ready Cheeky Pretty”. It’s loud and in your face, its drums crash and clang, and the quartet’s vocals are expectedly peppy and, well, loud. LISTEN

This is as close as Disclosure has come to recapturing their 2013 peak. It’s that perfect mixture of a fire beat and an excellent guest spot, with Fatoumata Diwara matching the bumping beat with vocals completely in Malian. Though the duo may never hit the full peaks of Settle ever again, they’ve proven they still have a couple bangers in their pocket. LISTEN

Of all the developments that were unexpected in 2020, Duck Sauce returning was certainly one of them. “Captain Duck” is a fine return, a funky house track that swirls with samples and a stingy beat. Will it lead to anything else from the duo? Who knows, but I’m glad they’re back. LISTEN

One of 2020’s brightest new faces is Georgia, and “I Can’t Wait” is a clear example of why. The bouncy beat catches your attention to begin, and her magnetic voice keeps you in tow. It’s a great little pop track with a little tropical element, and hopefully the start of a career full of hits for the English star. LISTEN

The COVID-19 pandemic made us all a little lazy by default, and a little lonely too. Holiday combines both feelings into a fun single, dreaming about leisurely laying next to her partner while he takes care of her. A noble goal. LISTEN

Albums

What could make for a worthy companion album to 1000 gecs, one of the most striking and notable future pop debuts of all time? How about a remix album that has one of the most varied guest lists you’ll ever see? Laura Les & Dylan Brady flex their rolodex of musical friends, from expected acts like Charli XCX and Dorian Electra to wildly different artists like Fall Out Boy and Kero Kero Bonito. It’s as wonderfully weird as the main album in a different way, yet still a way that’ll have you coming back for more. LISTEN

One of the best things about Carly is her awareness of the memes her army of followers come up with. Well aware of the obsession with the B-sides of her smash hit Emotion, she’s followed up her 2019 album Dedicated with another collection of B-sides that are better than a lot of artists’ A-sides. It’s admittedly not as strong as previous collections, but it’s still CRJ, which means you’re in for peppy synthpop perfect for dancing alone in your room. Legend has it that Carly wrote over 200 songs for Dedicated, so I’m starting a petition to get them all recorded. If they’re all this good and fun they should not be held from this world! LISTEN

Everyone’s favorite alien boy is a lot more human than he wants you to think. Ugly Is Beautiful, the debut (and supposedly final?) album from Oliver Tree sticks it to the haters all throughout. But that’s not the only sticking it does, as the pop rock and rap instrumentals are super sticky, remaining in your head for days after. Even Oliver’s nasally delivery has a certain charm, especially on bangers like “1993” and “Cash Machine”. This album furthers Tree’s mystique in a positive way, and you’ll be bobbing back and forth the whole time. LISTEN

Italians Do It Better is the home of dark, moody, noir-inspired synthpop, and if your knowledge is only of their flagship band Chromatics, do yourself a favor and check out After Dark 3. It highlights numerous artists on the label who are worth your time, like the glamorous synths of Desire and the icy Orion. These artists aren’t big yet, but give them time and they’ll become staples of IDIB. LISTEN

Light In The Attic Records are the kings of cataloging obscure Japanese city pop, and their talents for digging it up are all over Pacific Breeze 2. The sequel to 2019’s smash success, the crates are dug deep, and you’re not going to hear anything that you’ll find in your YouTube recommendations. These are deep cuts, highly representative of their time and all great. It’s music that makes me nostalgic for a time I’ve never experienced. Plus, the vinyl is cool as hell! LISTEN