100. La Fama - Rosalia, The Weeknd - Bachata, Latin Pop

99. NGL - Rebecca Black - Hyperpop, Dancepop

98. Once, Twice Melody - Beach House - Dreampop

97. Crushed Velvet - Yves Tumor - Altrock, Shoegaze

96. Born Yesterday - Arca, Sia - Dancepop, Experimental

95. Eyes Closed - Jessie Ware - Dancepop, House

94. Black Gold - Flying Lotus - Experimental R&B

93. Future Starts Now - Kim Petras - Dancepop

92. Charmander - Amine - Hip Hop, Rap

91. Dulceria - AFI - Rock

90. Savage - aespa - Kpop, Hyperpop

89. The Numbers - Rise Against - Rock

88. Days Like These - Low - Rock, Experimental

87. Diva - Javiera Mena - Dancepop, Latin Pop

86. I Don't Miss U - Kpop, Dancepop

85. Pick Up Your Feelings - Jazmine Sullivan - R&B

84. Yonaguni - Bad Bunny - Reggaeton, Latin Pop

83. The Sole Cure Is Death - Asphix - Death Metal

82. Down - St. Vincent - Lounge-pop, Funk

81. Top Again - Audrey Nuna, Saba - R&B

80. Thirstier - TORRES - Alt rock

79. Dream Of You - Chung Ha, R3HAB - Dancepop, Electropop

78. Thru Hell - Wavves - Surf rock

77. White Dress - Lana Del Rey - Alt Rock

76. Triste Com T - Pabllo Vittar - Tropical Pop, Portuguese

75. Monster - Yoasobi - Jpop, Synthpop

74. Rainforest - Noname - Conscious Hip Hop

73. Scars. - Gallant - R&B

72. I Go - Peggy Gou - House, Dance

71. Chi Mat Ba Ram - Brave Girls - Kpop, Dancepop

70. The Path - Lorde - Indie pop

69. Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish - Rock, Pop

68. Track X - Black Country, New Road - Post-punk, Jazz

67. I Don't Mind - Sturgill Simpson - Folk, Bluegrass

66. Worry With You - Sleater Kinney - Rock

65. Linda - Tokischa, Rosalia - Latin pop, Reggaeton

64. Kill Me - Indigo De Souza - Altrock

63. Busy - Erika de Caesir - Pop, R&B

62. Human Touch - Pond - Rock, Dancepop

61. Hot Demon B!tches Near U!!! - Corpse, Night Lovell - Rap, Trap, Metal

60. I'm Not Cool - Hyuna - Kpop, Dancepop

59. Perfume - Yubin - Kpop, Synthpop

58. Sixteen - Flight Mode - Indie Rock

57. Don't Go Yet - Camila Cabello - Latin Pop

56. You Can Do It - Caribou - House, Dancepop

55. Estella// - Kennyhoopla, Travis Barker - Punk Rock, Pop Punk

54. Need to Know - Doja Cat - Rap, Trap, Dancepop

53. On A Mountain - Danny L Harle, DJ Danny - Hyperpop, EDM

52. Pasadena - Tinashe, Buddy - Pop, Alt-R&B

51. Already - Rochelle Jordan - Alt-R&B, House

50. Easy - WJSN THE BLACK - Kpop, Dancepop

49. Chemtrails Over The Country Club - Lana Del Rey - Indie, Altrock

48. You Can't Sit With Us - Sunmi - Kpop, Dancepop

47. Okay - Porches - Indie, Synthpop

46. I am not a Woman, I am a God - Halsey - Alternative pop, Synthpop

45. Thot Shit - Megan Thee Stallion - Rap, Hip Hop

44. MONTERO (Call me by your name) - Lil Nas X - Dancepop, Hip Hop

43. Recap - Kito, VanJess, Channel Tres - House, Dancepop

42. Girl Like Me - Jazmine Sullivan, H.E.R. - R&B, Soul

41. Chaeri - Magdalena Bay - Synthpop, Dreampop

40. A Night To Dismember - Bloody Hammers - Metal, Occult Rock

Bloody Hammers dish out one of the most delightfully camp metal performances of the year, with themes of horror and sci-fi at the forefront. And the groove is real on this one.

39. Xcxoplex - A. G. Cook, Charli XCX - Hyperpop, PC Music

Name a more iconic duo, I'll wait. Charli and Cook cover each others bases wonderfully and elevate each others style and aesthetics to an 11.

38. Hot Hot - Bree Runway - Rap, Hip Hop

I was conflicted with this song on release but it was undeniably one of the songs of the summer. She dropped a banger.

37. Be Sweet - Japanese Breakfast - Indie pop, Indie Rock

Love love love the retro influences on this one. Probably their most pristine production to date.

36. You Lose - Magdalena Bay - Dancepop, Shoegaze

Mag bay are immaculate world builders, and this track is a shining example. Love the video game-esque elements to this cut.

35. Fractions - Nicki Minaj - Rap

Nicki comes in once a year, claims her throne and leaves. Through all the mess, no one drops bars like she does.

34. Crash and Burn - Maggie Lindemann - Pop rock

Avril has a lot of sons this year but Maggie might be my favorite of them.

33. Solar Power - Lorde - Folk, Rock

Love the stones esque groove on this one. The track came out of left field and it was a cool risk for her. No comments on the project overall.

32. Moonwalk - Cupcakke - Rap

Best Michael Jackson referential bars since Dumb Dumb, Cupcakke is relentless on this beat and so damn funny.

31. Heart Attack - SHINee - Kpop, Dancepop

Kind of quintessential SHINee by the numbers but done so so well. The harmonies and grooves are unmatched.

30. Her - Poppy - Grunge, Nu Metal

Her is so delightfully 90s, giving strong Hole vibes. I also love the very subdued vocal performance Poppy gives here.

29. Brutal - Olivia Roderigo - Pop Rock

The opening chords to brutal are so aggressive, I was frankly in shock on first listen. Was disappointed the rest of the album didn't take this route. Lyrically Olivia gives teenage melodrama excellence.

28. Butterfly - Ohashi Trio - Jazz, Japanese

I don't know how to describe how serene this song makes me feel, it's just vibes.

27. Taste Test - Cakes Da Killa, Proper Villians - House, Rap

Cakes and Villians have had many a colab through their series of mixtapes and Taste Test might be their grooviest.

26. Telepathia - Kali Uchis - Latin pop, R&B

Out of all songs to be her breakout, I would never in a million years guess it would be this one, given the number of palatable english tracks she has done. Not mad though, It wonderfully introduces many facets to the Kali Uchis character in under 3 minutes.

25. Take My Heart Away - Danny L Harle, DJ Danny - Hyperpop, EDM

A literal sugar rush. Takes me back to 2005 youtube nightcore bangers.

24. Have Mercy - Chlöe - Trap, Hip Hop

Chlöe takes the best of influences from Beyoncé's trap endeavors and delivers a sexy, camp and smooth banger.

23. Locust Laced - Sleigh Bells - Noise Pop, Alt Rock

The song is both back to basics with the thrilling sleigh bell guitars alongside a notably positive sounding vibe, dare to say some of the happiest sounding music they have made?

22. Get Into It (Yuh) - Doja Cat - Rap, Hip Hop

Doja Cat wears her early 2010s Nicki studycap with pride here, giving whimsical flows and braggadocious lyrics, and even shouting out Massive Attack of all songs.

21. Bad Sad and Mad - Bibi - R&B, Indie Pop

The song is quite melancholic but a banger nonetheless. I am glad Bibi is finding her sound in her own way.

20. Break It Off - PinkPantheress - Drum N Bass, Bedroom Pop

Will honor with a short blurb.

19. Fuck Him All Night - Azealia Banks - House, Rap

This song is a complete grower, the poor mixing and vocal production is super endearing, and just speaks to Azealia sheer talent and charisma to still put out a banger on a budget.

18. Running Away - Vano 3000, BADBADNOTGOOD, Samuel T. Herring - Loungepop, Hip Hop

Love Adult Swim.

17. Good Ones - Charli XCX - Synthpop, Dancepop, 80s

I feel like this song has gone ignored by year end lists and I am correcting this. If you're going to "sell out" make it an aesthetic choice.

16. Hot N Heavy - Jessie Ware - Disco, Dancepop

How are the leftovers to this already immaculate album still so good. This is how you release a 20+ track project folks.

15. The Princess and The Clock - Kero Kero Bonito - Bedroom Pop, Synthpop

I might get clocked for this choice but this is the KKB track that resonated most with me this year. Shoutout to the bombast Well Rested though!

14. NDA - Billie Eilish - Bedroom Pop, Synthpop

This song sounds like a sonic bridge between the dark alt-pop aesthetic Billie championed in her breakout record, and more spaced out textures she explored in Happier Than Ever. The song is eerie, sexy, and just bad ass.

13. BDE - Shygirl, Slowthai - Trap, Hip Hop

BDE is Shygirl at her most straightforwardly sexy and its hot. Slowthais verse is also very sexy. Just a really cool sound I'm glad she visited.

12. My Head & My Heart - Ava Max - Synthpop, Dancepop, 80s

Okay, the sample is doing A LOT of work in this one. But the track is pop excellence.

11. Drugs N Hella Melodies - Don Toliver, Kali Uchis - R&B, Hip Hop

Kind of the sex song of 2021, don't make the rules. Try it.

10. Bite Me - Avril Lavigne - Pop Punk, Punk Rock

Avril came back swinging with whats probably her most infectious hook in a decade. Good to see her finding a space as pop punk returns to the forefront.

9. Unnatural - WJSN - Kpop, Dancepop

WJSN were at their lowest, fat nasty and broke, and came at this bitch mad as hell!! The delivery? So confident and sexy.

8. Hour of the Wolf - Tribulation - Death Metal

Fucking love the vocal performance on this one. Demonic growls yet extremely enunciated. Everything is so pristine yet eerie, truly stadium ready.

7. Bunny Is A Rider - Caroline Polachek - Dancepop

Pitchfork kind of shook the table when they crowned this SOTY, and while they were WRONG (see above), they made some points. I think we are still in the mindset of treating dancepop as more of a guilty pleasure than anything, which obviously is dumb. Anyways, the song has alot of fun little nuances to it that keep you returning for easter eggs.

6. Pay Your Way In Pain - St. Vincent - Lounge pop, Psychedelic

This song is MANIC, and as I have learned, not aux cord friendly. I adore the added effect the heavy compression gives the vibe, the insane vocal performance, just fantastic. Annie continues to innovate her sound and character and it's always exciting to see.

5. Love So Sweet - Cherry Bullet - Kpop, Synthpop

The engineering on this track is simply immaculate. Vocal production on point, synths on point, not a kick or snare out of place. And sorry Caroline, they slightly edged out on the whistle effect.

4. Bouncin - Tinashe - Dancepop

333 acted as a playground where Tinashe got to explore the multiple genres she has piloted through her career, and with Bouncin she has crafted what I believe is her best pop song to date. Its flirty, fun and danceable as hell.

3. 911 (Remix) - Lady Gaga, A. G. Cook, Charli XCX - Hyperpop, Synthpop

This remix to me really speaks to Charlis sheer imagination as a pop star. 911 was for me a fairly standard pop song and Charli transformed it into some dynamic space ballad. Cook is also no slouch, with even subtle touches creating dynamic passages in the song. Completely blows the original out of the water in my opinion.

2. Twerkulator - City Girls - Rap, Hip Hop

City Gwirlz are the daughters of the Missy's you did not burn. This song is Sci-Fi, Retro Future, ass throwing excellence. I normally hate songs that cut abruptly but here it really works, making it readily playable on repeat. It's no secret this track ruled my party playlists all year, and not one regret.

1. Secrets (Your Fire) - Magdalena Bay - Synthpop, Funk

When I first heard this track it through me on a tangent of 90s hip hop trying to find the track it sampled to no avail. I finally figured out that the synth refrain played throughout reminded me of Biggies Big Poppa and probably other Dre productions. Needless to say, this is not a bad thing. The reverence for such a variety of throwback sounds is the tying force throughout Mercurial World that provides such surprising cohesion. Secrets for me is the duo at their best, effortlessly referential, endlessly catchy and artists who honor pop to its highest degree.