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the top 50 songs of 2019

the end of the year is always a cool time to be a music fan.  you can look back at the rest of the year, nod approvingly, and say “damn, it was a good year.”  2019 has not be a good year for music in connecticut — it’s been a fucking great year for music in connecticut.  as someone who really enjoys reading “best of” lists, i decided to make one myself!  but before i tell you about my top 50 songs of 2019, i want to give a quick disclaimer: i’m by no means saying that these are the best.  these are just the ones that i found myself revisiting over and over throughout the year.  if you aren’t caught up on the state’s music, think of this as a cool checklist of songs that i think you should check out!  but again, a true best of list would have more stylistic diversity than the one i put together — you’ll see most of these bands are indie/diy, with much less representation for hardcore, emo, hip hop, or country.  and even then, i struggled to whittle this collection down to just 50 songs.  so do me a favor: if you notice that i didn’t cover a song that you love, make your own list and share it!  tell people who aren’t a part of the state scene about the music!  there is so much great music in connecticut that people would love if they only got access/exposure to it.  and if you don’t see that song here, check back soon for the Top 20 Albums/EPs of 2019.

this list is not ranked, but it is ordered by band/artist name.  however, i am saving my favorite three songs for the very end (don’t skip ahead!).

and finally, here are the criteria for inclusion in the list: only one song per band, because otherwise a quarter of this list would just be Eel People and Crag Mask songs. demos don’t count.  unfortunately, this means that we will have to wait until next year for SAP and Pulsr, who both have excellent music that is not formally released yet.  bands/artists must live in connecticut, which is painful because it excludes Reduction Plan and He Was An Artist, She Was A Carpenter, two projects that released music i loved in 2019.

here is a spotify playlist with (most) of these songs, but the best way to support these artists is by buying straight from Bandcamp and seeing them live! please throw some cash their way if you can.

All Riot – “Quicksand”
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When Dan Osto from CTScramble isn’t signal-boosting great Connecticut music, he’s moonlighting in All Riot, a punk-band-turned-electronic-duo. This song features everything that makes All Riot a compelling band.

Boatweiler – “Saturday Night”
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Oh man! Check out the build-up of this song. Each moment gets more urgent than the last, and by its final refrain, I can’t help but sing along, even if I’m in public. (sorry bus passengers).

Brandon Schock – “Living is Stupid”
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I’m not even sure how to describe this delightfully strange pop song. Part pop, part jazz, part indie rock, it’s filled with plenty of twists and turns. Imagine if Steely Dan played Pokemon Shield all day long.

The Brazen Youth – “Contemplation, Twilight”
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The last song on the excellent 15 Billion Eyes EP, “Contemplation, Twilight” is about three songs sequenced together into one beautiful finale. The best part? Midway through, when the song picks up: “What if I was a maniac, out on the road?”

The Cat Never Left – “Take it from Me”
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Because The Cat Never Left doesn’t use social media much, I know very little about them. They’ve been prolific in the past couple of years, releasing several albums — this song, though, has always stuck with me.

Ceschi – “Red Emma”
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Almost any song from Sans Soleil could be featured in this spot. Ultimately, I chose “Red Emma” because I’ve spun it more often than any other song on the album, and its scaled-back minimalism is stunning and beautiful. It’s impossible not to imagine the characters here.

Chad Browne-Springer – “Gloves”
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As part of the dontforgettobreathe collection of self-care singles, “Gloves” was my favorite of the bunch. Chad takes a line, makes it into a immaculate melody, and explores it, viewing it from different angles. It’s the kinda of kaleidescopic pop music Chad has been perfecting.

Comfy Cozy – “Loose Leaf”
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TJ Croke (you may have seen him play with Donnie Alexzander or Mickey Blurr) released this single, a collaborative effort with close friends. I’m begging for an EP or LP — his instincts are fantastic on this track.

Crag Mask – “Old News”
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I could have picked any Crag song, it’s true, but I opted for “Old News” because I immediately start it over when it’s over. Short and sweet, it delivers a swift kick in the pants — what better way to start an album full of swift kicks in the pants?

Daniprobably – “Unified Theory”
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This duo’s debut EP, Conditional Things, is a magnetic work of art, and “Unified Theory” (as the name hints) has a little bit of everything in it. Great musical chemistry between Dan and Addy make this shape-shifting rock song one of their most exciting.

Dumlords – “I Want U”
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Tyler Lindsay takes familiar ground — indie folk about love — and turns it into something new and compelling. The vocal melody here is flawless. It’s so good you’ll wonder why someone else hasn’t written this song already.

Evelyn Gray – “Sprouts”
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The opening track to Let the Flower Grow, this emotive track is an excellent introduction to the album and to Gray’s careful, graceful songwriting. One of my favorite parts of the song (and of Gray’s songwriting) is not only how patient it is, but how dynamic it allows itself to be.

The Fiction Kids – “The Jordan Rules”
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The last track on Souvenir, this track pulls its punches carefully, delivering an amazing chorus while dialing things back. You expect explosions, but they reign it in; it becomes fireworks all the same.

Fleurs – “Sophomores”
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Clenched jaws and side-eyed glances. “Sophomores” is peak Fleurs: dark, brooding, menacing, filthy, and sexy. The opening minute of this song feels like a deliriously-boozy walk through a cemetery.

Foxtails – “I Experienced Ego Death in a Skramcave Thread”
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For an album full of surprising and explosive moments, Foxtails save their most wrenching, raw nerve for this finale. Megan’s screams have never been sharper, and the band’s prog-screamo fits about an album’s-worth of riffs into a little over three minutes.

The Grand Par – “Song89”
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Power pop at its finest, The Grand Par’s single feels so well-crafted that it’s hard to imagine this song being any different than what it is. It feels like a finely built machine: a reliable muscle car, and maybe that’s why the song feels like traveling to me.

Greetings – “Siccem (feat. Maebe, Eugene Junior, Chad Browne-Springer)”
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Greetings’ music is generally laid back, mellow, and relaxing. The backing track of “Siccem” is Greetings at their best, but Eugene Junior’s immediate, restless bars here set a tone of opposition. The music might be laid back, but his mind is anxious and searching.

Hellrazor – “Landscaper”
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How could Hellrazor tease us like this? Give the people what they want — what they need: a new Hellrazor LP in 2020. “Landscaper” is exactly what you want from the band; it’s a catchy song wrapped in a sludgy, dirty, distorted blanket. Be sure to check out the video too.

Ice Cream Orphan – “(Not Alive) One Your Like”
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One of my favorite things about Ice Cream Orphan’s music is how unpredictable it is. Cam Pulaski seems to be able to play any instrument put in front of them, and is able to record and mix independently, so there are no restraints on their music. As a result, you get incredible pop music like this.

John Rule 3 – “Upkeep”
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If Queen Moo’s most recent stirred up echoes of David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs, John Rule 3’s first solo album, Early Lover of Mankind, is definitely Aladdin Sane. Ziggy Stardust visited Hartford and made an album.

Kim Normal – “I Don’t Even Mind”
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The guitar tone! Listen to that guitar tone! My favorite song of Kim Normal’s young career, “I Don’t Even Mind” is a perfect slice of early-90s alt-rock. You’ll hear some Smashing Pumpkins in there, or maybe some Weezer — Kim Normal have done their research and carry the torch for generation X.

Laura Wolf – “Good Veins”
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Laura Wolf is a wizard. Or at least I think she is. Science has not, as far as I know, been able to describe the methods she uses to weave together cello, drum loops, and beautiful vocals into these lighter-than-air avant-garde pop songs.

Let’s Get Invisible – “Theresa Falls Up the Stairs, Theresa Falls Down the Stairs”
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This broken ballad features everything great about Let’s Get Invisible: its spooky, dynamic, and catchy as fuck. Austin’s bloodcurdling screams highlight the post-hardcore dance through a gothic fairy tale.

Lys Guillorn – “Chipped Fingernails”
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Every Lys Guillorn song is a surprise. “Chipped Fingernails” is a song about being stuck in a rut, and yet it’s evidence of an artist definitely not stuck in a rut. Fun and smartly-composed, this single came out in February, and I’m jonesing for another one.

Matt Falkowski – “Crooked Smile”
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Here’s an anthem that comes to me randomly, lodging itself in my head without so much of a warning. There’s something about Falkowski’s songwriting that feels big, like you could imagine a stadium full of people just like you singing along to these verses with their arms outstretched.

Melanie Champagne – “In My Dreams”
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This tender ballad grows slowly over time, beginning with little more than Melanie and her acoustic guitar. By its end, the calm, beautiful chorus has blossomed into a vibrant, melancholy flower. This song is the equivalent of a loving, light brush across the cheek.

Mercy Choir – “Mockingbird”
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I remember coming home from a show, early, early hours of the morning, still feeling a little drunk from the bar, and throwing on Mercy Choir’s most recent album. This opening track hit me like a ton of bricks, and I just sat in my chair and cried. Mercy Choir’s discography is great (and it runs deep), but this is one of his very finest songs.

MOONCHA – “Blk Teenz”
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An avant-garde pop tribute to self-love, Mooncha’s “Blk Teenz” is a joyous, fun track. With a simple synth loop, Mooncha weaves an adventurous sermon out of thin air, like magic. Be sure to check out the music video!

The Nuclear Heartbreak – “Ocean”
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Who doesn’t love gang vocals? With a gigantic chorus, this track is one of my favorite songs (James Darling and) the Nuclear Heartbreak has ever put to tape. Feeling like drowning has never been more fun to sing along with.

Old Self – “Old Self with a Dollar Sign”
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When a crappy Canadian rapper with the name Old Self demanded that The Real Old Self change his name, Old Self wrote a song about it. Produced by Cliquebeight, this track has one of Brain Stringcheese’s strongest hooks yet.

Perennial – “Food for Hornets”
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Just when I thought we weren’t getting any new Perennial tunes in 2019, they beat the buzzer, announcing Food for Hornets (releases later this month) and its title-track single. it’s a ferocious barn-burner — loud and cool, it might be one of the shortest songs on this list, so why not give it a listen right now?

Petty Walker – “Rat Monster”
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I don’t know anything about this band. Well, that’s not true — I do know that this song, an early single from their album Jump Shot is excellent. But that’s it. The guitar part in the chorus of “Rat Monster” is so big and gnarly that I have to pull out my air guitar every time I hear it.

Pleasuremad – “The Stride”
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Fell in love with this song at the Evelyn Gray release show earlier this year. So happy that it was recorded and released, partly so that I can revisit this beautiful song, and partly because I love knowing that other people can hear it too.

Queen Moo – “Periphery”
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Check out that muted trumpet! The opening to “Periphery” recalls late nights, windows down, cigarettes in mouths. The song also feels like a thesis statement for the album, a picture of a narrator who has become jaded with themselves and with music, falling in and out of love with the scene.

The Refectory – “Sheep”
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There’s not enough metal representation in this list, I know, but how can you resist The Refectory? Part math-focused rock music, part brutal odyssey. The band have recently teased new music for 2020, so this single may be getting more brothers and sisters soon!

Sarah Golley – “Like A Royal Reptile”
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Golley takes a song about a close relationship and spins it into something that sounds like it has cosmic consequences. It’s personal, theatrical, and experimental. One of my favorites on an album full of favorites.

Sean Henry – “Surf Song”
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Look, I almost chose “Can U” or “You Fall Away” for this list, but I ultimately went with “Surf Song” because it feels like this is going to be a song that never leaves Sean Henry’s setlists. It’s cool, fast, catchy, and energizing — “Surf Song” feels like the platonic ideal of a Sean Henry tune. Be sure to check out the music video!

Seller – “Between My Teeth”
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Nobody warned me that we’d get a new Seller song in 2020, so when “Between My Teeth” came out, it was a huge, welcome surprise. This song not only fucking slaps, but it has me so pumped for more Seller music soon. (We’ll get more soon, right?)

Sentiments – “Tapatio”
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Someone told me Sentiments sounded like early Weezer with stoned vocals, and you know, I’m not going to debate that. But this band’s EP Drag is excellent: a balancing act between power pop and emo. “Tapatio”, the closing track, sends the listener off with a narrator focusing on a sunbather and explaining away their emotions as chemical reactions.

Shy – “Silver Tongue”
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The opening track on Shy’s debut album, Former. I love the way the song shifts gears after the first minute, getting louder and faster. “I know the line / You say it all the goddamned time”, Shyanne sings as I hold my imaginary beer up into the sky, singing along.

Similar Kind – “Seasons”
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Similar Kind playfully describe themselves as music that your mom would like, and while I know they’re being tongue-in-cheek, they’re also not wrong. “Seasons” is an up-tempo song that anyone and everyone will love, part R&B, part synth-wave, part pop music. Be sure to check out the music video!

Snake Oil – “Blood Moon”
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Clocking in at over nine-minutes long, “Blood Moon” is the longest track on this list. What I love about it is its patience; Kelly’s tasteful guitar riff slowly opens the song up, and the extended outro allows for a careful fade into silence. Where most bands elect to finish an album (or live set) with a loud explosion, Snake Oil take the road less traveled, and end it by letting you down gently.

Snowpiler – “Sap”
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Every Snowpiler song is a small adventure, with twists, turns, and unexpected avenues. Check this song out, but also be sure to check out its unofficial second half, “Crest”, too.

Spit-Take – “Our Room”
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The fine purveyors of local venue NG2BC released the excellent Falling Star earlier this year. The opening track, “Our Room”, is maybe my favorite of anything they’ve recorded yet. As far as introductions go, I love how the song eases you in, with that rolling bass line.

Standby – “Librarians in Uproar”
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Every Standby song feels pored over — there is so much care and attention-to-detail in each of their songs. “Librarians in Uproar” is one of their most immediate tracks, and I love how there are so many moving parts in the song. Take, for example, a collection of rim shots from John’s snare — it only occurs once in the song, and anticipating these one-off moments becomes wildly satisfying once you get to know the songs.

Thejudasobscure – “Cactus Uncle”
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This song by the one-man screamo band, Thejudasobscure, is raw and political. It speaks to Woody’s talent as a songwriter that he is able to take a phrase — “basic human rights” — that feels so ordinary and turn it into something that feels like a call to revolution.

Them Airs – “Dreamt of a House”
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There’s a whole host of Them Airs songs that are my favorites of the year (“Tunxis Valley”, “Lake Moms Task Force”, “Ten-Go”), but “Dreamt of a House” is the one that I keep coming back to. Its emergence out of the foggy samples of “Lot 2 Parking Guide” is brilliant, and the way the song changes at its midpoint is like sliding between dreams. This song may not be as chaotic as their song ones, but I love it all the same.

Two Headed Girl – “Don’t Be Sc*red”
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The first track on Two Headed Girl’s new EP is one of the best songs they’ve ever written. Not only is it a great song, but it showcases how confident and sure-handed the band has gotten in the past year after 2018’s also-excellent With Sadness. This chorus hook is undeniable, and they know it.

Woozles – “All Yr Holy Life”
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With half a dozen singles in 2019, “All Yr Holy Life” was my favorite Woozles track of the year. With distorted guitars and hard auto-tuned vocals, Conor pushes the song to its breaking point, allowing it to fall apart in its final moments. It’s a fantastic escalation.

Zebvlon – “Spring Jacket”
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I know what you’re thinking: “hey dude, ‘Everything Impossible’ is a fantastic song, how could you not include it here?” And you’re right, their single for Whispers and Echoes is indeed fantastic, but have you heard this closing track?!

Top 3 of 2019

Eel People – “Thought I Was Misunderstood (But I Misunderstood)”
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I never, ever get tired of this song. The guitar riffs, the vocal lines, the lyrics, all of it. The studio version is magic, and the acoustic live versions are equally excellent. The song is a youthful exploration of missed connections.

Glambat – “Brasil”
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Before “Brasil” was released on the I Feel God in This Chili’s Tonight split with Snowpiler, we’d heard different versions of it. You can even hear one or two of them on bandcamp as a demo. This studio version, however, is a louder take that the earlier versions, with the guitars simulating a wall of distortion in the chorus. It’s a mammoth anthem to being an introvert.

Waveform* – “Hazel”
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If someone could make the wave of guitar feedback at 0:59 into a dessert, I would be straight-up obese. When I first started listening to Shooting Star, I found myself stuck, repeating the first four tracks over and over because they were just so good that I couldn’t imagine the remaining tracks living up to this initial start (but they do). As a result, I’ve listened to “Hazel” maybe more than almost any other song this year.