Sourhouse’s Tunes of the Year 2020

Talk about addictive riffs, this is my new textbook definition. That minute synth has ferocious infectiousness, yet is so damn playful and quirky. Clap! Clap!’s sound takes from all manner of inspirations, all of which are brought to life on compact cuts like this. ‘Liquid Mantra’s fluvial nature tops the lot for me though, a tune that delivers incredible audio satisfaction every time.

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In a year when so many artists have been reinterpreting the sound of Disco, Texan psychedelics Khurangbin dropped this superb, uber mellow variation on the genre. The groove you would expect is present, but its dressed up in warm neutrals and chic cafe coolness. The guitars and bass are thoroughly delicious here, prompting a need for a subtle boogie whenever you play it.

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If there are still people who don’t see Ivorian Doll as the Queen of Drill, I’ll be running a presidential-style campaign to ensure she gets the recognition she deserves. ‘Rumours’ is razor sharp, fierce and ferocious, thanks in part to that astonishing chorus. The amount of times I’ve shouted “MESSIIII – THAT’S HOW I SHOOT MY SHOT” this year borders on the uncountable, whilst every second of this track explodes with IVD’s delivery. A straight-up sonic murder weapon.

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Amongst all the news that swept our screens this year, I feel like we managed to forget that Sports Team’s debut album quietly entered the charts at No. 2 in the UK, which is incredible for an Indie/Alternative band these days. And when it has tracks like ‘Going Soft’ on it, it’s not hard to see why. The band’s wit and satire burns through on this lament against people who based their personality entirely on listening to stuff that’s 25 years older. As someone who once embodied everything about that attitude, I can confirm this is a near-perfect encapsulation.

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A new Kendrick verse! Stay calm folks, it’s a new Kendrick verse! Okay, hype out of the way, come and bask in the talent on display on ‘Look Over Your Shoulder’. Busta and K-Dot deliver uplifting, honest and refreshing sunshine-drenched rap, backed by a delectable beat. This is just so clean cut and polished, and it feels like it’s been a while since we’ve heard East Coast Hip Hop that rivals the classics from the genre. 

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It’s not often that songs can take you aback in the way that ‘Slave’ does, but in a year when racism was an utterly unavoidable topic, this appallingly simple collaboration is breathtaking. Potent comments about the music industry meet uncomfortably repeated words, juxtaposed over that enchanting piano. It forces you to do a double take, and rightly so, capturing into sound the way that much of this year’s debate on how society treats non-white people has felt.

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Typically, I discovered that Smiley Virus* had covered my favourite Blondie song via Twitter, where a number of toady accounts here getting stuck up over the fact that Cyrus had dared to show her appreciation for the classic and cover it. How dare she inject it with a raspier, rockier edge! How dare she strut on stage in the video recorded for it dressed to the dime! How dare she fire out one of the best covers in years! God I feel for people who seemingly can’t deal with stuff like this; Cyrus did Debbie and Co justice with this one.

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*Credit to my Stepdad who came up with that one many years ago.

Before we go any further, let us pay homage to Nicki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda’. Nicki took the flack from people like me who thought her 2014 single was an appalling piece of music, views I have since renounced. ‘Anaconda’ walked so that ‘WAP’ could run, carrying the torch for dirty, affirmative, defiantly sexual hip hop produced by black female artists. 

Without question, this was the cultural event of the year. A song that at once is so demanding and powerful, yet which has been totally embraced by so much of society, much to the horror of a vocal minority who’s fear of what it is saying is delectable. It was sung in celebration in the wake of the US presidential election. It led to the revelation that Ben Shapiro has no idea how to pleasure his wife. It gave us the defining music video of 2020. The lyrics, the delivery from Cardi and Megan, the beat, man. ’WAP’ leaves no prisoners in its wake, an unshakable anthem for the dirtiest forms of self love.

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Aussie indie heroes DMA’s are upping their sound, shedding their Britpop-derived earlier work and moving firmly towards dance-themed sounds. And wow. Already packing a penchant for writing main stage festival bangers, they infuse that energy in a soaring, trippy, anthemic belter that seems destined to be best enjoyed in a crowd of thousands. The way that chorus reaches for the high heavens is simply spectacular; ‘Life Is A Game Of Changing’ is one of their most astounding releases to date.

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Multiculturalism is a phrase that has sadly been sullied by right wing twots worried that they might have to acknowledge that not everyone in Britain is white, and if ever we needed more reasons to be proud of how diverse a country we are, ‘Move’ is most certainly one of them. Don goes hard on this, switching from her Jamaican accent to her Brummie one effortlessly, throwing in lines in Dutch and Jamaican Patois too. The massive carnival soundsystem beat and that addictive music video only elevate this higher, confirming it for me as one of 2020s biggest bangers. 

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