100 Songs That Define Our Decade So Far
Consider this an introduction to our taste, both individually as veteran music journalists and together as Hearing Things.
When the five of us started dreaming up Hearing Things earlier this year, we decided to take on a project that was both intimidating and second-nature: a list of 100 songs that represent what the 2020s mean to us so far. As former writers and editors at many music publications, including Pitchfork, we’ve had plenty of experience putting together “best of” lists. But our aim here is more personal. We’re not trying to juice our web search stats or suggest that this is the absolute be-all, end-all tally of the best tracks of the 2020s. No one forced us to make this list, and we didn’t rank it. We went to bat for our favorites, and after weeks of discussion, each Hearing Things founder—Andy Cush, Ryan Dombal, Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Dylan Green, and Jill Mapes—penned small paeans to 20 tracks apiece.
We’re using our decades of collective experience as music journalists to guide you through the artists, songs, and styles that mean so much to us—from rap iconoclasts to reggaetoneros, leftfield pop stars to experimental legends in the making, spoken-word indie rockers to freeform jazz pros. These are the songs that never got old to us, no matter how many times we listened in hopes of tapping into just a little bit more of their life-giving force. And like any worthwhile music list, this one will make you think, help you discover new faves, and maybe even rile you up enough to sound off in the comments.
Some self-imposed ground rules: Because ranking art can be tedious and arbitrary, this list is presented alphabetically by artist. Each artist was limited to one song on the list (a few people show up twice thanks to feature appearances). And we generally aimed to highlight people who are doing their best work this decade and pushing music forward. We’re trying to push it all forward, too.
Read more about Hearing Things and our mission here.
Listen to 100 Songs That Define Our Decade So Far on Apple Music or Spotify. Or, better yet, actually buy the music on this list! At Hearing Things, we take our editorial independence seriously, and our favor can not be bought; when you make a purchase through our links, we may earn a commission.
