Matt's Books and Music

[This post is part of a large project in which I am going through the popular music released in each year. Please see the note at the bottom of the post re: omissions and limitations.]

Introduction

My best of the year lists always include a couple out-of-left-field albums and songs. And that’s what makes it fun. It’s idiosyncratic and personal and that’s the point. But 2018’s list feels almost entirely out of pocket, with very few massive artists making the top. So buckle up: it’ll be a wild ride! (That said, it’s one of my favourite annual playlists.)

Top 10 Albums

1. Love Monster (Amy Shark): Every now and then there’s an album that just hits. Love Monster, by Australian singer-songwriter Amy Shark is one of those albums for me. Thirteen songs from it made my top-60 playlist and I’m not at all embarrassed by that. It’s a great album.
2. Love is Dead (CHVRCHES): CHVRCHES are for me the quintessential sound of the mid-2010s; they had my top album of 2015 and are number two in 2018. Love is Dead doesn’t reinvent the wheel from their previous work, keeping the rich, synth-heavy production of the era that I love.
3. New Compassion (HAERTS): Where CHVRCHES stayed the course, this album from German group HAERTS marked a transition from the soaring production of their 2014 release to a more down-tempo sound that has marked their work since then. It took some time for the album to grow on me, but it absolutely did. Check out “Matter,” “Special,” and “Your Love.”
4. A Star Is Born (Lady Gaga, ft. Bradley Cooper): Led by standout songs like “Shallow” and “Always Remember Us This Way,” this project put Lady Gaga’s theatre-kid sensibilities and immense talent to great use.
5. Critical Hit (Yukon Blonde): You’d be forgiven for not knowing this album. Not only is this Canadian indie band largely unknown outside Canada, but this album didn’t even chart here in their home and native land. But it’s a deep album that features two songs that made it only to my playlist, “Cry” and “Too Close to Love.”
6. The Hurt of Happiness (Hey Ocean!): Another Canadian indie darling, this (as of 2026) final album from Hey Ocean! features the kind of fun melodies and upbeat pop production I can’t say no to. Highlights include “Can’t Say No,” “Amsterdam,” and “Sleepwalker.”
7. A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships (The 1975): The 1975 have probably the most recognizable sound of any band right now, and if it works for you it works. Safe to say it works for me more often than not.
8. New York Nostalgia (Fly by Midnight): You can copy-and-paste the bit above about “fun melodies and upbeat pop production” here. This is not music that reinvents pop in any way; it’s just very successful at the basics.
9. Vide Noir (Lord Huron): Lord Huron excels in using vintage country sounds with contemporary production to create something unique that can’t be contained in our genre categories. “Secret of Life,” made my year-end playlist, and if anything I think it should have been higher than its number 51.
10. Mirror Master (Young the Giant): After a couple middling albums for me, Young the Giant roared back to relevance in a huge way with this album. My highlights are “Superposition,” “Oblivion,” and “Call Me Back.”

Other Albums of Note

• Love Simon (Soundtrack, various): It’s impressive that A Star Is Born was not in fact my favourite soundtrack of 2018. That honour goes to this collection. Jack Antonoff’s hands are all over this, and it features three songs in my top five of the year.
• When My Heart Felt Volcanic (The Aces): This is a fantastic debut album that features the album version of their most notable hit to date, “Stuck.”
• Rally City (Arkells): I can’t seem to not mention Hamilton rockers Arkells. This isn’t my favourite album of theirs but they still landed two songs in my year-end playlist, “Saturday Night” and “Show Me Don’t Tell Me.”

Top 10 Songs

This is possibly my least diverse top ten list ever, with three artists accounting for eight songs. Oh well. They’re good songs.

1. “Sink In” (Amy Shark): This song from the Love Simon soundtrack introduced me to Amy Shark. I really can’t imagine a song that captures the experience of falling into an all-consuming infatuation than this. (Favourite lyric: “It’s, it’s almost unbearable / I’m suffering inside your magic”)
2. “Heaven/Hell” (CHVRCHES): I love a song that combines upbeat production with a more melancholic meaning, and this song about being in a confusing situationship fits that brief perfectly. (Favourite lyric: “We can raise our glasses / Dancing on the ashes as it burns”)
3. “Never Fall in Love” (Jack Antonoff & MØ): This sounds like a Carly Rae Jepsen song, and I mean that as a compliment. It’s youthful and fun. (Favourite lyric: “I met you in the park / You were drinking in the dark / With your clique and we clicked”)
4. “Miracle” (CHVRCHES): Contrary to what the title may suggest, this is a realistic, if not cynical song. (Favourite lyric: “Ask me no questions, I will tell you no lies / Careful what you wish for”)
5. “Alfie’s Song” (Bleachers): As much as I love Jack Antonoff’s trademark synth-heavy production, a lot of my favourite Bleachers’ songs sound like jam sessions, and this is one of the best. (Favourite lyric: “You’d leave the cities and chase bullet holes / That’s actually star light”)
6. “All Love Up” (Amy Shark): Keeping with the Jack Antonoff theme of this list, this song sounds like it could easily have been on Strange Desire. (Favourite lyric: “I’m all loved up in a world I can’t explain”)
7. “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not with You)” (The 1975): This song is a great example of how, when they want to, the 1975 can make infectious pop music as well as anyone. (Favourite lyric: “All I do is sit and drink without you”)
8. “I Said Hi” (Amy Shark): This defiant song always hits hard. (Favourite lyric: “I stand in the corner like a tired boxer / One hand on my cheekbone, one hand on the rope”)
9. “Talia “(King Princess): Another sad bop, this song about not being able to get over an ex is a fun listen, until you grasp the devastating lyrics (Favourite lyric: “I can taste your lipstick, I can lay down next to you / But it’s all in my head”)
10. “I’m a Liar” (Amy Shark): A disturbing song about delusion and deception in a troubled relationship, I think it’s perfectly produced. (Favourite lyric: “Oh, I’m a liar, I’m whatever you said”)

Other Songs of Note

• “Strawberries & Cigarettes” (Troy Sivan): Troy Sivan has yet to become the artist I’ve wanted him to be; this song comes the closest.
• “no tears left to cry” (Ariana Grande): A beautiful song from a beautiful artist.
• “Paris” (Sabrina Carpenter): This is mostly notable as the first time Sabrina Carpenter appears on one of my lists.

Most Surprising Inclusion

• “When I’m with Him” (Empress Of): Empress Of is an artist I want to love more than I do, but this is a fantastic song.

Notable Song that Missed the Cut

• “In My Feelings” (Drake): While I’m notoriously ambivalent towards The Weeknd, it’s even worse for our fellow Torontonian Drake. But this is a rare Drake song I actually like — even if it didn’t break my top 100 for the year.

[Note: It’s of course impossible to listen to everything, so while I’ve tried to be as comprehensive as possible, omissions are inevitable. For consistency’s sake, I’ve gone with the year music was released, rather than when it became popular. Any ratings or rankings are my own and entirely subjective. This has nothing to do with objective quality but is simply reflective of my personal taste.]