2022 Round Up (plus my favourite songs of the year!)
The other night, I was able to go to The Skinny’s party to celebrate their 200th edition. It was the first time I’d met many of the writers, designers, artists, editors and promoters I’d existed around for quite a few years. I’m sure other people are the same. Freelance writing can feel pretty isolating at the minute. It’s a stressful and often financially unviable option, just like many other jobs in this industry. It was a buzz to be around others who’ve been inspired by great independent art and writing, especially to honour a magazine that’s been an important part of that for years in Scotland.
This writing lark is hard going, but I’m glad I can keep doing it to be around people like that.
With that said, here are my favourite things I worked on in 2022. At the bottom you’ll also find my songs of the year and an accompanying playlist.
Interviews
Just before their frontman left the band, I spoke to Black Country New Road about Ants From Up Here.
Piglet has been one of the best new discoveries of 2022 for me, and it was a joy to do his first ever (!) interview.
TAAHLIAH was so warm, funny and forthcoming when we spoke about her early success, and what comes next.
Iceboy Violet was hungover, but no less animated, in her Escape Velocity Feature for The Quietus.
Nwando Ebizie makes multi-sensory, multimedia art that uses myth and ritual in really special ways. We spoke about her new album The Swan back in July.
Haai has killed it this year! She spoke to Loud and Quiet just before the release of her new album.
Sampa the Great has had a brilliant year too. Here’s our interview here.
Oliver Sim’s interview for Clash’s Cover feature is something I’m really proud of. Check it out if you can!
The last interview I did this year was with Brian Ennals and Infinity Knives, the makers of L&Q’s album of the year.
Features
I was lucky enough to do the <1000 Club column for over a year. This last one covered Soft Lad and the joy of a good support act.
Documenting the rise of CRUISE/Freebeat in Nigeria was one of the most rewarding projects I got to work on this year.
This is a bit of an old one now but I still stand by this piece on the Golden Age of Remix Albums.
A goofy one, but reflecting on The Odd Future of Odd Future was a lot of fun.
Reviews
I ended last year by reviewing Arca’s Kick series in it’s entirety, and I love it even more now.
Loraine James reinterpreted Julius Eastman with such depth and beauty on the aptly-named Building Something Beautiful For Me. I went long on it.
Kai Whiston’s Quiet As Kept F.O.G and The Soft Pink Truth’s Does It Get Any Deeper Than This? were two of my favourite reviews to write. Both take familiar electronic concepts and make them personal and touching.
Jockstrap’s I Love You Jennifer B was my only 5 star rating this year.
The Best Songs of the Year 2022
Standard rules - 1 song per artist, chosen just on how much I like them and how much I can see myself listening to them in the future. There’s a playlist at the bottom too, with a few extra picks.
1 Hikaru Utada - Somewhere Near Marseilles
2 Alex G - Runner
3 Jockstrap - Concrete Over Water
4 Porridge Radio - Back to the Radio
5 They Hate Change - From the Floor
6 Nilufer Yanya - Midnight Sun
7 Big Thief - Simulation Swarm
8 Weyes Blood - God Turn Me Into A Flower
9 Sudan Archives - Selfish Soul
10 Objekt - Bad Apples
11 Brian Ennals, Infinity Knives - Sambo’s Last Words
12 Black Country New Road - The Place He Inserted the Blade
13 Yeule - Bite On My Neck
14 Rosalía - Candy
15 Billy Woods - Sauvage
16 Beyoncé, Grace Jones - Move
17 Piglet - Mill
18 Florist - Red Bird Part 2
19 Kai Whiston - T.F.J
20 Iceboy Violet - Are U Connected
21 Julia Jacklin - Lydia Wears a Cross
22 Confidence Man - Holiday
23 Special Interest - Midnight Legend
24 The Soft Pink Truth - Wanna Know
25 Hudson Mohawke - Bicstan
26 Cobrah - Brand New Bitch
27 Waleed - Suenos
28 Octo Octa - Stars and Water
29 Naked Flames - Under Every Tree In England
30 Young Fathers - Geronimo
31 Roza Terenzi, jd - Memories of the Secret
32 Two Shell - Home
33 Chini.png - Laurel
34 Alvvays - After the Earthquake
35 Nia Archives - Luv Like
36 Peggy Gou (DJ Koze Remix) - I Go
37 Tomberlin - Happy Accident
38 Perfume Genius - Hellbent
39 Overmono - Gunk
40 Caterina Barbieri - At Your Gamut
41 Nick Hakim - Happen
42 Fly Anakin, Madlib - No Dough
43 Ella Minus, DJ Python - Pajaros en Verano
44 Skullcrusher - They Quiet the Room
45 Raveena - Rush
46 Kendrick Lamar - United In Grief
47 Hagan, Aymos - Sise Ntweni
48 Kathryn Joseph - What’s keeping you alive is making me want to kill them for
49 Leikeli47 - Secret Service
50 CMAT - Peter Bogdanovich
