Hey! We made a mixtape with some of our favorite bops of 2023, and we also added a few all-time favorites. Expect some good pop, dance, indie, and more, by the likes of COBRAH, Caroline Polachek, Charli XCX, Automatic, Jessie Ware, Jessy Lanza, Romy, Blue Hawaii… It’s hot, sweaty, euphoric; everything you need to slay this Summer. Enjoy!

Mixed by yours truly.

Listen and check the full tracklist via Mixcloud.

Blue Hawaii (Raphaelle “Ra” Standell-Preston + Alex “Agor” Kerby) have just announced the follow up to their 2020 EP Under 1 House. Like its predecessor, My Bestfriend’s House explores underground club music, the joy of good feelings and togetherness. This theme of connectedness is actually quite interesting as Blue Hawaii have become a transatlantic project, with Agor in Berlin, and Ra in Montreal. Alongside the announcement, they have also shared the disco house-leaning first single, “L.O.V.E.,” which features their longtime contributor Adam Kinner on sax, as well as a dj Kirby (aka Agor) remix of the track.

Like every year, our team vote for their favourite tracks of the year. You can stream this list, as well as other tracks that were close to entering the top, via our Spotify and Apple Music playlists below. You can also check our Best Albums and Best EPs/Mixtapes of 2020.

[su_divider top=”no”]

50. Julia-Sophie – “x0x”

49. Blue Hawaii – “Not my Boss!”

48. Zelma Stone – “Fly”

47. Young Ejecta – “Crayon Cactus”

46. Sedona – “Crying On My Own”

45. Zoee – “Rio’s”

44. Prince Innocence – “Angelyne”

43. Laura Groves – “Foolish Games”

42. Cindy Lee – “I Want You To Suffer”

41. Lido Pimienta- “Eso Que Tu Haces”

[su_divider top=”no”]

40. Jayda G – “Both Of Us”

39. NNAMDÏ – “Perfect In My Mind”

38. Lomelda – “Hannah Sun”

37. Braids – “Young Buck”

36. Against All Logic, Estado Unido, FKA Twigs – “Alucinao”

35. oklou – “unearth me”

34. Kate NV – “Sayonara”

33. Agar Agar – “Nap”

32. Annie – “The Streets Where I Belong”

31. Beadadoobee – “Worth it”

[su_divider top=”no”]

30. TOPS – “I Feel Alive”

29. Yves Tumor – “Gospel For A New Century”

28. Dua Lipa – “Physical”

27. Cakes da Killa, Proper Villains – “Don Dada”

26. Namasenda – “Wanted”

25. Ultraflex – “Never Forget My Baby”

24. Shamir – “On My Own”

23. Discovery Zone – “Dance II”

22. Couch Prints – “Of Drawing”

21. Nilüfer Yanya – “Crash”

[su_divider top=”no”]

20. Cindy – “2y & 6m”

[su_divider top=”no”]

19. Bullion – “We Had A Good Time”

[su_divider top=”no”]

18. Kelly Lee Owens – “Melt!”

[su_divider top=”no”]

17. Phoebe Bridgers – “Garden Song”

[su_divider top=”no”]

16. Waxahatchee – “Can’t Do Much”

[su_divider top=”no”]

15. Maria Minerva – “Apology”

[su_divider top=”no”]

14. Shygirl – “FREAK”

[su_divider top=”no”]

13. Jónsi, Robyn – “Salt Licorice”

[su_divider top=”no”]

12. Perfume Genius – “On The Floor”

[su_divider top=”no”]

11. Ela Minus – “Megapunk”

[su_divider top=”no”]

10. Romy – “Lifetime”

[su_divider top=”no”]

9. SAULT – “Wildfires”

[su_divider top=”no”]

8. Soccer Mommy – “circle the drain”

[su_divider top=”no”]

7. Eartheater – “Below The Clavicle”

[su_divider top=”no”]

6. Helena Deland – “Comfort, Edge”

[su_divider top=”no”]

5. Fiona Apple – “I Want You To Love Me”

[su_divider top=”no”]

4. Charli XCX – “Forever”

[su_divider top=”no”]

3. Dehd – “Loner”

[su_divider top=”no”]

2. Christine and the Queens – “People, I’ve Been Sad”

[su_divider top=”no”]

1. 070 Shake – “Guilty Conscience”

Let’s not beat about the bush: 2020 was the worst year of my life and I think it might be the case for a lot of people around. As a music fan, not being able to attend any concerts, seeing some of my favourite venues and festivals endangered and reading that up and coming talents are struggling more than ever has been a big bummer. I’m not even mentioning all the emails starting with “hope you are well during these strange times”. Well, guess what? We aren’t!

Even if we have spent most of our time locked at home, streaming more music than ever, not sure the smallest DIY artists will see the difference when they’ll receive their royalty revenues. All of that to say that artists need you more than ever. As we always repeat it, streaming is good but it’s not enough. Buy your vinyls, cassettes and merch and so on on Bandcamp special days (so they get 100% of the amount) or via your local record store (yes, they’re also having a hard time), attend virtual shows or, even better, send direct tips to the artists.

Some good news, though: 2020 has been pretty amazing music-wise. While it’s not always easy to support everything or to keep up with all the weekly releases, our staff tried their best to introduce you to some promising up and coming talents and bring the best new music to your ears throughout the last 12 months. Today, we are presenting our favourite EPs and mixtapes of 2020, with some obvious picks and a few overlooked discoveries to keep an eye on in the future. Thank you for reading us. Hope you enjoy and discover some cool new stuff. You can also check our Best Albums and Best Tracks selection.

[su_divider top=”no”]

40. Ferrari Garden – “Longest Slow Dance”

39. ascendant vierge – “Vierge”

38. quinzequinze – “Le Jeune”

37. Sedona – “Rearview Angel”

36. Gabriels – “Love and Hate in a Different Time”

35. Julia-Sophie – “y?”

34. Pearly – “prettydarksexymusic”

33. Sports Boyfriend – “Seek No Answer”

32. TDJ – “TDJ001”

31. Zsela – “Ache of Victory”

[su_spacer]
[su_divider top=”no”]
[su_spacer]

30. Sofia Kourtesis – “Sarita Colonia”

29. Bumper – “pop songs 2020”

28. Planet 1999 – “Devotion”

27. Alaska Reid – “Big Bunny”

26. Tomberlin – “Projections”

25. DVC Refreshments – “Hits Only”

24. Isla Den – “Virtual Garden”

23. Alpen Glow – “Amertape 2020”

22. Lysandre – “Maison-Dieu”

21. Forever – “Close To The Flame”

[su_spacer]
[su_divider top=”no”]
[su_spacer]

20. Nilüfer Yanya – “Feeling Lucky?”

[su_divider top=”no”]

19. Shygirl – “Alias”

[su_divider top=”no”]

18. 박혜진 Park Hye Jin – “How Can I”

[su_divider top=”no”]

17. Molina – “Vanilla Shell”

[su_divider top=”no”]

16. Murmur – “Behind Your Back”

[su_divider top=”no”]

15. Jockstrap – “Wicked City”

[su_divider top=”no”]

14. Magdalena Bay – “Mini Mix, Vol 2”

[su_divider top=”no”]

13. Isola – “EP1”

[su_divider top=”no”]

12. Penelope Trappes – “Eel Drip”

[su_divider top=”no”]

11. Eris Drew – “Fluids of Emotion”

[su_divider top=”no”]

10. Couch Prints – “Tell U”

[su_divider top=”no”]

9. Blue Hawaii – “Under 1 House”

[su_divider top=”no”]

8. Japan, Man – “The Bad Days”

[su_divider top=”no”]

7. Christine and the Queens – “La Vita Nuova”

[su_divider top=”no”]

6. Charli XCX – “How I’m Feeling Now”

[su_divider top=”no”]

5. Zelma Stone – “Dreamland”

[su_divider top=”no”]

4. Laura Groves – “A Private Road”

[su_divider top=”no”]

3. Yaeji – “WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던”

[su_divider top=”no”]

2. oklou – “galore”

[su_divider top=”no”]

1. Bullion – “We Had A Good Time”

Just like any other acts, dancing can be political. Following up to “I Felt Love” and “Feelin“, Blue Hawaii address love in the time of capitalism – which is worst than cholera – on “Not My Boss!”, the liberating new cut taken from their upcoming EP. “Not my boss is a song about money and the dominance it can have over our lives. It’s a proclamation to liberating ourselves from the shackles and binds of the patriarchy,” they explained on their socials. “Not my boss is a snappier way of saying ‘fuck Milton Friedman, fuck disaster capitalism, my abundance is constructed of a multitude of events and feelings, I am worth more than dollars and cents.” Watch the Jordan Minkoff-animated visuals below.

Raphaelle Standell-Preston and Alex Kerby of Blue Hawaii recently announced the release of a new mixtape, this only a few months after their last full-length album Open Reduction Internal Fixation. Following the lead single “I Felt Love“, they have now unleashed the classic house-inflected opening track “Feelin'”. “We jammed out the song following a series of shows in North America and Europe where the crowd would respond best to no frills, fun and straightforward grooves with a nice loud vocal on top,” they stated. “The song mimics the feeling of those concerts and contains a classic touch of house music with the added flair of live saxophone and loose drum programming.” Feel the good vibes below.

Following up from their 2019 album Open Reduction Internal Fixation, Blue Hawaii return to save us from isolation. Their new mixtape, Under 1 House, was written during their 2019 North American and European tours and recorded in a wood cabin in the Québec countryside. As they were trapped on different sides of the Atlantic due to COVID-19, Raphaelle “Ra” Standell-Preston and Alex “Agor” Kerby eventually finished the project online. A mixtape “dedicated to the spirit of togetherness,” Under 1 House is introduced today by the uplifting cut “I Felt Love”. Listen and pre-order via Bandcamp below.

Although Raphaelle Standell-Preston and her band Braids recently returned with a brand new single (“Eclipse (Ashley)”), her other outlet, Blue Hawaii, is not yet on vacation. Indeed, we thought that the duo that she forms with Alexander ‘Agor’ Kerby was going to take a break after the release of their album Open Reduction Internal Fixation – but we were wrong. Today, they’ve just dropped two new tracks, “Remember When” and “The Test I Passed,” confirming one of their recent statements on an Instagram post: “Since making ORiF we’ve been writing non stop together and have lots of new songs under our belt. We’re so excited to share more with you over the coming year.” Listen below, and stay tuned for more.

EDIT: According to a post on Arbutus’ Instagram, “Remember When” was recorded in 2017 but cut from the band’s “Tenderness” album. It’s paired with a cut “The Test I Passed”, a housey/new wavey chugger built out of samples from another single from that album (“Versus Game”). It features live saxophone performed by Adam Kinner and captured from the band’s latest album release show. Intended only as a transition track to be performed live, it now sees the light of day as a special B-side.