Like every December, we close a year of music with our traditional lists. After the Best Albums and Best EPs and Mixtapes, we’re happy to unveil the songs that made 2019 according to our team. Are these the best releases of the year ? Maybe yes, maybe no. But for sure, they represent what we have loved over the 12 months.

2019 is also the end of a decade and, even if the blog did not exist 10 years ago, we will try to share our favourite tracks of this era during the first quarter of 2020.

Finally, I’d like to mention that HighClouds would not be the same without its team of dedicated writers. People don’t always realize it but running a blog and contributing, even only from time to time, requires a lot of energy on top of your full-time job. So thank you to each of you for this.

And now, here are the 100 tracks of 2019, as well as a huge Spotify playlist to go through our selection and discover some other amazing tracks that almost made the cut this year. Thank you for reading us and see you next decade!

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100. 0171 – “1000 Words”

99. Modern Feelings – “Culture”

98. STAINWASHER – “Joy For Me”

97. Alina Bea – “King of Nothing”

96. Lowly – “baglaens”

95. Yot Club – “no way !”

94. Helado Negro – “Running”

93. BEA1991 – “Did You Feel Me Slip Away?”

92. Deaton Chris Anthony, Clairo, Coco & Clair Clair – “RACECAR”

91. Sandy – “Signals”

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90. Common Holly – “You Dance”

89. Teen Body – “Validation”

88. SOPHIE, Doss – “Whole New World (Sophie and Doss remix)”

87. Emily Reo – “Ghosting”

86. Barrie – “Darjeeling”

85. Caroline Polachek – “Pang”

84. 박혜진 Park Hye Jin – “I DON’T CARE”

83. Kraków Loves Adana – “Follow The Voice”

82. Jessica Pratt – “Aeroplane”

81. Ariel – “Dream Team”

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80. Spellling – “Under The Sun”

79. MUNYA – “It’s All About You”

78. Von – “Dealer’s Gone”

77. Makthaverskan – “Demands”

76. SASSY 009 – “Maybe in the Summer”

75. Jessie Ware – “Adore You”

74. PAT – “Love Will Find a Way Home”

73. XUXA SANTAMARIA – “Rudos Del Mar”

72. Ascendant Vierge – “Influenceur”

71. Thom Yorke – “Dawn Chorus”

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70. Nilüfer Yanya – “Baby Blu”

69. Saeyers – “Cruise”

68. Quinn Christopher – “Erase Me”

67. The Dawdler – “Sylvie”

66. TR/ST – “Iris”

65. Jai Paul – “He”

64. Maria Somerville – “Brighter Days”

63. Morabeza Tobacco – “Orinoco”

62. Eartheater – “Fontanel”

61. Otha – “Tired and Sick”

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60. Eugenia Post Meridiem – “Anjos”

59. Vagabon – “Water Me Down”

58. Lala Lala, WHY? – “Siren 042”

57. Jackie Mendoza – “De Lejos”

56. Dorian Electra – “Flamboyant”

55. Crack Cloud – “The Next Fix”

54. Chromatics – “You’re No Good”

53. Hana Vu – “Order”

52. Magdalena Bay – “Only If You Want It”

51. Ebhoni – “TGM”

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50. Cherushii, Maria Minerva – “A Day Without You”

49. Maluca – “NYC Baby”

48. Tyler, The Creator – “EARFQUAKE”

47. JPEGMAFIA, Helena Deland – “Free The Frail”

46. Blue Hawaii – “Still I Miss U”

45. Oklou – “Forever”

44. Crumb – “Ghostride”

43. Ariana Grande – “NASA”

42. Weyes Blood – “Movies”

41. Pure Bathing Culture – “All Night”

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40. Beauty Queen – “The Only One”

39. Couch Prints – “Tell U”

38. 070 Shake – “Morrow”

37. JORDANN – “Café Speed”

36. Lizzo – “Juice”

35. 100 gecs – “Money Machine”

34. Hand Habits – “can’t calm down”

33. Jenny Hval – “Ashes to Ashes”

32. (Sandy) Alex G – “Gretel”

31. Arlo Parks – “Super Sad Generation”

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30. Grace Ives – “Anything”

29. Burial – “Claustro”

28. Sharon Van Etten – “Seventeen”

27. pronoun – “stay”

26. Requin Chagrin – “Sémaphore”

25. BEA1991 – “My Own Heaven”

24. Billie Eilish – “bad guy”

23. Sorry Girls – “One That You Want”

22. Japan, Man – “Stop Staring”

21. Drauve – “Haunted”

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20. Big Thief – “UFOF”

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19. MUNA – “Number One Fan”

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18. Claud – “Easy”

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17. Danny Brown – “Dirty Laundry”

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16. Angel Olsen – “Lark”

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15. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Want You In My Room”

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14. Caroline Polachek – “Door”

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13. Boy Harsher – “LA”

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12. Magdalena Bay – “Venice”

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11. Erika de Casier – “Do My thing”

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10. Men I Trust – “Numb”

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9. Charlotte Adigéry – “Paténipat”

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8. Σtella – “Samba”

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7. GEORGIA – “About Work The Dancefloor”

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6. Lana Del Rey – “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have”

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5. Aldous Harding – “The Barrel”

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4. Big Thief – “Not”

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3. Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens – “Gone”

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2. FKA twigs – “Cellophane”

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1. Clairo – “Bags”

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New York-based Afro-Dominican musician Natalie Yepez, better known as Maluca, is readying the release of her official debut album. In her new track, “NYC Baby”, the artist, who grew up in Manhattan’s East Village, pays tribute to her hometown of New York City and to all the music and sub-cultures that make The Big Apple one of the most exciting cities in the world. Combining 90s club music, old-school hip-hop, and latin vibes, the Sam Sparro-produced track is nothing less than an instant banger. As PAPER fairly mentioned it, the track channels Gloria Estefan and her Miami Sound Machine. About the inspiration of the track and her homage to NYC, she explained:

[su_quote]New York has really been my inspiration, I feel really blessed that the way I understood music involved travel within the city from spot to spot. There’s the hip-hop party at 8 o’clock and it’s like a fusion of hip-hop, reggae, and dancehall, and then you’re getting on a train going to Williamsburg to listen to your favorite bachata band, and then it’s midnight and now you’re going to the rave. That’s my scope, that’s how I understood music. Then I realized not everybody had that. I was a drum-and-bass head, and I was sipping champagne with all the rappers at Nacho’s Pub listening to Nickelback. Also the landscape of the radio. My influence was New York and J.Lo. And there’s me in the middle: I’m the baby.[/su_quote]

“NYC Baby” will be featured on her upcoming debut album, that she’s been working on for more than 10 years. The record is set to be very personal and this can already be felt in the accompanying, DIY visuals where we experience a crazy night out with the artist as if we were there. This also marks Maluca‘s debut as a director. Watch below.

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[su_quote]I wrote the record as a way of highlighting all the negative things people told me about myself… “you have bad hair, you’re crazy, your too tough…” “soy la mala si yo madura , pelo MALO pero suerto como una bruja, me llaman loco pero asi te gusta …” Now, I’m embracing them. Yes my hair is nappy, I look like witch and I’m crazy, but you love it!
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We are waiting a lot from her new EP that should be out very soon this year. You can for now also listen to her track “El Tigeraso” below

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[su_dropcap style=”simple”]R[/su_dropcap]obyn fans like us have been waiting more from the EP collaboration with La Bagatelle Magique.
5 months after its release, they’re finally giving us a video. Get ready to jump up to the ceiling.

“Love is Free” is the title track from the 5-songs EP released on August 7th.

Robyn told The New York Times about the video;
“It’s not about being as absurd as possible, but it’s also not about being about something in particular, either. We just wanted to do something fun and inspiring and playful.”

The whole video is a crazy, joyful, funny and colorful set-up pyjama party. It features Robyn, Maluca & Markus Jägerstedt running from room to room in a decorated studio. With an homage to Christian Falk.
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Directed by SSION. Edited by George Cragg

Read more about the making off of this EP with Robyn and Yours Truly.