So who anointed Pitchfork as the guardian of the “best” music? The site has branded itself as “The Most Trusted Voice in Music” for quite some time. Regardless of whether you consider Pitchfork the ultimate judge of musical excellence, the moment you hit pitchfork.com (or one of their socials), you’ve bought into that notion. Clicks and follows and views are what fuel the internet machinery.
Music to me is an everyday experience, but it’s not something I spend a lot of time examining. If I like it, I like it. With that said, I do acknowledge that this online music publication possesses a deeper understanding of the intricacies behind groundbreaking, compelling, and skillfully crafted music compared to my own.
It doesn’t imply I have a poor taste in music – far from it. It’s just a matter of having a distinct musical preference. I gravitate towards tunes that exude high energy and prompt me to hit the dance floor, whereas the music adored by Pitchfork tends to be too slow and subdued for my liking.
Pitchfork’s 100 Best Songs of 2023
Despite our divergent viewpoints, whenever Pitchfork unveils its annual roster of their 100 best songs of the year, I make it a ritual to add all 100 tracks to a Spotify playlist. This ritual grants me access to what is deemed “good music” from the past 330+ odd days of 2023, and without fail, I’ll stumble upon 5-7 tracks that will be included into my playlists well into 2024.
Same as we did for the 2022 list of best songs from Pitchfork, we’ve compiled the complete list sans any editorial slant. This way, anyone seeking a consolidated, unbiased compilation of the best songs can scroll through and make comparisons effortlessly. Bring on the Ice Spice, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Troye Sivan, Lana Del Ray, and Sufjan Stevens (remember him!?)
Rank | Song | Artist |
---|---|---|
100 | Stage of Love | Mary Jane Dunphe |
99 | La Alhambra | Marina Herlop |
98 | LADY GAGA | Peso Pluma / Gabito Ballesteros / Junior H |
97 | Delete It [ft. Militarie Gun] | MSPAINT |
96 | Yeezy Boots | RXK Nephew |
95 | Go Dig My Grave | Lankum |
94 | WHERE SHE GOES | Bad Bunny |
93 | New York Transit Queen | Corinne Bailey Rae |
92 | Nothing Left to Lose | Everything But the Girl |
91 | Desolation’s Flower | Ragana |
90 | Darkness Darkness | Kieran Hebden / William Tyler |
89 | Pa Que Baile | Kiko el Crazy |
88 | Amapiano [ft. Olamide] | Asake |
87 | Face Down | City Girls |
86 | VAMPIROS | Rosalía / Rauw Alejandro |
85 | Rumble | Skrillex / Fred again.. / Flowdan |
84 | Fruit Loop | Flo Milli |
83 | Ebony Eye | Yves Tumor |
82 | Johnny Dang [ft. Paul Wall and DRODi] | That Mexican OT |
81 | Float [ft. Seun Kuti and Egypt 80] | Janelle Monáe |
80 | Good Lies | Overmono |
79 | uHhH HuH.Mp3 | TisaKorean |
78 | To be honest | Christine and the Queens |
77 | kisses | Slowdive |
76 | Thank Allah | Niontay |
75 | Maria | Greg Mendez |
74 | None of Us Have But a Little While [ft. Sharon Van Etten] | Lonnie Holley |
73 | Census Designated | Jane Remover |
72 | 2HUMPY Anthem | 2HUMPY / 2RARE |
71 | MÁQUINA CULONA [ft. Mura Masa] | Ralphie Choo |
70 | Name of God | Mustafa |
69 | Sprinter | Central Cee / Dave |
68 | Skeleton Is Walking | Blake Mills |
67 | Push Power ( a 1 ) | Actress |
66 | Tiny Garden [ft. duendita] | Jamila Woods |
65 | Shmackin Town | AyooLii |
64 | Moonlight | Kali Uchis |
63 | Blind | SZA |
62 | Hunter | Jess Williamson |
61 | Fentanyl Tester | JPEGMAFIA / Danny Brown |
60 | Pretty in Possible | Caroline Polachek |
59 | Love Who We Are Meant To | Feist |
58 | Late Night Love | Octo Octa |
57 | eclipse de amor [ft. Buscabulla] | NOIA |
56 | Speed Drive | Charli XCX |
55 | Gorilla | Little Simz |
54 | Red Wine Supernova | Chappell Roan |
53 | Bending Hectic | The Smile |
52 | vampire | Olivia Rodrigo |
51 | Blackbox Life Recorder 21f | Aphex Twin |
50 | Psychedelic Switch | Carly Rae Jepsen |
49 | Spirit 2.0 | Sampha |
48 | Installation | Pangaea |
47 | The Gods Must Be Crazy [ft. El-P] | Armand Hammer |
46 | Needs | Tinashe |
45 | Younger & Dumber | Indigo De Souza |
44 | Blissda | DJ Koze |
43 | Mayors a Cop | MIKE / Wiki / The Alchemist |
42 | Snowman | Blonde Redhead |
41 | Padam Padam | Kylie Minogue |
40 | Pinking Shears | Mandy Indiana |
39 | dickhead blues | Kara Jackson |
38 | Set the Roof [ft. Tayla Parx] | Hudson Mohawke / Nikki Nair |
37 | I’ve Got Me | Joanna Sternberg |
36 | WICKED GYAL [ft. Lady Lykez] | BAMBII |
35 | Moonless | Julie Byrne |
34 | x w x | yeule |
33 | For Granted | Yaeji |
32 | Not Strong Enough | boygenius |
31 | old place | Jim Legxacy |
30 | On My Mama | Victoria Monét |
29 | Three Drums | Four Tet |
28 | My Love Mine All Mine | Mitski |
27 | Hollywood Baby | 100 gecs |
26 | Barley | Water From Your Eyes |
25 | If I Don’t See You in the Future I’ll See You in the Pasture | Cole Pulice |
24 | Dreamliner | Avalon Emerson |
23 | SkeeYee | Sexyy Red |
22 | Knockin | MJ Lenderman |
21 | I Got Heaven | Mannequin Pussy |
20 | Contact | Kelela |
19 | I Believe | Caroline Polachek |
18 | Pet Rock | L’Rain |
17 | Year Zero [ft. Danny Brown] | billy woods / Kenny Segal |
16 | Co-Star | Amaarae |
15 | Vampire Empire | Big Thief |
14 | The Hillbillies | Baby Keem / Kendrick Lamar |
13 | Shiver | Fever Ray |
12 | It Must Change | ANOHNI and the Johnsons |
11 | Daddy | Nourished by Time |
10 | Making the Band (Danity Kane) | Earl Sweatshirt |
9 | Rush | Troye Sivan |
8 | Chosen to Deserve | Wednesday |
7 | Super Shy | NewJeans |
6 | Kill Bill | SZA |
5 | get him back! | Olivia Rodrigo |
4 | Namesake | Noname |
3 | Will Anybody Ever Love Me? | Sufjan Stevens |
2 | Boy’s a liar Pt. 2 | PinkPantheress / Ice Spice |
1 | A&W | Lana Del Rey |
I’ve curated a Spotify Playlist featuring nearly every song from Pitchfork’s top 100 list for 2023, arranged in the original 1-100 order. We’re missing just one song, for some unknown reason, isn’t available on Spotify. If you’re eager to dive into Pitchfork’s selection of the year’s best tunes, you can access the full playlist right here.
Pitchfork’s Top 100 Songs of 2023 Playlist clocks in at a substantial 6 hours and 37 minutes, promising a comprehensive musical journey that’s approximately a half hour less than last year’s playlist.