Music

Here are our favourite singles of 2014

by AUX staff

Whether they came in the form of Soundcloud hits or viral performances on late-night television, 2014 produced countless songs that’ll stick with us long after the year ends. We asked AUX’s team of writers to name their favourites, from Rae Sremmurd to Deafheaven.

Lil B – “No Black Person Is Ugly” (BasedWorld)

2014 was a painful fuckscape of racial violence, abuse of power, and general awfulness. And while it felt good to stream Tragedy tracks and RT activists who were actually doing something, there was still a pervasive hopelessness through it all. Leave it to powerful wordsmith Lil B the Based God to spread some much-needed love and positivity in the world. Fake-based only know Lil B for his turnt up viral hits, but “No Black Person Is Ugly” possesses the innocent, heartwarming charm that comes from unbridled, unfiltered positivity. In fact, it’s arguably the only conscious rap song that mattered in 2014. (Josiah Hughes)

Rae Sremmurd – “No Flex Zone” (Interscope)

I can’t help it. (Chayne Japal)

Man Made Hill – “Constant Touching” (Pleasence Records)

Best single. Best video. Best human being. (Jesse Locke)

Cloud Nothings – “I’m Not Part of Me” (Carpark)

There were bigger hits, sure, but the song I kept coming back to over and over again was this album-closing gem from the guitar-fetishizing Cloud Nothings. Plus, its video has everything: sleepovers, selfies, singalongs, danceoffs, sparkles, Harry Styles posters, tacos, volcanoes, Rock Band, ouiji, emoji. (Ryan McNutt)

SOPHIE – “Lemonade” / “Hard” (Numbers)

The ginger genius does it again. Bring on an album already. (JM)

Deafheaven – “From the Kettle Onto the Coil” (Adult Swim)

The band’s first new music post-Sunbather, “From the Kettle to the Coil” is Deafheaven at their most ruthless, adding in much of the misanthropic edge that was lost between Road to Judah and Sunbather. (Tyler Munro)

Saint Pepsi—“Fiona Coyne” (Carpark)

Vaporwave may have been a laughable fad, but its biggest benefactor—Saint Pepsi, a.k.a. Long Island bedroom producer Ryan deRobertis—had a giant year, signing to Carpark Records and cutting the song of the summer on the “Fiona Coyne” 7-inch. The glossy, Degrassi-referencing slice of sunshine proved that deRobertis could strip away the lo-fi production and Tumblr hype and let his production bona fides shine—and we’ve had this track on repeat since August. (Mark Teo)

Taylor Swift – “Out of the Woods” (Big Machine)

Including this song, a perfect tension-release pop song and a 1989 highlight, also lets me get both T-Swift and co-producer Jack Anotnoff, who had another of my quiet favourites of 2014, Strange Desire, on this list. (Nicole Villeneuve)

Future Islands, “Seasons (Waiting On You)” (4AD)

Because I’VE BEEN WAITING ON YOU-HOO-HOO. (Aaron Zorgel)