Muscadine Bloodline, courtesy Wales Toney.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day has a special place in American culture: Half the population has the week off, and the other half is so annoyed by the first half that that it does as little as possible anyway. That, apparently, extends to the music business as well. While a few new songs have come out, most musicians and publicists celebrated the season by taking some well-deserved rest.

So rather than having an abbreviated edition of Tuesday Tracks, we asked our writers for the songs that stuck with them the most in 2022. No research, no deliberation—just a snap decision about whatever was most immediately memorable. Here’s what they came up with. — Daniel J. Willis

Magnolia Park, “Radio Reject” — We all have dreams we aspire to; some more unrealistic than others. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pursue them. This absolute banger of a pop-punk anthem by Magnolia Park feels like the natural evolution from the Warped Tour artists of yesteryear (the Orlando band recently toured with Sum 41 and Simple Plan, so the comparison fits). Frontman Joshua Roberts belts out his desire to take risks in his career and personal life, opting to become a “radio reject” rather than settling for mediocrity. As the saying goes, if you shoot for the moon and miss, you’ll still land among the stars. — Tim Hoffman, Nov. 8.

***

Theon Cross, “Wings” — Londoner Theon Cross has West-Indian roots and found success with U.K. jazz ensemble Sons of Kemet. In this brass instrumental, heavy ’60s jazz fusion and Afrobeat influence are apparent within the first moments of the song. The breathy, low-pitched bass line of Cross’ tuba is paired with bass and drums.

The jungle rhythm is accentuated by sporadic animal calls until it’s joined by other building percussive elements while Theon Cross’ gifted tuba performance takes center stage. The Afro-jazz song immerses you rhythm until, mid-song, the tuba takes flight, lifting the song up and away as it’s joined by other brass instruments. A compelling musical stanza is echoed, building into a magnificent crescendo before deconstructing into a cacophony of instrumentation and fading into the steady percussive elements, coalescing into a satisfying adagio conclusion. 

Theon Cross exemplifies jazz fusion at its best. Experimental, artistic and artfully blended with other genres, it pulls bits from rock, soul, Latin and Afrobeat. — Mel Bowman, Oct. 11.

Sonja Midtune, “Haunt You Back” — Sonja Midtune blew up on TikTok recently with her song “Pretty Please,” but doesn’t consider herself a TikTok artist, as she’s been recording for eight years. One listen to “Haunt You Back,” a tune that’s mellow yet poppy, and you’ll understand right away why her catchy tunes get stuck in people’s heads. Midtune says her new EP, Golden Girl (which was released Nov. 11), is more upbeat than her previous “sad girl” music on 2020 EP Dreams Melt Away. — Rachel Alm, Nov. 1.

***

Tripping Jupiter, “We Are Starlight” — Madstone Rowan (they/them), the artist behind Tripping Jupiter, is all glitter and sparkle. “We Are Starlight” is an emotional ballad. The song has the anthemic rock sounds of Kings of Leon and The Killers. There’s a David Bowie “Starman” vibe to it. As Rowan sings and looks to the stars, it’s hard not to imagine the White Duke up there. Add Bowie collaborator Gail Ann Dorsey on bass, and it contributes to that distinct sound. The biggest pull of the song is the rawness of Rowan’s vocals with the accompanying video. — Rachel Goodman, Sept. 6.

Elephant Stone, “M. Lonely” — This is a ’60s vintage rock song with classical Indian instruments, paired with lyrics in French. What? That’s not enough of a sales pitch? Listen to this single, and you’ll understand why that should be all you need to listen. It’s the rare throwback song that doesn’t mimic the source material so much as organically continue the genre; not only would “M. Lonely” have fit in perfectly in 1969, it probably would have lived on until now. Thanks, Elephant Stone. — Daniel J. Willis, Feb. 8.

***

Muscadine Bloodline, “Teenage Dixie” — OK, so this one was just released today. The title track of the new album by country duo Muscadine Bloodline (to be released next month) is a muscular, revved-up song that cruises along in both the rock and country lanes. It’s kind of like a twangier take on Tom Petty’s sound (the harmonica helps). While Petty came up in Florida, Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton grew up in Mobile, Alabama. Close enough! Out of the new song releases sitting in our inbox this week, it was my favorite, so you get to listen to it right away. — Roman Gokhman