Here is a playlist of the essential 100 (or so) tunes to come out of Scotland.
It began with a long list of some hundreds, distilled a shortlist of 200 and now this 100-or-so
This Scots playlist of the most essential tunes of 2022, contains everything from alternative rock, dance, electronica, hip-hop, rap, indie, trap choral, punk, post-grunge, folk and... well see for yourself.
It is a mix of the known, little known and the unknown, leftfield and mainstream, immediate pop anthems and challenging (very) experimental projects.
The 100-or-so is published over four days.
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2022 Part 1 (100-76)
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2022 Part 3 (50-26)
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2022 Part 4 (25-1)
Here is Chapter 2.
Part 2- 75-51
75 Young Fathers - Geronimo
The Edinburgh-formed trio, a regular on this list, with a Mercury Prize to their name have not rested on their laurels with a new album due next year.
This first taster of what is to come is a typically euphoric, breast-beating, slow building gem, marring gospel, tribal rhythms and soul, that reaches for the stars.
They say the track is "about contrast, because life is contrast – pushing through, giving up, all at the same time. Wanting everything and then wanting nothing, then wanting everything again. It’s kind of reflective of where we are at the moment, trying to remember how to do this again. Trying to make music and all of the other stuff that comes along with it. Trying to forget all the bad bits, just trying to get somewhere. And that’s where we are right now, trying to get somewhere.”
74 Amateur Cult - You Be You
Retro keyboards and drum machine and an addictive throwback Hi-NRG synth hook combines to lead this Edinburgh-based post punk electronica project led by Alastair Chivers, previously of False Bliss and DTHPD, into what may feel like familiar, comfortable territory on this standout from debut album The Mirrored Pattern. But then there are engaging twists.
73 Kami-O - Silva
Championed on this list last year, this Glasgow-based underground DJ & producer's follow-up to the stunning debut album, Veiled, opens with this cleverly mutating, hypnotic instrumental that mashes dubstep and drum 'n' bass and works for the head and feet.
72 Mungo's Hi Fi & Kiko Bun - Riddim General
The Glasgow-based soundsystem and production unit with an irresistible swagger of ragga that makes the body twitch.
71 Joesef - It's Been A Bit Heavy Lately
When he first surfaced two years ago and made this list you could see this white boy soulster from Glasgow soar to superstar status.
This supercool classic-sounding mash of Motown, smokey jazz and hip hop stylings underpinned by that voice maintains that promise while we still await a debut album. "I'm very proud of this one...and I cannae wait for what's to come. This is a prequel of sorts," he says.
70 T_A_M - Yngwie Sleep Demon
The Aberdeen electro producer, the pseudonym of Thomas Emslie, mixed a club-focus with the totally bizarre on the barking title track to his EP.
69 Doss - Lungs
A compelling scuzzy collison of slacker rant-rap, cutting punk guitar, a minimalist beat and attitude in abundances from a "wee solo project, recording and producing tunes in ma bedroom" AKA Glaswegian Sorley Mackay.
68 comfort - My Bias
The Glasgow electro art-punk duo, who have appeared on this list before, produce a fascinatingly fashioned and angular equality anthem with frontwoman Natalie making like a deranged James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem).
"As I have allowed myself to be who I am more, since coming out, I have had to contend with the ways in which I have been conditioned to hate certain aspects of myself, to downplay who I am and to feel as though I shouldn't exist. My Bias is a song which tackles how this lack of self-worth is formed," says Natalie.
67 7hoenix Ogya - Self
The intriguing new Edinburgh-based producer/rapper with Ghanaian roots produces a masterfully smooth vibe as he continues what he calls his "spiritual journey to connect with his inner self and finding his purpose in life".
66 Steve Mason - No More
The former Beta Band frontman shared this rapturous anti-imperialist track from a forthcoming solo album Brothers & Sisters which features Pakistani singer Javed Bashir and some of the psychedelics that made his previous band so compelling with some seductive tribal rhythms.
“This track is about imperialism and in a subtle way, relative to some of my other work, references Australia, Partition and Africa through a combination of lyrics and music,” Mason said. “I like to imagine the spirits of these cultures and people haunting the families who profited and were involved in their destruction down through the generations. Never giving them real peace.”
65 Humour - Yeah, Mud
Exciting and totally barking Glasgow neo indie newcomers formed across the 2021 lockdowns, writing and recording their material at home. This their debut single, is an angular, experimental jewel with hints of the mishapen twists of a Pavement.
“This song was one that just came to us,” the band explain. “I think it came together in less than an hour and everything just seemed to fit first time. A lot of the lyrics are inspired by an old book Andreas read. In this book a soldier realises he’s about to die and writes his mother a note. I think it’s interesting to think about what you might have to say if you realised you were going to die in a few minutes, and what you’d then say to your mother. Lots of pressure to come up with something important.”
64 C Duncan - Heaven
“‘Heaven’ is an upbeat and optimistic song about moving on to greener pastures. It’s about turning corners, looking to the future and embracing what lies ahead, " he said. It is also an insanely catchy singalong standout albeit covering familiary ground for him from his fourth album Alluvium
63 The Wife Guys Of Reddit - Let Me Play A Serious One
The highly promising Glasgow four-piece purveyors of 'soupy rock' with a manic loud-soft deranged alt-rock romp with a killer riff, tender old school Inspiral Carpets keyboards and fey vocals. It's catchy has hell. What's not to like.
62 Hank Tree - Another Accident
The Glasgow alt-folk combo led by ex State Broadcasters' Fergus MacDonald are way way under the radar, but should really not be. This totally atypical post-rock meets indie-folk nstrumental from their much anticipated (by me) debut album The Big North is totally wild and unpredictable and has a jawdropping guitars crashing payoff.
61 Bemz - Zidane
The Nigerian-born Scottish rapper who lives in Glasgow with this potent garage-tinged banger, “I make play happen like my name's Zidane,” he rasps while a cut-up harmonic hook cuts through.
60 Stock Manager - Flight Risk
The Glasgow two-piece featuring Jack Alexander and Cathie Balmer with an ear for soft-loud-soft melodic Nirvana vs Pixies-like dynamics produced their instant gratification of a debut mini-album from which this mighty neo grunge mosher was an early single. They call it VHSrock.
59 Joesef - Just Come Home With Me Tonight
“I wrote this song before I even knew I was going to make an album,” said the Glasgow neo soul crooner about this smoothly addictive single from his debut album Permanent Damage due in January.
“I’ve kept it quite close until now and it’s definitely one of my favourite songs I’ve made. It’s about meeting my ex at a party and realising they’d moved on. The change between us was so palpable and that little light in his eyes that he carried for me wasn’t there anymore. The song uses the demo vocal take I recorded in my bedroom in Glasgow. We tried recreating it but there’s sometimes an inimitable magic within a demo that can’t be touched. It’s strange hearing my voice back in this way, not being in that headspace anymore. I wish I could tell that version of myself that I’ll be alright soon.”
58 Becky Sikasa - Keeper
The new Glasgow-based soulful songstress is one to watch as she produces a captivating, vibrant groove and oozes class on this classic sounding gem.
57 Posable Action Figures - Stronger
The two-piece Edinburgh electro-blues-pop-rock combo (their description) hit the spot with this enthralling riff-with-attitude single.
56 Russell Stewart - Align
Smooth as silk alt-soul nugget from the new Glasgow crooner's first EP Into View, which is a real ear-opener.
"Align is about the struggle that comes with striving to make the start of a relationship work. Putting blame on the other person for all failings until you realise that you too are at fault, then accepting that you just don’t fit together and it wasn’t meant to be. This track marks the beginning of a new musical period in my life," he said.
55 Frazzle - B.R.T
Spotify's algorithm onced linked this up-and-coming R-Rated Glasgow rapper to Sesame Street soundtracks. Frazzle (the puppet) is a growling monster on the children's show.
54 Mother Night - Chronic
The Hebridean producer aka Callum Alistair Macleod featured on this list four years ago - and this dark single mixing indie-dance, psychedelia and abrasive synth pop is a compelling existential howl about the incomprehensible nature of humanity’s place in reality.
It was recorded on the tiny Hebridean island of Great Bernera at a converted crab processing factory now known as Black Bay Studio.
"I wanted to create a big loud pop anthem in chronic, but somehow it ended up being heavier and more distorted than anything I’ve done before," he said. "The lyrics touch on some big concepts and ancient ideas, which I’ve tried to draw a line between to reveal the personal meaning they hold for me. I hope people enjoy listening and dancing to this track as much as I enjoyed making it."
53 Slam - Waver
The stalwart Glasgow producer duo and co-founders of Soma Quality Recordings consisting of Stuart McMillan and Orde Meikle bring some industrial bite to this five minute mind-blast of acid-techno wonderment from their Aversion EP.
52 The Orange Trees - Current State of Mind
New Edinburgh dreamscape duo emerge with a shimmering acoustic-guitar driven debut track that sounds like a lost classic from early Everything But The Girl given a new lease of 2022 life. They say: "It's a song that rings out about a budding summer romance, which always ends too soon."
=51 Kusht - Window Revolver (Geju Remix)
A flirtatious and mesmerizing old synths take of a downtempo psychedelic electro instrumental from the crafty Glasgow producer.
=51 Jill Lorean - Black Dog
A fabulously flamboyant mix of fiddle, wild guitar and a wistfulness akin to Stevie Nicks makes this from the the new project of Jill O’Sullivan of Sparrow and the Workshop, Andy Monaghan of Frightened Rabbit and drummer Peter Kelly irresistible.
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2022 Part 1 (100-76)
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2022 Part 3 (50-26)
Top 100 Tunes from Scotland in 2022 Part 4 (25-1)
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