I looked back over the music I listened to this year and realized that, for the first time in years, I actually couldn’t really put together a top 10 albums list. I spent a good amount of 2021 listening to random mixes and mashups on SoundCloud, often diving into full albums from the past over embracing what I know what a huge year for music.
I did, however, overplay an abundance of new tracks this year that were just straight-up fun, sometimes overtly sexual, and always putting a pep in my step as I logged in day-by-day to work in my 300-square-foot studio apartment.
A little bit of context, but I am (in the words of Kesha from a talk show interview a few years back) a “cheesy bitch who loves pop music,” I’m queer and trans AF, and I don’t believe in listening to music “ironically.” Sometimes, you just have to let loose and enjoy what you enjoy. That said, here are my top 10 shamelessly fun bops of the year, in no particular order.
Alice Longyu Gao – “100 Boyfriends”
Alice Longyu Gao first emerged onto the music scene following stints of DJing on either coast, with a small collection of fun singles, eventually working with Dylan Brady of 100 gecs to release “Rich Bitch Juice” and “Dumb Bitch Juice” in 2019 (another incredible pairing of bops), eventually situating herself among others in the emerging “hyperpop” genre (I don’t like the phrase, truly, but it’s what’s being used right now).
She released a ton of music this year, but “100 Boyfriends” stands out. I find myself screaming along to, “I know everybody hate me / They always try and pretend / Everybody jealous of my 100 boyfriends / Life is too short to not be kissed / That’s why I keep hot boys on my wrist,” a sort of anthemic, sassy brag, more about the essence of the message than whether or not I actually have 100 boyfriends. (I don’t.)
Also check out Alice Longyu Gao’s “Kenpai” and “LEGEND” featuring Alice Glass from this year
Danny L Harle – “Take My Heart Away”
Harle’s sound on this track takes me straight back to the 2000s, navigating my clear love for Eurodance faves like Eiffel 65 and Aqua from my ’90s childhood, along with my discovery of legends like Cascada, trance music, the download of some 50-song happy hardcore album I remember listening to on the way to watching Obama speak in 2008 for his first presidential campaign …
Anyway, about the song—It’s perfectly nostalgic, a charming little love song that reminded me of others I keep on repeat like “Every Time We Touch,” a punchy, femme vocal hitting over the top of the sparkling, electronic dance shmorgishborg of glistening pianos, anthemic synths that mirror the chorus’s melody, complete with cutesy lyrics, plentiful in “la-la-la’s” and prompting, “if you want it, you can take my heart away.” What does it mean? I don’t know, but I’m vibing.
Also check out Harle’s “On A Mountain” from this year.
ELIO – “CHARGER” featuring Charli XCX
Adding to a trend I’ve noticed recently in some of the pop music I listen to, sort of incorporating the modern tech we know all too well today with the conventions of love songs, “CHARGER” is a late-2021 entry that does this impeccably.
ELIO spins a tale of a night gone awry, “God that’s so classic / I’m three percent away from being stranded / The way I left was way too cinematic / The realization hadn’t even landed / God fuckin’ damn it,” and even though she left her charger, she doesn’t wanna go back! Not only relatable, but the catchy pop bop is complete with a second verse and chorus from pop icon Charli XCX. It’s endlessly danceable and a sort of modern love fable for the internet age.
Also check out Charli XCX’s “Good Ones” from this year.
Cobrah – “GOOD PUSS”
Cobrah seemed to kind of come from nowhere, with a few singles under her belt over the past few years, a collection of bratty and boastful tracks, her voice softly cooing over bumping house beats. Her self-titled EP was front-to-back club heaven, so much so it was hard for me to narrow in on one track to feature, but “Good Puss” is a mood-and-a-half. I’m sitting in my apartment in sweats listening to it as I write this blurb, and I assure you, the power I feel!
Cobrah speaks over the driving beat with full assurance and confidence, and you can’t help but take a little bit from her. “Lipstick tight skirt / Dirty thick girl / Dive in real thirst / Eat lunch I serve,” she asserts in the second verse, as a sort of sex-positive prayer for anyone who just needs to “lay down with some good kush” and relish in their power.
Also check out Cobrah’s “BANG” and “GOOEY FLUID GIRLS” from this year.
Kim Petras – “Coconuts”
I couldn’t not, ya know? This sinfully fun song first hit TikTok as a sound snippet and blew up in the queer circles of the app, so much so that Kim pushed the date forward and unveiled the song earlier this month. She doesn’t mince words, the first of the song being, “My coconuts / You can put them in your mouth / My coconuts / Watch them bounce up and down.” And I, for one, am always a fan of women singing loudly and proudly about how hot they are.
The verses are hilarious, going into detail about the names of the twins (Mary-Kate and Ashley) with countless food allegories. And truly, at the end of the day, Kim just keeps proving that she’s a pop girl to be reckoned with. I also haven’t been able to get this out of my head for weeks.
Also check out Kim’s “Future Starts Now” from this year.
Lady Gaga – “Sine From Above (with Elton John) – Chester Lockhart, Mood Killer, & Lil Texas Remix”
The entire Dawn of Chromatica remix album was, personally, a more exciting release than the initial album. It was jam-packed with remixes from artists on the cutting edge of the pop genre, along with a plethora of queer and trans musicians, and to me, the music was just more exciting than the track list on last year’s Chromatica.
It was what I expected from the initial album, more bombastic and experimental. And though I wouldn’t even necessarily say the “Sine From Above” remix is my favorite cut from the album, it’s one of the most exciting, leading to jokes online about traveling back in time and telling people in the ’70s that this is indeed an Elton John song, or questioning what John must’ve done when he first heard the aggressively loud, hard style breakdown in the last minute of the song (not to mention the collection of strange samples that precede it, including a random saxophone solo).
Also check out “Fun Tonight – Pabllo Vittar Remix,” “Plastic Doll – Ashnikko Remix” and “Sour Candy (with BLACKPINK) – Shygirl & Mura Masa Remix” from this year’s Dawn of Chromatica album.
Chase Icon – “SRS”
When I first heard the intro of this song, Chase echoing the words of Lady Gaga in a 2000s interview, “Why the hell am I going to waste my time and give a press release on whether or not I have a penis? My fans don’t care, and neither do I.” The debut single “SRS,” an acronym for sex-reassignment surgery, of the up-and-coming pop artist of miscellaneous internet fame, immediately slaps you across the face, the hyper-sexual lyrics seducing the listener, boasting continuously about how hot and trans she is.
“C’mon boy don’t be afraid / This pussy custom made,” she teases over the chorus, throughout the song throwing in great one-liners like “Your boyfriend said he liked it” or the conversational cooing after the first chorus, “Do you, like, wanna touch it?” or “Don’t forget your keys on the dresser.” Not to mention, this beat is incredible and unrelenting, offering a thesis statement of sorts for the artistry of the emerging pop star.
Also check out Chase Icon’s “I’m Perfect” from this year.
That Kid – “Mile High Club”
That Kid is a pro at writing songs with a sexual edge and a somewhat ridiculous context, “Mile High Club” following tracks like “Taco Bell,” which is about, you guessed it, doing the deed in a Taco Bell, or “Dial Tone,” a sort of “Kiss Me Thru the Phone” (which he has also covered) for the new generation.
“Mile High Club” is a sinfully fun song about exactly what it sounds like, a flight from New York to Hawaii, popping a pink molly, and letting the magic happen. The lyrics are incredibly funny, littered with double-entendres, “We have lift off / Flashing me your wristwatch / Make a pit stop / In and out my gift shop.” Never has sex on a plane sounded like so much fun.
Also check out That Kid’s “Boost Mobile” from this year.
Lil Mariko – ‘Shiny’ feat. Full Tac
When Lil Marko first came out with the iconic classic, “Where’s My Juul??” in 2019, I knew she was destined for greatness, and I was not wrong. Her self-titled EP is stacked with shamelessly fun tracks, but the essence of “Shiny” truly stands out, a sort of bad bitch, IDGAF anthem that I think we could all use in today’s world. The lyrics are self-indulgent and silly, the first verse as more of a monologue to the listener: “I’m so shiny, you can see me from fucking space. Like, I’m out here blinding airplane pilots. I’m like one of those rare shiny Pokémon cards. Exclusive, bitch!”
She also fully embraces her signature style, starting with a bossy chant that, by the second chorus, turns into a full on raging scream, with a sublime and poetic phrase that is my own sort of serenity prayer: “I’m a shiny bitch / I’ve got lots of shiny shit / I’ve got glitter on my clit / Cuz I’m a shiny bitch.” Amen! Even at my least shiny, I can’t help but listen to this jam and feel like I am GLISTENING by the end.
Also check out Lil Mariko’s “Hi, I’m a Slut” and “Don’t Touch” from this year.
LSDXOXO – ‘Sick Bitch’
LSDXOXO’s EP, Dedicated 2 Disrespect, is a sinfully fun collection of entirely fresh-feeling club tracks, but the standout is “Sick Bitch.” The track immediately lets you know what you’re in for, featuring a cut up moan sample out the gate, letting the listener know this one might not be for the faint of heart.
It presses on, adding a bumping beat, intermittent laser-sounding synths, hi-hat, and finally LSDXOXO’s vocals, a confident and boastful growl, “I’m a sick bitch / And I like freak sex / If you wanna test the limits of my gag reflex.” It’s near impossible to avoid bobbing your head to the persistent beat, a prideful and unapologetic, sex-positive club anthem that both nods to sounds of the past while also sounding entirely futuristic and new.
Also check out LSDXOXO’s “The Devil” from this year
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Album art courtesy of Alice Longyu Gao, Danny L Harle, Cobrah, Kim Petras, Lady Gaga, Chase Icon, That Kid, Lil Mariko, and LSDXOXO
