Is it too late to make a best-of-2022 song list? No? Good, because I've been busy for the last few days.

Here are some songs from the Newgrounds Audio Portal that made a lasting impression on me from this past year. Just understand that I didn't listen to ALL 83,001 tracks uploaded to the site in 2022, so I'm sure there are many more that deserve to be on this list. So without further ado...

@Waterflame - Jungle Driver

Yes, I'll admit it: I'm a Waterflame fanboy. This was a particularly prolific year for him, and this track has all the danceability and variety that I'm used to hearing from him. I think this track has an especially good balance between variety and cohesion, though. Listen closely (or just dozens of times, as I have), and you'll realize that many of the same motifs are threaded carefully throughout the piece, despite the sense that it also continually evolves. Really neat track.

@PrettyMuchBryce - Designated Drivers

As I've said before in these best-music-of-the-year posts, there are a lot of underrated vocalists on Newgrounds. Tracks like "Designated Drivers" have an appealing combination of approachable pop-rock sensibilities with heavy and multi-layered lyrics. Also be sure to check out PMB's song "Blame," which is as relatable as it is catchy.

@XUMAMUSIC (formerly "Xeufe") - Pretend

To select a song that doesn't have the word "driver" in the title, we go to XUMA's "Pretend," a hard-hitting and eerie track that I interpreted as about unrequited love. Characterized by carefully processed vocals and brutal drops, this piece is not for sticklers on over-compression. But it IS for people who like pitch-shifting effects, creepypasta-caliber arpeggios, and gritty mid-range basses. I like all of those things.

@LLAAPPSSEE - Glow

Let's get to something more relaxing, shall we? LLAAPPSSEE went on a jazz tear early in the year, which sounds really smooth when combined with his atmospheric flair and glitchy compositional details. This particular piece has a great slow-burn sort of climax that makes a fashionable arrival at this glorious piano line. And if you like "Glow," I'd also recommend tracks like "Tired of This Place," "Can't," and "8,760 Hours."

@Cresince - Thistle

Speaking of jazz, @Cresince is really good at making it. The harmonies in "Thistle" may challenge your notions of tonality at first, but like a chocolate mousse, sometimes richer is better. Really evocative and beautiful piece. Cresince even doubled down on the jazzy harmonies when he wrote "Koi Brook" later in the summer.

@EliasAlija - Squared Modern Nihilism

Usually known for his cinematic tracks, Elias nails chiptune with "Squared Modern Nihilism." Dreamy and atmospheric, with an ominous and glitchy undertone, this track has a complexity that gives it serious replay value. I can only hope he has a similar piece in the works for Pixel Day in 2023.

@Linearity (formerly Skillidm) - Future Automations

To return to the catchy and the danceable, Linearity gets me off my feet with "Future Automations." The powerful synth pads and crisp beats help keep the energy up between the blissful refrains, and the whole production is really clean and punchy. The piece is also one of the most underrated of the year, with fewer than 100 plays as of this writing. Show it some love, y'all!

@CadeComposer - Dynamism

Quirky, moody, and...well...dynamic, this piece pushes all the right buttons for me. The rhythmic content is as creative as the sound design, and the spacey melodies tie it all together really nicely. Watch out for some well-placed vocal samples and some really nice filtering and automation work as well. Turning the outro into this dreamy slow jam was also a really great choice. Hard not to love this piece.

@JesseTikka - Starting Anew

It’s about dang time for a downtempo, majestic piano piece to be on this list. Jesse Tikka has another criminally underrated list item in “Starting Anew,” which has some killer melodies and a great sense of pacing and flow. The entry of the strings about ⅓ of the way through the piece helps take it in a new direction, giving the piece a great sense of variety despite its short length. Overall, this one really tugs at the heartstrings.

@M3llowo - Celeste

I’m also a huge sucker for carefully phrased atmospheric fade-ins, and M3llowo does that twice in this piece, once at the beginning and then at the re-intro midway through. The mix is really clean and well-balanced, and the blissful pads and rhythmic appeal of the drop give the composition a well-balanced flair as well. A true foot-tapper. 

@Spadezer - Beware

Halloween came in June this year when Spadezer submitted this piece, displaying his vocal talents and knack for narrative composition. The laughter of the evil minions is so well-done that I thought it was sampled at first, and the mixing and mastering work on the vocals is just as impressive as the recordings themselves - the vocals sound just artificial enough to be creepy, but believable. Don’t listen to this piece alone at night. 

@AnthonyRagus (formerly Celestial-Sticker) - The Mystical Forest

“The Mystical Forest” was the winning piece from the NGUAC this year, so of course it’s going to make this list! A cinematic masterpiece with well-placed nature effects, a luscious atmosphere, and triumphant melodies, it succeeds at capturing the mystical quality of the great outdoors. Punctuated with Celtic flair amidst a pitter-pattering piano line (perhaps symbolizing a river?), the sound design rivals the composition for my favorite element of the piece.

@PRGX - Potato

PRGX is a prolific and very young EDM artist, the kind who deserves more attention on this site. “Potato” has a lot of creative breaks, flashy synths, and also some comedic value considering it’s about, well, potatoes. The rhythmic syncopations, especially at the drop at 1:30, get me bopping my head every time. Stylistically, it’s a refreshing combination of chiptune and dubstep. But PRGX dabbles in a lot of different genres, so go find something that speaks to you in their discography!

@BAOWZ-Tobass - The Deamon

Yet more blissful and catchy EDM. That melodic refrain/drop is just gold. The gritty bass during the bridge adds some nice contrast to the otherwise light and cutesy sound design, and the mix is super clean and bouncy to boot. BAOWZ said “my ego is taking off” in response to my initial review on the piece. It should be landing on the moon right about now.

@SicraMusic - Wanderers

Alright, chalk this one up in the blissful, danceable EDM category as well. The vocals are especially well-used in “Wanderers,” and the bass is really juicy too. The melody only needs to play one or two times to get stuck in your head, and the piano breakdown section and vocal pads add some nice atmospheric details to the composition. Need I say more?

@Veryfakeguest & @SamuraiOwl - The Custodian

Those familiar with my reviews know that I often harp on people for just copying and pasting drops and/or refrains. In “The Custodian,” VFG and SO demonstrate exactly how effective it can be to have two distinct drops in a piece, and that minimal arpeggio that plays during the intro and build-ups is the glue that holds it all together. I’m thoroughly convinced that my school should hire this custodian. 

@EliasAlija - Village Fest

Yeah, so I’m going to have to break my own rule regarding only having one piece per artist on this list. I don’t know what it is with me and Celtic-sounding melodies, but my goodness - this entire track is bursting with whimsical sound design and uplifting orchestral riffs. Did I mention that it was a banner year for Elias? He finished 3rd in the NGADM, got front-paged 6 times, and was also rather prolific. I’d highly recommend checking out his entire discography.

@Everratic - The Witch at the Prom

Speaking of the NGADM, top-5 finisher Everratic made “The Witch at the Prom” for the final round in November, and its enchanting cinematic quality captured my attention immediately. By the sound of that sultry saxophone solo midway through, as well as the triumphant conclusion, the witch charmed some lucky fellas on her night out. Anyway, dear reader, Everratic is yet another artist who deserves a thorough search of his discography. 

@Zip-Zap-Official - Moonlighter

A feel-good pop-rock tune, “Moonlighter” is the result of some impressive humanization work that turns some in-box DAW instruments into a loose and organic-feeling jam session. Energetic and  well-balanced, with a crisp production, Zip Zap nails an upbeat modern rock vibe with catchy melodies and enjoyable sound design. 

@Vividlance - Speed of Light  

This is a piece I just discovered a few weeks ago. The rich and robotic vocals blend so nicely with the dreamy instrumentals, and the frantic drums offer some contrast from the atmospheric intro and outro. Also, don’t let the generic title fool you: the lyrics are poetic and elegant. The dramatic descending line (“downer”) at the end reminds me of a shooting star, in keeping with the piece’s cosmic theme. The twinkling bells and spacey pads don’t hurt in that regard, either.

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Alright, that’s it! All 20 of them, folks. As usual, there’s a LOT of EDM on this list, but then again there’s a lot of EDM on this site, haha. Until next (i.e., this) year, Newgrounds! ^_^