Top 20 favorite music videos of the year (+a corny short intro to the year-end lists)
This year has been incredibly tough, if not just straight-up awful in my opinion, only rivaling 2020 in levels of how terrible things were. Lots of horrible news constantly (if you’re not from Argentina but you know what’s been going on here at all, yeah it’s looking bad, si sos argentino… mamita la que se nos viene), having to go through some genuinely upsetting stuff, it’s something I’m eager to leave behind for good, but honestly? Looking at the state of things, I still have a lingering feeling that it might just get worse.
But we have to keep it pushing no matter what, right?
Music has always been good as a coping mechanism for me personally, and this year it has been no exception. Either as a method of “escapism”, or as a way to mirror the sentiments of anger or sadness you might be going through, it is something that’s always reliable. I feel like, aside from being a ranking of What I Believe Is Best (whatever that might be), I feel like all these records, songs, videos, etc. are here because they meant something among this uncertainty. Also it’s always fun (albeit time-consuming) to do these year-end round-ups and I really need them this time around. And yes, most of these lists will be ranked, because I love hierarchy based onabsolutely arbitrary reasons! Let’s just start with this then.
#20. María Becerra — “Corazón vacio” (dir. Julián Levy)
Shows something that is a reality to working-class, young single mothers not just in Argentina, but pretty much all over the world, in a way that is very genuine and heartwarming. I am, however, not entirely sure what it has to do with the content of the song itself, but I appreciate the intention, I guess?
#19. PinkPantheress, Ice Spice — “Boy’s a Liar pt.2” (dir. George Buford/Frederick Buford)
Even moreso than the song itself, the video was pretty much a star-making moment for both artists, all owing to their style and the insane chemistry they have. I also have to acknowledge that it achieves the very rare thing of Actually Making Me Want to Go to New York City.
#18. Slayyyter — “Erotic Electronic” (dir. Kaitlyn Muro/Slayyyter)
While I’m sure Slayyyter could pull off the major-label, glossy popstar image (as she often does sound-wise in her STARFUCKER album), I cannot imagine a visual being more representative of this notably sleazy track than this DIY (legally questionable?) music video is. 15 dollars spent really well if you ask me!
#17. Evian Christ, Bladee — “Yxguden” (dir. Misha Klein)
Evian Christ’s long-awaited debut album is an homage to all things trance music, so it would only make sense that the video feels very much like it. Created with the help of legendary animator Misha Klein, one of the originators of that Y2K aesthetic, the early CGI visuals are a perfect match for the hyperactive and odd energy of the song.
#16. Little Simz — “Gorilla” (dir. Dave Meyers)
Congratulations Dave Meyers on making your first good music video in like, 5 years!
#15. Taichu, rusowsky — “Payday” (dir. Juli Grass)
Taichu’s video for “Payday” is her best yet, a representation of her bad-girl “hotcore” aesthetic but with a futuristic, digital twist. Also, it’s nice how anyone that’s ever been to Buenos Aires even for a couple days will probably recognize those streets.
#14. Björk, Rosalía — “Oral” (dir. Carlota Guerrero)
Deepfake technology has become more common throughout the years, and while in my opinion it mostly has had negative results, it’s nice to see it be put to good use. It looks uncanny yes, but none of the artists involved are strangers to it at all. Also see Shygirl’s “BDE (Florentino Remix)” and Faraonika’s “Distraída” music videos for a similar effect in different contexts. Ducking ’em like Björk indeed!
#13. Weyes Blood — “God Turn Me Into a Flower” (dir. Adam Curtis)
Making a music video (mostly) consisting of pre-existing footage can feel like either a statement or an afterthought. This is definitely the former, in a similar way to Life Sim’s “IDL”, this feels like a homage to filmmaking and visual media in general, of how can reflect the human condition in all its pain and glory, with genuinely moving results.
#12. Desire Marea — “Be Free” (dir. Imraan Christian)
A homage to black, queer South African love and hardship, Desire Marea’s video for “Be Free” has a stunning cinematography, an incredibly cool-looking styling and wardrobe, and to top it all off, a great storytelling that does a really great job at capturing the track’s tension and passion.
#11. Tinashe — “Needs” (dir. Sammy Rawal)
One of the struggles Tinashe encountered when making art independently is the budgeting for visuals, but this is further proof that you don’t need a (very) high-budget to make an excellent music video. That being said, the deli meat (?) on her body when she says “my body is a buffet” does not look exactly appetizing.
#10. Ralphie Choo, Mura Masa — “Máquina culona” (dir. Roy Viceroy)
Has the same effect that some of the early CANADA-directed/produced music videos did in my opinion, especially the oddball, cool-yet-slightly-unnerving energy of “Bombay” by his compatriot El Guincho, one of my favorite videos of all time, so of course I love it.
#9. Dua Lipa — “Houdini” (dir. Manu Cossu)
Not like Dua Lipa would need any further confirmation that she’s a Main Pop Girl, but the “Houdini” music video is her basically flexing that privilege, and doing it very well. The nod to Madonna’s “Hung Up”, the choreography, the looks are all great, but the scene with the mirrors and the lighting is what really sold it for me.
#8. AgusFortnite2008 — “Malvinas Argentinas” (dir. Icy Genesis/Román Ickowicz)
EL QUE NO SALTA ES UN INGLÉS.
#7. Hemlocke Springs — “Sever the Blight” (dir. Ana Peralta Chong)
From the medieval-like costumes, to the storytelling, the animated backgrounds and the acting, the effort put into this video really shows in the best way possible. While I enjoyed “Girlfriend”; this video is really what made me be fully on-board of the Hemlocke Springs hype train.
#6. Troye Sivan — “Got Me Started” (dir. Gordon von Steiner)
Both the “Rush” video (controversy aside) and the “One of Your Girls” video are really good on their own, but from this era, to me this is a clear favorite. Probably the coolest-looking thing Troye Sivan has ever done in general. I’m a very simple man, I see a Wong Kar-Wai reference, I stan.
#5. NewJeans — “Cool with You/Get Up (side B)” (dir. Wooseok Shin)
All of the NewJeans music videos this era have been great, far and above the typical K-pop video even within the newer gens, but this is a clear favorite for me. As I said right before: I’m a very simple man, I see a Wong Kar-Wai reference, I stan.
#4. Tyler the Creator — “Sorry Not Sorry” (dir. Tyler the Creator)
One of the biggest appeals of Tyler the Creator is his visual identity, breaking through in part with the controversial “Yonkers” video way back in 2011. On the video for “Sorry Not Sorry” he tackles (metaphorically and… literally?) and comments on every era and persona he’s ever had, and is one of the best music videos of his career in my opinion.
#3. Tainy, Young Miko, J Balvin, Jowell & Randy — “Colmillo” (dir. Pau Carrete)
Delightfully weird, I love it when mainstream artists take risks on making visuals that would purposefully put people off when it’s actually done really well — this music video is what would happen if Jon Rafman wasn’t a loser degenerate hack. Would probably be even higher than #3. if not for the fact that seeing J Balvin with grills is, in fact, one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen.
#2. Kelela — “Enough for Love” (dir. Yasser Abubeker)
Amazing cinematography, amazing setting, conveys the despair and the warmth behind the song, but most importantly, makes me want to go to Brazil as soon as possible. And if I had to make a choice for the best two seconds in a music video this year, it would be the cut between her bed and the sea at around the 1:06 mark, it is insanely well done.
#1. Mette — “Mama’s Eyes” (dir. Camille Summers-Ville)
There’s times when seeing an artist’s music video for the first time, you can instantly see how they’re gonna become a star. Happened to me with Lana Del Rey in 2011 with “Video Games”, with Rosalía in 2018 with “Malamente”. Technically, Mette’s moment had already happened in 2017 — she was the dancer on the viral music video “Lemon” by N*E*R*D and Rihanna.
But 6 years later, she’s trying to cement herself as a singer, and “Mama’s Eyes” is a brilliant introduction. Not only is it a great demonstration of her talents as a dancer, but what makes this work is its editing, which grabs your attention unlike any other pop video I’ve seen this year. Even though her EP was a bit of a mixed-bag, just for this video alone (and “Van Gogh”, which would’ve made it onto the list if it weren’t for my self-imposed rule of one video per artist) I am already guaranteed to be paying attention to her for a long time.
