2022 Wrapped Playlists

2022 Top Songs

Favorite 2022 Albums: Renaissance I , Beyonce ; Harry’s House, Harry Styles ; Wet Leg, Wet Leg

Favorite New Finds: Seratones ; Brijean

“Take me to January, I want to touch the sky, I want to feel alive, take me to January, like it’s 1995. Take me to January, I want to be renewed, want to break the fuse, take me to January, you know the only one I want is you…” – January, by Millie Turner

I love a good non-denominational greeting. I am absolutely that stranger others might regard with a side eye when they hear “Happy New Year!” well into January. And to all the Ba Humbugs who are done with “Happy New Year” by January 2nd I say good riddance.

Earlier today as I walked home from Golden Gate Park I passed an adorable elderly couple shuffling down the sidewalk who slowed their pace so I could graciously pass. As I did so I paused, unsure of what time it was… would “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” be appropriate..? And quickly realized the time didn’t matter because I could respond with a spritely “Happy New Year!” They returned the greeting with a smile and I nod, as I continued down the street I felt that warm fuzzy goodness welling up inside, that spontaneous neighbor interaction that we’ve all been been craving for the past three years. Cheers to New Years and the chance to connect on a whim.

The beginning of the year signals the end of another, and increasingly these years feel harder and longer than it seems possible. Thankfully, we’ve got music to help us reflect on those highs and lows and maybe even a squad of friends to boogie the night away with. 2022 was a mixed bag but the disco dreamscape of Renaissance I was euphoric and transformative, Harry’s House was my constant kitchen companion, and Wet Leg had me jamming on air guitar down Highway 1. The Seratones were my quintessential Jazz Fest crush who played a surprise set at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and Brijean was a last minute set at The Independent whose tropical house jams tempered my Fogust bouts of depression.

In 2023 I’m looking forward to revisiting some of my favorite small venues around San Francisco and parsing through the Rockstar Librarian after a 5 year hiatus from Black Rock City. There’s a lot of open space on the horizon for new musical adventures this year, so I hope we all get a little lost along the way and find something that surprises and delights us.

Happy New Year!