Contributed by Jonny Collins
And so, yet another year of Tory induced self-harm has come to an end. At the beginning of the year, Boris Johnson was in trouble for having parties over his enforced lockdown, and we all thought there’s no way he could hold on until September – this has to be the end of it.
But then 9 months later, he finally stepped down to make way for Boris Johnson but even more unhinged, who doesn’t understand the fact that borrowing loads of money so you can afford to charge millionaire corporations less tax actually might not be the best thing for the biggest economic recession in over a decade. So stepped down herself after 5 minutes to leave us with a man who harkens back to the glory days of David Cameron – in that he at least tries to soothe you while he’s bareback fucking your grandad in the arse in front of you while the rest of the family slowly freezes and starves to death.
But I digress. 2022 might have outdone 2021 as the worst year of my life so far, both personally and on a larger scale, but there were some good parts about it. I am lucky to have personal stability that most of my generation can only dream of. I get to run these brilliant leftist comedy shows and have curated a loving community of comedy fans, performers, and even some normal people too.
Above all, we’ve had some of the best socially progressive, leftist protest, and profound introspective music I have ever heard in my life. They say people generally stop looking for new music around the age of 30, which means I only have a couple more years to be excited about new music before turning into a boomer complaining that I don’t understand the kids’ music and back in my day we listened to real music like Limp Bizkit, Asking Alexandria and idk, Kesha?
So I want to make the most of that by showcasing these 44 songs that have spoken to me the most this year, either as an outlet for my political frustrations, as a comfort for mental health struggles, or just simply a way to express pride in being a queer fucking gremlin in a world which is increasingly hostile towards us. Some of them you may be familiar with from the charts, others are a bit more niche and you may have seen on previous playlists this year, and a whole host of them are songs I love that I haven’t been able to shoehorn into a playlist theme up until now, so I’m really excited to share with you.
This is a really long playlist, so I’m going to pop all the links here so you can listen to them without scrolling through 20+ pages of nonsense – but if you would like some background on why I picked what I picked, I have written a few sentences on each of my picks below.
Listen:
Deezer: https://deezer.page.link/j5YR79FhFapLio228 (Missing 2 tracks)
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6PmzDCiBNd4irNZ5ztAIhH?si=4332241e4c4d4a1e
Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/0ecfc5a0-daae-4113-b4f8-e71c25369640
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omMN8o2UDlU&list=PLGv_OFvoeqQvoiTqY-LeDHgDiuB8UdycR
Please note: these songs are not ranked in any particular order of preference, simply in order of release date to create a sort of timeline of great lefty music released over the past year. There were also a lot of cuts I had to make to ensure this playlist was less than 3 hours long – so please don’t take this as a comprehensive guide of all great progressive music of the year. There’s loads more, and I’d be delighted to hear them! Feel free to make any suggestions to Jonny@blizzardcomedy.co.uk and I’ll definitely give them a listen, and who knows, maybe they’ll crop up on another playlist down the line!
#1: New England – Kid Kapichi ft. Bob Vylan
Here’s What you Could Have Won
Indie Punk
07/01/2022
https://www.kidkapichi.com/collections/heres-what-you-could-have-won
“Money in my pocket, no, I’m not too keen
That’s why I keep voting for the rich and heartless
Bored of all these moaning artists
So I’ll cast my vote regardless”
Anarcho-Street-Punk meets post-Britpop. Kid Kapichi don’t fuck about with their aggressively anti-establishment lyrics but tie it all together with a heavy yet accessible instrumental base with some of the best chorus hooks of the entire year. The Bob Vylan feature is just the cherry on top of this already delicious anthemic cake.
Is that really the line I’m going with? Yes. Yes, it is.
#2: Judged – Billy Talent
Crisis of Faith
Punk
07/01/2022
https://billytalent.lnk.to/CrisisOfFaith
“Judged for being born in your skin
Judged for love that they call a sin
Judged, because you’re different to them
Profiled, defiled, tired of being
Judged for using your right to choose
Judged before you walk in the room
Judged, yeah, we’re the ones you refused
Profiled, defiled, tired of being judged”
Lyrically this isn’t Billy Talent’s best work. While their best tracks are generally comprised of expertly crafted punk rock on a range of political issues, this track is kind of basic and underwhelming with its lyrical conceit of “Judging people you don’t know is bad”. Like they’re not wrong, but it’s a very reductive message, boiling down the oppression of racial and sexual minorities to being judged – especially given one of their examples implicitly references abortion rights, maybe we’re less concerned about people being judgemental, and more about people actively trying to deny these rights.
Saying that, what this song may lack in messaging clarity, it absolutely makes up with in some of the tightest Pop-Punk of the year. When a chorus hook is that good, you don’t care about deconstructing the lyrics, you just want to jump and belt along, and this song absolutely goes harder than it has any right to in its less than 2-minute runtime.
#3: Running With The Hurricane – Camp Cope
Running With The Hurricane
Alternative Rock
19/01/2022
https://campcope.bandcamp.com/album/running-with-the-hurricane-2
“Oh, I’m taking my place, running with the hurricane
Breaking these chains, running with the hurricane
Started painting my face, running with the hurricane
I push through the pain, running with the hurricane”
While I tend to mainly use protest music for Blizzard Playlists, I think it would be remiss not to give a shout out to self-empowerment anthems. While loud punk tracks about how terrible society and the government is are all well and good, you do need to take care of your own mental wellbeing, and songs that can clear your mind of the negativity and give you a reset when you need it most I’d argue are just as useful in inciting activism as any angry political song on here. Inspiration isn’t just through anger; you need to feel good in yourself to be able to even think about taking a stand.
This Camp Cope track isn’t exactly a high energy banger, but its simple alt rock sound is perfect to encapsulate the feeling of being stuck in a rut, climbing out, and going where the wind takes you to make the best of it.
Borderline close to toxic positivity, yes, but if you take it at face value it’s an incredibly uplifting song that I think would leave most people feeling emotionally cleansed at the end of it. Which in this day and age is a fucking miracle.
#4: Guillotine – Stray From The Path
Euthanasia
Hardcore
22/02/2022
https://strayfromthepath.bandcamp.com/album/euthanasia
“We tried it your way and it’s broken
It’s over, the people have spoken
The desperate won’t stay desperate forever”
Back to loud angry revolutionary Punk, Stray From The Path are a hardcore band in the truest sense of the word. Hardcore sound, hardcore politics, and hardcore lyrics. From the title, Guillotine does not disappoint, the symbol of revolution for generations, you pretty much know that a song with that title is going to be based as fuck. And this is, incredibly.
#5: What’s It All About? – Austerity Dogs
The Void
Spoken Word/Punk
25/02/2022
https://austeritydogs.bandcamp.com/album/the-void
“Meanwhile in the sunny utopia we call the Western World
there is systematic racism, elitist paedophilia
corruption, seeping its way into the very core
And what you’ll tell me is to talk to my MP
And ask them what it’s all about
What is this all about
Seriously though what’s it all about
Dear Mr. Unseen MP
I really wish that you were Dennis Skinner,
But I suppose that my real question is this:
What is it all about?”
One major difference between this year and my 2021 list, is I actually know a lot more artists personally now, which gives me exposure to some much more underground music that definitely deserves more love. Austerity Dogs is the band of Blizzard Comedy’s own Jono Murray – spoken word punk in the vein of The Streets meets Sleaford Mods, but scouse.
They debuted one of their new songs “Ghosts” on our stream a couple of months ago – but that one isn’t on streaming platforms as of the time I’m writing this list. It did inspire me to check out their 2022 album “The Void” however, all of which is a refreshing and authentic expression of working-class anger in 2022 Britain.
“What’s It All About?” was a stand-out for me, with Jono monologuing for 2 minutes over a dirty fucking riff about all the bullshit going on after 12 years of Tory rule, and an opposition who doesn’t seem to want to fundamentally change apart from the surface level aesthetics. Jono has such a way with words as well, doing what the best punk musicians do and boiling down complex and nuanced issues to simple explicit statements without losing any of the complexities of the issues, or labouring the points.
Austerity Dogs absolutely deserve a much bigger cult following than they already have, so if you do enjoy this track, give them a follow on whichever streaming service you use, and buy their album on Bandcamp, you won’t regret it.
#6: Go – The Von Tramps
GO
Alternative Rock
11/03/2022
https://eu.sbam.rocks/products/the-von-tramps-go
“Looking for a new tomorrow
Say it loud because I know you’re with me
Looking for a new tomorrow
I quit today’s shit, cold turkey”
This is another track that might fall into the “toxic positivity” category – but the Von Tramps are the same band who covered Dolly Parton’s Jolene except with the message that the man ain’t shit and Jolene can fucking have him if she wants so badly – so I tend to take their lyrics in better faith than “If life is bad, then just make life better, dickhead”.
This is a nice, modern Riot Grrl anthem about self-empowerment to get you out of bed in the morning and kick the day in the dick. I could see how some might take issue with some of the lyrics if they’re in a particularly bad mental place, but honestly this song just rocks so hard it never fails to get me pumped and ready to punch Nazis in the face*.
*argue with strangers on the internet, I am definitely too much of a wuss to punch anyone in the face.
#7: Conspiranoia – Primus
Conspiranoid
Progressive Rock
05/04/2022
https://primusband.bandcamp.com/album/conspiranoid
“Be wary of conspiranoia
As purveyors abound
For an open mind too open
Spills its contents on the ground”
I’m never quite sure exactly where Primus lies politically, given close ties to South Park, which is a show that has some of the best social commentary ever committed to media, but also some of the worst takes the rest of the time.
But upon finding out they released an EP this year featuring an 11-minute Acid/Prog Rock track about Qanon conspiracy nuts, I had to give it a listen, and Primus might be the perfect band for this topic.
It’s very difficult to describe exactly what Primus sound like to anyone who hasn’t heard them before. In the 90s, they had crossovers with Nu Metal, Grunge, Funk, and country-adjacent rock. But the main thing you need to know is Primus are the absolute best at making Basslines not sound like basslines, and creating innovative, genuinely alternative rock with their distinctive instrumental tone.
All of this makes a very weird sounding track which probably isn’t for everyone, the transition between verses and chorus are jarring at times, but those chorus jams sound both right at home in the 70s, 90s and modern day.
And lyrically the weird instrumentals really underline the core themes of the dangerous right wing conspiracy theories, both how funny they are conceptually, and how dangerous an impact they can have on themselves and others.
If you’re not on board with this song after the first 3 minutes or so I’d probably suggest skipping it, but it’s 100% my jam, and statistically I’m not the only person who thinks so.
#8: Wicked & Bad
The Price of Life
Punk/Grime
22/04/2022
https://bobvylan.bandcamp.com/album/bob-vylan-presents-the-price-of-life
“Let’s go dig up Maggie’s grave and ask her where that milk went
Down to storm those Downing doors, run inside and **** them
Eat the rich, eat the rich before they turn and eat your children
England’s ending, death’s still pending, burn those fucking buildings”
Bob Vylan Presents The Price of Life is a shoe in for the best Punk album of the year. Upon first discovering Bob Vylan around August last year, falling in love with “We Live Here”, and even going to see them live in May as my first concert since pre-covid. It was very hard to pick what song to go with, as save for maybe one song all of these are 10/10 bangers. GDP is probably my favourite, but as that was technically released in 2021, I thought I’d instead opt for the opening track and last single: “Wicked & Bad”.
This whole album is heavily inspired by modern poverty, economic inequalities, and Bob’s own experience dealing drugs to survive in a society that was and is trying its damn best to choke the life out of people like him. Wicked and Bad is a perfect opening paragraph to this album’s statement, cementing the characters’ experiences, interspersing hard hitting political bars over a grungy/punk beat that gets you pumped up and ready to defile Thatcher statues. Bob Vylan are the Brit-punk act of the 2020s that everyone should be striving to be.
#9: Armee der Tristen – Rammstein
Zeit
Industrial Metal
29/04/2022
https://www.rammsteinworld.com/en/discography/albums/zeit
“Bist du traurig, so wie ich
(Are you sad like me?)
Dir laufen Tränen vom Gesicht
(Tears are running down your face)
Komm zu uns und reih dich ein
(Come join us and join us)
Wir wollen zusammen traurig sein
(We want to be sad together)
Komm mit, komm mit
(come with me, come with me)
Warum stehst du noch am Rande
(Why are you still on the sidelines?)
Reih dich ein in unsere Bande
(Join our gang)
Wenn wir dann im Trist marschieren
(If we then march in the sadness)
Gar nichts, nichts kann dir passieren
(Nothing, nothing can happen to you)”
Honestly, I always just forget how much I love Rammstein.d I very nearly missed their 2022 album “Zeit” – but thankfully during my research for this list they came up. Knowing the band generally has broadly lefty ideas, admittedly usually hidden behind a language barrier and incredible poetry, I had a check out of the big tracks from it.
Armee der Tristen is on the surface a generic “Our fans are a part of our Army, and we’re all here for each other” track, in the vein of something like Fallen Angels by Black Veil Brides, or Pulse of the Maggots by Slipknot, or basically anything ICP has ever done.
But what makes this one connect harder, despite not exactly being a die-hard fan of the band, is how authentic the message of solidarity and union is delivered. The song is a slow dreary march but with undertones of warmth and comfort in a bittersweet melody, perfect for the feeling of great fear for the future but with the knowledge that friends are holding you up and supporting you, and you’re facing this together.
Blizzard is as much of a community project as it is a comedy club, and this sentiment is very much something I’d like our acts, volunteers and community members to feel with us. Yes, the world is scary, but if we all march together, you will find comfort and safety. We won’t be able to make everything better, but you won’t be suffering alone. Beautiful tune.
#10: The Foundations of Decay – My Chemical Romance
The Foundations of Decay
Emo
12/05/2022
https://mcr.lnk.to/thefoundationsofdecay
“He was there, the day the towers fell
And so he wandered down the road
And we would all build towers of our own
Only to watch the roots corrode
But it’s much too late
You’re in the race
So we’ll press
And press ’til you can’t take it anymore”
I am a simple being, My Chemical Romance reunite and drop their first new material in the best part of a decade, and I listen to it constantly for the rest of the year. That’s all I need.
Lyrically it’s an autobiographical depiction of the band and specifically Gerard’s journey from inception to success, to the pressures of success, and the present day. If you weren’t an MCR fan in the 00s, you probably will be indifferent to this one, but to anyone who was even tangentially into them either as musicians or just fashion icons, this one will give you a very warm fuzzy feeling of nostalgia inside. It doesn’t sound half bad either, definitely revisiting their prime prog/cabaret/emo sound polished on The Black Parade rather than their attempts to distance with Danger Days.
#11: Rental Song – Nervus
The Evil One
Punk
12/05/2022
https://nervus.bandcamp.com/album/the-evil-one
“Why would you buy a life when you could rent to live it? [Live it]
If debt is on your file we’ll help increase your limit [Limit]
You’ll never pay it back and you’ll owe us till the day that you die [Day that you die, day that you die]
Why would you buy a life when you could rent to live it? [Live it]”
Have I mentioned that capitalism is bad yet?
#12: No Mercy For Transphobic Scum – Olivia Neutered John
No Mercy For Transphobic Scum
Grindcore
13/05/2022
https://olivianeuteredjohn.bandcamp.com/album/no-mercy-for-transphobe-scum
“And unlike these fucking cretins
We stand together, stand to win
Ottawa, New York, London Town
Tokyo, Stockholm, get up, get down
We’ll show them a real-life queer menace
Enby savageness, trans vengeance
Baseball bat and brick in hand
Black bloc joined together we stand”
Olivia Neutered John is the best band name ever, and this blackened grindcore onslaught of trans solidarity is exactly what you expect from the name and title. Heavy, angry, and perfect.
#13: BOTHERED – JER
BOTHERED/UNBOTHERED
Ska Punk
27/05/2022
https://jerska.bandcamp.com/album/bothered-unbothered
“This country’s free, but it’s free for who?
Systems fundamentally hurting those who don’t look like you
Well I guess it’s outta sight and outta mind
‘Cause seeing is believing and you choose to close your eyes”
Anyone who says that Ska Punk is a fad that should’ve been left in the 90s is wrong, and Jer is one of many modern examples of ska musicians who really showcase the genre at its best. Unashamedly political without losing a sense of party and fun, immaculate multi-instrumental track arrangements with complicated compositions that retain the accessibility of its pop punk influence.
This whole album might be one of the best protest albums of the year, but at very least listen to this song, incredible scenes.
#14: Biden – Bo Burnham
The INSIDE OUTTAKES
Synth-Pop/Comedy
02/06/2022
“They’re really gonna make me vote for Joe Biden
Joe Biden
How is the best-case scenario, Joe Biden?”
…I’m sorry I slept on Bo Burnham’s Inside in 2021. I finally watched it back in August this year, and fell in love, and it’s now probably the only reason I haven’t yet cancelled my Netflix subscription despite their anti-consumer practices and platforming of transphobia.
Inside was of course released in 2021 – but The Inside Outtakes were released this year, and this less than 1 minute bop lamenting the fact that the best option in the 2020 US Presidential Election was Joe Biden lives rent free in my head.
Bo Burnham isn’t just a phenomenal comedian; his music production and composition is second to none – and even these short little skit songs hold up next to the 5-minute introspective masterpieces that litter the whole special.
#15: Silence is Golden – The Beths
Expert in a Dying Field
Indie Rock
13/06/2022
https://thebethsnz.bandcamp.com/album/expert-in-a-dying-field
“The sound, the sound, the sound, the sound
I’d burn the city to the ground to turn it down
Silence is golden, is golden, it’s golden”
Since lockdown, I have found myself increasingly overwhelmed at the noise of the outside world. One of the few perks of lockdown for me was that outside was actually less stressful because less people were in it, and generally most people were much less invasive of personal space (mostly, there were unfortunately exceptions).
I don’t know if other people kind of miss that aspect of lockdown, or I just have an undiagnosed neurodiversity I don’t know about. But this song very much spoke to me as someone who has come to appreciate the quiet and find the noise and bustle of cities to be too much unless I’m prepared for it.
Not exactly a protest song – although the talk of wanting to burn the city to the ground can probably be applicable to many of us at this moment in time.
#16: We March (Stronger Together) – Ryan Cassata ft. Hello Noon, Clayton Bryant, Niko Storment, Mya Byrne, Tom Goss, Cameron Overton, Kc Shane, Jessica Manalo, Landon Olague, Samson Winsor, Mataeo Briscoe & Xantheartist
Stronger Together
Indie Rock
14/06/2022
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/ryancassataandhellonoon/stronger-together
“So we’re taking the streets we march
Brothers, sisters, siblings in arms
And we’re raising our voices we march
To be heard, near and far
We’re stronger together than we are apart
We’re raising our voices, we speak from the heart
And we will keep marching ’til freedom is ours
We’re stronger together than we are apart”
I first discovered Ryan Cassata last year when doing a deep dive into Transgender musicians, and immediately fell in love with his strong yet optimistic brand of indie rock, being unapologetically him and creating an unparalleled sense of solidarity with all gender non-conforming people. This song is very much based on that theme, and on brand is a collaboration with a huge number of artists (I assume are all trans, but I haven’t confirmed this). It features footage from the life of Marsha P. Johnson, one of the most important figures in Queer liberation in the 20th century, as well as footage from the San Francisco Trans March. This is a song to be played on the frontlines of trans rights protests, and is uplifting to the point of making you feel invincible.
Of course, we’re not invincible, we all know that. But sometimes you need to feel that way to motivate yourself to keep on fighting. I don’t know when or even if things will get better for us, but I know for damn sure every single trans person I know, whether actively at the front of all protests, organizing mutual aid for impoverished queer people ostracised from their families, or just being approachable people willing to educate, or even just surviving and living as your authentic self either out or in the closet every day – are the bravest fucking people I know, and we will all do whatever we can to ensure future generations of trans kids don’t have to deal with the bigotry and oppression that has dominated most of our lives. Everyone has their own skills and abilities, and as a collective we are a force to be reckoned with.
Stronger together than we are apart.
#17: I Just Wanna Pee – Eevie Echoes
I Just Wanna Pee
Punk
28/06/2022
https://eevieechoes.bandcamp.com/album/i-just-wanna-pee
“Shut the fuck up Tucker Carlson
You wanna fuck the green M&M
Don’t lecture me about morals
When you pull yourself off to a chocolate candy”
From revolutionary protest anthem to angry Riot Grrl punk – this absolute banger by Eevie Echoes fully portrays the frustration trans women have with the apparent bathroom “debate”. It feels like this goes on forever, with right wing grifters, terfs, and bigoted venue owners stirring up hysteria about trans women being able to go into women’s bathrooms unchallenged. The idea that this is in any way a legitimate issue caused by trans inclusion has been so thoroughly debunked by people much more eloquent than me, so instead of engaging in this debate, Eevie sings an aggressive tune about everyone still perpetuating this moral panic, not pulling punches, and blasting the immortal chorus “I just wanna pee”.
Which is the long and short of it really. Let us fucking pee, this is ridiculous now.
#18: Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today – Yungblud
Yungblud
Pop Punk
28/06/2022
https://uk.yungbludstore.com/*/Music/
“Better pull myself together
How long does it take to figure it out?
The politician ain’t gonna help you
He’s only gonna try and take your house”
Yungblud is definitely the voice of a generation – bringing queer rap and pop-punk to the mainstream in this country and being a fucking superstar in the process. Like with Lil Nas X last year, I’m just happy that today’s queer kids have icons like these to experience in their lives, the representation we have today is infinitely better than it was when I was growing up. It’s a nice reminder that, despite how bleak things feel, we have genuinely come a long way in a comparatively short time. Hopefully in 15-20 years we can look back at today and feel the same way.
Anyway, this track, it’s just a bop – upbeat pop-punk defiantly refusing to have another day of sadness – not ignoring the things that caused it, but instead channelling it into something else. And the whole vibe does such a good job of cheering me up.
It’s obviously fine if you have days where you’re too sad to do anything, I do frequently – and I don’t think this song is suggesting that you should feel bad about that or that you have to turn sadness into productivity. It’s more an expression of determination that after countless days, months and years of everything being sad, finally snapping and saying, “Nah I’m done, I’m not doing this anymore, let’s fucking go”. And that’s a vibe I have a lot of respect for and is probably the attitude that keeps me going on my worst days. Obviously, it won’t apply to everyone, you process emotions how you need to, but if you do find inspiration in this song, I’m very glad that it’s had that positive impact. ❤
#19: Fukstar – Wargasm
Explicit: The Mixxxtape
Industrial Metal
08/07/2022
https://wargasm.lnk.to/Fukstar
“Don’t wear my makeup for men
No, I just love corporations
Want them to take all my money
Burn the ocean to sand
I’ll take a big fucking sip
So hot I’ll turn it to glass
You’ve got your money and your fast cars
You’re not a god, you’re just another Fukstar”
Oh fuck yes, this fucking slaps.
I don’t know much about Wargasm, other than one member is descended from one of the Sex Pistols, and they have the vibe of a band I really loved as a Teenager called Porcelain and the Tramps (but who seem far less trash).
It’s that brand of heavy electronic rock that makes you wanna fuck everything in the vicinity up including yourself. They’re definitely among my favourite bands I’ve discovered this year, alongside Kid Kapichi.
This song seems to be about the kind of rich cunt who lives entirely for their own greed whilst looking down on everyone they perceive as beneath them (which is everyone). I don’t know if anyone in particular inspired this song, but the chorus gives me big Musk vibes.
Then as the song is wrapping up it has a delightfully revolutionary anarchist undertone, with dirty heavy rhythmic instrumentals that give you the power to decapitate a statue with your bare fists.
Seriously just give this a listen – if you miss the 2000s era Industrial metal but wish it was less populated by cunts, this is 100% for you.
#20: Blimpy Boy – Superfriends
Blimpy Boy
Indie Rock
08/07/2022
https://superfriendstheband.bandcamp.com/album/blimpy-boy
“I don’t have to be afraid of anything except myself
But this is how I’m made, need to find the way back to my health
Right now I will be sad, but that’s OK cause you’re all near me
Given everything I had, one day you will hear me”
This is a group of a friend of a friend, who I don’t know very well – but this song just gives me warm comforting hugs and makes everything feel a-okay. A song referencing a silly Simpsons joke has no right being this wholesome. Warms my heart.
#21: Blinded by a Black Hole – Common Sense Kid
Blinded by a Black Hole
Punk
12/07/2022
https://commonsensekid.bandcamp.com/album/blinded-by-a-black-hole
“And now the day has come
I’ll no longer follow you into the sun
And now the day has come
Won’t follow you blindly”
Common Sense Kid was, as I understand it, a largely self-taught musician or at least producer over lockdown, and some of his early works featured heavily on Blizzard playlists at the time.
This track is such a huge production improvement, that this could honestly pass for a mainstream rock hit and not a DIY project, it’s got such a clean and polished sound to it, but without losing what made his early works so raw and engaging.
This song seems to be about getting out of a relationship that’s bad for you, but you were carrying on by default despite the fact. Not quite as overtly political as “See you in Hell” – but nonetheless an important outpour of emotional honesty and empowerment in the face of emotional torment. And it just fucking rocks, so there’s that.
#22: Tear Gas – Architects
The classic symptoms of a broken spirit
Metalcore
12/07/2022
https://architects.ffm.to/brokenspirit
“We are well aware
No one can stand without a spine
But if we never dare
We’ll only flatten out the line”
Architects are a band I only recently actually listened to but had been aware of for a while as one of those highly influential djent/metalcore bands that every band tried to copy for the best part of the last decade.
They’re a lot more politically themed than I expected, admittedly not very specific, but tear gas seems to be a fairly graphic depiction of police brutality at protests, and some more general discussion on the philosophy of those protests. Pretty cool tune tbh.
#23: Irrelevant – P!nk
Irrelevant
Pop Rock
14/07/2022
“Sticks and stones and all that shit
Does Jesus know I’m innocent?
I like to think he’d gladly take us all”
I fucking love P!nk. I loved her in her early R&B days, I adored the Pop-Rock attitude of the late 2000s, I…tolerated whatever the fuck she was doing in most of the 2010s. Point is, P!nk is very possibly my favourite popstar pure and simple. She creates genuinely great bangers but has the depth of a DIY/Indie singer/songwriter in her best works. Irrelevant was a bit of a pleasant surprise in that it came out of nowhere, seemingly as a response to the Roe V Wade controversy earlier this year. It’s a feminist anthem, it’s a little bit cheesy, but as a liberation song for AFAB people in the face of genuinely life-threatening oppression, it’s absolutely perfect. Uplifting, empathetic but also fucking angry.
P!nk is perfect at making angry feminist songs accessible, and this is no exception. It has a bit of that cringe of middle-aged women singing things like “The kids are not alright, none of us are right” – like I don’t think you get to call yourself a kid anymore Alecia, but we appreciate the solidarity xoxox (Do I still get to call myself a kid at 27? Idk, but I will do, because I’m in denial.)
#24: Cozy – Beyoncé
Renaissance
Dance Pop
29/07/2022
https://music.beyonce.com/
“You’re a god (you’re a god), you’re a hero (you’re a hero)
You survived all you been through
Confident, damn, you lethal
Might I suggest you don’t fuck with my sis
‘Cause she comfortable
Comfortable in my skin
Cozy with who I am
I’ve never quite got the Beyoncé hype. I’ve always enjoyed many of her songs well enough, but I was never really sure why she was hailed as a gay feminist icon by so many people I love and respect. Renaissance as a whole album fucking blew me away though. This album is utterly timeless, combining nostalgia from every decade between the 1970s-2020s, giving it at times a throwback feel, but also sounding incredibly fucking fresh.
Picking just one song was hard, but Cozy I think spoke to me the most – with its subtle LGBTQIA+ undertones – and the notion of being comfortable in your skin and cosy with who you are is pretty relatable to anyone who’s experienced gender euphoria. Whilst it’s more explicitly about race, and I absolutely don’t want to take that away from it, not my lane, the song is vague enough and with enough little nods to queer people to speak to a whole range of people who’ve gone through hard times internally and externally, and I just think it’s magical.
#25: Alive Now – Saltatio Mortis
Alive Now
Folk Metal
04/08/2022
https://bfan.link/alive-now
“It’s time to rise
It’s time to shout
Getting lost in the night
We are proud to be loud”
This was recommended by a Patreon supporter and friend of the show, and this is just fun. I actually really like a lot of power/folk metal, but it doesn’t tend to make it on my playlists as they’re rarely thematically relevant. Blind Guardian’s Secrets of the American Gods was a very late omission from this playlist, cracking track, but couldn’t justify why it belonged here to myself other than it being good. (Listen to it though, it is great.)
There isn’t much to say about this, it’s a metal song about how good it is to be playing metal on stage to a huge audience – but “We are proud to be loud” is a sentiment I like to embody with Blizzard. Loud about injustices and being who we are and fighting for a better world. Fuck yeah.
#26: THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES – Anti Flag ft. Tim McIlrath & Brian Baker
The Fight of Our Lives
Punk
10/08/2022
“There’s a dark cloud growing at the end of the road
There’s a crowd of people left with nowhere to go
And I get so sick at the sight
It keeps me up at night
There’s a headline telling you that this is the end
There’s no conversation, it’s still us versus them
And I get so sick at the sight
It keeps me up at night”
This collaboration is legendary. 90s politically charged skate punk legends Anti-Flag teaming up with the 80s’ politically charged skate punk superstar Brian Baker from Bad Religion, and 00s politically charged skate punk superstar Tim McIlrath from Rise Against.
Those names alone make this track worth including, all of those bands staples of these playlists. But the song itself absolutely kicks ass, and marks an ultimatum for oppressors everywhere. We’re sick of this shit. We will fight as if our lives depend on it, because for most of us they really fucking do.
#27: The Void Stares Back – Enter Shikari ft. Wargasm
The Void Stares Back
Electronicore
12/08/2022
https://lnk.to/ES-TheVoidStaresBack
“You’re out of date
And you’re out of time
I’m outta this world
And you’re outta your mind”
I am a simple gal. Enter Shikari release a new song, and I put it on my playlist.
Apparently, this is about misogyny and hypocrisy with how women are treated in the world, meaning that an empowered woman such as Wargasm’s Milkie Way might as well come from another dimension to most of the men who criticise her.
This song fucking slaps, I don’t even care.
#28: Maybe if I Try Hard Enough – The Losing Score
Learn to Let This Go
Alternative Rock
19/08/2022
https://thelosingscore.bandcamp.com/album/learn-to-let-this-go
“Every time I shut my heavy eyelids
The cogs are working overtime in my old bones
Reminding every brain cell that they exist
And I can’t do this human shit all on my own”
This was a suggestion by Kurt (a few of these have been and I forgot to mention, whoops, see if you can guess which ones).
I don’t know much about this band, but the sarcastic core statement that maybe we’re just not trying hard enough to be human and that’s why it’s so difficult is I think something many of us can relate to. Existing is hard at the best of times, and we are categorically not in the best of times.
It’s comforting having tracks like this to remind you that you’re doing great, the reason you’re struggling isn’t because you’re not trying hard enough, it’s just that things are fucking hard, and honestly waking up every day is already a huge achievement, even if you spend the whole day in bed because outside is too fucking scary. You’re doing amazingly, and if you have a mum you’re in contact with and on good terms with she’d be proud of you. And if you don’t, then I’m your mum now, and I’m proud of you. Good work champ.
#29: Vigilant – Yanna A
Vigilant
Indie Rock
22/08/2022
https://yannaavlianos.bandcamp.com/album/vigilant
“I don’t want to be afraid
I keep looking across the road
I can’t see anything or anyone
But I keep going over & over it”
Yanna A has been one of my favourite artists for a very long time, and I have the pleasure to have met her several times in person and she is one of the loveliest people I’ve ever met.
So when I discovered she’d released a new track this year I had to check it out, and she has outdone herself again. Yanna is the Queen of low-fi experimental indie punk (except not that because fuck the monarchy, but you know what I mean). While her production has gotten infinitely better since I first listened to “Suki Tea” in 2015/16 – the unique grungy ethereal vibe is still very present on her latest track. Yanna’s production is incredibly creative here, using lots of layering of vocals and sounds to create an oppressive dizzying feeling, which fits the lyrical theme of the constant danger being perceived female in the streets puts you in, and how tiring it is being afraid and vigilant all the time.
In the wake of the Sarah Everard murder in particular this tune cuts like a knife. Yanna has once again distilled her particular human condition into 2 minutes of artistic brilliance, and I adore it. Give it a listen and explore her back catalogue on Bandcamp too. Chaos Can Make It Better is a favourite EP of mine.
#30: Love King Wine – King Wine
King Wine
Chiptune
27/08/2022
https://kingwine.bandcamp.com/album/king-wine
“From humble beginnings we came
We’re here to build you up again
Your personal cheerleaders
King Wine will always be your believers”
Yet another band from a Blizzard favourite, Craig Wilson’s chiptune indie band King Wine. I gave this a listen as it’s very much relevant to my interests, not really expecting any tracks to make this playlist, but figuring I’d have a fun time at least.
But this one here honestly made me cry. I’m a sucker for wholesome feel-good tunes, and this one here is all about how King Wine support you and sing your praises and want the best for you, and it’s just very cute. This song has already gotten me out of ruts, and I can’t wait to share it with you all too.
Craig Wilson is a very nice boy. The other person in the band I don’t know, but I’m sure she’s also very lovely too.
#31: One Eye Open – Young Costello
Stories Told, Some New, Some Old
Ska Punk
30/08/2022
https://youngcostello.bandcamp.com/album/stories-told-some-new-some-old
“Lose the battle, win the war
Big deal, I’ve heard it all before
So if you’re thinking you can stop me then just go ahead and try
Well all the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Can deny human rights with the stroke of a pen
This is an act of resistance, a means to an end
One last chance to slow our descent.”
Now this was another Kurt recommendation, and I loved this immediately. It’s got a very Streetlight Manifesto vibe, a band who haven’t so far appeared on this playlist but are absolutely incredible. But more than that, it’s kept itself engaging for far longer than the typical runtime of a Ska-Punk song.
This song is an onslaught of emotions and weirdly proggy at some points. You’re really taken on a journey here, who says ska can’t be art? People who are wrong, that’s who.
#32: Work – SNAYX
Work
Punk
01/09/2022
https://lnk.to/work-snayx
“Tell my boss it’s a no, I’m not doin’ that shift
I’m sleepin’ all day and then wakin’ up at six
Do this, do that
I’m not workin’ like a dog
For the minimum wage and the satisfaction
When the stress kicks in
I hardly ever sleep
I haven’t felt creative even once this week
I haven’t got the courage and I haven’t got the guts
But I’d rathеr be dead than let the debt pile-up”
I had not heard of this band before, but I’m going to see Kid Kapichi on tour early next year, and apparently this band are supporting them. So I checked them out and…yeah, they’re definitely the same kind of band as Kid Kapichi (absolutely not a complaint). Aggro britpunk about the plight of working class in modern Britain, yes please, gimme.
#33: Nose Dive – Faintest Idea feat. Riskee & The Ridicule
Nose Dive
Ska Punk
19/09/2022
https://faintestidea.bandcamp.com/album/nose-dive-single-featuring-riskee
“But I’m a fully paid-up member of the underpaid and lost
I spent 67 hours this week shackled to my job
If I was given half the chance again I’d rather not sell my soul
But I need something in my pockets to accompany the holes”
I am a simple gal, Faintest Idea release a new single in 2022, I add it to my playlist.
Seriously this was the band that really got me properly into Ska when I first saw them at MPF 2019, and this song goes HARD.
The drop at the end of the intro is iconic, Riskee’s verse is one of the best things I’ve heard in all music, and that refrain “The only thing worse than being exploited/ is not being exploited at all” to reference that being unemployed under capitalism is worse than having your labour exploited by design, just oof, fucking perfection. Anyone who says Ska can’t be heavy is fucking deluded.
#34: The Last One – Dropkick Murphys ft. Evan Felker & Turnpike Troubadours
This Machine Still Kills Fascists
Celtic Punk
29/09/2022
https://uk.kingsroadmerch.com/dropkick-murphys/
“How can you call a man a man when you treat him like a dog?
And how can you call a man a man when you kill him like a hog?
How can you call him an eternal soul and grind him in the dirt?
And how can you say a fella’s free, chained down and tied to work?”
When what is arguably a legacy punk band release an album decades after their inception with the title “This Machine Still Kills Fascists”, you could be forgiven for worrying that it’s going to be kind of stale and old dudes desperately pretending they’re still kids when they’ve actually become the elite they used to criticise (see: Sex Pistols).
But nah, Dropkick Murphys still have it. This album doesn’t feature their usual lead singer for tragic personal reasons I won’t go into here, so it might not be what you expect from them – being more folk/country inspired and being comprised of unused lyrics from the original fascist killing machine Woody Guthrie.
So yeah, if this album sounds like folk straight out of the 1940s – there’s a reason for that. And this holds that timeless feel of folk classics, back in the days when anti fascism was mainstream and objectively the correct thing to be before we decided actually maybe Nazis aren’t that bad like 6 years ago.
Very happy this exists, doesn’t sound like the Murphys, but it definitely continues their mission statement, and for that reason it is based AF. Imagine what Woody Guthrie would’ve said about internet slang like based? What a dream.
#35: The Hand Moved – The Dowling Poole
Refuse
Power Pop
03/10/2022
https://369music.bandcamp.com/album/refuse
“Now they’ve really gone and set this up
Like some systematic losers cup
There behind the smoke and mirrors
Where they’ve really tried to stitch us up
And all the commoners are left to rot
Look behind the smoke and mirrors”
The Dowling Poole are an odd band being a power pop revival band in the vein of Greta Van Fleet channelling Queen and ELO. Yet inexplicably they’re incredibly overtly political, which can really throw you off given they sound like the kind of music centrist dads would listen to while wanking off Tony Blair.
This album is a compilation of non-album singles, but this track “The Hand Moved” from this year seems to be either intentionally or unintentionally reminiscent of the death of the Queen, how the whole country forced everyone to stop and mourn in a totally normal way, and the fact that everyone living in poverty, struggling to afford food and warmth has to blindly go along with this tradition of crying over the death of one of their oppressors whilst they starve. It’s just fucked.
I don’t know if it’s actually about that or not, but it is definitely talking about class disparity, and the timing is pretty convenient. So yeah, not musically my thing this one, but the audacity of throwing lyrics like this into this style is worthy of incredible respect.
#36: Our Time is Now – Gojira
Our Time Is Now
Death Metal
14/10/2022
“We’ve been deceived, today the world is blind
We’ve lost our sight to the bottom of the sea”
This song works as both a crowd-pleasing celebration anthem like “Alive Now” before it, and also another wonderful environmental anthem from the best environmental French extreme metal band going. I always liked Gojira, but their last couple of releases have been top tier, give them a go if you haven’t in a while.
#37: Your Feminism Is Not My Feminism – Mykki Blanco ft. Ah-Mer-Ah-Su
Stay Close To Music
Alternative Hip-Hop
14/10/2022
https://mykkiblanco.bandcamp.com/album/stay-close-to-music
“Your feminism’s not my feminism
Unless it includes all kinds of women”
Holy shit Mykki Blanco has had a life. HIV Positive, queer, trans, and part Jewish. In the hip-hop scene, heck, in the public stage that’s a really fucking dangerous thing to be open about.
So what better person than her and my favourite trans artist at the moment Ah-Mer-Ah-Su to create this soulful alternative hip-hop track about the need for intersectionality within feminism.
I particularly love the last verse “I just want to celebrate you girl” because nearly every trans woman I know wants to celebrate all women – and tbf nearly every cis woman I know is the same. There’s just a very small but loud group of women and alt-right grifters who want to die on the hill that trans women aren’t women and are a danger rather than in danger. Trans women constantly fight for the rights of cis women. There may be occasional exceptions – but by and large, trans women really care about women’s rights, even the rights that don’t directly affect them i.e., reproductive rights. So the constant acting like trans women are a threat to women’s rights is a slap in the face for all of us.
Stop this, let’s celebrate each other, acknowledge and respect the different kinds of women who have their own unique experiences but overlapping oppression, and fight together. Please, this is all we ask.
#38: Are You Checking Me Out, Or Are You Just A Racist – MAWAAN
Are You Checking Me Out, Or Are You Just A Racist
R&B/Comedy
21/10/2022
“Will you be my big spoon
Or are you just a bigot in Wetherspoons?”
Friday Night Live was surprisingly good despite Ben Elton going off on one at the end about nothing. It was lovely to see where many of the original cast are now, and great to see so many brilliant new acts get showcased on this massive platform. Jordan Gray was obviously the highlight, but that song is unfortunately not on streaming. What is on streaming however is Mawaan Rizwan’s iconic “Are you checking me out or are you just a racist?”.
As far as comedy music goes, it’s a very standard structure, simple premise, immaculately executed, and a real earworm. It lives rent free in my head, and the punchline of being madder about being mistaken for his brother than actual overt racist abuse had me fucking cackling.
Mawaan is a treasure, I’m so happy to live in the same timeline as him.
#39: Hope Gets Harder – Martha
Please Don’t Take Me Back
Indie Rock
28/10/2022
https://marthadiy.bandcamp.com/album/please-dont-take-me-back-2
“Every day, the hope gets harder
Where do you get yours?
Underpaid subscription servants
Of the culture wars
Drain the blood from every diamond
On this damp and hateful island
Everywhere I go
I see the closing of the doors”
Another Kurt suggestion, although actually several people after also flagged it as well, and I can see why.
It is 100% harder and harder to remain hopeful. Every month things just get worse and worse, and it doesn’t seem worth fighting anymore. We pass more points of no return every day, I am in awe of anyone who can still remain hopeful today. I force myself to because I don’t want to depress everyone, but yeah, it’s fucking hard.
This is a very cathartic piece of music for that reason alone.
#40: MUZUNGU – Backxwash
HIS HAPPINESS SHALL COME FIRST EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SUFFERING
Trap
31/10/2022
https://backxwash.bandcamp.com/album/his-happiness-shall-come-first-even-though-we-are-suffering
“A Black Woman
With plights ignored
The sight, behold
It’s frightening
The nights is porous
I just thought if my life’s important
I wouldn’t have to pay a fortune for life’s assurance,”
I am a simple gal, Backxwash releases a new album this year, I put a song on my playlist.
Backxwash often talks about her experiences as a black trans woman in her music, which can be instrumentally described as a soundtrack to impending doom – which really underlines the dark struggle of this existence.
It’s not my lane to talk about race, but I’ve not heard many artists emote about these issues in a way that’s hit me quite as hard before. As a white trans person that is maybe a hollow compliment, but I’d definitely recommend Backxwash to any people who don’t really understand the trans experience.
Whilst I enjoyed Kendrick’s attempt this year, I do think Backxwash handles it better and from a personal experience, which I think is always preferable. I’m very grateful to Kendrick for bringing that message to a wider audience who’d never listen to trans artists, but that is very much baby steps to understanding the nuances, and Backxwash is a great place for your next few steps.
#41: Riot Squad – Dr. Strongarm’s Misharmonious Orchestra
Beware Of The Ghost
Heavy Metal
10/11/2022
https://www.misharmonious.com/
“Systemically enforced abuse
Powered by the state
Only three percent complaints upheld
Across five thousand acts of hate”
Another Kurt suggestion, and my favourite of the lot. Grungy heavy metal about corrupt police brutality, with one of the best headbanging choruses I’ve heard all year. This song just sounds evil, kind of like if you take Police Truck by Dead Kennedys but lower it a few keys and pack even more punch into it. Can tell this will be a regular staple moving forward for me.
#42: Somewhere Better – Ad Infinitum
Somewhere Better
Symphonic Metal
22/11/2022
“We ignite
Still dreaming wide awake
On the hunt for “Somewhen brighter”
Pull me back now
I’ll dream until my dying day
Create a new “Somewhere better”
Ad Infinitum had a couple of amazing tracks this year – Upside Down is an incredible symphonic power metal track, but Somewhere Better touches me just a bit more. Not quite as heavy, but a song about dreaming and fighting to your dying day about something better is something of a theme in this playlist, and this might be the best of the lot.
#43: Capitalism – 7D7D
Capitalism
Alternative Rock
25/11/2022
“And I know they’ll be celebrating
Some version of capitalism
That’s making its way in our lives
It’s ok to take more than you’re given
Even if it might change someone’s life”
One of the later additions to this playlist – out of nowhere the bassist for RATM dropped this banger with his new band 7D7D. It is a lot more poppy than most Rage stuff, and lyrically it is a bit all over the place, but the core theme still stands, and it retains the groove that really drives Rage’s best work. Think of RATM were a pop-punk band rather than Rap Metal, that’s 7D7D in a nutshell.
If you hadn’t gathered, this song is about capitalism being bad.
#44: Fuck The T*ries
Fuck The T*ries
Punk/Christmas
16/12/2022
theconservatives.info
“You might say you don’t vote Labour
Or you wouldn’t vote Lib Dem
But the time has come for anyone that isn’t fucking them”
I learned my mistake from last year not to publish this playlist until the Kunts release their iconic Christmas single of the year, and this is the best one so far. Whilst both Boris Johnson is a Fucking Cunt and Boris Johnson is Still a Fucking Cunt have their charms – this track steps it up by expanding the vitriol to the whole fucking party. Boris Johnson is a Fucking Cunt I think most of us could agree with, even Tory voters. But this is a message that absolutely needs to be hammered in. We’ve had e-fucking-nough of this. Get the Tories out. And get this song to Christmas No. 1 by buying and streaming it @ theconservatives.info.
It’s already been banned on most radio stations, so how brilliant would it be if we could unambiguously get this to the top of the charts and start 2023 with the Tories getting a clear message that their time is up. Let’s fucking do this. Even if you ignore the rest of this playlist, listen to this on loop, buy every mix you can, and let’s do something good this year.
Phew, there we are.
These are, in my opinion, 44 of the most essential anti-establishment songs of the year. This was a tough list to make, and I had to make a lot of cuts, so anyone telling you that music isn’t as good as it was in the old days can absolutely fuck off. 2022 has some of my favourite tracks of all time, and I can’t wait to see what 2023 has to offer.
Say farewell to 2022 by tuning into our new year stream with Bobbie Jones, Eliott Simpson, Katie Mitchell, Cameron Sinclair Harris, Kirstie Summers and Tom Short on twitch.tv/blizzardcomedy – and book tickets to see our first live show of 2023 with Jen Ives, Balthazar Dark, Roo Stellin and Sam Ayinde in Gulliver’s NQ Manchester on January 9th here: www.outsavvy.com/event/11437/blizzard-comedy-live-featuring-jen-ives
