While 2013 is only half over, we can’t help but stop to consider the best tracks of the year thus far.
Our list includes everything from hip-hop anthems to tear-jerking ballads and synth-pop sing-alongs perfect for driving around with the windows down. There are contributions from seasoned veterans as well as brand-new talent — all stepping up, with toe-tapping, head bobbing results.
From post-punk to poppy hip-hop to indie dance to whatever you want to call the dub-step hip-hop mash-up that is the Skrillex/A$AP Rocky song “Wild for the Night,” 2013 appears to be the year of genre-bending. And, for the most part, the songs are incredible. If the rest of 2013 proves as fruitful, the end-of-the-year list is going to be just as hard to put together.
And we’ll start with our 25th favorite track…