And it’s that time of year once again. What songs have grabbed my ears more than most in 2022? It was a great year for music and for those regular readers (all two of you) who have previously noted my love for singles rather than long players you may be surprised to read than I have purchased more albums this year than the previous three or four put together.

The best album? Well that Martha’s Please Don’t Take Me Back. They started with a trio of excellent singles and flourished even more with the album. I even bought in on cassette to go play on the vintage 1983 JVC tape deck that was given to me!

The forty tracks found in this mix cover indiepop, dreampop, noisepop, janglepop, shoegaze and twee. They are in no particular order but one track has stuck with me throughout the year garnering regular plays. That’s Anything, Everything by Kodiak Island and can be found on February’s Play To Your Strengths EP.

There will be another mix covering my love of other genres from techno to funk and ambient to post-punk. Until then and despite the lack of a top 40 countdown please as ever, enjoy!

Track listing:

Robert Sekula – Pamela
Ex-Vöid – Churchyard
Le Pain – Is That How You Want Me to Feel?
Martes Niebla – Cicatriz
Dreamgirl – Poolside
Re:lapse – Timeless Melody
Jeanines – Any Day Now
Love Dance – Parallel Lines
Neutrals – Gary Borthwick Says
Atmos Bloom – Daisy
Grazer – These Days (Pass Me By)
Laundromat Chicks – You’re on the Line
Sinaïve – Ténèbres
The Slow Summits – Budge
Swiss Portrait – Hideout
UJU – We Should’ve Walked But We Ran
Ghost Transmission – I Move The Stars For No One
Holy Now – Hold Me / Know Me
Artsick – Stress Bomb
Candymouse – King Of The Pricks
Stephen’s Shore – Ocean’s Calling
Deflated Lovers – Shallow Breathing
Welcome Strawberry – No One Online
The Holiday Crowd – Party Favours
The Science Of Words – Day Crash
Martha – Please Don’t Take Me Back
Sobs – Air Guitar
Poster Paints – Falling Hard
Kindsight – Love You Baby All the Time
Mint Julep – If I Say Tomorrow
Crystal Eyes – Wishes
Rayventuras – Things
Sugar For The Pill – Falling Back To You
The Umbrellas – Write It In The Sky
You, Nothing. – Call
No Suits in Miami – The Robins Sang
Hater – Bad Luck
Motifs – Lovelost
Kodiak Island – Anything, Everything
Lumari – Neon Mirror