The best pop music of 2023

I hear: Charli XCX, “Speed Drive”

Christine and the Queens: 'To be honest'

In “To Be Honest,” Christine and the Queens climb a mountain of self-realization, shedding earthly concerns—heartfelt, gender dysphoria—as she climbs toward the pearly gates of enlightenment. Raised by swirling cues and angelic cooties, it heralds a Franglais party in the clouds, where vulnerabilities can be eliminated and no shadowy self is left without a toast. As lofty as it sounds, “To be true” is Chris' easiest song in years. on its beautiful top, it practically glows from within. – Owen Myers

I hear: Christine and the Queens, “To Be Honest”

easyFun: ELECTRIC / ACOUSTIC ER

As PC Music prepares to close its books, longtime label subsidiary and Charli XCX collaborator easyFun (aka Finn Keane) has released this stereo pair of solo EPs showcasing his exuberantly overlapping takes on dance-pop, the EDM and pop-punk. Its playful long tracks deliver humor with humor fully aware that it's all been done in the past: Their respective EPs open with electric and acoustic versions of the production music anthem “Audio” (“All I Ever Got”), but only the ACOUSTIC the version sounds suspiciously like it's about to play “Wonderwall” at you (lol). – Anna Gakka

Fever Ray: Radical Romantics

Trace the path of Karin Dreijer's glittering scalpel as they dissect the many mutations of love. On Radical Romantics, the Swedish pop provocateur's third album as Fever Ray, Dreijer digs into the guts of relationships, be they sexual, estranged or familial. The drive and delivery of Dreijer's voice on “Shiver” mimics the thrill of desire as a quivering synth phrase emerges around them. Their silvery whisper on “New Utensils” gives a prime directive: “Pull up a skirt/Anoint the beasts.” In the menacing “Even It Out,” Dreijer takes over a PTA meeting, threatening a boy who once bullied their child at school. Like haystacks of emotion, these different strains of devotion are likely to bleed into each other without warning—sharp electronic stabs at a tremulous vocal, brutal lyrics propelling a slick pop hook.

Dreijer—along with a team of co-producers including their brother Olof, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and batida beatmaker Nídia—injects Radical Romantics with textures as sticky as sex, and as cracked as socks sticking to dry skin. Their register straddles between ecstatic highs and a subterranean timbre, with their most luxurious delivery coming through “Kandy”. The song deals with lust in the state of sleep: “Can you bring me back?” Dreijer sings, their voice clothed in a fluffy film of fungi. Their attention to detail is as clinical as it is human, as if Dreijer discovered the exact vibrational frequency of a hilarious voice and decided to paint it instead of tinkering with the formula. – Madison Bloom

Jessie Ware: That! It feels good!

The exclamation marks That! It feels good! telegraphs its spirit with lightning-quick precision: Jessie Ware's fifth album offers a rapturous feast of delight. Deliberately avoiding the glass surfaces that blanketed her earlier work, Ware and producers James Ford and Stuart Price opt for an unabashed revival of disco's glory days, eschewing electronic beats for full-bodied arrangements that violate Chic's classic beat. Although Ware sometimes sings with an obvious smile—the litany of double-entendres on “Shake the Bottle” flirts with camp—That! It feels good! it is the furthest thing from ironic pastiche. Its bright, bustling hedonism lives on in the words Ware sings on “Free Yourself”: “If you feel this good, then don't stop.” – Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Kali Uchis: Red Moon on Venus

A little over a decade since she started with a DIY trip-hop tape, Kali Uchis has evolved into a flawless Latin diva. Red Moon on Venus, the Colombian-American singer's third album of sultry, badass anthems and poignant musings on growing up, sees her bittersweet nothings in the ear of a lover. This bilingual, slow ode to self-empowerment offers a guide to healing a broken heart while remaining beautiful, perfumed, and a little petite. Uchis isn't afraid to be sassy about it either: Talking about her ex's new boo, she sings and raps, “At the end of the day, she'd eat my pussy if I let her.” –ER Pulgar

Listen/Buy: Raw Trade | Amazon | Apple Music | Spotify | Tidal

Kelela: Crow

Crow it's a restless sonic bath of an album where soothing, atmospheric club tunes hide the bitter realization that standing in your truth is often lonely and destabilizing. But Kelela is not wallowing in despair. It's an open invitation to all who seek refuge in bass and the kinetic energy of pounding bodies, reeling from explosive friendship breakups and avoiding calls from parents back home: Kick off your shoes, hang up your coat, and vibe. – Heaven Haile

Kylie Minogue: 'Padam Padam'

“We don't have to use our words,” Kylie Minogue reminds us near the end of “Padam Padam.” The Australian pop lifer has long been an expert on the non- or near-verbal: the la la la of “Can't Get You Out of My Head,” the Yes Yes Yes of “All the Lovers”. And he just knew that this heartless year called for more heartfelt naming. Buoyed by producer Lostboy's pounding bass and soulful banter, Kylie not only gave gays and girls a new pop role model, she gave us a secret code. We hear it too I know. Padam. – Jesse Dorris