BitchTapes: 2016 Favorites

It’s the end of a year, which is a music critic’s time to shine. Everybody’s a tastemaker come the last week in December. Best Ofs are released to great fanfare, and comments sections run wilder than ever. For our final BitchTapes of the year, I’ve put together a selection of my favorite songs released in 2016. Some of these will appear on very high-profile lists, and will then bounce happily around the echo chamber of mainstream music coverage. Others, I hope, are discoveries to you and will open new doors just in time for a new year. A few are 2016 singles from records that will come out in 2017. One came out 30 years ago but was remastered this year. One is by an insufferable duo of white dudes, saved entirely by the spectacular pop singer they were lucky enough to feature. Two are by Knowles sisters. Several have made me cry in public. Every single one has reminded me that some very good things were born this year, when it seems like so many good things have died. So dive in, enjoy, and greet the new year singing.

Track List:

1. Daddy Lessons - Beyoncé (NB: “Freedom” is the stronger song, but Spotify giveth, and Spotify taketh away)

2. 22 (OVER S∞∞N) - Bon Iver

3. Welcome to Feeling - Jesca Hoop

4. Cold - Tanya Tagaq

5. Wildflowers (Remastered) - Trio

6. Your Best American Girl - Mitski

7. Genius - S∆mmus

8. Tornadoland - Regina Spektor

9. strung. - Denitia & Sene

10. Jj - Priests

11. Cranes in the Sky - Solange

12. Heartbeat is a Prisoner - Shira ft. Mal Devisa

13. Rican Beach - Hurray for the Riff Raff

14. Atomic Number - case/lang/veirs

15. I Love Seattle - Tacocat

16. Dusty Trails - Lucius

17. Don’t Let Me Down - Chainsmokers ft. Daya

18. The Answer - Savages

19. Don’t Let the Kids Win - Julia Jacklin

20. Picture A Vaccuum - Kate Tempest

21. Empire Builder - Laura Gibson

22. My Church - Maren Morris

23. Boyfriend - Tegan and Sara

24. Quinine - Dessa

25. You the Mountain - Loamlands

26. I Don’t Love You Anymore - Anohni

by Katie Presley

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Katie Presley is a writer and editor currently based on the East Coast (help, how did this happen??). She's been with Bitch in one form or another since 2010, when she started as a New Media Intern, and most recently served as Bitch's first and only Music Editor, from 2016-2017. Past resume lines include Assistant Producer for All Songs Considered at NPR Music, panelist on Pop Culture Happy Hour, and bylines at NPR and Ms. Katie is also a doula and herbalist, and writes a blog on herbal medicine, "The Herbal Apprentice." She also co-founded the first full-spectrum doula organization in Texas, The Bridge Collective. She is also a late-comer to being a Dog Person, but currently lives with four cats.