Last Updated on 12/12/2020
These are the top tracks released in the 2010s. Discover the best songs of a stellar decade – with some of its most popular as well as a wealth of underground gems.
Yeah, yeah, we realise the 2010s finished a whole year ago now; we are a bit late to the party with our ‘Decade List’. But, given that the whole world has kind of been on hold for the year, the 2020s haven’t really started – have they?
So, before the next decade properly begins, we thought it appropriate to share the best bits of the last one. The music of the 2010s has majorly moulded our love for music, and the following (along with a banging playlist of the decade’s best tracks in collaboration with Purple Radio) are our highlights.
Kuba: The 2010s were yet again another massive decade for hiphop with Kanye and Kendrick stealing the headlines. However, what’s excited me the most regarding the hiphop world over these past ten years has been the massive influx of female artists also beginning to dominate the charts: Noname, Megan Thee Stallion, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Doja Cat … . All have been so exciting to follow. If I had to name two favourites, I’d probably go for SZA and Princess Nokia. I’ve listened to the latter’s Metallic Butterfly (2014) album countless times, and that’s why “Seraphims” makes our playlist. Likewise, SZA’s Ctrl (2017) album forms a beautiful coming-of-age narrative. For that reason, “Love Galore” featuring Travis Scott also makes our final selection.
I’m also loving how borderless electronic music has become. During the 2010s, it stretched the spectrum between lovingly passive to electrifyingly brutal further than any other genre and seems to be carrying on this trend into the 2020s. To prove this, listen to Flying Lotus’ “Do The Astral Plane”, or anything from Jon Hopkins’ Immunity (2013) album, and compare it with something from Death Grips’ “Hacker”. If you enjoy both sounds then you’re in luck, as there are thousands of brilliant electronic releases in between!
Han: Given the current covid circumstances it’s quite painful to reflect on the 2010s, as this was definitely the decade of gigs for me. A highlight was Dave Gilmour’s surprise appearance at Bombay Bicycle Club’s Earls Court gig – the last before the venue was demolished; a low point was someone stamping on my head at Alt J (although this was probably a just punishment for being 14 and thinking liking triangles made me “alternative”).
This has been an unparalleled decade for diversity and experimentation. So many movements and techniques have evolved that it almost feels futile to categorise the decade at all, as we’ve watched things shift so exponentially and in such disconnected directions.
It’s impossible to pinpoint a single genre or artist that’s shaped this period for me personally; from Dizzee to Joy O to Randomer to Kendrick to Iamddb, it’s the decade where so many creatives have come into their own. If I had to pick one seminal track though, it would be Talib Kweli’s 2000 Seasons, combining the best of ‘90s hiphop with the mastering possibilities the 2010s had to offer.
If you haven’t looked back at your old Spotify playlists from the last 10 years to see how they’ve evolved I urge you to do so – it’s an amusing and humbling experience, but one which’ll be sure to uncover some absolute gems.
Al: From beginning the decade as a year 7 kid, with a love for a bit of brostep (none of which made the playlist unfortunately) and the UK Top 40, my musical interest has broadened and changed hugely. Brilliant tracks throughout the 2010s guided my taste first towards UK indie, then to hip hop, electronic and much further afield.
Clichéd indie boy here, but for me the decade’s stand out track has to be Tame Impala’s “Let it Happen”. Probably signalling my first true appreciation of gorgeous sound design, it blew my mind from the first listen. And to my ears it hasn’t aged a day since – just sublime.
Be sure to have a listen to the whole playlist of the top tracks of the 2010s decade below – painstakingly selected.
