The Top 15 Vaporwave Songs Of 2020

 

Happy holidays! There will be no more reviews until 2021 - the next two posts here are going to be breaking down some moments we had this year in vaporwave. First I want to break down my top 15 favourite vaporwave songs this year, and after that I'll have a look at my top 5 favourite vaporwave ALBUMS this year. I'm super excited to share these two articles, so let's just get into it!

HONOURABLE MENTION: A by vcr-classique

Subgenres: Late Night Lo-Fi

Initially, this was going to be at the #15 spot but I ended up forgetting about a lot of songs I wanted in the top five so it ended up being pushed off - with that being said though, I still think this is a great song and I wanted to talk about it.

This song is groovy, it's luxurious, and it's relaxing. The a-side track from vcr-classique's recent single "seaways", the phenomenal cover art makes this track a keeper alone. Give it a listen.

15. arboreal mollusc by jankyswans

Subgenres: VHS Pop, Late Night Lo-Fi

This sample-free vaporwave song is guaranteed to lift your spirits whenever you put it on - a top quality track from rising artist jankyswans.

14. daring ruby by luxury elite

Subgenres: Late Night Lo-Fi

2020 saw the return of vaporwave legend luxury elite, who released a new album in October. "daring ruby" is definitely one of the stand-out tracks with a hypnotic, stuttering sample and a danceable bass groove.

13. Neon Mirage by Hallmark '87

Subgenres: Late Night Lo-Fi, Signalwave, Ambient

"Neon Mirage" feels like you're falling asleep in a car on a highway - this song feels relaxed and dreamy, but there's something somewhat ominous about it too, as if some part of you knows that you NEED to wake up.

Here on this blog we do not encourage sleeping while driving - drive safely, friends.

12. Signing On by EtheReal Media

Subgenres: Signalwave

While we're on the topic of signalwave, how could we forget EtheReal Media's debut EP? "Signing On" is by far the best song here - this song feels relaxing and nostalgic - it's an extremely vivid and beautiful song. My only complaint is that it's too short.

11. Tetralix by Blank Banshee

Subgenres: Vaportrap

My personal favourite track off of Blank Banshee's new album "GAIA". This song is filled with pretty guitars and gorgeous vocal manipulations. A perfect vaportrap song to go for a walk in the woods to.

10. Walking by Starsy ☆

Subgenres: VHS Pop

My personal favourite track from "Seaside Vibes", this song is groovy and fun. The drums here are phenomenal, and they work extremely well with the sample to create an unforgettable vaporfunk song.

9. DRIVE by HATENA

Subgenres: VHS Pop

Smooth vocal manipulations and an amazing sample combine to create an absolute party-starter - one of the stand-outs from HATENA's new album "HANDZ".

8. We Can Make It by SAINT PEPSI

Subgenres: Future Funk

2020 also saw the unexpected return of SAINT PEPSI, who came back to Bandcamp earlier this year. "We Can Make It" is an amazing and danceable song - it's so full of life and the sample manipulation is fantastic. An unforgettable track, and it was amazing to see Skylar Spence return to his roots to make some music in the same vein of his older material.

7. ocean view by luxury elite

Subgenres: Late Night Lo-Fi

My favourite track from luxury elite's comeback album - this song is bouncy as hell and it'll be sure to get you tapping your feet. The horns and bass here are absolutely impeccable.

6. pthiigmeent by jankyswans

Subgenres: VHS Pop

This is the first song from jankyswans I heard, and it's still my favourite. The melody here is gorgeous, and the bassline adds a lot of momentum. An amazing song all round, give it a listen.

5. L.Y.B by SAINT PEPSI

Subgenres: Late Night Lo-Fi

"L.Y.B" is a new song from SAINT PEPSI, which he added to a deluxe edition of his side of "Winner's Circle". This song is amazing - the sample is perfect, and the drums are great too. Despite being released seven years later, it's still a great example of just what made his side of "Winner's Circle" so fantastic. I just wish this one was longer, honestly.

4. PHONE PHREAK by channel select

Subgenres: VHS Pop

A SoundCloud single from channel select - I'll be brief because I wrote a full review of this track earlier. I think this song is great, and it really showcases how talented channel select is as a producer without samples. "PHONE PHREAK" is a dreamy and nostalgic song that I absolutely love, give it a try.

3. Kuadran 1 by Aexion

Subgenres: Ambient, Late Night Lo-Fi

Taken from "Elements", Aexion's newest full-length album, "Kuadran 1" is an unforgettable track. It feels like elevator music on steroids - the drums feel like something right out of a slushwave song, and the chords are great too. An amazing track from my favourite vaporwave album this year.

2. Freeway Funk by Hallmark '87

Subgenres: Late Night Lo-Fi, Signalwave

This track is an absolute personal favourite of mine - I can see a lot of people disagreeing with me putting this song so high, but there's something about this track that I just love. The sample is groovy as hell and the background static feels cold and distant. This song feels just like the album art. It's indescribably good. But not as good as...

1. NOTFAIR by HATENA

Subgenres: Future Funk

NOTFAIR by HATENA. How do I even begin to talk about this song? It's one of the most thrilling and forward-thinking future funk tracks I've heard in my entire life. The sample is danceable and fun, the percussion is genuinely insane, and extremely hectic for a future funk track... and the way the song develops is just unforgettable.

This song is incredible, and I think it's fully deserving to be at the top of this list. Great song, check it out.

While going into this list I thought it was going to be pretty hard because I haven't listened to very much new vaporwave this year - but while I was writing I realised just how much incredible music came out this year in the vaporwave scene - it's genuinely been a constant stream of unique and well-made music this year, and I'm really happy I was here to be a part of it. Thanks so much for reading!

-Synthi