After selecting our favorite music videos that dropped between January and June this year, the Bandwagon editorial team—comprised of over-caffeinated writers and post-vaccine editors with chills—came together yet again to round up more picks that made 2022 what it is so far.

This time around, we took a peek at the top songs that have made it into our playlists. From Keshi to Jessi, mxmtoon to ena mori, Phoenix to Lamb of God, it's clear that we've already got an interesting pool of new jams from this first half of the year, making us look forward to what the rest of 2022 has yet to offer. No more divine punishments or supernatural events please—just good music. Many thanks in advance.

Top Music Videos of 2022 (so far) – BTS, Red Velvet, SEVENTEEN, Jackson Wang, CHAI, NIKI, and more

Here are some of the Bandwagon editorial team's top songs (in no particular order) from 2022 so far:

‘GET IT’ - keshi

Before this song came out, we were doing a bunch of conferences and interviews with keshi and during each one, he kept teasing that he was really going out of the box with his album, Gabriel. And when, ‘GET IT’ came out, I finally understood what he meant because it’s so keshi and not keshi at the same time.

I remember my jaw literally dropping when I first heard that drop and letting out gasp when keshi started rapping. Oh, what I will give to listen to this song again for the first time.  —Franchesca Judine Basbas, Staff Writer

'Yuck' - Charli XCX

Added to my list of Scorpio anthems. I was listening to the new Charli XCX album for the first time, and I immediately added ‘Yuck’ to my 2022 playlist a few seconds into the song. It’s your classic I-think-I-like-you-but-ewww-you-like-me-too-much scenario. YUCK. —Camille Castillo, Editorial Director

'Darl+ing' - SEVENTEEN

Something about SEVENTEEN turns me into a 14-year-old fanatic and perhaps, because of that, every release from them reigns supreme by speaking to a part of me that is swimming in nostalgia.

I’d be lying if I said that ‘HOT’ and this track had a close fight and frankly, if you ask me why, there is no profound reason, it makes me happy and it’s catchy, period. In Vernon’s own words, “stream 'Darl+ing', darling”. —Andrea See, Writer

'ZOOM'- Jessi

My husband constantly gets dragged down the rabbit hole of Instagram Reels and Jessi’s ‘ZOOM’ always shows up on his feed. After hearing the chorus about a million times, we finally looked into it, and by the gods, does this song hit harder than we thought it would. —Kara Bodegon-Hikino, Staff Writer

Top Collaborations of 2022 (so far) – PSY & SUGA, Benjamin Kheng & Bea Lorenzo, Jay Park & IU, BIGONE & JAY B, and more

'Loveology' - Regina Spektor

This isn’t the first time fans have heard this song. Search on YouTube and you’d easily find recordings of Regina Spektor performing it as far back as ten years ago (she’d written it even long before that). To hear it in its full studio-recorded glory now is an almost indescribable experience.

For a while, all I could muster was that I’d started tearing up the moment she sang, “Porcupine-ology…”  But let me give it a try — it had almost thrown me off, the sudden clarity of it all, naturally because many of us long-time fans had gotten so used to that grainy audio filled with mirthy whispers and plates clacking in the distance; but also because it feels symbolic somehow, in a way that’s so quintessentially Spektor. It’s a song about learning about life and love in many forms, and it’s one that’s been in limbo for practically half its writer’s life; and then suddenly it’s here, completed, fulfilled, out in the world because, as she said, the timing finally felt right. I’ve known this song for so long but the relatability of that still hit me like a truck. —Ginny Palma, Contributing Editor

‘This Hell’- Rina Sawayama

I had my eyes on Rina Sawayama after her acclaimed 2020 album SAWAYAMA and I’m so glad that her new single hits just as hard with its pulsating synths and a sick guitar solo. I love how her music radiates an infectious and carefree energy; it just makes me want to get up and live my best life.

“This hell is better with you” is a simple line, but it evokes comfort and solidarity with such a great effect. This hell is better with you indeed, Rina. —Fidel Tan, Writer

'SOS' - ena mori

No one in the Philippine pop music scene excites me as much right now as ena mori, with her bold approach to her aesthetic and sound and the earnest lyrics that take her songs beyond just being extremely catchy bops. Her last trilogy of releases had been delight after delight, and this final installment is the perfect clinch to the series of songs, which has gone from wondering about our place in the world to examining insecurities and finally embracing your truth. 

On its own, 'SOS' has such a viral appeal, the layers of alarming synths and speedy percussion serving what the title seeks to express perfectly. I find myself particularly excited about the hint of Japanese lyrics that sneaks in at the end… are we finally getting a Japanese ena mori track in the near future? Either way, I continue to be intrigued and satisfied. —Ginny Palma, Contributing Editor

'Bonnie & Clyde' - DeVita

I first came across DeVita's music when our writer, Franchesca, featured her on Bandwagon's Asia Spotlight series. I was instantly hooked, possessed by her stunning voice and stuck-in-your-head melodies. 'Bonnie & Clyde' is a certified can-we-have-this-on-loop-for-the-entire-day kind of single, easily worthy of its own piece on the Spotify Pie. —Kara Bodegon-Hikino, Staff Writer

'wavy flow' - Aimer

Following the successful release of 残響散歌 (Zankyousanka), Aimer's wavy flow continues the trail of her heart-stopping rock music. The track brings calm and raging waves that only the listener can control. —PB Hermoso, Contributing Writer

‘sad disco’ - mxmtoon

The “sad dance bop” has always been my favourite kind of music, so to have mxmtoon quite literally explore this concept in ‘sad disco’ is such a delight. I stumbled upon this song when Bandwagon did an interview with her, and I’ve been hooked ever since. 'Cause sometimes when you’re feeling down, all you really need is to get up and dance your heart out. —Fidel Tan, Writer

'Nevermore' - Lamb of God

I will always be in the mood for new music from Lamb of God. The leadup to announcing their next studio album, Omens, was some of the exciting guessing games I've had this year (so far). The album's first single, 'Nevermore', brings out an angrier and more pissed-off version of my favourite metal uncles. It's packed with a crushing heaviness that beats away my sorrows as rain hits my bedroom window. —Kara Bodegon-Hikino, Staff Writer

'Alpha Zulu' - Phoenix

I’ve been waiting for Phoenix to drop new music since last year, and they finally returned with ‘Alpha Zulu’. The self-produced track reminds me of their debut album, United, but with a fresh twist. It’s part familiar, part chaotic AND from the videos I’ve scoured on the internet, it SOUNDS AMAZING live. Can’t wait for the rest of the album to come! —Camille Castillo, Editorial Director

‘W’ - Warren Hue

I love ‘W’ so much, I’ve played it so much since it came out that I accidentally learned all the words, haha. It’s such a good casual hype song, like that song you play when you want to start getting your energy up without doing too much, too fast. I so badly want to hear it live. —Franchesca Judine Basbas, Staff Writer

'Lost Track' - HAIM

This song takes me back to moments when I've felt lost in transit yet appreciated the scenery. It's a warm, soft, and comforting tune that only HAIM could perform. —PB Hermoso, Contributing Writer

'Meteorite' - Banks

Banks caught my attention with III and it ended up one of my most favourite albums of 2019. One of the songs on Serpentina that met the crazy expectations I had for her was ‘Meteorite’.

The vocal shouts and hand claps getting interrupted by the guitar lick, then cutting away to the kick drum and a driving triplet (...or 6/8) groove - all of that combines into one of my favourite intro sections of the year.

The layered production and lines that stick in your head for long (“We're already in bed, you may as well lie/Do you wanna sleep here or leave?”) has made this track a song I’ll always be inspired by. —Faseeh, Writer

'We're All Gonna Die' - Underoath

There's nothing like doing house chores while dreading the current state of the world. Top that magnificent afternoon meltdown with brand new music from Underoath and you're good to go. 

There's something about 'We're All Gonna Die' that makes me cling on to memories of MySpace and discovering Underoath for the first time from college friends. Yes, the title is bleak and nihilistic without a doubt, but if you take a moment to really listen and understand the message of this song, you'll come to realize that you can still find a glimmer of hope in all this mess. Everything isn't as ominous as it seems. —Kara Bodegon-Hikino, Staff Writer

'Aphrodite' - The Chairs

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you the ultimate dreamy heartbreak lullaby of 2022. In a span of 3 minutes and 53 seconds, this track gets me to a mental space of sundresses, seaside bars, and sunsets. The lyrics end slightly shy of the 3-minute mark which leaves more than a minute of groovy bass runs and non-lexical vocables. More than a song, this is the moment and the manifestation anthem with which I will be recruiting to induce vibes into my life. —Andrea See, Writer

‘Memories’ - Conan Gray

Tons of artists have been dipping their toes into pop-rock recently, but none does it quite as charmingly as Conan Gray in his single ‘Memories’.

Lyrically, the song is as gut-wrenching as it gets. “I can't be your friend, can't be your lover, can't be the reason we hold back each other from falling in love with somebody other than me” is an all-timer in the hall of fame of heartbreaking lyrics. And when Gray’s angst is layered over sick guitar instrumentals, we get a fist-pumping anthem for the ages. —Fidel Tan, Writer

Top Albums/EPs of 2022 (so far) – BTS, Hikaru Utada, (G)I-DLE, DeVita, SixTONES, EPIK HIGH, and more

'Comedy' - Gen Hoshino

It's a lighthearted track that reminds me of the cool breeze the Philippines' eternal summer. Later on, I found out that it's the outro of SpyXFamily (which I have yet to watch). —PB Hermoso, Contributing Writer

'Vikram - Title Track' - Anirudh Ravichander

After deliberating incessantly about which Anirudh Ravichander song to pick amongst the slew of hits the Indian star has put out this year, I ultimately settled on Vikram’s title track.

Anirudh first presents a menacing soundscape with plucks and strings, but soon switches it up with a sample of Kamal Haasan’s carnatic rhythms from the 1986 classic 'Vikram Vikram' and launches into driving guitars and electronic drums.

The anthem climatically brings together these worlds seamlessly, proving Anirudh’s unlimited creativity in genre fusions and setting him apart as a legend in the making. —Faseeh, Writer

This is the second part of Bandwagon's Top Releases of 2022 (So Far) lists. Watch out as we unveil our albums and EPs and collaborations from this first half of the year up next.