DOLCE’s Tracks of 2020

As we round up our top tracks of the year, it’s plain to see that when it comes to new music, 2020 has been a real gem. Looking back on a year defined by live-streamed concerts and albums recorded in lockdown, it’s clear that creativity has continued moving forwards in spite of everything.

Pop music pushes boundaries with Perfume Genius, while Pa Salieu proves that UK grime is capable of reinventing itself, too. Lava La Rue and Kari Faux, meanwhile, show female rap and hip hop on the rise. Experimental electronic music continues to excite us, with stellar releases from Bullion and Overmono, while Oneohtrix Point Never continues to innovate with a follow-up to last year’s ‘Uncut Gems’ soundtrack.

Amidst some great re-issues and compilations from labels such as Music From Memory, Light In the Attic, and Captured Tracks, the first formal curation of works from Beverly Glenn-Copeland arrived this year via Transgressive in time for the Canadian new-age composer’s 76th birthday. And as South Korean film penetrates the West at the Oscars, Yaeji’s LP for XL proves there’s more to the country’s music than BTS.

Avant-garde post-punk from Russia (Kate NV) and avant-jazz from America (Angel Bat Dawid) maps our world out even further, while the breezy jangles of Willie J Healey remind us that there’s still charm to be found in UK guitar music. Finally, the DOLCE team made it along to see Wilma Archer perform live back in March, in what was a memorable show right on the cusp of lockdown. Check out our top 20 tracks of 2020 below!