We here at TSJ are good and ready to seal 2018 with a kiss and put 2019 on our radar. But first, we have one last thing to say:
We freakin’ love Simmy.

The South African singer-songwriter topped our 2018 rankings with “Umahlalela.” Want to see everything we covered in 2018? Here’s the list in alphabetical order. You can also check out our Spotify playlists:
- all songs (well, except for the ones not available on Spotify);
- songs ranked 6.10 or higher;
- songs ranked 4.10 to 6.09;
songs ranked 4.09 or less.
While we’re taking our break, you might be so curious about some of our writers’ end-of-year thoughts:
- Will Adams has put his top 20 albums up on Medium.
- You can find Claire Biddles’s top ten albums in The Wire’s round-up lists (although you’ll have to get your hands on the actual print edition to read her extended thoughts).
- Also on Medium: Hannah Jocelyn explains what your favorite album of 2018 says about you…
- …and Ryo Miyuachi has published his favorite Japanese, J-idol, and K-pop singles.
- The team of Megan Harrington and David Sheffieck are counting down their top 50 singles of the year over at Grooves ‘n Jams.
- Finally, Kat Stevens wants to know what your best of 2018 was. Head over to the Freaky Trigger readers’ poll by the end of December 31st to send your vote!
We’re making our plans for the coming year, knowing that we can because of you, dear readers. Even in times that can feel scary or chaotic, this community of music lovers keeps going, and we’re grateful for all your comments, suggestions, and help. Our only wish this year is that you stick around so we can all be stronger together in 2019.
Happy New Year!