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BEST OF 2022: Music

ARC Editor

We've already shared our best of lists for LGBTQ books and film. We would be remiss if we didn't also share our list of the lists of the Best LGBTQ Music of 2022.


OUR LIST OF THE "BEST OF" LISTS FOR MUSIC


The Best Queer Music of 2022 from Seattle Gay Scene


FEATURING ONE ARTIST FROM EACH OF THE LISTS


ONLY AN OCTAVE APART

Anthony Roth Costanzo and Justin Vivian Bond


Opera star Anthony Roth Costanzo brings his piercing, controlled countertenor to bear on cabaret legend Justin Vivian Bond’s reedy but dulcet tones on Only an Octave Apart, an unexpectedly poignant, queer life-affirming triumph. The (ahem) aural odd couple crafts strangely congruent pop/opera mashups that range from whimsical (Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian” meets “Egyptian Sun” from Philip Glass’ Akhnaten) to emotionally shattering (Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush’s “Don’t Give Up” brings a hard-won ray of light to the desperate “Deh Placatevi” from Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice). Octave hits all the

right notes while remaining on a frequency all its own. — JOE LYNCH (Billboard)


BOYFRIEND

Dove Cameron


Former GAY TIMES cover star Dove Cameron rocked the pop world with her sultry, dark anthem, Boyfriend. The singers’ addictively intimate track swept across social media and was quickly adopted as the queer anthem of the summer. Cameron, who had made her name as an ex-Disney star, had previously scooped up a Daytime Emmy Award and pop culture notoriety, but Boyfriend set the artist in her own lane; a powerful, provocative smash hit, Boyfriend was the best “accidental” success to hit the internet. – ZRS (Gay Times)


C'MON BABY CRY

Orville Peck


PaSPaPThe gay “yeehaw” agenda is going strong on Orville Peck’s latest album Bronco, which features the heart-achingly beautiful “C’mon Baby Cry.” Peck displays his mournful baritone voice in this classic country song about longing. The singer has proven himself to be an artist that we can continuously expect great things from. — MEY RUDE (Advocate)


ON 10

Destin Conrad


The beat here is spicy, it’s a song that makes you want to dance and move immediately upon hearing it. This single comes off Conrad’s 2022 album Satin which is laden with many features and sensual songs. “ON 10” kicks off the album with a bang, and the music video accompanying it is sexy and cool. The song itself is about wanting to see the person you’re into let loose a little, “act a fool” as Conrad sings. If you haven’t listened to the whole album, I recommend it, but this song is a total star. — DANI JANAE (Autostraddle)


PASSING STRANGER

Empath


Empath delivers complex and noisy indie rock that is too fractured and distressed to be considered twee, but on “Passing Stranger” they come close. Singer Catherine Elicson recounts a pleasant childhood memory of riding in a car, which quickly gives way to a memory about a girl she knew who died by overdose. Through guitars that sound more like machinery than instruments, Elicson sings, “When you go back you can’t unsee and remembering is like pulling up weeds,” beautifully encapsulating how nostalgia can often be a painful sensation. — JUAN VELASQUEZ (Them)


SUGAR

Amythyst Kiah


Southern Gothic and Lilith musical genres live on in Amythyst Kiah and her guitar. Born and based in Tennessee, the Grammy award-winning queer singer-songwriter got her recording start in 2013. Since then, she has released three studio albums and tours regularly. This song, which was re-released in Kiah’s single EP Pensive Pop in 2022, is a cover of Tori Amos’ 1992 B-side and the 1999 version from her live album Venus Live, Still Orbiting. Kiah beautifully and deftly makes the song her own with a driving rock beat and gorgeous vocals. — RYAN CRAWFORD (Seattle Gay Times)

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