MMR’s Top 25 of 2022: a look back at at the best new music of the year

This weekend we bid farewell to 2022, which means it’s time for our annual countdown of the music YOU wanted to hear the most these past 12 months. It was a great year for new rock: with rock royalty releasing new albums, longtime faves putting out quirky seasonal EPs, and new musical friends from across the globe, it’s definitely a list of everything that rocks.

Blake unveiled the list on New Year’s Eve, and Sara will do an encore at 3pm on New Year’s Day (Sun. 1/1). Listen on the MMR App, your smart speaker, or right here on WMMR.com.

• 25. Ghost – Spillways

  Ghost’s new album Impera is one of our favorites of the year. Our first taste of it was live, when they brought their trademark macabre theatrics to the Pavilion in Camden in February.

• 24. The Killers – Boy

  With a sound that channels the breadth and dimension of a Joshua Tree-era U2, “boy” shows us that the Killers can fill a stadium as easily as any of their rock predecessors. Stream Pierre’s chat with frontman Brandon Flowers here.

• 23. Coheed & Cambria – The Liars Club

  Coheed & Cambria’s visit with the Preston & Steve Show in July was easily one of the highlights of MMR’s year. They performed a stripped down version of this song before playing it for the Liacouras Center later that month.

• 22. Disturbed – Hey You

  Shortly after a fiery headline set at MMRBQ 2022, Disturbed returned to form with this statement track – yeah, David Draiman’s talking to you.

• 21. Weezer – Records

  They released not one, not two, not three, but FOUR EPs this year. They have seasonal themes, and this song is off the “summer” edition. (BTW, have you spotted their billboard in Berlin?)

• 20. Billy Idol – Cage

  His rebel yell was louder than ever this year. Billy Idol’s EP The Cage was released in September, and he’ll ring in 2023 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

• 19. Weezer – A Little Bit of Love

  Weezer’s first EP of the year, SZNZ: Spring, gave us this uplifting track. Around the same time, they also gave us Weezle, the word game we never knew we needed.

• 18. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Tippa My Tongue

  The return of John Frusciante was a shot of creative juice straight to the heart of the Chili Peppers. They ended up releasing two full albums of new music in 2022. This is the lead track off of the second release, Return of the Dream Canteen.

• 17. Jack White – Taking Me Back

  We’re big fans of Jack White here at MMR, so we were thrilled when he announced he was going to put out multiple LPs in a single year. Out of all the songs he released this year, one rose above the rest as our favorite.

• 16. Ozzy Osbourne feat. Jeff Beck – Patient Number 9

  Long live the Prince of Darkness! The title track from his 13th solo album Patient Number 9 is made all the more epic by the searing guitar work of Jeff Beck.

• 15. Jelly Roll – Dead Man Walking

  A country boy with a penchant for rap and a rock n’ roll soul, Jelly Roll was one of our favorite musical discoveries of 2022. He performed this song live when he opened the Shinedown show at the Pavilion in September.

• 14. Nita Strauss feat. David Draiman – Dead Inside

  A solo album from guitarist Nita Strauss is due out next year, and it’ll feature some of the best vocalists in rock singing (and screaming) over her impressive shredding. The first preview of that album is “Dead Inside”.

• 13. Turnstile – Mystery

  We’re stoked to welcome this Baltimore band back to our area on Memorial Day Weekend when Turnstile play Adjacent Fest down the shore. “Mystery” is one of several tracks MMR played this past year from the acclaimed LP Glow On.

• 12. Maneskin – Supermodel

  From virtually over Zoom to live at the Fillmore, we got to know these Italian rockers this year and can’t wait to hear their their new album RUSH on January 20th.

• 11. Papa Roach – No Apologies

  Papa Roach are undeniable: their 11th studio album, Ego Trip, is full of the bangers and ballads you’d expect to hear from the hard rock stalwarts, but delivered with modern flair. Their tour with Falling in Reverse stopped at the Santander Arena in Reading over the summer.

• 10. The Offspring – Behind Your Walls

  One of our top songs of the summer came from longtime friends of the station: Dexter, Noodles and the gang the Offspring.

• 9. Lilith Czar – Anarchy

  A highlight of MMRBQ 2022, Lilith Czar welcomed us into her kingdom with her debut album Created From Filth and Dust. 

• 8. Shinedown – Daylight

  Shinedown’s message of positivity shines bright in this beautiful number from Planet Zero, which came out over the summer.

• 7. Halestorm – The Steeple

  Lzzy Hale and the crew took us to church for “The Steeple”. It’s off of their fifth studio album Back from the Dead.

• 6. Mammoth WVH – Epiphany

  Wolfgang Van Halen is hard at work on the follow-up to his Mammoth WVH debut, which we still can’t get enough of. During recording sessions, he plays every instrument on these songs. He kicks just as much ass live on stage as he does in the studio.

• 5. Dorothy – Rest In Peace

  Gifts from the Holy Ghost is the third album from Dorothy, and it marked a return to a grittier, louder sound for her.

• 4. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Black Summer

  We got to hear this song live at the ballpark over Labor Day weekend this year. It’s from the first of two albums the Peppers released in 2022, Unlimited Love.

• 3. Foo Fighters – Love Dies Young

  The loss of Taylor Hawkins shook the music world this year, and made this song all the more poignant. The Foo Fighters are ending the year on a hopeful note; we’ll see where 2023 takes them.

• 2. Dirty Honey – The Wire

  Retro-rockers Dirty Honey spent most of this year on the road, and we spent most of this year listening to their self-titled debut, especially track #2: “The Wire”. Check out photos from their stop at the Fillmore this past spring.

• 1. The Black Keys – Wild Child

  Dropout Boogie had us movin’ and groovin’ through 2022, especially he lead track “Wild Child”. Dan Auerbach spoke with Preston & Steve before the album’s release, and the Black Keys’ concert at the Pavilion was one of the best of the summer.

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