Spotify users were abuzz recently when the streaming service released what’s known as the year-end “Wrapped.” Users receive a personalized recap of their top-played songs, artists, and albums of 2023 – complete with a tally of total listening hours. While we don’t quite track our listeners the same way at KPCW, we do know which songs and artists topped our charts this year, and we’ve pulled together our own KPCW Wrapped.
The top track of the year on KPCW’s airwaves, with 129 plays, was “Kid,” by the New Orleans-based rock band The Revivalists. Released as a single in February 2023, “Kid” quickly rose to the top of the adult alternative charts.
Revivalist frontman David Shaw describes the song as “capturing the essence of life. We all go through ups and downs…But you've got to believe in yourself…If you don't have hope, what do you have?” Wise words as we head into a new year.
Number two on KPCW’s song chart was “Not Strong Enough” by indie darlings boygenius. Our DJs played that harmonious tune 112 times, followed by Noah Kahan’s “Homesick” with 102 spins. “Go Down River,” by The Heavy Heavy and “Pepper” by Death Cab for Cutie” rounded out KPCW’s Top 5 Tracks, each airing 98 times this year.
While KPCW’s top tracks were undeniably from newer artists, our top-played bands spanned musical eras. KPCW Assistant Program Director Mitchell Elliott says the most played band of 2023 is one everyone knows.
“For the umpteenth year in a row, the Beatles topped out as our most played band of 2023,” Elliott said. “The #1 spot is no surprise given the breadth of the Beatles’ catalog, but this year they topped out in part because of a newly released track “Now and Then”, which was created thanks to the help of AI and old undiscovered recordings of John Lennon.”
Death Cab for Cutie was KPCW’s second most played artist in 2023, buoyed perhaps by the band’s 20th anniversary tour co-headlining with lead singer Ben Gibbard’s other indie band, The Postal Service, tapping into peak early-2000’s nostalgia.
Led Zeppelin, Noah Kahan, and Bob Marley and the Wailers came in 3rd, 4th, and 5th, respectively as KPCW’s most played artists of 2023. With a forthcoming Marley biopic hitting theaters soon, perhaps the king of reggae will reign supreme on KPCW’s airwaves in 2024. Until then, we’ll keep on jamming.
