A good musical banger has the power to define a moment, imprint it in your memory and in some cases leave an earworm that lingers for months.
And in politics, no moment is complete without an accompanying soundtrack.
So we've picked the best of the year to keep you rocking right through the summer recess.
'Couldn't be Done' - Tim Finn
Each time a Labour MP says the phrase "they said it couldn't be done" in the debating chamber, the Newshub office experiences an involuntary outburst of this BANGER.
It played directly after Jacinda Ardern yelled "let's do this" at the Labour campaign launch and they could not have picked a more fitting song for this moment.
The lyrics could have been written for Ms Ardern's rise to power: "We needed to find a like-minded someone/Who had no idea that it couldn't be done."
Labour nailed it with this catchy, uplifting Kiwi tune.
'Let's Get Together' - Murray Grindlay
After having an absolute 'mare with that 'Eminem Esque' track they ripped at the last election, the Nats decided to commission an original song.
This time, they enlisted Murray Grindlay. We thought Muzza might be the kind of guy you find doing a weekly gig at the Cardrona Hotel with the dude who sings 'Southern Man' for the Otago rugby team.
But actually, it turns out he's a good Kiwi bloke who composed music for Once Were Warriors and Sleeping Dogs, and wrote the jingle for that Crunchie train robbery ad.
Anyway, back to his banger, 'Let's Get Together' - a campfire hymn for middle New Zealand. A tale of the little country that could.
It makes you want to sit around the dinner table with Bill English, devour a spaghetti pizza and have a yarn about how bloody great that Waterview Tunnel is.
'You're the Voice' - John Farnham
Looking for a song to get white over-50s lit? This. Is. It. A rock ballad with a freakin' BAGPIPE SOLO!
And what better song is there for the part-Scottish political phenomenon that is Winston Peters?
Mr Peters - a man of the people. The man of the people. Giving the people a voice.
This was the perfect song for his campaign.
"Had Enough?" Mr Peters asked as he peered down from those billboards. Well, all you had to do (according to him) was get aboard the Straight Talk Express (his bus) and use your voice.
'Stars' - Shapeshifter
This was the tune that accompanied Andrew Little when he gave the performance of his life.
It was May. Mr Little was about to address the 2017 congress. His wife introduced him as her best friend and the future Prime Minister.
We were used to hearing that. We were ready for him to enter stage left and deliver more of the same.
We were wrong. All of a sudden, the electronic vibes of Shapeshifter blasted from the speakers and a different Mr Little walked into the auditorium.
The music gave him confidence. He was a new man, he had "the vibe".
He strolled on up and for the first time. He looked like he could actually take the election out.
Again, Labour crushed it with the lyric game: "For the first time, it felt like the world was right on side" - it really did that day.
It felt like Labour had optimism and hope.
'Buffalo' - Phoenix Foundation
Although this song isn't a banger in the true sense of the word, it's poignant because it played as James Shaw walked in to give arguably the biggest and strongest speech of his political career on election night.
The Wellington indie rock band is on-brand for the Aro Valley-dwelling, craft beer-swilling leader and this was a familiar, comforting tune for the crowd of Greens-faithful who had just watched their party inch back into Parliament.
Newshub.
