2024 was certainly a year, wasn’t it? It was certainly twelve months, alright. Even though this year was up and down, one of the best things about it was the music. There was the mainstream breakthrough from a longtime cult star, saw the return of one of the most influential rock bands of the last 50 years, and we all watched Kendrick Lamar wreck Drake with the song equivalent of a Street Fighter combo. Our music writers compiled this list of our 25 cumulative favorite albums of the year, which span multiple genres. These are what we think are the best albums of 2024.
25. Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown
The debut solo album from Portishead’s Beth Gibbons (give or take the Rustin Man collaboration) finds the singer venturing away from the electronic environs that once surrounded her voice. Lives Outgrown is a folky, jazzy record where Gibbons sings over acoustic guitars and strings. Songs like “Rewind” are jagged and noisy, while “Floating in a Moment” and “Burden of Life” lean towards quiet introspection.
All the while, Gibbons’ voice is front and center, the anchor holding everything together, sounding much like it did on Portishead’s Dummy 30 years ago. “Lives Outgrown” is more than just a pit-stop between Portishead albums, if we ever get another one of those again. It is a sterling reminder of the power of Gibbons’ voice and a showcase for her songwriting. [Ryan Gibbs]
24. Erika de Casier – Still
With two strong releases under her belt, the Portuguese-Danish singer-songwriter Erika de Casier has proven to be a respectable force in the modern R&B scene. Those two albums, Essentials and Sensational, were full of songs that were consistently reliable through their chilled out tones and subtle grooves, but Sensational left behind the feeling that she needed to be careful to avoid playing it too safe.
Thankfully, Still is an album that moves her dial in just enough of the right direction to feel satisfying, tapping into each of her strengths in all the right ways. “Lucky” is probably the cutest song of the year, and “Ice”, “Ex-Girlfriend,” and “Twice” all are all top contenders for her smoothest track to date. While a bit more down-tempo than her previous albums, Still is both relaxing and energizing, and her feature on one of this year’s stand out pop songs (“Bikini” by Nick León) just confirms that she can stand toe to toe with the best of her peers, and more than anything has built the anticipation for what she does next sky high. [Quinn Parulis]
23. Nala Sinephro – Endlessness
Ambient jazz is a genre that is about as far outside of my usual comfort zone as it gets, but sometimes the quality of a work of art shines so bright that it transcends taste. Nala Sinephro’s second album, Endlessness, is an expansive soundscape that never stops surprising, with the Caribbean-Belgian multi-instrumentalist playing a mix of piano, pedal harp, modular synthesizers and keyboards and accompanied by a mix of drummers, saxophonists and more. Like getting lost in a cosmic daydream, the album floats between a variety of movements and reprises tinged with electronic flourishes that make everything feel weightless. One of the best albums of the year in terms of sheer beauty, Endlessness is a must listen release for any music fan with the patience to be swept up into its orbit. [Quinn Parulis]
22. Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter
Beyoncé once again proves her indisputable talent and iconography with Cowboy Carter. The country and Americana album is an ambitious blend of past and present as the singer honors overlooked musical and cultural Black pioneers in history. Infusing the album with a mix of genres from R&B and blues to bluegrass and opera, the production hones in on everything that makes her a superstar. Her vocals have, arguably, never been better as she unleashes the full power of her range. From beat-driven bops such as “Bodyguard” and “Ya Ya” to the surprisingly emotive “II Most Wanted” with Miley Cyrus and the epic, bombastic opener “American Requiem,” there’s a reason why she’s unrivaled. [Allyson Johnson]
21. Hurray for the Riff Raff – The Past is Still Alive
Their peak remains 2017’s The Navigator, but though I liked the five-years-later follow-up LIFE ON EARTH, I thought it a bit of a step-down. Now seven (!) years beyond The Navigator, Alynda Segarra strikes gold again, still presenting pretty much every song gently (strange considering the considerable power of their voice) but getting the lines to hit more squarely, with more oomph. Their voice drips with disgust on “there’s fentanyl in everything” on the train-hopping, bush-peeing title track. “There’s a war on the people, what don’t you understand?”
My favorite is “Hawkmoon,” the story of the first trans person Segarra ever met. “I’m becoming the kind of girl they warned me about” rounds out the chorus, perfectly capturing someone’s cool emanating into another. It also rocks, which I always say I want more of. But perhaps Segarra’s approach here is even more confrontational and powerful. Their stories are more difficult to run from this way. Take “Ogallala”: “I used to think I was born into the wrong generation/But now I know I made it right on time/To watch the world burn/To watch the world burn/To watch the world burn/With a tear in my eye.” I mean, yeah. Shoot. They’re right. [Joey Daniewicz]
20. Laurie Anderson – Amelia
Sonics as stories, stories as sonics. Like any true artist, this genius has always understood that the differences between mediums are only differences as long as we keep them separated in our heads. Releasing her 2015 masterpiece Heart of a Dog as an album in addition to a film, she proved that a film minus visuals can equal music–great music, even. Here, she carries that experiment into a purely tonal form, creating a record that is also cinema that is also literature that is also a radio drama that is also a painting, because every story draws a picture.
Underneath all the soundscapes, she uses the story of Amelia Earhart to explore her favorite themes: feminism, the apocalyptic dread of modern innovation, and the beauty of oblivion. And like Earhart, Anderson isn’t alone in the cockpit – ANOHNI joins her as co-pilot, with her most compelling vocal work ever. [Melody Esme]
19. Los Campesinos! – All Hell
Los Campesinos! have one of the most devoted followings in indie rock, and the Welsh sextet rewarded those fans on their first new album in seven years. All Hell is the band’s most mature record yet, all while piling on the clever turns of phrase and arcane references that singer Gareth David always incorporates into their music. After all, they’re still the band that gets their fans running to Genius.com to wonder if the line in “Long Throes” about the “punks on the playlist are crooning for kindness” is really a veiled swipe at Idles or not.
Los Campesinos! have never sounded tighter as a unit as they do on All Hell, the band’s six instrumentalists weave around Gareth’s lyrics with their hooks and wall of noise. The band is not destined for the “runners up hall of fame” from “0989 Heartache”. All Hell feels like the culmination of everything that has made the band great since they first appeared in 2007. [Ryan Gibbs]
18. Porter Robinson – Smile 😀
What does it a mean to be a pop star nowadays? The term has been defined and redefined countless times, but in the age of stan culture, the lines are even more blurred. Fans feel the need to connect more than ever and that leaves a strange relationship as a result. SMILE 😀, the new album from Porter Robinson, aims to fully explore this dynamic. Ditching his EDM roots, Porter opts for a sound reminiscent of 2000s era pop and indie sounds. “Cheerleader”, with its sugary, head-rush chorus, is an excellent highlight that perfectly dissects the moments where fan culture goes too far. In many ways, SMILE feels like a perfect sister album to Charli XCX’s wonderful album BRAT, in that they both attempt to break down the image of the artist themselves. It’s wonderfully introspective and, much like Charli’s opus, disarming in its honesty. [Mark Wesley]
17. Wishy – Triple Seven
Wishy are one of the most promising new acts who are bringing back the sounds of mid 90s alternative rock, and their debut full-length delivers on the promise of one-off singles like “Spinning”. Triple Seven is a trip back to 1994, with its distorted guitars, catchy choruses and echoes of alternative nation. “Love on the Outside” and “Little While” sound like they could be played on rock radio right now or 30 years ago. The alt rock revival has had a lot of buzz and the potential to bring a couple bands into the mainstream even at a time when rock bands don’t really do that anymore. If the quality of Triple Seven is any indication, Wishy should be one of those bands that breaks big in the near future. [Ryan Gibbs]
16. Rosie Tucker – Utopia Now!
“The lightbulb is updating!”
Rosie Tucker begins their album by noting that some lightbulbs – those most very basic of consumer electronics – now sometimes have firmware and require an internet connection. This is the sort of thing that would make Hank Hill go bwah! But it’s not just that our world is changing. It’s a sign that our world is being run by forces that have long escaped our control. “Lightbulbs only die to maximize demand,” Tucker continues.
“They’re gonna turn the moon into a sweatshop like none of these fuckers ever even heard of Gil Scott-Heron, more like albatross!” “I hope no one had to piss in a bottle at work to get me the thing I ordered on the internet.” Tucker excels at lines like these, but these aren’t just political songs. “Lightbulb” is also largely about their music career, possibly about their label change between albums. Song of the year contender “All My Exes Live In Vortexes” goes in on single use plastics and two day shipping, but it’s also about a failing relationship. “Gil Scott Albatross” seems to about face into a declaration of love. Tucker navigates the powerfully personal by coloring those feelings with the accelerating absurdity of modern society. Hard to think of a more underrated record this year. [Joey Daniewicz]
15. Couch Slut – You Could Do It Tonight
Now here’s music that meets the moment. Amyl and the Sniffers? They’re good! Chat Pile? That’s cute. This is the real shit you need. Fuzz, aggression, and anguish, dialed up to 50. This is a band that’ll give you a transcendent ass-kicking and then scream in your face about it. No answers. No big insights–or at least none that haven’t been made before. Just a screech of fury, asking, demanding to know, “Why the fuck does it have to be like this?!” If anything, lyrics are besides the point, since explaining why you’re pissed in 2024 feels a bit redundant. Listen without a lyric sheet and let the rage take over. [Melody Esme]
14. Nilüfer Yanya – My Method Actor
Singer Nilüfer Yanya continuously releases strong albums, and her latest, My Method Actor, is another stunner. A relaxed, tumbling tone embodies the album as she weaves in and out of genre and cadence. From her lower octaves, which grant songs a sensual, laid-back vibe, to percussion-heavy features, there’s something for everyone. The quick beat of “Keep on Dancing” strikes a contrast against numbers like the slow build of “Binding.”
Despite playing outside of the margins of any given style or preference, the tracklist has a definite cohesion. It’s a slick listen from start to finish as her voice goes from low and sultry to light and airy. The duo “Ready for Sun (touch)” and “Call it Love” are a particularly striking pair. The lyricism and mounting crescendo make them engrossing plays. And, more than anything, as always, there’s so much in the musicality and instrumentation resting beneath the surface. You can’t just listen to it once — it’s poised for repeat play [Allyson Johnson]
13. Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch
On Here in the Pitch, Jessica Pratt expands her already lush instrumental palette into a dreamier, more astral sonic adventure. Her approach to folk feels beamed from another time, taking inspiration of The Beach Boys and Judy Garland. This is the type of music you would expect to find at an old record store on a whim. With it’s warm string arrangements, it’s not hard to lose yourself within this sound. “Better Hate”, with its light bossa nova feel, touches on this out-of-time feeling. Being lost and not being remembered are feelings that ruminate through these songs.
In a year like 2024, it’s not hard to see why this could resonate. Still, while this record does take us places, it is still deeply grounding too. Many moments like “World on a String” help to center the listener and guide them along to a peaceful, yet contemplative space. [Mark Wesley]
12. Ducks Ltd. – Harm’s Way
Ducks Ltd. don’t reinvent the jangle pop wheel on Harm’s Way. Sometimes, all you need out of an indie rock record is chiming guitars and oblique lyrics. The album’s nine albums all feel like they’re always in motion, both on faster songs like “Train Full of Gasoline” and nominally mid-tempo cuts like the superb “Cathedral City”. Every song on Harm’s Way has an ’80s college rock feel, and fans of older bands like The Go-Betweens and the Cranberries and newer groups like Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and Alvvays will find a lot to love here. [Ryan Gibbs]
11. Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft
Billie Eilish’s 2024 album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, continues her exploration of love, fame, and young adulthood with a more subtle and minimalist production style. Reviving the edgy musical choices from her debut, Eilish’s latest work balances traditional pop tracks like “SKINNY” and “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” with experimental pieces such as the sapphic love exploration “LUNCH” and the eerie “THE DINER.”
Featuring only 10 tracks, this entry in her discography threads complex themes that resonate with Gen-Z with a Eilish’s confident and innovative approach, that, at the end of the day, leaves a lingering tension and a sense of incompleteness that underscores the challenges of growing up while also proving to be a profound artistic statement. [Pedro Graterol]
10. Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood
On the other end of sobriety album Saint Cloud, Katie Crutchfield is in a state of relative peace. Her previous indie rock albums about corrosive substance abuse and explosive heartbreak? She’s not right back to it. Her Lucinda Williams move persists.
Though her career under the Waxahatchee moniker is now neatly partitioned into pre- and post-Saint Cloud eras, Crutchfield has assumed Spoon’s mantle as the arbiter of consistency, and with now five (maybe even six!) straight albums worthy of yearly top ten lists in a row, she’s in impressive territory. Indeed, Tigers Blood continues what might be music’s most impressive streak, Crutchfield’s gift for melody remaining entirely unstoppable.
And yeah, things are going okay. She sees this as the final act of her good old days. “My life’s been mapped out to a T, but I’m always a little lost,” she sings on standout “Lone Star Lake,” but she sounds entirely unbothered. Maybe that little lostness provides enough turbulence at this stage of life. Even when she falls out with her friend, it’s characterized as her just getting bored.
She does reach out for more than just her usual unimpeachable songwriting. She enlists MJ Lenderman to sing backup on a few tracks, and it’s perfect. If Plains is dead, an album with these two would be just perfect. But MJ is mostly here to perfect the chorus on “Right Back To It,” the most gorgeous thing Crutchfield has ever put together. [Joey Daniewicz]
9. Tyler, the Creator – Chromakopia
The release of Chromakopia came at an interesting crossroads in Tyler, The Creator’s career. After following the release of his most pop oriented and sonically experimental albums, Flower Boy and Igor, with Call Me If You Get Lost, a grab-bag of loose bangers that proved he could still rap circles around most of his peers, the next stage of Tyler’s career seemed like it could veer in any direction. Chromakopia feels like a parallel companion piece to CMIYGL, but whereas that felt like a celebration of his earliest works, here we get something that pulls more from his late-stage eras.
There are songs here as introspective and self-lacerating as any of Igor’s most scathing cuts, and the bouncing pop of tracks like “Balloon” and “Darling, I” are as bright as Flower Boy’s sunniest tracks. More than any of his albums so far, Chromakopia has something to offer to any fan of Tyler and is yet another notch in the belt of proving himself as one of the most consistently adventurous artists of his generation. [Quinn Parulis]
8. Mk.gee – Two Star & The Dream Police
When was the first time you listened to Mk.gee? For me, it was his work on Dijon’s excellent 2021 album Absolutely. Maybe you’re a fan of Jean Dawson? Omar Apollo? Or maybe you saw his amazing performance on SNL this fall. He’s your favorite artist’s favorite artist and for good reason. While “Two Star & The Dream Police” put him on the radar for many, Mk.gee, real name Mike Gordon, has been steadily crafting a sound that’s definitively his own. Gordon’s style draws back to The Police, Prince, and even Sting. When listening, it’s not hard to tell he’s done his homework.
Like any proper student of the craft, Mk.gee doesn’t draw from these places mindlessly. Each moment is meticulously crafted. Even the shorter, demo-esque moments like ” DNM” are bursting with creativity. Digging through the fuzz and occasional harshness, you will find a record that is strangely intimate, if not a little jagged. This is 80’s pop revivalism viewed through the lens of a musician with a distinct vision. [Mark Wesley]
7. Various artists – I Saw the TV Glow soundtrack
We’ve already sung the praises of the deeply unsettling and visually alluring I Saw The TV Glow in our end-of-the-year film coverage. But one of the many enticing aspects of the film is its well-curated soundtrack. With a mix of industry vets and up-and-comers, the soundtrack intrinsically ties to the film and its haunting visuals. The songs evoke the necessary feelings of nostalgia, melancholy, and dread. It’s both a cohesive group of songs and ones that allow the individual artist to shine bright, highlighting their talents and why they fit the film’s mood.
Caroline Polacheck’s “Starburned and Unkissed” is an early noteworthy number, a piece that cascades over us as our protagonist wanders the high school halls in pursuit of his own respite. King Woman’s “Bury” strikes an ominous chord at a pivotal juncture. From Sloppy Jane to Bartees Strange, I Saw The TV Glow understands the catharsis and heartbreak of a well-timed needle drop. [Allyson Johnson]
6. Geordie Greep – The New Style
When Geordie Greep announced this year that Black Midi were on an indefinite hiatus, it was soon followed by the news of his debut solo album. Instead of the abstract prog rock that Black Midi had ventured into on their last two albums, The New Sound brings jazz, samba, and even funk elements to songs anchored by Greep’s unique voice and guitar virtuosity.
For much of the record, Greep seems to be playing a character. For instance, he plays a slimy playboy on lead single “Holy, Holy”, but with enough Steely Dan-esque irony injected to make it clear he’s making fun of this loser throughout the song. The title track, a wild piece of samba-jazz, is one of the best instrumentals of the year, recalling the kaleidoscopic jazz rock of the Argentine band Seru Giran. If this is what Greep is offering with his debut solo outing, there’s no telling where he’ll be going next. [Ryan Gibbs]
5. Kendrick Lamar – GNX
If we’re being completely honest, Kendrick didn’t even need to release GNX this year. He had already definitively defeated Drake in, undoubtedly, the biggest pop culture moment of the decade so far. Not to mention, the announcement that he would headline the Super Bowl halftime show. What more could Kendrick do to bookend an already amazing year? Why not surprise drop a new album? GNX not only serves as a victory lap for Kendrick, but on its own, the album is an excellent addition to a classic catalog. It’s not a heavy, concept driven record, but rather, an ode to the music that made him. Calling back classic west coast touch stones like 2Pac, Ice-T, and others. Tracks like “luther”, “squabble up”, and “tv off” are undeniable pop hits to satisfy the chart fiends, while “reincarnated” and “man at the garden” scratch the deeper, introspective side. [Mark Wesley]
4. The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
It may have taken almost two decades, but The Cure have finally released a new album. Songs Of A Lost World is an overwhelming triumph of melancholic self reflection, a record that sees the band trimming back their pop sensibilities to pick up right where their gothic and lovelorn opus Disintegration left off.
The songs are patient, with many of them taking a good deal of time before Robert Smith’s timeless vocals finally come in, but despite their sprawling lengths each one retains an element of fun and melody. Featuring both bangers (“Drone:Nodrone” and and “A Fragile Thing” go so hard) and ballads (“And Nothing Is Forever” and “Alone” are this album’s answer to “Lovesong” and “Plainsong” and are appropriately gorgeous), this album is more than everything a Cure fan could have dreamed from a band close to fifty years old, and if we go by what Smith has been promising then it sounds like there is more to come. [Quinn Parulis]
3. Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven
It is always a thrill to see a band that has been consistent since day one finally hit their stride. Mannequin Pussy’s newest release, I Got Heaven, sees the Philadelphia punk band at both their heaviest and most melodic – sometimes on the same song, like the scathing title track and the brooding “Loud Bite”. Others such as “Nothing Like” and “Ok?Ok!Ok?Ok!” would be comfortably at home on a dream pop and hardcore record, showing a band comfortable with flexing their sound in new directions while still maintaining their core.sound. With vocals best described as snarled and songwriting fueled by righteous fury, I’ve Got Heaven is the most fleshed out and replayable punk album in a year already flush with great options. [Quinn Parulis]
2. Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk
Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin used to be members of a prog rock band called Tabula Rasa, and on no Magdalena Bay release has that past been more apparent than on Imaginal Disk. There’s a lot of craft going into songs like “Death & Romance” and “Image” that have an almost 10cc-esque art pop approach to them, with layers of sound being used to create indelible pop hooks. The album also has a very proggy concept about technology and humanity that provides a thematic through-tissue to its 15 songs.
The result is an album that sounds fantastic as a single piece, especially through headphones, and also allows for its catchiest songs to be enjoyed separately. “Death & Romance” is one of the year’s best songs as a stand-alone piece, but the segue into “Fear, Sex” on the album is one of its best moments and is not to missed. It’s too early to call, but Imaginal Disk might be one of the albums from 2024 that will be held up as a landmark of the 2020s once the decade is over. [Ryan Gibbs]
1. Charli XCX – Brat
How did Charli finally do it? Her albums to this point had all been pretty respected, but it’s pretty wild that she can still plausibly call herself “cult classic” on BRAT. Her only Hot 100 appearance since the “Boom Clap” era ten years back was her appearance on the Barbie soundtrack. Crash hit #1 over in the UK, but its singles charted underwhelmingly.
Well, Charli is simply too cool and too respected for people to never really latch onto one of her albums. “Speed Drive” and Crash definitely got people hungry for it, but BRAT really meets this moment. I’ve always felt that 2019’s Charli tried to pull off a similar feat, but felt it tried too hard to be a grand work.
But BRAT is unapologetically Charli. After “360,” it launches into “Cult Classics” and “Sympathy Is A Knife,” two sonically aggressive numbers that fully embrace her A.G. and Sophie side. It ends on “365,” a chaotic remix of “360” that’s all about doing cocaine (Barack Obama really loved that for some reason). The songs work with the pop music treatment, but Charli also is more focused on getting these into the club (while you’re bumping that).
BRAT also turns itself into a meme before you even get the chance. Obviously a perversion of “360” already ends the album, “bumping that” having already been refracted through an entire house of mirrors. And there’s the iconic, ironic album art. There are a few dead-serious songs here, yeah, but there is a peculiar tone about the proceedings. In what tone of voice will your friends say that they’re so Julia, that they’re the 3-6-5 party girl, that it’s so obvious they’re your number one, fall in love again and again? The defining songs here disappear up their own ass, in the best sort of way.
Of course, that’s not the only thing going on here. “So I” is a beautiful tribute to departed genius SOPHIE. Charli is genuinely puzzled on “Girl, so confusing,” which she also explores on “Sympathy is a knife.” “I think about it all the time” puts genuine thought into what’s next, not quite undercut by the debauchery on the subsequent track. I think the ironic distance more defines this album, but I believe the sincere tracks bring balance and make the whole thing easier to stomach.
Really, Charli just inhabited the hell out of an aesthetic, a vibe. The album gave way to a deluxe edition, then remixes, then an entire remix album, teasing new releases with billboards all the way until you could no longer plausibly say that BRAT summer was an ongoing concern. Charli, a perpetual underdog, somehow led the monoculture this year. But now she’s on top. Our number one. Is this her new status going forward, or just one crazy summer? [Joey Daniewicz]
Album covers in the cover images courtesy of PGLang/Interscope, Mom + Pop, Fiction Records/Lost Music/Polydor Records, Warp Records, Ninja Tune, and R&R.
No Comments