Top 20 Albums of 2024
Last year was a fantastic year for music. Let's highlight some of its best records to see why.
At the start of every year, a group of some of my oldest friends gets together to hash out our opinions on the previous year’s media. Some talk about movies, TV shows, and games, but everyone has thoughts on the year’s albums. This tradition has turned into a cross-country virtual sharing of presentations that takes half the day, and I look forward to it each and every year.
Having just wrapped this annual celebration of friendship and music, the time has finally come for me to make my favorites from last year public. After the disappointing musical year that was 2023, it would have been hard for 2024 to not be an improvement. But the actual difference in quality was staggering. Last year saw the releases of some absolutely killer records from across a wide swath of genres. Though time will tell if any of them prove decade-defining, I know I’ll be listening to many of them for years to come and finding new things to love about each of them.
At the end of this list, you’ll find a playlist of choice cuts from these albums and other favorites, as well as songs from my favorite EPs of the year and my two favorite loose singles. I’ll shout those out first before we get into the records.
Favorite Loose Singles
Momma - “Ohio All The Time”
I have my generational gripes with the Zoomers, but I’ll give them this: they’re carrying the torch for fuzzy ‘90s power pop like nobody else. Acts like Beach Bunny and The Beths are notable standouts in this subgenre, but the rising band that I’ve had my eye on for a few years now is the Brooklyn-based Momma. I thought their last record, 2022’s Household Name, had a few highlights but generally sounded kind of samey throughout. However, the 2023 single “Bang Bang” and now “Ohio All The Time” have proven the outfit’s ability to write a variety of fun, addictive hooks, all backed by killer riffs and charming vocal melodies. If they have more songs like this ready to go, the album they’re teasing for this year can’t come soon enough.
Chappell Roan - “Good Luck, Babe!”
I have nothing new to offer to the conversation around this song, even if I think I was relatively early to hear it (Last.fm has my first stream of this bop on April 28th, about three weeks after it was released). All I’ll say is I should have known Dan Nigo was involved in this the second I heard it. His work with Olivia Rodrigo has proven him maybe one of the best to ever help young pop stars find brilliant hooks and song topics, and “Good Luck, Babe!” is the ultimate proof of that.
Favorite EPs
Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Eazy Peazy
London-based art rock outfit Man/Woman/Chainsaw have so much going for them. The ability to combine compelling songwriting with freakout jams is no easy feat, especially with a band that folds instruments like the violin in between the drum fills and guitar licks. Add emotionally honest and occasionally wryly funny lyrics on top of that and you have a musical house of cards that could collapse at any moment.
Indeed, the band I’m most reminded of when listening to Eazy Peazy is Black Country, New Roads, who, after dropping one of the best albums of the decade so far, lost their lead singer and songwriter, who cited emotional burnout. That band has continued on to (what I find are) mixed results, but with more variety in song topics and shared lead singer duty to alleviate some of the stress, I’m hoping that the interweaving chaos and control of Man/Woman/Chainsaw continues for years to come.
Thank You, I’m Sorry - Repeating Threes
Well this is awkward. I was ready to come here and tell you that I had discovered this great new American emo outfit because of one of the best songs I heard in all of 2024. “When I Come East” is an absurdly catchy piece of indie rock about realizing that someone close to you might not be such a great friend after all (though you’re not getting off the hook either). How thrilled I was that the Repeating Threes EP that that song is the centerpiece of is a fun showcase of what is surely an up and coming new band, already so sure in their sound and ready to take on the world.
That’s on me for not doing my research. As I was putting my list together, I discovered that not only is Thank You, I’m Sorry not a new band, having been together since 2018, but Repeating Threes was their final release before entering indefinite hiatus. That’s a shame, because though I now have a back catalogue to go through and enjoy, I thought what I was hearing was a band on the cusp of something great. I’ll keep listening to “When I Come East” with great frequency for the foreseeable future and keep track of the remnants of this band though. Surely this isn’t the last I’ll hear of this talented group.
Top 20 Albums of 2024
20. Drug Church - Prude
Every year that Drug Church drops a new album, I am stunned and disappointed. Stunned that each successive record has proven itself an incredible installment in a nearly flawless discography, and disappointed that, in an era where hardcore is bigger than ever, this band remains criminally underappreciated. How can you not enjoy riffs this sick, beats this pounding, and stories of burnouts, renegades, and loners barked with such intense honesty? Get onboard the Drug Church train now. With records like Prude to look forward to every year or two, the only downside is you’ll wish you’d done it years earlier.
19. Combat - Stay Golden
In December, my wife and I went to the 9:30 Club to catch Origami Angel live. The quirky-yet-emo pop-punkers were having a big homecoming concert, playing their newest album, Feeling Not Found, in full for the first time (it was a better album to hear live, not my favorite project from the band but not bad). The first of two openers was this group of 5 kids, 20 years old at the oldest. They introduced themselves as Combat, from Baltimore, and kicked off one of the most impressive sets I’ve seen in a while. A sprint of high energy pop-punk with a tinge of post-hardcore thrown in, with sharp lyrics (from what I could hear) and ambitious song structures. I wasn’t the only one impressed; I saw a lot of people walking around with vinyl copies of Stay Golden, their 2024 debut, that they picked up from the merch stand.
I’m pleased to report that Combat’s killer live energy translates well onto this record, which was actually produced by the singer/guitarist from Origami Angel. This band having access to high quality production like this when they’re already writing songs like both parts 1 and 2 of “Weird Ending Explained” makes me extremely confident in their future, especially given their young age. Buy stock in Combat today.
18. George Clanton & TV Girl - Fauxllenium
Do you like Y2k nostalgia? It sure seems like a big theme these days. I won’t say I’m innocent of it, but I try not to linger too much on the idea that things were so much better in the world right up until September 10th, 2001. Singer/Songwriter/Producer George Clanton has explored this idea of turn of the century reminiscence sonically before, most notably with his excellent record Slide. This year, Clanton teamed up with alt-rock chillers TV Girl to put together a short album that doesn’t sound like the music of 2000, but rather sounds like the feeling in basking in the memory of that time. The laid back sequenced drums, the shimmery synths, and the reverbed samples all feed into this, leading to an album that both looks to the past but also remembers the all important credence of the 2020s: it’s all about the vibes.
17. Clairo - Charm
Clairo’s early stuff was good, but it always felt a bit derivative of the sounds of late 2010s bedroom pop. The popstar leveled up in my eyes with her 2021 album Sling, which focused on a sound much more inspired by 1970s Laurel Canyon singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. Charm is an extension of that sonic palette, combining jazzy pianos, gently strummed guitars, and soft drum patterns with catchy lyrical explorations of romance, heartbreak, and loneliness. I don’t think Clairo has made a Sweet Baby James or Tapestry here, but this is a great album that will age amazingly, and it makes me think that she can get even better with the next few releases.
16. Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
It might be easy to claim a falloff from Billie Eilish, considering that no song on her new album has had the same kind of cultural impact of a “bad guy” or even a “What Was I Made For?”. Sure, “Birds of a Feather” was pretty big, but Eilish is not a pretty big artist, she’s one of the most notable pop stars of the last 10 years. While HIT ME HARD AND SOFT doesn’t hold up overall to her incredible debut album, I’d comfortably place it in the same tier as her last record: a few great big songs with plenty of rewarding deep cut listens as well. As I kept going back and relistening to this album, I found myself not at all worried about the long term prospects for Miss Eilish. Rumors of her cultural demise are greatly exaggerated.
15. Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal
Early in 2024, Florida rapper Doechii dropped one of the favorite songs of the entire year. “Alter Ego” is an unbelievable banger, featuring a pounding beat and groovy dance synths that pulse while Doechii confidently talks her shit over the mix. I heard this song and immediately knew that I had to keep my ears open for the full-length project that she would certainly drop with it as lead single. I was half right; Alligator Bites Never Heal doesn’t feature “Alter Ego” at all, but instead we get almost 20 short, punchy tracks of shocking variety. Doechii is a hell of a rapper, mixing impressive technical rhymes with a hell of a lot confidence and distinct voice. My biggest problem with incredible songs like “BULLFROG” and “NISSAN ALTIMA” is that they’re over too soon. But hopefully we don’t have to wait long for more. Technically billed as a mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal is just another incredible teaser for what’s to come from one of the most impressive new rappers in years.
14. This is Lorelei - Box for Buddy, Box for Star
A new wrinkle to this year’s Album of the Year discussion was the Song of the Year bracket. I asked everyone in the group for their 8 favorite songs of 2024, seeded them by number of Spotify streams, and set up a bracket to find the consensus pick for favorite. Everyone voted on the matchups in the weeks leading up to the Final 4, which was presented live on the call. As I sent out polls to collect votes from round to round, one song kept surprising me with how far it was getting. “I’m All Fucked Up” by This Is Lorelei was the 59th seed, but despite being unknown to most voters before the bracket, it made it all the way to the Final 4, upsetting “Not Like Us” before finally falling to eventual winner “Good Luck, Babe!”
“I’m All Fucked Up” is the best song I discovered as part of running this bracket, and it led me to check out the album it came from. Hearing it was a revelation: This is Lorelei is a musical project with a deep appreciation for indie rock of all stripes. Each song on Box for Buddy, Box for Star fuses jangly guitars and clever hooks with genres like country, indietronica, and more. I’m kicking myself for not hearing this sooner. If you’re a songwriting nerd who loves variety and indie rock, this is a can’t miss project.
13. Liquid Mike - Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot
Sometimes, you just need to strip out the bullshit. This is true in a lot of fields, like relationships, art, and cooking. No band better understood this in 2024 than Liquid Mike; Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot is peak power-pop precision. The Michigan outfit doesn’t waste anytime with elements that don’t make their songs kickass, catchy, and fun as hell. Take album highlight “Pacer,” for example. Intro, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus, outro. You’re in and out quickly without missing any sharp hooks or clever lyrical melodies.
These are the kinds of songs that work best on a bright summer day on the way to the beach. The songs may be about the doldrums of living in a small Midwest town, but the sound is bright, sunny bliss. There’s almost an addicting quality to these songs, leading to sunny months of 2024 here I was listening to Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot at least weekly. Stripping out the bullshit is important, and when you do I recommend you replace it with this killer record.
12. From Indian Lakes - Head Void
2023 was a great year for shoegaze and dreampop, with sweet releases from Parannoul, Slowdive, and Beach Fossils. While 2024 was a better year for music generally, it lacked solid album output from these twin genres, at least to my ears. Head Void is the exception. Infusing the noise with sharp indie rock songwriting, From Indian Lakes were able to craft some of the finest guitar songs of 2024. None were finer than “The Flow,” an enigmatic, angular, and undeniable track that was one of my absolute favorites of the year. Head Void flies by maybe too quickly, but the songs are so awesome that you won’t mind going back for more.
11. JPEGMAFIA - I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU
Serious question: is JPEGMAFIA the best producer in hip-hop today? He’s certainly the most creative. Who else out there is flipping a throwaway line from Logan Roy on Succession and using it to make one of the hardest songs of 2024? If it was just the production, Peggy’s latest would already be pretty high on this list. But not only is the Baltimore native laying down some extraordinary sonic beds to rap over, he’s delivering captivating bars that alternate between threatening and extremely fun. Every time I think that there’s no way that JPEGMAFIA is that good, he drops an album like I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, a brilliant record that ranks up with other highlights in his discography like Veteran and LP!.
10. Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk
As a kid I was weirdly elitist about rock music, probably as a way to reject the mainstream tastes of other children who couldn’t give less of a shit that I liked Blue Oyster Cult. As an enlightened adult, I know the truth: there is almost nothing better than the perfectly tuned synth pop song. If you’ve also reached this enlightened state, then you’re probably already well aware of Magdalena Bay. The duo have been putting out great songs and records for years, and yet Imaginal Disk still feels like an explosive burst onto the wider music scene.
No album in 2024 rewarded repeat listens like this one. Each layered sound was so perfectly engineered that I’m still discovering new instrumental wrinkles months after first listening, and the overall world that’s crafted within these songs makes the album one of the most cohesive works of pop music I’ve heard in ages. And of course, the tracks themselves are immaculate earworms. I promise you, songs like “Death and Romance” and “That’s My Floor” will fill the cracks in your brain between important information like your home address and what you need to grab at the store. They will take over your gray matter slowly but surely, until the chorus of “Image” is all you can perceive. The prophecy of the album’s cover will come true, as it will feel like the result of neatly sliding a CD directly into your skull. You’ll be thrilled to take part.
9. Kali Uchis - ORQUIDEAS
I’ve appreciated the works of Colombian pop artist Kali Uchis for years, but have never felt like her amazing voice and dreamy style have ever coalesced into a properly great record (not since 2018’s Isolation any way). My usual complaint with her albums? Too much of a good thing; Uchis’s voice has always been great, but too often I found it floating on top of dreamy, slightly dull production that doesn’t do much to excite. The singer/songwriter must have been listening to my complaints though, because ORQUIDEAS offers the sonic variety I’ve been craving.
The trademark Uchis pop sound is here, but there are also disco jams, songs that sound like The Weeknd, reggaetón-adjacent bops, corrido outros, and even one or two hip-hop tracks where Kali gets to talk her shit beautifully. An early 2024 release, ORQUIDEAS was one of my most repeated listens throughout the year, and each time I went through it, I discovered something new to love. Kali Uchis was always one of the best singers in the world of pop, but now she’s unlocked the fantastic songwriting necessary to elevate her to that top tier of diva. Let’s hope she mixes it up even more with her next release.
8. Porter Robinson - SMILE! :D
The narrative that we should feel sad for the rich and famous because their lives are hard too does ring a little hollow in an era where it costs $5 to get eggs at the store, but it’s not impossible to evoke that sympathy. Porter Robinson has been a festival mainstay for years with his fusion of pop, pop-rock, and EDM, and he wants you to know that it’s really taken a toll on him. That could come off as horribly cringy and disconnected in the wrong hands, but Robinson has proven himself as an effective and reflective songwriter, and SMILE! :D is just further proof of that.
Take lead single “Cheerleader,” for example. Robinson nearly wails over the discomfort and fear that comes with having fanatics addicted to you as a person, as well as the strange feeling of needing them as well. He never paints himself as the hero or the mistreated victim; instead, he’s closer to the cause of the pain, offering up a real question on whether some of his fans would be better off if he didn’t exist. Further explorations of fame, connection, and Robinson’s own struggles with alcoholic are buoyed by some absolutely stellar production. Every song here will catch hold in your brain and refuse to let go, but when the production is this great, why would you want them to? SMILE! :D succeeds so well at conveying Robinson’s fears of fame that it’s a shame that scores and scores of fans will be listening to it for years to come, giving him more acclaim and wealth as a result.
7. Denzel Curry - King of the Mischievous South
When Florida rap great Denzel Curry released KING OF THE MISCHIEVOUS SOUTH VOL. 2 early in 2024, the project was solid but lean. A sequel to an early mixtape over a decade in the making, the project did a fantastic job evoking the sound of classic southern hip-hop but felt like it was missing some meat on the bone. Later in the year though, Curry re-released the project as KING OF THE MISHIEVOUS SOUTH, adding new tracks interwoven between the original record’s songs to create something better than a deluxe edition. This was the definitive full-length album that this project deserved to be.
Curry’s last album, Melt My Eyez, See Your Future was one of his headier records, filled with jazzy beats, conceptual bars, and critically acclaimed featured artists. In his own words, KOTMS is a “dumbed down” version of the rapper, but that’s only in relative terms. Curry is still one of the most proficient, brilliant rappers around, someone who can impress you with layer upon layer of rhymes while keeping the energy high and the party going. Here, he’s dived deep into the aesthetic of old-school Memphis rap, choosing beats that swirl with hypnotic loops and aggressive 808s. It sounds like the production he was always meant to be rapping on, but then again, Denzel Curry is so consistently excellent that I’ve been saying that about him for years.
6. Cheekface - It’s Sorted
Sometimes, all you can do is look at the insane technocapitalist grindset hell we find ourselves in on a day to day basis and laugh. LA indie rock band Cheekface understands this perfectly. They’ve been making wryly funny, quirky bursts of alternative rock for years now, and It’s Sorted serves as their strongest full-length release to date. Some might be turned off by the nearly spoken word vocals, but their purpose is to leave no doubt as to what’s being said in each of the hilarious verses and catchy choruses that populate this record from beginning to end.
This is a weird thing to say about an album that’s less than a half hour long, but It’s Sorted also represents a step up in overall songwriting for Cheekface as a band. Fleshed out instrumental bridges fill in the gaps between verses, while the grooves and riffs beneath the lyrics could even have you moving and grooving around as you listen to absurd lyrics about living in a world of constant surveillance and the ultimately destructive comparisons you make against your peers. This will never be the kind of music that gets Cheekface into arenas, but they’re okay with that. “Success is cringe,” they belt on the opening track. “I want to be on the fringe.”
5. Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven
“Mannequin Pussy” is a punk-as-fuck band name, but would you believe me if that doesn’t tell the whole story of the excellent I Got Heaven? They certainly know how to rip; the Philadelphia band isn’t afraid to kick into hardcore mode, with crushing riffs and thrashing breakdowns. Those songs, however, are interspersed with some truly brilliant moments of heavier indie rock. The melodies are sweet, the harmonies are catchy, and the subject matter is heartrending, as lead singer Missy Dabice wails about the terror of trying to know and be known. Sometimes, the hardcore and indie rock fuse together on the same song, like on the incredible “Loud Bark.” With I Got Heaven, Mannequin Pussy have created a full album’s worth of songs that, in a just world, would dominate alternative radio. Then again, their punk ethos probably wouldn’t be a match for IHeartRadio’s corporate hegemony. They’re just too righteous, and I mean that in the most endearing way possible.
4. Kendrick Lamar - GNX
He didn’t need to drop a record. Kendrick could have quietly prepared for his Super Bowl performance in New Orleans from August onward and no one would have begrudged him the silence. How could they? K-Dot’s total dominance over Drake in their historic rap beef didn’t just earn him the short-term victory over the Canadian hitmaker. The unsavory accusations and brutal breakdowns of character that Drake found himself bombarded by on tracks like “Euphoria,” “Meet the Grahams,” and song-of-the-year contender “Not Like Us” may keep him from ever reaching his previous levels of commercial dominance ever again.
None of those songs are on GNX, Kendrick’s final surprise release in a year absolutely full of shocking appearances by the Compton native. Instead, this is a victory lap album. Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers and DAMN. were both heavy records (especially the former), and while there were songs on each that you could bob your head to, it was clear that Kendrick was more focused on working through some personal issues than creating hits with those albums. GNX has tracks where the Pulitzer winner examines his place in the larger rap landscape and the effect fame has had on his psyche, but it’s also a total blast to listen to.
Kendrick is fully leaning into the sound of LA here, with laidback banger beats meeting gnarly, wordy bars and even the occasional appearances of mariachi performer Deyra Barrera. This is the most easy-going album from the artist in years, and even if some tracks like “Reincarnated” get heavy compared to your average rapper’s output, this is not nearly as challenging a listen as Mr. Morale or even the classic To Pimp a Butterfly. Recognizing the groundswell of love and support he was getting for vanquishing everyone’s least favorite Toronto rapper (for now at least), Kendrick decided it was time to have fun. Surprising no one, he’s incredible at that too.
3. Charli xcx - BRAT
Did Charli herself end Brat Summer early when she declared on Xitter in late July that “kamala IS brat”? In hindsight, the answer is obvious; here was the popstar of the moment, riding the high of the critical and commercial success she had longed for for years, declaring the occasionally challenging pop classic that she had so carefully marketed and released the previous month consubstantial with the latest in a line of neoliberal Democratic candidates who would go on to fail to defeat the fascistic language and actions of Donald Trump. What happened?
As a fellow Millennial, I understand where Charli was coming from. Hopeposting, the yin to doomscrolling’s yang, was at its strongest when Kamala was announced to be taking over Biden’s spot in the election. It was hard to not get wrapped up in it. Besides, Miss XCX had plenty of other reasons to be feeling good. Her new album had redefined what the pop record rollout looked like, with a carefully coordinated aesthetic, marketing campaign, and remix release cadence. That would be impressive enough if the songs on BRAT weren’t also so goddamn good.
Tracks like “Von dutch” and “360” are the culmination of Charli’s evolution from her most mainstream moment over a decade ago to the face of PC Music slash proto-hyperpop icon that she is now. But these aren’t just a bunch of “Club classics;” songs like “I think about it all the time” and “Girl, so confusing” are honest reflections on her own worries and anxieties at this point in her life, while “So I” is heartbreaking tribute to the late SOPHIE, whose friendship and innovative production were key to getting Charli to this moment. It’s a nearly perfectly structured pop album that doesn’t forget to be both forward thinking and fun as hell. Take a bow, queen; even if Brat Summer is over, Brat Century continues for the next 75 years at least.
2. Knocked Loose - You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Hardcore is having a moment. The thrashing riffs, brutal breakdowns, and harsh yet emotionally honest lyrics of the genre have found a home on more playlists than ever, thanks to the rising appeal of crossover acts like Turnstile lifting the boats of bands like Scowl, Drain, and Anxious. Or at least, that’s how I thought it worked before 2024. For as big of a fan of GLOW ON as I am, I had somehow missed that the actual biggest band in the genre was Kentucky outfit Knocked Loose. These guys sold out huge theaters all year, and featured prominently at festivals all around the world. You’ might think this wide success means they’re as easy to listen to and genre-ambiguous as Turnstile are.
You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To will correct that notion right away. The shrieked lyrics anguish over suffering and reject the domineering control of entities like the church. The drums and bass pound and gurgle menacingly deeper in the mix. The guitars shred and chug so dynamically that it would be hard to keep track of what you’re even hearing if the production wasn’t so goddamn perfect. These elements culminate on every song with these brutal breakdowns that will make you want to beat a hole into the wall if they catch you in the wrong (or right) mood. No music in 2024 was as cathartic for me as You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, especially as the year went on and I found more reasons to be disgusted by the world around me. Knocked Loose have created one of the best sounding and written spaces for rage I’ve ever heard. This is a record I’ll be coming back to for years to come.
1. Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us
Imagine it’s 2008. What if someone told you that the best album of the year was put out by a band that had been around since 1992? You’d dismiss them as an old person stuck in the past, unwilling to accept that the world had moved on and new, more exciting music was being made by artists who weren’t nearly two decades into their career. It’s 2024, and now I am the one trying to tell everyone that Vampire Weekend, 16 years after their first record, have put out the best album of the year. I promise you though, I’m not just trapped by nostalgia.
I thought Vampire Weekend’s last record, Father of the Bride, was pleasant but lacking in the kind of emotional yet catchy songwriting that makes their first three records so legendary in my mind. With Only God Was Above Us, the group has returned to form without feeling like they’re just playing the hits. The morose, bittersweet lyrics of Modern Vampires of the City interspersed with the diverse, dare I say fun instrumentation of Contra, all sparked by the same energy as their self-titled debut. The songs on this new album go toe-to-toe with classics tracks from any of the band’s earlier eras, and stand apart as distinctly new.
I knew Only God Was Above Us was going to be good by singles like “Capricorn” and “Classical,” but even as a fan of the band I was stunned by how brilliant some of these tracks are. Every time I hear mid-album deepcut “The Surfer,” I’m blown away by the combination of production choices to make this song sound exactly like a blustery beach on a bright winter’s day. And closer “Hope” is exactly what its title promises: a plea for moving on in the hope of making things better in the future. It’s an emotional place to leave the listener on, but the rest of OGWAU is so incredible that the band earns ever second of that last 7 minute runtime.
Then again, part of it has to be nostalgia. I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a lot of joy in knowing that a band I’ve loved for so many years is still so relevant and artistically interesting. Would I enjoy this new Vampire Weekend album so much if I hadn’t been the kid obsessed with hearing “A-Punk” as many times as possible in an afternoon? I don’t know, but hearing Only God Was Above Us feels life affirming in a way that’s both reflective and forward thinkin. In a way, it’s just like meeting up with some old friends and talking about what’s new.