Presenting my favorite / the best albums of 2024, featuring: The Cure, Ka, Dummy, Nala Sinephro, Fabiana Palladino, Bill Orcutt, Beyoncé, The Jesus Lizard, Blood Incantation, Amaro Freitas, Mannequin Pussy, Cindy Lee, and more!
According to some sources, in 2024, there was more new music released in a single day than in all of the year 1989 in total, so if you felt overwhelmed with the sheer volume of new records this year, you're not alone. I listened to over 150 new releases this year and did my best to whittle down my list to the top 50 which you can check-out below and read some thoughts on my top ten. This year had a ton to unpack and ranged from new albums from the biggest names in the game, to a rising crop of newly discovered talent as well as artists who've been putting in the work for a long time and are finally getting their dues. There were also some stellar returns from legacy acts who released new albums that were better than anyone dreamed of or expected. We also lost pivotal artists in close proximity to their work being released, a far too common trend, and had to reshape our connection with the music when hearing it under new circumstances. Regardless of the reason, however, for listening to any of the albums below or any other records from this year, the tunes provided a much needed constance. As the uncertainties of 2025 loom large, it's helpful to have music as a retreat. Whatever lies ahead, I hope to continue to be a source of new inspiration and can lead you to something you might not have found elsewhere. No matter what, I hope we keep enjoying new music together.
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ERIKA DE CASIER |
Still
It’s hard to remember the times when Beyoncé was just a regular popstar and not a pillar of culture and the music industry itself. At this juncture, it feels like Queen Bey’s reign has stretched on for eons and it might be the only time when we are collectively ok with someone not relinquishing their crown. It’s been just over a decade since she surprise released her (somehow underrated) self-titled album on the morning of December 13, 2013 and ever since that moment, Beyoncé has somehow continued to rise, even when it seemed like she’d already reached the elite top position. She followed that groundbreaking album with
Lemonade, yet another cultural touchstone which many will stamp as her defining work, and then she delivered us
Renaissance, her actual masterpiece, two back-to-back blockbusters that made her untouchable, rightfully so in the music world, and actually cemented her as a God-level icon.
Cowboy Carter is the first time in a long time that Bey hasn’t one-upped herself, but she still managed to make one of the best country albums of the year and one of the best albums of the year period. Sure there are moments when it feels a bit stuffed, exaggerated, and a touch disposable, but it’s also still got some unbelievable work that once again showcases her operating at a higher caliber than almost any other musician can imagine let alone pull off. Even when Beyoncé hits a bit of a foul, it still gets knocked out of the park.
For half a century, Kim Gordon has been at the forefront of avant-garde art primarily through her former band Sonic Youth. Essential players in New York’s downtown No Wave scene, the band inverted pop songs and gave them a sinister undercurrent that mixed industrial tones with melodic rhythms that made them one of the most important bands in the American underground. It’s been over a decade since Sonic Youth played their last notes, but Gordon has persisted as a major force in the world of experimental art and music. On her second solo album, released the year she turned 70, is one of the more extreme entries in her sonic catalogue. Blown-out trap beats crumble under sheets of noise while Kim delivers her deadpan vocals with lethal precision. This is a blaring record that hits like shrapnel as it explodes with triumphant force punishing pleasures. Opening single “BYE BYE” finds Gordon reading off a packing list as if she’s traversing a war zone with bombs of noise going off in the background while she remains un-phased. Later her voice is processed through a shredder, ripping it to pieces while more militarized bombardments of brutal, banging sounds clamor behind her. To be a leader in such experimental sounds for so long is a feat that not many others have accomplished and to remain such a vital figure is a triumph that most can’t imagine. Kim Gordon has been the reigning queen of cool for decades and she is showing no signs of relinquishing it any time soon.
I’ve listened to
Two Star & the Dream Police a lot and each time I hit play I still struggle to fully comprehend what is going on with this album. There are stretches that sound like glistening ‘80s rock, but other moments when elements of R&B find their way into the mix. The vocals are mumbled to the point where I can’t make out what he’s saying most of the time and if you were to think that these were just drafts or demos of unfinished work, it wouldn’t be out of line to say so. There is some shredding and there’s also some streamlined effects that make it sound like a highly-produced and immaculate album, but the songs also seem to start and finish mid-thought. I’m not sure if what draws me back each time is just trying to figure out exactly what I’m hearing or if I think everything has finally clicked and it will all make so much sense, but regardless, with each listen I feel captivated by the sound and that adds to the fun. Seeing Mk.gee rise from a virtually unknown guitarist to soundtracking scenes in
The Bear and appearing on SNL wasn’t the underground sensation moment I expected, but it feels strongly deserved. This rather synthetic rock and roll has many touchstones of the past, but it also sounds very much like the future and I’m excited to see where Mk.gee takes us.
The world feels like it’s on the brink of destruction and things feel pretty bleak. Enter Chat Pile, the Oklahoma noise-rock metal-edged quartet who are making some of the most punishing and seething music for the end of days. On their sophomore record, the band is as focused and sharpened as ever and their bruising rhythm section is enhanced with scorching guitar work with lead singer Raygun Busch wallops with eviscerating vocals that lacerate the competition. There isn’t a single moment on this album that isn’t intense and it can sound like a tool chest falling down a flight of stairs, but it’s also something that feels needed and validating. There’s a lot of pent-up energy and it can be hard to process how to handle the feelings of rage as we watch the world burn, but luckily Chat Pile have given us something that is equally extreme as it is cathartic.
It’s hard to pin down what exactly changed on
The Past is Still Alive, the eighth and the latest album by Alynda Segarra who records as Hurray for the Riff Raff. This isn’t groundbreaking territory or a decidedly new direction for the artist, but whatever magic was in the room while Segarra was writing these songs was captured in the recordings and the gift we’ve all received is one beyond comparison. Through classic folk and americana, Segarra details the struggles that come with life, the fears of losing friends to drugs laced with chemicals, and the war on the American people who are simply just trying to get by. It’s an intimate and intricate portrait of the details of life so many of us face as we sit back and watch the world burn. Often, there’s a lot to take in and most of the time it feels too overwhelming, but with music this good, it helps to soften the blow.
“I can trace back most bands that I like to Neil [Young]" MJ Lenderman told Billboard over the summer and if that’s not enough of an endorsement, I don’t know what is. As the lead guitarist in alt-country rockers Wednesday, Lenderman could let it all ride on that band’s rising success, but with talent this strong, it’s also a joy to see him stretch out on his own and take center stage with his growing solo career. Manning Fireworks isn’t just his biggest achievement yet, it’s also a defining moment in the indie rock landscape. Fuzzy, ‘90s style guitar music in the vein of Dinosaur Jr or Pavement is surely felt throughout as is the obvious influence of Neil Young’s wide and impressionable catalogue, but Lenderman also has the chops to crank out lyrics that add another layer to the already surging tunes and his ability to make the most mundane sound so profound is incredible. Simple one-liners and snarky quips about loners and losers are at the heart of this record and Lenderman amplifies it all with understated guitar work that never skyrockets into the raging solos you might expect, but instead almost provides a frustrating amount of resistance. Lenderman can rock out like the best of them, but he chooses to keep things simple here and doesn't feel the need to show off. Lenderman doesn’t feel the need to impress on an excessive scale because at the end of the day, as his wristwatch says, he’s all alone and he’s perfectly cool just staying home to play “Bark at the Moon” on guitar hero. Another lonely loser just like the rest of us.
GNX isn’t Kendrick’s best album or his second best album, but it’s still one that made a friend of mine ask the day after its release “is he the best rapper alive? Is he the best of all time? I don’t know, but probably.” Kendrick is in the pocket throughout the record and while you may be feeling that he’s too locked-in on his beef and that we’d already heard enough from his singles-war with Drake before the album even came out, but Lamar’s consistency to remain so hot and on focus is what makes him such a marvel. From the moment he dropped in on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” it felt like the year already belonged to Kendrick and as his feud with Drake escalated, he was ready to prove that there is no room at the top for anyone else. After laying Mr Graham to waste with the song of the year, “Not Like Us,” Lamar still had his eyes set on the prize and surprised us all (and perhaps his label too) on a Friday afternoon in November when his latest record seemed to appear out of thin air. Within hours, folks were already claiming it as a force of nature and a clear front-runner as the best rap album of the year and perhaps the best album, period. Kendrick didn’t need to give us GNX after already conquering the year with just a few singles, but he did it anyway and solidified his status as the GOAT. It’s crazy, scary, spooky, and hilarious at just how good he can be and his talent is unmatched. Sorry Aubrey.
To listen to
Diamond Jubilee can be a bit of an overwhelming experience. Beyond its staggering run time, listening to the record is like hitting play on a haunted jukebox where songs from never existing doo-wop, girl groups, and surfing garage rock bands all take control, except they’re all Cindy Lee who has compiled a collection of songs so strong that it feels like it could be a lost soundtrack to a specific era in time. Yet this is very much a record of today and also one that defies what so many consider to be a standard of consumption. Only available on YouTube or via a geocities website, the album finally made its way to Bandcamp months after its release and physical records won’t ship until the first quarter of 2025, making the album feel almost like a distinct move to combat the style of music consumption of the time and deny streaming services the opportunity to take advantage of yet another artist. You had to really want to listen to this record in 2024, but if you found the time and proper channels, it was immediately impossible to deny its brilliance. It’s a true work of art and one that both defines and defies the time like any real artist should.
When Waxahatchee released
Saint Cloud in 2020, Katie Crutchfield crossed the chasm from a crunchy indie sound into a crystalline country vision. A rich, full sound of golden hued tunes to match the rolling plains and waves of grains that color so much of the American midwest. Her follow-up,
Tigers Blood isn’t just a sequel or part two, but rather a new record that further defines her sound via wonderful growth and evolution. It sounds like the natural next chapter in her career as a divine storyteller and songwriter. Her confidence on these tracks is remarkable and she’s navigated this spectacular career growth like a true star. The album’s standout track “Right Back to It” is one of the most serene and spectacular musical accomplishments of the year and when MJ Lenderman’s voice lifts Crutchfield’s during the chorus, it suspends time and in that moment there is a sense of levity and magic that is hard to articulate. I often hate to use the word “beautiful” when talking about music because it gets so repetitive and can often be overused, but few descriptions are more fitting for this album and I’m awestruck every time I listen to it.
It’s not often that an album can not only dominate the musical landscape, but conquer the zeitgeist at large as well.
Brat, the sixth album from Charli XCX not only became an instant smash to encapsulate the summer, but it’s carried on through numerous revamps as well that somehow don’t stifle the energy or even sustain it, each time Charli reworks it, the sensation somehow grows. Years of hard work and under the radar jams have prepared her for this moment and she’s nailed it every step of the way. Yet it wasn’t just the music, it was the phenomenon as well. Whether it was blasting in an underground basement club, through the streets of Times Square, or under the stars in the middle of a rave on a secluded Cape Cod beach, every moment felt like the perfect time to be partying to this record and reveling in the moment. There’s also something that must be running through theatre kids' heads about Barbie Pink and Brat Green preluding the dueling tones of
Wicked, but I’ll save that for another time. The allure and appeal of this album was a cultural imprint that felt more like a product rollout and takeover than a promotion for new music, but Charli and her team took it to the next level in a way like we haven’t seen before, even in the times of Taylor and Beyoncé. An attempted political campaign to save democracy, a general mindset for the throws of summer, a TikTok dance, a fashion statement; it embodied not just what felt like a movement, but an entire lifestyle as well. There was no escape, but none was needed. The word, the mood, the theme, the vibe, the color, and the album of the year. Nothing defined 2024 like
Brat.
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