Ten Albums from 2024

In Three, Four Tet departs from his typical stadium setlists and navigates a far more intimate, restrained tone. An album built for getting lost in the soundscape and locking in; a far cry from his work with Skrillex and Fred again...

A pairing of vivacious, energetic sound and a downcast, nostalgic mood, creating an album that pulls listeners between joy and melancholy. Although I still prefer Nurture and Worlds over SMILE! :D, the tour for this album was an incredible show and perhaps one of the best concert experiences I've had the fortune of seeing.

It would be wrong to exclude the GOAT of West Coast hip-hop from this list. I spent this year exploring Kendrick's earlier work, such as Section.80, and I was impressed by how well it holds up and will continue to hold up twenty years from now. GNX is no different. The SZA features showcase his talent across genres. This album got mustard.

I've been a fan of Parannoul since the release of To See the Next Part of the Dream, an album completed alone and in a bedroom. The vocals were recorded on a Samsung Galaxy S5. Sky Hundred continues this legacy of noisy, swelling shoegaze. I was overjoyed to see this release considering I was not a fan of the collaboration album earlier this year with Fax Gang.

The Marías' combination of psych, jazz, and dream-pop creates a melancholic album that, with the added context of the breakup between the couple that founded the band, resonates deeply with themes of love, loss, and introspection. It's hard to hate.

Building on her signature dreamy indie-pop sound, Clairo continues to draw upon the '70s palette as she did in Sling, another fantastic album. It's interesting to read about her inspirations for this album, which include Harry Nilsson and The Beach Boys.

As sad as I was to see the split of black midi, The New Sound does not disappoint. His unsubtle, unsympathetic characters paired with an unrelenting slurry of salsa, showtunes, jazz, and samba, among dozens of other styles, make for an album that some consider exhausting. If you can stomach the rollercoaster, it really is compelling.

HYUKOH and Sunset Rollercoaster join forces to create an album that's true to their beloved sounds, yet never cancels each other out. We get psych, bossa-nova, indie-pop, and more, with and the list going on and on for each track. And this is from two bands from different countries. Yet it's cohesive, and well-paced, with every instrument and voice adding depth and texture. Y is one of my favorite songs of the year.

On their fourth album, the Irish group trades steely post-punk for stadium-sized alt rock. I've been enamored with the group since Skinty Fia, and although I expected a similar sound on Romance, I can't say I'm disappointed. I enjoy their newfounded amalgamation of Britpop and '90s alt rock. My favorite tracks include In the Modern World, Bug, and Favourite.

As my introduction to Magdalena Bay, Imaginal Disk quickly became my favorite pop album of the year and served as a stellar first impression to the duo. The almost kitschy sci-fi theme working in tandem with candy floss melodies, as exemplified in Death & Romance, craft what would be mindless pop if done by any other artist. The album takes my favorite pieces from each of the band's primary inspirations: Grimes, Chairlift, and Charli XCX.