The Best Albums Of 2024.
The Best Albums Of 2024.
Seasons might change, but great albums are forever. And in 2024, we are thankful to every musician on the following list for soundtracking (and getting us through) an important chapter in our lives.
We hereby present to you our final decision on 2024's Best Albums (our Best Songs Of 2024 list is out next week!)...
#10. 'CHAOS ANGEL' - MAYA HAWKE
BECAUSE: From her stream-of-consciousness songwriting, to Robin Buckley's unrequited crushes in 'Stranger Things', and relatable role as Anxiety in 'Inside Out 2', tricky complications characterise Maya Hawke's work. And on her most introspective album to date, 'Chaos Angel', Hawke weaves together her innermost thoughts into a tapestry of colourful contradictions ("I love you as much as possible / Until I want to stop"), broken promises ("Can you keep a secret without telling a lie?"), and heartfelt truths ("My anger was a compliment"). It's funny how complicated we choose to make our lives just to avoid showing how we truly feel, and Hawke understands this - 'Chaos Angel' is just as much a warm embrace for herself (literally, friends and family sing "give up, be loved" to Hawke on the introspective opening-track, 'Black Ice'), as it is for listeners. [SG]
KEY TRACKS: 'Black Ice', 'Missing Out', 'Chaos Angel', 'Big Idea'.
#9. 'THIS IS HOW TOMORROW MOVES' - BEABADOOBEE
BECAUSE: Around the release of her third album, Beabadoobee opened for Mitski at All Points East festival in London to an adoring hometown audience who surrounded me with rapturous outpourings of love that included (but were not limited to) "she’s so cunty with that pink guitar" and "the thing about Beabadoobee is that she has banging songs". Her first UK #1, 'This Is How Tomorrow Moves' contains multitudes - from opener 'Take A Bite' reflecting on the ease of self-sabotage, the declaration that I'm "writing 'cuz I'm healing, never writing songs to hurt you" in 'This Is How It Went', and finding inner strength and courage through 'Beaches'. Because home is people, not a place - and if you're Bea, then it's also a 19.5 million strong community of monthly listeners who pledge allegiance to a fast-paced mythology, openly speaking your truth, and two cute cats (Kimchi and Miso; who even boast their own line of sold-out merchandise). [SG]
KEY TRACKS: 'One Time', 'Post', 'Beaches', 'California'.
#8. 'SUBMARINE' - THE MARÍAS
BECAUSE: The four-piece band distils emotions into their purest form on sophomore album, 'Submarine' - dissecting what it means to be surrounded by co-dependency in a modern world. The band's frontwoman María Zardoya has shared that, “through this album, I was able to transform my pain into tangible words and sounds," and it's felt in every track - the weight off her shoulders and the candid confessions from the depths of a relationship tearing at the seams. 'No One Noticed' unravels the feeling of invisibility from a lover, pleading "come on, don't leave me, it can't be that easy babe." Whereas, 'Paranoia' questions anxieties of infidelity in the relationship ("Your paranoia is annoying / Now all I wanna do is run away"). The final track of the record, 'Sienna', reflects on a theoretical baby that won't ever exist from a bygone relationship, still twisting a knife even as a new page has been turned, and watching a path to another future evaporate. Truthful and honest in every word on the record, it's impossible not to feel every ebb and flow alongside her. The album closes with the words, "see her face in the forest / then it disappears," and your wave of emotions does just the same when the record comes to a close, still there off in the distance and ready to unlock when needed. [LJ]
KEY TRACKS: 'Run Your Mouth', 'Echo', 'Paranoia', 'No One Noticed'.
#7. 'BLEACHERS' - BLEACHERS
BECAUSE: His production credits are scored into culture, but those who know Jack Antonoff best know that Bleachers is the creed by which his world actually revolves - and when he sings "make it Bleachers" on the band's self-titled album in 'Jesus Is Dead', it's a nod to the shared understanding that Antonoff has with his 'people' and that everything in their safe space is a celebratory in-joke. Bleachers is Antonoff's vehicle for connecting with like-minded folk, and here, outsiders are inconsequential. Real-life magic is following a gut feeling and trusting yourself, but that's easier said than done, and on this fourth Bleachers instalment, Antonoff continues to wrestle a life-long crux of feeling misunderstood ("Unreliable reporter / pop music hoarder" he jests in lead single, 'Modern Girl') - reckoning with his own mythology whilst learning how to move in the world at no personal cost to himself. And maybe that's the true value of Bleachers: solidarity for people who just want to feel alive. [SG]
KEY TRACKS: 'Call Me After Midnight', 'Modern Girl', 'Tiny Moves', 'We're Gonna Know Each Other Forever'.
#6. 'MIKA'S LAUNDRY' - MATT CHAMPION
BECAUSE: Matt Champion is not always what he seems... so he's understanding of your pre-conceived notions. At first glance, you'll recognise the 29-year-old as a beloved member of the now-defunct musical collective Brockhampton, but upon closer inspection and further discovery, you'll find a wildly imaginative brain that has not only penned one of this year's best debut albums, but also birthed an extraordinarily curious and complex science-fiction world. That wise green ogre, Shrek, once said something about onions being multi-layered, and the same is true of Champion. His debut solo album 'Mika's Laundry' (co-produced with Henry Kwapis), delivers traditional moments that are typical of Champion's back-catalogue ('Gbiv' recalls his historic bravado), but where he truly shines is when he's painting a perspective on the atmospheric 'Code Red', or summoning a zestful sparkle for playful numbers like 'Steel' and 'Slug'. Lead single 'Aphid' (featuring Dijon) perfectly bridges Champion's past and present, and the poignant 'Dogfish' is also a highlight. Steeped in flavourful nuance and snapshots of humanity, this is an album sure to age well. [SG]
KEY TRACKS: 'Code Red', 'Steel' (feat. Dora Jar), 'Dogfish', 'Aren't You Excited'.
#5. 'CHROMAKOPIA' - TYLER, THE CREATOR
BECAUSE: Tyler is conducting a film set with his new transcendental album, 'Chromakopia'. He's setting the scene as the director, the actor, the cinematographer, the screenwriter, the producer, the sound department, and just about every other role, covering all his bases to tell you his story. Everything plays a part in the ultimate vision and output that he has created - refreshingly honest and empathetic in contrast to other music right now. The first voice we hear on the album is Tyler's mother declaring, "You are the light. It’s not on you, it’s in you." Light is the starring role in this record with motifs and words of wisdom throughout - including "dim your light for nobody" and some of the final words we hear on the record being "the light comes from within." Fatherhood and adulthood are ruminated on at length in tracks such as 'Hey Jane' where he raps from both his perspective and the woman who is pregnant, the confessional 'Take Your Mask Off' ("And I hope you find yourself / And I hope you take your mask off"), and 'Like Him' where Tyler's mother shares of his father, "But he's always wanted to be a father to you… He’s a good guy." The album features powerhouse women, including Doechii, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Lola Young providing some of the blockbuster moments on the record. Tyler's constant evolution, self-discovery, and introspectiveness have solidified him as a timeless artist - a trailblazing auteur who answers to no one. [LJ]
KEY TRACKS: 'Hey Jane', 'Sticky' (feat. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne), 'Darling, I' (feat. Teezo Touchdown), 'Balloon' (feat. Doechii).
#4. 'TWO STAR & THE DREAM POLICE' - MK.GEE
BECAUSE: Every man I know, this year, has tried to tell me who/what they think Mk.gee sounds like - and they are all wrong. Debut album 'Two Star & The Dream Police' is singular in feeling, and feelings eclipse thoughts, so I don't wan't to hear your reductive comparisons. Humans try to understand things so they can own them, but a hero's journey is labyrinthine and unfathomable, so why wouldn't an album born of pure feeling reflect that too? 'Two Star & The Dream Police' is wonderfully luminescent, and album zenith 'Alesis' is an absolutely perfect song (also our #1 Song Of 2024, FYI; all the best people agree) - reverberating with what it feels like to be alive. Music exists for when words aren't enough, and other album highlights include the soul-searching 'Are You Looking Up' which speaks to life's complexities ("What's keeping you fenced off? / And who's got the power in your mind? / How're you gonna waste it all / When somebody's playing to no one every night"), the forthright 'DNM', and Mk.gee's personal favourite; 'I Want'. Perfect songs are true companions through every up or down, they contribute irreplaceable connection and community - a comforting reminder that you're not alone in this world - and they charge your life-force. 'Two Star & The Dream Police' is an entire album full of perfect songs. [SG]
KEY TRACKS: 'Alesis', 'Are You Looking Up', 'I Want', 'DNM'.
#3. 'BRAT' - CHARLI XCX
BECAUSE: You truly couldn't leave the house this year without overhearing the words 'Brat summer'. Charli xcx's monumental sixth album 'Brat' is where all the pieces fell into place and the stars aligned at new heights for the popstar. At first glance, you're transported back to an era of sleaze and messy 2000s pop stardom, however, the record is much more than an aesthetic, a cigarette, and lime green. Whether it's the era being kicked off with the 'Party Girl' Boiler Room set that broke the RSVP record, the '360' music video appointing the next it girl to their secret society - including a cameo from none other than Chloë Sevigny (Charli has shared that she often asks herself, "What would Chloë do?") - to 'Girl, so confusing' immortalising an honest portrayal of a complicated relationship between two women with insecurity at its core. Songs such as 'I think about it all the time', 'Sympathy is a knife', and 'So i' hit emotional highs questioning some of life's perplexities - including motherhood ("I'm so scared I'm missing out on something / So, we had a conversation on the way home / Should I stop my birth control?"), losing close friends ("Your sounds, your words live on, endless"), and imposter syndrome ("Cause I couldn't even be her if I tried I'm opposite/ I'm on the other side"). Being the multi-faceted icon she is, other tracks on the record such as '365', 'B2b', and 'Mean girls' demand to be heard in the loudest and largest club you can find - toasting in celebration to the most well-deserved blow-up of the year for one of the hardest working artists. [LJ]
KEY TRACKS: 'Sympathy is a knife', '365', 'Everything is romantic', 'Apple'.
#2. 'THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY' - TAYLOR SWIFT
BECAUSE: Taylor Swift is the only artist in existence who could release a 31-track album and not completely lose the plot. Fame and understanding don't tend to thrive hand-in-hand, but on her most honest album thus far, Swift chairs 'The Tortured Poets Department' as she debriefs a self-described "manic phase". From "you wouldn't last an hour in the asylum where they raised me" (in 'Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?') to "I don't cater to all these vipers dressed in empath's clothing" (from 'But Daddy I Love Him'), this is Swift at her absolute sharpest and flintiest. Love is hard, but grief is even harder, and anyone who has ever been left behind to hold the weight of imminent damnation is well aware that although dreams can come true, nightmares too, are also dreams... even when you're the most successful woman in the world. Because try as you might, no one can control a change of heart. [SG]
KEY TRACKS: 'Guilty As Sin?', 'Down Bad', 'Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?', 'The Albatross', 'The Black Dog'.
#1. 'CHARM' - CLAIRO
BECAUSE: If 'Sex And The City' walked so that 'Girls' could run, then a trifecta was rendered whole with Clairo's stunning third album, 'Charm'. Shimmying her way into every heart with timeless gems such as the self-assured 'Add Up My Love' ("Do you miss all the ways I put you in your place?") and assertive 'Juna' ("Come to me slowly"), womanhood has never sounded so playful and uninhibited. Co-produced by Clairo with Leon Michels (of The Dap-Kings and El Michels Affair), 'Charm' was tracked live to tape in a strictly-analogue recording process - and this warmth is reflected in the weave of the album's intimate embrace. Pairing alluring instrumentals with candid reflections ("Sometimеs I want somebody to see me / How you opened my doors and left them wide open / Why doesn't this happen more naturally? / If I tried, maybe / When you're lonely, you'll just do anything / To drink it all up, the feeling, it's the memory / That's when it all aligns, I can really see / What you meant to me," Clairo opines on 'Thank You'), the kaleidoscopic charm of 'Charm' is akin to the 'Ratatouille' fireworks combo of strawberry and cheese. Yes, it's true: third time's the charm. [SG]
KEY TRACKS: 'Add Up My Love', 'Glory Of The Snow', 'Juna', 'Thank You'.
If you want to listen to all ten albums, one after the other / all together, then this playlist is for you:
