Top Albums of 2024

As we enter into 2025, it’s abundantly clear that 2024 was a great year for music with so many bold artistic statements, sonic reinventions, and deeply-personal themes from some of my favorite artists. Whether through electronic experimentation, folk intimacy, or blistering hip-hop lyricism, these artists pushed boundaries while refining and staying true to their unique voices. This end-of-year list, as always on this blog, isn’t just about which records I thought sounded great — it’s about the albums that really stuck with me, the ones that I returned to and discovered something new on every listen. Some transported me to other worlds, and others felt like they were giving a voice to my own experiences. These records defined the year for me, and I have a feeling that many of them will continue to resonate long into the future.

Honorable mentions (in no particular order):

Fearless Movement - Kamasi Washington
Where we’ve been, Where we go from here - Friko
SMILE! :D - Porter Robinson
Cowboy Carter - Beyoncé
The Great American Bar Scene - Zach Bryan
Charm - Clairo
The Tortured Poets Department - Taylor Swift
Chromakopia - Tyler, the Creator
Tigers Blood - Waxahatchee
Deeper Well - Kacey Musgraves
Short n’ Sweet - Sabrina Carpenter
All Born Screaming - St. Vincent

10. The New Sound - Geordie Greep

Best known for his bombastic work with Black Midi, Geordie Greep’s solo debut is as eccentric and adventurous as one would come to expect. Fusing avant-garde jazz, art-rock, and surreal lyricism, it’s an album that never overstays a single identity for too long. There’s an undeniable playfulness to this project, but it also has a clear sense of purpose — every detour and left-field decision feels intentional, making it one of the most thrilling and tantalizing albums of the year.

Score: 8.6/10

9. Mahashmashana - Father John Misty

A deeply immersive experience, Mahashmashana finds Father John Misty embracing a more esoteric, almost mystical approach to his songwriting. The arrangements are rich and varied, blending folk traditions with sprawling orchestral moments. It’s a record that demands full attention, rewarding patience with layers of meaning and some of his most ambitious compositions yet. There’s a thematic sense of finality that lingers throughout the project — hopefully not Josh Tillman’s last under the Father John Misty stage name.

Score: 8.6/10

8. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT - Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish continues to evolve, as evidenced by this album being a striking blend of her signature intimacy with grander, more cinematic production from herself and her brother FINNEAS. There’s an undeniable confidence making its way into her songwriting, as she effortlessly shifts between vulnerability and defiance to the norm. It’s an album that lingers long after its closing track “BLUE” ends, showcasing an artist fully in command of her sound.

Score: 8.7/10

7. I Lay Down My Life For You - JPEGMAFIA

Chaotic, confrontational, and unpredictable as always, this album cements JPEGMAFIA as one of the most exciting forces in experimental underground hip-hop. The production is as abrasive as ever — filled to the brim with distorted textures and relentless energy. But there’s also a newfound clarity in his vision. It’s a record that challenges expectations at every turn, making for one of the year’s most electrifying while admittedly challenging listens.

Score: 8.8/10

6. Songs of a Lost World - The Cure

The Cure’s long-awaited return is a triumph of mood and melody, capturing the same melancholic grandeur that made them legends while embracing a new sense of maturity and loss. The production is lush, the songwriting is deeply evocative, and the atmosphere is unmistakably theirs. It’s a record that bridges past and present, proving that their ability to channel beauty through sorrow remains as powerful and poignant as ever.

Score: 8.9/10

5. Patterns in Repeat - Laura Marling

Laura Marling has long been a master of folk introspection, and this album finds her refining her craft even further. The arrangements are deceptively simple, allowing her voice and lyrics to take center stage, but there’s a quiet complexity to every single song. It’s an album that feels lived-in and cared for, full of wisdom and reflection, making it one of her most affecting works yet as it explores the cyclical nature of parenthood. The full-circle parallels between this project and her album Song for Our Daughter are beautiful.

Score: 9.0/10

4. GNX - Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar continues to solidify his place as hip-hop’s most vital voice with GNX, an album that blends his razor-sharp lyricism with some of his most adventurous production choices yet. His storytelling remains unmatched, dissecting personal and societal struggles with a precision that few can rival. Every track feels like a puzzle piece, adding to a larger narrative that rewards repeated listens while also serving as a well-deserved victory lap and ode to Los Angeles after his feud with Drake earlier this year. MUSTAAARD!!!

Score: 9.1/10

3. Brat - Charli XCX

An artistic left turn from her previous work’s aesthetic, Brat is Charli XCX at her most unfiltered and exhilarating. The production is sleek and aggressive, packed with high-energy club beats and earworm-y hooks, but there’s also a sense of vulnerability lurking beneath the hedonism on tracks like “Apple” and “So I”. It’s a record that balances chaos with clarity, proving once again why Charli remains at the forefront of pop’s evolution. Brat Summer just may live on forever.

Score: 9.2/10

2. Bright Future - Adrianne Lenker

Few artists capture intimacy as effortlessly as Adrianne Lenker, and Bright Future is another masterclass in her ability to turn quiet moments into profound experiences. Her songwriting is even more unguarded here, with warm, organic instrumentation complementing her poetic and haunting storytelling. It’s an album that feels like a conversation whispered in the dark — achingly personal while universally resonant. Lenker continues to prove that she is one of the best living singer-songwriters.

Score: 9.4/10

1. Imaginal Disk - Magdalena Bay

Magdalena Bay continues to redefine modern pop with a sound that feels both meticulously futuristic and effortlessly nostalgic on Imaginal Disk. This album expands on their hyper-glossy aesthetic while delving into more intricate compositions, weaving together shimmering synths, warped production, and unexpected emotional and conceptual depth. It’s a dizzying, kaleidoscopic experience that proves they’re one of the most innovative acts in electronic pop. This album’s themes of introspective discovery, acceptance of imperfection, and self-actualization were very relevant to me this year, and its addictive and nearly flawless tracklist made Imaginal Disk my favorite album of 2024.

Score: 9.5/10

Looking back at these albums, I’m struck by the diversity of sound and vision that defined the past year of music. Each of these records, in their own way, pushed boundaries — whether through sonic innovation, emotional depth, or artistic ambition. Music has a unique and special way of anchoring us to specific moments in time, and these albums became the backdrop to a year with high highs and low lows.

2024 reaffirmed my love for music, and I want to do even more writing about it on this blog in 2025 — whether that means reviewing more releases or exploring older records. If 2024 proved anything, it’s that music remains as transformative, essential, and necessary as ever. Here’s to another year of discovery. Happy listening!

Album Review: CRASH - Charli XCX

Charli XCX has long been referred to as “the pop star of the future,” with production that often sounds like it’s from the next century. From Pop 2 onward to Charli and how i’m feeling now, Charli XCX’s sound hasn’t changed as much as it has evolved and matured, exploring new sonic and lyrical ideas and concepts that only she can achieve every time. The overcrowded, radio-friendly pop genre makes it hard for many artists to stand out, but Charli XCX has once again resisted certain tropes to create yet another captivating record that will likely pull the industry forward with her latest album CRASH.

Many of the album’s themes that recur throughout such as power, self-destruction, and sex are addressed in the opening title track “Crash”. This song utilizes both hyper-pop sounds and traditional instrumental backing, as seen in the track’s closing guitar solo that sets the tone for what’s to come next. “New Shapes (feat. Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek)” follows, and as one of the most popular singles attached to this album, functions well when placed early on in the tracklisting. Both features meaningfully contribute to the aesthetic of the song, which is something that Charli has historically done well making sure of. “Good Ones” has a short runtime of just over two minutes, but the uptempo instrumental and synth-heavy chorus have kept it stuck in my head since its release. “Constant Repeat” has been well-known in Charli’s fandom for a while now as there have been multiple snippets released in the past, and this electro-pop moment helps Charli explore the emotional side of the project.

“Beg For You (feat. Rina Sawayama)” is next, and while I enjoy this track overall, I find that it could’ve benefitted from more compelling lyricism to leave a lasting impact. That being said, Sawayama’s feature is welcomed with open arms, as I see her becoming a big star in the near future. “Move Me” is a melancholic, moody, and reflective halfway point through the tracklisting that doesn’t do much to entice me. Relatively inoffensive, this song just doesn’t seem to earn its placement among its stronger peers. “Baby” is one of those stronger tracks found here, as Charli channels hyper-sexual and female empowerment energy to its benefit.

“Lightning” leaves me wanting just a little bit more complexity like “Move Me” did, but its vocoded chorus was a fantastic studio touch that proves Charli’s technical production is some of the best in the industry. “Every Rule” is a heartbroken ballad that was actually one of the earliest songs written for this project, even before how i’m feeling now’s release. Charli’s lyricism here is as strong as it has been over the course of her past few releases. This tone is immediately flipped on its head with “Yuck”, the charming, love-denying song that I can easily see becoming a radio hit this summer. Charli’s oldest fans will be extremely delighted to hear “Used To Know Me”, which has a club aesthetic that defined her early career but that is still very sonically appealing - this is the biggest bop on the album. “Twice” ends things off on another high note, as Charli reframes the tragedies in her life and decides to instead focus on what she has to appreciate, which is something we should all strive for in a world as crazy as ours.

Charli XCX’s final album on her label Atlantic Records has allowed her to fully embody her hyperpop aesthetic while, this time, catering more to a mainstream audience through the project’s cohesive and widespread rollout. CRASH proves that Charli’s two most recent projects weren’t anomalies, but that she really does have what it takes to live up to the “popstar of the future” reputation that she deservingly acquired early in her career. While not a perfect album, CRASH will still be on repeat for me for a while, and it has earned all of the praise it receives.

Favorite tracks: “Crash”, “New Shapes (feat. Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek)”, “Good Ones”, “Constant Repeat”, “Beg For You (feat. Rina Sawayama)”, “Baby”, “Every Rule”, “Yuck”, “Used To Know Me”

SCORE: 7/10

Album Review: how i'm feeling now - Charli XCX

After the release of her 2019 magnum opus Charli, futurist pop-star Charli XCX earned herself much-deserved time away from creating and releasing music if she needed to step away. Instead, amidst what has been an unprecedented and challenging year in many regards, Charli XCX continued to spoil her fans by writing, recording, and producing a new full-length album in its entirety while in quarantine. While this album isn’t as influential or polished as Charli, how i’m feeling now encapsulates and reflects this year’s pandemic quarantine perfectly.

Experimentation tends to pique my interest when listening to new music, which is in large part why Charli XCX’s 2019 album was one of my favorites of the year. Simply put, her music sounds like it is coming from the future, and it is very possible that music to come will be influenced by what she’s doing now. how i’m feeling now continues this trend from track to track, pairing genuine and compelling lyrics with aggressive, highly condensed production which communicates a sort of cabin fever words just can’t convey. The heavy and industrial production contrasts with Charli’s robotic but loving vocals. The themes and topics covered aren’t nearly as abrasive as the sometimes punching bass and synth leads which Charli employs masterfully.

The themes of love and devotion used throughout this album are catchy and sweet, but are sometimes challenged by tracks which portray her in a different light, such as “detonate”. By expressing the wide range of emotions and personality traits which her relationships bring out of her, Charli’s lyricism becomes instantly more compelling and relatable than what would’ve come out of songs conveying perfect love stories. Self-reflection is common in times of isolation, which I’m glad this album acknowledges and accepts.

Charli’s honesty and genuineness are what make me such a fan of her recent music. The stellar production doesn’t hurt, either. While this album isn’t as perfect as it likely could’ve been given more time in an environment more conducive for music production, it captures a lot of the emotions which these dark times have shown us. Not every track is compelling, but the majority of the songs on this project are inventive, impressive, and hopeful. Definitely give this album a listen. Thanks for reading.

Favorite tracks: “pink diamond”, “forever”, “claws”, “detonate”, “c2.0”, “party 4 u”, “visions”

SCORE: 8/10

Album Review: Charli - Charli XCX

2019 continues to prove itself as the year of the successful female pop star. We’ve already been offered stellar albums from Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, and Lana Del Rey this year, and to keep that trend continuing, Charli XCX has provided another wonderful project in her album Charli. Utilizing the available design of the pop genre that has become so squeaky clean and radio-friendly, Charli XCX introduces her newly refined and experimental sound that differentiates this album and puts it above a lot of the pop music being released lately.

The record’s opening track “Next Level Charli” is aptly named as it sets the stage for the rest of the tracks yet to come. Listening to this album feels like peeking around the corner and getting a sample of what pop music will sound like in the year 2099. Charli XCX has clearly gained notoriety from her previous works, as the tracklisting features many recognizable names such as Troye Sivan, Haim, Lizzo, and many others, whose presence on this project doesn’t seem like a stream grab or last ditch attempt to save a project. This project doesn’t need saving - its production is next level, its tunes are catchy, and its experimentation is next level.

Some of the deep cuts on this project are what make it so enjoyable for me. The otherworldly and somewhat abrasive ending to “Click”, the dizzying effects paired with standout features on “I Shake It”, and the somewhat robotic vocals found throughout (“Official”, for example) this project are incredibly refreshing. The hits of this project such as “1999” and “Blame It On Your Love (feat. Lizzo)” make it good, but the experimentation makes it great.

Some of the tracks don’t really have an effect on me. That isn’t to say they’re objectively bad, but just lacking in one way or another. “Warm”, for example, seems strangely safe for a project that is taking so many creative risks. Little tweaks here and there could’ve made this project even better, but I’m certainly not disappointed in what this album has to offer.

If you’re a fan of pop music and enjoy experimental music, this is the project for you. Charli XCX delivers pop bops and toys with the genre in a way that makes me excited to be alive to watch pop music take the next step toward the future. Great stuff.

Favorite Tracks: “Next Level Charli”, “1999”, “Official”

SCORE: 9/10