What a time it’s been for music. As we arrive at the year-end list portion of 2024, it’s only right that we in earnest reflect upon the sheer glut of quality records that have amassed over the course of the last 12 months. So much so that this recurring segment has been expanded to a Top 10 list, as there is simply too much spectacular music to sift through for only five records to do the year any justice. As our world hurtles headlong into an era of uncertainty, imbalance, political unrest, and climate deterioration, it’s heartening at least to know that we can still depend on talented musicians to make their mark on this increasingly challenging blue orb of ours. From rap beefs to surprise drops, to albums defining entire seasons, there’s been no shortage of worthwhile releases this year. As the annual rollout for everyone’s Spotify Wrapped is finally under way as of this morning, it’s time to recap the very best albums to grace our ears in 2024.

Disclaimer: This is an editorialized Top 10 countdown. All opinions expressed are as they pertain to my particular tastes throughout the year. I listen to what I listen to, so if you don’t see an album featured that you were expecting, chances are either I didn’t listen, or it was simply bumped out of my bracket. But hey, this is my list. You’re more than welcome to tell me yours down in the comments. The albums featured are here for a combination of their artistic merit, as well as my own personal subjective enjoyment. Objectivity is a myth, and we’re here to have fun. And with that out of the way, why not dive right in, shall we? (The surfeit of quality was simply too massive to contain modestly, to the point where our Honorable Mentions could very well have comprised a list of their own.) Here’s a rundown of all the records absolutely worth your time, but unfortunately were simply bumped out by 2024’s worthiest entries.

Honorable Mentions:

• The Smile – Wall of Eyes, Cutouts
• Wallows – Model
• Fontaines, D.C. – Romance
• Caravan Palace – Gangbusters Melody Club
• IDLES – TANGK
• Last Dinosaurs – KYORYU
• Clairo – Charm
• St. Vincent – All Born Screaming
• Los Campesinos! – All Hell
• Sabrina Carpenter – Short and Sweet
• Cindy Lee – Diamond Jubilee
• COIN – I’m Not Afraid of Music Anymore
• Fish House – Fish House
• Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk

✨✨ Now onto the list proper…✨✨

10: Been Stellar – Scream From New York, NY

The New York indie mantle is one that has passed from many hands over the course of decades – from the rascally roots of CBGB acting as a breeding ground for the likes of Television and Talking Heads, to the direct reinvigoration of guitar rock in a post-9/11 world owed in large part to The Strokes. And yet, as rock has been supplanted in the mainstream by rap and hyperpop, indie spaces have been craving for bonafide heirs to their forebears. The now-classic lineup of early Aughts NYC mainstays allowed the rock scene to offer up a handful of lanes for its listeners – the too-cool-for-school Converse clad sensibilities of Julian Casablancas et al, the shout-it-out Riot Girl bravado of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and so on. While modern bands like Geese have rightly answered the call, there has been a notable absence of moody, shoegazey rock for the kids in the back. Enter: Been Stellar. On Scream from New York, NY, the NYU five piece make their mark with a debut that feels like a modern spin on Interpol’s 2002 classic, Turn on the Bright Lights. The range of lead singer Sam Slocum‘s vocals oscillate between breathy meditations and violent spasms of impassioned vigor, such as on the striking opener, “Start Again.” Bassist Nando Dale turns in one of the catchiest basslines on the title track – a thrumming, sticky hook built on the band’s dual principles: simplicity and elegance. “It’s the end of the world/ and I feel fine,” Slocum sings in the opening seconds. The album is very much an exploration of the next generation reckoning with inheriting a broken world. Singles “Pumpkin,” “Passing Judgment,” and calling card “All In One” round out one of the finest debuts of the year. Welcome to the vanguard, Been Stellar.

9: Charly Bliss – Forever

We have lived so many lifetimes since Charly Bliss‘s bubbly, guitar-soaked EP, Soft Serve, a full decade ago. In that time, they captured the hearts of the larger metropolitan area on rowdy debut Guppy, growing more introspective on their follow-up, Young Enough. On third studio album, Forever, the New York quartet heed the portent James Murphy laid out in the mid-’00s – trading up their guitars for synthesizers. As a straightaway pop record, Bliss step into a revitalized sense of energy that keep them youthful, despite how much each member has personally grown since their debut record: frontwoman Eva Hendricks is now married to her Australian boo-thang, Sam Hendricks balances fatherhood whilst remaining a true-to-form rock star drummer, Dan Shure is the lead video editor of SecretNYC, and Spencer Fox muses on the growth of his own character, Dash Parr, now that The Incredibles 3 has been announced. With Forever, Charly Bliss make the hard pivot into unabashed pop fervor. Be it the somber, nostalgic piano sensibilities of “Nineteen,” the thrumming synth backbeat on “Calling You Out,” or “Back There Now“‘s shout-it-out chorus, there is plenty of sonic variety on display, and all of it comes as a  confident departure from the finger-flailing guitar freneticism of yore. Many tracks use their  runtime to take emotional inventory of the past challenging years, not the least of which is “I’m Not Dead,” a rumination on the miracle of merely surviving. Perhaps the furthest stylistic leap Hendricks & co. take on LP3 arrives with “Here Comes The Darkness,” a suitably shadowy, regret-filled anthem about facing the inevitability of failure and isolation. But the light wins forevermore. “Easy To Love You” and closer “Last First Kiss” bookend the record with tender hopefulness and a renewed devotion to love in the face of such turbulent modern times.

8: The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy

Some overnight success stories seem almost too good to be true – a band emerges and almost instantaneously sees a colossal upswing in critical reception from all the most reputable outlets? The flipside, of course, is that some meteoric rises are actually built on genuine talent and heaps of hard work. Such is the case with The Last Dinner Party‘s swift climb on their debut record, Prelude to Ecstasy. The London quintet turn in glam rock banger after banger, evoking the unison-belting stadium energy of Queen and ABBA by way of Wolf Alice. Abigail Morris‘ vocal delivery bears a distinctively ’70s likeness that is coupled with lyrics that manage to feel both fresh and timeless. Such is the case with the swelling, sweeping grandstanding on “Burn Alive“.  Follow-up “Caesar on a TV Screen” sees TLDP imagining the ease and dignity of resting on their laurels, while never doing so instrumentally. “The Feminine Urge” is the most melodically entrancing cut on the first half of the record, erring more experimental as the tracklist continues. “Gjuha” leans more international, with keyboardist Aurora Nishevci singing in Albanian about the paradoxical ignominy of not knowing her mother tongue. The final moments bleed into “Sinner,” a slinking, sexy meditation on the intersection between lust and religion – a reminiscence, a wish to have known the touch of a lover before being imparted societal shame. The record features one of the finest builds to a band’s signature single, as “Nothing Matters” is all the more a barn burner in the context of the album. Polished, catchy, and a singular embodiment of all that the band has to offer. In its closing moments, Prelude cements itself as a lofty introduction to one of the most exciting new acts in rock.

7: Childish Gambino – Bando Stone & The New World

Writer. Director. Producer. Actor. Who among us is more of a certified Renaissance Man than Donald Glover? Over a handful of records under the alias Childish Gambino, Glover adds acclaimed rapper to his ever-growing list of talents and qualifications. 2024 saw Bino double-dropping on the unsuspecting public – first with Atavista, a remaster/rework/completion of his potent pandemic boon, “3.15.20,” encapsulating the distress and uncertainty of a very specific moment in our collective consciousness. The second would be the final entry in his canon under the Gambino name, the varied and emotionally-charged “Bando Stone & The New World.” The release would be accompanied by a feature film whose storytelling runs in lockstep with the record, even featuring key scenes at the beginning and endings of certain songs. With an extensive 17 song tracklist, this is Bino’s largest smorgasbord offering. “H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT T0 F7¥”opens on a note of pure Yeezus-esque scuzzy, harsh noise maximalism. Lead single “Lithonia” is the theme song of the main character of the film of the album’s same name – Bando Stone’s real name is Cody LaRae, and once thrust into the apocalypse…nobody gives a f***. About his musical talent. His career path. About bidets. Right now, if you can’t hunt, can’t start a fire, you’re of no help to those just trying to survive (ruminated upon further on the following track featuring Chlöe that features the best bar referencing Bluey this year). Elsewhere “Steps Beach” dials back the conflict for a moment of respite in the tropical shade with gentle, finger-picked guitar. “Talk My Sh**” is all glorious ignorance and unrepentant swagger as Flo Milli and Amaarae join the party. Whereas some may charge Bando for lacking stylistic cohesion, its all-over-the-place tendencies are made all the clearer going forward – “Real Love“‘s straightforward balladry, “In The Night“‘s after hours body-to-body sensuality, “Yoshinoya“‘s Drake-sneak-dissing, and even “Can You Feel Me“(featuring Legend Glover, Bino’s real life son)’s heartwarming alphabetical recitations and father-son back-and-forths – the record’s buffet wants you to have it all. But it’s truly on closer “A Place Where Love Goes“, once the narrative is wrapped up neatly, that Gambino is ready to turn in one final climactic boogie of his career in the name of love, finally putting to rest the need to merely survive.

6: Kendrick Lamar – GNX

To say that 2024 has been a banner year for Kendrick Lamar would be putting it lightly. His rap beef with Drake is without a doubt the biggest in modern hip hop history, and “Not Like Us” has broken the record for the longest held #1 spot on Rap Chart Record, recently returning to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts after Mr. Graham took legal action against UGM for the song’s massive popularity. His Pop-Out Show in Inglewood took place on Juneteenth, inviting rival gang members to join together onstage and cut a rug as thousands call Drake a pedophile in unison. There has perhaps not been a more singular display this year of who truly is at the helm of the culture, and Kung Fu Kenny used the moment to promote unity on a massive platform. If all of that weren’t enough, he’s slated to headline football’s biggest night as the Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner, where the crowd will undoubtedly relish joining him in a thunderclap-inducing j’accuse against the Toronto opposition. Surely there couldn’t be more in store from Dot than that…right? As our luck would have it, Kendrick has the clip pre-loaded. GNX shies away from the lofty aspirations of the concept album, and serves as an ultimate victory lap for the uncompromising cultural win he has claimed for himself in 2024. It also serves as a mythological temperature check wherein Kenny takes stock of his own grandiose reputation. The Jack Antonoff-produced sequence of 12 tracks utilizes mariachi singer Deyra Barrera as the connective thread through it all, offering a soulful introduction on “wacced out murals.” The opener finds Kenny looking to the defaced visage of a mural with his face on it in Compton, where he speaks in no uncertain terms: “F*** a double entendre, I want y’all to feel this s***.” There is an immediacy and straightforwardness with which he presents himself on this record, opting to operate in earnest about recent triumphs and troubles. This does not mean, however, that he is starved in the slightest in the bangers department. “squabble up” and “tv off” serve as the major calling cards of the record that will undoubtedly knock all opponents off the charts, with the former being a full version of the teaser cut that intros the “Not Like Us” music video. Kendrick’s aptitude for imbuing very singular vocal deliveries that refuse to leave one’s brain are evident on both, with “I feel good, get the f*** out my F A A A A A C E” and the omnipresent “MUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRDDD!” immediately springing to mind. The album’s title is derived from the Grand National model he has always wanted to own. Given his current position on top of the world, there will no doubt be skid marks left on the Super Bowl Halftime Show stage.

5: Charli XCX – Brat

What can I possibly say about charli xcx‘s brat that hasn’t already been cited ad infinitum by this point in the year? Charli has always been on the bleeding edge of pop innovation, and I can think of no greater deserved smash hit than the album that defined a season, and may well serve to underscore the entirety of the year with a nigh endless wealth of additions and reinterpretations. brat is simultaneously a record, an aesthetic, and a state of mind. From comparisons to Julia Fox as a form of social currency, to viral TikTok fruit dances, the original compilation of 15 tracks are a resounding celebration of collaborators AG Cook and the late Sophie. “360“‘s opening notes operate as a unifying refrain to the larger body of brat to come, wherein upon collab after collab after retooling, charli truly works it out on the remix, inviting the likes of Lorde, Troye Sivan, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, The 1975, Julian Casabalancas, and a host of hyperpop’s chosen few. But you already knew all of this. Look, I’ll keep it brief: Anthony Fantano gave it a 10 – if that doesn’t place it squarely within the vogue crosshairs of both mainstream and critical reception alike – nothing will. If you still have somehow held out on giving the record a spin that is…not So Julia™.

4: Psymon Spine – Head Body Connector

Above and away my anytime, anywhere record of the year. An early contender that has filled my ears and heart with so much joy, inarguably racking up the most repeat listens in all of 2024. Brooklynites Psymon Spine unleash their most perfectly-packaged run of songs on Head Body Connector – a mighty, nimble assemblage of 10 tight tracks, clocking in at just over half an hour. Long-time collaborator Sabine Holler takes lead vocals on opener “Boys,” one of the most immaculate introductory salvos of any record this year. Shimmering synthplay and an effortless bassline work in tandem with frontman Noah Prebish‘s signature laid back vocal delivery on “Wizard Acid.” Backing French ad lib vocals only add to the sticky hook. Bassist Peter Spears takes lead on “Be The Worm“‘s vocals, surfing atop a veritable torrent of guitar  before a maelstrom of a pre-chorus unfolds. The entire record was conceived specifically with the goal of translating seamlessly onto the stage, and I can say with confidence that this track best embodies Psymon Spine’s synergy in a live capacity. Even the most aloof wallflower won’t be able to resist the mosh-pit inducing call to arms of “Antimatter Kid“‘s post-chorus. “Bored of Guitar” is the platonic ideal of Head Body Connector‘s smartest inklings – instrumentals that build to the point of needing an explosive release, a raspy, shouty chorus, top-of-the-line band chemistry, expert key changes, and a dizzying outro that will leave the listener blissfully lightheaded. “Ketamine Hot Tub” takes what on any other record would be a funky, bass-heavy instrumental reprieve to catch one’s breath, and turns it into a drug-addled plunge into warm water and psychedelic visions. “So Far Away” invites Sabine back to the mic, where her soft susurations belie a thematic truth spoken plainly: “Every single act of kindness counts/brief or intangible.” The glitchy, technophonic tones of “A Day Is A Long Time” make me yearn for a Psymon Spine sidescroller playable on an authentic arcade cabinet. “Chip The Monk” is the record’s most story-driven, character-heavy narrative lyrically, following a pious man reflecting upon his days as he prepares to ascend into the cold unknown. Closer “No Plan (The Kanks)” is a  showstopping, that’s-all-folks sign-off that syncs up seamlessly with the beginning of the record, creating a perfect loop of an album that begs to be listened to again and again.

3: Tyler, The Creator – Chromakopia

“A new era is upon us,” DJ Drama promises in the final moments of Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale. What we couldn’t anticipate, however, was how short the wait would be for Tyler, The Creator to unleash his creativity upon us yet again. Clad in all green, obscuring his true face behind a mask, and blowing shipping containers to smithereens, Mr. Okonma makes quite the vivid, unexpected return. Bonita Smith, Tyler’s mother, appears throughout as the omniscient narrator, offering salient wisdom to her baby boy as he reckons with the particular moment in his life he finds himself at, not unlike Kendrick’s therapist on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Her voice is a North Star guiding her talented, confused progeny ever onward; “You are the light/It’s not on you, it’s in you/Don’t you ever in your motherf***ing life/Dim your light for nobody,” she reassures on the introductory moments of “St. Chroma.” The opener bears the same name as the masked patron saint character Tyler portrays on the album cover; yet another persona to codify the latest of his unique eras. With hushed delivery, Tyler manages to maintain his braggadocio, while Daniel Caesar drowns out the cacophony of marching military boots with a standout impassioned performance. “Rah Tah Tah” picks up The Estate Sale‘s arena-sized thumping with trademark idiosyncracy, right down to the amusing interjection of “-and those women.” The track skillfully bleeds into lead single “Noid,” which interpolates Zambian band Ngozi Family‘s “Nizakupanga Ngozi” to great effect on the chorus. Tyler confronts his paranoia at the duplicitous nature of supposed “fans” that impose strict expectations upon him, and approach him in public, asking deeply personal questions and confronting him unpleasantly. One couldn’t help but look over their shoulder if the threat of a superfan waiting in the shadows loomed. Teezo Touchdown helps Ty reconcile his feelings about monogamy and his fear of commitment on the singularly sweet “Darling, I.” It’s here that we’re introduced to a core narrative tension – Tyler’s uncertainty towards the prospect of fatherhood. “Hey Jane” tackles this subject matter head-on through a hypothetical wherein his partner works up the courage to announce her pregnancy and the implications it has on their relationship; “You gotta deal with all the mental and the physical change/All the heaviest emotions and the physical pain/ Just to give the kid the man’s last name? F*** that,” he concedes. What’s particularly striking about the track is that he offers due agency to Jane through a verse spoken in her POV, honoring the complex feelings she harbors about it all. “Judge Judy” indulges Tyler’s freak-in-the-streets-and-sheets tastes with an otherwise unassuming sex anthem that is bookended by tragedy. Elsewhere, “Sticky” remains the grimiest mic-passing experience of 2024. GloRilla, Sexyy Red, and Lil Wayne round robin verses with such magnetic charisma that the marching boots that punctuated the opening of the record would happily join in with a thundering drumline procession. “Thought I Was Dead” leans the most Call Me If You Get Lost, flittering between a mighty Schoolboy Q feature and Tyler’s well-earned self-righteousness. The emotional throughline that anchors the record is wrestled with in broad daylight on “Like Him,” a decidedly therapeutic confrontation between Tyler and his bottled-up emotions regarding his absent father, and how that lack of parental reassurance has trickled down into fear that he wouldn’t make a good father, himself. But as with the end as the beginning, Bonita is there as a guiding light. Chromakopia marks a bound forward for Tyler, serving up his most introspective, emotionally intelligent body of work yet.

2: Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us

We are so back. After the departure of founding member & multi-instrumentalist, Rostam Batmanglij, and the decidedly bloated soul-searching venture of Father of the Bride, Ivy League rock alumni Vampire Weekend return to form with Only God Was Above Us, a title pried from the headlines of a now-infamous Hawaiian airline disaster. With a lead-up campaign that stoked the excitement and imagination of the world, what snippets we heard out the gate restored faith that frontman Ezra Koenig & co. have yet again found their footing. And at an airtight 10 songs, they no longer run the risk of overstaying their welcome with tracks that belonged on the cutting room floor. The sonic aesthetics of lead single “Capricorn” feel every bit like an extension of the framework they laid on their masterful third LP, Modern Vampires of the City, sprinkling in truly thrilling moments of instrumentation that will have you wondering the very musical object they utilized to craft such a particular sound. The lead guitar riff on “Gen-X Cops” crackles with blazing urgency. “Classical” outright evokes parallels to oldie “M79”, dolled up for a modern era. There’s a fair bit of interplay with Vampire Nostalgia throughout, even lyrically, cheekily harkening back to calling cards of records prior. Opener “Ice Cream Piano” fully forms once CT’s percussive fury begets a whirlwind of guitar and titular piano (the LP’s key weapon in the war against complacency). “Classical” takes up the mantle as the firstmost single that springs to mind when thinking of the record, evoking familiar Spring afternoons spent questioning what makes the world the way it is. A gratifying sax solo caps off a contemplative day in the sun. “Connect,” on the flipside, leans much more achingly experimental. Upright bass and piano key windfalls characterize VW’s most knotty track yet. It fully feels like such a revelatory moment of unrestraint, with their years of the Ivy League musical mastery culminating in this one brash display of throw-everything-at-the-wall. Lyrically, the track depicts the struggle of a husband to restore the spark figuratively and literally in his floundering marriage as he reminisces on the moments of passion that now seem so far away. “Gen-X Cops“‘ signature sidewinder guitar lick is owed to co-producer Ariel Rechtshaid, gifting it a truly visceral fret scrawl to anchor the tune. “Each generation makes its own apology,” Koenig insists. “Mary Boone” immediately fits right at home within the canon of Modern Vampires of the City (you could slot it anywhere in the tracklist, and it wouldn’t feel out of place), sporting windows-down New York Taxi savvy and Latin backing choir vocals. Few things are more immediately invigorating than Ezra’s interjection of “HOO!” just before the piano sprawl. Father of the Bride kin “Pravda” and the eight-minute closer “Hope” work in optimistic contrast to the opening “F*** the world” volley, suggesting that the world’s woes are best not clung onto too tightly. In my heart of hearts, I always imagined this record would occupy the top spot for the year. However. The back-to-back placement of “Prep School Gangsters” and “The Surfer” – the LP’s sleepiest offerings – in the overall tracklist break up the pace too harshly that it always feels as though slamming on the brakes. While OGWAU is very much a triumphant return to form, my record of the year must be one where I am never once tempted to press Skip. Which brings us to…

1: Ginger Root – Shinbangumi

Cameron Lew AKA Ginger Root has been chasing the chart-topping high of his smash hit “Loretta” in the years since City Slicker. The fact of this has become baked into the metanarrative of Shinbangumi, Root’s latest and truly greatest multimedia project that coincides with the album of the same name. Over the course of several wildly impressive, off-the-wall DIY music videos, the city pop mainstay navigates being laid off from prestigious broadcast network Juban TV. The white collar higher-ups want him to concoct a Loretta successor that will net major views – a clear commentary on audiences’ tendency to clamor for more of the same from artists and the media they consume, while feeling threateningly challenged, if not outright betrayed should the artist alter their course. Root’s upcoming 20-minute short film, The End of Shinbangumi (with its clear Evangelion inspiration) will cap off the events of the Juban Saga. Whereas the record is concerned, at a clean 32 minutes & 12 tracks (3 of which are brief interludes), Lew jumps ship and crafts a genuinely staggering collection of warbly banger after banger. “Welcome” sets the tone of this wondrous world of crossed wires and gorgeous miniatures, but the fun really begins  with “No Problems,” inarguably (if you ask me) the biggest earworm single of the year. The sheer bulk of top-notch singles that comprise this body of work is without rival in 2024. I’d go as far as to say that in swerving willfully away from chasing Loretta 2: Electric Gingerloo, Root finds his next smash hit with “No Problems.” The sheer catchiness of its jangly synth waterfalls and cascading chords in tandem with Lew’s most undeniable chorus to date render it endlessly replayable. “Better Than Monday” bears the antidote for the Tuesday Afternoon Blues (any day fares better than the early week grogginess of a slow Monday) with an infectious clap-snare-clap backbeat that would make even Garfield proud. “There Was A Time” begins wistful, nostalgic for the days of yesteryear, before catapulting into a gated reverb guitar solo primed to melt the faces of any lucky enough to catch Root & co. onstage. Lew, the fastidious Swiss Army Knife of a man that he is, laid down the tracks for every instrument on the record, and his Instagram behind-the-scenes show the astounding lengths this lone musician goes to in order to create this transportative soundscape. They’re on full display with “All Night,” arguably the danciest cut on the whole joint, rife with resplendent synthesizers and a  time-warping breakdown in tow. “Only You” lends some of Cameron’s most impassioned verbal lilts to a shimmering backdrop. “Kaze“‘s singular bossa nova bravado is a standout in a lineup of already-strong tracks, culminating in a blistering Lew guitar solo, and features the most head-thumping, righteous outro on the record. “Giddy Up” plays by Rikki‘s playbook, quickly pulling from the existing Root canon. “When will you love me?/ When will you care?” Lew croons with his best lounge singer vocal affect. The floor gives way as an urgent jam session closes out its final moments. “Show 10” highlights Cameron’s careful curation when it comes to matters of production. The mix is exceptionally crisp with playful splashes of kickdrum, sparkly synths, and savors the long build on the instrumental finish. Closer “Take Me Back” is the ultimate showstopper, revisiting the entirety of the sonic palette Shinbangumi has to offer. No other moment in music this year comes close to the instrumental refrain of “No Problems” bursting through as a grandstanding motif, followed by the most vivid closing guitar solo that makes the listener feel as though they just witnessed the final encore song of the live show of the year. In the process of swerving away from the same ol’, same ol’, Ginger Root turns in the most wildly replayable, gratifying, full-bodied musical experience this year.