2024 was an incredible year for new music.
These lists feature pop blockbusters, DIY faves, and everything in between.
Magdalena Bay,Imaginal Disk2.Charli XCX,Brat3.Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet4.
Photo illustration by Matthew Cooley. Photographs in illustration by HELLE ARENSBAK/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images; Griffin Lotz; Prince Williams/WireImage; Douglas Mason/Getty Images; Adam Bettcher/Getty Images; Kyle Gustafson/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Porter Robinson,Smile!
Remi Wolf,Big Ideas6.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal7.
PREP,The Programme8.
TWRP,Digital Nightmare9.
- Chromeo,Adult Contemporary10.
Dexamined the parasocial relationships between fan and artist, artist and self.
Or maybe its both.
Charli XCX,Brat and Its Completely Different But Also Still Brat2.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter3.
Ariana Grande,Eternal Sunshine(slightly deluxe)4.
Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet5.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal6.
Wicked Cast,Wicked: The Soundtrack7.
Tyler, the Creator,Chromakopia8.
Victoria Monet,Jaguar II: Deluxe9.Kendrick Lamar,GNX10.
St. Vincent,All Born Screaming
2024 has been a delightful year for music.
Medium Build,Country6.Sarah Jarosz,Polaroid Lovers7.Yasmin Williams,Acadia8.
Some of these records are returns-to-form from longtime favorites (John Moreland).
Some are veteran geniuses still challenging and expanding their art decades into their career (Meshell Ndegeocello).
Jon Blistein, Staff Writer
1.MJ Lenderman,Manning Fireworks2.
Sturgill Simpson, Why Not?
Cindy Lee,Diamond Jubilee4.
Waxahatchee,Tigers Blood5.Arooj Aftab,Night Reign6.
Being Dead,Eels7.
Magdalena Bay,Imaginal Disk8.
Dummy,Free Energy9.
Hurray for the Riff Raff,The Past Is Still Alive10.
Nothing againstPassage du Desir(its fantastic), but Sturgill Simpsons Why Not?
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter2.
Kendrick Lamar,GNX3.Billie Eilish,Hit Me Hard and Soft4.
Flo Milli,Fine Ho, Stay5.Anycia,Princess Pop That6.
Dua Lipa,Radical Optimism8.
Lola Young,This Wasnt Meant For You Anyway9.
Foushee,Pointy Heights10.
And listen, Dua Lipa scored my life on a personal level that only she and I can understand.
I will not be explaining further than a simple: The girls who get it, get it.
David Browne, Senior Writer
1.
Maggie Rogers,Dont Forget Me2.
The Last Dinner Party,Prelude to Ecstasy3.
Manu Chao,Viva Tu4.
Willi Carlisle,Critterland5.Mannequin Pussy,I Got Heaven6.Shaboozey,Where Ive Been, Isnt Where Im Going7.
Charli XCX,Brat8.
Linda Thompson,Proxy Music9.
Their intelligence was genuine.
Cime,The Cime Interdisciplinary Music Ensemble2.
Missouri Executive Order 44,Salt Sermon3.
Senza,Celestial Body4.
Alora Crucible,Oak Lace Apparition5.
Still House Plants,If I Dont Make It, I Love U6.
Chat Pile,Cool World7.
Basque,Pain Without Hope of Healing8.
Straw Man Army,Earthworks9.
Heavenly Blue,We Have the Answer10.
Next year we are getting a Portraits of Past reunion.
Hold me to it, folks, and have a good holiday season.
Julia Demorest, Creative Marketing Manager
1.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter2.
Wild Rivers,Never Better3.
Valley,Songs That Got Lost in Translation4.
Donovan Woods,Things Were Never Good If Theyre Not Good Now5.
Ben Howard,I Forget Where We Were (10th Anniversary Deluxe)6.
Three on the Tree,Inkom7.
Quin XCII,BreakfastEP8.
Del Water Gap,I Miss You + I Havent Left Yet (Deluxe)9.
STRFKR,Parallel RealmsIll never forget learning the word melancholy.
Charli XCX,Brat2.MJ Lenderman,Manning Fireworks3.
Floating Points,Cascade4.
The Hard Quartet,The Hard Quartet5.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal6.
Mannequin Pussy,I Got Heaven7.
Liquid Mike,Paul Bunyans Slingshot8.
Hurray for the Riff Raff,The Past Is Still Alive9.Allegra Krieger,Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine10.
Hurray for the Riff Raffs Alynda Segarra is Bob Dylan.
Drug Church,PRUDE2.
Kendrick Lamar,GNX3.
Knocked Loose,You Wont Go Before Youre Supposed To4.
Nick Cave,Wild God5.
Regional Justice Center,Freedom, Sweet Freedom6.
Chat Pile,Cool World7.
Arooj Aftab,Night Reign8.
Pearl Jam,Dark Matter9.
Guided By Voices,Strut of Kings10.
Oh, yeah, and of course theres some GBV.
That said, this year was an amazing year for hip-hop.
Artists from so many disparate scenes dropped exciting work.
I wanted to highlight some of the projects that didnt get on our end-of-year lists that I really enjoyed.
Mannequin Pussy,I Got Heaven2.Illuminati Hotties,Power3.
Charli XCX,Brat4.
Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet5.Taylor Swift,The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology6.
The Marias,Submarine7.
Pom Pom Squad,Mirror Starts Moving Without Me8.
The Story So Far,I Want to Disappear9.
Kory Grow, Senior Writer
1.Grace Cummings,Ramona2.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds,Wild God3.
Kerry King,From Hell I Rise4.
Jessica Pratt,Here in the Pitch5.
Bruce Dickinson,The Mandrake Project6.
The Cure,Songs of a Lost World7.
Mdou Moctar,Funeral for Justice8.
Vikingur Olafsson,Continuum9.
John Cale,POPtical Illusion10.
Kim Deal,Nobody Loves You More
Love is just a thing that Im trying to live without.
Apple Music tells meRamonawas my most-played record this year.
It should be yours, too.
the opening volume swells before Metallicas Damage Inc.); and the sheer joy of John CalesPOPtical Illusion.
Who could live without all this love?
Julia Hardie, Branded Social Content Manager
1.
Taylor Swift,The Tortured Poets Department2.
Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet3.
Gracie Abrams,The Secret of Us4.
Ariana Grande,Eternal Sunshine5.
Remi Wolf,Big Ideas6.
Charli XCX,Brat7.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter8.
Benson Boone,Fireworks & Rollerblades9.WickedCast,Wicked: The Soundtrack10.
Taylor Swift, of course, takes the Number One spot.
As a ride-or-die fan, its no surprise her music continues to resonate with me year after year.
Mitch Herskowitz, Partnerships
1.Billie Eilish,Hit Me Hard and Soft2.
Jacob Collier,Djesse Vol 43.
Soweto Gospel Choir,History of House4.
Charley Crockett,$10 Cowboy6.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal7.
Post Malone,F-1 Trillion8.
Jamie XX,In Waves9.
Tems,Born in The Wild10.
Taylor Swift,The Tortured Poets Department
Afrobeats makes its presence felt more than ever.
Watch out in 25.
Charli XCX,Brat2.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal3.
MJ Lenderman,Manning Fireworks4.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter5.This Is Lorelei,Box for Buddy, Box for Star6.
Tyler, the Creator,Chromakopia7.
Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet8.
llluminati Hotties,Power10.
DoechiisAlligator Bites Never Healwas exciting as hell, and portends great things from her.
And two Nigerian leading lights, Ayra Starr and Rema, pushed Afrobeats forward in thrilling ways.
Sturgill Simpson/Johnny Blue Skies,Passage Du Desir4.
Various Artists,Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin5.
Fantastic Cat,Now Thats What I Call Fantastic Cat6.
Sophie Gault,Baltic Street Hotel7.
The Black Crowes,Happiness Bastards8.
The Mavericks,Moon & Stars9.
Scotty McCreery,Rise & Fall10.
but these 10 albums were my all-around favorites of 24, led by Koe Wetzels dark and dangerous9 Lives.
It was intoxicating and frequently damn funny.
Songs like the jammy Eagle Rare proved to me that it worked.
As my colleague Kory Grow messaged me, This is such a Joe Hudak album.
Thanks, Kory, for seeing me.
Skaiwater,#gigi2.
Nourished by Time,Catching Chickens3.SahBabii,Saaheem4.
Tyler, the Creator,Chromakopia5.
Mk.gee,Two Star & the Dream Police7.
Nia Archives,Silence is Loud8.
Or Tyler, the CreatorsChromakopia, which plays out with the cinematic elegance that Tyler spent his career cultivating.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal2.
Kendrick Lamar,GNX3.
Leon Thomas,Mutt4.
Tyler, the Creator,Chromakopia6.
JT,City Cinderella7.
Wizkid,Morayo8.SiR, Heavy9.
GlosGlorioushad preachers implementing her lyrics in pulpits.
Doechii really came out this year in the last quarter swangin.
Each song onAlligator Bites Never Healhas a personality of its own, making Doechiis range even more dynamic.
Seeing her pair with Tyler, the Creator for his beautiful storytelling onChromakopiafelt even more magical and dynamic.
Leon Thomas has been that dude, and Im happy the world seems to be catching up.
Miles Klee, Staff Writer
1.
Shaboozey,Where Ive Been, Isnt Where Im Going2.
Pale Waves,Smitten4.
Orville Peck,Stampede5.
Charly Bliss,Forever6.
Wild Pink,Dulling the Horns7.
Cigarettes After Sex,Xs8.
Pixey, meanwhile, dropped an ear-candy debut that surely puts her in the conversation with those bands.
A damn good tune, but anything else on this tracklist could easily get stuck on repeat.
Daniel Kreps, Staff Writer
1.
Charli XCX,Brat2.
Beth Gibbons,Lives Outgrown3.
Jessica Pratt,Here in the Pitch4.
The Smile,Wall of Eyes5.
The Smile,Cutouts6.
Kendrick Lamar,GNX7.
The Cure,Songs of a Lost World8.
Loma,How Will I Live Without a Body?9.
Sturgill Simpson/Johnny Blue Skies,Passage Du Desir10.
The Cure,Songs of a Lost World3.Fontaines D.C.,Romance4.
Beth Gibbons,Lives Outgrown5.
Kneecap,Fine Art6.
Fat White Family,Forgiveness Is Yours7.
Porridge Radio,Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There for Me8.
Yard Act,Wheres My Utopia9.
Perfect gorgeous gloom for the end of a complicated year.
Sophie Lobl, Vice President, Rolling Stone Live
1.
The Last Dinner Party,Prelude to Ecstasy2.
Ella Langley,Hungover3.
Linkin Park,From Zero4.
MJ Lenderman,Manning Fireworks5.
Mk.gee,Two Star & the Dream Police6.
Rufus Du Sol,Inhale / Exhale7.
Kendrick Lamar,GNX8.
The Red Clay Strays,Made by These Moments9.
Gary Clark Jr,JPEG Raw10.
But the Last Dinner Partys debut stood above all the rest.
Kacey Musgraves,Deeper Well: Deeper Into the Well2.
Kings of Leon,Can We kindly Have Fun3.
Pearl Jam,Dark Matter4.
Mk.gee,Two Stars & the Dream Police5.
Waxahatchee,Tigers Blood6.
MJ Lenderman,Manning Fireworks7.
Charli XCX,Brat8.
Billie Eilish,Hit Me Hard and Soft9.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter10.
No hyperbole, I think this is our best work, Eddie Vedder told the crowd in January.
Mabe Fratti,Sentir Que No Sabes2.
John Cale,POPtical Illusion3.
Mediopicky,El Precio De La Yuca6.
The Cure,Songs of a Lost World7.
Quevedo,Buenas Noches8.
Alvaro Diaz,Sayonara10.
Fontaines D.C.,Romance3.This is Lorelei,Box for Buddy, Box for Star4.
Mannequin Pussy,I Got Heaven5.
Gift,Illuminator6.Lip Critic,Hex Dealer7.
Mdou Moctar,Funeral for Justice8.
Glass Beams,MahalEP9.
These were the 10 I listened to most this year.
But by December, nearly every track was in rotation on my playlist.
Fontaines D.C.,Romance2.
Adrianne Lenker,Bright Future3.
MJ Lenderman,Manning Fireworks4.
Charli XCX,Brat5.
This Is Lorelei,Box for Buddy, Box for Star6.
Babehoven,Waters Here in You7.
Christian Lee Hutson,Paradise Pop.
The Marias,Submarine10.
Some of these albums nursed my heart back to health.
Others were catalysts of reconciliation, sending telepathic messages to people when I couldnt find the right words myself.
They also inspired fun and play while maintaining total earnestness.
As Charli XCX so plainly put it…. Everything IS romantic!
Fall in love again and again.
Gabrielle Macafee, Web Producer
1.
Saya Gray,Qwerty II2.
Mannequin Pussy,I Got Heaven3.
Charli XCX,Brat4.
Fontaines D.C.,Romance5.
Amyl and the Sniffers,Cartoon Darkness6.
Magdalena Bay,Imaginal Disk7.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal8.
Tyler, the Creator,Chromakopia9.
Jessica Pratt,Here in the Pitch10.
Joni Mitchell,Joni Mitchell Archives Vol.
Mannequin Pussys brazen examination of femininity withI Got Heavenwas bookended by Amyl and the Sniffers petulant and bombasticCartoon Darkness.
Wherever I was, these records followed.
Illest Morena,Morenita2.Erick the Architect,Ive Never Been Here Before3.
Judas Priest,Invincible Shield4.
Remi Wolf,Big Ideas5.
Kendrick Lamar,GNX6.
Megan Thee Stallion,Megan7.
St. Vincent,All Born Screaming8.
Leyla McCalla,Sun Without the Heat9.
Myles Smith,A Minute…10.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal
This year felt like we got three for one.
Then, it would all start again.
Thank goodness for the music, a constant in the chaos.
Angie Martoccio, Senior Writer
1.
Waxahatchee,Tigers Blood2.
MJ Lenderman,Manning Fireworks3.Eliza McLamb,Going Through It4.
Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet5.
Father John Misty,Mahashmashana7.
Charli XCX,Brat8.
Billie Eilish,Hit Me Hard and Soft9.
Jessica Pratt,Here in the Pitch10.
But dont confuse them, or Ill have to call up Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, OK?
Tomas Mier, Staff Writer
1.
Charli XCX,Brat and its the same but theres three more songs so its not2.
Camila Cabello,C, XOXO (Magic City Edition)4.
Kali Uchis,Orquideas5.
Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet6.
Magdalena Bay,Imaginal Disk7.
Maude Latour,Sugar Water8.
Conan Gray,Found Heaven9.
Allie X,Girl With No Face10.
Omar Apollo,God Said No
2024: the year of the pop girl.
Cabello created a record that Im calling it now!
will become a cult classic years from now.
(Sampling Pitbullon a balladis insane, but it fricken worked!)
And Magdalena Bay took us on a rollercoaster of emotions I never wanted to leave onImaginal Disk.
SG and Tove, can we get an album next?)
Larisha Paul, Staff Writer
1.
Ariana Grande,Eternal Sunshine2.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter3.
Porter Robinson,Smile5.
Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet6.
Luke Hemmings,Boy7.
Rachel Chinouriri,What a Devastating Turn of Events8.
Kendrick Lamar,GNX9.
Omar Apollo,God Said No10.
This year, I was intrigued by the timeline of when these albums arrived.
BeyoncesCowboy Carterarrived a few weeks later but on the opposite end of that spectrum.
Kendrick Lamars late arrival withGNXfeels the same, in some ways.
Great art should teach you something, if not about yourself then about the external complexities around you.
Most of these albums did both.
Omar ApollosGod Said Nofunctioned similarly, but specifically highlighted how the people Ive encountered have contributed to those changes.
At a pivotal moment in May, it made me question who deserves to wield that influence.
Rachel ChinouririsWhat a Devastating Turn of Eventsconducted similar interrogations about external power being siphoned from within you.
Mk.geesTwo Star & the Dream Policeis the earliest release on this list, but I encountered it much later.
Its the most fitting for the colder months.
Itsoundslike everything hes doing is somehow wrong in some technical sense, but itfeelsright.
They both hold so much creative authority in how they showcase their personality.
Steven Pearl, Copy Chief
1.Thus Love,All Pleasure2.
The Last Dinner Party,Prelude to Ecstasy3.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter4.
Black Keys,Ohio Players5.
Sheryl Crow,Evolution6.Alice Merton,HeronandHeron II7.Los Bitchos,Talkie Talkie8.
These are my top 2024 hot-to-gos.
Kalia Richardson, Entertainment Reporter
1.
Odesza,The Last Goodbye Tour Live2.
Jamie XX,In Waves3.
John Summit,Comfort in Chaos6.
Fred Again,USB7.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal8.
Charli XCX,Brat9.
Tyler, the Creator,Chromakopia10.
I practiced that release often, watching more than half of these artists perform live.
And JusticesHyperdramais a joyride through the cosmos making pit stops at disco-funk synths and hardcore techno basslines.
And then theres KaytranadasTimeless,which seamlessly gels soulful R&B house with supple, savory vocals.
Its no surprise thatdance musics low-keylegendcontinues to make the top five list on my Spotify Wrapped year after year.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal2.
Kali Uchis,Orquideas3.
Mannequin Pussy,I Got Heaven4.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter5.
Junior Zamora,Joyas del Barrio7.
Charli XCX,Brat8.
The Marias,Submarine9.
Hinds,Viva Hinds10.
Raveena,Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain
2024 was the year of delightful nostalgia.
What more could I ask for!
Alexis Mikulski Ruiz, Commerce Writer
1.
Charli XCX,Brat2.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter3.
Eminem,The Death of Slim Shady4.
Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet5.
John Summit,Comfort in Chaos6.
Megan Thee Stallion,Megan7.
Rufus Du Sol,Inhale/Exhale8.
Dua Lipa,Radical Optimism9.
Rob Sheffield, Contributing Writer
1.
Charli XCX,Brat / Brat and Its Completely Different But Also Still Brat2.
Taylor Swift,The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology3.
MJ Lenderman,Manning Fireworks4.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter5.
Mannequin Pussy,I Got Heaven6.
Rosie Tucker,Utopia Now!7.
The Cure,Songs of a Lost World8.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal9.
None of these albums sound alike; all sound fiercely alive.
In a great music year, these are the ones I cherish most.
Brittany Spanos, Senior Writer
1.
Charli XCX,Brat2.
Taylor Swift,The Tortured Poets Department3.
Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet4.
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross,Challengers (Original Score)5.
Ariana Grande,Eternal Sunshine6.
MJ Lenderman,Manning Fireworks7.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter8.StereophonicCast,Stereophonic (Original Cast Recording)9.
Halsey,The Great Impersonator10.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal
What an absolute banger of a year this was for pop music.
The girls really owned it, from Sabrina Carpenters sixth album-turned-honorary debut to Beyonces Americana opus.
I was surprised by how many excellent soundtracks came out this year as well.
Tessa Stuart, Senior Writer, Politics
1.
Waxahatchee,Tigers Blood2.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter4.
Hurray for the Riff Raff,The Past Is Still Alive5.
Tems,Born in the Wild6.
Jessica Pratt,Here in the Pitch8.
Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet9.
Omar Apollo,God Said No10.
Kali Uchis,Orquideas
I love my job, but there are occupational hazards.
Krystal Sullivan, Events Coordinator
1.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter2.
Charli XCX,Brat and Its Completely Different But Also Still Brat3.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal4.
Kendrick Lamar,GNX5.
Victoria Monet,Jaguar II: Deluxe6.
Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet8.
Doja Cat,Scarlet 2 Claude9.
Kelela,RAVE:N, The Remixes10.
They dominated the pop, country, and rap charts, just to name a few.
The list could go on, because the girlies kept us DANCING!
Other albums I enjoyed were Clairos, Hiatus Kaiyotes, and Dojas and Victorias deluxe albums.
Ive listened to these artists for a while and they never disappoint with their eclectic and imaginative sounds.
I also love when artists reinterpret their music like Charli and Kelela did this year.
Kelela always does an amazing remix album, working with phenomenal producers.
Both women, in my opinion, are truly pioneers of the dance music landscape we have now.
Alligator BitesandGNXwere two of the best rap albums of the year.
I cant believe Doechii made the mixtapein a month, its truly a masterpiece.
Doechii has her own unique sound but the album was reminiscent of old-school rap, which I loved!
Loving it so far and excited to explore the album more.
This is usually a time of creativity and unprecedented change!
I look forward to seeing how the landscape of music will evolve and unfold.
STRFKR,Parallel Realms3.
Maggie Rogers,Dont Forget Me4.
Abby Sage,The Rot5.
Vampire Weekend,Only God Was Above Us6.
Gracie Abrams,The Secret of Us (Deluxe)7.
Slenderbodies,The Sugar Machine10.
Maggie Rogers gave us exactly what we hoped for withDont Forget Me, capturing her fears and coming-of-age storytelling.
Charli XCX,Brat2.
This Is Lorelei,Box for Buddy, Box for Star3.
Waxahatchee,Tigers Blood4.
Fontaines D.C.,Romance5.
Allegra Krieger,Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine6.
Kim Gordon,The Collective7.
Kendrick Lamar,GNX8.
MJ Lenderman,Manning Fireworks9.
Common and Pete Rock,The Auditorium, Vol.
As a fan of Charlis for many years, Ive long felt that shes a generational talent.
It really was an exceptional year for music, if nothing else.
See you in 2025!
Chappell Roan, Good Luck, Babe!2.
Doechii,Alligator Bites Never Heal3.
Taylor Swift,The Tortured Poets Department4.
Beyonce,Cowboy Carter5.
The Last Dinner Party,Prelude to Ecstasy6.
Waxahatchee,Tigers Blood7.
Sabrina Carpenter,Short n Sweet8.
St. Vincent,All Born Screaming9.
Billie Eilish,Hit Me Hard and Soft10.
Waxahatchee,Tigers Blood2.
Sturgill Simpson/Johnny Blue Skies,Passage Du Desir3.
Kendrick Lamar,GNX4.
Vampire Weekend,Only God Was Above Us5.
Michael Kiwanuka,Small Changes6.
Father John Misty,Mahashmashana7.
Billie Eilish,Hit Me Hard and Soft8.
Hurray for the Riff Raff,The Past Is Still Alive9.
Sierra Ferrell,Trail of Flowers10.
