My Top 10 Albums of 2024
Last year surprised me with the quality of albums that I listened to, but I’ll admit I came up a bit short on the quantity that I considered for my top 10. I did not have this problem this year, to the point where I’m even adding in an ‘Honorable Mentions’ section to do justice to just how many bangers there were in 2024. Last year, I did this list on a whim because I felt so inspired by a select few albums. This year, I was looking forward to rounding up this list for months, for a myriad of reasons: the sheer amount of amazing projects put out this year, some of my favorite artists from years ago are still killing it, and my #1 album of the year is, well, damn near perfect. I’m so stoked to share this list with whoever is reading this right now, and I hope you enjoy reading my ramblings.
Now, just like last year, I want to establish a few disclaimers before I get into each individual album:
I am not a writer. I’m just some goofball who loves music and I want to write about it the same way I would talk about it. I’ll do my best to make sure this is as readable as can be, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
This list is going to be extremely biased. I am not trying to make some analytical run-down of what albums this year were the most well-executed. I’m barely educated enough on music to talk about the things I like personally - I’m not going to fumble my way through trying to sound smart about music. I like what I like, and I just want to share that with you!
Each album will have a little blurb of my thoughts and also a SoundCloud player to one of my favorite songs from the album. So if you’re scrolling through this, you’ve got 0 excuse to not at least give each one a brief listen. :)
And with that said, let’s listen to the best of the best of 2024!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
10. Feed Me - Feed Me’s Vintage Rally Championship
When I sat down to list all of the albums I liked this year, this one almost slipped through the cracks. Feed Me had been trickling out singles throughout the year, almost all of which I enjoyed, and then when he released the last one, it turns out they all comprise this album! So I never really listened to this as one unified album, but the songs from this are just too good, and have a nostalgic flare for me as someone who had Feed Me as their favorite artist through most of high school. Calorific feels the most quintessentially ‘Feed Me’-like, Hyper Harmonic is dark but with a solid driving beat, and I’ll Be Good is my personal favorite (the drop hits like a truck). One day I hope I can see Feed Me live so I can truly feel the bass on that song.
9. NANORAY - MANZAI
NANORAY is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists (honestly he’s probably up there already). A friend from college recommended me one of his older albums, and then months later a friend from work asks me if I know NANORAY because one of our friends is his cousin… small world, huh? Anyways, this album is a ton of fun: it’s got the energetic action you’d expect from NANORAY with each song being able to stand out on its own. The vocal chops and melodies of Build Shit! blend seamlessly with the high-pace beats, and DIVER is just totally unique while still feeling in-line with what the album overall delivers (and the latter half of the song is one of those things that I can’t not listen to at full volume). I’m going to be following NANORAY’s music much more closely in the future if this album is any indication of the quality he can deliver on.
8. JPEGMAFIA - I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU
It’s probably going to be impossible for Peggy to release an album and have it not be in my top 10 for that year. He’s just on his own tier as an artist, and you can tell that he’s constantly trying to expand what it is that he can do with every single track he drops. Like, i scream this in the mirror before i interact with anyone randomly brings in a tearout kick-snare pattern halfway through. it’s dark and hell is hot (my favorite track on the album) is totally off the wall from anything I’ve heard before. And Don’t Put Anything On the Bible shows off his prowess with more than just beats and rapping by making one of the single most beautiful songs from the year. Peggy will never stop pushing the boundaries, and I’m all for it.
7. Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk
Before you say “LEO HOW IS THIS ONLY 7TH ON THE LIST??”, let me explain: the first time I heard this album was 2 weeks ago. Yes, I am very late, and no, I don’t really have an excuse, but we’re here now! Image, what I think is the most popular song on the album, is also my favorite. The bassline licks on Love is Everywhere are addicting, and the energy from the opening track She Looked Like Me! is such a good primer into the rest of the album. But honestly every single song on this has me fully engaged and tuned in, even the rare few that didn’t fully click with me. This album is fantastic, and honestly if I had more time with it it’d probably rank a lot higher on this list - it just didn’t have the time that the others did. And honestly, making it onto the top 10 despite having less than 2 weeks for me to listen it should show you how good this album is.
6. Machine Girl - MG ULTRA
If you know me, you must’ve heard me say at least once that I love music that “hurts” (just bear with me). And no, not in a sad-song kind of way. I mean in a loud, fast-paced, punch-you-in-the-chest kind of way. And one of the artists at the pinnacle of that type of music is Machine Girl, who still to this day is one of the best live performances I’ve ever been to. MG Ultra feels like an amazing next-step for their production chops, with a much bigger emphasis on Matt being a lyricist on basically every track. Sick!!! feels like the best “summary” on this album of what the rest of the project is like, but other songs like Ass2Mars and Grindhouse hit just as hard. I know this album (and this kind of music) isn’t for everyone, but it for sure is for me.
5. salute - TRUE MAGIC
I had not listened to Salute prior to this year, and honestly I haven’t listened to much of his stuff outside of TRUE MAGIC. But when one of your closest friends messages you to check out this new album that drops, you do it, and oh my god do you become so incredibly thankful that you did. Immediately the album starts with saving flowers, a masterful collab with Rina Sawayama that seemingly brings the best out of both artists. And while I didn’t know either of these artists before this album, both piri and LEILAH’s contributions with luv stuck and drive respectively elevate this album to one of the most addicting listens of the year. The entire thing just feels good to listen to, and can serve as an easy pick-me-up when you’re feeling down or as the best music to listen to while driving a car ever.
4. Justice - Hyperdrama
Hyperdrama was definitely my most anticipated album of the year, with it being YEAAAAARSSS since the last Justice album. From the very beginning, having a track alongside Tame Impala with One Night/All Night immediately raised my expectations and with each next track that dropped, I only got more and more excited for the full thing. The way I describe Justice to people is that their music sounds like what music leather jackets would listen to, and Hyperdrama adds a new sleek layer of chrome to that image. As incoherent as that sounds, you know I’m right. Anyways, Tame Impala isn’t the only impressive collab on this album. Saturnine was done with Miguel and has to be the catchiest song of the album, and Mannequin Love was made with The Flints, who I have honestly never heard of before but this song in particular is my favorite off the album. Justice rarely ever disappoints, and I’m stoked they were able to drop such an amazing album this year.
3. Tyler, the Creator - CHROMAKOPIA
I started really listening to Tyler when CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST was rolling out, and it was really only towards the tail end. The reason I bring this up is because I never got to witness a Tyler album dropping first-hand, at least not until now. And oh man, what an album to experience like that. Tyler’s most recent albums prior to this definitely felt real, mature, and truthful to him, but this one feels like a whole level above that. Songs like Hey Jane, Judge Judy, and Like Him are so genuine and beautiful, talking about things that paint Tyler in a whole new way for me. It’s rare that I find myself focusing on the lyrics, stories, and meanings behind songs on an album, so when I do you know it’s because there’s something truly special here. But the song also has more than its fair share of songs that are just bangers, with Thought I Was Dead leading the charge for me and being one of my most listened to songs of the year.
2. Charli xcx - BRAT
It’s brat summer, and brat fall, and brat winter…. Hell, I know this album barely existed in spring, but it’s also brat spring. This album took the world by storm in a way I can’t even really describe. I’m not totally tuned into mainstream media, so I don’t know exactly what happened for brat to be everywhere, but I do have one good guess: this album is SO SO SO good. It’s honestly difficult to find a single song on this album that I wouldn’t want to name-drop here. Von dutch is definitely my favorite track from the album, but that’s only if you don’t include the deluxe edition. In that case, Guess is probably up there for consideration…. but that’s not even factoring in the remix album. Which, if you do include that, you’d have to throw in the version of Girl, so confusing featuring Lorde… You know, I might have another idea now as to why this album was practically a cultural movement: it was SO SO SO ambitious (and also so so so good).
1. Joey Valence & Brae - NO HANDS
And to nobody’s surprise, my favorite album of the year is NO HANDS by Joey Valence & Brae. These two dudes are unlike any other artists out there right now, and the biggest reason why is that their music makes me feel so seen and understood. As someone who grew up playing games, watching cartoons, and being a goofball, hearing all of that condensed into an album alongside some of the catchiest and hardest beats of the year… it’s like nothing else, man. And on top of that, you can tell that both of these jokesters are having the time of their life making all of this, as evidenced by the opening line of JOHN CENA referencing a meme. But again, I need to echo: all of these songs are still amazing from a purely musical perspective. BUSSIT is the single hardest intro to an album I’ve ever heard, and CAN’T STOP NOW from the deluxe edition of the album has an unshakeable groove that’s sampling a song from Spongebob, of all things. JVB are truly an inspiration to me, and if they haven’t already changed my life, I can already tell that they are going to.
Aaaaand that’s a wrap! Thank you for reading through this - I love music, and I love yapping, so being able to do both at once is always a blast for me. I hope you were able to find at least one new song to put in your rotation, and if you didn’t well, there’s always next year. :)
2025, you’re up next!
