The Year That Was: My Favorite Releases of 2024

What a fantastic year of music.  2024 saw new releases from some of my favorite acts of the 80s and 90s and they ranged from not bad (Soul Asylum, The Jesus and Mary Chain), to good (Black Crowes, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Crowded House), to surprisingly great (Pearl Jam), to jaw-droppingly surreal how good it is (The Cure).

Perry Farrell released singles by both Porno for Pyros and Jane's Addiction, the latter of which went on tour with their original lineup for the first time in decades, only to have an onstage meltdown at a stop in Boston on my birthday...so, thanks?

Toronto's Fucked Up released 3 albums this year, one which was written, recorded, and released over the course of 24 hours while live streaming the process.  The Smile released two albums this year...so, where's that new Radiohead?  Kendrick Lamar released a surprise album a week before Thanksgiving.

All in, I listened to over 620 new releases in 2024 (WFH has its benefits!) and it was difficult to just pick 50 great albums. For most of the year, it was DIIV and Fontaines D.C. flipping between #1 and #2...and then The Cure happened.  Songs of a Lost World is a throwback to their masterpiece Disintegration and lyrically tackles the topic of mortality and the loss of loved ones.

The list below covers a lot of genres, from dance and pop, to psychedelic rock and soul, from hip-hop to punk and from hardcore to shoegaze, which has seen an amazing resurgence over the last few years.  There's even a country release in the list (!!!).

As always, these are just my favorites and I do this as a fun distraction and also as an opportunity to share music that isn't always front and center to those who are more casual listeners.  This is the 18th year that I've done this and will probably end after 20, but I hope those who read this discover something new to enjoy.

And with that, my favorite releases of 2024...

50 Jamie XX - In Waves

House | London, England

Falling Together    

49 King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - Flight b741
Psychedelic Rock | Melbourne, Australia
Le Risque

48 Les Savy Fav - OUI, LSF
Indie Rock | Providence, RI

Legendary Tippers

47 Merce Lemon - Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild
Indie Folk | Pittsburgh, PA
Backyard Lover

46 RÜFÜS DU SOL - Inhale / Exhale
Melodic House | Sydney, Australia
Pressure

45 Kim Gordon - The Collective
Noise Rock | Los Angeles, CA
BYE BYE
I'm a Man

44   Joy Oladokun - Observations From a Crowded Room
Contemporary Folk | Nashville, TN
Am I?
Questions, Chaos, and Faith

43 Thurston Moore - Flow Critical Lucidity
Noise Rock | London, England
Isadora

42 Nilüfer Yanya - My Method Actor
Indie Rock | London, England
Call It Love

41 Fake Fruit - Mucho Mistrust
Indie Rock | San Francisco, CA
Cause of Death
Mucho Mistrust

40 Erick the Architect - I've Never Been Here Before
Hip-Hop | Brooklyn, NY
2-3 Zone
Breaking Point

39 Mk.gee - Two Star & The Dream Police
Neo-Psychedelia | Los Angeles, CA
Are You Looking Up
Alesis

38    Gurriers - Come and See
Post-Punk | Dublin, Ireland
Dipping Out
Top of the Bill

37 Robber Robber - Wild Guess
Indie Rock | Burlington, VT
How We Ball
Backup Plan

36    Wunderhorse - Midas
Indie Rock | London, England
Midas
Silver
July

35    Amyl and The Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness
Garage Punk | St. Kilda, Australia
U Should Not Be Doing That
Big Dreams
Chewing Gum

34   English Teacher - This Could Be Texas
Post-Punk | Leeds, England
The World's Biggest Paving Slab
Albert Road
Nearly Daffodils

33    Sprints - Letter to Self
Post-Punk | Dublin, Ireland
Up and Comer
Heavy

32    Michael Kiwanuka - Small Changes
Psychedelic Soul | London, England
Lowdown (parts i and II) 
One and Only

31    Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More
Indie Rock | Dayton, OH
A Good Time Pushed 
Nobody Loves You More

30    Honeyglaze - Real Deal
Indie Rock | London, England
Don't
Pretty Girls

29    Mo Dotti - opaque
Shoegaze | Los Angeles, CA
Whirling Sad
Lucky Boy
Dead To Me

28    Wishy - Just Like Sunday
Indie Rock | Indianapolis, IN
Love on the Outside
Sick Sweet
Triple Seven
Just Like Sunday

27    The Smile - Wall Of Eyes
Art Rock | Oxford, England
Friend of a Friend
Wall of Eyes

26    Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
Chamber Folk | Exeter, England
Floating on a Moment
Lost Changes

25    Willi Carlisle - Critterland
Progressive Country | Fayetteville, AR
Critterland
Higher Lonesome
When the Pills Wear Off

24    Pearl Jam - Dark Matter
Alternative Rock | Seattle, WA
Dark Matter

23    This Is Lorelei - Box for Buddy, Box for Star
Indie Pop | Brooklyn, NY
Dancing in the Club

22    Friko - Where we've been, Where we go from here
Indie Rock | Chicago, IL
Crashing Through
Crimson to Chrome
Where We've Been

21    Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us
Indie Pop | New York, NY
Capricorn
Classical

20    Being Dead - EELS
Indie Rock | Austin, TX
Goodnight
Firefighters
Van Goes

19    Father John Misty - Mahashmashana
Chamber Pop | Los Angeles, CA
Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose
I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All
She Cleans Up

18    Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee
Indie Rock | Toronto, Canada
Dracula
If You Hear Me Crying

17    Been Stellar - Scream from New York, NY
Indie Rock | New York, NY
Sweet
Pumpkin
All In One

16    Bill Ryder-Jones - Iechyd Da
Chamber Pop | West Kirby, England
If Tomorrow Starts Without Me
If I Hold Something In My Hand
How Beautiful I Am
This Can't Go On

15    Drug Church - PRUDE
Post-Hardcore | Albany, NY
Demolition Man
Slide 2 Me

14    julie - my anti-aircraft friend
Shoegaze | Los Angeles, CA
clairbourne practice

13    DEHD - Poetry
Indie Pop | Chicago, IL
Dog Days
Mood Ring

12    Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
Alternative Country | Brooklyn, NY
Right Back to It (feat. MJ Lenderman)
Tigers Blood
Bored

11    Jack White - No Name
Alternative Rock | Nashville, TN
That's How I'm Feeling

10    Bonny Light Horseman - Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free
Americana | New York, NY
Old Dutch
I Know You Know
When I Was Younger

9    MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks
Alternative Country | Asheville, NC
She's Leaving You
Joker Lips
You Don't Know the Shape I'm In

8    IDLES - TANGK
Post-Punk | Bristol, England
Dancer
Pop Pop Pop
Grace

7    Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven
Indie Rock | Philadelphia, PA
Sometimes
Nothing Like
I Don't Know You
I Got Heaven

6    Ducks Ltd. - Harm's Way
Jangle Pop | Toronto, Canada
The Main Thing
Train Full of Gasoline
When You're Outside

5    Good Looks - Lived Here For A While
Indie Rock | Austin, TX
Can You See Me Tonight?
Self-destructor
If It's Gone

4    Kendrick Lamar - GNX
Hip-Hop | Compton, CA
squabble up

3    DIIV - Frog In Boiling Water
Shoegaze | Brooklyn, NY
Soul-net
Brown Paper Bag
Raining On Your Pillow

2    Fontaines D.C. - Romance
Indie Rock | Dublin, Ireland
Favourite
Starburster
Bug
In the Modern World
Here's the Thing

1    The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World
Alternative Rock | Crawley, England
Alone
Endsong