January
January of this year was the usual barren wasteland for pop releases, all the huge artists waiting for sunnier days more fitting for breezy bops (and to be remembered definitively as a 2024 release for year-end list season instead of on the 2023 cusp). That wasn’t a problem for Tom Odell though, Black Friday a perfect match for January weather. Though his gloomy piano vignettes aren’t the best soundtrack for every occasion, seeing Odell carve out his own niche is a welcome sight indeed. Elsewhere, others poo-pooed grey skies and cold weather. K-pop girl group Itzy were fiery on Born To Be, sleek dance-pop characteristic of their genre the name of the game. The solo talents of each member are well and truly on show too, personality in spades adding much-needed fun factor to something that could easily come across as manufactured. Kali Uchis put out the vibrant Orquídeas, just ten months after her last record Red Moon In Venus. Orquídeas sees Uchis’ usual flitting between Spanish and English, the songs infinitely danceable, sensual and personal.
There were some less than stellar releases too however. Sigma’s love letter to their home city on London Sound sounded like…every other predictable dance record, while Bad Gyal’s uber pedestrian reggaeton made La Joia instantly forgettable. There was a smattering of soaring pop-rock bangers on James Arthur’s Bitter Sweet Love, but it’s far too little reward for wading through its dense swamp of X Factor ballads and undercooked lyrics. Similar diamonds in the rough are found on the tracklist of DOA, ericdoa’s more sporadic straightforward pop tracks hitting much more than his hyperpop, which goes off the deep end here more often than not. People Who Aren’t There Anymore was more of Future Islands’ usual brand of synthpop, but there are only a handful of tracks not marred by vocals that sound like your creepy uncle after a few pints. 2024’s felt like a particularly underwhelming January, with thankfully a lot more to discuss for the rest of the year.
February
As February rolled in and the 2024 release schedule kicked into gear, a lot of less established artists began to trickle out records, some releasing their most career-defining works so far. L Devine streamlined her sound on debut album Digital Heartifacts, adding more organic instruments to her usually saccharine vibe, giving an edge to songs like Push It Down and PMO that she hadn’t had before. Allie X also elevated her pop-girl persona on Girl With No Face, delving fully into the 80’s with equal parts camp and grit. A dose of pop punk and out-and-out theatre kid energy made Jazmin Bean’s Traumatic Livelihood stand out; any fans of Melanie Martinez who wished she was from the south of England and a child of Ginger Wildheart (surely there’s someone who wants this out there), this is the singer for you. In indie-pop circles, Declan McKenna stayed true to his laid-back roots, this time with a Beatles-esque waviness that saw him blaze a trail. In a similar vein, TikTok upstarts Royel Otis tried to sustain the momentum of their virality on Pratts & Pain, which housed precisely zero adequate successors to hit Oysters In My Pocket. Club Shy saw Shygirl attempt to light up the dancefloor, but these more straightforward EDM tracks were much less inspiring than when her creativity is on full display.
The main duds this month came from the household names. We’re not saying expectations were high for a new Paloma Faith album, but The Glorification of Sadness hinted at more emotionally potent material for the singer. It was clearly a project of great catharsis for Faith, but songs with names like Eat Shit and Die, surely they should be more interesting than mum-core inspiro-pop. A big letdown was Zara Larsson’s Venus. Her journey in finding herself as an artist has had its ups and downs, but the infectious personality she’s known for live and online has always shone through in album highlights. This record doesn’t even have that, sounding utterly faceless and stagnant. Someone with no issues getting their personality across was Jason Derulo, who had moments of utter madness on the hour-and-a-half long Nu King. Highlights including baffling Michael Bublé collaboration Spicy Margarita, a Meghan Trainor duet that interpolates Stand By Me that has no business being a 2024 release and lyrical gems like “can we keep this pure like cocaine? / This love is suicidal, Cobain”…sure?
Last but not least, enter Jennifer Lopez, who was undoubtedly the celebrity punching bag of the month. Her diva-like and out-of-touch persona was villified in the public forum, plus her album This Is Me…Now tanked. Delivering a sound more stale than a week-old ‘ham and cheese on a roll’ with completely dead-behind-the-eyes delivery, Lopez should rebrand as a conceptual movie director; just look at her laughably bad but creatively…something film accompaniment to this record.
March
The fellas gave it a good go this March, with mixed results. Jacob Collier continued to drag out his virtuoso madman schtick on Djesse Vol. 4, creating another full-of-itself mishmash of sounds that attempts to appeal to everyone and actually appeals to no one. Justin Timberlake tried to bring things back to his R&B heyday on Everything I Thought It Was with very “how do you do, fellow kids?” results; as a side note, no one should ever allow this man to make a seven-minute song ever again. Bleachers put out their self-titled album, reliably another speckled record of Springsteen worship with a handful of out-and-out feelgood bangers. Hozier’s Unheard EP would go on to house his biggest commercial hit since Take Me To Church (Too Sweet the singular pop anthem in amongst the usual folkier material), while BTS’ j-hope was super groovy on EP Hope On The Street Vol. 1.
Most notably though, March is where this year’s ‘Pop Girl Spring’ truly began, the first of the truly A-list releases starting to materialise. Ariana Grande addressed plenty of elephants in the room on eternal sunshine, a concise, cohesive package of songs, unpicking her divorce, new relationship and subsequent crucifixion in the public eye in trademark confessional gorgeousness. Kacey Musgraves returned to country after 2021’s star-crossed didn’t exactly fare well, and it’s a cosy collection of musings from your Saturn return-hardened big sister. While on her Guts World Tour, Olivia Rodrigo released the (spilled) edition of her 2023 album, pop rock bangers obsessed and so american immediately becoming new classics in her discography. Shakira gained a new legion of Gen-Z fans with Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, Tyla impressed on her sleek and sexy self-titled debut album, and while Fletcher’s In Search of the Antidote didn’t make too big of a splash, it was home to soaring anthem Lead Me On, possibly her best song to date.
Rounding out the month was the behemoth Cowboy Carter by the one and only Beyoncé. A dissertation-level unpicking and rebuilding of country music, she championed Black musicians’ role in both the creation of the genre and advancement of it today, all while showing off her expert curation skills, unique creative lens and ability to create absolute bangers. AMERIICAN REQUIEM, SPAGHETTII and RIIVERDANCE wouldn’t fit on the same album if this was any other artist, but it all feels essential with Beyoncé, this record as intelligent and rich a musical tapestry one can weave.
April
April saw a lot of creativity and reinvention happening in the pop sphere. Maggie Rogers’ new earnest pop rock is a sound that fits her gloriously, Don’t Forget Me’s driving guitars the perfect canvas for her singer-songwriter talents. Tori Kelly wove some surprising garage and 90s R&B influences into her pop return, Anitta went full breathless dance energy on Funk Generation, while Nia Archives’ bouncy Silence Is Loud provided some of the most innovative and fun moments of the year. Delving fully into the ‘80s was Conan Gray’s MO on Found Heaven this year, and although no songs here really make an impact, one has to applaud his dedication to the cause. Star of the moment Chappell Roan dropped baroque-inspired anthem Good Luck, Babe! this month too, extending the momentum of her 2023 album The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess.
After denouncing her breakthrough record Five Seconds Flat, Lizzy McAlpine stripped things all the way back on Older. It’s a less dynamic project than its predecessor sound-wise, but the beyond-her-years wisdom McAlpine possesses makes her a super compelling narrator. girl in red was also less bold on I’m Doing It Again Baby!, but hers is a package that suffered for it. This was a much more toned down record, the sad girl persona and brash, technicolour pop gone in favour of straight-down-the-line guitars and unmemorable hooks. Perrie’s took her first solo step away from Little Mix with Ed Sheeran co-write Forget About Us, but her pre-release marketing tactics dulled its shine. Not only did she spend a whole month teasing the same snippet of the track, but that snippet happened to be the eventual climax of the track rendering the full version kind of disappointing. Benson Boone tried to capitalise on the unavoidable Beautiful Things on debut album Fireworks & Rollerblades, but its blandness left the screeching lead single as unfortunately the most memorable part of the project.
But, as with every new album she releases, Taylor Swift was the talking point of the back half of April. The Tortured Poets Department was a surprise in many ways—a spanner in the anticipated rollout of Taylor’s Version re-recordings, an arrival in the middle of her world-breaking Eras Tour (which was entirely based on her pre-existing ‘complete’ discography), and a secret double album, the second part of which dropped mere hours after the first. Swift’s songwriting pen is as sharp as ever, delivering some of her most scathing lyrics (this time fascinatingly directed at fans as well as past relationships), and meets all of the usual beats that make so many love her albums, but this project often points to a need to change things up sound-wise (especially when it comes to the sometimes over-simplified Anthology portion of the record) and hire someone to challenge her and edit her work.
May
Some of the year’s biggest chart botherers came out in May of this year, perhaps most scandalously Kendrick Lamar’s Drake-diss atom bomb Not Like Us. Not content with the barrage of more matter-of-fact, beef-winning jabs he’d made towards his fellow rapper in the week prior, this out-and-out banger won him worldwide Number One placements to make victory even sweeter. Riding high off the success of A Bar Song (Tipsy)—which would go on to equal the US record for longest serving Number One hit later in the year—Shaboozey put out Where I’ve Been Isn’t Where I’m Going, a record not quite memorable enough to warrant such history-making, but deserves credit for holding nonetheless. Plus, in one of the year’s standouts, Billie Eilish dropped HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, a masterclass in production and invention which tapped more into her tender side than anything she’d released before had.
Some former chart-toppers did not reach those heights this month, however. Sia truly stagnated on Reasonable Woman, pushing overblown, vacant pop that has no place in 2024. While Room Under The Stairs certainly seemed important to Zayn in a personal sense, the new country-ish direction made for nothing memorable. No Hard Feelings showed The Chainsmokers in a grey area between actual credible dance music and their hooky radio EDM of old, the failure to pick a lane making this release a forgettable one, while on these shores Becky Hill continued to churn out uninspired dance pop on Believe Me Now?. Dua Lipa had a mammoth 2024, headlining Glastonbury and announcing a huge stadium tour for next year. Was Radical Optimism the album deserving of such huge fanfare? Not really. Was it a total dud? Not at all. While it certainly wasn’t the bombastic, game-changing album fans wanted from Dua, it’s a solid project that certainly invites discourse about the unfathomably high standards and rate of reinvention fans hold female pop artists to.
A lot of May’s excitement actually came from less spotlighted places. Rachel Chinouriri’s What A Devastating Turn Of Events was one of the year’s best debuts, equal parts gut-wrenchingly emotional as it was effortlessly cool. Also making her mark was Leigh-Anne, her incredibly fresh-sounding debut EP No Hard Feelings paying homage to her Jamaican and Barbadian heritage and setting a promising standard for Little Mix solo projects. aespa made an epic splash on debut full-length Armageddon, Willow continued to push her ever-changing sound, this time into jazzier pastures on emPATHOGEN, while The Marias impressed on effortlessly cool and danceable Submarine. For a real look into the future though, A.G. Cook’s triple Britpop album was where to go. A whole experience involving trawling through specially-made websites and backstory while pulsing beats and twinkly synths intertwine, this felt light years ahead of its time.
June
June was home to some huge breakout releases, as well as arguably the most ubiquitous pop album of 2024. But first, we should get Meghan Trainor’s usual cringe doo-wop shtick and Imagine Dragons’ increasingly funny electro-pop direction out of the way. One is tried-and-tested deep-sigh material, the other genuinely unpredictable head-in-hands-worthy, both dead-behind-the-eyes and needing putting out of their misery. Another bottom of the barrel record was Jax’s Dear Joe, the recorded equivalent of that annoying theatre kid who brings her ukulele to a party, stompy radio pop and boring piano ballads offset by ‘humorous’ interludes that are anything but.
For thankfully lots of others, taking creative leaps seemed to be the name of the game this month. C,XOXO was a much-panned release for Camila Cabello this year for its hyperpop pastiche; while not exactly a great record, it’s not ‘worst of the year’ level either, Cabello’s willingness to take risks deserving of a lot more credit. Her Fifth Harmony bandmate Normani settled into a confident and likeable R&B sound on long-awaited debut Dopamine, but lack of promotion plus such straightforwardness in a month of innovation led to almost no splash whatsoever being made. Aurora, Peggy Gou and Kaytranada successfully continued to carve out their own niches with their June releases, while Lola Young’s This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway put forth her artistic manifesto exactly like a debut album should, paving the way for Messy to become a viral hit later in the year.
One of the year’s biggest success stories came with Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us. Her sprawling, emotional sound of old was replaced by something more palatable and buoyant, a guise that felt much less creative and unique than her past, almost bedroom-pop material. This new record itself was patchy momentum-wise (and oftentimes flat-out boring), but there’s no denying that the peppy Risk and deluxe single That’s So True later in the year deserve stadium crowds singing along.
But of course, June cut the ribbon on Brat Summer, paving the way for Charli XCX to become the full-on mainstream pop icon many chronically online people already knew her to be. A painfully honest record, Brat delved into Charli’s (up to now) chronically mid-sized artist stature, complicated colleague-ships with fellow female artists and reckoning with her personal life’s trajectory, as well as striking the perfect musical balance between pop hooks and boundary-pushing to make the most exciting, complex radio hits of the year. With Brat’s Grammy nominations and multiple places atop Album of the Year lists in the last few weeks, lime green has never looked so good.
July
After Karma had everyone’s favourite unhinged dance routine of the first half of 2024, Jojo Siwa dropped her dreaded Guilty Pleasure EP this July. It’s more guilty than pleasurable, Siwa’s vocals sounding either fully AI or childlike at any given time, definitely not what her edgy rebrand pointed towards. In mainstream hip-hop circles, Eminem showed how poorly his whole ‘offensive’ schtick fits into 2024 on The Death of Slim Shady, all his unnecessary barbs at marginalised communities beyond pathetic, while Ice Spice’s momentum stalled on Y2K!, the monotony of the record saved only by its 23-minute length.
With so many megastars having already put out their music for this year, July felt like something of a free-for-all for the mid-size artists, basically every point on the quality spectrum hit. Former Disney star Joshua Bassett had some surprisingly immaculate sunkissed pop-rock on The Golden Years (capturing the vibe much better than OneRepublic also attempted to this month). Glass Animals felt uninspired on I Love You So F***ing Much, all of the wavy synth energy they’ve become known for sanded down into nothing, while Cat Burns’ positioning of herself as a voice for Gen-Z didn’t necessarily translate to an exciting album listening experience on early twenties.
More successfully, Role Model’s new folkier sound on Kansas Anymore made for a gorgeously breezy summer record, BTS’ Jimin brass-heavy debut Muse was a welcome surprise, while Clairo’s Charm pivoted towards a piano-led, almost jazzy feel for the singer, boasting a completely new warmth for her. It wasn’t one for the hook-lovers, but for those searching for pre-autumn cosy vibes. Griff’s debut album Vertigo may have suffered from a staggered, multi-EP marketing plan, but it showed off her breathlessly exhilarating pop anthemia to full effect. Jade completed the trilogy of Little Mix members releasing music this year, Angel Of My Dreams completely bonkers, self-assured and easily the most exciting musical prospect of the three. But the aptest album title of July was Remi Wolf’s Big Ideas, boasting creativity and personality in spades. Pulling from influences of all kinds of genres and helmed by the world’s coolest ringmaster, this record is like a night out with your most chaotic friend—you never know where you’ll end up, but you know it’ll be something to tell everyone about the next morning.
August
August saw the return of both Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars on their power ballad Die With A Smile. It’s total Grammy-bait, but scratches all the itches any show-tune lover out there would want. Beautifully Ordinary saw Tones & I in her ballad era which went…exactly as insufferably as you’d imagine it to. Maren Morris released her Intermission EP (her first release since leaving country music), which housed promise, but less of the mid-tempo and tracks longer than two minutes are certainly needed in future releases. On the flip side, Post Malone made the jump into country with F-1 Trillion. It’s just fine, the most notable aspect not just how seamless ol’ Posty’s genre switch is, but how country stars both new and established have rallied to welcome him in.
Addison Rae became every Gen-Z pop fan’s favourite singer when she dropped Diet Pepsi this month, and although definitely not breaking new ground, its ethereal cool is certainly a more likeable vibe for the former TikTok star. After Nasty had the entire internet asking “is somebody gonna match my freak?”, Tinashe went straight back to being one of pop’s best-kept secrets on Quantum Baby, while Ravyn Lenae made her own name for herself on Bird’s Eye, one of R&B’s prettiest releases this year. Khalid fared less well on Sincere, paring back his hooks of old and making something far more forgettable as a result. Zedd also did away with his poppier side in favour of adding new shades to his usual sonic palette, Telos coming away as his least fun record to date. There was no chance of such a thing happening to synthpop duo Magdalena Bay, whose Imaginal Disk showed their sugary-sweet, futuristic ingenuity at full, glorious pelt.
One of the most fun 2024 album cycles to watch unfold has been Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet. To the casual listener, it seems like the perfectly-formed Polly Pocket pop star has appeared out of nowhere, but this success comes from the singer grinding and honing her craft for the best part of a decade. The result is an immaculate pop record with hints of rock, R&B and country, all delivered with Carpenter’s trademark twinkle in the eye. Not only is this record full of bops, it’s hilarious, one-liners about her ex jacking off to lyrics by Leonard Cohen or endless discussions of her own horniness completely setting things apart from any other ingenue. All too often, pop singers are encouraged to build worlds and lore around their work, but in Sabrina Carpenter’s case, just being herself has been more than enough.
September
This September seemed relatively less busy compared to previous years (lots of the A-list artists opting for earlier release dates), but there was still lots to talk about this month. Fred again..’s ten days was a gorgeously warm soundtrack to the last days of summer, a more straightforward sound elevated by his always tangible emotional hooks. The ever-ethereal FKA twigs launched her Eusexua era this month, the eponymous lead single cutting out just before the climax it seemed to be bubbling to. What we do get is intriguing enough though, the upcoming album sure to blow the minds of the visionary’s fans. Suki Waterhouse’s Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin was one for the too-cool-for-school retro girlies, but lacked the undeniable pull to appeal to anyone more. The Dare was as rowdy and horny as expected on What’s Wrong With New York?, although the po-faced delivery detracted from any sense of fun one could get with this record. ‘Fun’ isn’t exactly the word that comes to mind with Tommy Richman’s Coyote either, but it maintains a cool danceability throughout (and earns credibility points for not tacking huge single Million Dollar Baby onto the end to farm extra streams).
Camp icon Paris Hilton has dealt with criticism of her DJ career flawlessly onstage (as captured in viral ‘girlboss energy’ videos), but that excellence didn’t translate on this month’s vapid and manufactured Infinite Icon. The much-debated over posthumous record from Sophie was also released this month, but felt sadly pedestrian for such a trailblazer. Tate McRae continued her bid for main pop girl status, single It’s ok I’m ok capturing 2000s energy extremely promisingly. Speaking of 2000s energy, Nelly Furtado was back this month, but you’d be forgiven for not knowing with how little a mark 7 made (both creatively and commercially). COIN turned up their guitars on I’m Not Afraid Of Music Anymore which was…fine, while Nina Nesbitt retreated into the forests on Mountain Music, a new folkier direction suiting her immensely even if it did scale things back. Plus, Lady Gaga whet fans’ whistles with a new album! It was a set of jazz covers in tandem with Joker 2, but still?
There’s an elephant in the room here, however. September was the month of Katy Perry’s return to the spotlight after two commercial flops and a Las Vegas residency, and with the year’s pop renaissance (especially primed by the saucy camp of Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan Perry herself set a standard for), optimism and even excitement towards the former hitmaker was the highest it had been since 2017’s Witness. Then came Woman’s World, a lyrically thin and musically stale ‘feminist’ anthem, production by public enemy Dr. Luke highlighting a total lack of authenticity and allyship. Any trace of goodwill towards Perry was gone, and as more singles and eventually the album 143 dropped, it became clear just how uninspired and hollow Katy Perry has become as an artist, trying to retrace steps that garnered success a decade ago but completely failing to fully ingratiate herself in 2024.
October
With October’s earlier sunsets usually comes the final rush of the release calendar, bigger artists striving to make a mark before the inevitable Christmas music avalanche of November and December. Predictably, Moon Music was more of the same from a stagnant Coldplay, whose wide-eyed wonder is more cloying and bland than it has any business being. Orla Gartland delivered trademark wittiness and driving guitars on Everybody Needs A Hero, while Kelsea Ballerini put out the business-as-usual Patterns, sticking to the mid-tempo a bit more than expected. MUNA’s Katie Gavin’s What A Relief and Bastille’s conceptual & both stripped things all the way back with their acoustic production, but paled in comparison to past, peppier material. glaive’s blend of hyperpop and rockier influences could’ve been creative genius, but had next to no charisma present to balance out the madness. The surprise return of Tyler, The Creator didn’t have this problem though, Chromakopia balancing industrial intensity, chill beats and an array of uncredited guest stars to delve into the visionary’s own psyche like never before.
Halsey made some waves with The Great Impersonator, which paid homage to some of music’s most influential stars while unpicking the singer’s own near-death experience. It covers a lot of ground, showcases Halsey’s ever-sharp pen and creative mind, and continues to set a standard for pop world-building. A Finneas record is always going to provoke comparison to his work with sister Billie Eilish, and while For Cryin’ Out Loud is much less bombastic, it creates a warm, homely sound that’s a lovely tonic to his boundary-pushing elsewhere. Pixie Lott released her first album in ten years this month, Encino taking on a cool ‘70s rock vibe that really suits the pop princess of old. We have a third mention on the trot for Lady Gaga, who dropped one of the synth lines of the year on Disease, presumably the lead single for her upcoming (much needed) return to pop. Aussies Confidence Man went full floor-filler on 3AM (LA LA LA), plus Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat dropped, Charli XCX proving the inimitable Brat wasn’t just a trend to jump on, but an ever-evolving, all-consuming project.
November
The final trickle of music releases comes in November as everything slows down (excluding K-pop boybands seemingly, with Tomorrow X Together, Stray Kids and NCT Dream all dropping this month). The Wicked soundtrack was released alongside the blockbuster film, fully taking over the lives (and ruining the vocal cords) of musical fans everywhere. Myles Smith had a breakout year this year, EP A Minute… collating the perfectly adequate radio pop he’s made his name with. Shawn Mendes’ Shawn was underbaked in almost every way, uninspired in sonic palette, phoned-in vocal performances and some songs feeling like snippets instead of fully realised and finished tracks. Nessa Barrett was a less subtle Lana Del Rey on Aftercare, heavy drums and not-so-metaphorical lyrics highlighting how anything here that’s not derivative of someone else isn’t really worth seeking out.
FLO continued to serve up R&B excellence on debut album Access All Areas, single-handedly making the case for why a girl group renaissance should come sooner rather than later. Liminal Space was mxmtoon’s most grown-up record so far, sweet-sounding without being saccharine and heavy under the surface in its discussions of an ill parent. Gwen Stefani went country on Bouquet, which boasts some great driving top-down anthems even though cheesy lyrics did drag them down. But most notably for November, surprise-dropping GNX was the perfect cherry on top of Kendrick Lamar’s year, showcasing trademark lyrical excellence in all different shades. Out-and-out bangers, cutthroat verbal assaults and tender, personal moments are all present here, and show not only why Kendrick prevailed this year, but why he’s up there with the greatest in hip-hop.
December
Feeling festive? Well, hold that thought—just a few more albums standing in the way of you and All I Want For Christmas Is You on a loop. This month, CHVRCHES singer Lauren Mayberry dropped her debut solo album Vicious Creature, dabbling in all the ‘80s anthemia, exhilarating punk and power ballads she can’t do in her day job. It’s not as good as the euphoric synthpop of CHVRCHES, but it’s fun to hear her sharp tongue against anyone (read: men) who’s ever wronged her. Also putting out her debut solo album was Blackpink’s Rosé, Rosie her space for processing heartbreak. She’s at her best where she’s actually fun, like huge lead single APT. or the few slinky R&B moments on here, but it’s too bogged down in balladry to get a true sense of Rosé as her own artist. And right at the eleventh hour, SZA dropped Lana after months of teasing (and then on the day, hours more waiting, the material finally appearing on streaming platforms mid-evening). Yes, it’s billed as simply the deluxe version of 2022’s SOS, but it’s a whole 15 tracks that certainly feels more instrumentally organic than the original tracklist while still keeping confessional, chilled and characteristically SZA.
2024 may have had peaks and troughs like any other year, but its levels of pop dominance have to be one for the history books. The sheer amount of megastars who have dropped music this year may point to a much more barren 2025, but here’s hoping the upcoming year is just as excellent.
Words by Georgia Jackson
