Luke Nuttall (Editor / Writer)
10. Hot Water Music – Vows
For a band whose reputation can be potted into ‘great albums but rarely best-of-the-year contenders’, Vows is a bit of a breakthrough for Hot Water Music. Not entirely—it’s the hoary, grizzled alt-punk you expect and love—but the moments of galvanised tweaks add up wonderfully. It’s the first Hot Water Music album in a while to stand out beyond their usual benchmark, a feat that really should be celebrated more than it has been. This is a band who formed in 1994, now up to their 10th album, and they’ve just cranked out a genuine career highlight. Fantastic stuff, as usual.
9. Four Year Strong – analysis paralysis
One thing that unites some of this year’s best is their grower potential, and rarely does an album flaunt that as a selling point more than analysis paralysis. If the idea of Four Year Strong’s awkward, shabby dalliances with hardcore leave you unsure, there’s just something there that’ll make you want to come back to try again, and routinely end up liking it more. Because that’s the thing—more so than any other Four Year Strong album, there’s effort required here, and that’s the catalyst for something great. When it clicks, you get a new dimension to pop-punk’s finest that more raw and scrappy, jumping off what was already bolder and muscular for the scene it was in, and becoming a bit more mean in the process. Dunno exactly what it is that gets this to such a level, but it’s undeniable all the same.
8. Pale Waves – Smitten
Remember when this seemed unthinkable? Pale Waves always had the heart of a star pop band without the execution to go there, spending their subsequent albums gradually unearthing fragments of the best of themselves. Smitten is the time capsule at the bottom of that dig site, filled with past indie-pop memories that a more seasoned act can work with unimpeded. The pop cues are lush and expansive, featuring some of this band’s best-ever melody work. Apply that to the actual songs too, as Pale Waves are fully free of early shagginess or tentative bloat, and are comfortable with fine-tuning this lean pop experience to the best of their abilities. It almost goes without saying that this is their best album yet, and how that isn’t even a contest.
7. Cherym – Take It Or Leave It
Cherym already feel like an exceptional band. They’re free of all the respective baggages of their scenes—DIY indie-rock’s too-maudlin quirks, and pop-punk’s staid midness. That in itself makes Take It Or Leave It a triumph, in how it vaults over the vast majority of practitioners within two entire movements with little effort. But with how much earnestness and affability and mind-bogglingly sticky hook-work also goes on, you could probably bucket in another handful of scenes that Cherym are better than. It’d only be fair, seeing as this debut already feels definitive and complete for a band demonstrably still rising up the ranks. Hopefully it’s the catalyst for them to rise a lot further.
6. Bob Vylan – Humble As The Sun
Oh, Bob Vylan—at once, the clown princes of UK alt crossoverdom, and one of the most vital, charged acts to bear an independent spirit currently active anywhere. It’s no secret that it’s that dichotomy that brings the most out of Humble As The Sun, the hip-hop / punk collision course refreshingly unafraid to speak its uncensored thoughts, no matter who might catch some strays along the way. In that respect, Bob Vylan truly are the singular entity within the scene. There’s no one who feels like they do, such is the impact of Humble As The Sun and how much it turns the heat up on an already piping-hot concoction. It’s bolder; it’s more brash; it’s rushing headlong through its creators’ successes and influence; and it’s pretty much note-perfect at all of it.
5. Dead Pony – IGNORE THIS
Another big grower, though likely a consequence of Dead Pony being inescapable this year. They’ve racked up a colossal live footprint throughout 2024, though that’s hardly a surprise considering how IGNORE THIS is custom-built to turn them into superstars. Big alt-rock bathed in electronic buzzes and crackles will ultimately do that, with it carved into a selection of slammers that are worth their weight in gold. If you’ve seen them any number of times this year, you’ll be familiar with a good chunk of these songs, partly because Dead Pony have a knack for writing choruses that, under no circumstances, will leave your head. On IGNORE THIS, there’s probably more of those than some bands will ever have, alongside a style that’s in the perfect, ideal centre of crushing, inviting and electrifying. Even the interludes have gotten better over time; that’s how you know it’s good.
4. Kid Kapichi – There Goes The Neighbourhood
Here it is—the one that leapt up the most, almost exclusively through sheer force of will. The kind of songs that Kid Kapichi write are almost insidiously infectious and crafted, barbed and openly progressive without neglecting the immense populism of Madness collaborations and writing about Tamagotchis. It never feels compromised, either; it’s truly the voice of the common man, articulated in that way but making no bones about the harder edges it has. And that can be really valuable in a band picking up the sort of steam that Kid Kapichi are, especially when the choruses and ever-so-slightly-punk approachability are practically always on point. There’s a not-insignificant portion of this album that’d have some of the most irrepressible bangers of any regular year, almost reading as routine on here. If that’s not an absolute win, what is?
3. Bring Me The Horizon – POST HUMAN: NeX GEn
Bring Me The Horizon’s obligatory spot isn’t getting shuffled out this year, nor does it appear it will for the foreseeable future. For what was literally years incoming, POST HUMAN: NeX GEn sincerely failed to disappoint, in the next step of cybernetic augmentation for the single most forward-thinking band that UK rock and metal has at the minute. They’re oft reflected but never replicated, such is the level above the rest that Bring Me The Horizon find themselves at. Now, with an even more succinct yet sprawling coordination between alt-metal, pop-rock, electronica and a bevy of other pulls, it really is difficult to poke holes in how their ambition and execution mesh. No idea is too harebrained; no length is too far to stretch. This is the album that just about proves—if any more were needed—that Bring Me The Horizon are quite literally boundless in what they’re doing. They aren’t that far from being peerless, either.
2. Kneecap – Fine Art
Kneecap’s Fine Art has the benefit of cultural importance that no other album on this list can even look in the direction of. Let’s start with the obvious—an Irish-language hip-hop album is something that, quite literally, has never been proliferated in the way that Fine Art has. Then add on the global impact it’s had, and the Oscar-nominated film it spawned, and a winning case against the UK government for unlawfully withholding a funding grant that came in its wake. The waves that Kneecap are making are crashing down and sweeping across on a systemic level, and at the centre is the sort of fresh, funny, unbelievably sharp album that justifies every new swing into the unknown. There’s a griminess to the rap-rave stylings that makes it feel homely, without ignoring swerves into intrigue and unique ideas. There’s a deliberate classlessness to its characters, and that just makes the punches hit harder. Honestly, there’s just so much going in this album’s favour that the environment around it has subsequently ballooned even further. It’s one of the year’s most impactful releases for a reason.
1. Joey Valence & Brae – NO HANDS
Sometimes, you just can’t ignore a gut feeling. An album can stick on a profound level, or try to expound its creative drive through new, distinct avenues. Or, it can wallop you over the head with some of most fun music put to record, never stop for its duration, and having you coming back over and over again. NO HANDS is basically a continuation of what Joey Valence & Brae have always done, and that’s why it works. The springboard of being alt-rap jesters making nerdy pop culture references has been loaded, and this is the result of letting loose—an album that’s more colourful, pulse-pounding, adrenalised and addictive than anything that’s come before. The pair are simpatico to a fault throughout, loaded with chemistry in a way that’s entirely appropriate for an album entirely averse to underselling anything about itself. That’s absolutely a compliment, by the way. You’ll seldom be more energised than in the half-hour this album runs for, such is the state of production, performance, swagger, expressiveness… Look, it’s just lightning in a bottle from front to back, the kind of album that simply steamrolls the competition on a good year. Turns out, then, it’s been a very good year.
Georgia Jackson (Deputy Editor / Writer)
10. Beyoncé – COWBOY CARTER
A dissertation-level take on country music through Beyoncé’s own lens, COWBOY CARTER shines a light on the Black foundations of the genre, blending it with every genre the singer usually frequents. Tracks like SPAGHETTII and YA YA are endlessly fun, BODYGUARD, LEVII’S JEANS and the huge TEXAS HOLD ‘EM bring the radio factor, plus plenty of moments of stripped back tenderness make up the most dense and thought-out pop release of the year.
9. Remi Wolf – Big Ideas
There’s nothing better than feeling how much fun an artist is having through their music, something that comes in spades with Remi Wolf’s second record. Big Ideas is an apt title, Wolf flitting through funk, synthpop, emo, blues, reggae and everything inbetween with shedloads of charisma. In the hands of anyone else this would be a muddled mess, but for Remi Wolf, this is just another glorious and groove-laden day at the office.
8. Griff – Vertigo
Griff has long been one of the most exciting and creative up-and-comers in the UK, debut album Vertigo levelling all of her talents up in exactly the way she needed to. Taking her bedroom-pop foundations and aiming towards the stratosphere, Tears For Fun, Miss Me Too and Anything are full-on arena anthems without ever compromising her loveable warmth or breathless vulnerability. This is a new standard set in Griff’s career, and it’s so exciting thinking of where she’ll go from here.
7. Pale Waves – Smitten
Pale Waves’ Smitten is a perfect example of a band getting their sound to its most irresistible form without pretense, this gorgeous collection of dreamy pop-rock easily their best, most assured record to date. Seeing Stars, Gravity and Miss America are the perfect floating-on-air soundtrack to thinking about your crush, while Glasgow and Not A Love Song make even heartbreak feel romantic.
6. Halsey – The Great Impersonator
Halsey has never been one to half-arse a project, his year’s The Great Impersonator no exception. Each song is inspired by a different musical icon, and while there are easy references like Britney Spears and Dolly Parton, picks like PJ Harvey, Fiona Apple and Evanescence reaffirm that Halsey is at their best when getting a bit weird or steering to the rock side of things. Lyrically, this is a heavy record, Halsey coming to terms with a brush with death and the new weight that carries as a mother. It’s not always an easy listen, but it’s an artistic feat. This kind of high concept album making is hard to come by in pop, and it’s just another reminder that no one is doing it like Halsey.
5. Charli XCX – Brat
Considering 2022’s Crash was Charli XCX’s stab at a mainstream pop album, it feels poetic that this year’s Brat, a weirder, more confessional, more Charli record is the one that’s captured the zeitgeist. This is the most honest the singer has ever been—discussing the nuances of being ‘famous but not quite’ (at the time of writing, at least), not always having to be friends with other artists (and sometimes working it out on the remix) and choosing whether to have kids or prioritise a career—but never compromising on the hard-hitting instrumentals tailor-made for the club. 2024 has been a gloriously organic and deserved success story for Charli XCX, and between the lime green aesthetic, cool girl attitude and entirely reworked remix album, Brat summer could only be the biggest musical event for the chronically online this year.
4. Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology
Another year, another Taylor Swift record. The Tortured Poets Department is more confessional songwriting in a romantically tumultuous time in Swift’s life, ranging from pop bops to a stripped back, folky sound on the Anthology portion of the record. This could be Swift’s angriest album; there are the usual tales of relationship drama (The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived possibly her most vicious takedown of a lover to date), but also fascinating insights on the unimaginable level of fame she’s reached, Swift lashing out at her fans’ over-the-top judgements of her personal life and snarling at media circuses like a caged animal. It’s some of the most complex lyrical content from a pop album this year, delivered in a way only the sharpest pen in the genre can.
3. Ariana Grande – eternal sunshine
Ariana Grande began 2024 as tabloid fodder and the target of much vitriol from the public, a new album the natural way for the singer to address any elephants in the room. On eternal sunshine, Grande chose to lay all of her emotions on the table with now-trademark cohesion, her perfect vocals flitting over immaculate, detail-oriented production seemingly effortlessly. There are Madonna and Robyn-esque pop moments here, but it’s cuts like don’t wanna break up again, the title track and the beautiful i wish i hated you (which are just the singer with her thoughts and a microphone) that show off this record’s true beauty.
2. Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
If any pop artist truly arrived in 2024, it was Sabrina Carpenter. Short n’ Sweet was not only an aptly concise and consistent collection of tracks, but it presented a Polly Pocket-sized superstar who was equally parts saucy, confident and laugh-out-loud hilarious. There’s country laments of poor dating pools, horny pop smashes, vulnerable ballads, all garnished with some of the years’ best one-liners. This record cycle has felt like the start of something very special for Sabrina Carpenter, and it’s been a pleasure to watch unfold.
1. Billie Eilish – HIT ME HARD AND SOFT
It’s always so exciting watching a young artist grow and improve with age, and HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is a brand new ceiling for Billie Eilish. After the dragged-out Happier Than Ever, this is a 10-song streamlined project full of expertly crafted soundscapes (made in tandem with brother and right-hand-man Finneas), feeling just like the vast body of water on the record’s cover. The deft restraint and control Eilish has across the tracklist is full of wisdom, the stark beauty of SKINNY or spellbinding build of WILDFLOWER sure to be mishandled in the hands of anyone else. There’s the siblings’ own brand of fun here (much more slinky groove than ever before, zany THE DINER, the tangible wink in the delivery of L’AMOUR DE MA VIE), but also moments of tenderness, whether than be on huge single BIRDS OF A FEATHER or candour about her sexuality on LUNCH. This record feels like Billie Eilish in bloom, both musically and personally, and is certainly the creme de la creme of her career thus far.
Holly Royle (Writer)
10. Poppy – Negative Spaces
Poppy’s explosive take on modern metal dripping with synthpop qualities sees Negative Spaces provide a track list of emotive, thunderous and memorable hooks. The heavy hitting metal arrangements of they’re all around us accompanied by Poppy’s more ferocious growls are contrasted with the synth-led soaring chorus. Switching up the vibe with an analogue-toned catchy synthpop offering is crystallized, while pop ballad-esque tracks the cost of giving up and vital provide further variety. The wide array of genre and style influences across the tracks keeps you hooked—yet the album as a whole still remains cohesive. The repeated lyrical references to ‘negative spaces’ and emotive aspects successfully tie the album together.
9. Ad Infinitum – Abyss
This year, Ad Infinitum reinvented themselves and entered a new chapter with Abyss. Having moved away for symphonic metal as their primary genre focus, the quartet throw open the doors to further experimentation across musical influences and arrangements, producing a modern metal sound, with a greater emphasis on pop metal with a progressive edge. The hard-hitting pop-fuelled anthem Surrender, and its brutal djent twist, is a fantastic example of their imaginative arrangements. The soundscapes across My Halo and Outer Space, for example, reveal the band’s deep dive into electronics and how to use them to emphasise the technical guitars and Bonny’s impressive vocal range across both cleans and harsh.
8. Hand Of Kalliach – Corryvreckan
2024 saw the arrival of Hand Of Kalliach’s Corryvreckan, the follow-up to their previous full length Samhainn. Enchanting their listeners with melodies and soundscapes that bring Scottish mythology to life and evoke the haunting beauty of the country’s landscape and surrounding seas. You can almost taste the saltwater and envisage the turbulent waters as crashing waves introduce the opener Three Seas. Gaelic folklore bleeds through the music; ethereal vocals and the thundering harsh combine to breathe life into the watery worlds explored. From the dark Dìoghaltas to the spell binding Of Twilight and the Pyre, Celtic instruments further enhance the story telling and overall fantastical feel of Corryvreckan.
7. Nightwish – Yesterwynde
Nightwish’s Yesterwynde, the bands tenth studio album and concluding offering of their tri-part album series, is highly immersive with its focus on storytelling. The band’s idiosyncratic style comprised of thrilling, large scale arrangements, and careful balance between all the instruments and vocal parts, remains at the heart of the music. There is a push into unchartered territory with further variety across the track list that enhances Nightwish’s powerful worldbuilding narrative. The likes of An Ocean Of Strange Islands, the album’s longest track, and Perfume Of The Timeless evoke the familiar epics Nightwish are so well known for. While the elegant Spider Silk or the dystopian The Day Of… present intriguing alternatives.
6. Wintersun – Time II
Wintersun’s eagerly awaited Time II arrived this year. The follow-up to 2012’s Time I, swiftly batters away any anxieties and concerns as to whether it will live up to the anticipation and whether it will make sense after so many years have passed since part one. The epic opener Fields of Snow quickly transport you into Wintersun’s realms before The Way Of The Fire unleashes an immense heavy sound—it’s a flurry of melodies, high-speed double pedal rhythms, and thrilling arrangements. Time II is a stunning album that is best enjoyed as an album in its entirety—the journey through each track is magical with every element carefully considered in its construction.
5. Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Knocked Loose’s You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To is a sheer anguish-fuelled atrocity, a sincere onslaught from beginning to end. From the raucous energy of Piece By Piece to the powerful interplay with Poppy’s vocal performance on Suffocate, the album contains an intriguing array of tracks that find alternative means of manifesting Knocked Loose’s unrelenting energy. The haunting Take Me Home delves further into dissonant realms with dynamic percussion arrangements making themselves known amidst sparse accompaniment, before descending into the utter most despairing depths in one the album’s most epic nightmarish breakdowns. Slaughterhouse 2 featuring Chris Motionless further illustrates the band’s versatility in bringing guests from outside their genre while also pushing the boundaries of their own sound.
4. Leprous – Melodies Of Atonement
Leprous allow the fluid nature of their compositions to really shine throughout Melodies Of Atonement. The emotion that flows over the album is undeniable and so expertly executed. The band fully embrace their desire to experiment, and the result here is their heaviest album to date, an album that toys with light and shade, that contains ear worms, epic moments and intimate ones. The sheer impact of Silently Walking Alone and Atonement simply cannot be understated. Meanwhile, Starlight and Self-Satisfied Lullaby manifest dreamy soundscapes. Melodies Of Atonement has the ability to hold the listener’s attention through the intrigue as to what awaits next, its compelling quality, and its escapism.
3. Hanabie. – Bucchigiri Tokyo
Hanabie bring an onslaught of high intensity rhythms and catchy hooks in their iconic colourful style, with their ‘Harajuku-core’ sound being incredibly infectious. Bucchigiri Tokyo sees the band continue to rise further as their sound is elevated, hitting even harder than before. The urban landscape of Tokyo bleeds through the music, not only through the band’s aesthetic, but through the cyber-scape constructed through the wide use of synthesizers, cultural references and sound effects. Yukina’s demonic harsh growls interplay powerfully with Matsuri’s cleans amidst a colourful wealth of extreme tones and textures. A key takeaway from this EP is the unrelenting energy.
2. Charlotte Wessels – The Obsession
Charlotte Wessels invited us into her personal and powerful realm through The Obsession. The most enticing melodies, dynamic arrangements and personal lyrics are not only beautifully executed, but this intense bearing of her soul also resonates, in some shape or form, with her listeners. The album is diverse, from the thrilling dark masterpiece The Exorcism, to the soulful reflection on our relationship with social media in Praise, the cathartic The Crying Room and epic Ode To The Westwind. Highly enticing, The Obsession carries a more progressive feel, not only seen across the wide variety of genre and styles drawn from, but also the creativity in arrangements and how they aptly establish the mood for each track.
1. VOLA – Friend Of A Phantom
Friend Of A Phantom is nothing short of an incredible offering from VOLA—it cleverly and aptly showcases the band’s distinctive progressive style. The beautiful and delicate nature of Glass Mannequin juxtaposes the fierce aggression of Cannibal and Bleed Out, which are also contrasted with the emotive Tray. The Danish-Swedish quartet have a knack for exploring light and shade beautifully and in a manner that never feels disconnected or jarring. Each VOLA track is very clearly a VOLA track. This instant identifiability attests to their high proficiency in versatile songwriting that never feels forced or constricted.
Elliot Burr (Writer)
10. The Body – The Crying Out Of Things
The Body deal with primal energies. Lee Buford’s drums thump under monumental cymbal crashes, as destructive as they can be happily dancing as familiar beats. The electronics can be brightly ambient or murky enough to complement Chip King’s guitar feedback. His scream is pushed to the back, the extreme music version of the ‘Small Man in a Box’ trick by Rob Brydon. Basically, it’s all rather thrilling and purposefully overblown. And while they’ve smushed genre tropes from noise rock to dub to black-metal into a PlayDoh ball before, it’s rarely been served so directly as on the aptly named The Crying Out Of Things. This clamouring record is ice cold—a cyclone hit to the speakers like a soundsystem drop or droning distortion from the duo’s collective tastes. Visceral gnashing and patient builds make every payoff worthwhile, including a nihilistic spoken word piece in The Citadel Unconquered, a euphoric breakbeat in A Premonition and the hip-hop styles on The Building. Pushing boundaries isn’t enough when you can max out the limits of your equipment, making for an unabashed performance where the only downside is its threat to hearing abilities.
9. The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World
Imagine being a teen in 1985 where the potential for annual classic The Cure albums was met repeatedly for some time still. In the days since Disintegration, Robert Smith’s quality control and fervent release schedule was sadly not maintained. But it’s all forgiven, obviously. Smith’s mastery as a songwriter was never written off. Nor was a possible return to form, where patience has come to OG goths and anyone within the band’s bizarrely far-flung appeal to fans of post-punk, pop, psychedelia, orchestral and everything in between. Patience being the operative word for Songs Of A Lost World: a deft musing on existence following Smith’s own bereavements, draped in OTT yet chilling atmospheres from Simon Gallup’s very first note on Alone. It’s elegiac, romantic still, and largely avoids poppier cuts for song lengths mimicking reflective moods right through to stunning closer Endsong. It’s a glowing on-tape version of their epic sets (where they road-tested many of these cuts) showing that, when The Cure gets The Cure spot on, it yields marvellous results that give and give more with each unfurling replay.
8. Fabiana Palladino – Fabiana Palladino
The Palladino family are a funky bunch, all in their own way involved in music that gets toes tapping. Fabiana’s debut time in the limelight is an instantly memorable collection of R&B infected pop that stands up to the stylistic shimmer of the singer’s lillacy cover. Released through the Paul Institute—set up by London pop reinventors Jai and A.K. Paul—the former’s studio gloss is painted all over these ten recordings that have feet in playful ‘80s balladry, the works of Whitney and Prince, or the head bopping hits of Earth, Wind & Earth, but with an introspective and downplayed cool that a bedroom artist would pen into their Notes app before doing a vocal take in a wardrobe. Palladino’s central voice switches from powerful to soothing over tinkling keys, wah pedals, hi-hat shuffles and the nimble flowing fretwork of legendary bassist father Pino. The experience provides a modern reinvention of overly showy retro sounds that always appeal, but especially when their maker has the confidence and talent to pull them off without a single hitch.
7. Kendrick Lamar – GNX
Kendrick Lamar rarely veers away from theatre, with past projects including a Bildungsroman, an art-rap societal gamechanger, a Pulizer prize winner and a self-critical psychiatrist session. Then again, GNX may not be his most intricate offering, but it doesn’t have to be. He’s winner of Song of the Summer, perhaps Song of the Year, standing atop Mount Olympus and overseeing popular charts after humiliating one of music’s goliaths in a fight he never should’ve picked. He knows it, too. The fun virtuosity and Kendrickisms are boosted—he’s essentially laughing at his own confidence here more than ever—the absolute hoot of Not Like Us’ clinical but playful vibe infuses tv off and squabble up, and he calls out and celebrates rappers from the West to the East, the past to the present, mostly packaged in neo-G-funk at the hands of Sounwave and that Jack Antonoff. It keeps up Lamar’s victorious year-long vibe more than anything else, but even his quickfire sessions still maintain the quality seal that only hip hop’s foremost spokesperson can consistently manage.
6. Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Speaking of victory laps, 2024’s been quite the ascent for Oldham County’s hometown heroes. Knocked Loose’s metallic flip-knife edge has sharpened hardcore for the best part of a decade, where dog barks and a horror movie concept EP have been talking points reserved for those confined to Outbreak Fest’s sweaty pits. Going against the grain, the band’s progressing heaviness has actually won them more fans, taking them to a stage dwarfing arenas—Jimmy Kimmel Live. Normie rage against pissed-off reggaeton breakdowns is a Satanic panic throwback and it’s brilliant. I can’t blame Gammons for not being so sure; even for a long-time KL listener, this record is a half-hour in hell’s depths, and I can only recover slightly from being a little scared during the semi-interval of Moss Covers All/Take Me Home. Some rises to heavy music’s peaks feel inevitable, and this outfit’s uncompromising approach to hitting listeners’ ears harder than ever before has made it happen. Pulling together hardcore scrappers, metalheads, indie blogs, TikTok and TV talk show crowds, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To is already bona fide metalcore canon.
5. Balance And Composure – With You In Spirit
Some band hiatuses are a bitter pill to take, which can make their eventual reunions approachable only at arm’s length. This was absolutely not the case for myself, nor from reactions of other fourth-wave emo fans, who fell over themselves following unexpected new music from Balance And Composure. Their chunky three-guitar attack and Jon Simmons’ strangely bright-yet-dower croon set them apart in Separation and The Things We Think We’re Missing, with heyday ‘letdown’ (it wasn’t) Light We Made charting a different course for the scene’s sound but leading to a disappointing premature demise. Reflection (pun intended) made this band feel even more crucial than before, a feeling accentuated since With You In Spirit dropped: a measured, balladic and varied approach to the five-piece’s trademark formula blending post-hardcore with ‘90s alternative, all with master-producer Will Yip back at the helm. Every chorus is effervescent, each section another carefully constructed block. It’s a no-fat ten track feast for long time supporters or any newcomers to the admired B&C fable. Lucky them!
4. Charli XCX – Brat
It would have been wild even a year ago to think of Charli XCX as such a dominant cultural force that her Brat aesthetic would infiltrate politics, create viral dances, and make LinkedIn warriors discuss neon green ‘branding pros’ two months too late. Because, for all of the artist’s incredible innovation the whole decade, her left-field industrial-cum-bubblegum-pop swag left her on the fringes of the mainstream. And it’s something Charli’s own vulnerable side discusses across Brat—the strangeness of associating with the globe’s most famous stars, the difficulty ‘showing up’ for events when it’s easier to veg out goblin-style in pyjamas, her own regret at feeling too starstruck by Sophie to enjoy a cosy dinner together, and assessing life choices post-30. Yet even those introspective moments are hypnotising bangers, many at the whim of A.G. Cook’s unbelievable production, while Charli parades ultra-braggadocious party girl styles on Von Dutch, 365 and Club Classics. Despite all the worry and the messiness, pop royalty has always suited Charli well, and Brat’s milestone should keep her future releases (her ‘Lou Reed era’, apparently?) as essential as they’ve always been.
3. Drug Church – Prude
Patrick Kindlon has morphed into somewhat of a poet for the cynics, a voice so perfectly exposing the vapid, mundane cycles of modern life, the crappiness of society and small personal quirks that boil your blood. On Prude, at this rate the third stellar encapsulation of Drug Church’s trademarks, Kindlon assesses his judgements and marks his place within the world as if it’s all an Atlanta bus station (Peer Review), wonders whether it’d be better to be a dog (the essential Demolition Man), and shows how self-kidnapping drug schemes lead to jobs in finance (Business Ethics). All this, of course, accompanied by the band’s grungy three-axe power chord attack that’s bouncy and bonkers in its ability to make fuzzed out post-hardcore seem delightfully happy. Noone can juggle bops and stream-of-consciousness ramblings with the same clinical scalpel as Drug Church at their finest, even though Nick Cogan has stated that Prude has only inched him closer to their zenith. Given their proven no-filler output, if and when that peak happens, the alt-rock world should duly explode.
2. Thou – Umbilical
A new Thou drop is a special kind of monster. Since their more straightforward Tyrant days, they’ve made video game soundtracks, splits aplenty, and both ambient and acoustic EPs. So what about Umbilical, the first full-length since 2018’s unfurling hour-plus odyssey Magus? They decided to fucking full-throttle it. The feeling of being dragged hair-first into a cave by an abominable beast. Riffs so gloomy your eyes mimic the vibrations of those poor, battered lower strings. And yet, with choruses. The Louisiana outfit seemingly poured more of their grunge and hardcore love into their original sludge blueprint to show you can never get too comfortable thinking about where their creativity will head next. With this record taking a retrospective glance at their sound and status as a band in the face of fan expectations, flashbacks to the aggressively immediate Smoke Pigs or their outrageous Aneurysm Nirvana cover feels like a tongue in cheek snicker at those only wanting the grimiest of treacle-slow breakdowns. You get those, but also more rip roaring three-minute slammers that show Thou as jacks of all trades and masters of them, too. It makes the entire hellride leading up to Siege Perilous’ immaculate final moment a savage delight.
1. Chat Pile – Cool World
The release of God’s Country in 2021 felt like a winner in so many ways. If you were a fan of Albini-style noise-punk, dank sludge, fear and trepidation, or olden-days Korn, you were sold. That debut, and its two previous EPs, established Chat Pile as Oklahoma’s greatest cultural export since Route 66 and made them live mainstays with immediate effect, hitting the road for Raygun Busch to flex his astute knowledge of B-movie horror locations in every new city. They already felt fully formed then, until they thought they’d one-up themselves again with Cool World. So be it. It’s an absolute stormer. When pop adopted the Brat Summer phrase, heavy music had “I am dog now!”, an opening statement unlike any other that precedes evolved vocal styles (Shame’s chorus, or Frownland’s breathlessly wicked “They don’t wanna hear what I have to say!”), the back-to-back terrors of Camcorder and Tape, and the sound of spiders spinning webs on No Way Out. Chat Pile employs the dang lot, from dopamine hits to sheer dread that plays you like the outrageous movie plots, games of hacky sack, or JRPGs they studied meticulously to craft 2024’s greatest musical effort. Truly a one-of-a-kind album from a one-of-a-kind act.
Hunter Hewgley (Writer)
10. The Story So Far – I Want To Disappear
I’ll just say it—I’m not the biggest fan of modern pop-punk. It’s a genre that I’ve found has only become progressively more stale and lifeless and the years have trudged on. In fact, I have never once enjoyed a record from The Story So Far. But man, there’s just something about I Want To Disappear that hooked me from the get go, and I haven’t quite been able to shake the recurring want to return to this group of songs over the course of this year. There are few to no holes to poke in the album; the songwriting is air tight, the lyricism is cutting, and the vocal performances are every bit as impressive as they are catchy. Songs like Big Blind just make you want to roll down your windows and break your local traffic laws, whilst White Shores, which is one of my favorite songs of 2024, showcases a more emotive and gripping side of the band that is seldom seen. Following the release of this gem, perhaps I will be paying a bit more attention to The Story So Far in the coming years.
9. Billie Eilish – HIT ME HARD OR SOFT
When I first heard HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, I was on a weekend camping trip in the sprawling longleaf pine savannas of North Florida. My friends and I were driving around, braving the thick morning fog following a night of heavy rain. We decided to check this record out, as it had just released the previous day. Listening to this record in such a breathtaking setting perhaps heightened my initial listening experience, and it has only stuck with me throughout the year upon further listens. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is a unique soundscape of watery chorus tones, cavernous reverb, and spine-chilling vocal melodies, all culminating into one of the most beautiful pop records I’ve ever heard. The production on this album is particularly exceptional, being extremely outside-of-the-box and unlike much else that you’ll hear in the genre. From the hauntingly gut-wrenching lyricism of SKINNY to the soaring psychedelic explosions of THE GREATEST, Billie simply doesn’t miss on this record, offering up her most captivating experience to date.
8. Starve – Life’s Promise Dies
Let me say this—if you’re reading this list and have never heard of smaller Australian metalcore band Starve, do yourself a favor and throw them on. The band previously released their 2021 two-track EP Six Feet Into The Poppy Field, which features a top ten metalcore song of all time in Parables (no, I’m not kidding or exaggerating). So then, when I heard we were finally getting a full record from these guys, I was extremely keen to hear what they had cooked up. Lo and behold, Starve did not disappoint with Life’s Promise Dies—this record kicks all variety of ass. Hitting with the force of a freight train, Nightmare At My Door catalyzes the album in the most incendiary manner possible, complete with its explosive riffage, throat-shredding screams, and its downright dangerous breakdown. World Of Shit is perhaps my favorite of the bunch though, contrasting atmospheric clean guitars with earth-shattering breakdowns, alongside a brilliant guest feature from fellow kickass Aussie metalcore band Justice For The Damned’s vocalist Bobak Rafiee. The record is just flat out rad, easily landing a spot on my favorites of the year.
7. Boundaries – Death Is Little More
Do you enjoy the feeling of being bludgeoned to death with a hammer? Well boy, do I have the album for you! Boundaries is a band that has always been on my radar, but neither of their previous albums have quite cemented them as a favorite of mine. And then came along Death Is Little More. This album has been wildly popular among the metalcore crowd this year, and for good reason. It’s a showing of exceptional songwriting, and especially adept knowledge of ‘big moments’—how to use them, where to place them, and how to make them have a big impact on the listener. From the eruptive chorus of lead single Easily Erased, to the gargantuan breakdown finale of Face The Blade, to the neck-breaking chug-laden verses of Scars On A Soul, this album really doesn’t give you a single second to breathe, but in an excellent way. The lyricism present here is also incredibly blunt and honest, showcasing the woes of a hurting soul and the struggles of coping, all whilst maintaining a level of impressive poeticism. It’s a great record, easily cementing Boundaries as a band to keep an eye on.
6. GIVER – The Future Holds Nothing But Confrontation
It’s been a great year for smaller heavy bands, that’s for sure. However, while the aforementioned Starve easily fits into their niche of hardcore-leaning nu-metalcore, a genre that has grown quite popular over the years, GIVER’s The Future Holds Nothing But Confrontation is perhaps the single most captivatingly unique album I’ve heard in 2024. The band’s otherworldly, seamless blend of melodic hardcore, black-metal, and post metal is something that first entranced me on their wonderful 2020 LP Sculpture Of Violence, and with their new record, they have only perfected their formula even further. Each track is a truly unique experience, chock full of cathartic, balls-to-the-wall performances and melancholic lyricism, intertwining perfectly into a profound and breathtaking sonic explosion of emotion. Lead single Keeping You Alive is especially a highlight here, with its haunting, roomy, lead guitar-driven chorus and powerful finale. It is truly a crime that GIVER have yet to receive the recognition that they deserve within the scope of heavy music, and I do hope that changes one day, given just how fantastic they are at putting together musical experiences that are unlike anything else I’ve ever heard.
5. Kublai Khan TX – Exhibition Of Prowess
Alright, what can I say—as much as I adore a record as boundary-pushing as GIVER’s, I also love me some zero-brain ooga-booga caveman shit. And who does that better than the Texan caveman khans themselves, Kublai Khan TX. While the ironically-titled Exhibition Of Prowess certainly isn’t the band’s most nuanced or thought-provoking LP, it’s great for being exactly what it is at its core—a stupid fun record that kicks a ton of ass. Sometimes you need to just turn your brain off and rock out to some goofy breakdowns, and that’s exactly what Kublai Khan TX are offering with this album. Songs like Mud provide a no-bullshit chugfest with bonkers-heavy, cymbal-destroying breakdowns, while 972 showcases that the band definitely does still possess the capability to write some awesome riffs, too. There’s really not much to dwell on with this one; you get what you pay for here, with the band providing a genuinely fun album that I’ve found myself repeatedly coming back to, however simple it may be.
4. Remi Wolf – Big Ideas
Speaking of albums that are just plain fun, Remi Wolf put out what is quite easily my favorite pop record of the year in Big Ideas. This album is a saturated soundscape of vivid color, whether it be the tongue in cheek lyricism, eccentric live production and instrumentation, or Remi’s absolutely masterful vocal capabilities being showcased on full display at every corner. Seriously, there isn’t another singer like Remi Wolf out there; she has this uncanny ability to bombard your eardrums with the most explosive belts, all whilst maintaining an impressive knack for writing the catchiest hook possible at every moment. Tracks like the ‘80s dance rager Soup, the ‘90s grunge-pop of Alone In Miami, or the hot and heavy Toro all allow Remi’s talents to be fully on display, absolutely blowing me away at their peaks. However, what makes this record’s special is Remi’s ability to take pop music outside of its rigid box with songs like Cherries & Cream, with its psychedelic rock guitar plucks and buzzing bass grooves. Big Ideas is simply just her best work to date, and only ascends her rank among the best modern pop artists around right now.
3. Like Moths To Flames – The Cycles Of Trying To Cope
I know I’ve talked quite a bit about stale genres across this list, but modern metalcore has to be perhaps the most damning of them all. These days, it seems like all any new metalcore band wants to do is recreate the magic of older Architects records, lazily rehashing the same dull drop-G guitar riffs and clean sung choruses that we’ve heard for a decade now. While Like Moths To Flames isn’t the most unique metalcore band around, what they are is perhaps the best example of generic modern metalcore done correctly, and that’s especially apparent on their stellar 2024 LP The Cycles Of Trying To Cope. This record is just so dense and layered, intricately intertwining subtle leads, vocal FX, and pure poeticism all to create one of the most well-written metalcore albums I’ve heard in quite some time. However, it’s vocalist Chris Roetter that truly takes The Cycles Of Trying To Cope to the highest level possible. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; Roetter is the single best vocalist in heavy music right now, and his chops are perfectly highlighted all across this magnificent album. Songs like Paradigm Trigger and To Know Is To Die let him scream his damn head off, showcasing piercing high screams and brutal lows. However, its songs like the absurdly catchy Kintsugi (which is among my favorite songs of the year) and the hauntingly gorgeous Gone Without A Trace that best allow Roetter to shine, perfectly highlighting his masterclass singing capabilities. It’s an underrated record by an underrated band, but it easily lands near the top of my list for 2024.
2. Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Alright, as much as I adore the Like Moths to Flames record, it’s been pretty clear since May what band was taking home the gold for metalcore in 2024. Knocked Loose are a massive band nowadays, and for good reason; their blend of abrasive, wall-of-noise hardcore guitars and slick death metal riffage is something that has proven unique amongst their peers, with each and every release thus far being nothing short of excellent. However, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To is their magnum opus. This is a perfect album. A masterpiece, if you will. Knocked Loose could not have done a single thing to make this record any better than it is. The band knows just when to hold back, and then when to propel into absolute carnage, menacingly gnawing at your eardrums with every overdriven chug and every gunshot snare hit. Songs like the eerie doom of Don’t Reach For Me or the cacophonous chaos of Blinding Faith stand out as some of the band’s best ever. But what makes this album truly special is just how well it works as a unit, ebbing and flowing with a masterclass ease until Sit & Mourn reaches its somber conclusion. It’s a record that to first time listeners might not be so easy on the ears, but to mine, this is nothing short of absolute metalcore perfection.
1. Balance And Composure – With You In Spirit
Alright, so I just called the Knocked Loose record a masterpiece. Thus, it should be a shoe-in for my album of the year spot, no? You fool! Unfortunately for Knocked Loose, my favorite band of all time just so happened to release their first album in eight years, making their triumphant return following their 2019 break up. Balance And Composure’s 2013 LP The Things We Think We’re Missing is my favorite album ever made, and I also adore just about everything else this band has ever created, so the bar for ‘With You In Spirit’ was set pretty high for me. And yet, Balance delivered on all fronts. While I do think Knocked Loose’s album is objectively the best album on my list, With You In Spirit takes my album of the year because it is far and away my personal favorite record to come out in 2024. Every song on this record is just so instantly memorable, showcasing every single factor that makes Balance And Composure a great band. Ain’t It Sweet brings a pulsating energy infused into its grunge-y, chorus-y riffs, all encapsulated by an electric bridge finale that will leave your jaw on the floor. Lead Foot, which is my pick for song of the year, leans into the band’s more melancholic side, simulating the emotions of a cold, rainy drive through the night with its gorgeous, reverb-y guitar licks and dejected vocal delivery. Elsewhere, the perfectly shoegaze-y Closer To God cuts down to the bone with its raw lyricism, being one of the most relatable songs I’ve ever heard. The perfection of the alt-rock is on full display with With You In Spirit, and while it certainly doesn’t dethrone their sophomore record as my favorite, it quite easily holds its own amongst what is already a stellar catalogue. There is nothing that I can say to truly put into words just how much I adore this album and band; it is quite easily my album of the year for 2024.
Heather Swift (Writer)
10. Conan Gray – Found Heaven
From YouTube vlogger to fully-formed pop star, Conan Gray has demonstrated nothing but talent and enthusiasm at each step of his career. And while his previous releases have been far from disastrous, winning him a dedicated fan base from the very first single, latest album Found Heaven feels like Conan has discovered his signature sound as an artist. Embracing a bold, ‘80s inspired sound with this era, Found Heaven dances with ease between the heartfelt ballads Conan has been known for and the more lively pop anthems he has grown to embrace. At times completely unrecognisable from the viral acoustic hit Heather from 2020 and yet still just as (if not, even more) authentic, Found Heaven is Conan Gray at his loudest and proudest yet!
9. I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME – Gloom Division
From the tail-end of the pandemic to betrayal of a former band member impacting the creative process, the recording and release of Gloom Division was far from smooth behind the scenes. And yet it showcases Dallon Weekes of I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME at arguably his strongest songwriting and composition yet. Scathing, cutthroat lyricism and catchy basslines have long been strengths of this artist, but as Gloom Division sees the reins being loosened around the retro-heavy sound of previous eras in exchange for something more balanced and authentic, these fortes have become more powerful still.
8. Crawlers – The Mess We Seem To Make
After years of singles, EPs and performing on tour alongside some of their greatest inspirations, 2024 saw Crawlers finally prove themselves as far more than just a TikTok band with their debut album The Mess We Seem To Make. A debut album some would say is long overdue, but well worth the wait, The Mess We Seem To Make is a moving body of work encapsulating everything that Crawlers are and that they stand for. The emo inspirations become clear from the very first track as vocalist Holly Minto sings with their whole heart about the inner workings of their mind and life experiences accompanied by dark, catchy instrumentals.
7. Florence + The Machine – Symphony Of Lungs
15 years ago Florence + The Machine released their positively haunting debut album Lungs, led by timeless indie-rock anthem Dog Days Are Over. While it certainly received its flowers at the time, its true impact on the music industry wouldn’t be realised until years later, with artists like The Last Dinner Party, Paris Paloma and Ethel Cain crediting Florence + The Machine as key inspiration in their own music. Therefore it only feels right for Lungs to receive a second lease of life in the present day through Symphony Of Lungs, a live reimagination of this standout record brought to the stage by Florence Welch herself and Jules Buckley’s orchestra as part of the 2024 BBC Proms. Whimsical, maximalist and atmospheric, there’s something about this performance that makes you feel that these songs should’ve been accompanied by the orchestra’s loud brass, swarming strings and delicate flutes all along.
6. Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department
If there’s one artist who has truly dominated 2024 it is Taylor Swift. In the midst of her record-breaking Eras Tour, Taylor miraculously found time between dress rehearsals and international flights to produce some of her best songwriting yet with what we now know as The Tortured Poets Department. While she’s never been one to shy away from confessional lyrics, The Tortured Poets Department is true to its name through all 31 tracks with poetic, dark storytelling leading us through some of the darkest corners of her mind while somehow still reinforcing her title of pop royalty with some of the catchiest tunes of the year. While this album hasn’t instantly won people over like more of her upbeat pop releases, I truly believe that this album has something for every listener—it just might take a few listens to uncover.
5. Charli XCX – Brat
Now it wouldn’t be an album of the year list without mentioning this neon green hyperpop sensation, would it? For the last decade Charli XCX has been one of the leading pop girlies, dominating the energetic space between chart-topping pop and experimental hyper / electro-pop. And now with Brat, her most successful and influential record in over a decade of being in the spotlight, she has served the perfect cocktail of brutally honest secrets spilled through layers of auto tune, maximalist electronic beats and some iconic guest appearances. More than an album, Brat became a movement in 2024, soundtracking summer parties and miserable mornings after in a way that embraces the messy and imperfect.
4. Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future
No one can lay their soul bare against gorgeous, intricate guitar strokes quite as beautifully than Adrianne Lenker, and Bright Future is no exception to this. A tender blend of country and folk, this record wastes no time and covers a lot of ground, guiding us from the deeply melancholic Real House to the playful Fool, soft and uplifting Free Treasure and soothing Cell Phone Says before finishing with the harrowing rawness of Ruined. Bright Future presents stunning lyricism, haunting vocals in a carefully-crafted and meticulously-detailed collection of songs, easily some of her best yet.
3. Pale Waves – Smitten
While their last couple of releases have been met with mixed response, Smitten seems to be an all-round winner with its dreamy, captivating nostalgia cherry picks from the highlights of each previous Pale Waves era to create their best album yet. With some going as far as to call it the album of autumn, it’s clear that Smitten has found its way into the hearts of many listeners. And no wonder, as each track has the ability to sonically and lyrically indulge that hopeless romantic in each of us with recounts of former lovers against a warm ‘90s atmosphere.
2. The Last Dinner Party – Prelude To Ecstasy
The debut album to top all other debut albums, The Last Dinner Party kicked off 2024 as they meant to go on with the trailblazing Prelude To Ecstasy. With their signature baroque-pop sound and gothic storytelling, the trailblazing five piece voyage through a unique soundscape and invite us to join them. At once elegant and riotous, Prelude To Ecstasy is the exact opposite of background music, commanding the full attention of its listeners with its dynamic instrumentalism, ranging from dainty flutes and light vocals to pounding drums and explosive climaxes.
1. Linkin Park – From Zero
This is bound to be a controversial one, but after a far-from seamless transition into this new era, there was no way Linkin Park would have pleased everyone with their latest album From Zero. But for myself and many other long-time fans, From Zero presents itself as a moving collage of Linkin Park old and new, honouring their rich history and the fond memory of Chester Bennington while welcoming new members, a new decade, and a new perspective. What could’ve easily been a gimmick-filled nostalgia trip instead takes bold strides towards a fresh era without losing their distinct sonic formula that makes up a classic Linkin Park track. In its short duration, the album hits a satisfying balance of that signature metal grit the band are known for and some deviation into a lighter, yet equally as convincing, sound. From Zero triumphs as Linkin Park’s first original release in almost a decade, worth the wait and well deserving of the Number One spot on the UK album charts.
