5 Mercury Prize Nominees You Should Listen To

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With the nominees for the esteemed Mercury Prize 2024 recently announced, we run through our top picks from the list

I’m not a big believer in awards ceremonies in general, with the Grammy and BRIT Awards seeming to reward predictability and household names over innovation. But, out of all of the countless awards, the Mercury music prize does still excite me a little. The prize, celebrating the best albums from British and Irish artists, is slightly more interesting in its picks, mixing the obvious with the more experimental in a refreshing way.

2023 saw the most deserving award win in a long time, with Little Simz taking home the prize for ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’, her lengthy, ambitious and personal 6th Album. And, last year, it was lovely to see the infectiously positive jazz group Ezra Collective get some recognition too.

It’s by no means perfect, and the choices this year aren’t the most revolutionary, but it’s just interesting enough to discuss, with a handful of excellent albums thrown in the mix for 2024. So, if you’re only going to listen to five albums from the list, this is my take on what those five albums should be.

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Beth Gibbons – ‘Lives Outgrown’

Beth Gibbons is no stranger to the Mercury Prize, with her band Portishead winning the award all the way back in 1995 for their trip-hop masterpiece ‘Dummy’. Watching and listening to her return as a solo artist has been one of the most rewarding experiences of the year, with ‘Lives Outgrown’ borrowing aspects from Portishead while entirely remaining its own beast.

Unlike Kim Gordon’s razor sharp departure from the sound of Sonic Youth on the excellent ‘The Collective’, Gibbons’ solo project is more subtle, combining her soothing, haunting vocals we know and love with more organic folk and classical instrumentation. Stepping away from the electronics of Portishead was a bold move, but one that absolutely paid off, with Gibbons’ poetry gently washing over you for the entire runtime.

Listen to ‘Lives Outgrown’ here:

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Nia Archives – ‘Silence Is Loud‘

With one of the strongest debut albums of the year was Nia Archives, with the highly anticipated ‘Silence Is Loud’.

Nia Archives has been around for a few years now, with her jungle remixes and DJ sets lifting her to legend status in the electronic scene. Her LP is more poppy than you might expect, with catchy pop melodies and choruses joining her signature jungle beats. The album is a wonderful mix of genres and a refreshing listen amongst some heavier choices.

Listen to ‘Silence Is Loud’ here:

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English Teacher – ‘This Could Be Texas’

English Teacher are another band wise enough to be patient. They followed many indie bands’ blueprint of taking their time, dropping an EP and becoming known on festival circuits before taking the leap into a full LP.

‘This Could Be Texas’ was more than worth the wait. Aside from a reworked version of fan favourite ‘R&B’, we were treated to an album cycle of brand new material, with every choice as thoughtful and tasteful as any band far more experienced. All in all, English Teacher delivered us a very solid indie rock album, filled with complex guitar riffs and emotional climaxes and led effortlessly by Lily Fontaine’s sassy but sincere vocals.

Listen to ‘This Could Be Texas’ here:

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CMAT – ‘Crazymad, For Me’

‘Crazymad, For Me’, the second album from Irish singer-songwriter CMAT is a lovely warm collection of country-pop songs. The follow up to her breakout debut album ‘If My Wife New I’d Be Dead’, ‘Crazymad, For Me’ doubles down on everything that made it so special.

CMAT is, at heart, a performer, with her hilarious stage presence and belting vocals enough to put her at the top of any festival must-see list. This loveable energy flows throughout the studio album, with excellent country and pop songwriting, brutally honest lyrics and even a feature from legendary singer/songwriter John Grant.

Listen to ‘Crazymad, For Me’ here:

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Charli XCX – ‘Brat’

I know, I know, you already know about ‘Brat’. The sixth album from Charli XCX has been the most buzzy and entertaining pop release of the year and, with a new remix featuring Billie Eilish, the hype is by no means dying. With one of the most creative and intriguing album campaigns in recent memory, Charli XCX’s reunion with producer A.G Cook was one of the most anticipated projects of the year.

And, as you all know, it absolutely lived up to the hype. In a heavily saturated pop scene, ‘Brat’ is an outrageous, experimental and extremely confident breath of fresh air. From the raw honesty of ‘So I’ to the multi-phased and exhilarating ‘Everything Is (Romantic)’ to the wonderfully deranged club nightmare of ‘365’, listening to ‘Brat’ is one of the funnest listening experiences you will have this year.

Listen to ‘Brat’ here:

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The Mercury Prize winner will be announced in September.

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