Best Albums Of 2024

Amyl & The Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness

By Kieran Webber

Amyl & The Sniffers caused a real stir with this album, arguably having a standout year. The album drive had them perform on multiple TV shows across the world, including Jools Holland. Not to mention a hefty tour that had them spend three nights at The Roundhouse, London. It’s safe to say that ‘Cartoon Darkness’ was an impactful release.

‘Cartoon Darkness’ is the culmination of a band that has been hard at work for nearly a decade. It’s Amyl & The Sniffers at their most introspective and masterful. As expected all the classic Amyl styles are on show, biting vocals, snappy songwriting, and simple, yet effective soundscapes. However, it is with this release that the band pushed through the punk sound and breached into a more rock sound. Throughout, songs such as ‘Chewing Gum’, ‘Big Dreams’, ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’, all show sings of maturity in their sound as well as expansion. These are classic rock songs with extra bite and frankly, they’re wildly infectious and poignant.

‘Cartoon Darkness’ has solidified this Australian outfit as one of the greatest bands in a generation. They are often shoehorned into the punk genre, which they certainly are well deserved of, but this album is so much more, this is one of the best rock releases in the last decade.

Laura Marling – Patterns In Repeat

On her 2020 album ‘Song For Our Daughter,’ Laura Marling released her strongest work yet. Now, with her follow-up ‘Patterns In Repeat,’ there is no doubt that she is one of our greatest living folk songwriters. 

Her songwriting is deceptively simple; lyrics are patiently read and structures easily deciphered. However, to release songs as straightforward as this takes real confidence. There is no hiding from your lyrics, chords and raw vocals. 

We are treated to a series of tracks each aimed at important characters in Marling’s life: some are written to her children, some to past lovers, some to herself. There is such a gentleness to her songwriting, with every line of honest heartbreak or motherly heartbreak delivered softly and cushioned by warm backing vocals, gorgeous strings or just Marling’s guitar. 

The album flows beautifully and listening makes its 36 minute runtime feel somehow even shorter. Perfectly hugged by the recurring themes, lyrics and progressions of ‘Patterns’ and ‘Patterns’ in repeat, the album feels like a safe haven, one that is easily understood and so easy to love. We’re even soothed slowly to sleep on the closer ‘Lullaby (Instrumental). 

With ‘Caroline,’ Marling not only gives us her best song yet, but also offers up her attempt at an all-time classic in the folk genre. The song feels like an old friend, both nostalgic and entirely her own. Exploring that brief moment a person from your past attempts to re-enter your life, Marling captures the bittersweetness beautifully, somehow capturing the essence of an entire relationship in its 3 minute runtime. Up there with Cohen and Dylan, Laura Marling should not be underestimated.

Confidence Man – 3AM LA LA LA

By Issy Packer

Confidence Man had a huge task when they announced their third studio album earlier this year, their follow-up to their hugely successful sophomore album ‘Tilt’. Featuring tracks like ‘Push It Up’, ‘Feels Like a Different Thing’ and ‘Holiday’, the album leant into their dance roots and gave us a whisper of their electronic rave sounds. 

But it was ‘3AM LA LA LA’ which offered us an exciting, nostalgia-filled, solid look at this new era of the Australian duo. Trippy, hyper-pop, frenetic, the album is so over the top it’s hard to pick a standout song. ‘Breakbeat’ is full of hazy, drug-fuelled energy, ‘I Can’t Lose You’ is electro-pop ready to be heard at festivals, the whole album feeling both nostalgic and completely original. Leaning into 90s rave culture and UK synth-pop sounds reminiscent of New Order, it is their best work yet.

Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me

By Issy Packer

Released this spring, Rogers’ third studio album might be forgotten about by the time this End of Year lists are released but it shouldn’t be. Written in five days with producer Ian Fitchuk (who produced Kacey Musgraves’ award winning album ‘Golden Hour’), the result is a mighty feast of genres and sounds. 

Blending an array of genres, from a whiff of country pop on ‘So Sick of Dreaming’ to American indie rock on ‘Drunk’, a hint of Americana on ‘On & On & On’ and full power ballad on ‘I Still Do’, Rogers sounds more self-assured than ever. 

Each track is raw and powered with feeling, her vocals breathy but strong, wistful but solid. The album’s strength lies in the pairing of Rogers vocals and the strummy guitar that accompanies each track, giving it a road-trip movie-like feel that is both comforting and full of longing. 

A perfect encapsulation of Rogers past selves and her future self. This album deserves the recognition that ‘Golden Hour’ received back in 2018.

Charli XCX – Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat

By Issy Packer

We could talk about the marketing of ‘Brat’, we could talk about the Sweat tour, we could talk about the Apple dance, we could talk about the album as a cultural phenomenon but what we’re going to talk about is the music. 

‘Brat’ was a movement like no other but while the album itself might be full of club classics, it also dealt with the singer’s insecurity with depth, humour and cry while you laugh bangers. The nuances might sometimes be overshadowed by the pop culture references, it was self-reflective of a singer who is at the top of her game while also grappling with what has taken her so long to get there.

While you think it couldn’t have gotten any better than that, think again. 

‘Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat’ was released in October and Charli managed to show the fluidity of these tracks by handing over the reigns to other people, creating a magically collaborative album that is equal in its messiness, fun and darkly comedic. 

The album allowed not only the Essex singer to be interchangeable and diverse, it allowed her collaborators to be chameleons too. A triumph. 

Willow – Empathogen

By Catalina Perez

‘Empathogen’ by Willow is unlike any other album released this year. Its complex composition of varying time signatures and elaborate chords echo that of classical music — but this isn’t classical music, it’s an amalgamation of blues, jazz, and prog rock. 

Apart from being a member of the prominent Smith family (Will, Jada Pinkett, and Jaden), Willow Smith has been making a name for herself in the music world for quite some time now. Her 2011 debut pop earworm, ‘Whip My Hair,’ gained an overall positive reception and seemed to be everywhere in the early 2010s, while singles ‘Wait a Minute!,’ ‘Meet Me At Our Spot,’ and ‘t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l’ have gone viral on TikTok. Nonetheless, the California native delved into a new sound in an anthology released earlier this May that can be arguably described as her best work yet. 

Gracing the cover is a grill-flaunting, open mouthed Willow expressing a joyous and organic au naturel essence. They say to never judge a book by its cover, but this cover reveals the anthology’s quintessence. The album opens with ‘home,’ a vocal-heavy piece that utilizes percussive elements by featuring intricate rim work, rhythmic vocal patterns, and enthralling, jazzy piano runs by Jon Batiste. ‘symptom of life’ embarks on a jazzy journey after a dense yet alluring piano introduction. The contrasting soft, harmonic vocals, and animated drumming make for a melodiously otherworldly masterpiece that’ll break your repeat button. The aptly named, ‘b i g f e e l i n g s’ brings the album to a close in a grandeur fashion with twists, turns, and piano runs that’ll leave you mystifyingly delighted. One of this year’s best sonic explorations, ‘Empathogen’ by Willow opens the door for jazzy, prog rock inspired pieces to step into the limelight and have their moment in 2025. 

The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy

By Catalina Perez

Baroque pop experienced a mini modern renaissance via The Last Dinner Party’s February release, ‘Prelude to Ecstasy.’ The London-based quintet interlaced orchestral motifs and indie rock elements to forge a melodramatic atmosphere draped with themes of sexuality, religion, and resentment, making for an impressive debut album. 

Painting a dramatic scenery for the rest of the record, a majestic instrumental vortex of strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion thrust the record into motion on the title track. Melting into the next track, ‘Burn Alive,’ we hear the powerful soundscape of the previous tune transform into a suspenseful syncopated smog. Halfway into the song, we’re taken through a harrowing tunnel of sound until we finally see the light again through the ending chorus and outro. The haunting ‘Gjuha,’ sung entirely in Albanian, expands on themes of a lost native language. As the soul-stirring piece comes to a close, it smoothly transitions to ‘Sinner.’ An isolated piano-vocal duet introduces the song before erupting into a groovy, upbeat musical voyage of catchy bass riffs, a solid drum set backbone, and angelic vocal harmonies. Penultimate track ‘Nothing Matters’ serves as a strong standout encapsulation of the album’s ambience: equal parts elegant, empowering, and earnest. 

‘Prelude to Ecstasy’ is mighty in its overall production. Its mellifluous instrumentation and vocals juxtapose lyrics seething with passion and rage all the while presenting modern topics in an antique wrapped aural package— it’s a unique work of art compared to the other albums released in the indie/alternative genre this year. There’s a lot more I could dive deeper into but all I’m going to say is this: if this is The Last Dinner Party’s debut album, I can’t wait to see what’s ahead.

Fontaines D.C – Romance

By Seth White

2024 may have been the biggest year yet for Dublin’s famed indie powerhouse group, with ‘Romance’ being their fourth studio album, and perhaps the most critically anticipated Indie release of the year. This record consistently averted all existing expectations of the band, with the sound of the record taking a far different direction to the atypical Fontaines sound that had been so fiercely moulded into the masterpiece that was 2022’s ‘Skinty Fia’. The album’s singles: ‘Starburster’, ‘Favourite’, ‘Here’s The Thing’ and ‘In The Modern World’ are four tracks that showcase that 2024 was a year of evolution and experimentation for Fontaines D.C. ‘Romance’ also boasted a collection of brilliant album tracks, notably ‘Bug’ and ‘Death Kink’ were the best received on the record. Overall, the record symbolises a shift in style of one of the most important Indie bands of the last ten years, with fans now having the opportunity to witness the magic in some of the biggest Fontaines D.C. shows of their career so far, such as their highly anticipated Finsbury Park gig pinned for summer 2025. 

This record came with healthy criticisms, mainly expressing a disdain for the avid polishing and refinement the sound of the band had undergone, swapping out the grit and edge of earlier works and broadening the themes of the lyrics and producing a highly refined and “perfect record”. Of course, no record can ever please everyone, but it’s undeniable that this record will be remembered as a highlight of the Indie releases of 2024. ‘Romance’ has solidified Fontaines as an established household name Indie band, if they hadn’t achieved that status already, and will be a favourite amongst indie lovers for a long time. 

Wunderhorse – Midas

By Seth White

If there is any band of note offering electrifying live performances and backing themselves up with fundamentally brilliant rock records, it’s Wunderhorse. They’re the 2020’s answer to rock and roll prayers, and they’re only on their second album. ‘Midas’ appears as such a confident and complete portrayal of the sound of Wunderhorse, the songs are punchy, and the lyrics are gripping. Jacob Slater’s well-known angst and passion on-stage, characterising the energy of a Wunderhorse show, is not at all lost on the record, and the anthemic production of the record has given Wunderhorse the reach to take themselves to a whole new level. The band are fully in their element, boasting sold out tours in both the UK and the States and marking their territory in the global rock world as a new entry, yet fitted with a complete sound that is bound to sell globally. 

‘Midas’ boasts a collection of brilliant singles, notably the album title track ‘Midas’ and ‘Rain’ being the obvious fan favourites. For me, my personal favourite track of the album would be ‘Cathedrals’ – an explosive rock song that will capture the minds of all in favour of powerful guitars and soaring vocals. it’s a three minute and forty-two second experience that encapsulates the peak of current British rock output, and long may they reign.

Clairo – Charm

By Seth White

Who would’ve thought 2024 would’ve given us an extremely astute revival of seventies soul and production aesthetics blended with bedroom pop? Well, long story short, that’s exactly what Clairo did with her new release, ‘Charm’. Her cult fanbase and dreamy bedroom aesthetic has received a shiny, silky smooth retro gloss through means of production technique, instrumentation and songwriting to push her musical output in such an interesting direction. Above all of this, this album has been incredibly well-received, Clairo has successfully transitioned away from the binds of genre, creating an amalgamation of seventies sounds all rolled up into the cherished bedroom-pop packaging Clairo is heralded as a queen of. With the advent of the release of ‘Charm’, Clairo again proves that her sound can be constantly redefined and experimented with, whilst her fans are more than accepting of the creative shifts she is taking. This record has produced timeless Clairo hits such as ‘Sexy To Someone’, ‘Second Nature’, ‘Terrapin’ and ‘Juna’ – all fantastic examples of the new sound Clairo has experimented with that are sure to become solidified in the best indie pop hits of 2024. The 2024 answer to Carole King has arrived, and we’re all grateful for her presence. 

Geordie Greep – The New Sound

By Seth White

Musically intricate, lyrically absurd and overwhelmingly eccentric, Geordie Greep has opened his solo works after his previous musical ventures in the illustrious Black Midi. This record has satisfied the often hard to please crowd of technique enthusiasts, with the record boasting a range of expert musical skill – everything from odd time signatures to rampant progressions that have left most, if not all listeners, absolutely gobsmacked. For example, opening track to the record ‘Blues’ begins with a song intro that has baffled many a music nerd to say the least. Along with the intensely odd lyricism and continued musical prowess throughout, this song stands as a benchmark for the Geordie Greep sound – never dull or unoriginal and importantly, a completely new sound. 

This record has recaptured the hearts of Black Midi fans once again, whilst cultivating a new audience at the same time. Geordie Greep sits on the cutting edge of the post-indie apocalypse, where any self-respecting musical maestro like Geordie can rise out of the wastage with a new redefinition of alternative music. All that’s left for Mr Greep is to spread the message, and with his captivating live performance there is no doubt that his skills shall be showcased across the globe very soon. 2024 marks the year where Geordie Greep dipped his toes In the mainstream and has given us an insight into what his solo works are capable of. 

Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk

By George Ward

In one listen, Magdalena Bay went from being a synth-pop duo I’d only heard of in passing to the makers of one of my favourite albums in years. ‘Imaginal Disk’ is a hugely ambitious, beautifully produced and completely addictive project. 

From the explosion of ‘She Looked Like Me’, you know you’re in for something special. The album is a fascinating mix, somehow both incredibly catchy and entirely unique simultaneously; the hooks of ‘Image’ and ‘Death And Romance’ will stick with you long after you finish listening. 

What makes the project so special is summed up by the 3-track run of ‘Vampire in the Corner,’ ‘Watching TV’ and ‘Tunnel Vision’. Here, we get a little bit of everything: the range of Mica Tenenbaum’s vocals from fragile whisper to full pop star belt, dreamlike romantic lyrics and just how good Magdalena Bay are at climaxes.

Every time an idea starts to build up, you are absolutely guaranteed that it will pay off by the end with a hugely satisfying bang. The more you listen, the more little moments you notice, and the more you realise just how impressive Magdalena Bay really are.