The 50 Must-Hear Albums of 2024 (No. 20-1): A Definitive Guide to the Year's Best Music
A deep dive into the Top 20 albums released in 2024.
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We’ve made it to (almost) the end of the year and, more specifically, my list of the 20 best albums released in 2024.
Do yourself a favor and open your streaming platform (or physical media marketplace) of your choosing as you scroll through this exceptional collection of music and get ready to add to your playlist(s) and/or library. It’s all killer, no filler, and it’s coming up after the divider.
Before that, a reminder to check out the first part of my 2024 end-of-year albums list if you haven’t already.
And, of course, subscribe if you’re digging this newsletter and want future editions to hit your inbox multiple times a week, all at zero cost to you.
Let’s go:
20. “Orquídeas” by Kali Uchis
Despite Orquídeas being the Colombian-American singer’s second album in less than a year, there’s substantial artistic growth on display throughout. She’s able to shift effortlessly from one style to another, all while placing more emphasis on her Latin heritage. The cumbia and bolero portions of the record, such as standout “Te Mata,” vindicate her decision to perform almost every song in Spanish, despite past label opposition to this strategy. Vindication can be delicious, am I right?
19. “In Waves” by Jamie xx
Exercises in pure catharsis rarely come as well-produced and packaged as Jamie xx’s In Waves. His first solo record in nearly a decade is a near-masterpiece because it’s about so much more than enjoying the best night out of your life. It’s about the solace one can take in a glittering dancefloor and the communal healing power that electronic music can deliver when it’s this joyous.
If you were a fan of In Colour or Romy’s Mid Air from 2023, add this to your queue.
18. “Total Blue” by Total Blue
If you’re craving a smooth, indigo-tinged record that’s reminiscent of the most sumptuous 80s new wave, look no further than Total Blue. The eponymous trio, consisting of Nicky Benedek, Alex Talan, and Anthony Calonico, throws a ton of delectable influences into their sonic gumbo, including shades of late-decade R&B, deep house, and jazz fusion. The result is a glossy neo-noir that’s perfectly suited for late-night drives high above the twinkling lights of a bustling city.
17. “Dance, No One’s Watching” by Ezra Collective
This record is Ezra Collective’s first since winning the Mercury Prize in 2023. It’s also their first LP that’s really wowed me, though I generally have a ton of respect for their body of work. Adding Afrobeat, Afro-Cuban, and dub flourishes over their brand of jazz, Dance is a powerful reminder that music, perhaps more than several other art forms, has the ability to unite and move us as one organism, even through the toughest of times.
Look for these tracks to soundtrack alternative clubs worldwide for years to come.
16. “Wall of Eyes” by the Smile
I know that (as of this writing) there are plenty of rumors swirling about a forthcoming Radiohead album, but can we take a second and appreciate how prolific the group’s most recent side project, the Smile, has revealed itself to be? Their first of two LPs to drop in 2024, Wall of Eyes, is the trio’s most arresting work to date, featuring several jaw-dropping moments of gorgeous synergy between Thom Yorke’s voice and the band’s agile, nuanced instrumentation. It’s a soon-to-be classic.
15. “Chromakopia” by Tyler, the Creator
The latest record from hip-hop’s most consistent and enigmatic force of nature adds a lot to his growing legacy. It’s his most personal (which is saying a lot), mature, and, in certain spots, strangest sonically. It’s also a family affair, with his mother, Bonita Smith, guiding the narrative via multiple spoken-word interjections that add to the confessional nature of this LP.
As impressive as previous outings like Igor and Call Me If You Get Lost are, Chromakopia now sits at the top of Tyler’s discography from a quality standpoint.
14. “Big for You” by Zsela
As anyone who reads this newsletter regularly knows, I adore a soulful, sexy contralto on the mic. If you’re like me and also stan a more intimate type of R&B, you’ll dig Big for You, the full-length debut from Zsela. The Brooklyn native is nothing short of hypnotic throughout this record, as if she’s locking eyes with you across a crowded room and never letting go. I hung on her every word.
13. “Chorus” by Mildlife
Chorus was the first truly exceptional jazz record that crossed my desk in 2024. Several steps above their award-winning 2020 LP, Automatic, these seven songs see the Melbourne band going in more intriguing, funk-inspired directions. But, more than that, there’s an infectious optimism underpinning the instrumentals—the kind of nakedly positive energy that takes on a spiritual quality.
The warm hooks found on every track are the kind that stay with you long after the last seconds of the outstanding closer, “Return to Centaurus,” have ticked away.
12. “I Lay Down My Life For You” by JPEGMAFIA
JPEGMAFIA’s Bandcamp listing for this out-of-nowhere release contains a one-sentence mission statement: “This album is for me.” Unencumbered with audience expectations, the virtuosic hip-hop talent is at the peak of his powers, both as a producer and songwriter. From the creative builds on tracks like “I’ll Be Right There” to the downright anthemic “Vulguar Display of Power,” it’s just one head-spinning bop after another.
Amid all the handwringing about hip-hop's ongoing demise, I Lay Down My Life For You is a reminder you don’t need massive budgets or celebrity cameos around every corner. All you really require is a singular vision and the chops to realize it.
11. “Passage Du Desir” by Johnny Blue Skies
What I admire most about Sturgill Simpson’s latest, Passage Du Desir, released under the pseudonym Johnny Blue Skies, is how unfussy it is. That’s not to say it’s oversimplified or dumbed down, either. For a little over 40 minutes, Simpson asks grand, complex, possibly unanswerable questions about the universe and, surprisingly, is okay with the lack of closure that ensues.
There’s no trauma-fueled confessional or overbearing sense of discomfort. Instead, here’s an artist and storyteller who’s so comfortable in his own skin that the intensity of his prose is perfectly balanced by his gentle, approachable performance. It’s outlaw country and folk at its most honest.
10. “No Name” by Jack White
His most critically acclaimed LP since 2012’s Blunderbuss, Jack White’s latest succeeds primarily on the strength of its riffs—and there’s a lot of excellent material to choose from. Towering rockers like “You Got Me Searching” is proof that White’s far from lost a step as one of the genre’s premier axmen, while “That's How I'm Feeling” is reminiscent of what made his playing so integral to the White Stripes’ commercial accessibility.
Rock is another archetype that’s been going through an existential crisis these past few years. Many Substack music community members pine for the “good old days” of straight-ahead rock albums that bounced from one razor-sharp track to another. Let No Name be my definitive answer to the question: rock is not dead. Not even close. It should just be taking more notes from Jack.
9. “Endlessness” by Nala Sinephro
Those who are new to the hybrid cosmic jazz that’s becoming Nala Sinephro’s calling card are in for something special. The Caribbean-Belgian is a musician and composer who, in fusing together elements of classic 60s jazz and ambient electronica, has done much more than create one of the year’s best records. She’s contributed an essential building block that will help shape the genre’s immediate future.
It’s worth mentioning that describing Sinephro’s work with performance-based qualifiers is to do her an injustice. She also managed the recording and final mixing process, proving that she’s one of the most tireless and inspiring talents making music today.
8. “Tyla” by Tyla
Here’s how incredible a star-making moment Tyla’s self-titled debut was in 2024. I saw her at a summer music festival where she was booked as a mid-afternoon performer on one of the smaller side stages. I remember thinking it was a confusing booking choice, especially considering her smash hit single, “Water,” had long since become ubiquitous on streaming playlists and at parties.
Even with that in mind, I wasn’t prepared for what I experienced. Hoards of people tried to push their way to the stage, crowding the grounds to the point where extra security rushed over from other stages. Even Tyla seemed a little shocked when she saw how many people turned up for her. She shouldn’t be, though. Her record, full of immaculate vibes, is that good.
7. “My Light, My Destroyer” by Cassandra Jenkins
Sonic variance doesn’t always have to slap you in the face (figuratively, that is) to be effective. On Cassandra Jenkins’ brilliant My Light, My Destroyer, the tone and mood shifts happen gradually, sometimes at a whisper’s volume. The results are charmingly quirky and playful, particularly on 90s-inspired romps like “Petco.”
But, more than those moments, I think this record affected me so deeply because it dealt with many of the same issues I’ve been grappling with this year. She prods at those ideas with a touch that ranges from abstract to matter-of-fact, both of which spoke to me in the most soulful way. Hopefully, it will work the same magic on you.
6. “Bright Future” by Adrianne Lenker
The word “poetry” gets thrown around a lot in nerdy discussions about songwriting, but few rise to that level with the grace and skill that Adrianne Lenker’s Bright Future does. The Big Thief bandleader uses vivid, incisive prose to take a raw, uncompromising look at a topic that’s on many minds on the other side of a global pandemic: human connection.
Take this haunting yet almost unassuming moment from “Real House:” “I'm a child humming/Into the clarity of black space/Where stars shine like tears on the night's face.” Those evocative images run rampant throughout the album, which, combined with its unvarnished straight-to-tape aesthetic, makes it one of the most humanistic listening experiences of 2024.
5. “Night Reign” by Arooj Aftab
New names in the jazz world are hotter right now than Arooj Aftab. Her 2023 work with Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily on Love in Exile was a big reason why that LP was my pick for the year’s best. As astonishing as that accomplishment was, she may have topped herself with Night Reign. In many ways, it’s the spiritual sequel to exile, pushing through barriers of solitude and finding a sense of peace and hope.
A deep sensuousness took these songs to another level for me. Clearly influenced by 80s R&B and, more specifically, late-night Quiet Storm standards, it signals an exciting new direction for Aftab’s music. Will she continue to grow her repertoire beyond jazz and explore more mainstream sounds? Regardless of the answer, I’m here for whatever she releases next.
4. “Songs of a Lost World” by the Cure
After my first uninterrupted journey through Songs of a Lost World, the group’s first album in more than a decade and their first great one in more than three, I had to stop and ask myself if I was overreacting. Surely, it was recency bias telling me that this collection of new material was strong enough to rank up there with 80s classics like Disintegration. Or was it?
A second and then third listen confirmed that my initial assessment wasn’t an overreaction. Lost World is a legitimately excellent record, buoyed, as usual, by Robert Smith’s penchant for writing intimate lyrics that sound larger than life. He traffics in dark themes, including death and hatred, but he never resorts to cheap, manipulative tricks. Every cathartic release he builds the listener up to is well-earned.
Couple that with instrumentals that crackle with intense precision and you have a mind-blowing statement from one of this century’s most respected bands.
3. “Cascade” by Floating Points
Like some other artists that made this year’s best albums list, Sam Shepherd (aka Floating Points) returned to the dancefloor with a back-to-basics collection of bangers on Cascade. A far cry from the experimentation of his Pharoah Sanders collab, Promises, this record is house music that will thrill you with its physical heft.
Shepherd fills every crack and crevice with thoughtful stylistic homages, ranging from the Italdisco of Giorgio Moroder (”Birth4000”) to the zealous scream of UK garage (”Vocoder [Club Mix]”). While Cascade makes for a terrific listen coming out of a pair of speakers, it’s equally remarkable through the best headphones you can get your hands on.
No electronic music fan should be without a copy of this one.
2. “Cowboy Carter” by Beyoncé
I remember hearing Renaissance for the first time and assuming that was it for Beyoncé. That would be her greatest artistic achievement, the high point in a career with plenty of contenders for that title. I thought, wrongfully, that it couldn’t be topped. How was that possible? All that changed when I heard Cowboy Carter.
Think of how enormously important a statement this record has become. A megastar like Bey could’ve easily run it back and made Renaissance Volume II, and everyone would’ve eaten it up, pale imitation or not. Instead, she leaned even harder into her desire to make bold cultural statements, ones I’m sure she knew would be deemed (undeservedly) divisive. For the entirety of its 80-minute runtime, it’s nothing short of spectacular.
The mere fact that Beyoncé pushes boundaries in this way, using the platform she’s built over decades, is a feat on its own. I don’t see the Taylors and Billies of the world putting themselves out there in quite the same way, and I’ll leave it at that. Cowboy Carter is an all-time classic.
1. “Diamond Jubilee” by Cindy Lee
So wait, if that Beyoncé is so incredible, what could possibly top that?
Well, this Cindy Lee double album, Diamond Jubilee, did. The “Drag Queen Hypnagogic Pop Project” from Patrick Flegel earns my pick for the best album of 2024 because it’s more than an exceptional lo-fi pop showcase. It may change how you think pop music can be constructed, period.
Here’s what I wrote earlier this year:
“The sequencing is built to replicate the sensation of listening to a radio station through a closed door—you hear just enough for the songs to make an impact, but it’s also shrouded in a surreal textural haze. The result was one of my most genuinely unique listening experiences this year. Maybe in my entire life.”
As of this writing, Diamond Jubilee is only available on YouTube or through Flegel’s GeoCities site, which means no streaming access through Spotify or other services. I shelled out for the hi-res version, and if you want the best possible version of that listening experience I described, I highly recommend you do the same.
What were your favorite albums of the year? Should a different record have been crowned No. 1? Sound off in the comments.
absolutely!! so many great ones. I love seeing Adrianne Lenker, too! Many have overlooked her record, and I love seeing it get the attention it deserves.
Great choices. Number 4, The Cure, gets it for me every time.