Best Albums of 2024 (Part 1)

Numerous albums emerged in 2024 across various genres, with a significant number of exceptional works. Throughout the year, I encountered a lot of music and discovered many new artists that left a lasting impression on me. I present the final installment of a three-part series highlighting my favorite albums released this year, with the aim to being more active on this site in 2025.

Scrapyardby Quadeca

Quadeca has continued impressing his audience with stellar project after project, getting better with every new release. ‘Scrapyard’ dubbed as a collection of leftovers/throwaways from his last album cycle creates a cohesive and solid record because of amazing track segmentation and Quadeca’s vision to expand his musical horizon. It is hard to put this record under one particular genre because of the experimental nature of the project.  The production is lush and evokes feelings of nature and isolation, with busy electronic textures supporting lilting guitars and hits of distorted bass on numerous tracks. All in all, “SCRAPYARD” is a strange but beautiful mixtape from Quadeca. It’s not going to be for everyone given its eclecticism, but I highly recommend you give it a listen. It’s a record that will stick with you long after it’s done playing, and one of the most unique listens you’ll likely ever have.

Wall of Eyesby The Smile

On their second album, the Smile, a trio consisting of former Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner, Thom Yorke, and Jonny Greenwood, the mainstays of Radiohead, sound more like a legitimate band than a side project. This time, they take a different approach, becoming so much more relaxed that the music frequently feels incredibly light and airy. The tracks have a lullaby-esque quality to them, which gives it a very surreal and atmospheric feel. Although Yorke, Greenwood, and Skinner’s abilities could never be questioned, Wall of Eyes is proof of their work as a genuinely potent three that is equally unified and innovative. A must-listen for anyone who is a fan of Radiohead or a fan of music in general.

The Auditorium Vol 1by Common and Pete Rock

Recurring and dependable collaboration are an essential part of hip hop and this new partnership between Common and Pete Rock is a testimony for the same. Common’s hallmark consistency with his flows and rhymes and Rock’s triumphant production makes The Auditorium, Vol. 1 a significant album event. Pete Rock possesses the unique ability to both define and personify Golden-Era excellence, which he brings to this collaborative endeavor. The MC’s ageless instrumentals evoke certain nostalgic feelings, which Common uses to his utmost advantage. This collab tape is a must listen for anyone who considers themselves a hip-hop head.

No Handsby Joey Valance and Brae

No Hands absolutely BANGS. Joey and Brae’s impatience serves this record well, with a spastic production sense that prioritizes ever-evolving beats and an old school sensibility to form ‘No Hands’ robust backbone. Joey and Brae know their lane in addition to their musical prowess. Leaning into shameless corn, faux-tough lines and tongue-in-cheek video game references undermine what may come out as forced and unauthentic. Similarly, the album has a sincere charm due to the push-pull between self-deprecating comedy, steadfast braggadocio, and inane zoomerisms. Fun albums like these can easily get overlooked but Joey and Brae’s unhinged personality makes sure that you cannot overlook this one.

Cowboy Carterby Beyonce

After reclaiming dance music with the phenomenal, 2022 album ‘RENAISSANCE’.  Beyonce is out to reclaim country music with 2024’s ‘Cowboy Carter’. The album duly presents itself as a major statement – 27 tracks and 80 minutes long – and arrives complete with co-signs from Nashville elders and young folks in the music scene. Despite its unwieldiness, it demonstrates Beyonce’s ability to manipulate musical genres to suit her tastes, whether they be hip-hop, country, or the baroque post-psychedelic easy listening that seems to be hiding beneath My Rose’s vocal tricks. Cowboy Carter demonstrates Beyoncé’s extraordinary ability to do anything she wants and her extra ordinary talent to create waves in the music industry.

Loss of Lifeby MGMT

MGMT makes a stellar return to the scene after 2018’s ‘Little Dark Age’ with their latest 10-track record ‘Loss of Life’ grandly and superbly. You can feel that the addition of the mastermind and overly talented Oneohtrix Point Never has helped MGMT fully flesh out their ideas into a streamlined and cohesive album. The production builds the perfect soundscape, the hooks are sticky and catchy and the deeper cuts land perfectly without feeling overly critical and serious. This is what every MGMT fans wanted from the duo and they deliver perfectly on their new album.

I Hear Youby Peggy Gou

‘I Hear You’ is an album to have fun with, to celebrate with, to enjoy taking part in its euphoric expression. From years of releasing top-tier 90s-influenced dance music, the South Korean-born electronic music artist and DJ finally blesses the world with her immaculate debut record, full to the absolute brim of warmly nostalgic, yet cooly futuristic club-ready bops. Peggy Gou has always yielded her talents to the complete advantage of the listener. On I Hear You, she pays homage to these talents, laying a path that is singularly hers to embark on, one on which she carries the future of dance music, and all of its fun.

In Wavesby Jamie xx

Ten years after his big solo debut, the UK producer goes even bigger for a well-polished record animated by the ecstatic and easy pleasures of the dancefloor. Jamie’s new album is a call to the dancefloor as each track makes you move because there is not a single dull moment in the entire track list. The record boasts some of the best and most fun and quirky dance tracks of the year. The entire record feels like a 45 min up-tempo set that keeps changing the groove and the tempo when you least expect it, keeping the listener invested and on its toes throughout the run time. It’s banger after banger, something you can put on when you need a pick-me-up.

Bando Stone and the New Worldby Childish Gambino

Should this album indeed mark the conclusion of Donald Glover’s Childish Gambino persona, as he has indicated, he is certainly making a grand exit. The record showcases an astonishing blend of genres and collaborations, featuring artists such as Jorja Smith and Amaarae, alongside rappers Flo Milli and Yeat, and alt-rock maestros Khruangbin. The album transitions between various styles and emotional tones with remarkable intensity and, at times, abruptness, yet it also maintains a surprising fluidity, ranging from classic R&B to powerful guitar riffs and acoustic melodies. “Bando” emerges as an astonishingly eclectic and adaptable album, showcasing his ability to convincingly embrace a wide array of musical styles. Childish Gambino will be truly missed.

Here in the Pitchby Jessica Prat

Jessica Pratt’s fourth album, “Here in the Pitch,” evokes a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of an old notebook you found in your bookshelf, full of memories you might want to go back to and some that you would never want to revisit. The echoes of Laurel Canyon’s history resonate throughout the nine tracks, as the Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter enhances her minimalist sound with delicate touches which add nuanced layers to her ethereal compositions. In this record, Pratt reflects on the passage of time and its contrasting elements (sunrise versus sunset, darkness versus light), ultimately enriching the timeless quality of her artistry.

Thank you for checking my year-end list. Do let me know what you think about my list and what would you pick as your top albums of 2024. Stay tuned for part 2 and part 3 to know about my other picks.