2024 has been another great year for music! Today, we begin our countdown of our fifty eclectic albums of the year, as chosen by our writers and editors. The final part will be revealed next week.
Thank you to all of our contributors, readers and artists who brighten our lives!
50. Chinese American Bear – Wah!!!
Chinese American Bear, for the uninitiated, are a husband and wife duo consisting of Chinese born Anne Tong and Seattle musician Bryce Barsten. They’re not an act you could pin a label on easily, and all credit to them for that.
Wah!!! begins with the alluring charm of ‘Kids Go Down‘, which, along with the recent single that closes the album, the electropop-infused ‘Take Me To Beijing‘, you could feasibly align with the kind of dream pop peddled by Beach House, although there’s more than a hint of early Saint Etienne in these recordings, which perhaps is a clue to its seductiveness. ‘Yummy Yummy Yummy‘ is, for want of a better word, essentially a ‘bubblegum’ pop song, but still with that wide-eyed enchantment that permeates the couple’s tunes throughout..
‘Magic Number‘ is one of my personal favourites here, Barsten taking the lead on vocal duties for a change, but it’s when they both sing together that the sparks really happen. I never saw this coming, but it’s absolutely one of my favourite albums of 2024. (Loz Etheridge)
49. Molly Payton – YOYOTTA
Molly Payton’s debut album, YOYOTTA, is a triumph of vulnerability and creative freedom, marking a significant moment in the singer-songwriter’s evolution. Having established herself with a series of introspective EPs, the New Zealand native turned London-based artist channels raw emotion and indie-rock grit into her most authentic work yet. Written during a period of self-doubt and recorded with a full band, YOYOTTA captures the catharsis of letting go – of perfection, external pressures, and creative blocks. Tracks like ‘Get Back To You’ and ‘Devotion’ exemplify Payton’s ability to balance heartfelt sincerity with grungy, dynamic instrumentation, while her live performances elevate the album with an energy uniquely her own. YOYOTTA is not just a debut – it’s a declaration that imperfection, when embraced, can lead to something extraordinary. (Gemma Cockrell)
48. Rachel Chinouri – What A Devastating Turn of Events.
Being announced as support for Sabirna Carpenter’s arena tour isn’t a bad way for Rachel Chinouriri to finish up 2024. In a year that has seen her play Later…, Glastonbury and headline O2 Forum Kentish Town, the release of her debut album was the high point. Full of cracking rock-pop, with songs that have a feel of 90s Britpop about them mixed in with sassy pop-funk song, she delivers the anthem-like ‘The Hills’ and ‘Never Need Me’ alongside the impudnt ‘Dumb Bitch Juice’. Layering slights to herself with humour and dagger-like honesty this is a debut from a special new talent..(Max Mazonowicz)
47. Hamish Hawk – A Firmer Hand
A Firmer Hand is Hamish Hawk at his most honest, brutally so in parts. There is a sense of catharsis here. Doesn’t art and the creative process allow us to navigate the human condition with all its complexities as we travel the journey of life? In creating this album Hawk has given us an insight into his world, warts and all. The quality of penmanship and musicality of Hawk and his musicians has produced an album bursting with originality and heartfelt emotion. (Julia Mason)
46. Fantasy Of A Broken Heart – Feats Of Engineering
On Feats of Engineering, Brooklyn’s Fantasy of a Broken Heart crafts an audacious debut that feels like a maximalist art-pop experiment, channeling the grandiosity of 70s prog-rock with the vulnerability of indie shoegaze. Bailey Wollowitz and Al Nardo lean into their avant-garde impulses, creating intricate stories that are as technically impressive as they are emotionally complex. A marvel of contrasts, this is an album that refuses to stay still, challenging listeners to keep up. Standouts ‘Ur Heart Stops’ throws pop hooks and cinematic production into a blender, while ‘Catharsis’ stretches over nearly seven minutes of soaring, multi-layered vocals and glitchy rhythms that transform breakdowns into breakthroughs. There’s a theatrical flair here that recalls early Arcade Fire, but Fantasy of a Broken Heart remains firmly in their own lane. A debut that’s gutsy enough to risk everything for the sake of pushing sound to its emotional and technical limits. (Trev Elkin)
45. Y Dail – Teigr
Ah, this album; the debut from Y Dail (The Leaves). It won our very own Neutron Prize this year, and what a worthy record it is. Centered around the considerable talents of Huw Griffiths from Pontypridd, South Wales, its reference points are vast and deliciously unexpected, grabbing whatever pleases his prejudice-free ears and eyes. As a result, Teigr is rich in melody and literary appreciation. A pop album for sure, but this is no predictable outing; fresh and clean with surreal imagery and sch clever, tongue in cheek storytelling with plastic 1980s keyboards and buzzy guitars.
The extraordinary ‘Whizz Kids’ has a dreamy Brian Wilson romanticism with bleakness ‘baby, I’m so tired of never getting nowhere’ he sings cryptically, ‘My Baby’s In The FBI‘ is a song of heartbreak, brilliantly executed with humour. ‘Tennessee Skies’ is a beautiful, touching affection marking the tragedy of Elvis Presley. So different from anything else written, created about him. Listening to Teigr these last months has reminded over and over why we focus on new Welsh music, and that’s a fixed-in-stone fact. Bloody fantastic. In recent months Ynys played shows with Melin Melyn and CUD, in January they perform at Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff, supporting former Race Horses member GAFF. (Cath Holland)
44. Los Campesinos! – All Hell
If Los Campesinos! were not already the UK’s most cult band, then All Hell has truly cemented their folkloric place in UK indie. Self-produced and self-released, All Hell combines ferocious, devastatingly anthemic emo with lyrics that address our fractured society and enduring broken hearts. (James Turrell)
43. Halo Maud – Celebrate
Maud Nadal a.k.a Halo Maud celebrates musical playfulness and experimentation in many forms on her beautifully disorientating and kaleidoscopic second release – follow up to 2019’s Je Suis île. Intertwining the English and her native French language (sometimes within the same song) while also having an interest in other cultures such as the tribute to Bulgarian traditions in ‘Pesnopoïka’, Celebrate constantly keeps listeners on their toes. Hectic indie rock guitars spontaneously pierce into the psychedelic pop compositions and synths bounce around hyperactively like Nickelodeon animated characters. It’s as if the instruments have personalities of their own that aim to cause havoc in Halo Maud’s otherwise innocent and free spirited existence. The French musician’s amicable and stereotypically gallic voice attempts to float around freely through the chaos but even her vocals become victim to contortion; having the reverse reverb effect applied on ‘Catch The Wave’, given a cartoony squeak on ‘You Float’ and made oddly hypnotic on the almost-acapella ‘Iceberg’. It’s only around 39 minutes in length but it feels like a long entrancing journey of transcendental proportions. (Matt Hobbs)
42. James – Yummy
With nine studio albums under their belt since they reunited in 2007, James are more prolific than ever and Yummy has cemented their place as one of the most commercially and artistically – and most loved – alternative bands of their era. Its predecessor embraced Mark Hunter’s genius with an influx of synth-fuelled tracks. However, James are a band that refuse to rest on past successes and while Yummy does feature high-energy tracks including ‘Life’s a Fucking Miracle’ and ‘Rogue’, they’re interspersed with more introspective pieces like the beautiful ‘Butterfly’ and ‘Way Over Your Head’. Unafraid of the unknown, Yummy sees them continue soaring to new heights of beauty and inspiration and their refusal to conform to society’s expectations as to what a band of their longitude should be doing is commendable. (Laura Dean)
41. Confidence Man – 3AM (La La La)
Confidence Man’s third album is a pick ‘n’ mix of nineties British dance, and the periods immediately either side of it. Acid house, rave, trance, madchester and straight up pop are all represented amongst other genres and sub-genres, and yet this doesn’t feel like a compilation or a playlist – it is united by the Australian duos knack for an unashamed hook and each song has at least one melody or vocal line that will be stuck in your head until it’s displaced by the next one. It’s the album that comes closest to matching up to their unmissable and relentless live show, and by far their most consistent. (Jordan Dowling)
40. Loma – How Will I Live WIthout A Body
Loma (Emily Cross, Dan Duszynski, Jonathan Meiburg) released their superlative third album How Will I Live Without A Body? in the summer. Described as “a unique, and oddly comforting album about partnership, loss, regeneration, and fighting the feeling that we’re all in this alone.”The haunting first single ‘This is How it starts’ with its enveloping and circling piano motifs, slowly shifting atmospheres and the touching vocals of Emily Cross swirl like breath in the cold air, laid the footing.
When they had to scrap previous sessions, Cross suggested they regroup in the UK, in the tiny stone house—once a coffin-makers workshop—where she works as an end-of-life doula. The band used the ruin of a 12th-century chapel as a reverb chamber—surprising hillwalkers who peeked in to find them singing to no one—and the sounds of Cross’s chilly workshop reverberate through the recording: a leaky pipe, a drummer’s brushes on a metal lampshade, voices left on an ancient answering machine. One can hear distant ghostly echoes in each visiting note, one can feel the breath on your neck, the rise and fall, capturing the poignant passages of time. It’s another touching masterclass in songwriting from Loma. (Bill Cummings).
39. English Teacher – This Could Be Texas
This is less an album and more a novel, and even maybe more a TV drama, with episodes instead of songs, with all the characters given their own chapter but ultimately them all being Lily Fontaine. Some might call that a concept album but this feels like more than that ideal. It’s a new concept. Maybe it isn’t new, but it feels fresh and alive.
The kitchen sink drama, the everyday trials and tribulations and the social commentary mean Lily Fontaine is your John Cooper Clarke for the disenfranchised and post-Brexit youth of today. The metaphors are rife for escaping the everyday drudgery of 2020’s Britain. And you’d think they’d end with an optimistic climax but instead, Albert Road is a beautiful but fairly depressing spotlight on how shameful the people of this country can be, albeit with some stunningly beautiful couplets “Chips, gravy and cheese, on your knees, watching the sun settle down,” culminating in a crescendo that sounds more like frustration than a release of fury. In a world where the playlist is king on a platform funding war, a piece of art, a piece of wax, with drama and love and frustration and discrimination and beauty and peace, but nothing is ever resolved. Life in a nutshell. On this sceptred isle. (Jim Auton)
38. Oliver Coates – Throb, Shiver, Arrow Of Time
Throb, Shiver, Arrow of Time finds Oliver Coates in a shifting, otherworldly current that draws from both classical precision and electronic vastness. Coates takes the cello and manipulates it beyond recognition, layering it with ambient textures, shoegaze haze, and elements of drone metal. It’s an album that feels like it exists somewhere outside conventional time, with each track morphing as though responding to the listener’s own heartbeat. Collaborations with artists like Malibu and Faten Kanaan bring a mesmerizing quality, each composition flows unpredictably, as if Coates is summoning weather patterns of sound—a fog that rolls in, a storm gathering, flames licking at the edges of the track before it dissolves into something entirely new. This is music that doesn’t just pass through you; it stays, settles, and reshapes the way you think. (Trev Elkin)
37. Jaws The Shark – Wasteland
Jaws The Shark (real name Olly Bailey) has been knocking about for a couple of years now, releasing a constant stream of both singles and EP’s, having more than enough material for an album much earlier than this, sadly none of which (especially the likes of ‘Demon Dream’ and ‘Andy Gray’) have made the cut to appear on this debut long-player. But it is this level of quality control has worked very much in his favour, with the only the very best of the best 10 tracks of his, informing this cohesive piece of work.You get the impression that JTS would much rather be compared to Kurt Cobain rather than Ian Broudie, but it’s the latter’s safe hand on the pop sensibility tiller with a gift for a tune for the everyman that shines through all over this. A glorious debut. (Steven Doherty)
36. Georgia Ruth – Cool Head
Georgia Ruth‘s beautiful fourth studio album, Cool Head is her best yet, a tale of keeping your calm when things around you are falling apart. Written in the year after her husband and collaborator was taken seriously ill, Georgia describes the album as a long drive through the night into the morning: a journey through the darkness into the light. This warm, gorgeously drawn collection of songs, spans elements of wide-open Americana to ’60s-influenced folk ballads of Europe, and is centred with a melodic heart and a well-worn craft of subtle and reflective songwriting. The wonderful and wide-screen lead track ‘Driving Dreams’, featuring gently lapping guitars, bouncing percussion, sighing horns just off the plate and wrapped in elegantly drawn string arrangements. Ruth’s open-hearted vocals are gorgeously quivering in an upper register, ripe with a longing for the open road and all the escape, freedom and unknown it represents. Elsewhere the sighing ‘Chemistry’ features Euros Childs who provides a comforting hand on the shoulder and supportive backing vocals, to this trip through uncertainty toward self-assurance. (Bill Cummings)
35. THE THE – Ensoulment
THE THE are officially back, with their first studio album in a quarter of a century, which consists of twelve new songs from stalwart Matt Johnson. Ensoulment may be have been some time coming, but that mega-hiatus (which included a horrible sounding spell of throat surgery, more of that later) has not amended Johnson’s desire to tell stories, nor has it affected his haunted, lived-in emotional, hoary vocal, very reminiscent of a Black Box Recorder-era Luke Haines.
The album marks the return of co-producer and engineer Warne Livesey, who previously worked on their two biggest hit records, 1986’s Infected (1986) and follow-up Mind Bomb (1989) and the production really comes to the fore, it’s a well-thought out, nicely put together set of songs.
It comes across as an album built purely on life experiences over the last quarter of a century, mostly gripping your attention and the instinct to need to know what happens. Speaking of experiences, one of the main tracks on the stronger second half is the woozy ‘Linoleum Smooth To The Stockinged Foot’, made up of Johnson’s hospital bed recollections of being struck down with a dangerous, near fatal abscess in his throat, strung out on a mix of morphine and antibiotics. I can attest that this is not the record that will suddenly attract the masses (and what album after 25 years would) but this will cement Johnson’s outsider from the mainstream status with his existing fans, and comes across as a record that he needed to make for himself. (Steven Doherty)
34. Whitelands – Nightbound Eyes Are Blind To The Day
London Shoegaze quartet, Whitelands, sonically bloom in their stunning debut album Night- bound Eyes Are Blind to the Day, fusing a polyphonic bouquet of melodic riffs, blurred and bathed in a rippling ocean of reverb, weaving hazy tremolo motifs between achingly beautiful underwater vocals. They soar from liquid depths, into heavenly choruses, rich with cascading sonic swirls. The album is cradled by two poetically political songs addressing imperialism, racism and performative ignorance, impeccably laced through smoky dream-pop melodies Meditative, romantic and reflective; nostalgic yet groundbreaking, their ethereal waves of sound will wash over you and cleanse your soul. They have captured lightning in a bottle with this album. Bassist Vanessa Govinden said, “There’s an underlying narrative that it’s OK for white men to be romantic, sensitive, emotional and make dreamy music and, by contrast, young black men should be making angry music…We’ve all grown up with these stereotypes… I want Whitelands to really break some barriers.” With impressionistic, yet whip-smart political lyrics, they are one of the most stunning, skilful and vital voices on the scene right now and are at the forefront of the 21st Century Shoegaze revival. (Carmel Walsh)
33. Laura Marling – Patterns In Repeat
The ethereal goddess once again fails to put one foot wrong as she juggled early motherhood with recording this delicate and beautiful ode to the barely born daughter lying next to her.
She had released an album dedicated to a fictional daughter during COVID and then there was a real one. This was all recorded in her front room, despite having a recording studio in her home, but the knowledge of this may only add to the cosiness and comforting tone of this record.
The final Pattern In Repeats eponymous is a clever reworking of several of her songs from up to ten years previous and is one of only a few tracks that include any further embellishment in the shape of strings that soar like an eagle.
Truly life affirming and poignantly beautiful. (Jim Auton)
32. John Grant – The Art Of The Lie
John Grant, was listening to a lot of Prince while making his fifth solo album, The Art Of The Lie, along with Cameo, Whodini and Grandmaster Flash. It’s not always abundantly evident but you definitely notice flashes here and there, with the Cameo reference most apparent on opening track ‘All That School For Nothing‘ which reminds us that, hey, vocoders CAN sound great if they are used effectively, and, quite apart from the codpiece wearing New York outfit, there are definitely echoes of Earth Wind and Fire‘s ‘Let’s Groove‘ here too, as well as, bizarrely, Curiosity Killed The Cat‘s ‘Down To Earth‘. But don’t let that put you off. This is an absolute blast of a track with entertaining lyrics and an irresistibly catchy refrain.
‘Laura Lee‘ and ‘Zeitgeist‘ end the album with John in introspective mood, and the rather ominous lyric “The world keeps telling me that I don’t need to be with anybody / I am all I need to myself / I think they have been misinformed / Their formulas won’t weather storms / The zeitgeist fruit is full of worms / And in the end I know that I need you.”
Well John, have no fear – we need you in our lives too. Especially if you’re going to continue to make spectacular records like this one! (Loz Etheridge)
31. Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard And Soft
On Billie Eilish’s latest release, Hit Me Hard And Soft, she steps out of her facade to reveal every true facet of herself, diving deep into self-image and sexuality. Layers of lush production bring out the best of addictive beats, as bass drops and tempo shifts keep you on your toes. In ripping off her veil and embracing vulnerability, Hit Me Hard And Soft stands as Eilish’s most genuine piece of work yet. (Emily Stark)
30. Arooj Aftab – Night Reign
On Night Reign, Arooj Aftab draws upon the influences of jazz, folk, western and Hindustani classical music, complete with the occasional nod towards the ambient and the avant-garde. Yet for all the myriad of musical styles that Arooj Aftab seamlessly blends together, the final product equates to far much more than the sum of its constituent parts. It is all knit together with her extraordinary voice, an astonishing hypnotic instrument that carefully balances seduction with stridency. Whether singing in Urdu or English its language is universal. (Simon Godley)
29. Bill Ryder-Jones – Iechyd Da
Bill Ryder-Jones ushered us into 2024 with new record Iechyd Da (Good Health), and how thankful are we for this beautiful and relatable album. It wouldn’t be a Ryder-Jones release if he did not walk with a stone in his shoe and share that journey with his audience, but with Iechyd Da there feels a further shift, delivering personal truths with elegance, and the key element of hope he stresses throughout our conversation. Iechyd Da is a record you want to spend a lot of time with. An emotional investment returning rich rewards. And it’s a work he spent a substantial amount of effort in creating. Having his own studio now, a handy mere minutes away from home, gifted the precious luxury of time. (Cath Holland)
28. Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk
Magdalena Bay are Los Angeles by way of Miami duo consisting of Mica Tenenbaum (vocals, producer, songwriter) and Matthew Lewin (producer, songwriter). With their escapist and constantly exciting second album Imaginal Disk they take you on a thrill ride of imaginative future pop. Written and produced by Magdalena Bay and mixed by Dave Friedmann (The Flaming Lips, Beach House, MGMT), it takes their sound up a notch, plugs you into the mainframe and transports you to new realms.
‘Death & Romance‘ is one of the year’s pop songs, rippling with a sparkling everscent the sugary sweet hit of the choruses is powered by danceable piano melody that eschews the sound of ABBA and supercharged synths. This luminous soundscape of disco, psychedelia and bubblegum pop, is laden with Mica’s tantalising, vocals and push and pull melodies. Imaginal Disk is vibrant, catchy and endlessly fascinating. (Bill Cummings)
27. Kim Gordon – The Collective
Throughout the years Kim Gordon has been a consistent presence and has helped to produce some truly iconic works most notably with Sonic Youth. Her name is carved into the history of alternative music forever, which is exactly what affords her musical liberation on her latest solo effort The Collective..
The Collective isn’t just something you can press play and listen to, instead it’s a subversive sensory deprivation tank, designed to drown out the analogue nature of the outside world, pulling you down into its twisted depths. ‘Psychedelic Orgasm‘ might seem like it’s little a bit on the nose, but it doesn’t do an awful job of summarising the mental itch that this album manages to scratch. Lyrically the album can feel can dysfunctional and shallow, but when you wade between the swirls of shuddering bass and frightful drum programming, you uncover criticisms on empty romantic gestures and gift-giving (‘Shelf Warmer‘), capitalism and brand culture (‘Dream Dollar‘), as well as the idea of American and freedom (‘It’s Dark Inside‘). Gordon’s ability to bring meaning and sense to her fracturing sound is as a result not only of her creative genius, but also just sheer coolness. (Josh Allen)
26. Eggmen Whoooooo! – Fuzzy Eggs, Please
Welsh outfit’s Eggmen Whoooooo!’s rather tremendous debut album Fuzzy Eggs, Please. The Eggmen Whoooooo! are quite the ensemble, comprising as they do of members of EL Goodo, Los Blancos and Trecco Beis. Monikers Benedict E Frye, Gregg Boyle, Sheldon Advocaat, Thom Lett, Gwyn Ŵy and Sue Flay might be ouef-themed metaphors – albeit clever ones – but make no mistake this is an incredibly accomplished album of simply great songwriting and inventive musicianship.
Fuzzy Eggs, Please is one for music nerds, basically. And we suspect the egg men and woman involved together with producer Thighpaulsandra (Spiritualized, Tim Burgess), make no apologies for this. The moment the stylus needle settles in the white, pink and purple splattered record we’re surrounded by shelves of classic psychedelia, garage, surf rock and 60s pop records lovingly played and soaked up. And yet, we have here an album suited for contemporary times in its own right. Fuzzy Eggs, Please subtly raises issues and mindsets perhaps not voiced so readily back in its inspirations’ heydays. Take ‘Eggman Vs Hellboy’ and its lyrical contemplation and acceptance of life’s limits. What an absolute stomper in the Nuggets garage rock tradition, with fuzzy guitar and collaborative “whooo!” sealing the bonding and understanding. A proper pysch album how it should be made. (Cath Holland)
