Kyle’s finalized list of the best albums from 2024! Only one album per artist.

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Honourable Mentions

WOOF. – Fat Dog
As Grande As – Grande Mahogany
The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow – Charles Lloyd
Hotel La Rut – Joanna Wang
Rong Weicknes – Fievel Is Glauque
Mika’s Laundry – Matt Champion
Empathogen – WILLOW
Home in Another Life – Enumclaw
13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips – Xiu Xiu
Night Reign – Arooj Aftab
Samurai – Lupe Fiasco
Tigers Blood – Waxahatchee
Foxing – Foxing

50.

Where’s My Utopia? – Yard Act

Favourite Songs:
We Make Hits, Dream Job, When the Laughter Stops, Blackpool Illuminations, A Vineyard for the North

49.

Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me – Porridge Radio

Favourite Tracks:
Anybody, A Hole In The Ground, You Will Come Home, Pieces Of Heaven

48.

Something in the Room She Moves – Julia Holter

Favourite Songs:
Sun Girl, Something in the Room She Moves, Spinning, Talking to the Whisper

47.

I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU – JPEGMAFIA

Favourite Tracks:
New Black History, Exmilitary, JPEGULTRA!, either on or off the drugs

46.

Angel Interview – Meaningful Stone

Favourite Tracks:
Mikael, Oak tree, I open the window instead of the closed door

45.

Bats Feet for A Widow – Bingo Fury

Favourite Tracks:
Unlistening, Mr. Stark, Centrefold

44.

Patterns In Repeat – Laura Marling

Favourite Tracks:
Patterns, No One’s Gonna Love You Like I Can, Caroline, Patterns in Repeat

43.

The love it took to leave you – Colin Stetson

Favourite Tracks:
The love it took to leave you, The Six, To think we knew from fear

42.

Big Ideas – Remi Wolf

Favourite Tracks:
Soup, Motorcycle, Toro, Kangaroo, Frog Rock

41.

Songs Of A Lost World – The Cure

Favourite Tracks:
A Fragile Thing, I Can Never Say Goodbye, Endsong

40.

HOTEL HEAVEN – Yellow Days

Favourite Songs:
MRS. MOONLIGHT, FINER THINGS IN LIFE, CRYING FOR HELP

39.

NO HANDS – Joey Valence & Brae

Favourite Tracks:
BUSSIT, PACKAPUNCH, THE BADDEST, WHAT U NEED

38.

Diamond Jubilee – Cindy Lee

Favourite Tracks:
Dreams of You, Kingdom Come, I Have My Doubts, Deepest Blue

37.

Endlessness – Nala Sinephro

Favourite Tracks:
Continuum 3, Continuum 5, Continuum 6

36.

Here in the Pitch – Jessica Pratt

Favourite Songs:
Life Is, World on a String, By Hook or by Crook, The Last Year

35.

Dark Times – Vince Staples

Favourite Tracks:
Black&Blue, Etouffee, Justin, “Radio”, Little Homies

34.

Scared of the Dark (You Should Be Too) – Lila Gray

Favourite Tracks:
Something I Knew Was Missing, Swimming Pool, Oh, Hey Honey, She Moves, Haunt

33.

Keeper of the Shepherd – Hannah Frances

Favourite Songs:
Bronwyn, Keeper of the Shepherd, Vacant Intimacies, Haunted Landscape, Echoing Cave

32.

Heavy Metal – Cameron Winter

Favourite Tracks:
Nausicaa (Love Will Be Revealed), Love Takes Miles, Cancer of the Skull, Can’t Keep Anything

31.

Death Is a Feeling – Owl Drugs

Favourite Tracks:
Ultimatum Augmentum, New Pompeii, The Dark Is Light Enough, Mt. Plz, Zine Culture Icon

30.

Lives Outgrown – Beth Gibbons

Favourite Songs:
Floating on a Moment, Reaching Out, Oceans, Beyond the Sun

29.

Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace – Shabaka

Favourite Songs:
End of Innocence, Insecurities, Managing My Breath, What Fear Had Become, Body to Inhabit, Breathing

28.

Two Star & the Dream Police – Mk.gee

Favourite Songs:
How Many Miles, Are You Looking Up, I Want, Dream Police

27.

Manning Fireworks – MJ Lenderman

Favourite Tracks:
Joker Lips, Wristwatch, She’s Leaving You, You Don’t Know the Shape I’m In

26.

GNX – Kendrick Lamar

Favourite Tracks:
wacced out murals, reincarnated, tv off, heart pt. 6, gloria

25.

“NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD” – Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Favourite Tracks:
BABYS IN A THUNDERCLOUD, GREY RUBBLE – GREEN SHOOTS

24.

Charm – Clairo

Favourite Tracks:
Nomad, Sexy to Someone, Second Nature, Terrapin

23.

Outline – Sam Lynch

Favourite Tracks:
All the Life, Doing My Best, Teeth

22.

Shadowbox – MAVI

Favourite Tracks:
20,000 leagues, i’m so tired, grindstone, drunk prayer, the giver, too much to zelle

21.

Alligator Bites Never Heal – Doechii

Favourite Tracks:
BULLFROG, BOILED PEANUTS, DENIAL IS A RIVER, FIREFLIES

20.

Fearless Movement – Kamasi Washington

Favourite Songs:
Lesanu, Asha the First, Dream State, The Garden Path, Prologue

19.

My Method Actor – Nilüfer Yanya

Favourite Tracks:
Like I Say (I runaway), Method Actor, Mutations, Call It Love

18.

Night Palace – Mount Eerie

Favourite Tracks:
Night Place, Huge Fire, Broom of Wind, I Heard Whales (I Think), I Need New Eyes

17.

Only God Was Above Us – Vampire Weekend

Favourite Songs:
Classical, Capricorn, Connect, Mary Boone

16.

Nublues – Joel Ross

Favourite Songs:
Equinox, What Am I Waiting For?, Nublues, Central Park West

15.

Bright Future – Adrianne Lenker
Contemporary Folk / Singer-Songwriter

Lenker’s latest record maintains the intimacy we’ve come to appreciate in her previous work, only this time sounding more polished than ever. Bright Future is a beautiful display of love and vulnerability in its purest form.

Favourite Songs:
Real House, Sadness as a Gift, Free Treasure, Vampire Empire, Donut Seam, Ruined

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

14.

This Could Be Texas – English Teacher
Indie Rock / Art Rock / Post-Rock

Lily Fontaine leads English Teacher in their eclectic debut, an unpredictable Indie Rock record that is highlighted by patiently-rewarding gradual swells, and prolifically-grand crescendos in a very impressive first offering from the Leeds band. This record is bursting with personality through often witty, tongue in cheek lyrics, further building on the singular foundation their 2022 Polyawkward EP set.

Favourite Songs:
The World’s Biggest Paving Slab, Mastermind Specialism, This Could Be Texas, Nearly Daffodils, Albert Road

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

13.

World of Work – Clarissa Connelly
Singer-Songwriter / Progressive Folk

Connelly masterfully blends medieval and celestial sounds in this wistful piano-lead collection. Each offering is graceful and charming, with emotively sensitive vocals guiding this wondrously glorious album. It is impossible not to to be swept away by its transcendence.

Favourite Tracks:
Into This, Called Loneliness, Life of the Forbidden, Turn to Stone

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

12.

Prelude to Ecstasy – The Last Dinner Party
Pop Rock / Indie Rock

Each track carries a unique potency, leaving no lull behind, and always providing a lasting impact. A powerful vocal performance throughout from Abigail Morris leads the way on a great record that has stayed in rotation since its release. Frequently contemplative, while often catchy, The Last Dinner Party provides everything you could ask for in their excellent debut.

Favourite Songs:
Caesar on a TV Screen, The Feminine Urge, Beautiful Boy, Nothing Matters

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

11.

#RICHAXXHAITIAN – Mach-Hommy
Abstract Hip-Hop

Mach-Hommy’s strongest offering since 2021’s Pray for Haiti, #RICHAXXHATIAN showcases his raw abilities to fit a variety of production styles and tempos, as well as a knack for collaboration with over 10 guest features. The Mach-Hommy and Conductor Williams connection remains flawless as well.

Favourite Songs:
Antonomasia, POLITickle, Sonje, SUR LE PONT d’AVIGNON (Reparation #1), Copy Cold, Holy ____

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

10.

So Medieval – Blue Bendy
Art-Rock / Post-Punk

Blue Bendy’s debut album, ‘So Medieval,’ is an engrossing journey through soundscapes where traditional song structure is abandoned in favour of a more innovative sonic approach, defying anyone looking to easily categorize the group. An unpredictable-in-nature knack for bold instrumentation and Nolan’s evocative and charming vocal delivery offer an especially distinct listening experience. Their singular sound is found within music that is unrelentingly brimming with personality from start to finish, making ‘So Medieval’ a standout record in 2024.

Favourite Tracks:
So Medieval, Mr. Bubblegum, Darp 2 / Exorcism, Cloudy, Goodnight Bobby

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

9.

Alas, – Lily Seabird
Singer-Songwriter / Alt-Country

Lily Seabird’s ‘Alas,’ is characterized by an enchanting collision between grit and a tense yearning. Despite the warm and endearing pull of Seabird’s voice guiding you throughout the LP, there is an ever-so-present bite to each track that hangs overhead, as the LP is suffused with an intense emotion that clouds over you right from the opener, refusing to subside.

Favourite Tracks:
Grace, Over and over again (searching for you in the space), Angel, Waste

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

8.

Shallow Water – Ally Dean
Folk-Rock / Indie Rock

Dean’s debut album sees the Surrey singer-songwriter treading rough waters while on the verge of finding her way. Confessional songwriting with an especially intimate sincerity allows for a deeply tender, personal listening experience, reflectively navigating themes of enduring trials of growth, and the struggles of resilience. The instrumentation mirrors this balance, frequently tidy and naturally elegant, while biting back at times with passages of gritty, cathartic toughness.

Favourite Tracks:
Morning Song, Shallow Water, Up2Me, Mother Whale, Margot

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

7.

Seed of a Seed – Haley Heynderickx
Singer-Songwriter / Indie Folk / Chamber Folk

Heynderickx’s LP2 breathes life with an authentically earthy spirit, balancing a breezy elegance with a razor-sharp edge. Her surging, powerful vocals command attention, soaring over delicately understated, but lush chamber arrangements. The record holds an evocative, organic warmth, as it stays consistently enchanting from start to finish, housing an enduring, emotional resonance.

Favourite Tracks:
Gemini, Foxglove, Redwoods (Anxious God), Ayan’s Song, Swoop

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

6.

The New Sound – Geordie Greep
Progressive Rock / Art Rock

Frequently frantic, urgent, and forward, but always with precision, this album is flooded with instrumental brilliance. Jazzy, Latin infused art rock compositions that are uniquely Greep, the Londoner’s first solo effort is as stunning as its subject matter is gawking. Portrayals of toxic masculinity make a mockery of the individuals he tells tales of, in deeply nuanced character studies that offer thoughtful critique with a boldly theatrical flair.

Favourite Tracks:
Blues, Holy, Holy, Through a War, As if Waltz, The Magician

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

5.

Chromakopia – Tyler, The Creator
Hip Hop / Neo-Soul

Tyler extends his hot run of albums with an all encompassing collection that includes militant stomping rhythmics, gospel chants, and everything you could ask for in between. Paranoia is at large throughout the record, as much of the record consists of mental deep dives among strings of motherly advice, all in persuit of a finite self-actualization. One of my favourite records in an increasingly deep discography.

Favourite Tracks:
St. Chroma, Noid, Take Your Mask Off, Like Him, I Hope You Find Your Way Home

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

4.

Where we’ve been, Where we go from here – Friko
Indie Rock / Noise Pop

A remarkable debut from the Chicago based duo, Friko rides vulnerable songwriting and alluring melodies throughout the LP, creating a nostalgic, yet fresh product. At times melancholic, in others explosive, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here inhabits the undulating nature of progress, with a blairing raw intensity. The album showcases immense growth from their already-impressive 2022 EP, Whenever Forever, leaving plenty of anticipation for what is next.

Favourite Songs:
Where We’ve Been, For Ella, Statues, Get Numb to It!, Cardinal

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

3.

Imaginal Disk – Magdalena Bay
Neo-Psychedelia / Synthpop

Magdalena Bay creates a world that is equally dazzling as it is disorienting on their sophomore album. Behind expansive, hypnotic, and immersive synth-pop concoctions, the record’s existential and surreal storytelling offer a world building experience that serves as one of the most ambitious records of the year. At times frenetic, and at others, entrancing, Imaginal Disk moves as a fluid and vivid hallucination of glossy futurism.

Favourite Tracks:
She Looked Like Me!, Death & Romance, Vampire in the Corner, Cry for Me, The Ballad of Matt & Mica

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

2.

Below a Massive Dark Land – Naima Bock
Chamber Folk / Singer-Songwriter

Expansive, delicate arrangements exquisitely complement the radiating warmth of Bock’s commanding vocals, as she navigates the trials of conformity, growth, and desolation life often provides. Each composition offers contemplative listens, unfolding with an elegant intensity that rewards patience via its deeply immersive quality. Many tracks across the record feature orchestral passages that have a living-entity within them, all put together with a stifling beauty in a way that feels both intricate and intimate.

Favourite Tracks:
Gentle, Feed My Release, My Sweet Body, Takes One, Age

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

1.

The Pilgrim, Their God and The King of My Decrepit Mountain – Tapir!
Indie Folk / Post-Rock / Folktronica

A charming debut offering from the six-piece London band, Tapir! takes you on a complex pilgrimage, traversing lands of unholy creatures, stormy seas, and eerie forests in my 2025 album of the year. The extensive list of highlights throughout the album include Ike Gray’s striking vocals and poetic storytelling, the seamless balance of electronic and acoustic instrumentation, and the world-building nature of the enthralling journey that is The Pilgrim, Their God and The King of My Decrepit Mountain. The band’s artistic sensibilities are displayed in a variety of interdisciplinary ways that add to a very nuanced album experience; be it their live performances that feature interpretive dances by pilgrims, a painting done by Gray that features a map of the land the journey takes place in, and accompanying visuals that beautifully complement the tracks on the album. This immersive element only further sets Tapir! apart, as their ambitious artistry invites you into a realm that is as boundless as the world they have imagined.

Favourite Tracks:
On A Grassy Knoll (We’ll Bow Together), Broken Ark, Gymnopedie, Eidolon, Untitled

Listen:
Apple Music | Spotify

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