2024: The Year in Albums

December 31, 2024

What was I looking for in music this year? This is a question I’ve asked myself over the course of the year. Throughout much of 2024, I’ve felt immense frustration. Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, and America’s financing of said campaign; American election season and all that comes with it; and the politics as usual discourse, all have been top of mind for me, often weighing heavy. Undeniably, I was looking for music to make me feel good — not as escapism, to wrestle with this moment; I wanted music to imagine something other than what was already in place. In this way, I was overjoyed to see the release of The Olive Tape — a compilation of sorts, made by a group of artists to support those living in Palestine — earlier this year. It’s an excellent and meaningful body of work that is lovingly curated. Meshell Ndgeocello’s album, No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin, forced me to look inward; to ask myself what mask(s) have I been hiding behind? While also grappling with state violence in its many forms. Immanuel Wikins’ album, Blues Blood, offered me reprieve when I needed it most. Leon Bridges, Lucky Daye, and Bilal’s respective albums opened my sonic palette in new and exciting ways. The music in 2024 gave me much to be excited about and engage with for years to come.

I like doing year end lists because they’re a way for me to keep an archive: of my tastes and how they change, of the ebbs and flows of music (that I perceive), of the instantaneous moment. Over the past few years, I’ve started treating year end lists as a collection of smaller lists: the artists I’ve been following for years and come back to often, debut albums, artists that are new to me, and my “Top 13” — albums that are extra special — and so on. Without further ado, here are my favorite albums from 2024.

Where My Bread is Buttered & My Cup is Filled

There are some artists whose music has resonated with me for a number of years. They’re the people I come to time and again, artists that hold up their end of our one-sided, imaginary contract. This year, some of my favorite artists released new albums, where they tried new things (or didn’t, which is fine), and in some cases, collaborated with new people.

NxWorries — Why Lawd?

Bilal — Live at Glasshaus

Devin Morrison — Dreamsoul Ballads

Common & Pete Rock — The Auditorium Vol. 1

KAYTRANADA — TIMELESS

Rapsody — Please Don’t Cry

Kendrick Lamar — GNX

Gary Clark Jr. — JPEG RAW

Milton & esperanza

B.R.K. — LOVE: in the most beautiful way…

Nice to Meet You

This category is positioned in contrast to the aforementioned category. Where the last section was about a level of familiarity and trust, this is more about exploration.

As such, one of the things I enjoy most about writing about music is looking for new music — particularly music from people I don’t know much about. Each month, through the Plug’n Play playlist, Kevin and I scour the underbelly of the internet for music that moves us, artists who are unsigned, or not on major labels, and so forth. Below are some albums made by artists that I’ve come to really appreciate, and serves as my entry point to them.

Royel Otis — PRATTS & PAIN

Kalisway — A Kid From Toronto

Luna Li — When a Thought Grows Wings

Jaubi — A Sound Heart

Sarah Jarosz — Polaroid Lovers

Jack J — Blue Desert

Hermanos Gutierrez — Sonido Cósmico

Aaron Parks — Little Big III

The Marias — Submarine

Debut Albums

One of my favorite listening exercises is to go through an artists discography from their first album (this is much easier to do because of streaming). Debut albums are often self-funded, or have little backing from a major label, and the artist often has to do most of the labor for the album themselves: play multiple, if not all, instruments, produce, do the cover design, mix and master the album themselves, and so on. And while an artists “voice” isn’t as refined as we might find them later in their career’s, they make up for it in ambition. To me, this is what makes the debut album exciting: it can feel limitless and a peak into what’s to come. Below are some of my favorite debut albums from 2024.

Jonah Gabriel — Cylces

Jake & Abe — Finally!

Fabiana Palladino — Fabiana Palladino

Fight The Algorithm

(ChatGPT Could Never Define Me)

This year, more than any other year, I’ve thought about how music gets to me (or how I get to it). I take pride in having idiosyncratic interests, but — given the rise of Artificial Intelligence and its incorporation into daily life — I’ve tried to resist what is “suggested” to me via streaming platforms. Below is a list of albums that explore my interests and idiosyncrasies, sometimes in surprising ways.

Kacey Musgraves — Deeper Well

Clairo — Charm

Charlotte Day Wilson — Cyan Blue

Fana Hues — Moth

ScHoolboy Q — Blue Lips

Allysha Joy — The Making of Silk

The Smile — Wall of Eyes

WILLOW — empathogen

Doechii — Alligator Bites Never Heal

Top 13

For whatever reason, some albums become special to us. For me, I’ve realized there are stylistic elements I’m often drawn to: albums that have reflective songwriting, production that is driven by instruments, compositions that explore harmony in new, idiosyncratic ways. I like albums that say something about the world, yet are imaginative about the future.

I’ve also noticed that many of my favorite albums are often shaped by my experience of seeing the music performed live. Indeed, memory plays a role — where the concert itself produces a type of instant nostalgia. Over the course of 2024, I was able to see Khruabgbin, Brittany Howard, Michael Kiwanuka, Samora Pinderhughes, Mk.gee, Leon Bridges, and Meshell Ndegeocello in concert. Each show had its own sort of power in transforming the recorded material. Here are a few albums I not only returned to time and again.