Spencer’s Top Ten Albums of 2024

We’re so back.

A few days ago I was telling one of my flatmates that I was writing up my annual review of the best albums of the year, and she said: “Do people even make albums anymore?” As playlists have become the default method for listening to music, and TikTok the most popular way to market new songs, all the incentives steer artists toward singles. And yet, it is somehow easier than ever to listen to whole albums from a wide variety of genres. Artists haven’t given up on the album. In fact, this year in particular yielded a larger than usual crop of outstanding albums. I had trouble trimming this down from such a stellar list, but stick to ten I must, so without further ado here are the top albums of the year.

Album #10: Hyperdrama by Justice

The duo that defined French house music in the late 2000s and early 2010s is back, and it seems they have not forgotten their dance-filled roots. Whereas their last two albums leaned more into Justice’s disco influences in a manner accomplished much better in Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, Justice have returned to making electronic dance anthems. Album opener “Neverender” sets the tone, featuring vocals from Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, with driving, pulsing beats that bring pure, unbridled energy to the track. The theme continues with “Generator”, “Dear Alan”, and “Incognito”, with heavy use of snarling synthesizers and deep basses that feel like a welcome throwback to the simpler times of 2008. The final track on the album, “The End” calls back to one of the major singles, “Stress” of the band’s debut album †, by upping the ferocity and tension to another level. Combined with Thundercat’s vocals exclaiming “This is the end” you can’t help but feel that this is the anthem to usher in the apocalypse. Whether you put on the album for your latest party, add it to your workout playlist, or even put it on to have something lyric-less in the background while studying, the tracks here are motivating, fast-paced, and intense. Hyperdrama is the best house album of the year.

Album #9: GNX by Kendrick Lamar

This was Kendrick Lamar’s year. With one of the biggest hits of 2024 in “Not Like Us” he single-handedly cemented himself as the ruling king of rap, removing Drake from the conversation. Most artists would have been content to cap things off there — but not Kendrick. Instead, he releases a surprise album in late November as a victory lap, sending the reminder that the catchiness of those diss tracks was no accident, and he can do this all day (will there be a second surprise with a double album? We shall see).

With hit after hit (“wacced out murals”, “squabble up”, “tv off”), this album is less introspective and poetic than his previous works, but its sheer fun overcomes any shortcomings in depth. That’s not to say there are no moments of self-reflection on the record — “reincarnated” portrays a conversation between Kendrick and God where Kendrick asks what he needs to do in order to kill his pride and hold forgiveness in his heart. If you enjoyed any of his other releases this year, you will vibe with this album. Kendrick is having an L.A. centric celebratory party, and you’re invited to join him and shout out the producer for everyone to hear: “MUSTAAAAAAAAARD!”

Album #8: Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend

Only God Was Above Us is the most Vampire Weekend album ever. The band’s fifth album is a return to the winning formula of their first three albums, but still incorporates small pieces of their previous record, Father of the Bride. The instrumentation brings back extensive piano and string melodies, along with the staple guitar, bass, and drums, particularly evoking the band’s self-titled debut. And yet the evidence of time has passed, as their use is more mature and contemplative, less silly and for fun’s sake.

One prominent character throughout Only God Was Above Us is New York City, cementing their Big Apple bona fides alongside The Strokes and Frank Sinatra. Like the iconic subway pictured on the cover, the album weaves its way in and out of stories of complicated people, some well known and others whom you only see for an instant before they’re gone. Standout tracks include “Classical”, which interrogates how cruelty becomes the norm and not the exception, “Connect”, a tune about a once-strong friendship that now feels lost to time, and “Pravda”, which explores the family history of a friend with Russian roots, and what those roots mean to a first-generation American.

These types of stories are Vampire Weekend’s bread and butter. By leaning into what they do best, they have made their best album to date.

Album #7: Charm by Clairo

Clairo never misses. On her third album, she solidifies herself yet again as one of the best indie rock singer-songwriters out there today. Charm is the quietest album on this list, setting a tone that reflects its title. That quietude doesn’t imply loneliness or grief, as it did at times on Clairo’s previous album, Sling, but rather intimacy, both between close friends and lovers. Closeness is the lens through which every song on this album can be refracted — on “Nomad” Clairo sweetly sings that she’d “rather be alone than a stranger” to her crush, and then on the very next song she croons that all she wants is to be “Sexy to Someone”, that that alone would be a reason to get out of the house.

While most of the songs here have romantic undertones, not all of them do. “Thank You” sees Clairo dismissing a friend who isn’t quite meeting the necessary Good Friend obligations, despite her making the effort to connect and open up, leading to her needing to end things with a curt “Thank you for your time.” In addition to the slower love songs, there are a number of more high-tempo tracks that are perfect to dance to, such as “Add Up My Love” which you are required to sing along to as you listen. The lo-fi, indie soft rock that has come to define Clairo is at its best here, and makes for the perfect album to listen to with your significant other.

Album #6: Chromakopia by Tyler, The Creator

I was late to the Tyler, The Creator train, after only being introduced to his music last year with the masterpiece that is IGOR. Tyler comes up with thorough metaphorical characters and, through them, convey truisms about the human experience. On IGOR this took the form of alter ego Igor navigating a love triangle revealing much about how a queer black man attempts to navigate a non-typical relationship. This time on Chromakopia, Tyler dons a mask to represent his public-facing persona, while the mask comes off for his inner thoughts. For example, Tyler prominently wears the mask on “Noid” as his paranoia makes him constantly look over his shoulder, worried about people wanting to take advantage of his fame, invade his privacy, or otherwise violate his trust. However, on “Like Him” the mask comes off, with Tyler grappling with his relationship with his estranged father, along with the betrayal of the revelation that his mother kept him out of Tyler’s life, despite him wanting to be a part of his son’s life.

Chromakopia is Tyler’s most introspective album to date— he has said that this album was largely inspired by Kendrick Lamar’s album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which was a personal therapy session for Kendrick (see my review in the best albums of 2022). And just like for Kendrick, the more introspective approach provides rich themes and songs that connect, while also offering some energetic jams in “Rah Tah Tah”, “Sticky”, and “Thought I Was Dead”. Tyler’s new approach here makes Chromakopia the best rap album of the year.

Album #5: The New Sound by Geordie Greep

What a debut! The new solo record from Geordie Greep, previously of black midi fame, came out of nowhere for me, and as the name of the album would suggest, it brought with it a sound that I’ve found difficult to describe aside from “new.” The instrumentation starts and stops on a dime, resulting in a kind of frenetic jazz that elevates the internal anxiety of Greep singing on each track.

The subject matter of the album plays with cognitive dissonance in intriguing ways — “Holy, Holy” has Greep attempting to show off to a woman at the bar, who turns out to be a prostitute, but he still prostrates himself before her, asking how much little things like trying to make the other women in the bar jealous of her would cost him. The classy persona he puts on falls apart as he fails to keep his horniness in check, and yet as he flails he still says that he wants to know what she thinks of Proust. The internal mismatch between the impression he wants to give off throughout the album and his deeper, more carnal desires permeates every song and makes for a unique take that is difficult to pull off. And yet, Greep manages the complicated lyricism in a way I find strangely addicting; these songs burrow their way into your ears, pulling you into this intricately painted world, demanding movement, empathy, and thought.

Album #4: People Who Aren’t There Anymore by Future Islands

What do you do when your long-term, long-distance relationship falls apart and you question everything around you? For Future Islands, the answer was simple: make a killer album. As Anthony Fantano put it succinctly in a TikTok, this album is just all bangers. From the dance hits like “King of Sweden” or “The Thief” to the slower, more emotional songs like “Deep In The Night” or “The Fight”, every song here contains intricate storytelling and bared hearts.

Lead singer Samuel Herring pours the internal turmoil that accompanies going through the dissolution of a years-long relationship into a variety of mood swings, attempting to come to grips with what has already occurred and what may yet come with the passage of time. The acute pain of texting your significant other “good morning” just as you’re falling asleep, accentuating just how much distance is between you, is at the center of Herring’s thoughts on “Say Goodbye”. “The Fight” focuses on the slow pace of drifting apart makes it all the more difficult when you want to put the work into a relationship to keep it going, but with each passing day, though you want to fight for it, you know that each day could be your last, and you may eventually give up the will to fight altogether.

These capsules of emotion are what makes People Who Aren’t There Anymore an album to return to, as with each listen it pierces the soul itself, demanding its pain to be heard and understood in much the same way that pain demands to be felt.

Album #3: BRAT by Charli XCX

This list would not be complete without the album that defined the year. BRAT is Charli XCX’s magnum opus, a realization of the implications of her party girl persona, the good and the bad, and how it has caught up with her over time. It’s telling that the second song on the album, “Club classics”, is all about what she wants to hear bumping when she goes to the club, whereas the second to last song, “I think about it all the time”, is about considering becoming a mother, and giving up the party life altogether. These two sides of Charli are present throughout the album, with the dichotomy between her outer party persona and her inner wants and desires playing out a constant tug of war, pulling her in one direction or the other. The intricate storytelling combined with clubby dance beats is Charli at her absolute best, and will definitely leave you “bumpin’ that” all night long.

Any discussion of this album would be incomplete without a mention of the additional three songs released after this album’s debut as part of “Brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not” or the immense remix album “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat”. Of the extra three original songs, the clear standout is “Guess” which serves as another entry in the genre of “slut-pop” from Charli. The song’s remix includes a verse from Billie Eilish that further enhances the amiability of an already fun song. But to my mind the best of the remixes is the “Girl, so confusing” remix featuring Lorde. The original song on the album details Charli’s complicated relationship with Lorde, and her anxieties with being constantly compared to her. The two artists work it out on the remix, with each confessing their inner thoughts to each other, ending in a place of mutual support and respect that makes you cheer for a happy ending.

Taken together, it’s no surprise that this album and its long list of bonus tracks transformed the cultural zeitgeist into “brat summer.” The musical craft and poignant lyricism easily make it one of the best albums of the year.

Album #2: Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee

The genre of indie folk often toes a tricky line. Much of what is considered classically country can fall into the trap of being same-y and lacking innovation. When indie folk goes wrong, it is seduced by those same country trappings, and fails to distinguish itself from the crowd. But when it goes right, the best albums can breathe new life into the genre, cut straight to the heart of America, and paint vivid pictures of a certain slice of life. On Tigers Blood, Waxahatchee nails it.

Her instrumentation on the album is varied and compelling, with a strong emphasis on guitars, bass, and drums, with the banjo acting as a background instrument, and she has taken her songwriting up a notch, taking those basics she laid out in 2020’s Saint Cloud and improving and building on them to their natural conclusion. Standout songs on the album include collaboration with MJ Lenderman “Right Back To It”, a duet that invokes rekindling an old romance with an ex-partner, “Crowbar”, a musing on communication and knowing your significant other’s intentions, and album closer “Tigers Blood”, a folk waltz reminiscing on a past relationship, about clinging to those old memories to hold on to something, anything. These songs evoke the core of the human experience, and I challenge anyone to listen through the whole album and not find a moment from your own life that isn’t reflected back at you. If you’re looking for the best of modern folk-country, this album is it.

Honorable Mention: Challengers (Original Score) by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

If you saw Challengers this year then you already know why this album has earned a spot on this list — but of course, as a soundtrack, it can’t earn an official numbered spot in the top ten. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross yet again prove themselves to be the kings of the film soundtrack, bringing intense, thumping electronics to this story of intimacy, betrayal, and ambition against the backdrop of professional tennis. Between tracks like “Yeah x10” that make Tashi seem effortlessly cool as she enters the tennis court, and “Brutalizer” emphasizing the unsaid anger between Art and Patrick that finds its voice on the court, this soundtrack is invigorating, captivating, and so full of hype. Don’t forget to also check out the Boys Noize full album remix for a club-friendly version that takes out the tennis court sounds that populate the soundtrack. This score is undoubtedly the best music made to accompany a film from this year.

Album #1: Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay

As the end of the year was nearing in September, I felt pretty sure that I knew my number one album of the year was either going to be Tigers Blood or BRAT. But in early October, my friend Will Longabaugh told me I needed to hear a new album: Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay. The band was only vaguely familiar to me. I was shocked to discover that not only is their debut a jam that had been somehow missing from my life, but their new album is far and away my best album of the year.

Imaginal Disk is a surrealist story that depicts our protagonist feeling stuck in the world, haunted by visions of strange people and creatures (including a future version of herself?), who promise a new way of life and self-esteem, if only you let them slice open your head and insert the so-called “imaginal disk” into your brain, changing your way of thinking. As she accepts this devil’s bargain, our protagonist finds out she’s in over her (literal) head. The album blends this bizarre yet compelling tale with the height of synth-pop, leading to back-to-back-to-back bangers that demand to be heard and danced to all night long.

The album has no skips front to back, but if I had to pick out highlights, the cream of the crop of the album are songs like “Image”, “Cry For Me”, and album closer “The Ballad of Matt & Mica”. “Image” serves as an alluring advertisement for the disk insertion procedure, after which you will meet your brand new image, and the pounding synths make the argument all the more convincing. “Cry For Me” comes close to the end of the album, as the mind altering villains are beaten back, crooning as they ask for forgiveness and absolution, continuing to lean on temptation as they have the whole album. “The Ballad of Matt & Mica” brings the album back to Earth by touching on bandmates Matt Lewin and Mica Tenenbaum and their move to L.A. following the success of their first album. As the quiet opening grows to an electric dance, a theme of accepting change and being okay with the extraordinary wraps everything together, while a final dissonant chord adds a final bit of mystery that makes you want to start the album all over again. Imaginal Disk is one wild ride of an album, and is well worth your time to listen to as the album of the year.

As always, I’ve added a playlist below where you can listen to all of this year’s picks in order. There were so many outstanding albums that just barely didn’t make the cut, such as the new Maggie Rogers, Jamie xx, and St. Vincent records. But enough dwelling in the past! Onwards and forwards to a new year of music releases. There’s not too much that’s been announced so far for next year, but all that means is there are sure to be some surprises, and I, for one, will welcome them with open arms.