My Favorite Albums of 2024
2024 was such an exciting year for new music! From long-time favorites to new discoveries, this list includes a little bit of everything. It's been such a fun year to be a fan of all these amazing artists and I can only imagine what 2025 will bring next. This is always one of my favorite posts to write at the end of every year, I love getting to look back on all of the artists that were the soundtrack of my year. It feels like there was a period of time from around March through July that was stacked with back-to-back new music every single week from all of the best artists out right now. It's been such a fun year to be a fan of all these amazing artists and I can only imagine what 2025 will bring next.
This list is loosely ranked, but these are the truly the best of the best from 2024. I have covered many of these albums in-depth throughout the year, so if you are interested in reading more about any of these, be sure to check out the links throughout the post & at the end.
Enjoy! ✨
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish
Listening to HIT ME HARD AND SOFT for the first time truly felt like witnessing the birth of a modern classic. I knew from the first time I heard it that it was going to be my favorite album of the year and I continue to fall more in love with it every single time I hear these songs. No matter how many times I listen to this record, I am still so blown away by it. This album as a whole is so unique, it's impossible to put it into one category or genre, which is recurring throughout all of Billie and Finneas' work. To put them in one box musically would be doing a disservice to the incredible range of influences and masterfully crafted sound they have worked to create all these years. I shared a similar sentiment in my review of Billie's debut album, but it rings even more true now. The album's title, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, perfectly depicts the contrast of hard hitting, intense emotions with soft and gentle musings. That dichotomy is a big part of what makes this music as captivating as it is.
Billie didn't release any singles for the album prior to it's release, which really was the perfect decision on her part to put it all out at once. I knew nothing going in and was so mesmerized by all of the twists and turns it took throughout. It flows so beautifully as a full body of work, the switch ups and transitions throughout make it such an intriguing first listen. A few of them sort of have hidden songs within the song, which often come at very unexpected times, but end up adding more depth to the storylines of each. I was truly so in awe from beginning to end, as a listener I never knew what was about to happen next. These ten tracks are concise and devoid of any filler. Every single song on this album really is so perfect and focused in the narrative it is crafting.
The release of HIT ME HARD AND SOFT feels like this is the moment where Billie is embracing her fully realized potential as an artist, songwriter, and vocalist. I always knew she had this in her, but Billie pushes her vocals to new heights at so many points in this album and sounds absolutely incredible. She continuously proves those who doubt her capabilities as a vocalist or try to put her in one box as an artist wrong time and time again. These ten songs feature some of her best and strongest vocal performances yet, with some of the most gorgeous songwriting of her career thus far too. Their wide range of varied influences shines through in Finneas' production, which is also among the most insanely amazing work he has ever done up to this point too. I can't even begin to express how much I love it. The album as a whole feels so immersive, like you as the listener are transported to a new world while listening to it. It is so atmospheric, haunting, and truly transcending throughout. They just keep raising the bar for themselves, I can only imagine where they are going to go from here.
BRAT by Charli xcx
The release of BRAT marks a bold new chapter in Charli xcx's career that has been incredible to witness. She has been a pop music innovator from the very start, always so ahead of her time in every regard. It feels like this is now the time everyone is finally catching up to her and recognizing the artistic genius that she is on a mainstream level. Charli is taking such a different approach to this music compared to many of her peers in the space by releasing a record that is this bold, daring, and abrasive. All of the major risks she took paid off so well, resulting in what is the greatest work she has ever released. This truly feels like the album she was born to make, coming at the perfect time to truly infiltrate the culture in a major way.
Charli presents herself with this very confident attitude, but BRAT sets off to show another side of her too. Both sides are still very much her, which she does such a great job at showcasing in this record. BRAT is so unique because it is a club record that simultaneously goes really deep in her introspection and more specifically as an analysis of the complicated female experience. She tackles the complexities of being a woman, finding love, navigating friendships, feminism, processing grief, career insecurities, and so much more on this album in a way that I have never heard presented in such a way before. All of this is framed in a very meta, post-modernist lens with some of the most insane club beats behind it. She takes the listener to really unexpected places throughout, in a way that only Charli could ever pull off.
I love that she has always had such a clear, distinct vision for what she wants her art to be. BRAT is not only a fantastic album, but also simultaneously has this incredible movement around it that is both meticulously crafted and naturally occurring in such a unique way. Charli has such an uncompromised artistic vision in her work that few could ever compare to. Everyone that has been a part of this album is truly in it for the love and appreciation of the art they create and that has been so exciting to witness. That passion most importantly shines through the entirety of BRAT.
brat and its completely different but also still brat by Charli xcx
brat and it's completely different but also still brat totally reinvented the concept of a remix album. To top off the massive year Charli xcx had following the release BRAT, she took the concept of that album and every single song and completely transformed it into something completely new. It takes the idea that every song's concept, or even just song title, can have so many different lives that can be (and should be) explored further than just the original version of it.
Each song features a different collaborator, some of which are her friends or artists she has been very vocal about being fans of, while others were completely out of left field that made unexpected entries into the brat-verse. Every single creative choice Charli and her collaborators made in the curation of these collaborations is simply on another level. Even being able to have two of the biggest artists in the world, Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish, together on the same album is insane on it's own. Some friends and frequent collaborators like A.G. Cook, The 1975, Troye Sivan, Caroline Polachek, Addison Rae, and Tinashe make appearances on this album and fit so well into the universe she created within this music. Other collaborations were more surprising to see but worked out perfectly. Her collaborations with Lorde, The Japanese House and Bon Iver are some of my favorite moments of the entire album and I never could have imagined pairing them up together. They ended up really feeling like the heart of this reimagined version of BRAT. Others are lesser known in comparison, but are artists that Charli has been very vocal about supporting for years; Yung Lean, Bladee, Bb Trickz and Shygirl. It's great to see smaller artists get a spotlight like this on such a massive album, I'm really excited to continue diving into more of their work from this point forward.
Usually a remix of a song will never be better than the original, but this totally takes the concept of a traditional remix and completely elevates the meaning. She expands upon the original album and the concepts of each song and totally reinvents each one. Many often feel like they are written from the perspective of her life post-BRAT too. While it was Charli's intention from the start to create a companion album to BRAT, regardless of if it became the massive success that it went on to be or not, which shines a light on the unwavering artistic vision she had for this era. She has always put her artistry above everything else, which really shines through in this work. She doesn't chase the trends or a quick viral moment, she makes the trends that everyone could only ever wish to pull off half as well as she does.
Radical Optimism by Dua Lipa
Radical Optimism is a testament to Dua Lipa's unwavering belief in the power of positivity amidst all of the chaos in the world. Every single song on this album is so uplifting and vibrant in the musical journey she is taking the listener through. With her third album release, Dua continues to be one of the few pop stars to be doing it as well as she is, continuously redefining the boundaries of the genre.
An aspect of this album that I think goes so underrated is the lyricism. While Dua isn't necessarily known for being overly personal or diaristic in her writing, I do think being able to write an uplifting pop album that is still this high quality, smartly written and well-produced is a skill in itself that many in her field can't compare to. Much of this album focuses on the back-and-forth battle within herself to want to find a forever love, but at the same time not being fully open to giving up a piece of her independence. She is often writing from the perspective of the heartbreaker instead of the heartbroken, which is kind of a cool and different point of view to be sharing. While there are times that I wish she would open up and be a bit more personal, there is a benefit to leaving the door open for the listener to see themselves in the music and connect it to their own experiences in life. There will always be artists putting out heavy and sad music, so it is such a refreshing change for there to be an album that is this happy, positive and genuinely fun to listen to without it sounding corny or overly commercialized for the sake of a viral moment.
She worked with an incredible team of collaborators that really elevated her artistry to new heights. They are truly among the best of the best in the genre. The primary producer and co-writer is Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, known for blending psychedelic influences with modern pop and rock sounds in such an innovative way. The essence of his musical style is incredibly influential and can be heard across so many artists' works over the past decade. This album is so uplifting and positive, it is truly the dose of sunshine we all need in the world right now. Dua Lipa is among the greatest artists in pop music right now and truly never disappoints with her new releases.
The Great Impersonator by Halsey
Does a story die with it's narrator? On The Great Impersonator, Halsey sets out on her rawest, most introspective project to date. It was made at a time when she didn't know if she would be alive to see it's release as she was facing life-threatening sickness, following her diagnosis with lupus and a rare T- cell lymphoproliferative disorder. As she went into this album thinking it could very well be the last she ever made, she wanted to reimagine what kind of artist Halsey, this persona Ashley created over a decade ago, would have been in a different timeline. What kind of artist would Halsey have been in the 1970's? The 1980's? The 1990's? What about the early 2000's? As the great impersonator herself, she looked at all of her influences and musical idols throughout the decades and made them all her own. This album left me shook to my core, it is so deeply emotional and layered with meaning, honestly I still haven't even begun to process how masterful this album is.
Short n' Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter's Short n' Sweet is a vibrant blend of sugar, spice, and everything nice! These twelve tracks are truly future pop classics. She somehow finds a way to deliver the most infectious hooks with true sincerity and raw emotion, all while also unexpectedly incorporating so many hilarious and quotable one liners. Although this is technically her sixth album, she refers to it as her "second big girl album". It is such a beautiful showcase of her continued growth and maturity as a woman and as an artist and I can't wait to see where she goes next. This album is filled with really fun and smart songwriting, with immaculate production and vocal performances throughout. It is such a great steppingstone from where she left off on emails i can't send and onward into the artist she is still becoming. Sabrina's personality shines through in every single song, making it one of the most captivating albums released this year.
For Cryin' Out Loud! by Finneas
For Cryin' Out Loud! marks the beginning of a new era for Finneas as a solo artist with this freeing and uplifting body of work. It is heartfelt, honest, and introspective - as he fully embraces a more collaborative approach than ever before. It features a blend of modern pop and alternative rock, along with classic, rich orchestral elements as well.
Stylistically it expands upon parts of his 2021 debut solo album, Optimist, but in many ways is much sharper and more focused than that that record because of the ways it was made in basically the complete opposite way than before. Optimist was created solely by Finneas - every single song was written, performed and produced completely by himself alone in his home studio during the pandemic. The ability to do all of that alone is a massively impressive feat in itself, but is now what he described to Rolling Stone as a lonely experience and not necessarily creatively fulfilling in the way he hoped it would have been looking back.
This time around, he ended up taking a different approach by forming a band with a group of his close friends at a traditional recording studio in Los Angeles. They recorded the album live in five sessions over the span of two weeks. It was a very quick process, just as he was coming off of finishing up Billie Eilish's album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, as well as producing the score for an Apple TV series. Much of this album is very loose and organic sounding, with it not necessarily trying to be as refined or meticulously produced as either of his first two releases are. "I wanted it to feel like you're having a drink, having a conversation," he told Vogue. This music also sounds more spontaneous overall too, as much of it was written and recorded live all in one day. It is also evident how much his confidence continues to grow as a solo artist with each release too.
Above all, the best part of this album is the joy that shines through in every performance from every artist involved. It is so clear just how uplifting this entire recording experience was, which is an element that radiates back to the listeners. I already considered Finneas to be one of the greatest songwriters and producers of this generation, but For Cryin' Out Loud! only further solidified that.
Charm by Clairo
Charm album is made up of simple musings that are so inherently personal and deeply relatable at the same time. Clairo has such a talent for storytelling in a way that is innately modern, yet very rooted in the pop sounds of the 1970's. Each song is so layered, with a warm and inviting atmosphere that the listener is engulfed in with each song. She and her core collaborator on this album, producer Leon Michaels, took an analog approach to the creation of Charm, bringing together a live ensemble of horns, woodwinds and synthesizers to capture the vintage sound. In an increasingly digital music landscape, I love to see her going back to basics in that way and creating something completely away from the trends. Clairo draws from a range of influences, but I particularly love the jazz elements incorporated throughout. She is one of the few artists who could pull off making an album like this, her artistic vision and soulful approach to music is so rare and something she continues to pull off so well.
Bleachers by Bleachers
Bleachers' latest self-tilted record feels like the first page in a new chapter for the band, as well as a celebration of the people that come into your life and change everything for you forever. There is such a deep and all-encompassing love that runs throughout every song on this album, which tells such a beautiful story from beginning to end. "In my past three albums, I felt very obsessed with the past and the future. I was deeply imagining things from before and things that could happen. But somewhere along the way, I just started only thinking about right now, I don't know why. So this album feels like you're sitting in a room with me right now", Jack Antonoff told Billboard Philippines. "It's definitely a new time for Bleachers because it feels like, things are really present, and that things are exciting and opening up for us."
It takes the listener on a journey of Bleachers past, present and future in such a powerful way. I view this music as a culmination of every album they've made in the past decade, while still being very current and singular in their discography. When comparing it to the first three Bleachers albums, it is quite different on the surface and much more toned-back, but is full of sentimental musings and soft, dreamy instrumentals. It is very modern, yet still very nostalgic at the same time. I really love the way it also intricately incorporates elements of all the other bands Jack has been in through his life, from Steel Train all the way through to Red Hearse, and everything in between. Certain recurring themes flow through all of the music he makes and Bleachers is as if it is a sum of all of those parts.
This is an album that I know I will be listening to years from now and still finding new bits of it that stand-out to me. The lyrical depth and the powerful story of love and new beginnings being told on this album is so important and moving. It feels like such a celebration of the past ten years of this band, while still being very forward focused on what is coming next.
Deeper Well by Kacey Musgraves
Deeper Well by Kacey Musgraves sounds like the first blossoming of spring after a long, cold winter. An aspect that shines the most within this music is her talent for sweet and simple songwriting. Every song is very rooted in nature and uses vivid imagery to paint such a stunning, honest and reflective portrait of this current phase of her life. The production is very stripped-back on most of these tracks, with the focus mainly on her vocals and lyricism. This is among her most introspective work yet, chronicling her inner-most thoughts and emotions from where she last left off in 2021 with star-crossed.
Deeper Well represents a fresh start for Kacey after a difficult period in her life. When looking back at her past two albums, 2018's Golden Hour and it's follow-up in 2021 called star-crossed, the approach to each differed quite a bit and there was a stark contrast in the mood between both of those records. Golden Hour was about an overwhelming, all-encompassing love that she thought would last forever, while star-crossed was mostly chronicling her divorce, as well as the mourning of that loss of love and not really knowing what was going to happen next. This album overall sounds like a reflection of both of those times in her life and an optimistic look into what the future holds. The title track "Deeper Well" was the first song to be released alongside the announcement of the album, which perfectly set the tone for what the rest of this record was going to be. It feels like it is meant to be a reflection of the past few years of her life, while looking back on it with more clarity now. It is very autobiographical in her approach to the lyricism. There are many call-backs to themes that were present in all of her previous work too. It feels like this was the song she tried to make for star-crossed, but just needed more time to process the emotions she was feeling.
There is something so delicate about this album, but at the same time her strength shines through in every single song when opening up about her experiences and the lessons she learned from them. It builds upon her past releases in such a perfect way, while opening up a side of her artistry that we haven't heard from her before. Kacey's simplistic approach to this album showcases her talents so beautifully.
The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology by Taylor Swift
All's fair in love and poetry....Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department is a 31 song masterpiece that is so incredibly complex in her depictions of love and loss in what is likely her most self-aware and transparent album yet. It is evident that this album was made with a different intention behind it than all of her past work. The Tortured Poets Department doesn't seem like she made it expecting it to have any massive hits or be commercially successful in the way the majority of her music has been up to this point. Most of these aren't instantly gratifying pop songs, but instead read like emotional excerpts from her diary detailing a whirlwind phase of her life. Much of this album is meant to sat with for a bit to fully understand what she is trying to convey. Folklore and Evermore remind me of The Tortured Poets Department in that way too, although these were made under different circumstances.
The original track list of the album was supposed to be only 16 songs, but just two hours after the release of the standard version, Taylor released a second part with 15 more songs titled The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology. Obviously 31 songs and just over two hours of run time is a lot to process for even the most dedicated fans, but it is so worth it for the emotional journey she takes you on throughout it. There is no way to be able to accurately process this album just from one listen alone, is it very dense and layered in the narrative she is portraying. Taylor opens up more about her life than ever before, which really is saying something because of how inherently personal every other album she has ever made is too. As a whole, The Tortured Poets Department is very existential, dramatic and vivid in its writing. Ultimately, I do think that it is probably her saddest album she's ever written too, but moments from it are also very funny and self-deprecating as well. The entire spectrum of emotions she portrays is so intense, whether she is writing about love, heartbreak, anger, depression, and everything in between. It is highly theatrical at certain points, to which she even acknowledged at one of her shows in Paris, calling The Tortured Poets section of the set "Female Rage: The Musical". It gives so much insight into Taylor's real life behind the scenes and her unfiltered feelings about topics that I never thought she would address so bluntly.
The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology is masterfully written and is crafted into such an ornate tapestry of emotions. Taylor's full artistic range is truly on display throughout this record, making it one of her most in-depth and vulnerable releases yet. The ability to create something so beautiful out of a difficult time in her life is such an incredible talent to have and a true testament to the healing powers of writing. The tragic love story that she presents is so complex and intense, but also is a testament to Taylor's strength and creative vision.
eternal sunshine by Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande's eternal sunshine is in part a concept album based on the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, as well as an insight into the place Ariana is currently at in her life. Sonically it is very pop and R&B inspired, with an emphasis on having a 90's and early 2000's throwback feel. It is also among some of her strongest and most consistent bodies of work yet. The film that the album's title and many of the songs loosely reference is about a couple who agrees to undergo a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever, following a bad breakup. For Ariana, this album represents a final lamentation on her ex-husband and their divorce, as well as looking optimistically into the future with her new relationship. She uses the plotline of that film to portray the downfall of their marriage and how she overcame the heartache that came with her divorce, singing "you're just my eternal sunshine" to her ex-husband on the album's title track.
eternal sunshine shines a light on all that Ariana has been going through in her life from where her last album left off. After taking a four-year hiatus from releasing music, she came back with such a refreshed, clear intent behind this record. It is a reminder that you can bring yourself out of a dark place and still be able to find the light within yourself to move onward and create something beautiful from that experience.
Wicked: The Soundtrack
After many years of waiting, the Wicked film adaptation is finally here and it is everything I ever hoped it would be and more! It was truly the most amazing and magical film, I loved every single second of it. The entire cast was incredible and perfectly cast in their parts, but Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were truly born to play these roles. They both manage to find a way to pay homage to all of the Elphaba's and Glinda's that came before them, while still being able to carve out their own spaces in Oz history. Ari and Cynthia are truly two of the greatest living vocalists, they sounded absolutely amazing and harmonized beautifully together. Their performances are mesmerizing and the strong bond they so clearly share on-screen and off elevates it to another level. Their characters are so layered, both as individuals and in their friendship with each other.
Everything from the choreography, to the stage design, to the costume design, to the cute Wizard of Oz Easter eggs - not one detail was overlooked in making this such an immersive experience. It took a very long time for a film adaptation to come to finally fruition and it was so worth the wait. I love that the two parts of the film are able to go even deeper into the story and all of the lore, as well as see the character dynamics explored further than ever before. There were no limitations when making this film and I'm so happy they took advantage of every opportunity they had in that regard. It is truly such a masterpiece with not a single dull moment. I cannot wait to see the second part in 2025, it honestly can't come soon enough!
boy by Luke Hemmings
All Born Screaming by St Vincent
I am always so blown away by all of the music St. Vincent makes, she is such an incredible visionary. All Born Screaming was her first album to be solely produced by her alone, which is an exciting new development for her artistry. I love all of the varied influences she drew from with each song and the narrative being told throughout. She is such a rockstar, one that continually redefines the genre with each release.
GNX by Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar had a massive year with the release of his latest surprise album GNX as well as the several legendary diss tracks he put out earlier this year too. I was so blown away by every single song. He is such a captivating storyteller and incredible lyricist, plus the production on this entire record is so insane.
What's Wrong With New York? by The Dare
The Dare is one of my favorite new artists that I discovered this year, following the iconic "Guess" by Charli xcx and the remix featuring Billie Eilish soon after. His debut album is very much rooted in the New York club scene of the early 2000s, but with a modern electronic twist on it. His energy is so infectious! He is one of the most exciting new producers and I am really looking forward to hearing more from him in the future!
Memoir of a Sparklemuffin by Suki Waterhouse
The New Look Soundtrack
The soundtrack of the Apple TV+ series called The New Look is made up of modern reimaginations of popular songs from the early and mid-20th century. The show portrays Christian Dior and Coco Chanel in Paris creating their competing fashion lines and navigating World War II. The entire soundtrack was produced by Jack Antonoff, which also marks his first release under his new label, Shadow of the City. I of course love all of the music he works on and it's so cool to hear some of my favorite artists covering each song. I love the way they put a modern twist on each of the classic songs.
A Stranger Desired by Bleachers
The Secret of Us by Gracie Abrams
I love to see the way Gracie Abrams has evolved and shaped her sound with each album release. Before this year, I never listened to her music before, but The Secret of Us was a really captivating album that I have grown to love over the past few months. I love how she blends together elements of all the great female singer-songwriters of the past decade - Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lorde, to name a few. She worked on the majority of the record with Aaron Dessner, who is one of my favorite producers ever and I love to hear his influence shine through. So many of these songs are endlessly catchy, with several raw and emotive vocal performances.
Compiling the list of my favorite albums of the year is always my favorite post to write at the end of every year. It's hard to believe that this is already the eighth consecutive year of sharing my annual favorites! I love looking back at those posts to remind myself of the music I was listening to at that time in my life and all of the ways my taste has changed and evolved - but also how so much of it is still the same. In 2017 when I first started my blog, which was mostly only about makeup at the time, my list of favorite albums of the year was the very first music review I ever wrote. Although I didn't end up shifting my content to being exclusively about music until a few years later, it really did spark my love for music journalism in a really special way. I'm very grateful to have had this blog as a creative outlet throughout that time.
This is my last post of the year, so I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has supported my writing this year. I have written so much new music content that I am so proud of and am very grateful for anyone who takes the time to read it. This year I wrote more than I ever have and was also able to reach more people than ever before on my blog. This is only just the beginning, I have so much great content planned for the coming months and I hope to see you back soon!
All of these artists and many more are featured in my favorite songs of 2024 list as well, which I would love for you to check out! Some of my favorite posts of the year are linked below too, if you're interested in reading more.
Wishing you all the best in 2025 and beyond! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season! ✨
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