The best albums of 2024 (so far)

Now fully into its latter half, 2024 has proven to be an undeniably incredible year for music, with massive releases spanning genres from Beyoncé to Pearl Jam. As eyes begin to nervously glance towards the coveted ‘Album of the Year’ title, I’ve compiled a list of the quintessential albums of 2024 thus far, and some serious contenders for the best album of the year.

Vampire Weekend: Only God Was Above Us

This beautifully melodic fifth album from indie rock staple Vampire Weekend delivers the quirky, pointedly New York vibe that is characteristic of the band’s best work.  Boldly opening with “F*** the world” in the excellent track ‘Ice Cream Piano’, the band makes clear that this will be some of their most cynical work yet, featuring intensely cultural and self-referential lyrics that make the whole album feel incredibly timely – this could not be released in any year but 2024. The swelling instrumentals on almost every track result in an album that feels wholly elegant, with Only God Was Above Us blanketing you with a feeling of ease even in its livelier moments. One such moment includes ‘Classical’, a faster-paced song that harks back melodically to some of the band’s earlier and immensely successful work, namely 2008’s ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’. Ultimately, this album delivers some of the band’s strongest work and some quintessential tracks for any noisy indie rock enthusiast.

Sleater-Kinney: Little Rope

Written in the grips of grief for band member Carrie Brownstein, who lost her mother and stepfather in late 2022, Sleater-Kinney’s complex eleventh album is undeniably some of their most personal and hard-hitting work. Little Rope is littered with poignantly vulnerable tracks, notably the self-doubt, loss-driven anthem ‘Say it Like You Mean It’ – a song with impassioned vocals and haunting yet lively guitar that acts as a mark of quality for the entire album. In another highlight, ‘Hunt You Down’, the duo are unafraid to confront loss head-on, speaking directly to feelings of depression atop a sonically vibrant track featuring the excellent guitar riffs characteristic of the group. In this release, Sleater-Kinney present a strikingly raw and honest album, with experimentation atop their established punk sound resulting in a moody yet electrifying track list.

Adrianne Lenker: bright future

In her sixth solo studio album, Big Thief singer, Adrianne Lenker, produces her strongest and most cohesive record to date, releasing a wonderfully unique no-filter folk album. bright future was recorded entirely on analogue tape, with the benefits of this decision most clear in ‘fool’, a track with beautiful vocals that sound as if they were spontaneously sung around a campfire. This sense of intuitiveness to Lenker’s work continues throughout the album, with gorgeous production and folky instrumentals that encapsulate her uniquely atmospheric aesthetic and sound. The more energetic ‘vampire empire’ showcases Lenker’s unbelievable capacity for heartbreaking lyricism, with the mild franticness of her vocals resulting in a song that evokes simultaneous feelings of longing and scornfulness. This is an emotive release you’ll want to listen to wallowing in bed as the rain pours.

Cupcakke: Dauntless Manifesto

In Dauntless Manifesto, Cupcakke proves she is no joke, producing an incredibly diverse record that is undeniably her strongest release to date, with tracks spanning from Brazilian funk to emotive melodic anthems.  Each song features the quintessentially charismatic and unapologetically raunchy lyrics that Cupcakke is famous for, but she draws a firm line in this album between the witty and comical, with the quality of her self-managed production and lyricism giving listeners no choice but to take her seriously. In terms of sexual empowerment, Cupcakke is at the top of her league, with the energetic guitar track ‘Water Balloon’ in particular primed to become an essential on any party playlist. In the raunchiest rap record of the year, Cupcakke demonstrates her versatility as an artist, resulting in a maximalist album that is gloriously diverse and clever.

Kaytranada: Timeless

In his third solo studio album, Kaytranada produces a fun, precisely structured record with the strongest collaborations of the year, featuring artists such as PinkPantheress and Childish Gambino on the most upbeat entry on this list. Kaytranada is not wasteful with any features on Timeless, letting the artists flourish within their unique niches, from Anderson.Paak’s smooth, charismatic vocals on ‘Do 2 Me’, to the unwaveringly amazing and characteristically Thundercat bassline on ‘Wasted Words’.  Timeless blends R&B and dance tracks with a lo-fi, more psychedelic vibe that makes it perfect for a party but equally great for casual listening in your room. Kaytranada’s unique, vibrant sound, and relentlessly iconic features make it impossible to be bored when listening to this album.

Charli XCX: brat

With her sixth studio album, Charli XCX unabashedly proves that being experimental pays off, releasing her strongest and most nuanced album to date. brat masterfully blends tracks inspired by the UK rave scene, notably the aptly named ‘Club Classics’, with strikingly vulnerable tracks that directly confront XCX’s struggles with self-consciousness, jealousy, and grief. Whilst brat has moments that essentially force you to dance, with XCX’s self-referential and unashamedly confident party girl persona shining through in tracks like ‘365’, it also produces brutally emotive anthems such as ‘So I’, a stunning tribute to the pioneering producer SOPHIE. brat is a heavy, gloriously candid album that is unafraid to confront the music industry, the impossible world of female relationships, love, and loss through some of the catchiest singles of the year.