The most underrated albums of 2024 (so far)

Music in 2024 has been dominated predominantly by the ‘powerpop girls’ – Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Charli xcx, with studio albums Short n’ Sweet, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and Brat respectively. The dominance of these artists, while well deserved, has eclipsed the release of many other compelling and creative albums by smaller artists. So, allow me to shine light upon these albums.

Magdalena Bay: Imaginal Disk
Best known for their 2019 single, ‘Killshot’, which blew up in popularity in 2021 with the release of ‘Killshot (Slowed + Reverb)’, Magdalena Bay has graced us with more synth-pop straight from the simulation. Imaginal Disk, as a continuation of their artistic direction with ‘Mercurial World’, is complete with infectious melodies and otherworldly progressions, alongside a heightened exploration of textures and emotional range.

The 15-track studio album, released in August, has received universal acclaim from critics securing an 85/100 on Metacritic, outscoring both Carpenter and Taylor Swift’s 2024 albums. However, in comparison with critical reception, it has unfortunately low streams and has charted poorly – peaking at 33 on the UK Album Downloads Chart.

The album followed the release of 4 singles which featured on the album as tracks 4, 5, 9, and 12. Two singles, ‘Image’ and ‘Death & Romance’, are standouts within the album alongside an additional track, ‘Fear, Sex’, which featured as an outro in the ‘Death & Romance’ music video. The album and track listing have been crafted with such intention to elevate the experience of the album, with psychedelic and dreamy transitions that connect the tracks. The funky basslines, increased use of drums, grittier vocals, and incorporation of synthesizers have resulted in an evolved Magdalena Bay, and an undeniably stronger album and experience than their prior works. I highly recommend not only listening to the album but also engage in the album visuals and music videos to truly experience Magdalena Bay.

Esha Tewari: i can and better off (EPs)
If you are lucky, you may have heard ‘beautiful boy’ which features on Tewari’s ‘i can’ EP; however, it is likely that you haven’t heard of this artist before. Tewari is an indie singer/songwriter who debuted this year taking inspiration from artists Jeff Buckley, beabadoobee, and Adrienne Lenker. If you like any of those artists, her two EPs this year will undeniably appeal to you.

The production is incredibly raw – reminiscent of beabadoobee’s bedroom sessions – with the rough guitar in ‘beautiful boy’ heavily contrasting with softer vocals creating a feeling of vulnerability. The progression within the track ‘i can’ aligns with the lyrics theme of betrayal and change as the soft guitar grows louder, more intense, and almost overwhelming, making it easily the strongest track in the EP. As for the ‘better off’ EP, also released this year, ‘bad decision!’ has an incredibly endearing intro. However, the intelligent lyricism within ‘train song’ with creative wordplay and emotive metaphors makes it, arguably, one of the greatest songs of the year. The evolving tone of ‘train song’ alters the meaning of the repeated lyric ‘Am I supposed to beg you to stay?’ growing from a place of insecurity and confusion to a place of anger and defiance. Tewari has grown quite rapidly in popularity, considering their debut being this year, however, these EPs remain underrated and deserve your attention.

Tinashe: Quantum Baby
While undeniably the most famous artist mentioned, Tinashe’s recent album Quantum Baby has failed to do numbers and receive nominations. Tinashe is well known for ‘2 On (feat. ScHoolboy Q)’ appearing on her debut album and in 2024, ‘Nasty’ which peaked at No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has received almost 140 million streams on Spotify. However, her 8-track studio album has failed to rally the same amount of hype and support as ‘Nasty’, with 5 of the tracks currently sitting under 1 million streams on Spotify.

Quantum Baby encapsulates the boundless range of Tinashe, a seasoned artist with 10 years in the game, within 8 tracks. There’s an attention to detail laced within the production of every track which accentuates the vocal talents of Tinashe. Contrasting with ‘Nasty’ as a high-energy sexual pop song with catchy hooks, the album is dominated by more low-key and lustful R&B. This genre lends itself to Tinashe, or rather Tinashe bends and melds the genre to thrive and demonstrate her strengths. The best song on the album is undeniably ‘Red Flags’, albeit the least streamed on Spotify, with an addictive instrumental which pairs with Tinashe’s vocal tone so beautifully. The main complaint I have about this album is the short length – with the experience ending after only 22 minutes. Irrespective of this, I highly recommend this album – notably for those who enjoy R&B.

Honourable Mentions
Wisp, a shoegaze artist from San Francisco, released her first EP, Pandora, which features her popular debut track ‘My Face’. Following All Points East, in which she performed live on the North Stage, this album quickly went triple platinum in my bedroom with tracks ‘Enough for you’ and ‘See you soon’ being the most played.

Softcult, a shoegaze duo, released their fourth EP Heaven, which dominated my library during May, with tracks ‘Spiraling Out’ and ‘Shortest Fuse’ containing dreamy, ethereal vocals with grungy guitar-dominated instrumentals.

I discovered Katherine Li in 2023 with the release of ‘Isn’t it Obvious’ – which now features on with her debut album love, k. She described the tracks on her Instagram as “a collection of love letters”, with a polished bedroom pop aesthetic and sound.

Alternatively, for a softer adaptation of bedroom pop, Regina Song has also released her debut album ‘fangirl’, which she describes as “falling in love from afar”, with exhilarating highs and soul-crushing lows. The track ‘the cutest pair’ is pulling ahead as a fan favourite.

If synth-pop is more of your vibe, april june released an EP titled ‘baby’s out of luck again’. The album is filled with heartfelt storytelling that defines june’s artistry, with the track ‘pretty like a rockstar’ being a personal favourite.

Finally, a further debut album stands out – Cxloe’s ‘Shiny New Thing’. Cxloe sonically leans towards electropop and dark pop, which hinges upon addictive choruses and memorable hooks. Some tracks, such as ‘No Service’, are somewhat like PinkPantheress, whereas others – ‘Cheating On Myself’ – leans towards Griff’s sound. The strongest song on the album is ‘Gaslight’ which combines these influences into a more unique style and distinct sound.