Getty Image/Merle Cooper
With the sudden, surprise release of GNX, Kendrick Lamar sent music editors and writers across the internet scrambling to revise their year-end lists of 2024’s best albums and decide where Kendrick’s latest ranks ahead of publication. (Uproxx didn’t have that problem, since our list is unranked and presented in alphabetical order.)
GNX isn’t just going to unanimously run away with the Album Of The Year title, though, as this year was full of exemplary releases, whether they were from fellow rappers building their own legacies, new faces shaping the pop landscape in their images, or indie acts keeping rock and related genres alive.
Spoiler: GNX did indeed find its way onto our list. As for what else made the cut this year, find Uproxx’s list of the best albums of 2024 below.
1010Benja — Ten Total
1010Benja
The Tulsa-bred, Kansas City-based 1010Benja released one of the most exciting debuts of the year with Ten Total. It’s an eclectic showcase of 1010’s varied talents, such as the braggadocio triplet raps on “Peacekeeper” to the gospel vocal runs on “Twin.” From the ad-lib-heavy opening track “Looking Out” to the ballad-turned-glitchfest closer “Voudoun,” Ten Total is nothing but straight tens across the board. — Grant Sharples
21 Savage — American Dream
Slaughter Gang/Epic
21 Savage’s first solo album in over three years arrived at the top of the year to end a brief run of collaborative albums that included Savage Mode II with Metro Boomin and Her Loss with Drake. American Dream, his third solo album, presents all the sides of 21 Savage that we’ve come to love over the years. His menacing demeanor lives on tracks like “Redrum” and “Dangerous” and his charm is captured on “Prove It” and “Should’ve Wore A Bonnet” while honesty prevails with “Just Like Me” and “Dark Days.” 21 Savage’s long-awaited solo return checks all the expected boxes and elevates the rapper to a higher status, making an American Dream turn global and reach his birthplace of London where he performed for the first time at the end of 2023. — Wongo Okon
Adrianne Lenker — Bright Future
4AD
In 20 years we’re all going to look back at Adrianne Lenker’s songwriting run in the late 2010s and early 2020s as one of the great creative outbursts of this era. Lenker writes so many songs — and so many great songs — that she’s had to work outside of her otherwise prolific band Big Thief to accommodate them all. Bright Future is an undeniably impressive achievement by an artist who is increasingly willing to work without a net (or much refinement, for better or worse). There are some fantastic tunes here (“No Machine,” “Already Lost”) as well as plenty of fascinating experiments. — Steven Hyden
Ariana Grande — Eternal Sunshine
Republic Records
Ariana Grande internalized Glinda The Good Witch to concoct Eternal Sunshine, which could accurately be called Eternal Dopamine. Grande cleverly captures a complicated relationship arc (or two) — alluding to her recent divorce and new love without exploiting either. Eternal is bookended by Grande’s uncertainty (“How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?”) and Grande’s beloved Nonna’s wisdom (“Never go to bed without kissing goodnight”). The Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” and its video recreating Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind solidify that Grande (and Max Martin) executed a magical concept album. — Megan Armstrong
Ayra Star — The Year I Turned 21
Ayra Star
The Year I Turned 21 is Ayra Starr’s coming-of-age album, but not in the way you might assume. Although the “Commas” singer’s youth plays a core role throughout the body of work, there’s another statement being made. On The Year I Turned 21, Starr sets terms for the global popularity thrust onto her. Starr proudly accepts the fan base she amassed in Afrobeats, but she won’t be confined to one genre. If she is going to take up the international superstar mantle, Ayra has conditions that include reaching across the diasporic music aisle (R&B, pop, alté, reggaeton, and dancehall). The Year I Turned 21 is Starr taking control of her narrative — a move she’ll later appreciate when she accepts her lifetime achievement award. — Flisadam Pointer
Being Dead — Eels
Being Dead
This rambunctiously fun Austin band became a critical favorite with 2023’s When Horses Would Run, which established them as lovably kooky purveyors of surf-inflected pop-punk. They quickly followed that record with EELS, which doesn’t reinvent the wheel so much as deepen the palette without sacrificing the goofy thrills. — S.H.
Beyoncé — Cowboy Carter
Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records
Cowboy Carter became Beyoncé’s eighth No. 1 album and produced 23 Billboard Hot 100 charters — including “Texas Hold ‘Em,” “II Most Wanted” with Miley Cyrus, and “Jolene” in the top 10. More significantly, Cowboy Carter serves as Beyoncé’s magnificent declaration that she should never have been the first-ever Black woman to lead Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart. The 27-track masterpiece is an ode to Black artists excluded from a genre built on their backs, like Linda Martell, and an invitation for young Black country artists (Brittney Spencer, Shaboozey, Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy) to join her in standing boldly — unshakably — in their artistry. — M.A.
BigXThaPlug — Take Care
BigXThaPlug
This independent force from Dallas has a distinguishable voice and here, he vividly details his journey to become one of hip-hop’s most promising newcomers. — Elliott Wilson
Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard And Soft
Billie Eilish Hit Me Hard And Soft
Hit Me Hard And Soft feels like Billie Eilish’s awakening from a five-year-long slog since debuting with When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. With mature clarity, she needed just 10 songs. And maybe the highest compliment to Eilish and Finneas’ artistic genius? Depth wasn’t sacrificed for brevity. Yeah, all 10 charted on the Billboard Hot 100, led by the control-hungry, lustful “Lunch” at No. 5. But the album’s brilliance is best illustrated by “Blue,” a career-long-gestating song that cleverly references every Hit Me track to close out a cohesive statement of an album in a time defined by excessive hodgepodge. — M.A.
Blood Incantation — Absolute Everywhere
Blood Incantation
The cover of Blood Incantation’s Absolute Elsewhere shows a pair of fire-red pyramids on a planet that’s similar to ours, but with more open pits to hell. It’s as familiar yet transportive as the music itself: tried-and-true riffs, expressed in otherworldly new ways. It’s a little bit zoned-out prog, a little bit blood-curdling death metal, and a complete classic. — Josh Kurp
Bossman Dlow — Mr. Beat The Road
Bossman Dlow
After terrorizing TikTok with a few soothing singles, Bossman takes his hustler music to new heights. All bets on more success for Big Za. — E.W.
Brittany Howard — What Now
Brittany Howard
It has almost been a decade since the last Alabama Shakes album, Sound & Color. Although the band has since gone on hiatus, leader Brittany Howard has stayed active. What Now, her sophomore solo album, abounds with Howard’s charismatic flair, powerhouse vocals, and signature magnetism. It’s a stirring mix of blues, funk, soul, and house, each instrument popping in the mix thanks to Shawn Everett’s savvy production. Even if the Shakes don’t get back together for a while, What Now is proof that Howard is making some of the most vital music of her career. — G.S.
Bryson Tiller — Bryson Tiller
Bryson Tiller
Bryson Tiller told Complex that his self-titled album would “probably be my last one for a minute.” Enduring another Tiller hiatus? Bummer. But Bryson Tiller‘s entrancing 19 songs eased the melancholy — reinforcing Tiller as a reliable rap/R&B reservoir. “Whatever She Wants” led the charge — peaking at No. 5 and No. 19 on Billboard‘s Hot Rap Songs and Hot 100, respectively. Save for excellent Clara La San (“Random Access Memory [RAM]”) and Victoria Monét (“Persuasion”) features, Tiller allows fans precious alone time with his perspective. “Hope you don’t get bored with me over time,” he sings on the ballad “Undertow.” We won’t. — M.A.
Cash Cobain — Play Cash Cobain
Cash Cobain
This charismatic producer/rapper proudly reps the Big Apple and makes drill music sexy. Cash is a true player, for real: Be careful playing this one around your lady friend. — E.W.
Charli XCX — Brat
Charli XCX
It’s not like Charli XCX wasn’t famous before Brat. She was behind three top-10 singles (and Pop 2 is a classic to those in the know). But it did feel like she was always on the outside looking in at the other pop girlies racking up tens of millions of plays. Then came Brat, the album that made her word-of-the-year, taking-over-Times-Square, SNL-host-and-musical-guest famous. It’s one club classic after another. — J.K.
Chief Keef — Almighty So 2
Chief Keef
There’s no denying Chief Keef’s impact on modern-day hip-hop. All of what exists today, for better or for worse, would be different or absent without Chief Keef. At 28 years old, he’s a rap veteran when many at that age are just a few years into their careers, and many who checked into the game at 17 years old, like Keef did, fizzled out shortly after they could legally drink. So Keef’s continued relevance for more than a decade is impressive, as is his fifth album, Almighty So 2. Originally announced back in 2019, the album’s arrival five years later is a great gift to fans. What makes it better are splashy features from Tierra Whack, Sexyy Red, Quavo, and others, as well as sharp bass-rattling production supplied by Keef himself. — W.O.
Chow Lee — Sex Drive
Chow Lee
Hip-hop’s sexy drill sub-genre exploded to the masses in 2024 and showed itself in the best ways, through singles from artists as big as Don Toliver to smaller ones like Cash Cobain, R2R Moe, and Vontee The Singer. However, when it comes to albums, no one made better use of it than Chow Lee. His latest project, cleverly titled Sex Drive, is where this best example of sexy drill on a project lives. Here, Chow Lee is nothing short of wild, audacious, out of control, and the horniest rapper alive. It’s these things that make Sex Drive the same fun and carefree experience that a night at the club with friends provides. The assertive “Practice!” and the slick-talking “Ms. Beautiful V!” were fan favorites for this reason; Chow Lee knows how to have a good time and it’s entertaining to watch. — W.O.
Clairo — Charm
Courtesy Of Clairo &
Charm was partially recorded in a studio in upstate New York, a part of the country known for its crisp climate. But, there’s nothing chilly about Clairo’s third album (and her first to be nominated for a Grammy). Charm is a collection of warm, soulful soft-rock tunes that sound like a crackling fireplace feels. “I feel weirdly more confident than I [ever] have,” Clairo said about the album. It shows. — J.K.
Common & Pete Rock — The Auditorium, Vol. 1
Common & Pete Rock
Throughout the years, it’s been a precept of hip-hop fandom that one MC and one producer is the perfect formula for rap perfection. Recently, both long-established veterans and relative neophytes have taken to this long-held tradition with gusto, leading, for the most part, to stunning results. Pete Rock and Common are the latest pair to give it a go, and The Auditorium is a beyond solid example of the form, proving the rule. — Aaron Williams
Conan Gray — Found Heaven
Republic Records
Pulling inspiration from the ’80s isn’t novel, but what’s less common is for a mainstream pop artist to lean into it as heavily as Conan Gray does on Found Heaven. What’s even rarer in that subset is for it to actually be done well. Gray expertly captures the synth-forward sounds of the era but the songwriting is there, too; “Never Ending Song” would be expertly crafted and catchy even without its throwback aesthetic. Found Heaven could have easily been a shallow and gimmicky release in lesser hands, but Gray has tapped into something compelling here. — Derrick Rossignol
The Cure — Songs Of A Lost World
The Cure
“I didn’t have [BLANK] on my [YEAR] bingo card” is one of the most overplayed turns of phrase. But it works with Songs Of A Lost World since I’m playing it a lot: I didn’t have The Cure releasing one of the best albums of the year, and one of the best albums of the band’s lengthy career, on my 2024 bingo card. The sixteen-year wait was worth it to make something so emotionally elegant. — J.K.
Denzel Curry — King Of The Mischievous South Vol. 2
Denzel Curry
2024 has been the year of rap music getting back to its roots — both sonically and culturally. While much of the mainstream’s attention has been focused on the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, Denzel Curry’s new album, which was re-released in its final version in November after a mixtape beta in in July, disregarded all that kerfuffle, offering a murky, unapologetic alternative — much like the ’90s Southern underground that inspired it. — A.W.
DIIV — Frog In Boiling Water
Fantasy Records
DIIV’s excellent fourth LP melds the band’s cavernous, widescreen guitar atmospherics with lyrics that ponder a world in a permanent state of decline. But while the words are frequently downbeat, they are paired with the most flat-out beautiful music of DIIV’s career. (The band is also funnier than they get credit for, as evidenced by the Fred Durst-starring SNL parody in the “Brown Paper Bag” music video.) After the more muscular and aggressive Deceiver, Frog In Boiling Water marks a return to the gauzy tranquility of their droned-out 2012 debut Oshin, which established DIIV as one of the finest bands to be associated with shoegaze in the 2010s. — S.H.
Doechii — Alligator Bites Never Heal
Doechii
There are many conversations surrounding women in rap, specifically regarding their chosen subject matter. Well, Doechii heard comments about “p*ssy rap” and decided to show her ass, both literally and figuratively. With her TDE debut mixtape, Alligator Bites Don’t Heal, Doechii proves she can not be pigeonholed, and the Best New Artist Grammy nomination was well-deserved. Alligator Bites Don’t Heal amalgamates Doechii’s artistic fine-tuning. Doechii is a rapper’s rapper (“Nissan Altima”), a charismatic storyteller (“Boom Bap“), and kryptonite for any dance floor. — F.P.
Earthgang — Perfect Fantasy
Earthgang
With the ever-consistent Earthgang, you know what you’re getting: Well-thought-out lyrics over engaging instrumentals, which are usually at least vaguely psychedelic. They also don’t lean on collaborators to carry a song, but they do make great use of them, and all that remains true on Perfect Fantasy, whether it’s with a Damon Albarn hook on album opener “Godly” or getting a chilled-out Snoop Dogg verse on the soulful closing track “Perfect Fantasy.” — D.R.
Ekko Astral — Pink Balloons
Ekko Astral
Washington DC is one of punk’s storied epicenters, and Ekko Astral have put their own spin on it. The progenitors of the self-coined “mascara mosh pit” combine noise, art rock, and garage-punk on their debut album, Pink Balloons. Across its 11 tracks, singer (and climate reporter) Jael Holzman’s delivery goes from unbothered snark toward flippant consumerism on “On Brand” to seething vitriol toward stalkers on “Head Empty Blues.” Like Holzman’s reporting and her band’s music show, the world can be a sh*tty place. So, you may as well apply some mascara, get in the mosh pit, and let your feelings out. — G.S.
Father John Misty — Mahashmashana
Sub Pop
Unlike its predecessor, the perversely brilliant Chloë And The Next 20th Century, this is a very easy Father John Misty record to like, as it restores many of the things that are great about earlier Father John Misty records. These qualities include wit, insight, grandiosity, melody, beauty, a willingness to be viewed as pretentious in service of forwarding big ideas, impeccable beard care, and so on. — S.H.
Faye Webster — Underdressed At The Symphony
Secretly Canadian
Faye Webster has long been a master of doing her own thing. Just look at her new album, Underdressed At The Symphony: It opens with the near-7-minute “Thinking About You,” not long after that goes into a Lil Yachty collaboration, and has a song titled “eBay Purchase History.” Whatever playbook she’s following is a good one, as Webster has carved out an idiosyncratic but accessible lane over the past handful of years that now sounds anything but underdressed. — D.R.
Flo Milli — Fine Ho, Stay
Flo Milli
In a year of utterly stellar releases from women in rap, Flo Milli’s trilogy-capping Fine Ho, Stay was both criminally underrated and unexpectedly overlooked. It’d be a mistake to end the year with acknowledging the Alabama native’s steady improvement since 2018, which reaches its latest peak here. The obvious hit is the remix of TikTok-favorite single “Never Lose Me,” which became Milli’s first single to chart on the Hot 100, but she comes out of the gate firing on all cylinders and her energy never wanes. — A.W.
Fontaines DC — Romance
XL Recordings
After spending the last half-decade as rockstars in their native Ireland, Fontaines DC are starting to make some deserved headway among American audiences: They’ve been critical favorites this whole time, but Romance landed the group on the Billboard 200 chart for the first time. Their new singles have done well, too, as the trippy “Starburster” and the jangly “Favourite” got the band their first US rock chart placements. Finally, the tangibles are catching up with what the eye test (and Elton John) has always said: Fontaines DC are top-tier, no matter where you are. — D.R.
Future & Metro Boomin — We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You
Future X Metro Boomin
In 2017, Future did something no other artist had ever done before: He released Future (a trap-heavy, bass-knocking rap album) and Hndrxx (a softer, more confessional, and R&B-inspired effort) in consecutive weeks, becoming the first artist to release a pair of Billboard 200 chart-topping albums in the same week. Fast-forward seven years, and Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You are modeled the same way, respectively. Future’s ability to channel both sides of his artistry and deliver the very best of them multiple times in his career is a feat accomplished by few and dreamed of by many. But for now, we can remember these albums as two of music’s best releases in 2024 and one being the catalyst for hip-hop’s biggest war in decades. — W.O.
GloRilla — Glorious
CMG/Interscope
The female MC party was crowded, but a young lady from Memphis demanded her space. Glo makes anthems that the fellas can’t front on. Turnt up time. — E.W.
Gunna — One Of Wun
Gunna
The current era of Gunna’s career is one nobody could have predicted five years ago. Once-guaranteed collaborations with Young Thug, Future, Lil Baby, and others are now a thing of yesterday. Today, as Gunna’s fifth album One Of Wun displays, the Atlanta rapper makes the most of his inner circle as the variety and availability of past resources have run dry. One Of Wun is as flashy, slick, and smooth as we’ve known Gunna to be. It’s confirmation that he can present that persona when he pleases. “On One Tonight” is one of Gunna’s best outputs in years while “Hakuna Matata” glides with ease and hits corners with impressive finesse. “Today I Did Good” is a surprisingly bright track that showcases the change in Gunna’s life. One Of Wun escapes the dark of yesterday and runs toward the light at the end of the tunnel, which remains bright for Gunna. — W.O.
Hovvdy — Hovvdy
Arts & Crafts
Austin duo Hovvdy have never followed the rules. On their self-titled fifth album, Charlie Martin and Will Taylor deliver on the classic Hovvdy sounds — glimmering percussion loops and breezy synths — but songs like “Bubba” and “Make Ya Proud” feature the guys tapping into heavier emotions. Though 19 tracks may be a lot for an indie-pop record in 2024, the stories of Hovvdy are ones worth hearing, with the friendship between Martin and Taylor being the through line connecting them all. — Alex Gonzalez
J.U.S / Squadda B — 3rd Shift
J.U.S / Squadda B
J.U.S, as a member of Bruiser Brigade, proudly represents Detroit’s rap scene as one of the collective’s main producers and engineers. On 3rd Shift, however, J.U.S gets behind the mic himself. Aided by Oakland beatmaker Squadda B, this joint mixtape is a showcase for thriving regionalism and how those local enclaves expand beyond their hubs and, as Detroit and the Bay Area do on 3rd Shift, fuse together. — G.S.
Jack White — Noname
Jack White
It’s Jack White in a room with his crackerjack band, playing extremely loud, on a collection of riff-y rock songs that sound like they were written five minutes before they were recorded. It’s raw, it’s direct, and — this is a compliment — it’s not all that thought out. But the adjective that most applies hasn’t appeared in a Jack White album review since possibly the mid-aughts: Great. No Name is actually pretty damn great. — S.H.
Jamie xx — In Waves
Jamie xx
Are we ever getting a new album from The xx? It remains to be seen when the group will follow 2017’s I See You, but in the meantime, the trio’s members have kept busy with their solo affairs. Jamie xx was this year’s headliner, himself ending a long hiatus with In Waves, his first solo album since 2015. It was worth the wait, though, for bangers like “All You Children” (a collab with The Avalanches) and “Waited All Night” (a pseudo-The xx song featuring Romy and Oliver Sim). — D.R.
Jessica Pratt — Here In The Pitch
Nina Gofur
“Timeless” is the adjective most often applied to Jessica Pratt’s music, but it’s not really accurate. Like all of Pratt’s records, Here In The Pitch is very much rooted in a specific era, which is the opposite of “timeless.” A better descriptor of her sound is “dated but in a good way.” On Pitch, understated orchestrations commingle with featherlight bossa-nova rhythms and Pratt’s own expressive croon, which hints at a well of emotion held in check by a stoic, enigmatic chilliness. It is the best album of 1966 released in 2024. — S.H.
Justice — Hyperdrama
Thomas Jumin
Through light and darkness, Justice has created heaven for dance fans. Hyperdrama — the French dance duo’s first album in seven years — signals a gorgeous return to form by way of pulsating beats and hypnotic grooves. Guests appearances from Tame Impala, Thundercat, and Miguel may pull new listeners in, but equally exciting are the instrumental tracks, like “Generator” and “Muscle Memory,” which sonically make for a euphoric catharsis. With Hyperdrama, Justice invites us to the dance floor, on which we’re encouraged to simply feel. — A.G.
Kali Uchis — Orquídeas
Geffen
Equal parts sexy, magical, and mysterious, Kali Uchis‘ fourth studio album Orquídeas celebrates her Colombian roots as she takes her artistry to the next level. Uchis gets more raw than ever before, sharing Spanish-language anecdotes on sex, heartache, and love. She has found solace in her muse, Don Toliver, and arrives to a point where she’s no longer avoiding falling in love — like on her 2017 breakthrough single “Tyrant” — but rather, inviting all of those feelings in. Delivering these poetic ruminations in her native language makes it all the more personal. — A.G.
Kelly Lee Owens — Dreamstate
dh2
The previous work by this Welsh producer could be classified as “thinking person’s” dance music, no matter how dumb that sounds. (I’m trying not to use the even cornier “IDM” tag.) I’ve enjoyed her past albums, but Dreamstate hits the hardest for me, mostly because it actually sounds like a record you could dance to. — S.H.
Kendrick Lamar — GNX
Dave Free
From interpolating early freestyle and ’80s R&B to putting on bubbling local rappers, Kendrick Lamar’s surprise album is as much an ode to Los Angeles street culture as it is a devastating declaration of intent for the next ten years of hip-hop in general. As of this writing, “Squabble Up” is well on its way to becoming the Compton rapper’s third No. 1 song of 2024, another notch in the pistol he used to gun down Drake’s career this year, and GNX is living up to its name, roaring off the line as it speeds its way into our hearts. — A.W.
Khruangbin — A LA SALA
Dead Oceans
Khruangbin doesn’t make ambient music, but their output does often fit Brian Eno’s oft-cited description of the genre: “It must be as ignorable as it is interesting.” To be clear, that’s a compliment: A LA SALA does an exemplary job of setting a warm and comfortable vibe that could score any cozy environment, but if you pay attention and peel back the layers, there’s fascinating depth, too. — D.R.
Knocked Loose — You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Pure Noise
Want to run the fastest mile of your life? Want to feel like you can crack a brick with your teeth? Want to listen to an album that even on the lowest volume will give you a jump scare when the first scream on opener “Thrist” hits? Listen to Knocked Loose’s You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To. The brilliantly brutal fourth album from the metalcore favorites will take your breath away — because it sounds just like a punch in the stomach feels. — J.K.
Latto — Sugar Honey Iced Tea
Latto
Following the massive success of her 2021 hit “Big Energy,” Atlanta’s finest female MC delivers her strongest body of work to date. She even shouts herself out at the end. Take that, brokey. — E.W.
Leon Thomas — Mutt
Leon Thomas
For the second consecutive year, Leon Thomas is in the running for R&B album of the year, thanks to his sophomore effort Mutt. A year removed from his debut album, Thomas used Mutt to show that his love life in Hollywood still presents the same highs and lows. Thankfully, the music’s as good as it’s ever been for Thomas, who whisked listeners away with standouts like the pleading “Answer Your Phone,” the sensual “Yes It Is,” and the brutally honest “Mutt” and “Safe Place.” What makes Mutt so good is Thomas’ vulnerability in pouring out his feelings in romance, and in admitting to his flaws as a young man aiming to be his best self in a trying world. It’s the type of vulnerability that the male R&B world needs more of. — W.O.
Lucky Daye — Algorithm
Lucky Daye
Lucky Daye found his edge on his third album, Algorithm. Searing guitar chords and animated drums arrived to fill the room and energize the singer’s sound palette that leaned more towards traditional R&B on his first two albums. This change in direction was incredibly apparent through the album’s intro track “Never Leavin’ U Lonely,” but his ability to shine in different soundscapes is what makes Lucky Daye a top singer in today’s R&B world. Enchanting pleas to unwind and relax on “Top” captivate just as well as the rugged and determined “Blame” with Teddy Swims. Lucky Daye did something new on Algorithm, but he succeeded by keeping his best qualities in the mix and blending with a change in sound that was not only refreshing, but made him even more versatile than previously acknowledged. — W.O.
Magdalena Bay — Imaginal Disk
Magdalena Bay
Too few modern pop albums go all in on their outlandish ideas. Whereas many artists dominating the zeitgeist opt for self-mythology and astrological readings as a specious form of vulnerability, Magdalena Bay have resuscitated the capital-A Absurd pop concept record with Imaginal Disk. Even aside from its zany storyline about apes and aliens, the duo’s second album stands on its own, from the jaunty shuffle of “Killing Time” to the sci-fi synth arpeggios of “Image.” — G.S.
Maggie Rogers — Don’t Forget Me
Capitol
A private person, Maggie Rogers isn’t one to seek the spotlight, nor does she put her personal business on display for the world to see. Outside of the music, we know very little about Rogers, but her music tells all too familiar stories. Her latest effort, Don’t Forget Me, faces us with truths we must reckon with. We’re all getting older. And maybe we’re not cut out for that traditional, picket-fence fantasy. But we can all certainly have fun and hold onto those joyous moments while we figure it all out. — A.G.
Mannequin Pussy — I Got Heaven
Ian Hurdle
Mannequin Pussy lead singer Marisa Dabice described I Got Heaven as being about “the longing for something new and exciting.” The fourth album from the Philly-based punk group is new and exciting — and one of the best albums of the year. I Got Heaven catches a fired-up Mannequin Pussy taking the same confident leap as Hole did with Pretty On The Inside to Live Through This, or Turnstile from Time & Space to Glow On: it’s a softer sound than the 80-second rippers on their earlier albums, though no less furious. There’s catharsis in singing instead of screaming, too. — J.K.
Matt Champion — Mika’s Laundry
RCA
Brockhampton went out with a bang, dropping two final albums in 2022. But now it’s time to move on and Matt Champion has done just that with his first solo album, Mika’s Laundry. The project shows off Champion’s range and dynamism as a creator. Look at “Slow Motion,” a collaboration with Blackpink’s Jennie: The song starts off as a tender piano ballad before shifting into a rapid, PinkPantheress-like beat. That’s not as jarring as it may sound and it’s an example of Champion’s confidence and ability to execute on creative ideas. — D.R.
Megan Thee Stallion — Megan
Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion’s first independent album is a ferocious display of identity; here the Houston Hottie reasserts herself and her passions free of external influence. The results speak for themselves: The second confessional single, “Hiss,” became Thee Stallion’s first solo No. 1, while the Yuki Chiba-featuring “Mamushi” is the sort of earworm fans will still be rapping five years from now — in Japanese, no less. Meanwhile, its deluxe edition, Act II, is an undeniable incubator of future hits. — A.W.
MJ Lenderman — Manning Fireworks
ANTI-
Neil Young’s fourth solo album was Harvest, a timeless masterpiece of mellow isolation. It’s too soon to say whether the fourth album from MJ Lenderman — Manning Fireworks, a well-observed mix of scrappy indie rock and twangy country — will be remembered as fondly as the album that gave us “Heart Of Gold.” But, odds are high people will be checking out the Himbo Dome for years, if not decades, to come. — J.K.
Mk.gee — Two Star & The Dream Police
R&R
MK.gee has spent the past handful of years building a name for himself in the industry: He has collaborations with The Kid Laroi and Omar Apollo under his belt, and he even landed a credit on Drake’s Certified Lover Boy (via a sample). After all of this, he finally has a debut album out in the world, Two Star & The Dream Police, an intriguing effort that offers tight production, thought-providing lyrics, and clear evidence of MK.gee’s growth as an artist. — D.R.
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds — Wild God
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
This isn’t exactly the sort of album Nick Cave has made lately. His records in the past 10 years have tended toward the morose (even for him) and orchestrated, a kind of grief-choked chamber music. It’s quality work, but Cave’s old rock ‘n’ roll swagger was missed. On Wild God, thankfully, he recovers some of that, though the more sobering perspective of his recent music remains. — S.H.
Nilüfer Yanya — My Method Actor
Nilüfer Yanya
Since her 2019 debut album, Miss Universe, indie rocker Nilüfer Yanya has steadily leveled up her songwriting. On her third record, My Method Actor, Yanya ascends to new heights. From the gritty guitars on “Like I Say (I Runaway)” to the in-the-pocket drums on “Mutations,” and hypnotic slow burns like “Binding” and “Call It Love,” My Method Actor solidifies Yanya’s startling consistency. She simply does not miss. — G.S.
NxWorries — Why Lawd?
NxWorries
Fans waited seven years for the follow-up to the acclaimed Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge collaboration, Yes Lawd!, and the two soulful hip-hop aficionados paid off that patience in spades. Where the prior effort was an exercise in promulgating the practice of pimpin’, Why Lawd? is a somber reflection on the attendant and inevitable consequences thereof. Songs like “FromHere” and “SheUsed” paint a picture of a regretful ex-lover, hoping it’s not too late to make up for all the philandering. It looks like there are still some R&B adherents who ain’t too proud to beg. — A.W.
PartyNextDoor — PartyNextDoor 4
Santa Anna/OVO
The PartyNextDoor of old — that is, the one from the mid-2010s — re-emerged thanks to his fourth album, PartyNextDoor 4. The signs for a return to classic days were there thanks to singles like the scornful “Her Old Friends” and the praising “Real Woman.” With PartyNextDoor 4, though the feel is reminiscent of the past, we’re presented with a story of the singer who wants to grow from the man behind the mic on past projects. Genuine strides for authentic love are made on PND’s fourth album, more so than we heard on past bodies of work. Though he slips into a shell of his past on a couple of occasions, the desire and effort to be better makes PartyNextDoor 4 an excellent listen, especially when it houses one of PND’s best-composed songs to date with “No Chill.” — W.O.
Rapsody — Please Don’t Cry
We Each Other/Jamia Records
In May, I wrote Rapsody’s latest album was the best hip-hop release of the year so far. I also allowed that the assessment might not survive the intervening months. I’ll say this: the title rotates between this, Kendrick Lamar’s GNX, and Doechii’s Alligator Bites depending on the day of the week and the angle of the sun. For Rapsody’s part, she’s combining lessons she’s learned from therapy, endless reiteration of ideas, and some of her production teams’ finest work to date, She has crafted a masterclass in vulnerability, honesty, and lyrical dexterity. “Stand Tall,” “Diary Of A Mad B*tch,” “A Ballad For Homegirls,” and “Forget Me Not” are the sorts of honest, “real” rap writing that fans have been begging for for years. — A.W.
Rauw Alejandro — Cosa Nuestra
Rauw Alejandro
Rauw Alejandro solidified his evolution from reggaeton star to Latin pop star with his fifth album Cosa Nuestra. The Puerto Rican singer proved his success isn’t tied to one genre with the show-stopping pop of “Touching the Sky” and feel-good EDM of “Pasaporte.” Alejandro also tapped into bolero in the heartfelt “Amar De Nuevo,” where he sang about learning to love again following his split from Rosalía. Then there’s the funky and freaky “2:12 AM” with Mexican group Latin Mafia. There’s no limits to Alejandro’s artistry.” — Lucas Villa
Rema — Heis
Rema
Rema sophomore album Heis sounds like a disruption; The 11-track project couldn’t any more opposite of his debut Rave & Roses. The sunny and warm vibes of Rave & Roses were replaced by the thundering chaos and frantic drums of Heis, and as uncomfortable as a first listen might have been, the album was embraced as the polarizing shift afrobeats needed. Propelled by the erratic fan favorite “Ozeba,” the sinister “Hehehe,” and the championing “Yayo,” Heis was a diamond in the rough for afrobeats in 2024 and proof of how taking risks and trusting your gut can pay off in the end. Furthermore, it cemented Rema’s position atop afrobeats’ new class of artists. — W.O.
Sabrina Carpenter — Short N’ Sweet
Island Records
Never doubt the Disney-Channel-darling-to-pop-princess pipeline. However, nothing about Sabrina Carpenter’s success fits that cookie-cutter mold, including Short N’ Sweet. Crafting radio-friendly, chart-topping pop tunes is just a slice of what Sabrina Carpenter is capable of. Yes, the project’s lead singles, “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” were pieces of pop confectionery. In totality, though, Short N’ Sweet is a balanced serving of all Carpenter’s artistic groupings — clever songwriting, genre-fluid production, and rich vocal techniques. — F.P.
Samara Cyn — The Drive Home
Samara Cyn
For all the splashy breakout mixtapes this year, one of the best flew well under the radar… but if Murfreesboro, Tennessee native Samara Cyn can continue to pump out introspective, lyrically-taut material like The Drive Home consistently, it shouldn’t take too many more projects for her to become one of most attention-grabbing names in rap. Fans of fellow Tennessee-bred ruminator Isaiah Rashad will find plenty to love here, while all those fans clamoring for women to branch out from strip club anthems and trap may see their appetites satisfied by The Drive Home‘s mellow production and cheeky, thoughtful rhymes. — A.W.
Schoolboy Q — Blue Lips
Schoolboy Q
At this point, few of us, if any, should be complaining about the long wait between Top Dawg Entertainment projects. The last few years have brought projects such as Ab-Soul’s Herbert, Isaiah Rashad’s The House Is Burning, and of course, SZA’s SOS after five-year gaps — an approach that seems to be the recipe for producing some of those artists’ most heartfelt, innovative works to date. Schoolboy Q turns out to be no exception. His latest also arrives five years after its predecessor, Crash Talk, bringing with it the very soul of Los Angeles’ experimental jazz history. An eccentric compilation that never stays in one vibe too long, Blue Lips presents a portrait of a matured, sophisticated gangster. — A.W.
Shaboozey — Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going
Republic/EMPIRE
Shaboozey — Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going artwork
Shaboozey is in the running for breakout star of the year thanks to the historic run “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has put forth in 2024, but it’s not the only stellar piece of music Shaboozey released this year. The Grammy-nominated singer’s third album Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going is a grand yet concise display of what Shaboozey has to offer as a musician. The country singer, who first gained nationwide attention thanks to a pair of features on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, storms through with gripping tales of love and heartbreak, whiskey-fueled nights out on the town, and the spirit of a mischievous cowboy wreaking havoc in the wild, wild west. Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going signaled new horizons and greener pastures for Shaboozey, both of which were earned thanks to the precision executed on his third album. — W.O.
Shakira — Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
Sony Music Latin
Two years after going through a very crushing breakup, Shakira channeled her pain and vengeance into the fierce Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran. The Colombian icon resharpened her “She Wolf” claws to tear into her ex in Bizarrap’s “BZRP Music Sessions, Vol. 53.” She mourned their relationship one last time in the devastating ballad “Última.” At the same time, Shakira let her hair down again in flirty “Puntería” featuring Cardi B and the otherworldly “Cohete” with Rauw Alejandro. She bounced back stronger and better than ever.” — L.V.
Sturgill Simpson/Johnny Blue Skies — Passage du Desir
Sturgill Simpson
Sturgill Simpson’s first music under a different name is the closest he’s come to making a “classic”-sounding Sturgill Simpson LP in quite some time. In true paradoxical Sturgill Simpson fashion, being someone else has given him permission to be more like himself. Frankly, it sounds like the record that his label would have killed for in 2019, rather than the cage-rattling (and admittedly great) provocation that was Sound & Fury. — S.H.
Taylor Swift — The Tortured Poets Department
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift released The Tortured Poets Department during The Eras Tour madness. Yet, despite the grandeur of the local-economy-boosting global trek, there’s a striking intimacy to TTPD. Swift has rarely sounded as self-reflective and self-aware as she does on “Guilty As Sin?” and “Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?.” But the album is also funny (“But Daddy I Love Him”), dramatic (“The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”), and raw (“Loml”). She can do it all, with or without a broken heart. — J.K.
Tems — Born In The Wild
RCA Records/Since ’93
Tems ‘Born In The Wild’ album cover
An album from Tems is something the music world has spent nearly a half-decade waiting for. The 2020 release of For Broken Ears introduced Tems to the world, but her debut album Born In The Wild is the true representation of her style and artistry. With 18 songs to its name, Tems proved that she is a sweet and enticing balance of afrobeats and R&B, genres she excels at in great ways. Born In The Wild puts forth the former with “Get It Right” alongside Asake and “Love Me Jeje,” which grew to be a summer hit. On the R&B side, Tems found equal success through records like “Free Fall” with J. Cole and the lovelorn “Unfortunate.” The sky is the limit for Tems, but Born In The Wild proved that being a worldwide star is undoubtedly in the cards for the Nigerian singer. — W.O.
Tierra Whack — World Wide Whack
Tierra Whack
World Wide Whack is perhaps one of the most anticipated hip-hop debuts of the last five years, and it doesn’t disappoint. Tierra Whack had the world in the palm of her hand after her EP Whack World introduced the public to the colorful inner universe of the Philadelphia creative, but then reality stepped in. Tierra’s experiences since then inspired World Wide Whack, which despite its whimsical stylings contains some of her most heartrending music yet. “Two Night” and “27 Club” deliver a one-two punch of empathetic pleas for a more measured reception for the sort of creative personalities that have suddenly become a quite endangered species. — A.W.
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Boys Noize — Challengers [MIXED]
The Null Corporation
The duality of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross: They’re Nine Inch Nails, but more often lately, they’re award-winning film score composers. There’s not necessarily a ton of functional overlap between those two types of output either: Scores aren’t created with the album format in mind, so they don’t usually work well that way. Reznor and Ross had a great idea with their Challengers score, though: Hand it off to Boys Noize to remix it into something that feels more like a traditional album. The result is the best bridge we’ve had yet between both of Reznor and Ross’ worlds: an album that’s as cinematic as it is cohesive. — D.R.
Tyla — Tyla
FAX/Epic
Tyla’s self-titled debut album validated every award and accolade and every chart position she sat in before its release. Hindsight is truly 20/20, but the South Africa singer exhibited all the signs of a star in the making thanks to her breakout hit “Water.” The infectious record took over the world with a pulsating amapiano beat that turned all settings into a dance floor, and impressive songwriting upheld by lyrics with an NSFW double-meaning that only drew people closer to the song. With Tyla, this fun continues. “No. 1” removes men from the dance floor for a woman-empowering anthem with Tems while their invitation to return allows Gunna and Skillibeng to contribute to the album’s best moment with “Jump.” In Tyla’s world, your most free self exists on the dance floor, and in her case, so does a masterpiece of an album. — W.O.
Tyler, The Creator — Chromakopia
Tyler The Creator
For the entirety of Tyler, The Creator’s career, he has embraced being a rap contrarian who forced the culture to catch up to him. Chromakopia is another moment illustrating that. Rap music is not a monolith — neither is Tyler. Still, Chromakopia does a phenomenal job of highlighting the complexity of Tyler, the man and musician. The constant “othering” of Tyler has forced him to grow a thick skin and build up an impenetrable wall. Now, that wall has come crashing down, and as a result, his fixation on the future, an itch to innovate, and cultivation of culture gave the world Chromakopia. — F.P.
Vampire Weekend — Only God Was Above Us
Columbia
The application of distortion immediately sets Only God Was Above Us apart from the other VW albums. In 10 years, there will be no question from which record “Hope” or “Capricorn” or “Mary Boone” derives. (Whereas the tracks from Vampire Weekend and Contra, in Strokes-like fashion, kind of blend together.) OGWAU is definitely different. At the same time, the lyrics immediately ground the LP in an East Coast milieu that was seemingly abandoned after the beloved third-album masterpiece. It sounds like the disaffected narrator of Modern Vampires Of The City with 11 more years of wisdom. OGWAU is definitely similar to other Vampire Weekend albums. HIPPIE/GOTH-ness has been achieved. The album-catalog-as-book, once again, evolves. — S.H.
Vince Staples — Dark Times
Vince Staples
Hometown bias aside, I have long believed that Long Beach rapper Vince Staples has been one of rap’s most quietly insightful, innovative voices since 2014, when I first heard him on Common’s Nobody Smiling single “Kingdom.” Since then, his confidence in his artistic vision has only grown, while his already prodigious talents sharpened in his efforts to bring that vision to grungy, cinematic life. Dark Times is the culmination of that growth, presenting a version of Vince that pairs his photographic observations of life at the bottom of the American pyramid with a collection of instrumentals destined to shatter the last (stupid) arguments against him — you can’t say he picks bad beats now. — A.W.
Waxahatchee — Tigers Blood
Anti-
Katie Crutchfield reckons her fanbase doubled following the acclaimed success of 2020’s Saint Cloud. What would she do for a follow-up? Make the breeziest record of her career. Waxahatchee’s Tigers Blood tackles thorny issues (“I make a living crying, it ain’t fair” is the third line on the album), but it’s delivered in a rootsy, country-tinged way that calls to mind Lucinda Williams or Wildflowers-era Tom Petty. Crutchfield belonged among the wildflowers all this time. — J.K.
