Written by Sam Cohen
2024 was the return of pop stars, indie legends, and stellar debut albums. The top of the charts may have been filled with T Swift and TikTok hits, but that didn’t discourage artists from releasing vulnerable and inspiring work. In many ways, this was the best year for music in years–countless sold-out tours, albums from the biggest stars in pop and rap, and learning what it means to be a brat.
My Top 10 Albums of 2024 has a familiar blend of everything from Vampire Weekend to Clairo. Picking 10 albums was difficult, but ordering them was even harder. By the end of my evaluations, only one album made sense for my album of the year; nevertheless, the rest of the list, especially the top three, are some of my favorites of all time.
10. Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood
Starting off the Top 10 Albums of 2024 is Waxahatchee’s most outstanding work yet, Tigers Blood. Katie Crutchfield, the sole constant member and lead singer of Waxahatchee, gets more personal than ever while remaining true to her country roots. The lead single, “Right Back to It,” took the alternative community by storm, leading off a comeback four years in the making. “Right Back to It” includes the sole collaboration on the record, inviting indie prince MJ Lenderman for added vocals. Tigers Blood is one of the most captivating albums of the year and deserves more ears.
9. Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal
Doechii proves she’s that girl on her debut full-length mixtape. Recently, Doechii has been everywhere: a vibrant set behind the NPR Tiny Desk (see below), a flawlessly choreographed performance on The Late Show, and a feature on Tyler, The Creator’s Chromakopia. All of this has supported one of the year’s best albums and is a constant reminder of hip-hop’s essential role in rap. Her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert includes a medley of songs from the mixtape and is an homage to 90s hip-hop and legends like Erykah Badu. If you’re wondering why she has received all these flowers recently, give Alligator Bites Never Heal, and the answer will be clear.
8. Clairo – Charm
Guided by soft vocals and charming production, Clairo’s third studio album finds herself in her most comfortable form. The album feels like a sunny fall morning, starting with the quiet “Nomad.” Clairo pushes her bedroom pop past aside for the first time in her career, searching for tight production. Her sound is more cohesive than ever, bouncing between jazz, folk, and indie. On Charm, Clairo has found the right groove between sweet lyrics and pleasant production, opening her up to a whole new audience.
7. Omar Apollo – God Said No
God Said No is everything Omar Apollo wants his work to be. It’s lively, vulnerable, and the first opportunity for Apollo to share his true self. Reflecting on difficult relationships from his past, God Said No does what his prior work lacked. No matter how deep Apollo went on his debut album Ivory, which handed him his first grammy-nom for Best New Artist, the emotions on God Said No are his most captivating. Apollo balances grief and love while advancing his production, creating a consistent showcase of his feelings.
6. Charli XCX – Brat
2024 was all about Brat. It’s been years since an album had a chokehold on pop culture to the extent Charli had with Brat. By now, it’s hard not to think of a time when Brat played a role in your life. Whether you were dancing to “360” in the club or your parents asked why being a brat has a good connotation, it was a term and sound you couldn’t escape. The legacy of Brat will not die in 2024, as Charli will carry both the music and the culture with her through the rest of her career.
5. Kendrick Lamar – GNX
After a year that was all about Kendrick Lamar, it was fitting for him to drop an album just before ringing in the new year. Unlike most of his albums, which had thoughtfully crafted rollouts, GNX came as a surprise and flew straight to the top of the charts. It’s obvious Lamar entered the studio with an assured ego after winning the Drake feud with “Not Like Us.” When Lamar isn’t acknowledging his space in the rap community, he shouts out LA at every turn, especially on “dodger blue.” Instead of making GNX a victory lap, Lamar focuses on why he deserves the praise he has received at every step of his career.
4. The Hard Quartet – The Hard Quartet
Of all the albums on this list, this is the one whose placement you will question–not because you disagree with the choice, but because you have no idea who or what a Hard Quartet is. And that’s probably because it is the ’90s indie rock supergroup that never was — until now. The most familiar of the quartet is Stephen Malkmus, the king of slacker rock and lead singer of Pavement. Along with Malkmus are Matt Sweeney (Chavez), Emmett Kelly (The Cairo Gang), and Jim White (The Dirty Three).
Together, they have formed the hardest band of the decade, releasing a 15-song self-tilted double album. It’s one of the most consistent albums of the year and offers clever lyrics and simple yet powerful arrangements from start to finish. Whether you like it or not, 90s indie rock legends will never die, and Malkmus and the guys prove it on the ripping debut LP. If you don’t know where to start with HQ, listen to “Rio’s Song;” it’s one of the year’s best songs.
3. MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks
Indie rock’s newest darling, MJ Lenderman, jumps from amateur to genius on Manning Fireworks. MJ enters a pocket of lo-fi alternative country, few artists discover. At times, songs sound like they’re pulled off of Silver Jews’ American Water. Other times, they sound like deep cuts off Neil Young’s Tonight’s the Night. Lenderman’s lyrics have never been more apt– a favorite of mine is the “You can put your clothes back on, she’s leaving you,” the opening line off “She’s Leaving You.” MJ is one of the rare artists today who understands that not every lyric has to be close-read, and he does not owe an explanation to anyone. If Manning Fireworks is a glimpse at what’s to come for the North Carolina native, then his fans should have nothing to worry about.
2. Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
“F**k the world,” the opening line off Vampire Weekend’s first album in five years, is the first nod to where VW’s newest experimenting ventures. After their jam-band folk fourth LP, Father Of The Bride, VW returns to the dark themes of Grammy-winning Modern Vampires Of The City in an electrifying way. With this project, VW has found an unexplored way to create, uncovering a technically tricky sound full of clashing guitars and zipping keys. Track three, “Classical,” is a reminder of how history is written by the victors, one of the many nods to the themes of war and imperialism on the record. The five years between Father Of The Bride and Only God Was Above Us gave VW the time to take a breath, reflect on their place in society, and release their most thoughtful collection of songs.
1. Tyler, The Creator – Chromakopia
Since his first mixtapes, everything Tyler does has been executed to the furthest extent and effort; nothing is different on Chromakopia. Tyler drops the braggadocious themes of Call Me If You Get Lost and the identity struggles of Igor and Flower Boy, focusing on his future and his family. Dealing with a pregnancy scare, questioning his relationship with the father he’s never met, and avoiding the fame he wanted for so long, Chromakopia helps him unload Louis Vuitton-trunk-size baggage. On “Like Him,” Tyler faces the truth about his father, backed by some of the most intricate production in his career. Chromakopia’s story-building is one of its key strengths, creating a fully-vulnerable universe inside Tyler’s mind. Many songs abandon classic hip-hop structure and are fit to be included in a creative writing portfolio. Tyler’s fresh and different creative approach proves he is ahead of the rapidly growing rap game, putting him on a pedestal he has been building for over fifteen years.
Now, enjoy a playlist of the best songs of the top 10 albums of 2024.
