2024 brought us one of the best years in music in recent memory, providing an insurmountable amount of high quality music. In fact, according to MusicRadar, more music was being released in a single day in 2024 than the entirety of 1989. Given this immense wealth, a few of your favorite SOCC members plucked a few from the pile, just for YOU! Here are our favorite albums of 2024. – Issa Nasatir
The New Sound & Diamond Jubilee by Geordie Greep & Cindy Lee
Not to be THAT PERSON on the socc 2024 aoty blog post, but I sincerely couldn’t pick just one, as 2024 has been a year of such sonic abundance, I am presenting a tie between Geordie Greep’s The New Sound and Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee. These two records are chunky monkeys, clocking in at 1 hour 2 minutes and 2 hours 2 minutes, respectively; both giving a new, immense meaning to the word definitive. As black midi was the boyband I fell in love with in high school, I feel as though some part of me will love anything Geordie, Cameron, or Morgan writes – but The New Sound is ridiculous and impressive. Geordie shows off what he does best: cheeky crooning, theatrics only he can get away with, deliciously difficult sounds, and being a certified freak. With lyrics that make me kind of uncomfortable playing the record around my parents, as far as I’m concerned, Geordie concocts rich, albeit super yucky, characters that bolster and expand the fantastical universe that black midi introduced (as I never listen to “Bongo Season” without recalling Private Tristan Bongo from black midi’s “Welcome to Hell”). Geordie’s collaboration with over thirty musicians (much of the recording happening in Brazil) and the vocal cameo of Shank (Seth Evans) on “Motorbike” give a uniquely fresh and spacious breath to the record, suggesting truth to its name. The New Sound is the new sound. Diamond Jubilee is the sound of the wind’s uncertainty, or the uncomfort of tall trees swaying, I feel as though something heavy might just fall down upon me. A David Lynch film of a record, it’s headlights of a vintage car winding through a starless darkness, it’s perplexing, and digs its sticky fingers through our ears, deep inside our brains, plucking out sparkling treasures of our deep subconscious. Each guitar tone carries a sweet familiarity to it, suggesting a sleepy feeling of both happiness and sadness simultaneously, as I’m driving through Las Vegas during a pink sky sunrise, an AM radio dream. The top comment on the youtube video of the record sums it up better than I ever could, “sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard, and everything I’ve ever loved.”
– Sadie Almgren
Loss of Life by MGMT
Since “Oracular Spectacular,” MGMT has worked to chronicle the emotions of this era of their life and the impact it had on their journey as musicians and rock stars. “Loss of Life” proves to be another example of this theme. Though it may seem like this would be a bad thing, this album stands as a direct dichotomy of the youth they captured with their initial album. “Loss of Life” feels as if it is the darker brother of “Oracular Spectacular,” no longer on a high from life, but rather the opposite, detailing the hardships of time and the journey they embarked on to define themselves as musicians. “Loss of Life” continues to form MGMT’s legacy as one of the greatest groups of our generation and proves their artistry not only musically but poetically.
– Molly Golier
Charm by Clairo
I wanted to choose a lesser known album in order to expand SoCC coverage, and press coverage in general, but to say any other album was my aoty is a hard lie when something as lovely and perfect as Charm exists.
Charm forms a collage of introspective diaristic lyrics on top of impressive instrumentals that span across various genres—jazz, soft rock, bedroom pop, and psychedelic folk. The record captures the wide range of emotions felt when being charmed and charming someone. The fluctuations of passion are illustrated both lyrically and sonically through the intentional use of instrumentation. While sticking in the comfort of her hushed vocals, the success of the album lies in the instrumental embellishments weaved through almost every track on the record, transporting the listener to a new sonic sanctuary. These rich instrumental tidbits can likely be accredited to the collaborative work with producer and multi-instrumentalist Leon Micheals, who is known for his soul project El Michels Affair and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. But these embellishments are the pills that make Charm so powerful and memorable.
Not necessarily a plea, but a longing, Clairo manages to strike emotional strings in the listeners with her opaque lyrics that allow us to attach our own dreams and stories, making “Nomad” all the more empathetic. While the lyrics evoke subtle nostalgia, the track’s spattered thumps of cello and slide guitar create a contrasting orchestra of wind that is whimsical and romantic, evoking the incomprehensible feeling of a dream. In the successful jazz-influenced “Terrapin,” Clairo surrenders to a deep preoccupation with the facade of a partner, leading her to lose herself in turn. “Slow Dance” contains piano layers, where every note dances around the next, chasing each other across the console. Each layer of piano tells a different and unnamed sonic relationship. Meanwhile, Clairo dances with disappointment in the avoidance she receives. Clairo’s accounts are all too familiar as a fellow 20-something-year-old girl, as she embraces femininity, sensuality, and the melodramatics of our generation’s dating pool.
Concluding with “Pier 4,” we catch Clairo in a contemplative mood that emphasizes rare stripped back guitar work. Where previous tracks are born out of the obsessive disillusionment of romance, “Pier 4” is a grounding meditation where the mind returns to the body to embrace reality. Charm is contemplative in nature, yet its accessible lyrics paint familiar narratives whose emotion and vulnerability resonate with the audience who grew up alongside her. And I am just in love with those damn creative instrumental tidbits!!! (seen first on undertheradarmag.com, find full review there)
– Marina Malin
Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend
The second I heard this album I knew it was easily going to be top 3 for this year. The band was not joking when they announced their forthcoming album would be “ten songs, no skips”. The opening lyric “fuck the world” made me wonder if the rest of the album was going to be corny but in that same verse Ezra Koenig spits the unforgettable bar “you don’t want to win this war cause you don’t want the peace”. I was listening to the leaked version and the second I heard that lyric I stopped listening and waited patiently for the full thing to come out. Three days later when I experienced it in its full glory I was shocked that any band, let alone Vampire Weekend would be able to make such a great comeback album this late into their career (especially after the turbulent Father of the Bride album). This album is full of remarkable moments from the lyrics, the melodies, and abrasive experimental recording techniques. Some memorable moments include the screeching slide guitars on Capricorn, the ballroom piano breakdowns on Connect, and the fourth verse of Hope (their longest song yet!). Only God Was Above Us is industrial, it’s unmarked territory for a band that has been around for a while and has tried a lot of things, it’s a picture of where the world is right now. Favorite track: “Mary Boone”.
– Massimo Flumian
White Page by Patch +
I always love an album with variety: the ones with a mix of genres, tempo, overall mood, and length of songs. Patch + does just this with their album White Page, released in July 2023, a completely unique project that quickly became a favorite this summer. Blending all sorts of sounds together into a cohesive album– from upbeat dancey songs like he’s so easy, to Desayuno, something more reminiscent of a guitar ballad–each song is a weird treasure individually, but still speaks to a larger vision. Their sound fits in perfectly next to artists such as Chanel Beads (their release, Your Day Will Come, was in the running for AOTY), Loukemann, Forma Norte, and anything Dean Blunt has touched. I’ve been drawn to electronic sorts of sounds this year more than any in the past, and this album is the perfect summation in the new direction I’ve found myself following. It also is a great sonic representation to the visual worlds I’ve found myself in this year as well, and for that reason it is crowned my AOTY. Favorite songs: A Perfect Day, NY2, and Tourist.
– Logan Normandeau
Diamond Jubilee by Cindy Lee
Although this was one of the best years for music in recent memory (my HMs include Clairo’s Charm and Mk.Gee’s Two Star and the Dream Police), my pick for album of the year has been locked in since late March. That album is Cindy Lee’s 32 track magnum opus Diamond Jubilee. Cindy sells their soul to the ghosts of every 50s/60s girl group Robert Johnson style to produce the croonings that emit from the haunted jukebox of a ghost town’s saloon. This album is armed with some of the most technical and emotional guitar playing that will ever grace your ears. Some particular sections like the instrumental bit in “All I Want Is You” and the intro of “Kingdom Come” still leave me breathless each time I come back to them. Cindy’s vocals, usually made up of haunting harmonies between their falsetto and usual singing voice, capture the isolation created by love and loneliness and the duality that they deal within their identity that their lyrics so accurately depict. Like on past projects, their reverbed vocals are at the forefront of the song but simultaneously sound distant, creating the effect of immortal echoes trapped in desert canyons. A mirage conjured by the eyes of the dusty and dehydrated, Cindy is to us what the sirens were to Odysseus, drawing you in with irresistible, distant lamentations. The devastating b2b of “Don’t Tell Me I’m Wrong” and “What’s It Going To Take” exhibits this most effectively, adding to the already extreme sonic despair of Cindy’s guitar and songwriting. This album will have you dancing, crying, dancing again with tears in your eyes, and then wanting to melt into caked dirt in the middle of a sun scorched field. And I’m all for it.
– Issa Nasatir
Endlessness by Nala Sinephro
Unfortunately, I’m a very impatient person. To mollify this vice, I can either recite a prayer or listen to this album (or maybe both). Nala Sinephro’s Endlessness does indeed make you feel endless. I can’t count the number of times I listened to it, the ends and beginnings blur together into one magnificent, nebulous, dreamy haze. These tracks are neither hot nor cold, not empty or full. They insert one into some delicate, and perhaps even nascent, state. What I mean by this is, perhaps there is no coldness or warmth, no emptiness or fullness, but there is always a potential. A possibility of coldness/warmth, of emptiness/fullness. Maybe it is this potential itself that is Endlessness. Endless potential is man’s immortality. I like to listen to this album staring at fish in fish tanks or books in bookshelves. Fish and books are immortal.
– Chole Jung
Water’s Here in You by Babehoven
This was hard to pick. I return to this album a lot more than anything else I listened to this year. Each time it’s sharp, new, and also comforting. Great synths. Gut-wrenching vocals and guitar. Really awesome dynamics and repetition. Very swirly. Kind of a gut-wrenching album. Water’s Here in You isn’t my most listened to, or maybe even my favorite album in 2024, but when I try and pull something discernible from the blur of the past year, this album stands out!
– Tim Smith
Charm by Clairo
I hope Clairo never stops releasing albums in July or else I’ll have nothing to wistfully listen to under the blazing summer sun. My god this album is perfection in its purist form. It takes inspiration from mid-century jazz, soul, and folk. Her light vocals, soft instrumentals, and smooth transitions between tracks make for a seamless and pleasant listening experience. It is warm, nostalgic, soulful, melodic, velvety, earthy, shimmering, introspective, and intimate. However – do not let the easygoing trot of each song distract you from the intense stages of a relationship she experiences in her lyrics and the scream-able quality each track possesses if you have enough passion. Thank you, Clairo, for this absolutely glorious album of 2024!
– Grace Gassel
Big Ideas by Remi Wolf
I was introduced to Remi through her song “Sexy Villain” (my favorite kind of villain) in summer of 2023. I immediately was intrigued by how she came up with some of the ear-worm lyrics in her songs and simultaneously was in awe of how most of this lyrics are phrases I never thought I would hear in a pop-funk beat. The 2024 album Big Ideas came out one song at a time until its full release in July, and with each single release I became more and more excited for the full album. Besides the funky songs she usually puts out there were others on the slower end (such as “Motorcycle” and “Cherries and Cream”) that were still so catchy. Remi as an artist has a talent of using kooky phrasing to touch on common experiences a person still in their 20s might experience, including some of the ways they cope (cabernet of course). She recounts love and yearning in all forms in “Soup” and “Toro,” and reflects staying true to herself as an artist in “Cinderella,” as well as some of the downsides of the entertainment industry. After wrapping up with a few tunes about severing ties and reconciling with people who have left her life, she wraps up the album with a hopeful look into the future of her career. My personal favorite off of the album is the bonus track “Slay Bitch.” It is the ultimate pump up for when you just need that extra push to feel confident in your own skin. I wish I could make a list of my fav ear-worm lyrics from Remi’s songs but for now I’ll just say I’m so fucking glad she decided to stop training as an athlete in olympic skiing to make music full time. Destiny just has a way of working out like that.
– Sadie Curtin-Adelman
FISSION by Dead Poet Society
Humans love drama. Be it through friend group gossip, news headlines, or reality television, we love to hear about the trials and tribulations that are going on in other people’s lives. The Boston-based hard rock group Dead Poet Society clearly understands how to use this voyeuristic vice to their advantage. The band has entered their second decade of performing with their sophomore record FISSION, a hard rock album that incorporates the riffy elements of a Jack White project with the volume and sheer pettiness of Fall Out Boy – the result is a thundering rock album that is just as angry as it is sultry. Over its 45-minute runtime, the album loosely follows a breakup as seen through the unapologetic eyes of an incredibly frustrated and fatigued individual. As this character laments and curses his partner throughout the tracklist, the cracks in his story start to show and the facade crumbles revealing a person just as flawed and awful as the one he resents. This narrative is set over some of the heaviest guitars in the modern rock scene, going toe to toe with other contemporaries in the genre such as Royal Blood and Highly Suspect. The dark and moody instrumentation only intensifies the rage, hatred, and lust present in the lyrics. As a listener, it feels just like that reality TV show you watch as a guilty pleasure. You know the people you are vicariously observing are hurting, but you just can’t turn your eyes (or, in this case, ears) away.
– Lucio Bollettieri
Streetwise by Pretty Sick
While technically an EP, Streetwise feels like the mature newest phase of Pretty Sick, a New York trio signed to the British label Dirty Hit. Full of dissonance and passion, it feels like grown-up punk hyperpop with husky vocals and intriguing sound mixing. Most of their earlier work is more punk rock oriented, and Streetwise is a beautiful exploratory step into genre mixing. In a world of bratseason, Pretty Sick delivers a nuanced take on a genre that’s been bounced into the limelight.
– Sadie Fleig
For The Streets Deluxe by Zeze Kingston & Ieumas
The Malawi born artist shows that he’s not messing around on the deluxe version of his 2023 album. While this only adds 4 new songs to his 2023 release, it feels like it enhances the album entirely. The album incorporates elements of Amapiano, a genre originating South African, while adding his own twist. With lyrics entirely in Chichewa, Kingston’s native language, the album holds a unique energy that’s found in the Warm Heart of Africa, Malawi. During my summer working in the country, I heard this album shaking every speaker, car, and club. “Mbamba” is the highlight of the album, an irresistibly catchy song that talks about beating up a guy because he was “flexing too hard” (at least this is how it was explained to me, I don’t speak Chichewa). Even though the first part of this album came out in 2023, it feels incomplete without the deluxe. This album is sure to remind you of the warmth of summer, especially during these cold Colorado winters.
– Oliviero Zanalda
Primeiras Gravações by Luiz Bonfá
An underwater carousel for the jubilant.
– Ale Tornelli
