If anyone tells you 2024 was anything less than an absolute win for new music, they clearly spent the year with their head stuck in a bin. While the world outside might have been doing its best impression of a dumpster fire, our headphones have been blessed with an embarrassment of riches. From bright-young-things becoming even brighter to established faves finding new gears, the last twelve months have delivered more golden moments than we can count.
That’s where this list comes in. Over the next few days, we’ll be celebrating the very best tracks 2024 had to offer – from chart-destroying anthems to underground gems that deserve their moment in the spotlight. So grab your party hat, pour yourself something fizzy, and join us as we count down the defining songs of 2024.
100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
100. Wallows – Bad Dream
Some songs arrive like gentle ripples, others like tidal waves. Wallows’ ‘Bad Dream’ somehow manages to be both – a warm and reassuringly tinged alt-rock revelation that sits at the heart of the trio’s boldest evolution yet.
The track sees the band navigating the treacherous waters between indie intimacy and arena-ready ambition. At its core lies a narrative as complex as the instrumentation surrounding it – an exploration of watching someone dear spiral through their personal demons. There’s a particular ache in Braeden Lemasters’ delivery as he steps up to lead vocal duties that transforms universal experience into something deeply personal, each verse carrying the weight of sleepless nights and unanswered texts.
The production strikes a delicate balance between minimalist restraint and calculated chaos. Every element feels precisely placed yet somehow organic, like constellations that only reveal their patterns after patient observation. It’s in these carefully crafted spaces between notes where Wallows truly shine, proving that evolution doesn’t mean abandoning roots – it means helping them grow deeper.
‘Bad Dream’ stands as a testament to the band’s refusal to stay in any prescribed lane. It’s the sound of three musicians who’ve outgrown their bedroom recording sessions but retained every ounce of the intimacy that made those early tracks sparkle. They’ve crafted something that feels both ambitious and authentic – a dream that’s all the more powerful for its comfy, bold reality. DAN HARRISON
99. Tate McRae – It’s ok I’m ok
Tate McRae’s ‘It’s Ok I’m Ok’ arrives like a bolt of lightning – illuminating, electrifying, and impossible to ignore because is already burning your house down. What began as a casual studio quip has transformed into one of the most compelling statements of McRae’s career so far.
Firmly established as the dancing queen of the pop powerhouse set, it’s yet another capital-M-Moment for Tate that feels like watching someone step confidently into their own light.
Working alongside hitmaking titans Ryan Tedder and Ilya Salmanzadeh, McRae has crafted something that sparkles with both nostalgia and nowness. The production wraps around her distinctive vocals like a designer leather jacket over a vintage band tee – premium modern flourishes complementing classic appeal, in a way that is absolutely styled and polished down to the smallest authentic touch. Early 2000s pop influences peek through like old friends at a new party, while contemporary electronic elements and R&B undertones keep everything firmly anchored in 2024.
What’s particularly striking about ‘It’s Ok I’m Ok’ is how it fits into the broader tapestry of McRae’s artistic evolution. A pure force of nature bursting through the pop bubble with endless kinetic energy, one thing’s for sure. Tate McRae doesn’t stand still for anyone. ANDREW WESCOTT
98. Amyl and The Sniffers – U Should Not Be Doing That
Amyl and The Sniffers have never been ones for polite society’s rulebook, and ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’ arrives as their latest raised middle finger to convention.
At its heart stands Amy Taylor, Melbourne’s finest purveyor of calculated mayhem, delivering lines about flashing Tokyo with the kind of gleeful abandon that would make even a seasoned shock-rocker blush. The band spend three glorious minutes demonstrating exactly why punk isn’t dead – it’s just been waiting for someone brave enough to grab it by the throat.
Under production wizard Nick Launay’s watch, they’ve discovered entirely new ways to be gloriously disruptive. The mid-tempo swagger hits harder than ever, guitars cutting through with murderous precision – evolution without domestication, danger without compromise. ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’is the best of a band that’s made an art form out of turning raised eyebrows into acts of wild abandon. As Taylor’s voice cuts through the chaos, you realise some rules exist purely for the joy of demolishing them. DAN HARRISON
97. Mannequin Pussy – Loud Bark
Mannequin Pussy’s ‘Loud Bark’ is a masterclass in controlled pressure. The verses coil with practiced restraint, each note deliberately measured, every beat calculated for maximum impact.
Then comes that chorus – not an explosion of chaos, but a perfect release of built tension. It’s the sound of a band who’ve learned that true power isn’t found in maximum destruction, but in knowing exactly how much force to apply. They’ve crafted something that pulls against its own chains with mechanical precision.
The genius lies in the band’s understanding of restraint versus release. In a world where everyone’s competing to make the most noise, Mannequin Pussy remember that tension is a weapon all of its own. ‘Loud Bark’ doesn’t need to break its leash – the real thrill is in watching it strain against one.
This isn’t aggression – it’s musical architecture. A perfectly constructed monument to the art of knowing exactly how hard to push. DAN HARRISON
96. BIG SPECIAL – BLACK DOG / WHITE HORSE
Just as the post-punk revival’s final wave crashes against the rocks of diminishing returns, BIG SPECIAL emerge from the Black Country with a reminder of why we fell for the genre in the first place.
‘Black Dog / White Horse’ is a statement of intent from a band who’ve watched the scene’s darlings trade their edge for experimentalism and decided to double down instead. They’ve taken post-punk’s basic building blocks and reconstructed them into something worthy of admiration.
At the heart of their debut album ‘Postindustrial Hometown Blues’, it stands as proof that you don’t need to abandon ship just because the trend-chasers have moved on. BIG SPECIAL have crafted something taut, propulsive and perfectly realised – a reminder that sometimes the most revolutionary act is remembering what made things great in the first place.
While everyone else is busy trying to reinvent themselves, BIG SPECIAL have broken through by simply being better, grittier, and more determined than the competition. ANDREW WESCOTT
95. Gracie Abrams – Close To You
2024 has been full of career-defining moments for Gracie Abrams, but the release of ‘Close to You’ felt particularly poignant. First teased as a snippet all the way back in 2017, fans have clamoured for the track to be released ever since, so its inclusion of ‘The Secret of Us’ was purely for those Gracie devotees.
The track sees her lean away from her usual melancholic sensibilities, instead embracing full pop stardom — upbeat synths, a euphoric chorus and causing an insatiable urge to dance along, ‘Close to You’ is an absolute celebration. It might lyrically see Gracie recall an obsessive, all-consuming crush, but it has come to symbolise more than that. It’s an ode and a testament to that relationship she shares with her fans, immortalising that magical bond in a track that is nothing short of pop excellence. NEIVE MCCARTHY
94. Squid – Crispy Skin
Squid’s ‘Crispy Skin’ is what happens when post-punk gets peckish. Inspired by the human-eating horrors of Agustina Bazterrica’s ‘Tender Is The Flesh’, it’s six-and-a-half minutes of musical cannibalism that turns good taste into questionable meals.
Under Dan Carey’s production, every element arrives perfectly prepared for maximum discomfort. The track doesn’t just flirt with its flesh-eating premise; it pulls up a chair and asks if you’ve considered the wine pairing.
As an appetiser for their upcoming album ‘Cowards’ (arriving February 7th), ‘Crispy Skin’ suggests Squid have developed quite the taste for moral darkness. They’ve turned post-punk’s favourite theme of societal decay into something far more literal – and made it impossible not to come back for seconds. Just don’t listen to it during dinner. DAN HARRISON
93. Antony Szmierek – The Great Pyramid of Stockport
Songs tend to cover similar ground, when you really boil them down – love, heartbreak, teenage dreams, glass pyramids in Northern towns. Well, that last one might only apply to Anthony Szmierek, whose idiosyncratic topic choice is attention-grabbing by any metric.
Luckily the song is more than worthy of the subject matter, all retro-futuristic instrumentals and clever lyrics mixing analogies of Stockport’s valley of the kings with themes of loyalty and a life well-lived. Most impressive of all, he does all that and makes it seem the most natural thing in the world. Stockport abandoned its valley of the kings, but Antony Szmierek is still keeping the faith. JAKE HAWKES
92. Alessi Rose – Oh My
There’s a classic charm Alessi Rose plays with on ‘Oh My’ that feels both wonderfully familiar and fresh-out-of-the-wrapper new. Rose has crafted the kind of pop song that doesn’t need to shout about its credentials – it simply sways into your consciousness with the confidence of someone who knows they’re about to become your new favourite thing.
What makes it special is how it takes those time-honoured pop foundations and builds something that sparkles with contemporary promise. Every element feels precisely calibrated for maximum impact, creating three-minutes-and-change of pure joy that’s impossible to resist. Rather than reinvent pop’s wheel, Rose remembers that sometimes the best moves are the ones that make you feel like you’re falling in love with music all over again.
‘Oh My’ isn’t just climbing playlists and racking up streams (though it’s doing plenty of both) – it’s establishing Rose as one of pop’s most exciting new prospects. As everyone else competing to be the coolest voice in the room, she’s crafted something that proves warmth is still the most powerful weapon we have. DAN HARRISON
91. SZA – Saturn
SZA has continued to tease ‘LANA’, the deluxe edition of ‘SOS’, throughout 2024, and ‘Saturn’ served as a formidable first glimpse. An existential meditation on seeking escape from mundanity and the stresses of day-to-day life, ‘Saturn’ remedies the anxieties it depicts through soothing instrumentals and gentle vocals.
The SZA we meet on ‘Saturn’ is one who has landed on what works for her and excels at it — her lyricism is at its best, and the dreamlike haze of the track is completely enthralling. ‘Saturn’ feels like a homage to both ‘CTRL’ and ‘SOS’ – the sensitive search for catharsis and peace of the former and the sonic world of the latter intertwine in the track’s lush beats. SZA settles into a thrilling new space with ‘Saturn’, one haunted by what has come before but with a great deal of promise yet to be explored. NEIVE MCCARTHY
Check back tomorrow for numbers 90 to 81.
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