Let’s be honest – trying to sum up a year in music is like attempting to explain Matty Healy to your grandparents or giving a sensible answer when someone asks you, ‘What kind of music do you like?’. It’s messy, it’s subjective and someone is definitely going to disagree with you in the comments.
But here we are again, Dear Reader, doing what we do best: Ranking things and having opinions about them. 2024 has been the kind of year that makes music journalists reach for increasingly elaborate metaphors – a year where artificial intelligence tried to write pop songs (badly), where every other week brought another “unexpected” collaboration, and where pop girlies ruled all.
From bedroom pop breakthroughs to stadium-sized statements, from heartbreak to hyperpop, we’ve listened to it all. Multiple times. Probably while crying in the shower or doing our silly little tasks or commuting to our silly little jobs. These are the albums that made 2024 feel less like a simulation and more like somewhere we actually want to be – ranked meticulously, debated passionately, and served up with a signature side of mild sass. Strap in. Things are about to get opinionated.
50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
50. Pale Waves – Smitten
There’s always been a spark at the heart of everything Pale Waves. A dose of magic, a glint of something special, that has guided them through different chapters across their three studio albums. It’s indescribable and irresistible. ‘Smitten‘ embraces that emphatically: an album of soaring ambition and unstoppable pop hooks ready to be the go-to coming-of-age album of 2024. An irresistible soundtrack to a modern diary of love and life, ‘Smitten’ is the sound of that Pale Waves spark turning into a headline firework display.
Top Track: ‘Perfume’
Fun Fact: Pale Waves played a secret show at 100 Club, London ahead of their comeback for us, performing under the name Perfume.
Get a copy of our October issue of Dork with Pale Waves on the cover
49. AMYL & THE SNIFFERS – Cartoon Darkness
Sometimes, we need to state the obvious, so here we go. Amyl & The Sniffers’ ‘Cartoon Darkness‘ is a riotous punk manifesto that cements their status as one of the most exciting bands on the planet. It crackles with raw energy, Amy Taylor’s feral vocals making it clear they’re not tempering their approach. The album tackles climate change and AI with the quartet’s trademark fury and humour. At its core, ‘Cartoon Darkness’ is a call to arms. Have fun, but fucking pay attention with it.
Top Track: ‘Jerkin’
Fun Fact: The album was recorded at Foo Fighters’ Studio 606 in California.
48. SOFT PLAY – Heavy Jelly
SOFT PLAY have crafted an album that pushes boundaries and challenges expectations. ‘HEAVY JELLY‘ is a bold statement from a band reborn, unafraid to explore new territories while remaining true to their core identity. It’s an impressive return that promises exciting possibilities to come. So strap in, turn it up, and let SOFT PLAY melt your face off with their genre-defying, expectation-shattering, absolutely bonkers new album. Your ears will thank you. Eventually.
Top Track: ‘Punk’s Dead’
Fun Fact: Yes, that is actually Robbie Williams doing vocals on ‘Punk’s Dead’. Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be? Glorious levels of pop nonsense.
Get a copy of our August issue of Dork featuring Soft Play on the cover
47. TAYLOR SWIFT – The Tortured Poets Department
‘The Tortured Poets Department‘ is an exploration of heartbreak, healing, and self-discovery. An album likely to spark countless think-pieces and dissections by Swifties eager to decipher every lyric and hidden meaning, it’s a deeply personal work that rewards multiple listens, offering a glimpse into the emotional landscape of one of pop’s most captivating artists. In an era of manufactured narratives and fleeting trends, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ offers up raw emotion in return.
Top Track: ‘But Daddy I Love Him’
Fun Fact: It took Taylor literally hours to release an expanded edition of the album, with 15 extra songs included.
46. MJ LENDERMAN – Manning Fireworks
MJ Lenderman’s reputation has soared through his work with alt-rock band Wednesday, solo albums, and collaboration with Waxahatchee on ‘Tigers Blood’. His third solo record, ‘Manning Fireworks‘, proves to be one of the year’s finest rock albums. His songwriting shines with memorable, funny lines and perfect mood capture, from the yearning country of the title track to the breezy pop of ‘Joker Lips’. Whether soft and delicate or chunky and satisfying, he’s a modern master at work, especially when he unleashes his brilliant guitar solos.
Top Track: ‘She’s Leaving You’
Fun Fact: MJ is a big fan of basketball.
45. ST. VINCENT – All Born Screaming
There has always been an underlying darkness to the guitar-wielding eccentricity of St Vincent, but ‘All Born Screaming‘ is an outright horror show. Like Bowie meets Nine Inch Nails through Annie Clark’s singular genius, this album pits art-pop against industrial noise. Self-produced, with guests including Cate Le Bon and Dave Grohl, Clark proves herself a true master of her craft. The album waltzes through dystopian fiction before delivering existentialism and rebirth, confidently establishing Clark as one of today’s greatest songwriters.
Top Track: ‘Big Time Nothing’
Fun Fact: St. Vincent has also released a Spanish language version of ‘All Born Screaming’.
44. FAT DOG – WOOF.
Fat Dog aren’t a band likely to tread on eggshells. If they’ve got something to say, they’ll hit you in the face with it. It’s this total confidence that simmers and soars in debut album, ‘WOOF.’. Fat Dog create a sardonic, doom-struck landscape by mixing high BPM electronica, N64-style retro synth beats, and sweeping orchestral breaks. It’s the apocalypse, so you might as well have some fun with it. Cinematic and superbly absurd, Fat Dog haven’t just given you a taste of what Doomsday will look like; they’ve got you actively looking forward to it. One of Britain’s brightest sparks is igniting, whether you’re ready or not.
Top Track: ‘King of the Slugs’
Fun Fact: Fat Dog are ridiculous.
43. MAYA HAWKE – Chaos Angel
There’s more to Maya Hawke than folk songs and famous parents. Her third record pirouettes away from those acoustic beginnings like a ballerina who’s just discovered electric guitars. Threading Greek myths through bedroom confessionals, it’s the sonic equivalent of finding Perseus’s shield in your ex’s apartment – reflective, dangerous, and impossible to look away from.
Top Track: ‘Missing Out’
Fun Fact: In her Dork cover feature (June 2024), Maya explained the album’s mission statement was, in part, inspired by an old Hawke family expression – “Why do it right when you can do it yourself?”
Get yourself a copy of our June 2024 issue featuring Maya Hawke on the cover
42. GURRIERS – Come and See
There’s a lot in the world to be angry about. Irish punk five-piece Gurriers have taken all of this fury and created ‘Come And See‘, a firecracker of a debut album that catapults them into the eye of the storm. From the moment ‘Nausea’ kicks in, Gurriers drag you through an unrelenting exposé on modern life. The Clash-like lyricism and thrashing guitars create perfectly restrained chaos, teetering between carnage and precision. It’s unambiguous, unapologetic, and quite frankly unbelievable. Among the current crop of new Irish bands, Gurriers deserve to be at the top.
Top Track: ‘Top Of The Bill’
Fun Fact: Their band name means “lout, ruffian, or street urchin”.
41. MK.GEE – Two Star & The Dream Police
After years of making everyone else’s records shimmer like diamonds, Michael Gordon’s finally stepped into the spotlight – and what a dazzling debut it is. These 33 minutes feel like that perfect moment between sleeping and waking, where everything’s drenched in dream-logic and reverb. It’s the kind of record that makes you feel like you’ve snuck into the coolest after-hours jam session in town – one where Kevin Parker’s manning the mixing desk and Beach House are providing the vibes.
Top Track: ‘Are You Looking Up’
Fun Fact: The album has found fans in Justin Vernon, SZA and Eric Clapton.
Leave a Reply