Here it is, just what you’ve been waiting for…my favorite releases of 2024. It’s a long list, because I dig a lot of stuff. (In fact, it’s so long that if you’re reading this via email it’s gonna get truncated and you’ll have to go to the website or app to read the rest. Oops.) It’s got everything from punk to post-punk to electronica to harsh noise to soul to indie pop to jazz to ambient country to folk, and so much more. I’m not dividing it up by genre because some things fit into multiple genres and I find that labeling things with a specific style of music can turn people off of something before they’ve even given it a chance. So I just put it in alphabetical order.
A few notes: Where available, I included record label and release date info, as well as Bandcamp links. The list includes LPs, EPs, and singles; EPs and singles are noted alongside the release date info, the rest are LPs. Releases in bold text are my top-tier favorites; the rest are things I really enjoyed but wouldn’t call ‘ultimate faves’—many simply because I haven’t had the chance to give them super close listens, yet. But suffice it to say, if it’s on here, I dug it in some way.
A Thousand Leaves - Loops 2024 (Husk, August 7)
Adult DVD - Next Day Shipping (EP; September 6)
Ain’t - Oar (single; fear of missing out records, May 22) and Teething (single; fear of missing out records, September 16)
Alden Derck & Shannon Sheridan - What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie? (October 2)
Alison Cotton - Engelchen (Rocket Recordings, March 15)
Amy Rigby - Hang in There with Me (Tapete Records, August 30)
Amyl and the Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness (October 25)
Ana Tijoux - Vida (January 18)
Bart and the Brats - Can’t Think Straight (EP; February 16)
Beatrix - s/t (EP; Kontakt Group, May 24)
Bermuda Squares - Outsider (Feel It Records, May 17)
Bibi Club - Feu de garde (May 10)
Blondshell - What’s Fair (single; Partisan Records, August 21)
BODEGA - Our Brand Could Be Yr Life (Chrysalis Records, April 12)
Boris the Sprinkler - Boris Gets a Clue (EP; Rum Bar, July 12)
Boston Babies - s/t (Slovenly Recordings, March 27)
BOYHOOD - Shells (EP; November 22)
Cara Beth Satalino - Little Green (May 3)
The Cardinal Sins - Paddy on the Railway (feat. The Tossers) (single; Singular Recordings, October 9)
Chat Pile - Cool World (The Flenser, October 11)
The Chisel - What a Fucking Nightmare (Pure Noise Records, February 9)
Chris Cohen - Paint a Room (Hardly Art, July 12)
Civil Rats - Don’t Get It. (EP; March 1)
Cock Sparrer - Hand on Heart (Chase the Ace, April 5)
Cold Cave - Passion Depression (Heartworm Press, October 15)
The Courettes - The Soul of…The Fabulous Courettes (Damaged Goods Records, September 27)
Cosey Mueller - Softcore (October 3)
Cowtown - Fear Of… (Gringo Records, May 31)
The Cure - Songs of a Lost World (Polydor Records, November 1)
The Darts - Boomerang (Alternative Tentacles, April 26)
De Klok - Stop the Clock (disques de la spiral, December 6)
Dehd - Poetry (Fat Possum Records, May 10)
Der Anna - Breakthrough (music from ass, October 5)
The Devil Makes Three - Spirits (single; New West Records, October 31)
Dog Party - Dangerous (Sneak Dog Records, May 17)
Einstürzende Neubauten - Rampen (apm: alien pop music) (Potomak, April 5)
Ellah Olson - Backbone (EP; Bridge Records, November 22)
Ejaculators - Wank Generation (EP; General Speech Records, July 8)
English Teacher - This Could Be Texas (Island Records, April 12)
Essential Logic - Beat Rhythm News (Waddle Ya Play?) [Deluxe 2024 Remaster] (Hiss and Shake Records, December 20)
E.T. Explore Me - Drug Me (Voodoo Rhythm, January 19)
Excess Blood - s/t (EP; Impotent Fetus, June 28)
Faerybabyy - Lucky Star (EP; May 24)
Fastbacks - For WHAT Reason! (No Threes Records, August 28)
Faz Waltz - Endless Beat (February 24)
Fontaines D.C. - Romance (August 23)
Formal Sppeedwear - s/t (EP; Melodic, May 3)
Gagbags - s/t (EP; No Front Teeth Records, September 15)
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - Woodland (Acony Records, August 23)
Girl Fit - s/t (EP; Floating Skull, October 23)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD (Constellation, October 4)
Green Day - Saviors (Reprise Records, January 19)
Gustaf - Package, Pt. 2 (Royal Mountain Records, April 5)
Gylt - I WILL COMMIT A HOLY CRIME (EP; August 2)
Habibi - Dreammachine (Kill Rock Stars, May 31)
Half Human - Shape Language (Specious Arts, August 9)
The Hard Quartet - s/t (Matador Records, October 4)
Heather the Jerk - Not Very Motorcycle (December 6)
Hermanos Gutiérrez - Sonido Cósmico (June 14)
Hot Chip & Sleaford Mods - Nom Nom Nom / Cat Burglar (single; Domino Recording Co, November 26)
Hot Water Music - VOWS (Equal Vision Records, May 10)
IDLES - TANGK (Partisan Records, February 16)
The In-Fuzzed - Fuzz Out!! (Wattsville, September 6)
Iron & Wine - Light Verse (Sub Pop Records, April 26)
Ist Ist - Light a Bigger Fire (Kind Violence Records, September 20)
Jacket Burner - Short Fuse (EP; February 22)
JD McPherson - Nite Owls (New West Records, September 27)
The Jesus and Mary Chain - Glasgow Eyes (March 22)
Jim White & Marisa Anderson - Swallowtail (Thrill Jockey, May 10)
Kate Clover - The Apocalypse Dream (SongVest Records, April 5)
Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds - That Delicious Vice (In The Red, April 19)
Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More (November 22)
Kim Gordon - The Collective (March 8)
Kneecap - Fine Art (Heavenly Recordings, June 14)
Knife Massage - Dan Francisco (EP; FATcut Records, September 14)
Knowso - Pulsating Gore (Sorry State Records, January 5)
The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy (February 2)
Laura Cannell & Laurie Goldston - The Deer Are Small and the Rabbits Are Big (August 23)
Laura Marling - Patterns in Repeat (Chrysalis Records, October 25)
Lava La Rue - STARFACE (Dirty Hit, July 19)
The Lemon Twigs - A Dream is All We Know (Captured Tracks, May 3)
LOMA - How Will I Live Without a Body? (Sub Pop Records, June 28)
Los Campesinos! - All Hell (Heart Swells, July 19)
Th’ Losin Streaks - Last House (Slovenly Recordings, February 2)
Lothario - Hogtied (Good Grief, September 6)
Love Fiend - Handle With Care (In The Red, July 12)
Loveshovel - The Only Good Thing I’m Bad At (February 2)
Łysol - Down the Street (EP; Feel It Records, March 22)
Mala Vista - Fun Time (Spaghetty Town Records, March 1)
Mary in the Junkyard - this is my california / bear walk (single; AMF Collective, December 4)
The Meffs - What a Life (Bottles to the Ground, September 13)
Mekons - You’re Not Singing Anymore (single; Fire Records, November 19)
Membrains - s/t (April 30)
Memo PST - s/t (In The Red, May 17)
Meta Meat - Voices (EP; ant-zen, February 8)
Micah Schnabel - The Clown Watches the Clock (April 21)
Mt. Joy - Highway Queen (single; Bloom Field Records / Neon Gold Records, March 8)
MX LONELY - Spit (EP; Candlepin Records, February 6)
The Mystery Lights - Purgatory (Wick Records, September 13)
Nap Eyes - The Neon Gate (Paradise of Bachelors, October 18)
Negative Gears - Moraliser (Static Shock Records, July 12)
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Wild God (August 30)
NO BRAINS - Cheap Shot (PLATO UTRECHT RECORDS, March 22)
No Teeth - Decadence in Breeding (Post Post Music, June 21)
Nouvelle Vauge - Should I Stay Or Should I Go? (Kwaidan Records, February 16)
O.C. Rippers - Is There a Gun in This House? (EP; Thirsty Mutant Recs, February 29)
The Okmoniks - Afterparty Fever!!! (Slovenly Recordings, September 2)
Old 97’s - American Primitive (ATO Records, April 5)
Old Saw - Dissection Maps (Worried Songs, June 21)
PACKS - Melt the Honey (Fire Talk, January 19)
Pain Chain - Grief Eater (EP; August 29)
Peter Perrett - The Cleansing (Domino Recording Co. Ltd., November 1)
Pharmakon - Maggot Mass (October 4)
Pinhead Gunpowder - UNT (October 18)
Pork Belly - I’m Okay You’re Okay Everything Is Okay (EP; February 17)
Pure Intention - Faults and Fallacies (EP; What’s For Breakfast? Records, March 16)
PyPy - Sacred Times (Goner, October 18)
RVG - Don’t Take It Badly / Pet Sematary (single; Fire Records, August 22)
Salt Cathedral - Before It’s Gone (March 22)
Sarah Shook and the Disarmers - Revelations (Abeyance Records, March 29)
Secret Emchy Society - Old Midwestern (single; September 7)
Shadow Show - Fantasy Now! (Stolen Body Records, February 16)
Shop Regulars - s/t (EP; June 7)
The Shivas - Can’t Stop Coming Around (Tender Loving Empire Records, July 30)
Sick Fizz - The Future is the Pits (January 26)
The Silent Treatment - Suplex in 10! (Razed in the City Records, January 1)
Sin Bad - It’s Final (EP; January 23)
The Sleazoids - The Cult of the Sleazoids (Spin Out Music, February 29)
The Sleeveens - s/t (Dirtnap Records, February 9)
Slugger CA - Dead State (November 15)
Smokers - The Rat That Gnawed the Rope (June 14)
Soup Activists - Mummy What Are Flowers For? (Inscrutable Records, April 4)
The Speed Humps - Anonymous (April 26)
Split System - Vol. 2 (Goner, February 9)
Steak Blake - This One (EP; Just Step Sideways, June 26)
The Submissives - Live at Value Sound Studios (Celluloid Lunch, October 11)
Superchunk / Quivers - Fire in the Western World / Pass the Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind (single; Merge Records, October 31)
SUSS - Birds and Beasts (Northern Spy, June 28)
Suzi Analogue - ONEZ (Disciples, May 31)
Tentative Decisions - Public Access (Sockhead Records, December 13)
Three Lices and a Molly - Maybe We’ll Hug Each Other in a Past Life
The Tony Slug Experience - s/t (Suburban Records, May 3)
Tuba Skinny - Hot Town (April 26)
UltraBomb - Dying to Smile (DC-Jam Records, June 7)
Vice Vera - Lunacy (single; October 25) and Tourist (single; April 19)
Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood (ANTI, March 22)
Weak Signal - Fine (12XU, September 20)
Wild Billy Childish and The Chatham Singers - Step Out! (Damaged Goods Records, December 22)
Witch Bolt - Bellow (July 27)
X - Smoke & Fiction (Fat Possum Records, August 2)
Yard Act - Where’s My Utopia? (Island Records, March 1)
YOBS - s/t (Fuzz Club, May 3)
Zoufris Maracas - La Course Folle (Ankataa, September 27)
Various Artists - Electronic Mayhem, Volume 1 (EP)
Various Artists - Yesterday and Today: DC Does Dischord (For Love of Records)
Okay, that’s it. I’ve gotta get back to writing the real shit, and in the meantime you’ve got a lot of tunes to check out. Happy 2025. Stay free, resist all systems of oppression, and enjoy yourself when you can.
xoxo,
RBJ