The 50 best albums of 2024

Beabadoobee’s third album is a beautiful thing. She continues to document her coming of age through music, her journey of becoming a woman playing out through brilliant indie rock imbued with jazzy folk (‘Real Man’) and slacker rock (‘Beaches’). It’s all grounded by the throughline of Beabadoobee’s stellar lyricism and storytelling. HM

Multiple delays and Jordan Fish’s exit didn’t stop ‘Post Human: Nex Gen’ delivering on four years of hype. Reaffirming Bring Me The Horizon’s status as global rock titans, it breathlessly weaved between genres, arguably inventing new ones – hyperpop-metal and ‘future emo’ – along the way. Still, they continue to set new bars for modern metal. RS

Megan Thee Stallion unleashes her charismatic wit and searing venom on ‘Megan’. Leading with an iconic snake motif, it slithers effortlessly between callouts of misogyny in the rap game to viral odes to anime. This is the Houston rap star’s most cohesive and electrifying record to date. GY

Whispers of Britain’s next great guitar act rightfully turned into a racket when Wunderhorse unleashed ‘Midas’. Written to capture the dripping sweat of the live room, ‘Silver’ is blissful and raw while Kurt Cobain would approve of ‘July’. It’s visceral, impulsive – and the kids can’t get enough of it. RS

IDLES may have packed their expansive fifth album ‘TANGK’ with love songs and the odd restrained ode, but sonically and vocally, the Bristolians still sounded as visceral as ever. With a little help from LCD Soundsystem, they also looked good on the dancefloor. Look at them gooooo! DJ

The Cure may have ended 2024 by seeing in goth winter with a magnum opus, but it was NewDad who laid the table with spiderwebs and cracked crockery on this aching dose of glorious gloom, gossamer dream-pop and hazy shoegaze. ‘Madra’ is Irish for ‘dog’ – and this one is purebred. AT

Tyler, The Creator is a constant work-in-progress. On ‘Chromakopia’ he banishes his old selves; “that version of T you knew was a memory”, he raps on ‘Tomorrow’. And while it’s refreshing to see him confront an ego death, there’s still enough of the fun-loving, light-hearted Tyler to make this his most all-encompassing work to date. SS

The Welsh electronic wizard’s masterful fourth album lives up to its title. Gliding lithely between techno, trance and acid house, it’s a club pop behemoth filled with moments that capture the heady escape of the dance floor. When she sings “higher and higher I go, lifting it up”, we’re powerless to resist. NL

A new pop princess was crowned in 2024. After dominating the summer (and the charts) with the ridiculously catchy and downright inescapable ‘Espresso’, Sabrina Carpenter cemented her coronation with her sharp and saucy sixth album ‘Short N’ Sweet’, a winning, witty combination of bangers and ballads, country and all-out pop. BJ

On ‘Born In The Wild’, Tems spreads her wings. After two powerful but pint-sized EPs (not to mention the world-conquering Wizkid collab ‘Essence’), Temilade Openiyi finally made her long-awaited full-length debut in June. It’s compelling and capacious, an ambitious attempt to showcase all Tems’ multitudes – and proof that she was born for greatness. KG

In the aftermath of a breakup and a pandemic spent reckoning with his own demons, Bill Ryder Jones has emerged with a gorgeous record full of beauty and hope. ‘Iechyd Da’ will lure you in with its hushed tenderness and trap you with the startling rawness in Jones’ singing. Stunning. AR

From post-hardcore and alt-rock to country and synthpop, Halsey’s fifth album uses the music they grew up with to explore their fractured sense of identity. On this record, written while battling multiple life-threatening illnesses, she’s never sounded so raw or so passionate – or more removed from mainstream pop’s centre. It’s the bravest art she’s ever made. KSH

With ‘HEIS’, Rema has a tantalising masterpiece set to fill dancefloors for years. This feverish record collides the Benin City hero’s signature energetic Afro-rave style with grounded Afrobeats, the booming basslines and rolling drums knocking you back down to earth from your euphoric high. High-octane and a soon-to-be classic. KSW

Nilüfer Yanya has always been an unmistakable talent, but it was on album three that she came into a more effortless sense of cool. From the fractious opener ‘Keep On Dancing’ to the confident quiet of ‘Binding’s barely-there drums and guitar, ‘My Method Actor’ was the sound of an artist shrugging off self-consciousness. JW

Coming off a historic Grammy win in 2022, Arooj Aftab’s fourth solo album finds her getting darker – and more playful. Whether she’s singing love songs or lamentations, blending chamber folk, jazz or trip hop, Aftab’s voice is mesmerising, conjuring endless, rich colours from the black depths of the night. KSH

The best songs make you feel like everything is going to be OK and that you’re right where you need to be in that moment. Every second of this exquisite ode to old-school Americana by Waxahatchee – from its unhurried opener ‘3 Sisters’ to the warm country ballad ‘Right Back To It’ – will put you completely at ease. AF

“They say she’s good for an up-and-comer,” spits Karla Chubb on Sprints’ piercingly personal lesson in screaming into the mirror over matters of sexuality, anxiety and trauma. This irresistibly moshable album begs for a bigger audience but it’s already a victory for the Dublin garage punks: the satisfaction of when an ‘Up And Comer’ comes out on top. AT

Berwyn takes his incisive social commentary to the next level on his debut album. Dissecting UK immigration policy, narrating experiences of homelessness and addiction, and channeling that pain into love is a sizeable task. On unapologetically political but extremely listenable tracks like ‘Hate’ and ‘Who Am I’, Berwyn makes it look easy. FGS

It’s hard to recall a debut album from a girl group that’s as electrifying and lovingly crafted as FLO’s ‘Access All Areas’. The trio are not only true students of ’90s R&B but vocal powerhouses ready to push past nostalgia and tear up any and all (cardboard) boxes you’d put them in. ZWP

A powerful return from one of UK rap’s most underrated storytellers. Across juicy, mellow hip-hop, bouncing dub-drenched anthems, and viciously stripped-back industrial grime, the North London MC documents his experiences of subjugation and racialisation in modern Britain with an intoxicating blend of rage and humanity. FGS

tripleS are no ordinary K-pop group; with 24 members spread across multiple subunits, they’ve crafted an ever-changing, kaleidoscopic sound. You can hear it on their debut album ‘Assemble24’, a seamless, vibrant mix of retro-futuristic synthpop, R&B and acid funk. It’s a short but exhilarating ride – strap in and hold on tight. CB

On the surface, Amyl And The Sniffers’ ‘Cartoon Darkness’ nodded to doomscrolling subjects like climate change and the rise of artificial intelligence. Scratch beneath that, though, and there was plenty of fun to be had as the Aussie punk rockers got sweary and lairy (at the airport). One of their fieriest albums to date. DJ

On the hard-hitting yet soulful ‘Blue Lips’, ScHoolboy Q delves into highly personal themes of mourning, trauma and introspection. Despite the different modes Q operates in, it never feels overstuffed or messy. Instead, the chaos lends urgency to his complex thoughts, turning the record into some of his finest work in years. SS

This astonishingly intense collection of razor-sharp metalcore is an intimidating and engrossing leap forward from Grammy nominees Knocked Loose. Its 10 tracks encapsulate the pummelling, pitch-black best of modern heavy music in a merciless and immersive masterclass. You can practically feel its claws tightening around your neck as you press play. TM

Ten years in the making, Beth Gibbons’ debut solo album lived up to its title and meticulously found beauty in life’s pivotal moments of decline and regrowth. Capturing the ethereal charm that catapulted Portishead to fame, ‘Lives Outgrown’ isn’t only Gibbon’s most raw and grounding music to date, it’s also her most mesmerising. LD

While 2022’s debut introduced The Smile as a Radiohead side project, sophomore album ‘Wall Of Eyes’ established the band as an impressive peer. Nowhere before have Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood been heard quite like this, as they exceed even their own standards for technicality and dynamics, and take a step back to let each carefully constructed detail breathe. LD

For Ariana Grande, the highlight of her year is probably her dream role in the film adaptation of Wicked – but for us, it’s her vulnerable seventh studio album. ‘Eternal Sunshine’ finds Grande piecing together her own story in the aftermath of divorce, with unusually restrained vocal performances that emphasise the record’s introspective songwriting. ZWP

With ‘Prelude To Ecstasy’, The Last Dinner Party have proved the naysayers wrong and produced one of the strongest rock debuts in years. Across the flamboyant record, they weave tales of gothic romances and girlhood, showcase expert craftsmanship and dive deep into their boundless potential. A glamorous and brazenly confident debut. SS

Recorded straight to tape, ‘Bright Future’ shines in its candour. Shuffles of feet, subdued conversation and distant laughs forge an ideal, crackly backdrop for some of Adrianne Lenker’s most devastating lyricism to date, as she spins gold and warmth from the devastation of a love fated to a tragic demise. LM

With over 20 years’ experience of delivering razor-sharp lyricism and nimble flows, Ghetts stands at the height of his powers on the emotive ‘On Purpose, With Purpose’. The raw and candid album is a wonderfully head-whirling masterpiece that reaffirms his status as one of the UK’s most reliable and remarkable storytellers. KSW

In 2024 Confidence Man threw the best party that everyone was invited to. On the Aussie party-starters’ third album ‘3am (La La La)’, they take listeners on a hedonistic journey fuelled by careening breakbeats, ’90s rave and maximalist pop music. Each and every track is a exhilarating siren call to the dancefloor. HM

The South African pop princess’ debut album makes good on the promise of her Grammy-winning breakthrough hit ‘Water’. Featuring cameos from Tems and Travis Scott, it’s a fresh, club-ready blend of R&B, dancehall, amapiano and Afrobeats that proves Tyla can mine a vibe all of her own. NL

In a parallel universe, Nemahsis’ debut album was never released, halted by those scared of how she’s used her voice for Palestine. Thankfully, in our world, the artist backed herself and pushed forward with ‘Verbathim’, a forward-thinking, pop-leaning indie masterpiece that’s powerful and enthralling even stripped of its resilient context. RD

Clairo has always written introspective pop songs about basic human desires such as acceptance, love and connection. But on third album ‘Charm’ – from body image bop ‘Sexy To Someone’ to smooth ballad ‘Nomad’, concerning an imagined late-night hook-up – she finally felt confident enough to spell out her own wishes a bit more forcefully. AF

Few albums released in 2024 felt as packed with ideas as RM’s second solo album. But ‘Right Place, Wrong Person’ never felt overstuffed. As it took an exhilarating race through jazz, soaring indie and brutally honest hip-hop, the BTS rapper searched for his place in the world, disorientated but clinging to hope. RD

Mk.gee wielded few tools when crafting the spacious, understated songs of ‘Two Star & The Dream Police’. All the better to beguile you with: glimmering production, unplaceable guitar tones, smouldering lyrics and his own voice, which goes from a quiet murmur to a cracked yell. One of 2024’s most beautiful and fascinating albums. KG

“Kahlua shooter, DUI scooter,” MJ Lenderman drawls on ‘Joker Lips’. Economy is the Wednesday guitarist’s watchword on solo album ‘Manning Fireworks’. That devastating precision gives his portraits of sad-sacks, losers and egotists either a withering edge or empathetic nuance – sometimes both in the same song. An understated triumph. KG

Cheeky, clever, countercultural: this is everything you want in a debut album. The Belfast trio get gacked with glee on ‘Fine Art’, unleashing a brand-new vocabulary of Irish words for their hijinks along with some of the deadliest festival tunes of 2024. To disgruntled parents, we say: Tá fáilte romhat! AR

Several moments of Kendrick Lamar’s surprise sixth album already feel iconic, not least his explosive scream of “MUSTAAAAARD!” in ‘TV Off’ (another anthem produced by the ‘Not Like Us’ beatmaker). Lamar’s beef with Drake was a defining musical story of 2024, and he ended the year on his terms with this punchy, precise record. FGS

A two-hour opus of phantasmal rock’n’roll and ’60s girl group-style pop, ‘Diamond Jubilee’ seemed to have drifted in from another realm. Cindy Lee (art-rocker Patrick Flegel’s drag alter ego) paired the scratchy aesthetics of ’90s indie with a masterful ear for melody; it was like being haunted by a glamorous ghost. JB

Blending humour and heartbreak, Rachel Chinouriri wrote herself into the indie-pop books with her diaristic debut. Matching her signature soft vocal with punchy guitars and high-impact emotion, ‘What A Devastating Turn of Events’ perfectly captured the spirit of youthful Britishness without shying away from diasporic challenges. JW

On her third album, the doyenne of bedroom pop is more daring than ever. Billie Eilish’s vocals show new range, she and producer Finneas aren’t afraid to play around with conventional song structures, and her lyrics are pithy and piercing. The lead single’s standout line – “I could eat that girl for lunch” – is just the beginning. NL

“No matter how much rage I approach the [songwriting] process with,” Mustafa told NME earlier this year, “it’s always translated into a kind of grace.” Fury and grief transmuted into wounded beauty: that is the Toronto artist’s sublime record ‘Dunya’, which weaves frayed threads of home, faith, belonging, loss and more into a captivating tapestry. KG

Narratives surrounding Beyoncé’s eighth studio album had it pegged as a country record. But when taken as a whole, ‘Cowboy Carter’ was an eclectic ode to Southern American culture. From trap and bounce to gospel and soul, it was a masterclass in creativity from an artist who never forgets her roots. JW

You wait 16 years for a new Cure album, and then Robert Smith releases a late-career masterpiece and reckons he has another two records on the way. Inspired by grief but shot through with hope, on the sprawling ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ the band lived up to sky-high expectations without compromise. JB

Magdalena Bay have truly beat the sophomore slump with the ambitious ‘Imaginal Disk’. The record begins as you might expect a grand concept album to start: with main character True inserting a magical disc into her forehead to transform into her ideal self. But instead of her shiny new identity, True’s body rejects the disc, leaving her with her underwhelming, human self.

Cue ‘Imaginal Disk’, which blends smooth rock, psychedelia and disco to give one of the funkiest examinations of the human condition. Straddling the line between considered craftsmanship and straight-up bangers, ‘Imaginal Disk’ is sophistipop at its finest. AR

It’s one thing to revitalise jungle music for an entirely new generation; it’s another to do so with the vulnerability that Nia Archives does. When the party stops, Nia keeps going – and soundtracking her isolation, grief and anxiety is ‘Silence Is Loud’.

Buoyed by addictive breakbeats, Nia shows off a keen ear for anthemic hooks and gutting songwriting. Who else hasn’t cooed the shrill siren call of ‘Silence is Loud’, or sung their hearts out to the insanely catchy ‘Crowded Rooms’? The blend of Britpop and jungle is genius – a brilliantly beautiful debut. AR

A surprise Mercury Prize win amidst the neon green mania of ‘Brat’ summer, Yorkshire indie nerds English Teacher’s flawless and fully formed ‘This Could Be Texas’ is the definitive debut album of 2024: an adventure in sound and words that finds a beautiful balance as a celebration of outsiderism that’s somehow constantly warm and welcoming.

From the stars (‘Not Everyone Gets To Go To Space’) to the gutter (‘Albert Road’) and back again, this album is bedded in heart, humour and humanity. A bang from the starting pistol that’ll be heard for years to come, it speaks to where we’re at and begs the exciting question of where English Teacher could go next. AT

“Will someone / Find out what the word is / That makes the world go round?” Grian Chatten asks on ‘Horseness Is The Whatness’. “’Cause I thought it was ‘love’.” If any lyric on ‘Romance’ serves as the album’s manifesto, it’s those lines – highlighting its searching nature, exploring ups, downs and many iterations of the titular feeling.

Fontaines D.C.’s fourth album was jaw-dropping not just in this philosophical quest, but in its continuation of the band’s expansive evolution. Drenched in apocalyptic dread, it mixed noirish cinematics, grunge, shoegaze and lurching hip-hop beats, displaying the unmatched levels of ambition and sheer brilliance that we’ve come to expect from them. RD

She told us so in February. “It’s obvious / I’m your number one,” Charli declared with uncanny confidence on ‘Von Dutch’ – way before anyone was calling themselves “so Julia”, before neon green became the must-wear shade, before anyone knew what an ‘Apple’ dance was… before ‘Brat’ by Charli XCX became the best album of 2024.

‘Brat’ as cultural sensation was a sight to behold, to be sure. But ‘Brat’ as an album – the record at the core of the rollout, the music beneath the marketing – is quite simply exceptional. As a songwriter and lyricist, Charli has spent much of her career oscillating between the poles of unfuckwithable attitude and naked vulnerability. ‘Brat’ moves effortlessly along the scale, giving us bulletproof bangers that remain wrenchingly human. This album is not only peak Charli, but a new bar set for modern pop. KG