The 30 Best Albums of 2024 So Far
The 30 Best Albums of 2024 So Far
It’s been a good year for music. Plus, 30 more great honorable mentions at the bottom of this list.
If you spend a decent amount of your free time discovering artists, chances are you’ll think “Wow, this a good year for new music.” Some years—like 2020—were rough but more often than not, you’ll find great LPs to dive into if you look hard enough. That said, 2024 feels especially excellent. I’ve wondered if this year is actually as outstanding as I think or if it’s just because I run a weekly newsletter devoted to new releases. Either way, I had trouble narrowing down this mid-point annual list to just 30 albums, which is admittedly a lot. I even included 30 more LPs in the “Honorable mentions” section at the bottom and still, I feel like I’m missing a ton. Those albums not blurbed are worth your time too.
Before I go any further, I want to reiterate: This is just the opinion of a 32-year-old dude who lives in Chicago. I no longer work for a music publication or really freelance anymore (I’m the Newsletter Producer for WTTW News, which is not a music writing job). I’ve also given up on trying to cover everything (no one wants to read me on Brat, I promise you). This is a small sliver of what came out this year and a narrow, indie rock and Midwest-focused list. There are huge, critically acclaimed LPs missing from this roundup and it’s not a personal slight if your favorite isn’t here.
Now, before my job at PBS, I paid some of my bills by writing press bios for new albums. While that would ethically exclude me from writing about them for a paid publication, I can and do write about them in my personal newsletter. Those will have an asterisk attached next to the LP title. Also, because I’ve written about several of these LPs in No Expectations, several write-ups below are edited and repurposed from earlier editions. With a full-time job and other obligations, I did not want to rewrite 30 blurbs.
All that is to say it’s been a blast writing about music at No Expectations and I hope you’ve found a band you love because of it. Thanks for being here. It has meant and still means the world. Consider buying the artist’s record if you find one you like. (Once you do that, a paid sub to No Expectations is always appreciated and keeps the lights on here).
Adrianne Lenker, Bright Future
This might be a controversial opinion but I truly believe Adrianne Lenker is the closest thing my generation has come to having its own Bob Dylan. From every Big Thief record to her solo career, few contemporary songwriters match her evocative, innovative lyrics and staggering consistency from album to album. While this sounds hyperbolic, 2022’s Big Thief LP Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You and this year’s solo effort Bright Future make me confident in this spicy take. On the latter, the tracklist sequencing is especially inspired. It opens with both the album’s most difficult and emotional song, “Real House,” a stark and sparse account of a particularly traumatic childhood memory. From there, the palate softens into the accessible but still resonant “Sadness Is a Gift.” She has a knack for timelessness and certain songs have such a familiar grace that it’s breathtaking.
Astrid Sonne, Great Doubt
Danish artist Astrid Sonne has such an unorthodox and beguiling album in Great Doubt. It threads the needle between airy avant-pop and brooding, menacing electronic but it’s all grounded in the London-based composer and violist’s sturdy compositions. While she sheds the experimentalism of her previous efforts for a comparatively straightforward singer-songwriter LP, the songs still surprise and shock throughout. “Do you wanna” and “Give my all” are both subtle but jaw-droppingly potent. If you play this for a friend, you’re going to get a “Whoa, what’s this?” immediately. If you dug last year’s LP from fellow Danish act ML Buch (who’s longtime friends with Sonne), you’ll love this too.
Blue Ranger, Close Your Eyes
The Albany, New York-based group Blue Ranger thrives in a muted palette of rustic, anxious folk on their new full-length Close Your Eyes. These songs boast a tangible heart that’s relentlessly charming even if it occasionally gets on edge, especially on “Step Line” and the rocking “As Simple Goes.” The title track slowly builds with a woozy slide guitar introducing subtle synths and fiddle. The gradual, mundane steps to revelation are Blue Ranger’s magic. The band is guitarist Josh Marré, his identical twin and multi-instrumentalist Evan, drummer Matt Griffin, and violinist Connor Armbruster. Armbruster’s violin is their secret weapon, lending lush, gorgeous textures to these songs that can turn menacing and dissonant in a split second.
Bonny Light Horseman, Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free
When Bonny Light Horseman, the supergroup of Anaïs Mitchell, Fruit Bats’ Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman, released their debut record in January 2020 it hit me like a ton of bricks, especially on the single “Deep In Love.” Their third album—a double LP called Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free—hits just as hard. To some extent, every song feels like a songwriting masterclass. While short interstitial tracks titled things like “grinch / funeral” and “think of the royalties, lads” might make you think they’re half-assing it, everything is so strikingly intentional on this record. There’s the gorgeous harmonies between Mitchell and Johnson on “Old Dutch” and the impeccable chorus on “Tumblin’ Down.” This is just immaculate songwriting and it’s all jaw-droppingly pretty.
Cavalier, Different Type Time
Speaking to Passion of the Weiss, Brooklyn-born and New Orleans-based rapper Cavalier explained why he named his first album since 2018 in Different Type Time. “Different Type Time came about in me processing that I wasn’t obligated to move at the speed of binge-watch or streaming culture,” he says. Six years is worth the wait on his debut for the influential hip-hop label Backwoodz. Across 21 tracks, it’s clear the painstaking perfectionism and patient songwriting worked out. Throughout, Cavalier floats over understated but atmospheric beats. Different Type Time finds its resonance in small moments and Cavalier’s deft, blink-and-you-miss-it wordplay. At nearly an hour runtime, it never loses steam despite maneuvering in a mellow, mid-tempo zone. It’s immersive, vibrant writing paired with simmering and mesmerizing arrangements.
Ducks Ltd, Harm’s Way*
Toronto duo Ducks Ltd’s latest LP Harm’s Way has been on constant rotation since I wrote the bio for it in August. It boasts a precise and infectious take on jangle-pop and ‘80s college rock that’s both raucous and for the heads. Each track from Tom McGreevy and Evan Lewis is imbued with propulsive energy, careening riffs, and a keen sense of timeless power-pop melodies. As a bonus to make this perfectly my shit, Tom and Evan recorded this in Chicago with a bunch of local guests like Ratboys’ Julia Steiner, Dehd’s Jason Balla, Lawn’s Rui Gabriel, and more. This is yet another case of the Toronto-to-Chicago connection being stronger than ever and a record that you must experience live. Ducks put on a hell of a show.
Esy Tadesse, Ahadu
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Esy Tadesse moved to the States in 2011 to attend the Los Angeles College of Music. Still based in California, Tadesse released the enthralling LP Ahadu via the Oak Park label FPE Records. It’s an amalgamation of mellow Ethiopian music and desert blues mixed with Western jazz, ambient, and singer-songwriter flourishes. Largely instrumental, it’s a perfect Sunday morning record. “Lideta” pairs lush guitars with warm synths while the minute-long title track introduces disorienting electronic effects into the mix. Even when it’s a challenging listen, its beauty always takes hold. Special shoutout to Bandcamp Daily for highlighting this release in May: I don’t think I would’ve found it otherwise.
Finom, Not God
Finom is the long-running duo of Chicagoans Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart. Since 2014, they’ve made some of the most inventive, playful, and impressive art-rock across four albums and three band name changes. (They started as Homme, then Ohmme, and now they’re Finom). In 2017, I wrote at VICE that they are “the heart of Chicago’s music community” and it’s still true. Since then, their community building, welcoming vibe, and uncompromising approach to their music have only strengthened. Finom’s fourth LP, the Jeff Tweedy-produced Not God, is their strongest yet. It’s still knotty and adventurous indie rock with pristine vocal harmonies but here, they’ve honed some of their pop sensibilities for a tighter, more confident, and wholly mesmerizing effort. “Haircut” boasts a Devo-like bounce while a surging post-punk groove anchors the highlight “Hungry.” Think of it as Kate Bush performed by Deerhoof or if Joni Mitchell signed to Drag City in the ‘90s.
Friko, Where we’ve been, where we go from here
In the second-ever No Expectations newsletter in December 2022, I raved about seeing Friko play Metro with opening bands Lifeguard and Cafe Racer (RIP). I wrote, “Indie rock lately can feel insular and claustrophobic but Friko isn’t afraid to make it feel huge, cathartic, and totally earnest.” At the time, Friko (which is composed of singer Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger) had only a self-released EP out and hadn’t started recording what would become Where we’ve been, Where we go from here. Still, there was a lot of buzz then (I spotted a bunch of music industry folks and booking agents precariously trying to fit in the young crowd) and it’s been a steady build until this debut. Now on the label ATO, the Chicago band lives up to whatever sky-high expectations the hype cycle can spark. Opener “Where We’ve Been” showcases Kapetan’s dynamic and powerhouse voice: it warbles vulnerably at the start but slowly builds to a hair-raising howl. There are several fantastic and theatrical songs here. It deserves every accolade.
Good Looks, Lived Here For A While*
After Good Looks released their excellent 2022 debut LP Bummer Year, the bummers kept coming to the band. Guitarist Jake Ames was the victim of a hit-and-run after their hometown release show in Austin, TX, fracturing his skull and tailbone with brain injuries that forced him to relearn the guitar. Once he recovered and they got ready to tour again, the whole band was in a fiery van accident. While their sophomore record Lived Here For A While was written prior to these horrific, near-death experiences, it is a document of a resilient band whose bond was made stronger by Going Through It Together. I was honored to write the bio for this and while I’m biased, I think it’s one of the finest rock records you’ll hear all year. It’s conversational, accessible, and full-throated indie rock with big riffs and a bigger heart.
Hannah Frances, Keeper of the Shepherd
This is the best album I’ve heard in 2024. From the very first song on Keeper of the Shepherd, Hannah Frances solidifies herself as a singular, uncompromising talent. Each mystifying tune here feels timeless, combining the knottiest parts of folk with sweeping energy and her powerful voice. The opener “Bronwyn” and the title track elegantly unfold with vividly rendered full-band arrangements but the more minimalist numbers soar with the same urgency. It feels crude to mention excellent RIYL acts like Cate Le Bon, Sandy Denny, or The Weather Station when talking about this album because right now, Frances feels peerless. Every time I revisit, I find a new, awe-inspiring wrinkle to get lost in.
Jessica Pratt, Here in the Pitch
This is another instant album of the year contender. Since 2012, San Francisco songwriter Jessica Pratt has been making chilling, stripped-back folk music that feels like it’s always been around but is never a throwback. 10 years ago, she put out a song called “Back, Baby” which is one of the only tracks that can make me cry anytime I put it on. On her fourth album Here in the Pitch, there are more than a couple of tunes that I can easily see ascending to that personal alltimer status. It’s an album full of evocative, impressionistic lyrics, and immersive yet simple arrangements. Between “World On a String,” the haunting “Empires Never Know,” and opener “Life Is,” which reminds me of Richard Swift in the best way, it’s all really beautiful stuff. It’s a masterclass from a songwriter who keeps elevating her craft.
Katy Kirby, Blue Raspberry
Katy Kirby’s 2021 debut Cool Dry Place is one of those albums that already feels like a classic. Every song is fantastic and it’s so tastefully and expertly constructed that it never loses its luster no matter how many times you spin it. The Texas-raised, NYC-based songwriter’s follow-up Blue Raspberry, which is out on new label ANTI-, might be even better. “Cubic Zirconia” is stunning while “Hand to Hand” is hypnotic and knotty. My favorite is the light but hypnotically catchy “Drop Dead.” While a lot has happened in Kirby’s life since I interviewed her for VICE’s Noisey Next series in early 2021, it’s been such an honor to witness the growth.
lake j, Dizzy
You may already know Cadien Lake James through his time with the influential Chicago indie rock outfit Twin Peaks, but this year he’s venturing out with a solo project called lake j. On March 1, he unveiled his excellent debut LP called Dizzy. For the past eight or so years, James has been one of my very best friends so take this recommendation with that necessary disclaimer. That said, this LP is so unbelievably in my wheelhouse and I think it’ll do the same for you. Here, James takes on a much breezier and laid-back approach than the rowdy rock of Twin Peaks. When I first heard some of these songs, they reminded me of The Sea and Cake and Pinback. Even if the lyrics suggest a quiet melancholy, there’s ebullience in the arrangements like on the bouncy “Wild Wind” and funky “Tell Me Something Good.” It’s uniformly tasteful and engaging stuff, especially on the string-laden “Keeping Score,” the almost proggy “Looming Towers,” and the gorgeous eight-minute closer “Sparrow.”
Lamplight, Lamplight
Lamplight is the project of Virginia’s Ian Hatcher-Williams. His debut self-titled LP is a deeply introspective and thoughtful collection of pastoral folk rock. No song sounds alike but its nine tracks somehow seamlessly flow from the 6/8 shuffle of the understated opener “Play” to the raucous, penultimate tune “Empathy.” The whole thing sounds pretty, lush, and considered but never expensive or glossy. As a writer, Hatcher-Williams has strong instincts for hooks–some songs are so catchy and immersive that they feel like they wouldn’t feel out of place on Coldplay’s Parachutes. (Your mileage may vary but this is a big compliment here). If you liked any new releases I’ve previously written about in this newsletter from Minor Moon, Blue Ranger, or Wildflower, you’ll be into this too.
Lily Seabird, Alas,*
If you’re new to No Expectations, many newsletters feature me raving about a handful of musicians based in Burlington, Vermont who all play on each other’s records, tour in each other’s bands, and make excellent solo LPs: Greg Freeman, Dari Bay, and Lily Seabird, to name just three. Alas, Seabird’s latest which I wrote the press bio for, is a heart-wrenching portrait of loss and of a transitional period. What sets Seabird apart is her voice: it can violently oscillate from a gnarled shriek to an evocative whisper but it’s always expressive, dynamic, and commanding. “Waste” might be the best introduction to her music. It’s got muscular, clanging guitars and slowly builds to a startling cathartic moment.
Little Kid, A Million Easy Payments
Little Kid describe their songs as “mostly slow Toronto music.” While that’s technically true, A Million Easy Payments is one of the most engaging records I’ve heard all year despite mostly operating in a mellow tempo. Released on the great Orindal Records founded by Chicago’s Owen Ashworth (Casiotone for the Painfully Alone and Advance Base), the eight tracks here are intimate, meaty, and relentlessly hummable. Opener “Something To Say” features subtle banjo and it soars in its chorus. While you can compare this to soft-spoken artists like Mutual Benefit or Youth Lagoon, Little Kid feels more exploratory on songs like the jazzy “Beside Myself” and more accessible on standouts like “Somewhere In Between.”
Mannequin Pussy, I Got Heaven*
I’m so delighted to see all the deserved press Philadelphia’s Mannequin Pussy has earned for their masterful new album I Got Heaven. When I first heard this LP to write its bio last fall, I immediately knew it was something special. Everything about the LP is undeniable, from the kinetic ferocity on the opening title track, the delicate pop of “I Don’t Know You,” to the growling “OK? OK! OK? OK!” At 10 tracks and a 30-minute runtime, it breezes by but every tune is meaty and endlessly repeatable. It’s the kind of full-length where your favorite track changes with each listen. It was initially the title track but now it’s “Loud Bark” and “Softly.” Recorded with veteran indie rock producer John Congleton, the entire album is the perfect leap for one of Pennsylvania’s most electric punk rockers.
Margaux, Inside the Marble
Five years ago I was obsessed with Margaux’s debut EP More Brilliant Is the Hand That Throws the Coin. It was intricate but immediate pop music that was so confident that I was shocked to find out she was then only 20 years old. Now, Margaux is in the band Closebye and the touring bassist for Katy Kirby and her immaculate debut LP Inside the Marble came out this summer. It’s somehow even more assured than the 2019 EP. The tracks here feel both unfussy and ornate, lived-in and cosmic. “I Wouldn’t Want It Any Other Way” is stripped-down melancholy while “Make The Move” is anchored by a patient groove and subtly lush strings. While I’m sure the half-decade gap between releases was likely a tough ask as a working musician, the outstanding finished product makes me happy she took her time with this full-length.
Minor Moon, The Light Up Waltz*
Full disclosure: Minor Moon frontman Sam Cantor is a friend and I wrote both the press bios for this record and his band’s 2021 effort Tethers. While you should take this endorsement with that grain of salt, I can’t think of a Chicago band that’s so in the taste wheelhouse of the average No Expectations reader. This is cosmic and Americana-tinged rock that’s full of adventurous guitar theatrics from both Cantor and Lucky Cloud’s Chet Zenor. It boasts gorgeous pedal steel and Cantor’s calming voice. The sequencing on this record is spectacular too: the transition from “Blue Timing” to “I Could See It Coming” was so good it made me laugh. While I’ve told Cantor for years that his music and live show reminds me a little of the Grateful Dead, he’s only recently made the dive into that band’s catalog well after recording this LP.
Rich Ruth, Water Still Flows*
Since 2019, Michael Ruth has been stretching the limits of Nashville’s music community. Though he’s well-versed in Americana and has been a side man for S.G. Goodman and several more, he’s been making cosmic ambient and jazz under Rich Ruth. On Water Still Flows, his latest for Third Man Records, the multi-talented collaborator and multi-instrumentalist adds textures of metal and sludge into this heady stew. For as much as this record caters to adventurous and crate-digging sensibilities, it’s an engaging and inviting listen throughout. It can get loud and pummeling but Ruth always brings it back to moments of breathtaking sonic grandeur. In other words, YAKWTFGO.
Rosali, Bite Down
One listen to Bite Down, the fourth album from the North Carolina-based songwriter Rosali, will make you a believer. Recorded with Omaha rockers David Nance & Mowed Sound, with Nance on bass, Kevin Donahue on drums, Destroyer’s Ted Bois on keys, and Rosali’s co-producer James Schroeder on guitar, these are elliptical, compelling folk songs. They both rock as hard as anything from Yo La Tengo and Neil Young and mesmerize like Sandy Denny or Will Oldham. Rosali’s lyrics are character-driven and resonant with lines so good they take a minute for their power to settle in. The delivery on closer “May It Be on Offer” where she sings, “There is hope upon me/there is reason to try” gives me chills.
Rui Gabriel, Compassion*
Indie rock mainstay Rui Gabriel has a remarkable backstory. Born in Venezuela and raised in Nicaragua, the songwriter spent his 20s in New Orleans and playing in beloved bands like Lawn before spending a few years in Chicago and settling in Indiana where he lives now. I wrote about Lawn for VICE a bunch and when he briefly lived in my city, we became friends and he showed me what would become his debut solo LP Compassion. I loved it then and I still do. Gabriel’s history gives him a killer and self-aware perspective as a lyricist: he tackles class and miscommunications with grace and wit. Plus, the songs are just so sick. “Change Your Mind” has a supremely fun groove while “Eyes Only” is power-pop excellence that wouldn’t feel out of place on Wilco’s Summerteeth.
Sharp Pins, Radio DDR
Sharp Pins songwriter Kai Slater is at the center of the youth movement happening in Chicago’s music communities. Along with this solo project, Slater fronts the Matador-signed noise rock trio Lifeguard and plays in the band Dwaal Troupe. He runs the influential zine Hallogallo, which is also the scene that features all of the bands listed plus Horsegirl, Post Office Winter, Donkey Basketball, and more. Where Lifeguard is blistering, pummeling rock, Sharp Pins is breezy, Nuggets-indebted power pop. Though it doesn’t rewrite the winning formula from the 2023 debut Turtle Rock, it does ramp up the jangle and the shimmer. The hooks feel tighter, the choruses are more delectable, and the riffs are more driving. Kai’s teenaged take on a classic palette truly shines in songs like “Circle All the Dots” and “When You Know.”
Sun Seeker, House of Gold
I first saw Sun Seeker open for the Districts at the Empty Bottle in 2017. Since then, I’ve gotten to know the Nashville trio and seen them play countless times across Chicago opening for bands like Rookie and Peach Pit. You may recognize drummer Ben Parks from his playing with Erin Rae, Rich Ruth, and more while Asher Horton splits his time in TWEN. Fronted by Alex Benick, they’ve been making some of the most inviting and infectious power-pop in Nashville. They’ve been sitting on House of Gold for a while but now it’s out and it’s worth the wait. These are breezy, occasionally rowdy tracks illuminated by Benick’s inviting voice and relatable lyrics of millennial malaise.
Tapir!, The Pilgrim, Their God & The King of My Decrepit Mountain
The first time I heard about the U.K. avant-folk collective Tapir! was via a joke from Friend of the Substack Ian Cohen. He posted a screenshot of the album and wrote, “Would you believe a band with that name putting that cover on an album with that title sounds like raw, uncut 2006 (complimentary).” He’s dead on. If you grew up loving the earnest art-folk of Sufjan Stevens, the fist-raising catharsis of early Arcade Fire, and the exuberance of the Polyphonic Spree, you’ll find a lot to love about The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain. It’s a three-act album full of biblical allusions, monsters appearing, tempestuous storms, and spoken-word narration. “Untitled” is breathtaking, closer “Mountain Song” is galvanizing, and “My God” is lyrically fascinating even if the melody takes a bit too liberally from the Replacements’ “Swinging Party” (or Nancy Sinatra’s “Something Stupid”). Trust me on this one.
Vampire Weekend, Only God Was Above Us
Vampire Weekend passes the Five-Albums Test with their latest Only God Was Above Us. In my opinion, they’re the best band featured in Meet Me in the Bathroom and have such a wonderfully zig-zagging career that makes them a particularly thrilling band to dive into. Only God Was Above Us is a sharp 180-turn from their 2019 standout effort Father of the Bride, which incorporated jam band signifiers into their sound, and feels more like the natural successor to 2013’s Modern Vampires of the City. “Classical” is already my favorite song they’ve ever done, complete with masterful stand-up bass parts and everything that makes VW a good band: self-aware lyrics, an ebullient blastoff into pop bliss, and clanging guitars. Elsewhere, the jazzy “The Surfer” and the piano-anchored “Mary Boone” round up a spectacular second side. If I were to redo my Discography Deep Dive into the band’s catalog, I’d slot this at number two behind Father of the Bride.
Villagerrr, Tear Your Heart Out*
Columbus, Ohio’s Villagerrr is a mainstay on No Expectations because I think Mark Allen Scott is one of the most impressive young songwriters going right now. Long before he toured with a full band, he was cranking out tasteful, understated, and resonant songs under the moniker on Bandcamp and streaming. Though Tear Your Heart Out is his fourth album, it feels like a spiritual debut for the sole reason that he took his time to craft it, mix it, and put it out. The newfound patience pays off here: its 11 tracks are among his very best. Sure, there are songs I’ve already covered here like the alltimer “Barn Burnerrr” and the Merce Lemon-assisted “Neverrr Everrr” but the true highlights come with the introspective “Runnin’ Round” and the yearning “Come Right Back.” It’s homespun, Midwestern songwriting with a huge heart.
Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood
I’ve been writing about Katie Crutchfield’s music for as long as I’ve been writing about music (I wrote about Cerulean Salt in a 2013 Best of List but there’s a now-mercifully wiped from the internet blurb I wrote about 2012’s American Weekend). Watching her grow from the catchy punk of P.S. Eliot to the warm country rock of Waxahatchee has been such a joy to witness. Now a bonafide indie rock star thanks to 2020’s St. Cloud and her Plains project with Jess Williamson, Tigers Blood nails whatever sky-high expectations folks had for a follow-up. Teaming with producer Brad Cook, drummer Spencer Tweedy, and guitarist Jake Lenderman, Tigers Blood has as many good songs as the number on the tracklist. While every tune is a contender as a favorite, I think it’s “Crowbar” right now.
Honorable mentions:
Amen Dunes, Death Jokes // Bloomsday, Heart of the Artichoke // Bnny, One Million Love Songs // Chief Keef and Mike WiLL Made-It, Dirty Nachos // Cindy Lee, Diamond Jubilee // Dave Harrington, Max Jaffe, Patrick Shirihoshi, Speak, Moment // Dehd, Poetry // Eric Slick, New Age Rage* // Gabriel Birnbaum, Patron Saint of Tireless Losers // Hana Vu, Romanticism // Helado Negro, Phasor // House Band, Aventurine // Hovvdy, Hovvdy // Jackie West, Close To The Mystery // Jess Cornelius, CARE/TAKING* // Loving, Any Light // Marika Hackman, Big Sigh // Punchlove, Channels // REZN, Burden // Riggings, EGG // Sam Evian, Plunge // Shabaka, Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace // Somesurprises, Perseids // Sonny Falls, Sonny Falls* // True Green, My Lost Decade // Ty Segall, Three Bells // Valebol, Valebol* // Vega, trust me, i’m trying // Way Dynamic, Duck // Wildflower, Green World
“That said, 2024 feels especially excellent. I’ve wondered if this year is actually as outstanding as I think or if it’s just because I run a weekly newsletter devoted to new releases.”
I always wonder about that too, but I think it’s worth noting that out of all the “best of (so far)” lists I I’ve seen (including mine), there’s been very little overlap.
For all the obituaries we’ve read about the death of music, it’s sure been a great year for new releases.
excited to dig into the albums i don’t know here! love the jessica pratt + astrid sonne albums dearly 💫