We’re halfway through the year which means we must start thinking ever so slightly about how those end of year lists will look. It’s madness, we know, but this is the life of a music blog. Forget about the present day, it’s all about what’s happening months from now.
There has been a ton of great albums released this year. Some released in a million different ways, others released to great fanfare and culture-bending hype, while there are loads and loads that have slipped under the radar. Here are our favourite albums of 2024, so far.
Cast – Love Is The Call (by Lee B)
The band’s first new material in nearly seven years. Lead singer John Power had said at previous gigs that he wanted to recreate the spirit of their 1995 debut album, All Change.
Love is The Call is a stunning collection of songs. From the immediately catchy title track, the sixties vibe of ‘Love You Like I Do’ and the epic ‘Far Away’, this is an album of massive choruses and pure joy.
This is an album which would be relevant in any decade and is already sounding like a modern classic. Every track is melodic beauty.
Charli xcx – BRAT (by Adam R)
Well, this is a record that absolutely does not need to be recommended, as everybody already knows how good it is, but it’s nice to give props. The latest album from Charli xcx is a superb descent into a club night gone good, bad, and everything in between. From the straight up club classics to the softer moments of vulnerability – BRAT has everything you could possibly want.
Charli’s been producing some of the most original, innovative albums in Pop, and it’s great to see that she’s finally getting the recognition she deserves while sticking to her roots. It could’ve been so easy to go with what’s popular, but she’s opted to stay the course and has brought the crowd to her instead. It’s awesome. I still don’t really know what it means to have a brat summer, though. But that’s okay.
Gracie Abrams – The Secret of Us (by Lauren P)
Just released, and fresh to the charts, Abrams has already taken home her first UK number 1 with her second album The Secret of Us.
The album’s title derives from the lyrics of the album’s fifth song and only collaboration with none other than Taylor Swift, who seems to have become a close friend of Abrams’ since supporting her on the Eras Tour. It is a stunning track and certainly going to get the most traction but there are plenty of others not to be missed. For me, ‘Blowing Smoke’ has been looping through my headphones and swirling in my brain from the first listen. In ‘Tough Love’, she summed up what it means to be a 20-something female, choosing to be single over partners that come and go “no chance I waste my twenties on random men/not one of them is cooler than all my friends“.
‘Close To You’, the second single and the closing track, claims the most unique sound with its more complex and rich production. For Abrams, it is especially interesting, usually preferring to stick to a stripped back sound with acoustic guitars and pianos. It’s a sing in the car, windows down on a summer evening with your friends type beat, and glints with promise for Abrams’ musical future.
Laurel – PALPITATIONS (by Jessica K)
LAUREL’s latest– the long-awaited PALPITATIONS is adisco-bubblegum-synth-pop dream. The album follows suit to the artist’s two previous EPs, PETROL BLOOM (2020) and LIMBO CHERRY (2021). While straying greatly from the artist’s first album– emotionally charged and guitar-heavy DOGVIOLET, PALPITATIONS provides a sunkissed and blazing commencement that strategically evolves into a deliciously slow burn.
The album’s first track, ‘45 Degrees,’ acts as a rapid-paced, balmy introduction filled with funky bass riffs that gently drift us along. Three tracks in, we might be under the presumption that this is just another fun-loving summer album to spin on a trip to the coast. As PALPITATIONS continues on, however, we’re met with ‘Breakfast,’ ‘Only One,’ and ‘Heavy Heart’ where LAUREL’s distinctive vocals begin to truly shine through.
Despite the seemingly complete overhaul of her sound in contrast to her first album, a few of LAUREL’s signature artistic qualities remain: her slightly grim lyricism (“Ripped apart, you’re so hungry for only me, to satisfy the taste from my pain on your lips and leave”) and her indisputable vocal talent. Overall, PALPITATIONS presents itself asthe sun valiantly peeking through the clouds after the torrential downpour of raw emotion in DOGVIOLET.
My top 3 tracks: ‘Change,’ ‘Breakfast,’ ‘Heavy Heart’
And there we have it. A modest collection of albums we feel are our favourites of 2024 so far. It’s not much but should give you an idea of how our end of year lists might look. What’s your favourite album of the year? Let us know below.