If there’s anything you should know about me it’s that I love meeting new people. Seriously—I thrive in spaces where there’s an opportunity to connect, ask questions, and really get to know someone—their likes, dislikes, passions, and what motivates them every day. Would you dream with me for a moment? Every person you meet has a unique story to be shared. I find deep joy in knowing there will always be more people to meet, love, and learn from. I didn’t realize how significant this truly was for me until I heard the phrase, “there are no strangers, only friends I haven’t met yet.” For the same reasons I love connecting with people, I also have a deep passion for discovering new music. To me, an album is like a new friend: it has its own story, its highs and lows, and a personal connection to be made. They share stories and life experiences with you—they ride shotgun on that road trip, stay by your side during a breakup, bring tears of joy, and hold your hand through moments of grief. A good album meets you where you are at just the right moment in time, and can forever be cemented in your memories. It’s long been a passionate hobby of mine to find new music, give my thoughts, make playlists and share it with others. I’m grateful to finally be putting out this blog post to introduce you to the friends that I made this year, album friends that is.
Would you entertain me for a moment and consider these albums to be an introduction to some of my new friends. I know it might feel a little awkward at first, but would you be open to giving them a chance? Who knows? Maybe you'll find a new friend in the process. I also want to challenge you to go the extra mile and send someone you care about a song or album that resonated with you this year. It’s a simple yet meaningful gift, a musical hug if you will. Bonus points if you send your musical hug my way as well! (garrettfrey11 is my gmail, just in case).
In my world, 2024 was a fantastic year for music. In fact, my 6th favorite album this year would have topped last years #1 spot. My best purchase of the year? I’m glad you asked… A pair of Sony XM-4 Noise Cancelling Headphones-- truly a game changer for my music listening and it was a gift to have releases from some of my favorite artists to break them in. With so many incredible album releases, it was tough to crack my top 10. There were so many great albums that didn’t make the list but still earned a spot in my regular rotation. Normally, I wouldn’t dwell too much on honorable mentions, but this year, there were so many albums in the next range that I still deeply enjoyed and took the time to review. I’ll give a longer blurb for my top twelve and then provide links and playlists to my runner ups. Without further ado, dear reader, I’d like to introduce you to the albums I’m proud to call my new friends this year. This is Garrett’s 2024 Year in Music!
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Links to my Spotify Playlists:
1. Don't Forget Me - Maggie Rogers
Synopsis: This has been and will be the quintessential album of my mid-20’s. I have no issues with this album and if you find one yourself you can let me know, but as far as I’m concerned it’s perfect. Maggie’s songwriting prowess paired with a ground shaking musical palette makes this an unmatched album experience. The songs that I love hit me so deep in my core both musically and lyrically that they will be the soundtrack to memories and warm feelings for years to come. The pacing is beautiful and the ballads provide space for the rest of the album to breathe. It’s the best album I’ve listened to in a few years now and I have a feeling it’ll linger in my favorite albums of all time conversation.
Favorite tracks: Don’t Forget Me, The Kill, So Sick of Dreaming, It Was Coming All Along
Least favorite tracks: N/A
Rating: Lyrical Content-10 // Overall Musicianship-10 // Thematic Expression/Flow-10 // Total Score: 10.0
Album Released: 4/12/2024 // Review Completed: 11/2/24 // Category: Pop
2. Collapse List - Novo Amor
Synopsis: This feels like Novo Amor’s most welcoming record yet, it’s warm and moving and organic. An album with the impeccable ability to send me through the full spectrums of grief and peace, sadness and joy. It is powerful and I love it. Even the literal placeholders are so beautiful and coherent to the flow of the record.
Favorite tracks: Same Day Same Face, Me v2, Co-Pathetic, Land Where I land
Least favorite tracks: Sand & Sky, Hotel/ Easy Feeling
Rating: Lyrical Content-9 // Overall Musicianship-10 // Thematic Expression/Flow-9 //
Total Score: 9.33
Album Released: 4/5/2024 // Review Completed: 11/2/24 // Category: Ambient Folk
3. Older - Lizzy McAlpine
Synopsis: I’m calling this record ‘cinematically pessimistic.’ It’s a gorgeous record best enjoyed on the floor of your living room with the volume turned all the way up. The album feels like being hugged while you cry; it is warm and welcoming but also hurts deeply. It is an emotionally vulnerable project and a bold step for Lizzy in her career that absolutely pays off.
Favorite tracks: Come Down Soon, Movie Star, All Falls Down, I Guess, Older
Least favorite tracks: March, Vortex
Rating: Lyrical Content-9 // Overall Musicianship-9 // Thematic Expression/Flow-9 //
Total Score: 9.0
Album Released: 4/5/2024 // Review Completed: 12/7/24 // Category: Soft Pop
4. Charm - Clairo
Synopsis: Clairo sounds self-assured in an album that presents so much vulnerability and warmth. In a year with Older by Lizzy McAlpine, these artists are moving soft-pop forward in a gorgeous way. I bet you didn’t expect one of the songs of the summer to include Claire Cotrill buzzing mouth trumpet. This album has thumping drums, groovy bass licks, and layers upon layers of vocal high points. In an album about love and loss, Charm is a sonic embrace.
Favorite tracks: Add Up My Love, Nomad, Thank You, Juno
Least favorite tracks: Terrapin, Glory of the Snow -- I can never remember what they sound like no matter how many times I go through the record, but I still enjoy them as they’re happening
Rating: Lyrical Content- 9 // Overall Musicianship- 9 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 9 // Total Score: 9.0
Album Released: 7/12/24 // Review Completed: 12/7/24 // Category: Soft Pop
5. Clancy - Twenty One Pilots
Synopsis: This is a cinematic, cathartic, and exciting near ending to the Trench Saga that’s been going on for the last 9 years spanning 4 albums. Even a Twenty One Pilots superfan can admit that it has a few corny moments though.
Favorite tracks: Routines in the Night, Vignette, Midwest Indigo, Oldies Station
Least favorite tracks: Snap Back, At the Risk of Feeling Dumb
Rating: Lyrical Content-9 // Overall Musicianship-9 // Thematic Expression/Flow-8 // Total Score: 8.67
Album Released: 5/24/2024 // Review Completed: 12/7/24 // Category: Modern Rock
6. All For Something - Tiny Habits
Synopsis: Tiny Habits' full length album debut is so beautiful it makes me wonder how I existed in a world prior to the existence of their music in my life. This album is a warm hug after coming in from the cold. One of the marks of a good album for me is that even the songs I don’t love are still very good, and it has been remarkably hard to narrow down which ones are my favorite. In each season of the year I’ve found myself coming back and getting to know this record more; I’d say we’re going to be really good friends. May I remind you that sitting at 6 for 2024, this would’ve made album of the year in 2023
Favorite tracks: People Always Change, The Knocker, Flicker, Mudroom, I Don’t Have the Heart
Least favorite tracks: Broken, Salt & Sand
Rating: Lyrical Content-8 // Overall Musicianship-9 // Thematic Expression/Flow-8 // Total Score: 8.33
Album Released: 5/24/24 // Review Completed: 12/7/24 // Category: Folk / Pop
7. Buzz - NIKI
Synopsis: The situationship album of the year; NIKI is back with her best album since Moonchild in 2020. NIKI is a songwriting juggernaut who can hit you square in the center with heartache, or chatter your teeth with excitement. Buzz is a powerful record that I have kept coming back to especially during the back half of this year. My only real critique on this one is that it loses steam at the end.
Favorite tracks: Buzz, Take Care, Blue Moon, Focus, Colossal Loss
Least favorite tracks: Heirloom Path, Nothing Can
Rating: Lyrical Content- 9 // Overall Musicianship- 8 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 7 // Total Score: 8.0
Album Released: 8/9/2024 // Review Completed: 12/18/2024 // Category: Indie Pop
8. Vertigo - Griff
Synopsis: In an era of Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift domination, Griff gives us a full slate of excellent contagious pop. With great songwriting and musicality through the roof; I’m choosing this every time over her contemporaries. The first half is especially anthemic and excites me, but I find myself waiting for a ballad palette cleanser that never comes.
Favorite tracks: Vertigo, Anything, Miss Me Too, Hiding Alone
Least favorite tracks: Cycles, Everlasting, Tears for Fun (I wish this was a ballad)
Rating: Lyrical Content- 8 // Overall Musicianship- 8 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 7 // Total Score: 7.67
Album Released: 7/12/24 // Review Completed: 12/18/24 // Category: Pop
9. Everbody Needs a Hero - Orla Gartland
Synopsis: Orla Gartland makes music that makes me feel something. That’s the difference maker that shoots her into the top 10 over the honorable mentions list. Orla cuts through the noise and apathy and orchestrates bone-shaking songs. She is a master of tension and release which equates to an album that flows really well. I still loved Woman on the Internet (2021) more, but thematically and musically I enjoy nearly every song when I listen in the album context.
Favorite tracks: Little Chaos, Simple, The Hit, Late to the Party
Least favorite tracks: Kiss Ur Face Forever, Three Words Away
Rating: Lyrical Content- 7 // Overall Musicianship- 8 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 8 // Total Score: 7.67
Album Released: 10/4/24 // Review Completed: 12/20/2024 // Category: Alt Pop
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10. Flood - Hippo Campus
Synopsis: This album is a band that I love going through a creative funk, but coming out the other side. It sounds like they’ve reached a place of enjoying making music again and I’m grateful for that, however, there’s enough songs that are forgettable to me even though I've listened to it several times now. On the flipside, the ones I like, I really enjoy. It’s far from my favorite hippo campus project, but I bet years from now I’ll come back to it and still think it was a quality record.
Favorite tracks: Brand New, Everything At Once, Fences
Least favorite tracks: Slipping Away, I got time, Madman (don’t dislike, just forgettable)
Rating: Lyrical Content-8 // Overall Musicianship-8 // Thematic Expression/Flow-7 // Total Score: 7.67
Album Released: 9/20/24 // Review Completed: 11/2/24 // Category: Indie
11. Chaos Angel - Maya Hawke
Synopsis: With the ability to simultaneously calm me down and fire me up, Maya Hawke is back with a vulnerable and frank third record. This album was essential to my spring into summer this year and it was possibly one of the only things keeping me sane.
Favorite tracks: Missing Out, Big Idea, Wrong Again, Hang in There
Least favorite tracks: Okay, Promise
Rating: Lyrical Content- 8 // Overall Musicianship- 7 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 8 // Total Score: 7.67
Album Released: 5/31/2024 // Review Completed: 10/5/2024 // Category: Indie
12. Underdressed at the Symphony - Faye Webster
Synopsis: Faye Webster created a palette of songs that sound like they let a theater girl loose, but she’s actually processing her trauma in a healthy way. Sonically such an interesting landscape and an immersive experience -- it’s like dressing up in a suit to sit down on the couch for a surround sound experience for the evening.
Favorite tracks: He Loves Me Yeah!, Feeling Good Today, But Not Kiss, Underdressed at the Symphony
Least favorite tracks: Wanna Quit All the Time, eBay Purchase History
Rating: Lyrical Content- 7 // Overall Musicianship- 8 // Thematic Expression/Flow- 7 // Total Score: 7.33
Album Released: 3/1/2024 // Review Completed: 10/5/2024 // Category: Indie Alt Pop
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Well there it is, if you made it this far, thank you. If you're having fun, here's the link to my google doc and the rest of them. It is my genuine joy and pleasure to create something like this with the music that I love and the thought that others may enjoy it as well warms my heart with pride. What did I miss? What were your favorite albums/songs of the year? Follow me on Spotify for more... or add me on Facebook and lets send music back and forth. Same time next year?
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