Another year has come to a close, but 2024 was no ordinary year. Life-altering current events aside, it was a stunning year for new music. A variety of artists pushed the constraints of their genres, and the results were some of the year’s most impressive and attention-grabbing albums.
Whether it’s metalcore, hardcore, noise rock, emo, or hyerpop, this year brought plenty of triumphs. 2024 was the year of brat, but also the year of the metal band – with the genre getting more notoriety than ever. The punk spirit is alive and well: Artists are doing things their way, and they don’t care what you think.
My list of favorite albums of 2024 is flavored by pop, punk, and metal, underscored by fresh up and comers and the darkest shades of metalcore. Check out my full list below, and keep supporting the artists you love – They can’t do it without you.
40. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – No Title As of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead
The fact Godspeed You! Black Emperor is still writing anti-war songs 20 years into their career is demoralizing commentary on current events. But the post-rock group sounds as triumphant as ever on No Title As of 13 February 2024, 28,340 as they tackle the conflict in Gaza.
39. Bayside – There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive
Bayside refuses to be pigeonholed as a 2000s emo legacy band, instead churning out one of the most consistent careers of any scene act. There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive continues this trend, its pop-punk sound as immaculate as it was 20 years ago on their debut.
38. Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood
Katie Crutchfield is on her sixth album as Waxahatchee, and it’s Tigers Blood that finds the country/folk artist breaking through to the mainstream. It helps that it’s her best record too, with “Right Back to It” and “365” among the most heartfelt Americana tunes of the past decade.
37. nothing,nowhere. – Dark Magic
As nothing,nowhere., Joe Mulherin has dabbled in practically every genre imaginable: emo rap, pop-punk, post-hardcore, and even country. It’s his mixtape Dark Magic that returns to the emo rap that jumpstarted his career, a straightforward release with plenty of trap trimmings.
36. SeeYouSpaceCowboy – Coup de Grâce
On SeeYouSpaceCowboy’s third full-length, the hardcore outfit has added more melody than ever to their “sasscore” style. With features from Kim Dracula and Courtney LaPlante, Coup de Grâce pushes the boundaries of hardcore while maintaining the band’s signature ferocity.
35. Charli XCX – Brat
Charli XCX made 2024 “brat summer” for a generation looking for a new trendy aesthetic. They found it in Charli’s lime-green hyperpop, which channels the rave scene as well as her mainstream pop ambitions. The perfect marriage of style and substance, Brat is a pop triumph.
34. From Indian Lakes – Head Void
Five years removed from their previous effort, From Indian Lakes’ Head Void was a long time coming – and well worth the wait. The band takes their atmospheric indie rock to the next level, with dreamy vocals and echoing guitars coating standout songs like “Water” and “Holy.”
33. The Smile – Wall of Eyes
With Radiohead still on a break, The Smile was busy in 2024, releasing not one but two LPs. Both are worthy additions to their catalogue, but it’s Wall of Eyes that makes more of an imprint. The album’s more atmosphere-driven tracks set it apart as a creative offset to its parent project.
32. Respire – Hiraeth
Respire’s combination of black metal and post-rock is the lovechild of Deafheaven and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and in the best way possible. The band followed up their 2020 breakthrough record with Hiraeth, another entry into their mesmerizing sonic dichotomy.
31. Nails – Every Bridge Burning
A new Nails record has been long overdue, as it was a restless eight years between releases. But the meager 17 minutes of Every Bridge Burning doesn’t waste a single second. Even with three new members, the band’s mix of grindcore and death metal sounds as potent as ever.
30. Bilmuri – American Motor Sports
Save Caleb Shomo, Johnny Franck has had the most sustained success of any former Attack Attack! member. Of all his full-lengths as Bilmuri, American Motor Sports is by far his strongest. With a novel blend of country, pop, and post-hardcore, his newest record is an absolute treat.
29. Fit for an Autopsy – The Nothing That Is
Fit for an Autopsy has grown into one of the most consistent bands in deathcore. But The Nothing That Is makes the case as the best effort of their career. With less reliance on chugs and breakdowns, the group has furthered their progressive aspects into something massive.
28. Soccer Mommy – Evergreen
Soccer Mommy’s Sophia Allison has progressed into one of the best indie songwriters of this generation, and Evergreen is a continuation of her growth. It’s also her saddest album, reflecting a period of personal loss – and the result is her most effortless and organic release to date.
27. Poppy – Negative Spaces
Poppy’s venture into heavier sounds culminates with Negative Spaces, a metal album that tries its hand at practically every subgenre possible. It’s a far cry from the frills of I Disagree, instead opting for a more focused approach with the production of Jordan Fish. It’s also full of bangers.
26. The Requiem – A Cure to Poison the World
The My Chemical Romance revival has never sounded better than it does on The Requiem’s debut full-length, A Cure to Poison the World. But the band’s emo-tinged post-hardcore isn’t simply a knock-off. Their fresh take on the genre brings their influences into a whole new era.
25. Balance and Composure – With You in Spirit
A Balance and Composure reunion wasn’t on anybody’s radar when the band got back together in 2023. But their first album in eight years turned out to be one of their best. With You in Spirit expertly merges the act’s youthful emo energy with their more recent alternative rock experimentation.
24. Kendrick Lamar – GNX
If Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers was a needed therapy session for Kendrick Lamar, then the surprise follow-up, GNX, is the victory lap. Coming on the coattails of his feud with Drake, K.Dot sounds as confident and capable as ever on tracks like “Squabble Up” and “Reincarnated.”
23. Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
Only God Was Above Us finds Vampire Weekend firing on all cylinders. With their previous effort more or less a solo project for vocalist Ezra Koenig, their follow-up record as a trio brings out all the stops. The result is something different – complex and challenging in the best way.
22. Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere
For Blood Incantation to get this much attention outside the death metal scene proves they’re doing something right. It’s certainly more a testament to their creative vision than it is any semblance of accessibility, as their new LP Absolute Elsewhere is a prog-death masterpiece.
21. State Faults – Children of the Moon
State Faults has quietly been putting out some of the most inspired hardcore of the past decade, and Children of the Moon is their most inspired record yet. The group’s bold fourth full-length navigates the emo-laden extremes of the genre, and all of its ambition pays off.
20. Foreign Hands – What’s Left Unsaid
The metalcore revival continued this year with Foreign Hands’ debut record, What’s Left Unsaid. A tribute to 2000s bands like Poison the Well and Hopesfall, the group carries the torch of their forebears with unadulterated aggression – and Will Putney’s production is just icing on the cake.
19. Glass Beach – Plastic Death
Glass Beach showed plenty of promise on their first release, and Plastic Death builds on this by pulling no punches. Their sophomore emo disc goes back and forth between indie rock and emo, and while it may be a jolting listen at times, it never ceases to maintain your attention.
18. Fontaines D.C. – Romance
Fontaines D.C. has always been on the cusp of something, and it feels like they’ve finally hit it with album four, Romance. Their blend of post-punk and Britpop has never sounded as urgent as it does on songs like “Starbuster,” showcasing the swagger of a rock band at their most poised.
17. Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties – In Lieu of Flowers
The Wonder Years’ Dan “Soupy” Campbell has completed his trilogy of albums under the moniker Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties with In Lieu of Flowers. Act three just happens to be the project’s peak, its songwriting and storytelling among the strongest of Campbell’s career.
16. Drug Church – Prude
Drug Church found their niche as a hardcore band playing grungy punk, and Prude proves they haven’t lost a step since their 2018 opus, Cheer. The gnarly riffs are aplenty, and Patrick Kindlon’s unique lyrical musings are humorous and thoughtful on standouts like “Myopic.”
15. One Step Closer – All You Embrace
One Step Closer has ventured beyond their hardcore roots and into pop-punk on All You Embrace. Yet, they maneuver into melodic territory without losing any of their hardcore ethos, with “Leap Years” and “Blur My Memory” some of 2024’s most mosh-ready sing-alongs.
14. Frail Body – Artificial Bouquet
The “screamo” scene has been seeking its successor to Pianos Become the Teeth and The Saddest Landscape, and Frail Body solidifies their case with their second LP, Artificial Bouquet. It’s a frantically paced combination of melodic hardcore and black metal, and it’s tremendous.
13. The Home Team – The Crucible of Life
Move over, Dance Gavin Dance: There’s a new sheriff in town, and their name is The Home Team. While their debut full-length showed a lot of potential with their pop-laden post-hardcore, The Crucible of Life takes things up a notch with cooler grooves and catchier choruses.
12. Origami Angel – Feeling Not Found
It’s hard to follow up the monolith double album that was Gami Gang, but Origami Angel isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Feeling Not Found finds the duo refining their mosh-lite emo sound even further, with springy riffs and death metal breakdowns complemented by sweeping hooks.
11. Project 86 – OMNI, Pt. II
Project 86 says goodbye with part two of their final album, OMNI. It’s hard to compare the second disc to the magnificence of the first, but Andrew Schwab’s collaboration with the members of Norma Jean remains lethal on metallic rock tracks like “Ultraviolent” and “Pariah.”
10. The Story So Far – I Want to Disappear
For a while, a new The Story So Far record seemed impossible. Yet, six years removed from Proper Dose, the follow-up finds the pop-punkers catching a second wind. I Want to Disappear delivers some of the most irresistible punk anthems and balladry of the band’s discography.
9. Twenty One Pilots – Clancy
After the middling effort that was Scaled and Icy, Twenty One Pilots makes a triumphant return to the dark pop they do best on Clancy – and it’s quite the way to conclude their multi-album conceptual series. “Overcompensate” and “Next Semester” are career-defining singles.
8. Touché Amoré – Spiral in a Straight Line
It would be unfair to accuse Touché Amoré of complacency on Spiral in a Straight Line, because the album boasts some of the most impressive songwriting across the melodic hardcore players’ six full-lengths. Gorgeous mood-setters “Hal Ashby” and “Force of Habit” highlight another masterful LP.
7. Better Lovers – Highly Irresponsible
Supergroups don’t always live up to expectations. But the collaboration between members of Every Time I Die, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Fit for an Autopsy was destined to work. Better Lovers’ first full album, Highly Irresponsible, is as good as any metalcore album in 2024.
6. Night Verses – Every Sound Has a Color in the Valley of Night: Part 2
With the part two to their double album, Every Sound Has a Color in the Valley of Night, Night Verses continues to stand above their contemporaries when it comes to progressive music. This time around, Brandon Boyd and Anthony Green take the imperious prog-rock to another level.
5. Bring Me the Horizon – Post Human: NeX GEn
After nearly a year of delays, Bring Me the Horizon’s second release in the Post Human series, NeX GEn, arrived in full force this year. The record ranges from metalcore to hyperpop and everything in between, and the metal scene is all the better for it. Welcome to Youtopia.
4. Foxing – Foxing
Going independent was the best decision Foxing ever made. Self-producing a record can be a big risk, but it paid off on the band’s self-titled record – their most ambitious and engrossing effort yet. With every risk it takes, Foxing draws a line in the sand: This is unabashedly them.
3. The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
Songs of a Lost World is The Cure’s Blackstar. Who could’ve imagined the goth-rock legends would put out their most enthralling material 35 years post-Disintegration? Dark, existential, and self-aware, the band’s long-awaited work adds to their legacy while pondering it altogether.
2. Chat Pile – Cool World
Noise rock and sludge metal: Chat Pile has somehow combined both into hair-raising sociopolitical statements on their first two albums. More focused but just as haunting as their debut, Cool World is an anti-war album played to the beat of a horror film. It’s not for the faint of heart.
1. Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Knocked Loose’s You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To is a moment in time for heavy music. It’s taking metal to places it hasn’t gone before – all without sacrificing an ounce of heaviness. “Don’t Reach for Me” and “Blinding Faith” take no prisoners with their metalcore moxie, while Poppy and Chris Motionless join the musical onslaught on “Suffocate” and “Slaughterhouse.” As it turns out, pushing the boundaries turns heads, and it’s made for my favorite album of 2024.
Below, you can view a collage of my 40 favorite albums, and listen to a playlist of my favorite songs off these albums.
The Verbatim 