Like many, I like to start my festive season with the annual unveiling of Spotify Wrapped. 2024 saw many big releases, and I am excited to share my top ten albums of the year; five released this year, and the other five are albums that I have listened to repeatedly throughout 2024.
Top five albums of this year:
1. Bewitched: The Goddess Edition – Laufey
Though Laufey’s album Bewitched was released in 2023, this year she extended it with the addition of four new songs, creating the masterpiece Bewitched: The Goddess Edition. This album was by far my favourite release of the year. Featuring sonic influences of jazz and classical and overarching themes of growth, love, and heartbreak, it made for an unforgettable listening experience.
Top songs: ‘While You Were Sleeping’, ‘Haunted’, ‘Promise’
2. Charm – Clairo
Clairo’s third album Charm was possibly my most anticipated release of 2024. Having followed her journey from Immunity in 2019, I was hoping that Charm would live up to the rest of her discography. It didn’t.
It exceeded all my expectations!
Clairo’s dreamy indie-pop sound and introspective lyricism creates a breezy album filled with relatable themes like self-discovery, navigating relationships and heartbreak. For Clairo, it is evident that the third time definitely was the Charm!
Top songs: ‘Add Up My Love’, ‘Pier 4’, ‘Nomad’
3. The Secret of Us – Gracie Abrams
Abrams produced major hits with her most recent album The Secret of Us, with ‘I Love You, I’m Sorry’ and ‘That’s So True’ catapulting her into the spotlight. Her collaboration with Taylor Swift on their track ‘us.’ further solidified her popstar status, however, the deep cuts are where the true treasures are hidden. The crescendo in the bridge of ‘Free Now’ is my personal highlight.
Top songs: ‘Free Now’, ‘I Knew It, I Know You’, ‘I Told You Things’
4. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT – Billie Eilish
Eilish’s project begins with the intimate and vulnerable track ‘SKINNY’ documenting her experiences with insecurities. The unflinchingly honest nature of this track carries through the album’s themes exploring unashamed queerness, desperation, and the frightening aspects of fame. The album holds up to its title, and the lyricism and sonics always hit you both hard and soft.
Top songs: ‘LUNCH’, ‘WILDFLOWER’, ‘SKINNY’
5. The Tortured Poet’s Department: The Anthology – Taylor Swift
Swift’s reign as one of the world’s most influential pop stars continued through the release of the record-breaking The Tortured Poet’s Department: The Anthology. As an English Literature student, I particularly appreciated the literary references weaved throughout. I had the privilege of seeing Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour earlier this year, and her unstoppable showmanship and the atmosphere of tens of thousands of fans singing along created an enchanting night.
Top songs: ‘How Did It End?’, ‘So Long, London’, ‘The Black Dog’
Top five albums of all time:
1. Turn Out the Lights – Julien Baker
If you know me, you will know that I am Julien Baker’s biggest fan (or at least in the top 0.001% according to Spotify!). Her haunting and introspective lyricism frequently etches itself into my brain, rendering me unable to listen to anything else for long stretches of time. All of her projects could make my top five, but in the interest of variety I have chosen Turn Out the Lights, the album that composed 80% of my top five songs on my 2024 Spotify Wrapped.
Top Songs: ‘Shadowboxing’, ‘Even’, ‘Hurt Less’
2. Puberty 2 – Mitski
As a long-time Mitski fan, I have watched every release steadily progress her into fame, however Puberty 2’s beautiful exploration of incongruity within society makes it my favourite. In 2022, I had the privilege of seeing her perform the album track ‘Once More to See You’ (my favourite song ever) live, and her ability to convey such raw emotion through her performance enhanced the album’s beautiful vulnerability.
Top Songs: ‘Once More to See You’, ‘Crack Baby’, ‘Happy’
3. the record – boygenius
Before Brat summer, 2023 was boygenius summer. The supergroup – composed of solo artists Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker – came together to release the sequel to their 2018 EP. The wait was definitely worth it. Like all of their individual works, the album is emotionally charged, floating through themes of loss, regret, and deep-rooted friendship. Seeing them live last August likely contributed to their song ‘True Blue’ being my most listened to song for Spotify Wrapped 2023. The song explores unconditional loyalty and love, with the repeated line ‘But it feels good to be known so well / I can’t hide from you like I hide from myself’ being the soundtrack to a summer similarly filled with the company of those who know me so well. Resultingly, for me ‘True Blue’ is a song tinged with sun-kissed nostalgia.
Top Songs: ‘True Blue’, ‘We’re In Love’, ‘Anti-Curse’
4. Snow Angel – Reneé Rapp
2024 was the year of Reneé. From her fiery performance as Regina George in the movie adaptation of ‘Mean Girls’ and her debut album’s titular song ‘Snow Angel’ making waves for both Rapp as a vocal powerhouse and sensitive performer, the world can’t get enough of her. The multihyphenate’s ability to combine witty lyricism in songs such as ‘Poison Poison’ and ‘So What Now’ alongside the album’s more vulnerable themes makes Snow Angel an impactful listen.
Top Songs: ‘Snow Angel’, ‘Pretty Girls’, ‘I Wish’
5. Preacher’s Daughter – Ethel Cain
With its perpetual religious imagery and Southern Gothic influence, Preacher’s Daughter is an album that haunts you long after your first listen. Following the persona ‘Ethel Cain’ through her life of trauma and abuse to her death and beyond, the album achieves an impressively cinematic quality.
Top Songs: ‘Hard Times’, ‘Sun Bleached Flies’, ‘Strangers’
With 2024 drawing to an end, music enthusiasts are anticipating next year’s releases from their favourite artists. Will we see more breakthrough music releases in 2025? Very likely. Will anyone dethrone Julien Baker from the top of my Spotify Wrapped? Very unlikely.
