The 50 best songs of 2024

‘It’s All In Your Mind’ – Hermanos Gutierrez

There’s a certain amount of trepidation that comes with someone making a song that sounds retro. There have already been enough throwbacks that are clogging up the mainstream, so someone needs to be doing it completely differently to make themselves stand out amongst the pack. And in the case of Hermanos Gutierrez, they went past rock ‘n’ roll altogether and gave us a healthy dose of cowboy melodrama.

Compared to the other indie bands that try to create a ‘vibe’ with their music, ‘It’s All In Your Mind’ feels like the epitome of being in the middle of a long journey and travelling to search for new lands. It also helps that it has some of the greatest guitar licks in the game right now, sounding like Mark Knopfler if he wrote the riffs for a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack. There are definitely faster guitarists out there, but not all of them account for taste like this. [Words by Tim Coffman]

‘Mr Nobody’ – Joe and The Shitboys

The Faroe Islands‘ finest shitpunks have stuck to their guns and refused to write a song longer than roughly two minutes. But in that time, they get to the point so perfectly that there’s no need to linger—a refreshing feat in an age where bullshit runs rampant. With comic wit and inherent catchiness, they are the musical equivalent of an ice bath.

The single ‘Mr Nobody’ is one of their most refined and melodically considered tracks to date—you get the impression that they must’ve spent at least 15-16 minutes on it. The syncopated drumbeat is a masterstroke in creating catchiness as Big Joe preaches about the virtues of integrity, leading the band towards a closing chant. [Words by Tom Taylor]

‘Saraf’ – Sahra Halgan

Sahra Halgan’s groundbreaking Hiddo Dhawr masterfully blended the stylings of her traditional Somaliland upbringing with endearing guitar riffs and a nostalgia-ridden keyboard to evoke the sounds of the 1960s garage rock boom. Opening this goldmine was ‘Saraf’, consequently one of the greatest album openers of all time, with heavy riffs, an unforgettable groove, and Sahra’s distinctive vocals.

What makes this track the perfect precursor to the entire album is the fact that it also effortlessly captures everything great about Halgan’s artistry and the influence she channels. Sometimes a little off-centre and unnerving, everything about ‘Saraf’ feels emotion-driven, resulting in a track that’s completely raw without losing sight of exactly what it wants to be. [Words by Kelly Scanlon]

‘How We See The Light’ – John Cale

Whatever his secret, John Cale‘s ceaseless energy for pushing creative frontiers hasn’t dimmed in his 83 years. From The Velvet Underground’s experimental proto-punk to the frosty R&B of last year’s Mercy, the Carmarthenshire son of a miner effortlessly imbues whatever he touches with an intrepid sonic palette that’s alive with contemporary aural flavours, never for a moment nagged by inauthenticity or bandwagon jumping.

Leading his 18th LP POPtical uoᴉsnllI, ‘How We See The Light’ harnesses a rueful hook against a hypnotic electronic shuffle cooly exploring relationship demise and the doors that then open. It’s classic Cale and reveals his creative spirit, never encumbered with nostalgia or resting on his laurels and forever crafting new and interesting work. [Words by Tom Phelan]

‘Golden Hour’ – Danny Carroll

Danny Carroll captures ‘Golden Hour’ in Dublin, a town where such a moment is rather fleeting, but it’s that ephemeral magic that makes it the blasted isle’s equivalent of Jonathan Richman’s ‘That Summer Feeling’ for land’s not endowed with the good fortune of plentiful sunshine. The honeyed belle of the music fits that sentiment like a glass slipper, billowing but just a little cautious and morose.

Throughout his latest album, I Am The Cheese, the humble, independent songwriter showcased his proficiency at capturing everyday happenings like the transparent propaganda of Match of the Days increasingly belligerent overdubbed crowd noise. ‘Golden Hour’ offers up a similar comforting and honest balm with a bristling melody. [Words by Tom Taylor]

‘Kiki You Complete Me’ – Los Bitchos

In the world of indie rock, people tend to forget the power that can come from a good instrumental jam. Even though some people take that time to play a handful of riffs and hope for the best, Los Bitchos have been showing musicians how to take their chops and make something that still holds together as a song rather than an exercise.

Riding a guitar tone that’s ripped straight out of 1983, ‘Kiki You Complete Me’ off Talkie Talkie is the perfect soundtrack to a video game that hasn’t been made yet. While there’s that exciting energy of the band jamming in the studio, there’s still that inherent magic that feels like it’s ripped straight out of the new wave scene right as punk was getting cleaner. Compared to other rock stars that coax by using retro genres as a costume, this is the kind of tune that earns that retro sound without having to try all that hard. [Words by Tim Coffman]

‘Dipping Out’ – Gurriers

Sometimes, you will have a band release a high-energy album, which is good, in theory, but also becomes stale because of a reluctance for some bands to deviate from the sound they’ve established. This isn’t the case with Gurrier’s most recent album, Come and See, which is a high-energy infusion of punk, but also delivers enough variation that it keeps your attention throughout.

One of the best songs that highlights this versatility on the record is ‘Dipping Out’, a track which has clear rock influences but refrains from static and feedback long enough to give the listener some breathing room. The track doesn’t hold up in terms of energy, though, as Gurriers continue to provide great guitar runs, electronic effects in the background and some of the most dynamic vocals to hit the airwaves in 2024. The entire album is great, and this song highlights why it is the best. [Words by Dale Maplethorpe]

‘Houses, Dogs and Food’ – Stanley Welch

Glasgow-based chamber pop bard Stanley Welch might have only released his debut album, Virgins, this year, but the epic proportions of multi-part album centrepiece ‘Houses, Dogs and Food’ suggests a maturity far beyond most artists’ debut offerings.

The sprawling ten-minute beast weaves its way through sections of folk, modern classical and bombastic jazz as Welch delivers a confused ode to the best and worst his home city has to offer, and the chaotic strings and saxophones that erupt at various points in the song do everything to mirror the unruliness of urban living. It’s several masterpieces within one song, and when pieced together to form the hectic track, you just have to sit back and marvel as it unravels before you. [Words by Reuben Cross]

‘Future Pasts’ – Konkolo Orchestra

A Swiss Afrobeat project initiated by Ethnographic museum curator and composer Alexis Malefakis, Konkolo Orchestra followed 2022’s ‘Blue G’ with their debut album Future Pasts, a celebratory cheer of party funk and jazzy channelling West African highlife with effervescent, big beat warmth and wearing their love for Fela Kuti on their sleeve.

Recruiting German Nongoma Ndlovu for vocal and lyrical duties, Konkolo Orchestra’s title track pursues a propulsive journey of triumphant horns and nimble guitar licks that all intermingle and play off each other with merry frissons. While not tearing the afrobeat rulebook, Malefakis and his ensemble instead reach for a plain of sunny exuberance destined to score many a festival in the next year. [Words by Tom Phelan]

 ‘Better’ – Alice Phoebe Lou

Singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou excelled beyond her previous material with the nostalgia-ridden ‘Better’, navigating a fleeting romance with more viscera than imaginable in this reality. With a lighthearted groove and Lou’s signature ethereal vocals, the track feels like floating in mid-air, reminiscing an entanglement that feels otherworldly, even if it’s fated to end before it feels like it’s even begun.

Written in one sitting, ‘Better’ taps into the rose-tinted glasses most experience when they first meet somebody they have a connection with, connecting the delusional flutter with the inability to see someone’s flaws, which only served to make the descent back to reality feel even more sobering. For a while, though, while we’re up there, everything feels perfect. Like this song. [Words by Kelly Scanlon]

‘Silver’ – Wunderhorse

Guitar music was back in 2024 and Wunderhorse were one of the acts leading the charge. On their new album, they leaned into their role as a band, unafraid to play loud and heavy. But that didn’t mean they lost their lyrical nuance and ‘Silver’ showed it best.

While built like a true anthem that demands loud volumes and big venues, the story of ‘Silver’ is a complex one, unpacking abuse and the cycle of forgiveness and betrayal, culminating in a raging climax as Jacob Slater screams “Just say it, just say it, I’m s-”, masterfully cutting off the “sorry” to hold so much meaning in a simple move. Its details like that made Midas such a stand-out release this year, and ‘Silver’ a shining jewel in its goldmine of a tracklist. [Words by Lucy Harbron]

‘Bullet of Dignity’ – Fat White Family

“Expect the unexpected” is the exact kind of phrase you’d expect to be ascribed to the Fat White Family.

Having long outlived their ones-to-watch moniker of years past, Liaos Saudi is taking the group in a new direction and where is left to go when you’ve spent most of your time playing on stage naked, hurling obscenities and operating as a gang of street poets willing to cut your throat for the next performance? An Egyptian disco-inspired spoken word powerhouse of a tune, of course.

The group’s fourth album, Forgiveness Is Yours, may have preserved their unique sense of self, but Fat White Family were keen to shake off the shackles of contrived avant-gardism and instead get people on the dancefloor. ‘Bullet of Dignity’ is the most danceable track on that LP and is as encouraging as a crooked finger pulling you under the neon lights. Intense and brooding as it may be, it’s as close as Fat White Family will ever get to disco. [Words by Jack Whatley]

‘Nightvision’ – Being Dead

Letting go of your ego is tough, especially in 2024, when most bands are expected to continually inflate their sense of self on social media, using any platform they can get their hands on to promote their work and themselves. It’s a tough spot to be in and remain level-headed. But Being Dead have managed to provide a genuine record in EELS, their 2024 release that not only beams with experimental joy but shouts loudly of a group just happy to be making music. And isn’t that refreshing?

‘Nightvision’ is perhaps the group’s straightest song on the record. It is a simple but powerfully driving alt-rock track that motors along the highway looking for a party to hang in. It’s hard to escape the titular night vision as a setting for the song’s ambience as we power through the suburbs hoping to knock down a mailbox, throw some toilet paper and pretend we’re in a Smashing Pumpkins video. [Words by Jack Whatley]

‘Bye Bye’ – Kim Gordon

Kim Gordon has still got it. Decades into her career, 2024 saw her release what might well be her best track ever in the form of ‘Bye Bye’. Glitchy, tense, relentless and neurotic, the track steps inside the spiralling inner monologue of someone prepping to go on the run. Inspired by Joan Didion’s packing list from The White Album and the eerie suspense of movies like Gone Girl, Gordon managed to make an action movie out of nothing but descriptions of jumpers and toothpaste.

Lyrically, it’s nothing but a list of essentials. But as the music swells and breaks in this crunchy onslaught around it, the drama of the story is in the unspoken sonic moments that turn this simple song on paper into a whole production in your ears. [Words by Lucy Harbron]

‘Dracula’ – Cindy Lee

Cindy Lee, the solo moniker for Patrick Flegel, put out their album without any fanfare and refused for it to be uploaded to streaming platforms. This might not have caused an immediate revolution, but the fact that the near-three-hour album defied all usual conventions and still garnered plenty of attention just might create a knock-on effect somewhere down the line.

It was thanks to the inherent groove of tracks like ‘Dracula’ that kept it bubbling up from the underground. Flegel’s luscious tones purr, and the sleazy, waltzing bassline makes the whole thing effortlessly cool. It builds as though it was written in a looping fashion but has the free-form nature of jazz, too. Vocals that sound like the haunted croons of Andy Warhol’s Factory complete the vaguely haunted epic. [Words by Tom Taylor]

‘To The Moon’ – Shabaka feat. André 3000

Collaborations are often disappointing within music, as artists attempt to blend their respective sounds together in ways that regularly do not work. Thankfully, though, the jazz stylings of composer and former Sons of Kemet bandleader Shabaka Hutchings blend seamlessly with the gentle flute music of André 3000‘s reinvented style. A peaceful symphony built around the flute, ‘To The Moon’ sees the pair construct a stunning soundscape that transports the listener back to nature.

Overlapping the flute with a guitar and vibraphone, along with sampled field recordings of crickets stridulating, Shabaka provides an inventive anecdote to the chaos and white noise that has punctuated much of this year. Listening to this track, particularly through some high-quality headphones, feels akin to an idyllic jazz-led spa day, something which surely comes as a blessed relief as 2024 finally draws to a close. [Words by Ben Forrest]

‘Sadness as a Gift’ – Adrianne Lenker

Setting a poignant emotional tone from the outset, Bright Future proved Adrianne Lenker’s signature emotional intensity and ability to capture the complexity of human experiences, both joyous and sad. With an effortless and organic sound shaped by its rustic setting, the record shone with tracks like ‘Sadness as a Gift’, showing off Lenker’s familiar style with exceptional songwriting and deeply satisfying exploration of heartbreak, self-reflection, healing, and humanity.

‘Sadness as a Gift’ might appear as a lovelorn ballad on the surface, but it also carries a note of hope and optimism. Once again, this proves not only that Lenker understands the nonlinearity of healing and confrontation but also that experiences, especially emotional ones, are rarely one-dimensional, which is ultimately the beauty of life itself. [Words by Kelly Scanlon]

‘Like I Say (I Runaway)’ – Nilüfer Yanya

There are several other artists that could be brought up to try and capture the influences and sounds in the mix in Nilüfer Yanya’s music: PJ Harvey, the Breeders, Siouxsie Sioux or even modern British counterparts like King Krule and the expansive sound of Bombay Bicycle Club. But time and time again, Yanya makes it clear that no comparisons will ever work for her.

‘Like I Say (I Runaway)’ is a perfect example of her unique and singular lense as she melds different influences into something utterly her own and electrifying. It’s the best her voice has ever found, the best her guitar has ever sounded, and a sure sign that her star will only keep rising as her third album, Method Actor, was packed full of promises delivered and more promises to come. [Words by Lucy Harbron]

‘Life Is’ – Jessica Pratt

Some songs can change your mood within an instant, others make the room spin, and some just fall flat. Jessica Pratt has a habit of changing the air around you. With her wonderfully laconic delivery, reminiscent of the 1960s icons Françoise Hardy, Marianne Faithfull, and a host of others, Pratt’s ‘Life Is’ turns the mix of nitrogen and oxygen that fills the space around morph into something far softer, with a patchouli perfumed essence that is electrified with possibility.

Such a change in atmosphere is not often achieved, but Pratt has continually refined her work in recent years, and Here In The Pitch was a continuation of that buffing. ‘Life Is’ might be the best song on the record and a reminder that while style will always reign supreme, adding substance to proceedings ensures a song for the ages. [Words by Jack Whatley]

‘Dreamfear’ – Burial

Goodness knows if we’ll ever get another full-length project from UK producer Burial at this point, but we’ll accept his lowkey ad hoc offerings for as long as he wants to continue releasing them. One of five singles released by the elusive artist this year, ‘Dreamfear’ sees Burial tapping into breakbeats, rave and acid techno for 13 minutes, bringing an even greater air of darkness and menace to his sound than on the sparse and lonely beats of his best-known work.

All of the staples of Will Bevan’s work are present on the track, from the crackling of needles on records underpinning the gloomy ambience and mournful vocal samples, but it all makes for one of the best examples of his work in recent years. The repeated sample of “back from the dead, fucked up in the head” towards the tail end of the track adequately sums up how it feels to hear a new Burial release after long periods of silence. [Words by Reuben Cross]

‘Patterns In Repeat’ – Laura Marling

It seems impossible for Laura Marling to create music that isn’t utterly breathtaking. Eight albums in, this remains true, as her return with Patterns In Repeat was a triumph. The record sees Marling explore the topic of motherhood, delving into how her new role has transformed and influenced every other aspect of her life.

The album’s title track and closing number brings all the thoughts scattered throughout the record to a stunning summary. What begins as a folkish consideration of the sacrifices of parenthood slowly builds and breaks into a homage to her older self. As the song hits its bridge, an old riff from an older album comes in, as Marling sings to her child, “I want you to know that I gave it up willingly.” It’s one of the most moving messages she’s ever turned her voice to. [Words by Lucy Harbron]

‘Code’ – Melt-Banana

An unexpected yet incredibly welcome surprise from earlier in the year was the return of Japanese noise-rock masters Melt-Banana. Having first established their unique blend of abrasive noise, hardcore punk, and electro-rock back in the 1990s, the duo – now made up of Yasuko Onuki and Ichiro Agata – restated their innovative and original approach on the new record 3+5. From that album, ‘Code’ stands out as an adrenaline-fueled rush through the diverse world of the Tokyo band.

Arguably boiling their sound down to its finest components, ‘Code’ mixes harsh, almost industrial-style noise and feedback loops with the distinctly harmonious vocal performance of Onuki. Thrown into this sonic menagerie are furious hardcore-inspired drumbeats and the kind of lightning-fast delivery that Melt-Banana have become synonymous with. It might have been a while since the band last released any music, but ‘Code’ suggests the wait was certainly worth it. [Words by Ben Forrest]

‘Alone’ – The Cure

The Cure frontman Robert Smith has been a master of crafting beautiful and gloomy art pieces since they first entered the scene with Three Imaginary Boys in 1979. Within Songs of a Lost World, he navigates hollowed hearts in delicate worlds, with vulnerability submerging the core of his shattered soul, led by the heartfelt ode to love and loss of ‘Alone’.

“This is the end of every song we sing,” Smith intones within the song, delivered with his signature emotional intensity, veiled in a kind of melancholic poetry that surfaces even more vividly in the next line: “The fire burned out to ash, and the stars grow dim with tears”. The overwhelming energy set by the long, swirling intro flows seamlessly into Smith’s vocal delivery as the track evolves into an ambient yet darkly compelling atmosphere.

After 16 years, ‘Alone’ offered a glimpse into a new, enticing chapter shaped by a longing for a place to call home, yet ruled by an eternal search for answers to life’s unpredictable mishaps. [Words by Kelly Scanlon]

‘A Dream Is All We Had’ – The Lemon Twigs 

The title track from the Retro Royals 2024 album is naturally flecked with the juxtaposition that makes The Lemon Twigs such a vital part of the music scene. The brothers are so intently built out of the rock and roll of the past that their version of the present feels entirely futureproof. This track, in particular, distils that notion.

The kind of vocal that would make Frankie Valli beam with pride, backed by instrumentation combustible with the sheer volume of shimmering 1960s swagger it has at its disposal, makes ‘A Dream Is All We Had’ feel closer to a Happy Days dream sequence than anything else released this year. For us, that’s about as high a compliment as can be bestowed. It might not be an earworm or punchy enough to remain on the tip of your tongue throughout the day, but what it does is warm your heart and put your mind at rest as soon as it lands on the airwaves. Like Fonzie stroking your head to sleep. [Words by Jack Whatley]

‘Let the Virgin Drive’ – Spirit of the Beehive

Another welcome return this year was Philadelphia’s Spirit of the Beehive with You’ll Have to Lose Something. It sees the band burnish their glitchy, postmodern sound, with the samples more outlandish and the compositions more far-reaching and cinematic. All the while, it matches this experimentalism with their customary ear for a hook, as ‘Let the Virgin Drive’ typifies.

One of the album’s most immediate cuts, it features a heady acoustic guitar, a catchy vocal melody, and an off-kilter but memorable sample. Featuring all three members singing, it’s narcotic but flirts with disharmony in another resounding show of their unique but brilliant grasp of songwriting. There’s a lot of substance and flaunting of convention, and it’s a ride from start to finish. [Words by Arun Starkey]

‘Sad Lads Anonymous’ – Nadine Shah

Arriving four years after Nadine Shah’s 2020 record Kitchen Sink, Filthy Underneath delivered a charm like never before, proving a singer very much at the top of her craft with effortless blends of Britpop-inspired cadences and 1980s-esque disillusionment. Epitomising this was the standout track ‘Sad Lads Anonymous’, which presented the viscera of Shah’s reality and a hazy night almost certainly borne from experience.

“This is a dumb idea, even for you,” she began, the idea of not being “straight enough to be straight” and “too damn scared to be wild” tapping into reserve about surroundings even with the promise of them being better than somewhere else, somewhere like London, the place filled with “overexcited” people who convince themselves they enjoy it, like it, even, when in reality it’s all a pretence. A distraction. As a result of this layering, the song is her most underrated gem, proving Shah’s restricted composure and ability to push the face of her critique into the spotlight, forcing light upon its ugly features. [Words by Kelly Scanlon]

‘Holy, Holy’ – Geordie Greep

Calling time on one of the most influential bands of your generation is a bold move, but swiftly following it with the lead single from your debut solo album is another matter entirely. For former Black Midi frontman Geordie Greep, however, ‘Holy, Holy’ proved to be the perfect way to introduce his next chapter and herald the arrival of The New Sound.

It’s a characteristically bonkers song. Musically, it extracts from the spirit of Sãu Paulo, where much of the record was captured, with flecks of bossa nova and the area’s jazz colouring it, while juxtaposing that with a surreal, blackly comic story that lampoons the Andrew Tates of the world. A gyrating, madcap effort, Greep is more outlandish and accomplished than ever. [Words by Arun Starkey]

 ‘Julie’- Horsegirl

The return of Chicago trio Horsegirl in November was a welcome surprise. Gearing up to release their hotly anticipated second album, Phonetics On and On, in February 2025, as expected, working with producer Cate Le Bon seems to have pulled them away from the stylistic post-punk of their 2022 debut.

‘Julie’ is a definitively more maudlin cut, carried by a light, shuffling beat, the bird-like slides of the guitar, and a melancholic chorus. Boasting the band’s potent harmonies, this unhurried, hypnotic track does the work for the listener. It might be sparse instrumentally, but it is expertly layered and builds to an exceptional climax. I cannot wait for the record. [Words by Arun Starkey]

‘Albert Road’ – English Teacher

This really was English Teacher’s year. While the Leeds-based band had been buzzy for a long time, the announcement of their debut album saw them put all that potential on the table, offering up track after track, building on their abilities and levelling up their polish until This Could Be Texas arrived as an absolutely staggeringly brilliant record.

Led beautifully by Lily Fontaine’s accent-laden vocals with the rest of the band swelling around her, weaving between ambient and experimental, ‘Albert Road’ feels like one track that captures the band at their best on every level. Each and every piece on their album could make this list, but as an ode to their origins and the journey they’ve been on since, now standing as Mercury Prize winners, this one is truly goosebump-inducing as it builds to a climax where each band member is not only performing at their best but is so audibly playing with every ounce of their love and passion for what they’re making on clear display. [Words by Lucy Harbron]

‘Shaking Body’ – Ezra Collective

Where does it stop for Ezra Collective? The London jazz outfit seems to have a tank running on petrol that refuses to burn. After winning the Mercury Prize last year, many people probably thought the band would slow down, enjoy the spoils for a little, and take a breather, but they’ve done no such thing. Instead, they released the splendid LP Dance, No One’s Watching, a groove-heavy and infectious album that gets toes tapping and bodies moving.

One of the record’s most energetic and fun songs is ‘Shaking Body’. Moreso than any other track on the album, this song does exactly what it says it is going to do. From the word go, it’s hard to listen to a single note of this track and not let your moving body take over. With an infectious line that dominates throughout the piece, each band member is given a chance to improvise, and Ezra Collective perfectly shows off the musical prowess that won them the Mercury. Long may this band’s brilliance continue. [Words by Dale Maplethorpe]

‘Nail in a Wooden Trunk’ – Tapir!

Having already released their conceptually ambitious debut album, The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain, at the start of 2024, London folk sextet Tapir! chose not to rest on their laurels for too long and released a duo of tracks at the end of summer to close out a stunning first chapter of their career. ‘Hallelujah Bruv’ and ‘Nail in a Wooden Trunk’ offer up the same gorgeous and pastoral folk that the album delivered, but the band’s inability to squeeze the tracks into the overall three-part narrative of the album meant that they had to sit alone separately from the rest of the record.

From the pure vocal harmonies of Ike Gray and Emily Hubbard, delicate cornet lines and distorting acoustic guitar, there are so many details to this gentle miniature that worm their way into the spotlight throughout ‘Nail in a Wooden Trunk’. Depending on where Tapir! go for the next part of their odyssey, it makes for a beautiful farewell to what has been an exceptional breakout year for the band. [Words by Reuben Cross]

‘We Are The People’ – Work Money Death

If one thing has become clear through the music released in 2024, it is the intense level of quality and diversity present within the music scene of Leeds. Alongside Mercury Prize winners like English Teacher, post-punk heroes Yard Act, and the punk-R&B of Corinne Bailey Rae, the West Yorkshire city also boasts a fantastic jazz scene, with sax master Tony Burkill at its forefront. With his collective, Work Money Death, Burkill unveiled the sublime album People Of The Fast Flowing River in November, with the single ‘We Are The People’ being an undeniable highlight.

A 14-minute exploration of spiritual jazz, borrowing heavily from the work of artists like Pharaoh Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and even Sun Ra at points, the song is a resounding endorsement of the modern jazz scene. Mixing seemingly simple ideas with complex, captivating instrumentation, ‘We Are The People’ lures listeners in with a warm atmosphere created by the sax and piano before building into something colossal as the epic marches on. The track is an absolute masterclass in modern spiritual jazz, which reaffirms Burkill’s position as an essential figure within the UK’s jazz scene. [Words by Ben Forrest]

‘Tu n’es pas seul’ – Les Passagers

French-Canadian jazz-psych duo Les Passagers have an unerring ability to glide between delicate arrangements and stirring grandiosity with masterful ease. Teasing next year’s Tu n’es Pas Seul mini-album with its title track, pianist-singer Andréanne Muzzo and guitarist Nicolas Ferron-Geoffroy conjure another slice of ice-cool Montreal lounge that hovers nebulously in a sonic intersection between ruminative and cinematic.

Scoring “another end-of-the-world tune” with languid chill, the impending thematic doom breaks no composure for Les Passagers, Muzzo’s gorgeous vocals percolating atop fluid percussion and synth-soaked guitar licks all floating in a pleasing aural soup before the cut takes a dramatic u-turn to frenzied jazz stomp as the figurative meteorite encroaches that bit closer. Richly evocative yet effortless in its execution, ‘Tu n’es Pas Seul’ is their best work yet and sets high hopes for what awaits next year should we all still be alive. [Words by Tom Phelan]

‘Stranger’ – Hinds and Grian Chatten

2024 was a huge year for Grian Chatten over in his own lane with Fontaines DC, but he still found the time to come and hang out with his old friends on their album, too. See, Hinds and Fontaines really came up together, both heralded as the next big things back in the 2010s and have been navigating the same live circuits ever since. Their journeys seem to cross over spiritually in 2024, too, as while the Irish unit leaned into a whole vibe switch, Hinds reinvigorated themselves, too, relaunching after a hiatus with their best offering yet.

Viva Hinds! is an incredible record from start to finish, packed full of bilingual indie bangers, but ‘Strangers’ is the best of the best. With Chatten’s vocals mixing and merging with the Spanish duo’s, all paired with a gorgeous guitar line to match, there is so much going on in the song, and all of it is great. [Words by Lucy Harbron]

‘Funeral for Justice’ – Mdou Moctar

In May, Tuareg hero Mdou Moctar released his stellar new album, Funeral for Justice, which pushed him into new realms. The record touches on practically every feeling under the sun, including joy, sorrow, tranquillity, love, and loss. While it brings into full focus cultural rebellion and political unrest, with the lyrics revolving around the mistreatment of the Taureg people and Moctar’s native Niger, this frank spirit is matched by gritty, searing music at points, with the title track symbolic of this.

This ball of exuberance is hard to ignore. It puts a crunching, hard rock twist on Moctar’s unique guitar sound with a rapid-fire, psychedelic riff that boasts fast hammer-ons and pull-offs. Bursting with frenetic energy and some of his finest guitar playing to date, its pulsating bassline, Moctar’s vocals, and the alternating meter also add to the sonic splendour. [Words by Arun Starkey]

‘Champion’ – Pom Poko

Norway’s finest art-punk outfit, Pom Poko, have built a reputation for wildly unpredictable, raucous garage rock coupled with the ethereal tones of Ragnhild Fangel Jamtveit. Expectedly, the Oslo band continued those themes this year with the release of their third studio album, Champion. As signified by its title track, however, the record also witnessed a change in mood for the vibrant world of Pom Poko. ‘Champion’ is not afraid to embrace a more mellow, emotional atmosphere to much of the band’s previous works, leaving space for vulnerability between the wonderfully abrasive instrumentation.

Drummer Ola Djupvik told Far Out earlier in the year, “We sort of challenged ourselves, on this album, to allow the tunes to be more themselves. If we wrote a sort of medium-heat kind of tune, we just allowed it to be medium-heat for the entire song.”

That sonic manifesto certainly comes across on ‘Champion’, but it is certainly not to the detriment of the band’s sound. Quite the opposite, these “medium-heat” tracks represent bold new avenues of artistic expression for Pom Poko, allowing the band to fully explore a theme of source of inspiration without being tied to the expectations of chaotic art-punk explosions. [Words by Ben Forrest]

‘A Vineyard for the North’ – Yard Act

Closing out the triumphant sophomore album of Leeds’ post-punk poster boys, ‘A Vineyard for the North’ is an affecting tale of introspection and self-forgiveness. Complete with a driving beat and groovy composition, allowing it to feel right at home within the disco-influenced sounds of Where’s My Utopia?, Yard Act once again showcase their propensity for blending catchy tunes with profound lyricism that manages to hold up a mirror to reality. Of course, James Smith’s unique brand of satirical writing is still out in full force, but this song, in particular, hints at something much more important and vulnerable, akin to previous efforts like ‘100% Endurance’.

Much like that previous track, the finale of The Overload, ‘A Vineyard for the North’ manages to offer a sense of hope and optimism despite its seemingly downbeat vocal performance. Within Smith’s account of self-reflection and the forgiveness of “meaning well” lies a message of hope and defiance even in difficult circumstances. The way he delivers these words, building a vineyard in a valley, sounds akin to building Jerusalem in England’s green and pleasant land. Blake comparisons aside, though, Yard Act perfectly toe the line between stunning social commentary and danceable grooves in a way that is not often seen in the modern age. [Words by Ben Forrest]

‘Long Dark Night’ – Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

There were times when Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ latest effort came off as pious and overblown, but there was no doubt that it was moving. ‘Long Dark Night’ feels like the moment that its ships were most in order, the lyrics brimming with Cave’s brilliance and bluster in imagery with ease and offering up a romanticism reminiscent of the works of Charles Baudelaire. Then, it neatly arrives at a sweeping chorus.

Serene and sentimental, there is a certain perfection in the craft behind ‘Long Dark Night’. Cave emotively croons, using his voice to conduct the music—it follows his intonations and bellows as though the whole thing is coming from him alone. With such beautiful abounding, you can only hope that a long, dark night isn’t coming down. After all, Cave himself once said that beauty is going to save the world. [Words by Tom Taylor]

‘Dig’ – Orlando Weeks and Rhian Teasdale

While the news of The Maccabees’ upcoming reunion in 2025 might have taken our focus away, Orlando Weeks‘ solo work still deserves its flowers. The band’s frontman has always proved that his talent extended way beyond the indie landfill era of the 2000s but in 2024 especially, he outdid himself on his record LOJA. The whole album stands as a thorough exploration of the various corners and caveats of Weeks’ musical intrigues and influences, but one track especially shone through as something special.

As the opening track to the whole era, ‘Dig’ remained a real standout as Weeks teamed up with Wet Leg’s Rhian Teasdale for a spiralling indie tune with a hooking foundational beat. It manages to be both foolproof and experimental, an earworm, and still an interesting sonic exploration that sees both these artists bring their best to the table. Endlessly elevated by Teasdale’s vocals, the track is also a chance to hear her talents outside the more hazy, affected sound on her own band’s debut, suggesting there is more strength to come from her corner, too. [Words by Lucy Harbron]

‘I Love Him Til I Love Him Right’ – Amanda Bergman

Swedish singer-songwriter, mother and regenerative farmer Amanda Bergman has an uncanny knack for musical magic. With this delicate track, she offers up one of the finest song titles you’re ever likely to read. You could drop a bomb into the titular lyric alone and never live to hear it explode. That complex domestic depth is served up on a hook that renders the tricky intricacies of romance catchy.

There is a sweetness and ease to it, so much so that you’ll be showering with it for years to come, but its gentle rolling melody delivers a wallop of imagery, too. The everyday scenes that Bergman sings about in her gruff croon are suddenly graced with lush poetry. Love is far from perfect, but how nice it is to find someone who simply gives a damn. This song holds true to such sentiments in a way that is both as delicate and nebulous but binding and fortified as a mortgage. [Words by Tom Taylor]

‘Get Numb To It!’ – Friko

Emo-tinged indie rock hasn’t had a song more deserving of a place in its Hall of Fame for many years, and while the eight other tracks on Friko’s debut album might want to fight their own corner to be recognised in such a way, there’s simply something too arresting about ‘Get Numb To It!’ to overlook its brilliance. The Chicago duo of Nico Kapetan and Bailey Minzenberger pour their heart into every second of Where We’ve Been, Where We Go From Here’s penultimate track, and the despair felt in their lyrics is palpable as they belt their way through the chorus of “and it doesn’t get better, it just gets twice as bad because you let it, so you better get numb to it.”

There’s a real feeling of embracing the world’s wicked ways that are relatable, and the cathartic nature of the song feels like they’re exorcising the negativity from within themselves and calling upon the listener to do the same. Friko might well be reminding us that evil is here to stay, but the song feels like a pat on the back to tell you that things might be alright at the same time. [Words by Reuben Cross]

‘Big Love’ – Camera Obscura

To the defiant beat of a kick drum and down-stroking guitar, Camera Obscura’s ‘Big Love’ is a triumphant anthem of positivity in their returning album Look to the East, Look to the West.

The lead single and first release in over ten years, ‘Big Love’ was a pulling back of the curtains and return to sunshine for the band. In what feels like their strongest pivot towards country yet, the rhythms of Waylon Jennings echo throughout the track, pushing you forward one foot at a time, with the light at the end of the tunnel teased by the melodies that live on top. The song’s catchy hook holds hands with country guitar lines, making way for Tracyanne Campbell’s defiantly optimistic lyrics that muse upon the trappings that exist within the past.

Campbell sings, “Oh, honey, don’t go back there / You know there’s no room for you there”, as the song beats on, taking Camera Obscura to an appropriately celestial space. While the rest of the record gives time to feelings of sadness and vulnerability, this track acts as the record’s over-arching mantra, delivering Camera Obscura’s artistic mission to its destination of heartfelt positivity. [Words by Callum MacHattie]

‘Still What I’m Looking For’ – Mac DeMarco and Ryan Paris

It’s a travesty of limited human sentiment that a countless slew of songs have focused on the bookends of a relationship, but few have had the heart to deal with the bulk. Italian musician Ryan Paris teamed up with lo-fi legend Mac DeMarco to correct that. Together, the unlikely pair who first met over the internet sweetly evoke a love that has never waned.

They don’t celebrate this brashly or with a great deal of fuss but instead with a sweet and serene strummed beauty. It’s a charming and soft ballad of old akin to the most delicate work of Henry Belafonte. Paris barely breaks above a hushed whisper until he has to, perfectly capturing the photobook sentiment at the heart of the song—a song complete with a stunning singalong chorus, elevated by the lovely little touch of a vibraphone-like woo from DeMarco.

When we spoke to Paris about how the collaboration came about back in the summer, he hinted that the pair would become the next Lennon-McCartney; well, this would be a ditty even those giants would be proud of. [Words by Tom Taylor]

‘Mahal’ – Glass Beams

Fusing Australian surf rock with the pulsing rhythms of traditional Indian music, Glass Beams have created a realm in which their music is to be judged solely on its own and without comparison. Unravelling layers of sound like a Russian doll, they’re a band that can cram multiple ideas into a song with relative ease. The title track from their 2024 EP, Mahal, showcases their ability to do this best.

With no direct vocal performances in the track, you’re left to float down an expansive river of sonic composition that’s current runs strong from the track’s rhythm section. Snappy yet accomplished, the song’s bassline steals the show as it sets a hypnotic precedent for the rest of its parts to flourish. While layers of melody sit on top of that in the form of vocal ad-libs, clean guitar licks and transcendent percussive stabs, the record remains expansive and precise.

Glass Beams are a band whose soundscape is influenced by every corner of world music, and ‘Mahal’ is the track where they concentrate so accurately. It’s a fine example of music’s transportive nature and a fitting soundtrack for the world of Glass Beams, where creative curiosity is championed, and identity is sidelined. [Words by Callum MacHattie]

‘86th’ – Short Porch

Unsigned Brooklyn band Short Porch have released more than one track in 2024 that could’ve easily made this list. Brimming with a sweet sense of slacker spirit, the band beautifully feel like just that: a band. In the rafters of their searing sound, there is a sense of camaraderie, shared memories behind the tunes, intertwining musicianship, and above all, you can envision each one of them in a live setting.

‘86th’ is a stand-out that feels almost like a Bruce Springsteen ‘Drive into the Horizon’ song but is written by a narrator who only has a bicycle and for whom all horizons are gravely uncertain. Sean McNulty’s distinctive vocals bring a defined character and uniqueness to the track while the instruments dual their way towards a coalescing power that has you pining for some nondescript good old days.

You can start ‘86th’ without a beer, but three minutes in, you’re inexplicably three pints deep bumming a woodbine from a new burly best bud out the front of the bar. That’s the brilliance of the track—there is an honesty to it that takes you places. [Words by Tom Taylor]

‘LFO (Lupe Finds Oliveros)’ – Helado Negro

Marrying the essential experimental figures of Lupe Lopez and Pauline Oliveros, Floridian songwriter Helado Negro pays faithful homage to the inventiveness and vibrancy of these artists. Released back in October, ‘LFO’ is the lead single to be taken from the upcoming record Phasor, due out in February 2025, and it certainly provides a wealth of promise for that album. Negro has always harboured a knack for crafting warm, psych-rock-influenced works that are as comforting as they are inventive, but ‘LFO’ is a triumph even by his own impossibly high standards.

In contrast to the dance-focused sounds of his previous work, Far In, ‘LFO’ sees Negro mellow things out somewhat. Do not be fooled, however: beyond the comfortable surroundings of this gentle psychedelic embrace is a wealth of avant-garde influences and hints at something much more diverse. The multi-layered nature of the song should come as no surprise when taking into account the influence of both Lopez and Oliveros.

The latter of which became known for her radical concept of ‘Deep Listening’, as well as her tireless work creating tape loops and field recordings. Meanwhile, Lopez was a worker on the Fender assembly line, whose amps have become incredibly sought after for her meticulous work on each amplifier, which she signed by hand. Inevitably, these two important figures come together under the expansive musical world created by Negro on this excellent track. [Words by Ben Forrest]

‘She’s Leaving You – MJ Lenderman

The striking blend of alt-rock and country that have become a beloved MJ Lenderman signature fuse in perfect harmony on what is a standout track from his latest record, Manning Fireworks. While the sonic composition of the entire record is delicate and nuanced, ‘She’s Leaving You’ showcases Lenderman’s ability to pare back the delivery in service of the song and provide a melancholic alt-rock backdrop on which the deeply emotive lyrics can sit on top. As the track closes with a riff that wears baggy trousers and a stetson hat, there’s nowhere to sit but deep in the emotional palette of Lenderman’s world of artistic honesty.

When the vocals open with “You can put your clothes back on, she’s leaving you / No time to apologise for the things you do,” Lenderman grants the listener permission to project the necessary feelings of pain and empathy on the song’s protagonist. Somewhat traditional in its indie-slacker composition, Lenderman characterises the usual archetypes of a heartbroken indie boy with a knowing wink as he pleas for the subject to “rent a Ferrari and sing the blues / Believe that Clapton was the second coming”. In a new age of satirical indie, it’s a lyrical performance with the self-awareness to make empathetic and heartfelt nonetheless.

It’s a track that throws you back and propels you forward, with a new voice flying the flag. The Wednesday guitarist has delivered us with a record and a song in particular that feels like the new age of indie stream of consciousness. [Words by Callum MacHattie]

‘U Should Not Be Doing That’ –  Amyl and the Sniffers

A common problem that a lot of bands have is being able to write lyrics that sync up with the music. Some tracks convey something sad but that instrumentally is quite joyous. Equally, some lyrics are happy but play over a moody backdrop. Occasionally, this is done intentionally, but most of the time, it’s because syncing up lyrics and music can be difficult.

Amyl and the Sniffers don’t have this problem with their song ‘U Should Not Be Doing That’, which is easily one of the best tracks of 2024. The song follows a similar theme to a lot of numbers on their most recent album, Cartoon Darkness, as it gives in to being alive, embracing fun while the world turns and your heart beats. Simultaneously, it delivers a big fuck you to anyone who tries to get in your way.

Both the music and lyrics of this song match up perfectly, as Amy Taylor laughs at people who have tried to tell her what to do over instrumentation, which is perfect for dancing and having fun, too. This has been the soundtrack to many people’s 2024 and has enough power that its influence will carry over into years to come. Never before has a punk song encouraged fun as much as this, as Amyl and the Sniffers continue to prove themselves as one of the greatest bands, both live and in the studio, on the planet.

Rebellion doesn’t always have to be messy. Sometimes, rebelling is just doing what comes naturally, so do it. [Words by Dale Maplethorpe]

‘Pure At The Heart’ – Warmduscher feat. Janet Planet

While Warmduscher is best known for their brand of sleazy and freakish funk-punk, hints of other genres have always managed to seep through the cracks in their oddball presentation. Deciding to slow things down for a rare tender moment, ‘Pure At The Heart’ is a disco pop diversion that sees Clams Baker and Ben Romans-Hopcraft share the vocal duties with Janet Planet of Confidence Man, where the trio lament the moment when the lights turn on at the end of a club night, and you’re forced to say farewell to the person you’ve fallen for in an intoxicated stupor.

It still has all of the frivolity of a classic Warmduscher track but far less of the aggression and grimy feeling you might get walking away from another cut of theirs as they delve into debauched territories. This change of pace is one that suits them well, though, and even one you could potentially see the band pursuing in the future. Romans-Hopcraft’s wandering bassline plays over the top of stabbed piano chords and some deliciously funky guitar licks from Adam Harmer in the same way that the last song of the night might saunter its way across the dancefloor in a schmaltzy fashion.

While their raucous nature might be what they’re still best known for, Warmduscher come out best when they’re dishing out surprises, and ‘Pure At The Heart’ is the most pleasant one they could possibly have offered on their latest album. [Words by Reuben Cross]

‘Starburster’ – Fontaines DC

They say there’s nothing new under the sun these days. Thankfully, Dublin isn’t all that sunny, and Fontaines DC still have plenty of tricks up their increasingly flamboyant sleeves, such as invoking an inhaler for the first instrumental chorus performed by a nebulising apparatus in history. It’s such innovation that allows them to quickly rattle off the track of the year using basically two oscillating notes and a wad of swaggering boldness.

‘Starburster’ is an enigmatic track puffing on a rolly behind a brutalist tower block. The mind of the inhaler is one of surreal anarchy. The words themselves breeze forth from the sketchy narrator in an abstract stream, every term chosen for its sharpness as much as its internal logic—symbolic of a protagonist who isn’t quite sure where that logic lies, uttering “I may feel bad” in a conflicting state that echoes the transcience between pleasure and bloody-nosed pain—a snapshot of fleeting “momentary blissness” and despair in the consumerist age.

In the busy song, the band blusters through the trademark doggrel of the rain-slicked streets of their home and buttresses this ramshackle spirit with the haunted disquiet of a collapsing culture. The result is an anthem that propels itself along on a shoestring sound towards adrenalising chaos.

All the instrumentation is roughshod over the same wheezing oscillation that runs throughout—finding beauty in the fluttering strings of a serene middle eighth before returning to the blows of dissonance and drudgery, capturing, in its own manic and infectious way, the contradictions of life in the 21st century, where shallow pleasures, listless distractions, and profound longings pervade. How do you make sense of today? Well, the person who explains that to you is going to need an inhaler to get through it. [Words by Tom Taylor]