It’s been tough to narrow down my 2024 Albums of the Year, but here are my top 5!
RedHook – Mutation
Mutation has everything you need for a great album – fantastic and varied vocal deliveries, catchy hooks, and great instrumentation. It is an absolutely infectious album that sailed right into the top albums.
Youth In Revolt – Antisocial Disaster
I’ve been waiting a long time for an album from Youth In Revolt. It came on Christmas Day and walked straight into the top 5 albums of the year.
It’s a new sound but it works well and the themes are relatable. It is definitely the band’s strongest album in their 11 year career as it’s fully of catchy hooks, poppy melodies and funky instrumentation.
Disney & Friends – A Whole New Sound
Disney & Friends combined two of my favourite things – Disney and alternative music. All of the tracks were performed brilliantly by some of my favourite bands. I’m still in awe of Boys Like Girls’ cover of You’ll Be in My Heart and the Mayday Parade version of Remember Me is a masterpiece.
Crushed By Waves – More to Life
More to Life is full of poppy hooks, anthemic tracks and strong lyrics.
It was a delight to listen to, mixing angst, intensity, and dancey sounds. Dangerous was one of the standout tracks with its 180 from catchy pop to screams and a breakdown.
New Years Day – Half Black Heart
Half Black Heart is a very empowering album lyrically. It is the first album after Ash and Nikki were reunited with Brandon and Jeremy and is a culmination of years of work, being their strongest album to date.
I Still Believe and Half Black Heart are two of the stand out tracks.
Notable mentions:
Motionless In White – Reincarnate (10th anniversary) and Avril Lavigne – Greatest Hits get notable mentions as they are pretty much re-recordings of existing tracks but both have given me a lot of joy throughout 2024.