Top Albums of 2024

02 January 2025

Intro

Alright, let's give this another shot. I did a write-up of my top albums of 2022, but did not finish writing it in the end.

My yearly theme for 2024 is the Year of Expression. My efforts to do more writing haven't exactly gone very well, so this is a final effort to finish the year strong in that regard. It should be easy enough because I have thoughts about the music I love.

2024 has been a pretty insane year for music releases. It seemed like every few weeks there was a new album. I was mostly following the metal scene but there were still great albums outside that sphere which crossed my radar. Without further ado, let's dive in to my top albums of 2024.

5. POST HUMAN: NeX GEn - Bring Me the Horizon

I didn't love this album when I first listened to it. Sure, there were some good songs, but I didn't care much for the hyperpop sound or the dystopian sci-fi theme they're going for. It was only after giving this record a few more spins that I began to appreciate the album for what it is. Once I looked past the wEirdly TiTled sOngs I found a pop-punk/metal album that is really catchy and hooky, and how could I say no to a good chorus?

At just under an hour long, this has become my go-to album for long drives into the city stuck in traffic. It's easy to listen to, all the songs are upbeat and it has great production. NeX GEn might not be as heavy as the previous SURVIVAL HORROR EP, but it's got heavy moments and nonetheless has fun hard rock/metal vibes. Overall, it's a solid album from Bring Me the Horizon with a nice variety of different sounds.

FAVE SONGS: TOP 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOD, liMOusIne (feat. AURORA), a bulleT w/ my namE On (feat. Underoath), AmEN! (feat. Lil Uzi Vert and Daryl Palumbo)
LEAST FAVE SONGS: n/A, LosT

4. CARNAL - Nothing More

I'm a big fan of all of Nothing More's discography. SPIRITS was my album of the year in 2022, and now they're back with another great album not a full two years later.

IF IT DOESN'T HURT was the first single and it's still one of my favourite songs from the album. I especially like the lines "If it doesn't hurt at all, there's nothing left to save // Cause holding onto hope is a different kind of pain". To me, it's a reminder of the struggles that love brings, but are ultimately worth it because what is love without pain?

STUCK is an anthem for pushing through no matter the challenges the you face. "This is for the people who can't break through, I used to feel just like you, stuck" It's angry, it's aggressive, it goes hard at the gym and keeps me pursuing my goals and grinding.

HOUSE ON SAND has a mean guitar riff and a huge chorus. A full metalcore Nothing More album would be amazing, these heavier songs on the recent albums are very good and I would love to see them do more.

You can't forget ANGEL SONG featuring Disturbed frontman David Draiman. This song has a catchy hook and another stellar chorus. As usual, all the choruses in the album are great and that is one of my favourite aspects of Nothing More's music.

Of course, what's a Nothing More album without the uplifting songs (my favourites are DOWN THE RIVER and GIVE IT TIME) and interludes with Alan Watts quotes (I quite like HEART)?

FAVE SONGS: IF IT DOESN'T HURT, STUCK (feat. Sinizter), HOUSE OF SAND (feat. Eric V.), ANGEL SONG (feat. David Draiman)
LEAST FAVE SONGS: BLAME IT ON THE DRUGS

3. You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To - Knocked Loose

Hype in the online metal community around Knocked Loose early this year led me to checking out the two singles from their upcoming album, "Blinding Faith" and "Don't Reach for Me". (Prior to this, I only knew Knocked Loose from the Motionless in White song Slaughterhouse featuring Bryan Garris.) The singles had me immediately hooked and wanting more.

I am a big fan of Poppy's I Disagree album and her other metal tracks, so I was excited to see what she could do with Knocked Loose. Suffocate did not disappoint. Of course, this song has that breakdown, which went hard the first time I heard it and still does many months later. Bryan and Poppy's vocals work great together and Poppy's scream at the end is just perfection. Their performance of this song on Jimmy Kimmel was insane, these guys absolutely crushed it this year.

This album has huge production, massive guitars and unrelenting aggressive energy. The drums don't miss a beat and lead the songs through every breakdown and change in rhythm. Bryan nails both the high "tantrum" (in the best way) screams and low growls. My only complaint about it is that at 27 minutes long, it ends too quickly. I wish there was more. But I suppose it means I can just put it on repeat and enjoy the awesomeness once again.

I think the flow of the album is underrated. The double track of "Moss Covers All / Take Me Home" and lower energy build-up to Slaughterhouse 2 tells a great story. I probably wouldn't put either song in a playlist as individual tracks, but in the context of an album that sequence is one of my highlights.

FAVE SONGS: Suffocate, Don't Reach For Me
LEAST FAVE SONGS: Sit & Mourn

2. Make Them Suffer - Make Them Suffer

I first discovered Make Them Suffer in 2022 and they have since become one of my favourite, if not my favourite, modern metal bands. Yes, Erase Me was my first MTS song, but as great as that song is I realised it wasn't even the best song on the album. That led me to checking out the rest of their discography. While I like all their albums, I especially like their more modern sound in How To Survive a Funeral and Worlds Apart.

So I was excited for a new album when Doomswitch came out in late 2022. However, there was only silence until eight months later when we got Ghost of Me. Even then, it would be more than a year after that when we finally got the album announcement. Suffice to say, I had been waiting for this album for a long time, but it was every bit worth the wait.

This album is amazing, all the songs are very solid with great riffs and choruses. How To Survive a Funeral was my favourite MTS album, if this one doesn't tie it it comes very close, will need to give it more time as I'm still in the honeymoon phase of this album release. In the interest of not going on for a long time, I'll just shoutout a few of my favourite tracks here, but do know that I love all the songs on this album.

Doomswitch has been out for more than two years but it hasn't gotten old. It was the herald of the band's new electronic metalcore sound and the first song with Alex Reade on vocals/keys. I am very fortunate to have been able to see Make Them Suffer live in Auckland back in November, they played Doomswitch as the finale and it was a great choice.

Mana God is full of anger and aggression. The lyrics suggest a life of oppression and manipulation, and the desire to break these bonds held by a higher power. This song has become of my go-tos at the gym.

Epitaph shows signs of the band's heavier deathcore roots, but still has a massive metalcore chorus with great vocals from Alex, and modern electronic sounds in the bridge.

I'd also like to mention No Hard Feelings, which I'd label as the "The Attendant" or "Save Yourself" of the album, that hits you in the feels. It's not quite as strong as those two songs but still a great song nonetheless.

Venusian Blues is another different sound for the band, and I kinda love it. The verses are typical MTS with fast, technical guitar riffs and screaming vocals, but the chorus is driving with a major tonality and clean vocals. This contrast between parts works very well and I love this variation in sound, it's unique but still sounds like MTS.

Ghost of Me is a cry of heartbreak and anger from being betrayed by a loved one. Sean and Alex's vocals sound great and add strong emotion to the song. I love the lyrics "You know my face, remember me when everybody has forgotten you // Once all your friends have left, you'll see that it gets lonely at the bottom too". It's just so damning and powerful.

This is a close second to my album of the year. If it came out earlier in the year it might very well have taken the crown, but as it was only released in full in November, it hasn't made such an impact on me as the album that did win top pick. Either way, Make Them Suffer's self-titled album is incredible and solidifies the band as one of my favourite modern metal bands.

FAVE SONGS: Epitaph, Mana God, Ghost of Me, Venusian Blues
LEAST FAVE SONGS: Oscillator

1. Djesse Vol. 4 - Jacob Collier

Jacob Collier's long-awaited finale to his Djesse project dropped early this year on February 29. Which, by the way, is such a cool day to release an album and I totally would do the same given the choice.

Most of the singles were very strong, like the rocking WELLLL, Latin dance bop Mi Corazón (which happens to be my most played song on Spotify this year), and the acapella epic Bridge Over Troubled Water. But what really stood out to me were the other album tracks. (There are few songs which I don't mention here, they are still great but if I commented on all 16 songs individually it would be incredibly long)

100,000 Voices has a unique arena rock sound I immediately loved. I cried tears of joy when I first heard that metal breakdown outro. I've been wanting to hear what Jacob Collier could do on a metal track; I knew he had it in him rocking a Strandberg and working with Arch Echo, and boy did he deliver. It totally took me by surprise and with that strong opener track I knew this album would be a good one.

She Put Sunshine is just pure happiness. There's a bit of a joke that Jacob Collier's music sounds AI-generated, and I will say this is probably his most "AI-sounding" song. But does that affect my feelings toward the song? Absolutely not, I find it slightly amusing and still love this song.

I love the soundscape Jacob has created in Cinnamon Crush (feat. Lindsey Lomis). It's lush and a little sparkly with tinkles and droplets. The relaxed beat reminds me of a sweet syrup which is fitting for the theme of the song and the result is delicious.

Summer Rain is calming and beautiful. It's the perfect vibe for the afternoon train ride home after a long day of studying. The guitar and mandolin (played by Chris Thile) blend perfectly together. I love Madison Cunningham's voice on this one.

A Rock Somewhere is truly special. To me, it's a song about losing a loved one. There's so much emotion in this one, it's sad and longing yet there's a kind of resolution with the acceptance of "waiting on the world". Anoushka Shankar and Varijashree Venugopal killed it with their sitar and vocal features respectively. There are so many great songs on this album but this is one of my favourites.

We got Never Gonna Be Alone back in 2022, and it still holds up incredibly after two years. It's the cozy version of Summer Rain, smooth and comforting compared to the other song's crisp and dreamy tones.

Bridge Over Troubled Water is a masterpiece. All three featured vocalists, Yebba, John Legend and Tori Kelly give an outstanding performance and Jacob supports them with a wonderful bed of vocal harmonies. Both lead and backing parts are equally important and the song wouldn't work with either one replaced by another singer. Of course, "the part" is Tori's verse. I am still floored by how she can sing those runs perfectly not only in the studio but also in a live performance.

Now we get to Box of Stars, which in my mind is the perfect ending for the Djesse project. It's a culmination of everything that makes up the last four albums, all the different sounds, people and cultures. While it's one of my favourites it's not a song I would recommend to new listeners to Jacob Collier. It's complex, slightly chaotic (but in a totally awesome way) and a lot to take in. We also see the return of Steve Vai (who first appeared on Djesse Vol. 2) as well as Metropole Orkest, Suzie Collier and VOCES8, all from Djesse Vol. 1. A perfect way to tie the whole project together.

This album was released during the first week of my first year of university. I listened to it on repeat when it came out, so now it's tied to memories of learning and adapting the new environment, meeting new people and the daily commute to and from home. Djesse Vol. 4 was the soundtrack of the start of this new chapter of my life, holding an important place in my heart. This album means a lot to me as it gave me comfort in unfamiliar surroundings. It's a celebration of creativity, music and people. I can come back to the album in the future and reminisce about that exciting time in my life.

Djesse Vol. 4 is the album of the year for 2024 and I couldn't be happier with this choice.

FAVE SONGS: 100,000 Voices, A Rock Somewhere, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Box of Stars
LEAST FAVE SONGS: Witness Me, Wherever I Go

Conclusion

And... I did it! That's a countdown of my top albums of 2024 complete. A few honourable mentions to Poppy's album Negative Spaces which is a great mix of different rock/metal sounds, as well as Skillet's Revolution which harkens back to their older sound while feeling fresh and blending their modern style as well. It was a pleasant surprise for me and I enjoyed the album quite a lot, more than their other recent albums.

I am looking forward to what new music we'll get in 2025. Off the top of my head there's new Architects, Spiritbox and Eidola coming out, but I'm sure there'll also be lots of new artists and bands waiting to be discovered. Overall, 2024 has been a great year of music for me, on par with 2022 in terms of new music, and one I'll remember for a long time.