2024 has been a transformative year of music. From huge releases from leading pop artists such as Taylor Swifts The Tortured Poet's Department and Short 'n Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter to debut albums by the likes of The Last Dinner Party, Nia Archives and Tyla, this year has seen it all. We went through 'brat' summer, watched as Chappell Roan skyrocketed to fame and witnessed some of the most incredible live performances ever. It's safe to say that 2024 is a year to be remembered in terms of music, so the MUSE team have picked their favourite albums of the year!
Alexandra: Gary by Blossoms
If you know me, it will be no surprise to you that my favourite album of 2024 is Gary by Blossoms.
The band’s fifth album takes their storytelling abilities to new heights, sharing a variety of tales from that of a missing fibreglass gorilla to getting too shy in front of a famous music journalist. I’ve loved Blossoms for a while now but this album is easily one of their best, and even tracks that I was uncertain about at first have become firm favourites on my playlists.
Some standout tracks for me include ‘Mothers’, the heartfelt appreciation of friendship which frontman Tom Ogden wrote about his relationship with drummer Joe Donovan, the funky and upbeat retelling of a night outside a club ‘Nightclub’, and the album’s fourth and final single, a Blondie-esque comment on the fashion industry, ‘I Like Your Look’. It’s difficult to even choose favourites though, as the album simply has no skips; the first single ‘What Can I Say After I’m Sorry?’, titular track ‘Gary’ and the love-struck ‘Cinnamon’ appeared high up on my Spotify Wrapped. Overall, Blossoms were the only ones to even compete with Taylor Swift throughout my stats for the year.
Heather: Pools of Colour by Junodream
Pools Of Colour by Junodream is an album that I kept returning to this year. Junodream are a five-piece dream rock band based in Brixton, and they really deserve to be more well known.
Their debut album is lyrically beautiful; the music draws you in and feels atmospheric. Listening to this album makes you feel like you are floating in space. The title track ‘Pools of Colour’ is a conceptual piece about a man who loses his sight after being the first human to receive Elon Musk’s Neuralink, meaning he can only see “pools of colour”. Themes of alienation from modernity echo throughout this album, making it feel thematically and instrumentally akin to Radiohead or Pink Floyd.
‘Fever Dream’ opens the album with a bang – electric guitar riffs combined with acoustic guitar establish the vibe of the album early on. ‘Sit in the Park’ is an example of lead singer Ed Vyvan’s brilliant songwriting: “we could be smoke up there / two bottles of atmosphere”. ‘Kitchen Sink Drama’ is a beautiful track that opens with piano and is about a doomed relationship, with Ed repeatedly singing “It makes no sense at all”. The album reaches a grand finale with ‘The Oranges’, a dreamy track that contains futuristic reverberating vocals and guitar slides. The inspiration for the song came from a recurring dream that lead singer Ed has, and it seeks to offer a form of escapism. The opening lyrics: “Step inside my world” invite the listener to be immersed in the world Junodream has created.
Ruby: Midas by Wunderhorse
2024 was really Wunderhorse’s year with their monumental album: Midas. This band seemed to appear from nowhere after their song ‘Teal’ started popping up on the internet. Everything about this album just leaves you speechless, with its deep-seated lyrics and grainy guitar music that scratches an unreachable itch. Jacob Slater’s vocals are strained and yearning, like he is begging someone to hear what he has to say. This is most prominent within the track ‘July’ which sees Slater yelling ‘I’m ready to die’ over and over.
The singles that Wunderhorse released for this album demonstrate the highlights of Midas with ‘Rain’, ‘Silver’ and ‘Arizona’. However, there are so many hidden gems that really complete the album and deepen the messages presented in the singles. The standout track for me is the closing song ‘Aeroplane’, nearly nine minutes of a sombre Radiohead-esque ballad. The lead guitar throughout is nothing short of perfection with its pitch bending able to evoke such a strange feeling of loneliness but also warmth.
Wunderhorse completely deserves the attention they have received this past year and the quality of both their albums leaves me eagerly awaiting all their future releases.
Grace: Big Ideas by Remi Wolf
I’ve spent most of this year trying to tell everyone about Remi Wolf. Her album Big Ideas has the joy of Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter, with an entirely unique and fun Remi Wolf distinctiveness – yet she’s not headlining festivals! It’s a shock to me that Remi Wolf hasn’t ruled the music world this year, so this is yet another campaign for her takeover.
If you want fun, frivolity and funkiness, Big Ideas has that in bulk. Her tracks are spiky and bouncing and ultimately the most joyful I’ve heard in a while. A good place to start is ‘Toro’, a track about a one-night stand in a hotel. It has the lyric ‘You're a bull, and I can't help but saying toro, toro’ – what more is there to say?
‘Pitiful’ and ‘Cinderella’ feel like quintessential Remi, in that they’re effortlessly catchy. Perfect for a party playlist, a morning pick-me-up or a shower belter, these tracks ooze excitement and style. Big Ideas mixes soul, pop and funk in a way that brings endless energy. It’s obviously suited for a party or a summer’s day, but feels medicinal during the colder months; Remi Wolf can keep you upbeat for at least 43 minutes a day.
Matthew: eternal sunshine by Ariana Grande
Typically, I’m representing the ‘main pop girls’ with my choice – but someone has to! For these ‘main pop girls’ in question, it’s been a huge year: Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift have all had huge years. With all this noise, I think Grande’s seventh album, released much earlier in the year and with a more subtle brilliance, doesn't get the credit it truly deserves.
Spending some time with this album is a truly rewarding and enriching experience. It’s an emotionally poignant yet skillfully concise meditation on how we mourn fallen relationships and move forward with new ones, all while onlookers comment and judge without understanding our lives. Grande grapples with the desperate desire to forget everything about her lost love before ultimately reaching the realisation that we need to move on, even if that includes taking on new emotional baggage to carry. Throughout the album, Grande wrestles with these themes in relation to her relationship with lovers, fame and the general public. All the while we are treated to irresistible pop-R’n’B melodies alongside more restrained, down-tempo emotional moments that allow Grande’s deep sincerity and unquestionable distinctive vocal talent to shine through.
Isobel: Romance by Fontaines D.C.
Romance, the Irish rock band’s fourth studio album is, in my opinion, a standout for best album of 2024 and an instant classic.
The band have had a huge year, having just toured North America, Canada and the UK, as well as playing some headline shows in Europe last summer. Having signed with Arctic Monkeys’ producer James Ford, Romance marks an exciting turning point in the band’s sound whilst maintaining their original darkness and unpredictability.
The album is a surreal listen from start to finish. Although impossible to choose a favourite track, ‘Favourite’, ‘Bug’ and ‘Starburster’ all stood out to me from my first listen, perhaps due to the band’s unique poetic lyricism. For example, with lines like “Shoulder bound to the frame of a door / Chewed into shape like a stone on the shore”, it’s difficult to listen to Romance without becoming truly immersed in the dreamlike world Grian Chatten writes so effortlessly.
Fontaines D.C. represent something completely new and absolutely deserve the growing critical recognition they are receiving. Having recently won Rolling Stone’s Album of the Year Award, it’s clear they are only just getting started, and I for one cannot wait to see what 2025 has in store for the band.