20 Best Songs of 2024
“Image,” - Magdalena Bay: My favorite song of the year, from my favorite album of the year, Imaginal Disk. I love the synth-heavy production of the track, and Mica Tanenbaum’s mysterious, ethereal vocal delivery, as well as the themes of being the ideal and perfect “image.” This is the best pop record of the entire year, and the Miami duo was robbed from multiple Grammy nominations. The song is dreamy, relaxing, and incredibly well-written and impactful.
“The Emptiness Machine,” - Linkin Park: When I first heard this song, I didn’t really like it that much, but the second time I heard it I fell in love with it. I love how melancholy this song is, as it reminds me a lot of 2007-2010 era Linkin Park. Whether it’s the heavy power chords from guitarist Brad Delson, Mike Shinoda’s mournful vocals, or new lead singer Emily Armstrong’s powerful screams, this track really grew on me the more I listened to it. I can feel the emotions that were poured into this track, and the band is truly honoring Chester Bennington’s legacy.
“Von dutch,” - Charli xcx: Man where do I even begin with this track? The whole brat album dominated the summer, and this single was one of my favorite tracks off of arguably a flawless album with multiple amazing tracks. I love how rude Charli is on this track, and the growly, razor-like synths, and catchy electronic drum beat paired with Charli’s auto-tuned bravado made it one of the best songs of the 2024 summer, as well as one of the best electronic tracks of the year.
“Highjack,” - ASAP Rocky featuring Jessica Pratt: This track sounds like vintage 2011-2015 ASAP Rocky, I love how effortlessly he raps over this track, and the glistening instrumental with the warm synth loops, hard hitting snares and bass. Whether it’s bragging about having Rihanna as his wife, dissing Drake and calling him a pussy, and his under appreciated influence on many new rappers. And that gorgeous Jessica Pratt-sung outro gives me fucking goosebumps, “been gone so long, I’m back to stay.” She’s singing from the perspective of Rocky at the end, as it’s been almost 7 years since we’ve had an album from him. Don’t Be Dumb can’t come soon enough.
“Meet the Grahams,” - Kendrick Lamar: I’m sure that you’re probably wondering, where is “Not Like Us,”? Well, it’s a fantastic song, but “meet the grahams,” in my view, is the best diss track Kendrick made towards Drake, during their beef. I love how ruthless Kendrick is on this track, as he addresses not only Drake, but his son Adonis, his alleged secret daughter, and Drake’s parents on the song as well. That plodding and creeping but simple piano loop will be stuck in Drake’s nightmares for the rest of his life, probably. The Alchemist did phenomenal production wise. He doesn’t diss Drake’s family, but absolutely tears Drake’s reputation to shreds. He apologizes to Drake’s kids for Drake being a deadbeat dad, calls Drake a sexual predator, a sex trafficker, a body shamer, an addict, and a misogynist among other things. This track was the killshot in the beef, “Not Like Us,” was just Kendrick dancing on Drake’s grave.
“Heart Pt. 6,” - Kendrick Lamar: One of my favorite parts of listening to Kendrick is that he’s not only a phenomenal lyricist, but an immaculate storyteller. I love how warm the production is on this track, and Kendrick’s descriptive storytelling about how he started off simply just as an underground rapper trying to make it, as well as how he came up with his fellow former TDE label mates and the rappers he’s still friends with like Schoolboy Q and Jay Rock. I like how he mentioned how important it was for him to leave TDE respectfully and with love, as he still views his former label as like family to him.
“Blur,” - The Marías: One of my favorite bands that I’ve discovered this year, the Los Angeles-based dream pop group, The Marías, make some high quality music. This track wasn’t a single, but it’s easily my favorite off of their album, Submarine. The funky wah-wah guitar, and minimalist guitar as a whole, coupled with the dreamy synths, and incorporation of trumpet make them stand out in a crowded LA music scene. I loved the lyrics covering one-sided romance, in a way that really encapsulated the feelings of heartbreak and melancholy.
“Beaches,” - beabadoobee: Another artist I discovered this year, it was really hard deciding on what track from her latest record I should choose, but “Beaches,” was my favorite. I love how she sings about how despite being unfamiliar to her, Malibu helped her make This Is How Tomorrow Moves. I like the indie rock vibe of the track, and it’s one of my favorite tracks to play when I go down to the beach, or just drive along PCH. The line, “Don’t wait for the tide just to dip both your feet in,” is an incredibly motivational lyric, and can be applied to so many things in life. You have to take charge and put yourself in uncomfortable situations sometimes.
“BIRDS OF A FEATHER,” - Billie Eilish: One of the best love songs I’ve heard this year, and sure it was kinda overplayed this year on the radio, but it’s an absolutely phenomenal track. Billie sings about how she desires a relationship that will last until death, and one that is passionate and committed. Her vocals absolutely soar over Finneas’ glistening production with those warm synth chords and echoing bell loop, it might be her best vocal performance on that album, and I really loved Hit Me Hard and Soft. It’s one of those songs that will make you cry, with lines like, “And I don’t know what I’m crying for. I don’t think I could love you more. Might not be long, but baby, I don’t wanna say goodbye.”
“Hey Jane,” - Tyler, the Creator: CHROMAKOPIA is another album I had trouble picking my favorite song from, but I think that this is Tyler at his best, with brutally honest, emotional, and relatable lyrics. I love his storytelling on this track, as it honestly reminds me of a track off of his 2013 album, Wolf. He raps from the perspective of himself, and his girlfriend in the song, Jane. I love the melancholy instrumental with the glossy keyboards, gentle guitar chords, and background harmonies. It talks about the shock and emotions that come from learning about an unexpected pregnancy. It’s thoughtful, sympathetic, and another track that might make you cry. The fears of a relationship ending because of it, the fear of not being ready to raise a child, the guilt of not being more careful when it comes to sex, and self-esteem, among many other things. I like how Tyler encourages his listeners to be empathetic to both the man and the woman in the song, as well as showing the right way to handle it, as both Tyler and Jane say they’re scared but will support each other either way.
“Run Your Mouth,” - The Marías: Despite the upbeat sound of the track, with the funky bass and guitar riffs, this track is extremely relatable for me as in María Zardoya’s words, they wrote the song when she was experiencing a lot of avoidant behavioral mechanisms. I think a lot of us can relate to being avoidant when it comes to serious conversations that make us uncomfortable, and lyrically the song conveys those feelings very well.
“Like That,” - Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar: This track is one of the most played songs of 2024 a reason, as Metro’s production is on a whole other level, and Future and Kendrick (especially Kendrick) contribute phenomenal performances. Kendrick’s verse will be talked about for years to come, as his response to Drake and J.Cole started the fire that was the Kendrick-Drake beef. It’s one of Kendrick’s best verses of his career, and I’d love to see Kendrick rap over more Metro-produced instrumentals, as he flows naturally over the beat.
“Death & Romance,” - Magdalena Bay: Another amazing track from the Miami duo, the bass and piano riffs provide a funky backdrop to a track where lead singer Mica Tenenbaum describes how seriously takes a relationship. I also love what the group said in their press release describing the song, “Imagine rain pouring, streetlights glowing. You sit at home and wait for your alien boyfriend to pick you up in his UFO….but this time, he’s not coming.”
“Don’t Smile,” - Sabrina Carpenter: I don’t know how I didn’t mention how much I loved this track back when I reviewed Short n’ Sweet, as I think it’s a solid album from Sabrina. This track isn’t a single like “Espresso,” and “Please Please Please,” are, but it’s easily my favorite track on the record. I love her flipping the phrase, “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” into “Don’t smile because it happened, baby, cry because it’s over.” I love the melancholy bell synths and reverb soaked guitars in the production. She really conveys the loneliness and longing people feel after breakups, and I like that she wants her ex to feel sadness instead of happiness remembering their relationship.
“Foreign Spies,” - The Smile: Anytime you have members of Radiohead in a group, you know you’re about to hear phenomenal music. Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood contribute a lot to the art-rock project, The Smile, and this intro track is easily one of the most beautiful songs I’ve heard this year. There’s really no percussion at all on this track, just soothing synth chords and Thom Yorke’s hauntingly beautiful vocals.
“Fuel,” - Eminem and JID: A rare example of an artist not being outshone by Eminem on a collaboration, JID really holds his own as he continues to show why he’s one of the best young rappers in the game right now. Eminem’s lyricism is aggressive and creative without sounding too schlocky and cheesy, the Denaun produced new age beat lets both rappers shine, and it’s just overall a fantastic hip hop track. Eminem’s newest album was a bit of a mixed bag, but this track was easily one of the best on the album.
“Cardinal,” - Kacey Musgraves: I was debating between this track or “Lonely Millionaire,” but at the end of the day, “Cardinal,” takes home the golden prize. I love the acoustic, folksy sound of the track and Kacey’s lyrics that cover death and spirituality. I like the questions that it’s presenting to the listener. Are the deaths of those we care about a divine sign from the higher power to us?
“THank god 4 me,” - ScHoolboy Q: I love how aggressive Q is on this track, and Blue Lips as a whole is a wonderful return to form for the TDE rapper, I like the production on this track with the mix of aggressive horns and hard hitting drums in the first verse, and the chill flute loop in the beginning and second half of the song.
“Feel Like That,” - Sublime & Stick Figure featuring Bradley Nowell: The first new Sublime song in 28 years didn’t disappoint. I love the inclusion of the late Sublime lead singer/guitarist and father of Jakob Nowell (who is the current lead singer and guitarist of the group). Stick Figure did a great job of contributing to a fun, vibey track that combines both the old and new generations of Sublime into one. Seeing one of my personal favorite bands in Sublime, as well as my hometown’s most famous band, back and successful might have been one of the most heartwarming stories in music.
“SIN MIEDO,” - JPEGMAFIA: My favorite track off of Peggy’s newest album, I Lay Down My Life For You, I love how abrasive the sound of this track is whether it be the chopped up vocal samples, heavily distorted guitars, pounding synths, or JPEGMAFIA’s combative lyrics. Truly one of the most talented rappers in the game, and the one leading the revival in industrial hip hop.