The pain that comes with selecting your favorite albums of any given year is one most music lovers shouldn’t have to deal with. Of course a majority aren’t critics or writers or even care enough to bother with list-making, so you simply love what you love and keep it to yourself. Or maybe only share some key selections with close friends and family. Here at Faronheit HQ, sharing is caring. The understanding is that you probably don’t have the time or energy to spend listening to album after album, particularly if you have life responsibilities such as a demanding job or children. Hopefully a year-end music recap functions more as a saving grace – a quick reference point that gives you all the highlights in one swoop so you can play catch-up really easily. Of course all tastes are subjective, so what one person loves another may not.

There were a lot of great albums released in 2024. So much so, that my typical “Honorable Mention” section felt like it should be expanded to 15 instead of the standard 10, for a grand total of 65 records that make up the year’s best. And that’s with the knowledge I didn’t get to hear every single album released this year and probably missed some great ones as a result. But in a general sense, I’d like to think the records listed here encapsulate the “sound of 2024” quite well, and in a decade or two it’ll still hold up. Poptimism took a big step forward thanks to Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX. Kendrick Lamar, Vampire Weekend, and Father John Misty all made exceptional records following previous weaker entries in their catalogs. Then you’ve got some artists who feel like they’re on their way to superstardom, such as Doechii, Being Dead, Fievel Is Glauque, and Dummy. This list is so packed, I feel forced to apologize to Beyoncé and The Cure for placing them outside of the main list. Choices needed to be made!

If you haven’t heard all of these albums, and I generally assume you haven’t, please do yourself a favor and check some of them out. You’ll hopefully be pleasantly surprised, and might even discover a new favorite. And if you do love a record, please show some real love and support to the artists that made it. Spotify barely pays for streaming, so buy a vinyl or CD copy of the album because it’ll put more money into the pockets of the creatives. Go see some of this music performed live, too. Buying a concert ticket and/or merch is another great way to return the favor this music is giving to you. Then of course, share it with others so they can experience the magic of discovery too. Having said all that, please enjoy Faronheit’s Top 50 Albums of 2024 list below. Once you’ve taken it all in, let me know your thoughts! Reach out on social media to let me know what’s missing, because if I end up loving a record as much as you do, we’ll continue to build the fandom together.

This wraps up coverage for 2024. Cheers to a new year and more great music ahead!

Honorable Mention
Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter
Cassandra Jenkins – My Light, My Destroyer
The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
Dehd – Poetry
Ekko Astral – pink balloons
Erika de Casier – Still
Fine – Rocky Top Ballads
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – “NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD”
Hovvdy – Hovvdy
Ka – The Thief Next to Jesus
Lip Critic – Hex Dealer
Merce Lemon – Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild
Rapsody – Please Don’t Cry
Shellac – To All Trains
Wishy – Triple Seven

50. Tyler, The Creator – Chromakopia
49. julie – my anti-aircraft friend
48. Dummy – Free Energy
47. Clairo – Charm
46. Schoolboy Q – Blue Lips
45. Empress Of – For Your Consideration
44. Rachel Chinouriri – What A Devastating Turn of Events
43. Father John Misty – Mahashmashana
42. Finom – Not God
41. 1010Benja – Ten Total
40. Fievel Is Glauque – Rong Weicknes
39. Mdou Moctar – Funeral for Justice
38. Hannah Frances – Keeper of the Shepherd
37. Lisha G & Trini Viv – Groovy Steppin Shit
36. Kali Uchis – Orquideas
35. Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere
34. This Is Lorelei – Box for Buddy, Box for Star
33. Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future
32. Wild Pink – Dulling the Horns
31. Xaviersobased – Keep It Goin Xav
30. Being Dead – EELS
29. Night Tapes – assisted memories
28. Arooj Aftab – Night Reign
27. Johnny Blue Skies – Passage du Desir
26. Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
25. Bladee – Cold Visions
24. The Smile – Wall of Eyes
23. Mount Eerie – Night Palace
22. Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
21. Tyla – Tyla
20. skaiwater – #gigi
19. Kim Gordon – The Collective
18. Friko – Where we’ve been, Where we go from here
17. Los Campesinos! – All Hell
16. Astrid Sonne – Great Doubt
15. Kendrick Lamar – GNX
14. Still House Plants – If I don’t make it, I love u
13. Nilufer Yanya – My Method Actor
12. Mk.gee – Two Star & the Dream Police
11. Chief Keef – Almighty So 2
10. Nala Sinephro – Endlessness
9. Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk
8. MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks
7. Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood
6. Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal
5. Fontaines D.C. – Romance
4. Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch
3. Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven
2. Cindy Lee – Diamond Jubilee
1. Charli XCX – brat