Well, if we can say anything about the state of music in 2024, we can certainly say that it was decidedly less horny than last year.
Look, there were definitely still some efforts to keep the mojo running in music. Sabrina Carpenter, Tinashe and Addison Rae all did their best to get us going like so many did in 2023. But there was not enough to overcome some of the bigger feelings we got this year: Rage. Contempt. Loneliness. Hopelessness.
Because of this, joyous songs (and there were a good number of them) felt like overwelcome lifeboats getting us to the next day. And even with this year’s crop of the best songs taking us to darker, more introspective places, there was still so much amazing music to share. Let’s take a look at the 50 best songs from a very good year of music.
Yes, there’s a playlist at the bottom of the article. Let’s boogie!
50. Alone- The Cure
Honest to god, if someone had told me in January that a song from The Cure would be in my favorite songs of this, the year of our Lord 2024, I would have said they were insane. But in their first album in SIXTEEN (!!!) years, Robert Smith & co. made a record (Songs of a Lost World) that stands with the best work of their later output. “And here is to love, to all the love/falling out of our lives,” Smith sings and his voice has not changed in the fucking least. Heartache has no expiration, longing has no age limit.
49. Love Me JeJe- Tems
Bringing Afrobeats and sweet vibes, Nigerian singer Tems brings a song that shakes your hips and makes you smile. This is a timeless wonder of a song, with Tems telling us, “I’m on your wave right now.” If only we could get a song like this every week.
48. Sexy To Someone- Clairo
“I want to be sexy to someone, it’s not too much to ask,” Clairo whispers over a breezy jazz bass line. By the end of this wistful and easy-going song, it’s exactly what we want to.
47. Deeper Well- Kacey Musgraves
“I’ve gotten older now,” sings Musgraves, “I know how to take care of myself.” As we’ve watched her evolve from country cutie to sad divorcee to someone being comfortable being a singer-songwriter of pleasing music for grown-ups, we believe her. It’s so rewarding to watch an artist like Kacey Musgraves grow older and wiser and more mature and put that in her music while trusting her audience will follow her journey. Because of this career arc, she’s become one of the best musicians of our era.
46. Wristwatch- MJ Lenderman
Opening with a Quiet Riot lyric (“You say I got a funny face/Well, it makes me money), Lenderman, the 25-year old who seems to be in demand with every project on the east coast, shows that he is not above a dated reference. Embracing some of the best alt-songwriters of the 90’s, MJ gives us this song of loneliness while not bumming us out so much. He’s the guy you want to hang out with at the party, but definitely gets way too sad to be around when it’s time to head home.
45. Eusexua- FKA Twigs
FKA Twigs (real name Talihliah Barnett) has solidly positioned herself as this generation’s Bjork, allowing her lovely strange voice to wrap itself around sonic landscapes, and “Eusexua” may be one of the best examples of this. “If you feel alone, you’re not alone/And if they ask you, say you feel it but don’t call it love,” Barnett sings over a dance beat, and we don’t exactly know what kind of relationship she fucking wants with whomever she is singing to. But, like everything FKA Twigs does, we’re more than happy to take her on her own terms.
44. Millon Dollar Baby- Tommy Richman
There are just songs where if you’re not grooving a little, then you’re just legally dead. “Million Dollar Baby” is absolute one of those jams. Put this on when you’re walking down the street and people will be noticing how you’ve developed a full on strut while trying to hit some of the falsetto notes. Go ahead. Embarrass yourself a little. Life is too short to not have fun with tunes like this.
43. Tiny Moves- Bleachers
Jack Antonoff and his merry band of Bleachers know how to drill an ear worm into your brain. And this song, with a “sha la la” sing-along chorus and syrupy sweet lyrics, shows why every singer in the world wants to work with him.
42. 360- Charli XCX
This year in pop was the year of five amazing pop stars battling it out, and we’ll go on to discuss them all as they all have songs on this list. Charli XCX is the first one we’re talking about and Brat is probably my second-favorite pop album of the year. Charli knows how to bring a weird, sad, silly, sexy party. “I set the tone, it’s my design,” she lets us know. She’s absolutely right.
41. That’s So True- Gracie Abrams
There is no way not to think of Gracie Abrams as something we can only call “Taylor Swift 2.0”. The wispy voice, the jealousy content, the rat-a-tat delivery while still letting a lovely voice soar over acoustic guitar… it’s like someone tried to make another Taylor in a lab. With songs like this, I’m excited to see what else that lab turns out.
40. Obsessed- Olivia Rodrigo
A throwaway track from the bonus version of last year’s amazing Guts, “Obsessed” has Olivia Rodrigo doing what makes her such a special delight: using screams and whispers and a bratty snarl to work her way through mental anguish. Usually, the targets are the men who have done her wrong. The target this time is herself, wondering if she will compare to the ex of a current lover. Because she has her sights on herself, the punches seem to land harder and do more damage. It’s tragic. It’s also impossible not to want to soak it all in.
39. Pink Skies- Zach Bryan
How does Zach Bryan make so many amazing songs all the time. “Pink Skies”, a song with a lot more production value than we usually get from him, is heartbreaking and nostalgic and so fucking beautiful. “Your funeral was beautiful/I bet God heard you coming” may be my new personal mantra. God damn, Zach. You did it again.
38. Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido- Karol G
I cannot stress enough that I do not speak Spanish, so I have no idea what Karol G is singing about. But when a beat is this alive and fun and her voice is just sliding through it, I honestly don’t care. It feels like a party, and I am inviting myself. Someone please tell me if I’m being inappropriate, because I might try to salsa dance.
37. Sadness As A Gift- Adrianne Lenker
Big Thief frontwoman Adrianne Lenker gives us a melancholy gem with “Sadness as a Gift”. This is the kind of song you just want to have a stiff drink while staring out the window. Lenker gives us so much emotion in lyrics like, “Maybe the question was too much to ask,” over minimal guitar and some fiddle. This is the kind of song where, when it’s done, you give a long exhale. Because you didn’t just listen to it. You experienced it.
36. Big Time Nothing- St. Vincent
All synth and slither, Annie Clark (St. Vincent) gives us this absolute bomb of a song. More rapping than singing, Clark wants to look inside our nothing. There’s no stopping her. Just let it happen.
35. Black&Blue- Vince Staples
With a laidback style that, somehow, also manages to crack out lightning fast bars, Vince Staples is one of the most underrated stars of hip hop. “Black&Blue”, the lead single from his 6th album (Dark Times), is a masterclass on everything the Long Beach rapper does well; gorgeous flow, smart lyrics, fantastic production.
34. Sticky (feat. Glorilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne)- Tyler, The Creator
If I told you a song has the weirdest beat in hip hop, odds are pretty good that it comes from the brilliant Tyler, The Creator. With the first verse backed solely by a person whistling, “Sticky” lets you know that even though this song features some of the great names in hip hop, it’s not gonna be a normal track. Tyler is a gracious host, letting his guests shine while waiting in the back to wait for his turn to crush on the mic. Apparently, getting “sticky” means a fight is gonna happen, and that make sense because this feels like a war cry.
33. A Bar Song (Tipsy)- Shaboozey
Ok, first off, when you google this song, the entire screen leans to one side. Holy shit, that’s amazing.
Shaboozey has the silliest name in music, but there is nothing funny about how great this song is. Taking the chorus from J-Kwon while adding country twang, the man who stole the show on Thanksgiving (where he was the halftime show for his hometown Lions) makes a night of drinking sound both exciting and exhausting. Dude gets it.
32. The American Dream Is Killing Me- Green Day
Even the worst Green Day album, and Saviors is not exactly the band’s high point, has some songs where Billie Joe Armstrong absolutely cranks out something that could easily go in their greatest hits. Lead track (and single) makes the band feel young, snotty and vibrant without trying to be patronizing or try and hit a false note. Old punks can age with their middle fingers still in the air.
31. U Should Not Be Doing That- Amyl and The Sniffers
Melbourne punks Amyl and The Sniffers, named after nose drugs, are not subtle about what kind of lifestyle they like. If their lyrics are any indication, they live how they rock- wild, fast and out of control. Should we call their parents? Probably. But after this banger of an ode to debauchery.
30. Please Please Please- Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter is one of the five big pop stars (along with Charli XCX) I mentioned early, and her album (Short and Sweet) is chock full of all kinds of single and double and triple entendres. But the best song on the album, “Please Please Please”, is the sad torch song that really shows she can hit to all fields. “I beg you, don’t embarrass me, motherfucker,” shows that Carpenter can be crude and vulnerable, horny and heartbroken, and short and sweet all at once.
29. Diet Pepsi- Addison Rae
First, a confession: early in this song about young lust, Rae says of her lover, “My lips reflect off his cross-gold chain”. But I always heard the line as “Costco chain”, which I think is a much funnier lyric. Anyway, this breathless whisper of a siren call has Addison Rae wanting to fog windows and “losing all my innocence in the backseat”. This will send a nation of horny young dudes waiting to be her next Uber driver.
28. Vertigo- Beach Bunny
Chicago’s Beach Bunny is a band that is not shy about expressing their insecurities. “I thought when I was older, I would be on top,” Lili Trifilio sings as this song takes us through a rollicking two minutes of self-doubt and worry… that you can dance to? Songs like these have helped the band go viral, which at least means their therapy bills will be taken care of.
27. Angel Of My Dreams- Jade
From England’s The X Factor to pop stardom, Jade makes the most of it with this song, which also feels like it could be 2 or 3 different songs. Switching tempos and styles frantically and without warning, the lone thread holding it all together is a great chorus and Jade’s dynamic voice. That’s more than enough.
26. Too Sweet- Hozier
Normally, when you hear a singer on every channel on the radio dial, it means they’re so boring that they don’t bother anyone. Hozier, somehow, is the opposite. He’s a pop icon and a rock star and maybe a jazz hero. With lyrics as simple as “You’re too sweet for me”, Hozier delivers it with enough seduction and heft to make everyone swoon, regardless of what kind of music they like.
25. Life Is- Jessica Pratt
With a songwriting style feeling reminiscent of Dusty Springfield, Jessica Pratt knows how to take you into a time machine. Trying to answer the big questions about life shouldn’t feel like it comes with a backing girl group, but that is Pratt’s magic trip. If we’re going to have an identity crisis, there are few songs as pretty to add to the soundtrack.
24. we can’t be friends (wait for your love)
I think Eternal Sunshine, the eighth album from Ariana Grande, may be my favorite of hers and it is because it has songs as strong as “we can’t be friends”. Where other songs from Grande have felt way too much, either due to substance of style, this song feels like it fits right in the pocket of what Grande should be doing from here on out. Weird creep Max Martin made a great beat for Ariana to just shine over and her heartbreak and confusion just covers this track like melancholy pixie dust.
23. Bad Time- Alkaline Trio
When you have a song about killer robots, class warfare, and bad shrooms trips, it can only be an Alkaline Trio love song. While creating this weird world of trying to get back to his love, Matt Skiba also gives us lines as simple as, “The way you move, it moves me.” Being in love with Skiba sounds exhausting. His pretty words make it worthwhile.
22. Get In With Me- Bossman Dlow
First off, if you’re like me, you spent a long time wondering if his name was pronounced D-Low or Dlow (like “blow”), and I did a whole lot of research to tell you that it’s the former. The Florida rapper could have saved me a lot of time by giving some sort of pronunciation guide. Then I could have spent more time focusing on how much I love “Get In With Me”, where Dlow goes on a two-minute rant about how hard (and kind of awesome) it is to be him. It’s a boastful cautionary tale, and also fun as all hell.
21. Right Back To It (feat. MJ Lenderman)- Waxahatchee
Some of my favorite songs are the ones that feel timeless, and “Right Back To It” feels like you could be listening to it on 70’s AM radio. Gentle guitars and banjos as Waxahatchee frontwoman Katie Crutchfield explores a long relationship. When Lenderman joins in for the choruses, it feels like a glass of lemonade on a summer day.
20. I’m Not A Cop- Laura Jane Grace
The former Against me! frontwoman had a massive year of album releases, but this song from her January album, Hole In My Head, is a massive singalong song (unless you’re part of the Fraternal Order of Police). All piss and vinegar, Grace lets her hair down and wails these lyrics to let you know, with no doubt, if she is in law enforcement. Meant to be played so loud that you’ll probably get pulled over.
19. Nasty- Tinashe
Dear heavens, is there a person out there who can match Tinashe’s freak? I bet she has a lot of people thinking so, but based on the lyrics of her most recent output, I think her line of suitors probably has few eligible candidates. The good news for us is that means we keep getting more of these sultry jams that I feel awkward singing along to. What can I say? I’ve been a nasty girl.
18. wacced out murals- Kendrick Lamar
Part opening track, part victory lap, part call to violence, Kendrick Lamar started out his newest album, GNX, with its best track. Look, we love Kendrick and his lyrics, and “Fuck a double entendre/I want you all to feel this shit” is my favorite line of the year. But the production here is what continually blows me away. Every beat and synth and string is meant to get you jacked up. Kendrick Lamar is looking for challengers. No smart person is picking up the gauntlet.
17. Don’t Forget Me- Maggie Rogers
While her friends are entering long-term relationships, Maggie Rogers is just looking for a person who won’t forget her. That is so fucking heartbreaking, and Rogers knows it. It’s why she puts every ounce of longing and anguish in her vocals. Rogers isn’t a woman looking for love, she’s just looking for something. And by the time the song is done, you just want to wrap her up and tell her she’s gonna find whatever she is seeking.
16. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart- Taylor Swift
“I’m a real tough kid,” Taylor Swift (the third of the big five) sings on “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”, and does anyone doubt her? Over a dancey beat (courtesy of Jack Antonoff), Swift lets us know who the boss bitch is, because she has to be. Yeah, she has bad days. But she knows there is always the next crowd and the next show. She doesn’t have time to be sad, because she has to be Taylor. And that realization makes this one of the saddest songs she’s ever written. Of course that’s why the tempo is so upbeat… she’s a real tough kid.
15. TGIF- GloRilla
GloRilla had a fucking awesome 2024, and so did we because she was in it. “TGIF”, her party rock anthem, lets everyone know that she is here for the party, no matter what that means. She’s gonna dance and rap and have sex with every man in the room, making her feel like a modern day David Lee Roth with better rhymes. If 2024 was GloRilla having a monster year, I’m hoping 2025 is even bigger and brighter for her.
14. Get Used To The Night- Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
If 2015’s “S.O.B.” was the world’s introduction to the hard-rocking and harder-partying Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, then this year’s “Get Used To The Message” shows how the band feels after a decade, and they are fucking tired. This is a song for people who look back at the old days and are glad they’re in the past. “I used to be a proud fucking fool,” Rateliff sings, and you feel every bit of exhaustion in his voice. Even the horns, which have brought to much pep and jubilation to their songs, feel like they’re moving at half time. The days of the partying are over for this band, but that doesn’t mean they’re done making great music.
13. Cinderella- Remi Wolf
Remi Wolf’s bio claims that she was born 500 years ago, the CEO of Facebook and Tesla, married to Michael McDonald and possibly a vampire. Which explains why this fantastic groove has some of the weirdest lyrics of the year (“Like Cinderella making babies on the company dime”). “Is there something wrong with the way I’m designed?” she asks. Not if she keeps making songs like this.
12. Starburster- Fontaines D.C.
Irish rockers Fontaines D.C. bring a fantastic groove as lead singer Grain Chatten rap-sings his way through a series of lyrics about trying to deal with how insane the world is. Inspired by a panic attack he had in a train station, Chatten is all over the place, throwing everything at the wall and it’s amazing how much sticks. This song feels like an anxious breakdown- changing moods, crazy noises, words that don’t make a lot of sense when strung together. Because of that, it’s kind of the perfect anthem for 2024.
11. Nissan Altima- Doechii
Like a Tasmanian devil, Doechii delivers more clever lines in two minutes than some rappers have done in decades. Blunt about her sexuality, brazen about her talent and not giving two fucks about her critics, Doechii just absolutely lights this track on fire. The fact she was able to perform it on a recent Tiny Desk Concert shows that she is for real. I cannot wait for more music from her.
10. That’s How I’m Feeling- Jack White
Despite having rocked the world over many times for a quarter-century, when Jack White wants to bring the heat, he shows us that he still has plenty in the tank. The verses here feel a little too rushed, but it all leads to a chorus of four words and a shit ton of guitar. You can call White an elder statesman of the scene, and he certainly is one, but he sure knows how to roll his sleeves up, pick up his axe, and make a shit ton of noise.
9. HISS- Megan Thee Stallion
“My pussy’s so famous/might get managed by Kris Jenner next,” Megan Thee Stallion spits out early in “HISS”, an attack at her critics all while proclaiming the thing we all knew: she is one of the most dominant figures in hip hop. The fact the song stops after the first chorus for a spoken missive just shows that Megan doesn’t even need music to let you know how talented she is. Is Megan as good as she claims she is? This song is exhibit A that the answer is, “Absolutely.”
8. Dog Days- Dehd
Chicago’s Dehd knows what it is like to be young and feel indestructible. This is a song about going out without caring when you’re coming home and hoping to set every square inch of the world on fire along the way. The night is young and so is Dehd. Get out of their way because this is their time.
7. Birds Of A Feather- Billie Eilish
We’re a little bit into this second act of Billie Eilish, and she seems less interested in being pop’s resident weirdo and a lot more focused on just making solid pop music. There is no better example than this song, where her voice is less of a weapon (as it’s been in the past) and more of a gentle touch. This is a gorgeous song about youthful love and the fear it could leave at any moment, so Eilish is holding on as tight and as passionately as she can. If this is what it sounds like when Billie Eilish is growing up, I’m happy we’ve reached this point.
6. Lithonia- Childish Gambino
If this is truly Donald Glover’s last album under the moniker Childish Gambino, then he went out with a bang. “Lithonia”, the lead single from the excellent Bando Stone & The New World, lets Glover be less the hip-hop weirdo we know him as and more of the alt-rock weirdo we always kind of knew he could be. Crashing piano. Screaming guitars. Insane backing singers. The simple chorus of, “NOBODY GIVES A FUCK”. It’s a wonderful art statement and a gorgeous swan song… but hopefully not.
5. Chicago- Japandroids
Canada’s noise-punk duo Japandroids has an amazing superpower: every song they make is a goddamn anthem, meant to be screamed along to with every fiber in your being. Such is the case, yet again, with “Chicago”, their first single from their latest record. Drums played as if by an army of fists in the air, guitars played like they could get in trouble for not playing them hard enough, and a scream chorus of, “Sorry, baby, but we call it like we see it in Chicago,” makes the Windy City want to adopt these two wonderful and perfect rockers. They get the city. And are not afraid to shout about it.
4. Girl, so confusing (remix)- Charli XCX feat. Lorde
When Charli XCX is a brat, she goes all the way. Releasing a remix album as a response piece to her album Brat, the lead single is the reinterpretation of “Girl, so confusing”. We know what XCX is going to give us here, but what is truly stunning is the guest verse Lorde gives us. Using Charli’s rhythm and tempo, Lorde waxes on about the anxiety that comes with being a pop singer and also being asked to do a guest verse on what could be the album of the year. The song in it’s initial form asks what it is to be a woman. Lorde’s guest verse asks, “What is it to be a Lorde guest verse?” It’s funny and playful and flattering to the source material (and it’s creator) and now I want a duets album from these two.
3. Good Luck, Babe!- Chappell Roan
The fourth of the big five pop stars to make music this year, no one may have had a bigger year than Chappell Roan. Her music seemed to be everywhere and no one seemed to mind because her music includes songs like “Good Luck, Babe!” It’s catchy. It’s sad. It’s powerful. You can dance and sway and sing and scream to it. To anyone who doubted Roan, listen to the bridge where she wails, “I told you so!” Then go apologize.
2. Texas Hold ‘Em- Beyonce
So, you’re Beyonce, the fifth of the big five pop stars with singles this year. You’ve been around the longest, but that also means you kind of have the most to prove. So, what do you do? Well, it’s simple: you make Cowboy Carter, your country album and the best album of 2024 (YEAH, I SAID IT!) and then give us an absolute hoedown to throw down to. This song is the best declaration of wanting to dance with somebody who loves you since Whitney. In a year where Texas gave us some real shitty laws against women and voters (and the Cowboys suck), the Queen Bee showed us the Lone Star State still has some good stuff to give.
1. Not Like Us- Kendrick Lamar
There will never be enough words to express what a cultural phenomenon “Not Like Us”, the final stomp on Drake’s face, was in 2024. When Kendrick Lamar had an Amazon-streamed concert, he played this song six times in a row, and you could hear the disappointment in the crowd when he didn’t play it a seventh time. This is a song in which Lamar calls the one of the most important pop stars ever a pedophile while threatening his life, and I knew people who played this song AT THEIR WEDDING.
Here’s the thing, though… I totally get it.
I’m listening to this song right now for the, I don’t know, five hundredth time. And it still fucking slaps so fucking hard. Lamar lets his anger bubble right to the surface but also stays smart and ice cold. Fantastic production allows Kendrick to show what the world now knows: 2024 was Kendrick’s year. And if you ever think about forgetting it, he will remind you.
Fancy Boys Club 