DIY’s Albums of the Year 2024 • DIY Magazine

2024 has been the year when The Smile really showed that they aren’t simply Radiohead 2.0, delivering two of the past 12 months’ best albums. The first of these is a kaleidoscopic blend of jazz, progressive rock and more, showcasing a band who are constantly pushing each other – with fascinating results. From the haunting beauty of its title track to the looser grooves of ‘Teleharmonic’, part of ‘Wall Of Eyes » undeniable allure is its departure from The Smile’s first LP, and the end result is a beguiling, almost hypnotic journey into the minds of Thom Yorke, Johnny Greenwood and Tom Skinner. (Chris Connor) 

Read our review of ‘Wall Of Eyes’ here. 

Remi Wolf’s second record is one she described as “an album of transition”. Written in brief moments between touring, on ‘Big Ideas’ the Californian artist’s life on the road and the impact this can have is front and centre. Take the musing ‘Just the Start’, where Wolf considers, « I don’t wanna party but I don’t really wanna work / Either way I will be lonely, either way I’m cursed » over lilting acoustic instrumentals; or the fantastic, funk-flecked ‘Cinderella’, which showcases the highs, the lows, and how quickly they can shift (“I can be yellow / I can rearrange by the afternoon / And I’m purple / So quick when I switch it up”). This brilliant honesty is spun over genre-splicing sonics, from jangly dream-pop (‘Pitiful’) and psychedelia (‘Frog Rock’, ‘Cherries & Cream’), to slinky dance moments (‘Slay Bitch’), with plenty of funk to boot. The result? An impressively inventive collection of stone-cold smashes. (Hannah Mylrea) 

Read our May 2024 In Deep interview with Remi Wolf here, and our review of ‘Big Ideas’ here. 

It’s perhaps not surprising that South London lockdown babies Fat Dog have proved somewhat divisive since the release of their audible onslaught of a debut, ‘WOOF.’ – a whirlwind journey through tainted euphoria, raucous punk, and downright dirty saxophone. Even as an absolute convert, not least from their ferocious live performances, it’s difficult to fathom just how exactly this works… but boy, it does. Few other albums this year – if any – embraced being bonkers to quite this level, from the instrumental bounce of ‘Wither’ to the alt-Ibiza rave of ‘All The Same’ (not to mention the sheer scale of their remarkably unpredictable seven-minute opus, ‘King Of The Slugs’). Welcoming a host of five-star reviews (ours included) and the occasional scathing critique, any scepticism was far outweighed by Fat Dog’s unrivalled musical confidence which proved that, sometimes, all the shit you throw at the wall actually can stick. (Ben Tipple)

Read our September 2024 interview with Fat Dog here, and our review of ‘WOOF.’ here. 

Katie Gavin has dubbed the sonics of her debut solo record ‘What a Relief’ as ‘Lilith Fair-core’, and, true to her word, the MUNA member’s first independent offering (after three albums with the band) moved away from their distinctive indie-pop sonics. Instead, Gavin draws on country and folk music, placing her powerful lyricism front and centre to populate the LP with gorgeous, vivid songwriting. There’s giddy infatuation (the flirty ‘Aftertaste’), very real depictions of relationships (Mitski duet ‘As Good As It Gets’), honest takes on generational trauma (‘The Baton’), and a homage to the unconditional love you can have for a pet (the heart-wrenching ‘Sweet Abby Girl’); each one a shining example of Gavin’s impressive songwriting skills. (Hannah Mylrea) 

Read our September 2024 cover feature with Katie here, and our review of ‘What A Relief’ here. 

Nia Archives’ ‘Silence Is Loud’ is an urgent, beautiful, intelligent junglist album that puts women where they should be: firmly in the driving seat. The combination of racing drums and snaking reverb on songs like ‘Forbidden Feelingz’ (re-released this year) is transfixing, while Goldie’s cameo appearance on ‘Tell Me What It’s Like?’ feels like a seal of approval from jungle’s old guard – not that Nia needs it. ‘Silence Is Loud’ proved a defining moment in the resurgences of drum and bass and jungle, making 2024 a year for taking to dancefloors and warehouses (or for simply blasting something that feels confessional yet escapist on the aux). The smartest thing about it? Making infectious rhythms resound with relatable heartbreak and solitude, as well as with hedonistic joy. (Bella Spratley)

Read our review of ‘Silence Is Loud’ here. 

After beabadoobee let us into her imaginary childhood world with second album ‘Beatopia’, it would have been simple for her to remain in the comfort of her bedroom, reflecting on the past and offering further insights into her secret universe. But instead, latest offering ‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves’ saw her swap her bedroom for Rick Rubin’s famed Shangri-La studio in Malibu. The end product is a deeply self-assured record with a vast rock/ pop scope, which still manages to maintain all the charm of Bea’s previous releases. It doesn’t completely leave the past behind, but rather serves as something of a love letter to her younger self, capturing a journey of confidence and introspection with themes of self-acceptance and personal growth woven throughout. Where previously, her songs have documented her reaction towards other people’s doings, here we see Bea boldly accepting and taking accountability for her involvement in the situations unfolding around her. Listening to a beabadoobee album is like opening her diary, and ‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves’ is no different – it’s simply a new chapter. (Gemma Cockrell)

Read our November 2024 cover interview with beabadoobee here, and our review of ‘This Is How Tomorrow Moves’ here. 

World domination looks pretty good on Amyl and The Sniffers – and that’s exactly what the beloved Aussie gang achieved with their third studio album ‘Cartoon Darkness’. A record overblown with loudmouth grit and swagger, the band thrived in scaling up their sticky pub rock origins on tracks like ‘Chewing Gum’, as Amy Taylor stabs with her signature abandon over scuzzy guitars: “Life is short / Life is fun / I am young and so dumb”. Elsewhere, it also offers moments which are – by their standards – far more introspective: ‘Big Dreams’ unpicks escaping the shackles of small town life, and ‘Bailing On Me’ churns with themes of romance and heartbreak. On the likes of ‘Motorbike Song’, meanwhile, Amyl truly assert themselves as giants of the game, as raucous Motörhead guitars background snarling lines like “I wanna ride you like a Harley D / You got the intelligence and ya yearn for me.” ‘Cartoon Darkness’ is a barnstormer of a full-length that proves there’s no stopping this band who continue to play by their own rules. (Rhys Buchanan) 

Read our September 2024 interview with Amy Taylor here, and our review of ‘Cartoon Darkness’ here. 

On her last album – 2020’s ‘Song For Our Daughter’ – Laura Marling was writing from a place of abstraction, addressing an imaginary child. Now that she has a real one, it makes sense that she’d travel further down the road she started on last time around; ‘Patterns in Repeat’ is even more sparse than its predecessor, and every bit as lyrically ruminative. Here, she refracts thoughtful reflections on the cyclical nature of life through the prism of early motherhood, and the result is perhaps her most moving and disarmingly personal record to date – as if becoming a parent has granted her even greater access to her seemingly limitless well of empathy. (Joe Goggins)

Read our review of ‘Patterns In Repeat’ here. 

Having returned at the tail end of last year, half a decade on from their 2018 hiatus, Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent’s comeback as SOFT PLAY was one well worthy of celebration. Any name change-related criticisms were indisputably owned on the irony-filled ‘Punk’s Dead’ – a track that shows a middle finger to the doubters, and has a cameo from pop icon Robbie Williams to boot – and August’s ‘HEAVY JELLY’ only cemented the duo’s triumph. Packed with unfiltered charm and an abrasive, punk-metal sound which goes heavier than ever before, it also uncovers an emotional depth not previously heard in their discography. Overall, ‘HEAVY JELLY’ represents an exciting new chapter in the boys’ career – one that, on this evidence, is their best yet. (Matthew McLister)

Read our Festival Guide cover feature with SOFT PLAY here, and our review of ‘HEAVY JELLY’ here. 

The Cure hadn’t released a studio album since 2008’s ‘4:13 Dream’; Robert Smith had been teasing the long-anticipated ‘Songs Of A Lost World’ for several years, and it was getting to a point where fans might have questioned if it would ever arrive. But when it did, it blew all expectations out of the water, making a convincing claim as one of the band’s strongest records in their 45-year history. Right from huge opener ‘Alone’, it’s clear that this LP is something special; there’s a haunting quality to it, much the same as that which lurks throughout some of the band’s most well-loved albums (‘Pornography’, say, or ‘Disintegration’), as well as a world-weariness and a sense of vulnerability. That many of these tracks are both epic and constantly gripping is testament to this being The Cure at their absolute best – and with rumours of more material already swirling, this might be merely a taste for what’s to come next for Robert Smith and co. Here’s hoping… (Chris Connor)

Not content with shaping much of modern pop with her landmark debut ‘WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’, Billie Eilish shook things up for sweeping sophomore record ‘Happier Than Ever’, before reinventing herself for a second time this year. The result is ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’ – a thoughtful blending of thumping dance-pop, spiralling orchestral arrangements, mischievous declarations of lust, and skittering, trip-hop influenced break-up bangers. Amid a succession of slightly safer-sounding big pop releases, this year Eilish seemed to have received the same memo as Charli xcx, and challenged her listeners with something thorny, from the heart, and totally unexpected. (El Hunt) 

Read our review of ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’ here. 

For several acts now, St. Vincent has proven herself a master of shapeshifting, turning herself into a latex-clad robo-pop star on the prowling ‘Masseduction’ (2017) and leaning back towards the ‘70s on 2021’s ‘Daddy’s Home’. For her seventh record, however, Annie Clark did what nobody expected her to do: shed the concept entirely. “With this record I’m not that interested in dissecting persona or even really playing with it,” she told DIY back in April. “This is the inside of my head so here you go: take it or don’t and either way is genuinely fine by me.” The inside of Clark’s head, as it turned out, is full of fire – both of the apocalyptic lyrical and the primal musical kinds. Deftly moving between expansive beginnings (‘Hell Is Near’), twitchy oddities (‘Flea’) and balls-out riffs (‘Broken Man’), ‘All Born Screaming’ strips away the artifice whilst still showing St. Vincent’s art in all its glory. (Lisa Wright) 

Read our April 2024 interview with St Vincent here, and our review of ‘All Born Screaming’ here. 

When Rachel Chinouriri landed a slot on Glastonbury’s second biggest stage this summer, her brutally honest songs – which impressively retain razor-sharp wit, even when things get incredibly dark – chimed with Sunday’s Worthy Farm punters, helping to deliver one of the year’s standout festival sets. This sense of connection was all thanks to her debut ‘What a Devastating Turn of Events’: a fearless first record where Chinouriri’s pen never falters, even as she touches upon intensely difficult subject matter such as suicide, eating disorders, and depression. In place of embellishment or floweriness, the South Londoner unearths something that feels messier, more relatable, and far truer to life – a direct, indie-rock-influenced line to her inner voice that begs to be played again and again. (El Hunt) 

Read our May 2024 cover feature with Rachel Chinouriri here, and our review of ‘What A Devastating Turn Of Events’ here. 

Two years ago, Wunderhorse released ‘Cub’: a debut record that quickly became an introspective indie cult classic. Expectations were therefore high for the follow-up, and boy, did they deliver again with ‘Midas’ – a purposely raw sophomore effort that’s more chaotic, more vulnerable, and more destructive than its predecessor. This second outing was recorded at Minnesota’s Pachyderm Studio with producer Craig Silvey, and impressively captures the visceral atmosphere of Wunderhorse’s live performances. ‘Midas » immediacy is its unparalleled strength, and further confirms Jacob Slater and co’s status as one of the hottest British bands of the moment. (Matthew McLister)

Read our August 2024 interview with Wunderhorse here, and our review of ‘Midas’ here. 

That Kendrick Lamar was one of this year’s most talked-about artists long before the late-in-the-day arrival of ‘GNX’ last month is testament to the Compton rapper’s unwavering cultural relevance; his sixth studio album, then, is less a revelation and more an unignorable reminder – that he really is the greatest hip-hop artist of his generation (or even, as he asserts on ‘man at the garden’, the G.O.A.T). The creativity and sheer dynamism of his flow; the pace-changing, genre-bending instrumental flourishes (‘reincarnated’; ‘gloria’), gang vocals (‘squabble up’), and features (SZA’s turn on ‘luther’ is a particular triumph); the left-field choice to bring in pop monolith Jack Antonoff on production: everything about ‘GNX’ speaks of an artist who is always one step ahead of his reactionary peers. (Daisy Carter)

Read our review of ‘GNX’ here. 

Even those living under a rock may still be cognizant of The Last Dinner Party’s dizzying upward trajectory this year. From topping the BBC Sound Of 2024 poll to receiving both a Mercury Prize nod and a BRIT Award, the London five-piece’s debut album ‘Prelude To Ecstasy’ has been perhaps one of the most anticipated and chewed over UK releases of the year. Marrying the timelessly ambitious and maximalist pop structures of the likes of ABBA or Queen with unabated melodrama and a playful baroque sensibility, The Last Dinner Party wasted no time laying bare the most intimate emotional turbulences of young womanhood, firmly cementing their place in the halls of pop-rock stardom. (Hazel Blacher)

Read our February 2024 cover feature with The Last Dinner Party here, and our review of ‘Prelude To Ecstasy’ here. 

The debut album from Dublin’s Sprints is fast-paced but never rushed, and there’s control and subtlety to be found in each track. ‘Letter To Self’ represents a masterclass in expressing emotion – from anxiety to anger to reflection – and here, the quartet give themselves the space and scope they need to thoroughly explore its every facet. Catholic guilt, mental health crises, mediations on identity, sexuality, and our place in the world: this is a record that leaves no stone unturned, and no demon unexorcised. It’s an extremely satisfying album which offers a heartening sense of redemption, and which feels as promising now as it did almost 12 months ago. (Phil Taylor)

Read our November 2023 interview with Sprints here, and our review of ‘Letter To Self’ here. 

An album that has completely transformed Fontaines DC’s image into a sea of pink and green, ‘Romance’ merges an eclectic blend of shoegaze, synth-rock, and grunge elements into a project that’s their most inspired move yet. The jangly, bittersweet ‘Favourite’ has all the ingredients of a timeless indie banger, while opening track ‘Romance’ and lead single ‘Starburster’ perfectly encapsulate the band’s cinematic new direction. Their fourth outing proves that Fontaines DC are able to reinvent themselves time after time, and by this point, it’s guaranteed that they’re here to stay. Romance is a place, and we’re not leaving. (Kyle Roczniak)

Read our July/August 2024 cover feature with Fontaines DC here, and our review of ‘Romance’ here. 

As the first non-London act to take home the award in a decade, English Teacher’s 2024 Mercury Prize win with ‘This Could Be Texas’ was as much a moment for the wider music scene as it was the Leeds quartet. The band honed their craft around the city’s grassroots venues and received invaluable support from their local community, and it’s these experiences that shaped – and serve as guiding threads throughout – their debut album. Delivering scathing social observations amidst an expansive melting pot of idiosyncratic art-rock, emotionally charged post-punk, and magnetic indie-pop, the 12-track record is a lesson in the versatility of modern guitar music. With delightfully outrageous one-liners nestled between enigmatic lyricism (“I’m the world’s biggest paving slab / So watch your fucking feet!” being a particular highlight), ‘This Could Be Texas’ finds English Teacher carving their own path in an ever-changing landscape, placing their exceptional musicianship at the centre of it all. (Emily Savage)

Read our April 2024 interview with English Teacher here, and our review of ‘This Could Be Texas’ here. 

Before 7th June 2024, Charli xcx still felt like something of a cult favourite. She was already five albums deep and had packed out Alexandra Palace, yet it took the neon lights and wraparound sunglasses of the club for the mainstream to truly catch on. With an omnipresent album rollout matched only by the cast of Wicked, ‘BRAT’ was a titan of 2024 pop culture in all its thumping, distorted glory. What sets it above the mass of other dance records, though, is the extent of its tangled, intimate humanity. Few people could find the time to confront generational trauma, body image, grief, finite fertility, career rivalries, industry fickleness, and getting fantastically mangled on a night out across just 15 tracks, but such is the determined honesty of Charli’s pen that on ‘BRAT’, she does exactly this with ease. Her ascent to it-girl status may have been slow and steady, but now that she’s here, long may she reign. (Caitlin Chatterton)

Read our review of ‘BRAT’ here. 

Tags:
Features, Amyl & The Sniffers, beabadoobee, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, English Teacher, Fat Dog, Fontaines DC, Katie Gavin, Kendrick Lamar, Laura Marling, Listen, Nia Archives, Rachel Chinouriri, Remi Wolf, SOFT PLAY, Sprints, St. Vincent, The Cure, The Last Dinner Party, The Smile, Watch, Wunderhorse