I started writing this post in January. It’s now July. So, yeah, either I’ve got a serious procrastination problem or I just kept finding new albums to obsess over. Probably both.
This was supposed to be a neat little January wrap-up. A quick “here’s all the albums I listened to last year” job. But somewhere between album #5 and album #367, I realised I’d built myself a labyrinth of guitar solos, synth swells, and emotionally devastating lyrics I had to reflect on.
I’ve been tracking the albums I listened to in yearly documents for a good few years now. It was originally done in Evernote, but since that service became unusable unless you fork out a tidy sum, I’ve turned to just dumping them into Google Docs instead. Usually I don’t set a target and just see how many albums I can fit in around my life. But, in 2024, I was a few dozen albums down just a couple of months in and I started to wonder if I could listen to 366 albums over the year, one for every day of the year (as 2024 was a leap year).
This turned into a year-long sonic adventure that spanned pop-punk nostalgia, jazz-funk detours, Latin grooves, and a suspicious amount of Jimmy Eat World. Seriously, I think they’ve taken out a mortgage in my brain at this point. I got to September and realised I was falling behind, so I had stints of the year when I blazed through 20 albums in a week. It helps that I have the kind of job where I can stick my AirPods in for 8 hours a day.
There were awesome surprises (hello, Poppy’s Negative Spaces), a few forgettable duds (lookin’ at you, new Green Day), and moments where an old classic smacked me in the soul like it was brand new (I see you, Pet Sounds, and please don’t judge me for never having listened to it until now). Some albums became instant favourites, while others made me question how I made it this far in life without ever hearing them.
Also, can we talk about how much new music came out in 2024? It’s like every artist on Earth collectively decided, “This is the year Tom must never rest.” If it’s new to that year, I’ve slapped ‘2024’ in brackets next to it so you know that it was a new release.
By the way, if one more person says “there isn’t any good music released these days” I will smack you in the face with the hundreds of Spotify playlists, Reddit threads, blogs, niche radio stations and more places I’ve checked out to prove music is as good as ever – if not even better! There’s good shit coming out every week, you just have to go beyond the algorithms and seek it out. That said, I also think Spotify’s algorithms have done a good job of introducing new stuff to me too. You’re not branching out and listening to different things if your algorithms keep throwing the same old stuff at you.
Could you say that listening to so many albums in a single year means I don’t really engage with them on a deep level? Sure, but I never said I know all these albums inside out. It’s definitely the case that I do for some of the albums on this list, as I’ve listened to them before and they’re on there because they’re favourite albums that I often return to. Some of the albums were one and done and I’ll probably never check them out again, but others will become favourites and, even though I didn’t make a note of this, I sometimes listened to an album that was new to me a few times over the course of the year.
Anyway, I’ve finally wrangled all 368(!) albums into one place. Below, you’ll find the full list, Every record I gave a spin in 2024, with my very official, incredibly scientific one-word(ish) reviews. Oh, and those in bold = first time I’ve listened all the way through (as far as I’m aware). I can’t say I remember every album I’ve ever listened to, so there’s the possibility that I’ve given it a listen and just forgotten, although that may mean the album wasn’t very memorable to begin with.
Oh, and one more thing before the list. I track and rate every album I listen to over on my Rate Your Music Profile. Feel free to add me on there if you have an account.
Bold = first time I’ve listened all the way through (as far as I’m aware)
- Twenty One Pilots – Blurryface GOOD
- Paramore – Re: This Is Why OK
- The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds GREAT
- David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars AWESOME
- Green Day – Saviors (2024) MEH
- Beartooth – Surface AWESOME
- Equipment – Alt.Account GREAT
- Matchbox Twenty – Where The Light Goes GREAT
- The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy (2024) AWESOME
- The Vaccines – Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations (2024) NEED TO LISTEN AGAIN
- Latewaves – LATEWAVES GREAT
- Brittany Howard – What Now (2024) GOOD
- Del Water Gap – I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet GREAT
- My Chemical Romance – Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge AWESOME, TOP TIER FAVOURITE
- Nothing But Thieves – Broken Machine GREAT
- Geese – 3D Country GREAT
- Nightlife – Fallback (EP)
- Friko – Where we’ve been, Where we go from here (2024) MEH
- Dehd – Blue Skies MEH
- DURRY – Suburban Legend AWESOME
- Teenage Joans – The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest GREAT
- Hiss Golden Messenger – Jump For Joy GOOD
- Stand Atlantic – Skinning Dipping GREAT
- IDLES – TANGK (2024) GREAT
- Yard Act – Where’s My Utopia? (2024) AWESOME
- Everything Everything – Mountainhead (2024) AWESOME
- Future Islands – People Who Aren’t There Anymore (2024) GREAT
- Beach Bunny – Emotional Creature
- Allie X – Girl With No Face (2024) GREAT
- Dead Poet Society – FISSION (2024) AWESOME
- Microwave – Much Love OK
- The Snuts – Millennials (2024) GREAT
- Bleachers – Bleachers (2024) AVERAGE
- WARGASM – Venom GREAT
- Sheer Mag – Playing Favorites (2024) AVERAGE
- CMAT – If My Wife New I’d Be Dead GOOD
- Maggie Lindemann – HEADSPLIT (2024) AVERAGE
- Andrew W.K. – I Get Wet OK
- Spanish Love Songs – Schmaltz AVERAGE
- The Menzingers – A Lesson In The Abuse Of Information Technology AVERAGE
- Cage The Elephant – Cage The Elephant GREAT
- The Wonder Years – Upsides AVERAGE
- Real Estate – Daniel (2024) GOOD
- Tinariwen – Tassili AVERAGE
- Ezra Collective – Where I’m Meant To Be GOOD
- Junodream – Pools of Colour (2024) GOOD
- Bully – Lucky For You GREAT
- The Hanging Stars – On a Golden Shore (2024)GREAT
- Charli Adams – Bullseye AWESOME
- Holly Humberstone – Work In Progress EP (2024) OK
- NOAHFINNCE – GROWING UP ON THE INTERNET (2024) MEH
- CHERYM – Take It Or Leave It (2024) AWESOME
- Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well (2024) AWESOME
- Red Rum Club – Western Approaches (2024) GOOD
- Movements – RUCKUS! MEH
- Indigo De Souza – All of This Will End AVERAGE
- Bully – Feels Like AVERAGE
- Bully – Losing AVERAGE
- Bully – SUGAREGG AVERAGE
- Royel Otis – PRATTS & PAIN (2024) GOOD
- Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers – I Love You AWESOME
- Alkaline Trio – Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs (2024) GOOD
- Judas Priest – Invisible Shield (2024) AWESOME
- Just Friends – Gusher GOOD
- Hozier – Unheard EP (2024) GOOD
- Cinema Stare – The Things I Don’t Need
- The Postal Service – Give Up AWESOME
- Coheed and Cambria – The Second Stage Turbine Blade OK
- The Beths – Expert In A Dying Field GREAT
- The Beths – Future Me Hates Me GOOD
- The Beths – Jump Rope Gazers GOOD
- Beyoncé – COWBOY CARTER (2024) AWESOME
- Sum 41 – Heaven :x: Hell (2024) GREAT
- Anberlin – Vital GREAT
- Bayside – There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive (2024) GREAT
- Gossip – Real Power (2024) GOOD
- Blondshell – Blondshell GREAT
- Ugly – Twice Around The Sun EP (2024)
- Lauran Hibberd – Girlfriend Material (2024) GOOD
- Lizzy McAlpine – Older (2024) GREAT
- Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department (2024) GOOD
- Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me (2024) GREAT
- St. Vincent – All Born Screaming (2024) GOOD
- Pearl Jam – Dark Matter (2024) GOOD
- English Teacher – This Could Be Texas (2024) GOOD
- Nia Archives – Silence Is Loud (2024) GREAT
- Hannah Grae – Nothing Lasts Forever (2024)
- Third Eye Blind – Third Eye Blind GREAT
- Del Water Gap – Del Water Gap OK
- CARR – The CARR Show GOOD
- Rachel Chinouriri – What a Devastating Turn of Events (2024) GREAT
- Frank Turner – Undefeated (2024) GREAT
- The Lemon Twigs – A Dream Is All We Know (2024) OK
- Jimmy Eat World – Integrity Blues GREAT
- The Menzingers – After The Party GOOD
- Kings of Leon – Can We Please Have Fun (2024) OK
- WILLOW – empathogen (2024) GOOD
- Jimmy Eat World – Futures AWESOME
- Jimmy Eat World – Clarity GREAT
- Jimmy Eat World – Invented GOOD
- Jimmy Eat World – Damage OK
- Jimmy Eat World – Jimmy Eat World MEH
- Cage The Elephant – Neon Pill (2024) GOOD
- Bring Me The Horizon – POST HUMAN: NeX GEn (2024) AWESOME (first in June)
- Twenty One Pilots – Clancy (2024) AWESOME
- Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God AWESOME
- Billie Eilish – HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (2024) AWESOME
- Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us (2024) AWESOME
- Poppy – Flux GREAT
- Jeff Rosenstock – NO DREAM OK
- Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing GOOD
- BABYMETAL – BABYMETAL GOOD
- Electric Callboy – TEKKNO GOOD
- Manic Street Preachers – This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours GOOD
- Hot Mulligan – You’ll Be Fine BORING
- Becky Hill – Believe Me Now? (2024) GREAT
- Sea Girls – Midnight Butterflies (2024) GOOD
- Charli xcx – BRAT (2024) GREAT
- St. Vincent – MASSEDUCTION AWESOME
- Lucy Dacus – Historian GREAT
- P J Harvey – Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea GOOD
- The Aces – When My Heart Felt Volcanic GOOD
- Thrice – The Artist In The Ambulance OK
- Alkaline Trio – Crimson AWESOME
- Pool Kids – Pool Kids OK
- The Japanese House – In the End It Always Does GOOD
- Liquid Mike – Paul Bunyan’s Sling Shot (2024) GOOD
- Wunderhorse – Cub GOOD
- The Story So Far – I Want To Disappear (2024) GREAT
- Glass Animals – How to Be a Human Being AWESOME
- Sobs – Air Guitar AWESOME
- Zella Day – Sunday In Heaven GOOD
- Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven (2024) GREAT
- Alvvays – Alvvays GREAT
- Bob Vylan – Humble As The Sun (2024) AWESOME
- Arm’s Length – Never Before Seen, Never Again Found GOOD
- Goat Girl – Below The Waste (2024) MEH
- Gang of Youths – angel in realtime. AWESOME
- Alfie Templeman – Radiosoul (2024) GREAT
- PUP – Morbid Stuff AWESOME
- MGMT – Loss of Life (2024) GREAT
- Echosmith – Echosmith GOOD
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz! GOOD
- K.Flay – MONO GOOD
- Middle Kids – Faith Crisis Pt 1 (2024) GOOD
- Pillow Queens – Name Your Sorrow (2024) GOOD
- Carly Rae Jepsen – E·MO·TION: Side B (EP) AWESOME
- Christine and the Queens – La vita nuova GOOD
- Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen GOOD
- St. Vincent – The Nowhere Inn MEH
- Cherry Glazerr – I Don’t Want You Anymore OK
- Kasabian – Happenings (2024) GREAT
- Everything Everything – Man Alive OK
- Griff – Vertigo (2024) GOOD
- Tegan and Sara – The Con OK
- Remi Wolf – Big Ideas (2024) GREAT
- Eminem – The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (2024) OK
- Jean Dawson – CHAOS NOW* GREAT
- Portugal. The Man – In the Mountain in the Cloud GOOD
- The Decemberists – As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again (2024) GREAT
- Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog GREAT
- Teenage Wrist – Earth Is A Black Hole GREAT
- Alvvays – Antisocialites GOOD
- Elvis Costello – My Aim Is True AWESOME
- Poppy – I Disagree AWESOME
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – I’m in Your Mind Fuzz GOOD
- Manchester Orchestra – A Black Mile To The Surface GOOD
- Los Campesinos! – All Hell (2024) GOOD
- Against the Current – fever GOOD
- The View – Exorcism of Youth GOOD
- The Pretty Reckless – Death by Rock and Roll AWESOME
- Avril Lavigne – Let Go AWESOME
- Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism GOOD
- Dashboard Confessional – Dusk And Summer GREAT
- Cat Burns – early twenties (2024) GOOD
- FEVER 333 – WRONG GENERATION GOOD
- The Four Brothers – Makorokoto EP GREAT
- Witch – Zango GREAT
- LUCY – PANORAMA GOOD
- Kiltro – Creatures of Habit GOOD
- Yellowcard – Ocean Avenue AWESOME
- Fall Out Boy – Take This To Your Grave AWESOME
- Four Year Strong – analysis paralysis (2024) GREAT
- King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Flight b741 (2024) AWESOME
- beabadoobee – This Is How Tomorrow Moves (2024) GREAT
- Big Thief – Masterpiece GOOD
- Blind Melon – Blind Melon GOOD
- Twin Atlantic – Meltdown (2024) GREAT
- Jeff Rosenstock – WORRY. GREAT
- Bomb the Music Industry! – Vacation GREAT
- Sum 41 – Chuck GREAT
- The Wonder Years – The Greatest Generation GREAT
- Neck Deep – Life’s Not Out to Get You GREAT
- Foster the People – Paradise State of Mind (2024) GOOD
- The LaFontaines – Business As Usual (2024) AWESOME
- Yellowcard – Southern Air AWESOME
- Tonight Alive – The Other Side AWESOME
- Slaves – Beautiful Death OK
- Yellowcard – When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes AWESOME
- The Kinks – The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society AWESOME
- Good Charlotte – The Young and the Hopeless GREAT
- Combat – Stay Golden (2024) AWESOME
- Joyce Manor – S/T OK, BUT I FEEL LIKE I MIGHT NEED TO REVISIT THIS ONE
- Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline GOOD
- Rosie Tucker – UTOPIA NOW! (2024) GOOD
- Best Coast – Crazy for You OK
- St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home MEH
- Motion City Soundtrack – Commit This To Memory AWESOME
- Fontaines D.C. – Romance (2024) GREAT
- Cassyette – This World Fucking Sucks (2024) GOOD
- Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet (2024) GREAT
- Stand Atlantic – WAS HERE (2024) OK
- BROCKHAMPTON – SATURATION III GREAT
- AWOLNATION – The Phantom Five (2024) GOOD
- Marianas Trench – Haven (2024) AWESOME
- Palaye Royale – Death or Glory (2024) GREAT
- BELLSAINT – i used to be funny. AWESOME
- Oasis – Definitely Maybe AWESOME
- The Ataris – So Long, Astoria GREAT
- NOFX – The War on Errorism GREAT
- PUP – The Unraveling of PUPTHEBAND GREAT
- mxmtoon – Rising GREAT
- Michael Kiwanuka – KIWANUKA GREAT
- Natalie Imbruglia – Left of the Middle AWESOME
- Phoebe Bridgers – Stranger in the Alps AWESOME
- Gabrielle Aplin – Dear Happy AWESOME
- Big Star – Third GOOD
- Sufjan Stevens – Carrie & Lowell GOOD
- Otis Redding – Otis Blue AWESOME
- Paul Simon – Graceland AWESOME
- Rilo Kiley – More Adventurous AWESOME
- Disney (Various Artists) – A Whole New Sound (2024) AWESOME
- Blink-182 – ONE MORE TIME…PART-2 (2024) GOOD
- Bleachers – A Stranger Desired (2024) OK
- Boston Manor – Sundiver (2024) GOOD
- Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory GREAT
- Evanescence – Fallen GOOD
- Transviolet – Life Is Good EP (2024) GREAT
- Set Your Goals – This Will Be The Death Of Us GOOD
- The Big Moon – Here Is Everything AWESOME
- Crowded House – Temple of Low Men GOOD, BUT NEED TO LISTEN AGAIN
- Atreyu – The Curse OK
- The Big Moon – Love In The 4th Dimension AWESOME
- The Big Moon – Walking Like We Do GREAT
- Warpaint – The Fool MEH
- New Radicals – Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too
- Anberlin – Under a Dying Sun OK
- My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade AWESOME
- My Chemical Romance – Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys AWESOME
- System of a Down – Toxicity AWESOME
- Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare AWESOME
- Yours Truly – TOXIC (2024) AWESOME
- Kids in Glass Houses – Dirt AWESOME
- Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key of Life AWESOME
- Snow Patrol – The Forest Is The Path (2024) GREAT
- Martha Reeves & The Vandellas – Dance Party GREAT
- Tyler, the Creator – Igor GOOD
- Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On GOOD
- Poppy – Am I a Girl? GOOD
- Curtis Mayfield – Curtis GOOD
- MARINA – Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land GREAT
- Run The Jewels – Run The Jewels GOOD
- Stevie Wonder – Innervisions GREAT
- Sade – Love Deluxe GOOD
- Tyler, the Creator – Flower Boy GOOD
- Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill GREAT
- D’Angelo – Voodoo GOOD
- Nina Simone – Pastel Blues GOOD
- Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear GOOD
- Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On GOOD
- Dead Sara – Dead Sara GREAT
- Jack White – No Name (2024) GREAT
- Pale Waves – Smitten (2024) GOOD
- The Home Team – Slow Bloom GOOD
- Pit Pony – World To Me OK
- Fontaines D.C. – Dogrel GREAT
- Dead Sara – Pleasure to Meet You AWESOME
- AC/DC – Highway to Hell AWESOME
- Motörhead – Ace of Spades GREAT
- Dead Sara – Ain’t it Tragic AWESOME
- Celia Cruz – Son con guaguancó GOOD
- Blossoms – Gary (2024) GREAT
- Nilüfer Yanya – My Method Actor (2024) GOOD
- Trash Boat – Heaven Can Wait (2024) GOOD
- FEVER 333 – DARKER WHITE (2024) OK
- Elvis Costello & The Attractions – This Year’s Model GREAT
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers GREAT
- The Cars – The Cars GREAT
- No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom GOOD
- Gorillaz – Plastic Beach OK
- Arcade Fire – Funeral GOOD
- Orla Gartland – Everybody Needs a Hero (2024) AWESOME
- The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin GREAT
- Sufjan Stevens – Illinois GREAT
- The Beatles – Revolver GREAT
- Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future GOOD
- The Offspring – SUPERCHARGED (2024) PRETTY AVERAGE
- Faye Wong – 浮躁 (Fúzào) GOOD
- Natalia Lafourcade – De todas las flores GREAT
- Mitski – Bury Me At Makeout Creek GOOD
- Michael Jackson – Bad AWESOME
- Michael Jackson – Thriller AWESOME
- Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak AWESOME
- Wings – Band on the Run GOOD
- Jeff Buckley – Grace GOOD
- Billy Joel – Glass Houses GREAT
- The Story So Far – What You Don’t See AVERAGE
- The Who – Who’s Next GREAT
- Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac GREAT
- Supertramp – Breakfast in America GREAT
- Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy – Nobuo Uematsu AWESOME (FAVE)
- John Oeth – Final Fantasy Guitar Collection AWESOME
- Fall Out Boy – Infinity On High GREAT
- Muse – Will of the People AWESOME
- Robyn – Body Talk Pt. 3 AWESOME
- Laura Marling – Patterns in Repeat (2024) GREAT
- Blondie – Parallel Lines GREAT
- Judas Priest – British Steel GREAT
- Yellowcard – Paper Walls GREAT
- The Naked And Famous – Passive Me, Aggressive Me GREAT
- Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes GREAT
- Jack Off Jill – Clear Hearts, Grey Flowers OK
- Chris Farren – Doom Singer GREAT
- Gil Scott-Heron – Pieces of a Man GREAT
- Steely Dan – Can’t Buy a Thrill GOOD
- The Mountain Goats – The Sunset Tree GREAT
- LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver GREAT
- Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water GREAT
- Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee GOOD
- Devin Townsend Project – Epicloud AWESOME
- Sam Fender Hypersonic Missiles AWESOME
- The Mysterines – Reeling MEH
- SUNSCREEN – EAT SUNSCREEN OK
- Lamp – For Lovers GOOD
- PACIFIC – 細野晴臣 [Haruomi Hosono] / 鈴木茂 [Shigeru Suzuki] / 山下達郎 [Tatsuro Yamashita] GREAT
- Linkin Park – From Zero (2024) AWESOME
- Nobuo Uematsu – Final Fantasy VII Remake Orchestral Arrangement Album AWESOME
- Ilan Eshkeri / 梅林茂 [Shigeru Umebayashi] – Ghost of Tsushima: Music From the Video Game GREAT
- 杏里 [Anri] – Timely!! GREAT
- 国分友里恵 [Yurie Kokubu] – Relief 72 Hours GREAT
- 濱田金吾 [Kingo Hamada] – Midnight Cruisin’ GOOD
- Lola Young – This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway (2024) GOOD
- Geordie Greep – The New Sound (2024) GOOD
- Jungle – Volcano GREAT
- Momma – Household Name GOOD
- Willie Colón / Héctor Lavoe – Lo mato GREAT
- Fresto Music – Trovando el son GOOD
- Eddie Palmieri – Unfinished Masterpiece GREAT
- Ismael Rivera y sus Cachimbos – Esto sí es lo mío GREAT
- Gato Barbieri – Chapter One: Latin America OK
- Built to Spill – Keep It Like a Secret GOOD
- Poppy – Negative Spaces (2024) AWESOME
- Spiritbox – Eternal Blue GOOD
- The Cure – Songs of a Lost World (2024) AWESOME
- Father John Misty – Mahashmashana (2024) GREAT
- John Mayer – Sob Rock OK
- Kendrick Lamar – GNX (2024) GOOD
- Michael Kiwanuka – Small Changes (2024) GREAT
- Frank Ocean – channel ORANGE GREAT
- Mànran – Ùrar GREAT
- Prince – Sign “☮︎” the Times GREAT
- Lynyrd Skynyrd – (pronounced ‘lĕh-‘nérd ‘skin-‘nérd) GREAT
- St. Vincent – St. Vincent GREAT
- St. Vincent – Marry Me GOOD
- Father John Misty – Pure Comedy GREAT
- Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight GREAT
- Lauren Mayberry – Vicious Creature (2024) GREAT
- The Japanese House – Good at Falling GOOD