Favorite releases of 2024

1. 22º Halo - Lily of the Valley
Indie rock, slacker rock
bandcamp | spotify | apple music

    Will Kennedy wrote this heartwrenching album for his wife who battled and beat cancer. In a message to Bandcamp followers upon the album's release, he claimed the album ended up being as much for himself, to process the struggles and love that come from such an unthinkable situation. The album is produced so dryly but so intimately. The guitars are minimally effected, rather he uses multiple guitar tracks of natural harmonics to give atmosphere. The simple drum beats give room for the soft vocals to fill the space nonetheless.
    I went to one of the release shows where they played the album in full, and in between some tracks Will would talk a bit about the meaning behind the songs. Near the end of the set he revealed he and his wife were expecting a child, and you could feel the room take on a beautiful density- people visibly rejoiced but almost subdued by the reverence for the road it took them to get there. This is a special album.

2. Cosmoline - Inventions
Indie rock, shoegaze, noise pop
bandcamp | spotify | apple music

    This album straight up rocks. The energy does not relent, and lasts just long enough to leave you impressed but wanting more (indeed, I want to see this band live real bad). I really appreciate that the chord progressions and strumming lead the energy here. While there are plenty of effects on the guitars and layers of noise, it only adds to the fundamental energy of the song rather than distracting from it. There's plenty of bands out there making noisy indie rock music, but Cosmoline shows that they have a clear vision of delivering tight, energetic songs, and they delivered superbly.

3.  Kudaranai1nichi - Every Last One of Them
Midwest emo, j-rock
spotify | apple music

    This fairly new band from Japan had shown the chops to win the hearts of Algernon Cadwallader fans with their first few releases, but I hear more nuanced songwriting here, drawing a bit more directly from the classic "j-rock" sound of Asian Kung-fu Generation, Straightener, etc. Also a quick listen, and the kind of album where a different song stands out on each listen.

4. Longmont Potion Castle - Best Before '24
Prank calls
digital download | single "Post-A Capella" on youtube

    This has a lot of the classic style of prank calls (e.g. calling a record store and asking for something non-existent), but also some new ones. We're so fortunate he still puts out albums. This one is probably my favorite of his in a few years.

 5.  Dagwood - Pollyanna Visions
Power pop, jangle pop
bandcamp | spotify | apple music

    Great hooks and great production, I recommend this EP for anyone interested in reliving the days of fun basement shows or the new poppy punk that Turnstile turned us all onto with Glow On. The chorus of "Should Be" gets stuck in my head, great vocal harmonies all over this thing.

6. Little Kid - A Million Easy Payments
Indie folk
bandcamp | spotify | apple music

    Canada's Little Kid had a few slowcore-folk albums in the late 2010s that really captivated me. Then they turned a bit to a more classic indie folk sound that still showed great songwriting, but I felt they excelled when they allowed space in their songwriting. On this album they show an excellent hybrid of the two styles, where you could show any fan of acoustic guitar music this album and it would land, but fans of their older songs will find comfort in the more atmospheric and slower songs. The track "Somewhere in Between" is an all-timer already, and "Bad Energy" shows incredible restraint in building a song over several minutes.

7. Jingwei - Jingwei
Midwest emo, screamo
bandcamp | spotify | apple music

    At six songs and barely more than as many minutes, this EP is a blaze of energy that will have you playing it again once it's over. Here Nick Stutsman (of increasingly-famous bands Merchant Ships, Midwest Pen Pals, and Park Jefferson) plays everything, save for a feature of Jessie from idialedyournumber on vocals on one track.

    In a Youtube video he shared his mentality of not worrying about making something "perfect" (especially with his confidence in his drumming still growing), but just making something at all. Those words both inspired me as I created music this year, and made me thankful that he released these tunes rather than shelving them. Can't wait for more.

8. Smush - If You Were Here I'd Be Home Now
Shoegaze
bandcamp | spotify | apple music

    Something about this album feels especially intimate, which is when shoegaze really excels to me. Rich with feeling left hidden among the noise. Like leaning closer to someone whispering in your ear in a crowded place. There are a lot of great vocal melodies on this album too. I hope to catch them live, it seems like they relocated to Brooklyn in the last year or two.

9. Mo Troper - Svengali
Power pop, indie rock
bandcamp | spotify | apple music

 

    Well, have to address it- it's a bummer the circumstances of this album's release and Mo Troper's reputation. After allegations of misconduct against him by his ex, the label dropped the album, and Troper, denying the claims, was left to release a version of the album on his own. It seems like he and his ex had a tumultuous relationship, but in the end the defamation case was settled and the statements were retracted (see here).
    The album has some absolutely incredible songs in "Bleach" and "Spark World," and plenty of other great tunes no doubt inspired by The Beatles and Guided by Voices. He shows his range here with some songs solidly power pop, others more noisy, and near the end are some instrumental compositions that are at least interesting if not head-scratching. While the album may suffer from being too long or too varied, it is a product of the circumstances of its release, which is enhanced by the lyrics surely inspired by the rocky former relationship as well. I've enjoyed digging into his back catalog after discovering this album and I can't wait for the next one.

10. Porter Robinson - SMILE! :D
Pop rock, electropop
spotify | apple music

    This was one of my more anticipated albums of the year, and it delivered nicely. The first single "Cheerleader" made me excited for a happier Anamanaguchi style, but the following single "Knock Yourself Out XD" made me nervous (fans still seem divided on the "bitch i'm taylor swift" lyric). The third single "Russian Roulette" is the highlight of the album for me, inviting us into his darker emotions as he did on his previous album 'Nurture' but here with a fresh attitude, showing humor and smiling it off. That song live was one of my favorite concert moments of the year. The rest of the album is filled with a nice blend of pop rock and tender acoustic tracks that make it a smooth listen, maybe the first "casual album" listen in his discography. When he puts his mind to making a particular sound, you can really tell he ends with a product just as he thought of it.

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