What was I listening to in 2024?
2024 was a busy year with some incredible album releases. I spent a lot of time listening to music and in 2024 I focused on listening to albums from start to finish, no skips, no shuffle and listen as the artist intended. By changing my listening habits I learned to appreciate the album as a whole and not just pick a couple of stand out songs to repeat to death.
Here are some of my favourite albums from 2024, again, I feel this highlights how incredibly varied my music taste really is. I feel there is something here for everyone, please go check them out.
Bare Jams – No Rain. No Flowers.
Vibe: Uplifting blend of pop, funk and reggae.
A band that came to my attenion far too late (Thank you TikTok) but very quickly this album appeared in my top played. A feel good, upbeat, fun album with horns and keys and catchy choruses.
Be Charlotte – Self Help and Fictional Doubts
Vibe: Experimental pop
A mix of electronic pop and introspection, Be Charlotte’s Self Help and Fictional Doubts invites you to dive into a world of vulnerability with a fresh twist. This album is Charlotte’s most raw work yet, she lays it all out for the listeners.
Black Cat Bone – Tales of the Amplified
Vibe: Blues-rock & psychedelia
Black Cat Bone superbly mixe gritty blues and psychedelic rock,. They create a sonic experience full of soul, harnomica and electrifying guitar riffs.
Calum Campbell – Rovin’
Vibe: Heartfelt Scottish Folk/Indie
This is the album Calum Campbell fans were waiting on. Many of these songs we have adored for many years. He goes back to his Scottish roots with this release, showcasing modern folk to new listeners.
High Fade – Life’s Too Fast
Vibe: Fast-paced rock and funk
High Fade’s Life’s Too Fast is all about living in the moment and living life at full throttle. This album captures the bands high energy witnessed live. It’s full of fast funk, groovy break downs and insane guitar riffs.
James Bay – Changes All the Time
Vibe: Soulful, alternative/indie
James Bay’s latest album blends pop, folk, and rock, all wrapped in deep, emotional lyrics. This is Changes All the Time—a journey through personal growth and reflection.
Krissy Matthews – Krissy Matthews and Friends
Vibe: Blues-rock collaboration
Krissy Matthews and Friends is an album that brings together some of the best Blues musicians around. I have no doubt this was not an easy project to co-ordinate and the list of names involved in this album is a credit to Krissy’s hard work and dedication over the years.
Mirabelle – Welcome to My Funeral
Vibe: Pop punk, alt-rock
Mirabelle mixes eerie vocals and alternative rock vibes with this debut album release, a real labour of love. Welcome to My Funeral is pop punk at it’s best and it is appears to be getting the recognition that it deserves. I am a little biased but pop – punk saxophone just adds something extra spicy to a track!
New Year Memorial – Darker, Louder
Vibe: Gritty & cathartic
Darker, Louder takes you on a thrilling ride through rock and post-punk. The raw energy in this album is impossible to ignore. 10 years in the making, it was worth the wait! This is everything us fans had been waiting for.
The LaFontaines – Business as Usual
Vibe: Catchy rock hooks and hip hop verses
The lads were back and it was Business as Usual as they left us waiting for some new music. They were back with an absolute bang, a strong album of the Lafontaines sing-a-long songs we love and an insight into how life has changed.
Twin Atlantic – Melt Down
Vibe: Anthemic alt-rock
Big sounds, bigger emotions. Melt Down is an anthemic blend of alt-rock and pop that explores personal freedom and transformation. This seventh album right here was the follow up to free that I was waiting for – it’s big guitar sounds, it’s anthemic choruses. Twin Atlantic showed they were back to their roots and I was hooked!
Wrest – Everything’s Nothing Forever Again
Vibe: Poetic Scottish indie/folk rock
An ambient, post-rock masterpiece, Everything’s Nothing Forever Again invites you into a world of haunting soundscapes that explore the fleeting existence of us all and allows us to consider life beyond ourselves. This album is different to other releases, it’s heavier, possibly a little grittier too but the Wrest sound fans appreciate is still incredibly deep rooted throughout.
