Matt's Books and Music

[This post is part of a large project in which I am going through the popular music released in each year. Please see the note at the bottom of the post re: omissions and limitations.]

Introduction

There are some years in popular music that, for whatever reason, stand out for their incredible, outsized impact: years like 1969, 1984, 1997, and 2014 jump immediately to mind. And we were without a doubt blessed with such a year again in 2024. Not only did we have the sudden emergence of Chappell Roan (whose album was counted here in 2023), but huge leaps from Gracie Abrams, Charli xcx, and Sabrina Carpenter, big albums from Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, and Taylor Swift, and even a rare collection of superb bonus tracks from Olivia Rodrigo. And I could go on! What a year.

Top 10 Albums

1. The Tortured Poets Department (Taylor Swift): This was a controversial album, for a variety of reasons, but really it mostly came down to the opinion that, at a whopping 31 songs, there was too much of it. But here’s the thing: While we all seem to agree that sixteen songs would have been better, we cannot agree at all about which sixteen they would be. A lot of my cuts are among the general favourites, and vice versa. So maybe we should just be grateful and enjoy it.
2. The Secret of Us (Gracie Abrams): Buoyed by two runs as the opening act for the Eras Tour, Gracie Abrams leapt from rising star to full pop star in 2024. This is a great album, with a mix of great peaks (”Risk,” “Close to You, “I Love You, I’m Sorry”) and a deep back end.
3. Cowboy Carter (Beyoncé): If this were a list of the best or most important albums, this would have been at the top, but as much as I love what Beyoncé is doing on this album, there are only a handful of songs I listen to regularly, dropping it a bit in my rankings.
4. Short and Sweet (Sabrina Carpenter): “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” dominated the Summer charts, and when the album finally dropped, it was full of songs that were comedic, sexy, and just plain fun, solidifying Sabrina Carpenter’s brand and place at the top of the pop ladder.
5. Sunday Sadness (Amy Shark): I have a softer spot than many for Australian artist Amy Shark. This album doesn’t have as many peaks as some of her other work, but it’s deep enough to warrant a spot on this list in a crowded field. If you’re interested, check out “Beautiful Eyes,” which is my favourite track from the album.
6. Country (Medium Build): At a time when male ‘country’ music involves a lot of performative cultural sign-posting, singer-songwriter Medium Build came out with this incredible country-coded album that is equal parts introspective, thoughtful, and heartbreaking. Highlights include “Beach Chair,” “Can’t Be Cool For Ever,” and “In My Room.”
7. BRAT (Charli xcx): It’s rare for an electronic dance album to break through into the mainstream. Not only did BRAT do that, but it also branded a colour and a season. Enough said.
8. rosie (ROSÉ ): A rare December album drop in an already stuffed musical year, this would have fallen completely through the cracks had it not been for the omnipresent lead single “APT. (featuring Bruno Mars).” But that’s far from the only worthy song on the album, with “toxic till the end” and “number one girl” getting a lot of play from me.
9. Don’t Forget Me (Maggie Rogers): It’s a testament to Maggie Rogers’ talent that this my least favourite of her three albums still deservedly made it into my top ten list. The production is stripped back a bit here as she leans more into a country-pop sound, but it mostly works. Standouts for me are “The Kill,” “Never Goin’ Home,” and “If Now Was Then.”
10. SMILE! 😀 (Porter Robinson): This album completely came out of nowhere for me last October and I haven’t stopped dancing. Combining infectious pop melodies with nostalgic video game sounds, and stellar production, this is everything it wanted and needed to be.

Other Albums of Note

• HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (Billie Eilish): I respect Billie Eilish’s music more than I love it, but there’s no question this is a great album. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is an all-timer.
• Memoir of a Sparklemuffin (Suki Waterhouse): After her turn on the tv adaptation of Daisy Jones and the Six, it wasn’t clear what direction Waterhouse would take her music career. If this album is any indication, I’m very excited.
• Disco Loadout (Volume 1) (Arkells): It’s very hard for covers to make my best-of lists, and even harder for an album of covers. But this collection of classic pop songs by (criminally underrated) Canadian rock band Arkells is spectacular. Their cover of Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” even made it onto my year-end playlist, at number 59.

Top 10 Songs

1. “Good Luck, Babe!” (Chappell Roan): While the album that launched her into stardom in 2024 was released the previous year, she did release one new song, and what a song! It’s scathing, sarcastic, unabashedly queer, and an incredible bop. It could be the best pure pop song of the decade. (Favourite lyric: “And when you think about me all of those years ago / You’re standing face to face with ‘I told you so’”)
2. “Knock Yourself Out XD” (Porter Robinson): With its undeniable 8-bit hook and sad yet resilient lyrics about the disillusionment of celebrity, this song was on nonstop repeat for a few weeks in the Fall of 2024. (Favourite lyric: “Wouldn’t know how to brush my teeth / Without asking my team”)
3. “loml” (Taylor Swift): Nowhere on The Tortured Poets Department was Taylor Swift’s trademark exceptional lyricism on display more than in “loml,” a dirge for a relationship that turned out to be all promise and no payoff. The production, which was a bit much at times on the core album, is here stripped back to a simple piano arrangement, to great effect. (Favourite lyric: “Who’s gonna stop us from waltzing / Back into rekindled flames / If we know the steps anyway?”)
4. “Guilty as Sin?” (Taylor Swift): I find it completely incomprehensible that this made-for-top-40 pop confection wasn’t released as a single, or even put onto the Eras Tour set list. Not only is it fun, but it’s thoughtful too, expressing what it’s like to find your heart (and libido) wandering when you’re committed to another. (Favourite lyric: “What if he’s written ‘mine’ on my upper thigh / Only in my mind?”)
5. “Down Swinging” (Holly Humberstone): Songs about mental health are generally pretty dour, but Holly Humberstone here turns anxiety into an anthem of resilience and defiance perfect for our fraught historical moment. (Favourite lyric: “So, let it rain on my failing light / I can take it, give me hellfire / Watch me keep my cool tonight”)
6. “The Black Dog” (Taylor Swift): The narrative of this songs starts with a simple premise: seeing an ex has forgotten to turn off ‘share location’ on his phone, the artist starts to spiral. What better example could there be to talk about the difficulty in unhooking from a relationship in our connected age? (Favourite lyric: “You said I needed a brave man / Then proceeded to play him / Until I believed it too”)
7. “Close to You” (Gracie Abrams): While it’s an outlier amidst the more confessional songwriting on the rest of the album, it’s great to know that Gracie Abrams has infectious dance pop as a tool in her toolbox, because this is amazing fun. (Favourite lyric: “I burn for you / And you don’t even know my name”)
8. “Scared of My Guitar” (Olivia Rodrigo): This song about honesty coming out in one’s music is both thoughtful and gorgeous. It’s also a wee bit repetitive, which is why it isn’t even higher on this list. (Favourite lyric: “I can’t lie to it the same way that I lie to you”)
9. “The Kill” (Maggie Rogers): Contemporary dating can sometimes feel less like a dance than a high-stakes game of chase, a feeling Rogers expresses perfectly in this song. (Favourite lyric: “You kept my secrets and stole my weaknesses”)
10. “The Alchemy” (Taylor Swift): While it has some lovely lyrics about romantic chemistry, what makes this song work so well for me is the production, especially the groove of the chorus, which grabs me every time. (Favourite lyric: “Cause the sign on your heart said it’s still reserved for me”)

Other Songs of Note

• “II MOST WANTED” (Beyoncé): While it didn’t have the cultural impact of “TEXAS HOLD’EM”, eighteen months after its release, this duet with Miley Cyrus about female friendship is the track from Cowboy Carter that I revisit the most.
• “Diet Pepsi” (Addison Rae): Not only is this a fun song with impeccable Summer vibes, it’s also an interesting case study in the social media influencer to pop star pipeline.
• “When You Know Someone” (Valley): This was the clear highlight for me of Toronto band Valley’s 2024 album Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden. They’ve become a reliable source of under the radar hits for me and I’m excited to see what comes next.

Most Surprising Inclusion

• “0898 Heartache” (Los Campesinos!): While I understand they have a significant following in the UK, no one I know on this side of the Atlantic has even heard of this Welsh emo rock band. But two of their songs made it onto my 2024 playlist, led by this lovelorn song that just feels like a drunken, heartbroken spiral.

Notable Song that Missed the Cut

• “I Had Some Help” (Post Malone): Truth be told, I really enjoyed Post Malone’s foray into country music in 2024. But in such a crowded year, nothing from it made my list (nor anything in the ‘bro country’ genre for that matter).

[Note: It’s of course impossible to listen to everything, so while I’ve tried to be as comprehensive as possible, omissions are inevitable. For consistency’s sake, I’ve gone with the year music was released, rather than when it became popular. Any ratings or rankings are my own and entirely subjective. This has nothing to do with objective quality but is simply reflective of my personal taste.]