The 15 Greatest Albums of 2024

Newcomers, pop princesses and a touch of country sensibility – it’s all here in these 15 year-defining albums.

It’s been a standout year for music, packed with albums that pushed boundaries, told incredible stories, and kept us hitting repeat time and time again. This was the year when pop stars reinvented themselves, rock bands found new grooves and unexpected collaborations surprised us in the best possible way – oh, and country popped off!

Genres blended, new voices emerged, and familiar ones delivered career-defining work, but these fifteen albums had us hooked from the opening line.

F-1 Trillion: Post Malone

Taking the bull firmly by the horns in 2024, F-1 Trillion marks Post Malone’s full-fledged venture into country music, seamlessly merging his pop and hip-hop roots with traditional country elements. If you’d put this on our bingo card at the beginning of the year, we’d have said that we’d been sold a dud. But Post Malone manages to embrace country with full sensibility, even putting his own spin on the genre through tracks like What Don’t Belong to Me.

Radical Optimism: Dua Lipa

As the eagerly awaited follow-up to her blockbuster 2020 album, Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa’s third studio effort, Radical Optimism, faced high expectations. Lead single, Houdini, saw Lipa effortlessly escape the weight of the hype to add yet another bona fide pop anthem to her repertoire, whilst follow-up single Training Season confirmed that irresistibly catchy, radio-ready hits were set to remain firmly on the menu in 2025. Read the review of Radical Optimism

Eternal Sunshine: Ariana Grande

In a monumental year for Ariana Grande, it would be easy to forget that she released an album in early 2025 before Wicked swept her up to defy gravity. Eternal Sunshine boasted radio-ready hits like lead single, Yes, And?, and We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love), and was widely praised for its refined and contemplative perspective on heartbreak. This new attitude from Grande in the wake of her public divorce, coupled with its ear-worm melodies earned Eternal Sunshine its place among the top albums of 2024.

Charm: Clairo

Picture this: You’re nestled away in a dimly-lit bar on a rainy winter’s night and over the speakers comes a soft-rock sound reminiscent of the 1970s, enriched with jazz influences and lush instrumentation. This sophisticated production isn’t echoing from the owner’s vintage record collection, but rather Clairo. Her tender songwriting and hushed vocals create an intimate and warm listening experience; one which is putting soft-rock firmly back on the map.

Fireworks & Rollerblades: Benson Boone

Boone’s rise in the music industry has been swift. The release of his debut album in April of this year delivered huge singles including Slow It Down, Beautiful Things and Cry, and his momentum has only continued to gather since then. As a relative newcomer to the industry, the commercial success of this release is enough alone to warrant him worthy of a place in this list, but we’ve got him marked down as one to watch in 2025.

Prelude to Ecstacy: The Last Dinner Party

The Last Dinner Party’s highly anticipated debut album was destined to be anything but timid, and Prelude to Ecstasy proved exactly that. Released in February, this debut album took listeners on a theatrical journey, with huge tracks like Sinner, The Feminine Urge, and Nothing Matters establishing the group as a rising force in the alternative rock scene. Read the review of Prelude to Ecstacy

Vertigo: Griff

Vertigo marked Griff’s heavily anticipated debut album, balancing contemporary pop elements with a touch of indie sensibility. Divided into three volumes, songs such as Astronaut brought out the theme of entrapment in relationships, while Tears for Fun captured heartbreak with a powerful pop edge. It’s the title track, Vertigo, however, that takes the crown for the must-listen track. For a long-awaited debut, it was certainly worth the wait. Read the review of Vertigo

Deeper Well: Kacey Musgraves

Departing from the synth-driven sound of Star-Crossed, Deeper Well embraces a more stripped-back, folk-inspired approach. The instrumentation is minimalistic, featuring subtle steel guitars and harmonised backing vocals to allow for Musgraves’ songwriting and vocals to take centre stage – and that they have. Emotionally pertinent and laced with blatant refusal to conform to expectation, Kacey and Deeper Well deserve their mention among the best albums of 2024.

Romance: Fontaines D.C.

Released in November, Fontaines D.C.’s fourth album, Romance, marks a significant evolution in the Irish band’s musical evolution, blending elements of post-punk-punch with their signature Fontaines sound. In an interview with The Times, Frontman Grian Chatten noted that the album had, “freed them creatively,” allowing them to bring newly discovered alt-rock/gothic pop influences to the fore, resulting in huge singles like Starburster and Favourite. Read the review of Romance

Cowboy Carter: Beyonce

Since its release back in March of 2024, Cowboy Carter has been widely praised for its genre-blending innovation and homage to Black musical heritage. Widely receiving critical acclaim, Cowboy Carter has solidified its place among the best albums of 2024. The second instalment of a planned trilogy, this release blends diverse Southern sub-genres, including folk, rhythm and blues, pop, psychedelic soul, hip-hop, and bluegrass, to reflect Beyoncé’s Texan upbringing.

The Tortured Poets Department: Taylor Swift

Between the release of her earlier album Midnights and the huge undertaking of a record-breaking world tour, you might have thought that we wouldn’t hear new music from Swift in 2024. But if there’s a will, Taylor Swift has a way. The Tortured Poets Department landed with force, featuring collaborations with artists like Post Malone and Florence Welch, adding unique layers to Swift’s signature storytelling prowess.

The Secret of Us: Gracie Abrams

2024 has been a stellar year for Gracie Abrams. As a relative newcomer but one who has already been endorsed by the likes of Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Benny Blanco, her sophomore album had a high bar to reach. But there was no need to worry. The Secret of Us hit the charts like a tidal wave, bringing huge tracks including Risk, I Love You, I’m Sorry, That’s So True, and us. featuring Taylor Swift to the fore, and a raft-load of new fans with them. Read the review of The Secret of Us

Hit Me Hard and Soft : Billie Eilish

For fans, few things are more rewarding than watching your favourite artists evolve while staying true to their roots. Billie Eilish has done just that with her 2024 offering, Hit Me Hard and Soft. Even while deviating towards the poppier end of the spectrum, Eilish’s signature sound still permeates tracks like Birds of a Feather, The Diner, and Chihiro to deliver a new era of her artistry whilst maintaining the essence of what made her so unique. Read the review of Hit Me Hard and Soft

Short n’ Sweet: Sabrina Carpenter

In 2024, the music industry experienced a seismic surge of female pop princesses, and there was no one more perfect for the job than Sabrina Carpenter. Her highly-anticipated album, Short n’ Sweet, saw top spots around the world dominated with singles like Espresso, Please Please Please, and Taste, all bringing their new-age pop to the masses. Catchy melodies and sharp, humorous lyrics are in plentiful supply on this release – an element which has translated effortlessly into her Short n’ Sweet Tour performances. Read the review of Short n’ Sweet

BRAT: Charli XCX

When we think of summer, we think of sky blues, and sunflower yellows, not lime greens. In 2024, however, that all changed under the watchful eye of Charli XCX. Boasting numerous singles that spiralled their way through TikTok like a raging hurricane, BRAT delivered the pop-culture movement of a decade, spearheaded by hits including 360, Von Dutch and Apple. Discover how BRAT Summer became the pop-culture trend to take the world by storm