You may remember me from my article at the beginning of the year, 5 Albums to Keep an Ear Out For in 2024. Consider this as my goodbye to 2024 music as we look back into what albums were keeping my 2024 lively and lyrical. You actually may be surprised to see that most of my most listened to albums of the year aren’t listed in my other article, or even from 2024. But that’s what is amazing about music, the fact that you can listen to any genre, any song, and any lyric at any time to resonate with whoever is listening for whatever reason. This past year there have also been many surprise pop-ups from popular artists of mine with new releases that come out just a couple of months or weeks from the announcement. Here are a few of the albums that will most likely show up in my Spotify Wrapped this year.
1. To Pimp A Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar, 2015
Starting off strong with one of the most talked about rappers of the year, Kendrick Lamar. Even though he had sneakily released a new album on Nov. 22 named GNX, I haven’t had the chance to listen to it enough to really know how much I like it. “To Pimp A Butterfly,” released on Mar. 16, 2015 — almost 10 years ago — with five GRAMMYs, is one of my go-to albums when I need an extra push at the gym. The songs that have led me to my path to the album were “King Kunta” and “I,” where both songs end with a monologue that Kendrick continues to add onto after most songs in the album; but the beat and story of both is what intrigued me. As you may know, a lot of rappers typically use their music to make some sort of statement, as we all might know from Kendrick’s song “Not Like Us” following the Drake drama. In TPAB, Kendrick expresses many political statements that involve the issues of social civil rights movements and corruption in America. Some of my other favorite rappers, especially as someone who doesn’t listen to rap often, are J-Cole and Kid Kudi.
2. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan, 2023
I mean, I am just a young college girl from Michigan, so some might even consider that as qualifications to be named a midwest princess. This past year I found myself going down the loophole of Roan’s music, especially after a failed summer situationship, as most college girls can relate to. I would say I found myself singing and dancing in my room to “My Kink is Karma” and “After Midnight” the most this summer, even though the majority of the album is no-skip. While much of the vibe of the album that Roan gives off is “your dream girl’s dream girl” or “this one is dedicated to my ex,” I found myself resonating with more of the fun, hot, empowered girl vibes that had me bopping in the car, such as her expressive song “Pink Pony Club” or realizing her emotional capacity of an on-and-off relationship in “Coffee.” After the TikTok trend of her song “Casual,” Chappell Roan had quite the rising-star status, but many were concerned for her downfall after many canceled shows and rants on social media. However, this hasn’t stopped her, as she won MTV’s Best Music Video for Best New Artist and has been seemingly teasing a new album.
3. Memoir of a Sparklemuffin – Suki Waterhouse, 2024
As I start to prepare for her concert in Royal Oak on Dec. 17, Suki Waterhouse released her sophomore album in September that was inspired by a spider. You might know her from her number one song “Good Looking” or from her role as Karen in the mini-series “Daisy Jones and The Six,” based on the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid. You might also know her to be the girlfriend and baby momma of scientifically-proven “perfect,” Robert Pattinson. What led me to Suki was her song “Moves,” which depicts the challenges that may arise when trying to pursue someone romantically and not being undetermined. One of my favorites from the album is “OMG,” where it portrays awareness of loss and desire from an emotionally draining relationship and wanting to reclaim one’s old self, but with a funky beat. When asked about the vibe of her newest album by a peer, I explained that I got a mix of Lana Del Ray and Maggie Rogers, where some songs were slower and damper, while others were more thrilling and fun. The gist of the story behind the album is about “picking yourself up from being broken [after] a long time,” which is just what a girl needs sometimes.
4. I Love You So F***ing Much – Glass Animals, 2024
Don’t let the title of the album fool you, it’s not another heartbroken love album on my list… sort of. Due to the rising sensation of Glass Animals after their hit single “Heat Waves,” and being isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dave Bayley, lead vocalist, wrote this album on how fast life can change. The leading single of the album, “Creatures in Heaven,” focuses on realizing the sudden changes in life as the singer looks back on tender memories. My top tracks from the setlist are “Show Pony” and “Lost in the Ocean.” The production of this album gives off a 70’s, disco-ette type of vibe with much technical music while repeating lyrics, or even cutting them off like a scratch on a cassette tape in “whatthehellishappening?” My takeaway from this album was looking back at the what-could’ve-been, while taking in the present; definitely another no-skip album from my end.
5. Don’t Forget Me – Maggie Rogers, 2024
You may have seen a video trending when a NYU music student had Pharrell Williams listen to her song in a Masterclass, and gave her zero notes… that was Maggie Rogers! Maggie Rogers is typically known for her unique, individualist taste in production that makes her music stand out. I first stumbled upon her with her songs “Lights On” and “Shatter.” I liked the songs, but wasn’t intrigued enough to solely listen to her; however, I saw she had released an album earlier this year and decided to give it a chance. Man, was I missing out. Similar to Suki Waterhouse, this album is a lot about self healing and growing after some sort of heartbreak, her’s being from a break-up. The song that made me want to listen to the album was “The Kill,” which portrays the ups and downs of a relationship from both ends with the metaphor of a predator — the hesitant one — going for “the kill” of the prey — the one who is willing to jump in. The aesthetic and production of the album brings a sense of main character energy with folky yet calmer disco vibes, with some songs being more indie-rock beats. Another no skip. She recently released the single “In The Living Room,” which I think is a parallel song to “It Was Coming Along,” in October so I’m expecting another album to be announced soon.
As you can tell, a lot of my music this past year was about finding yourself after turmoil. Not sure why that was my vibe this year to be honest; however, I have many shoutout albums by other favorites such as Hozier, Kelly Clarkson, Catfish and The Bottlemen, and more. I guess we will have to wait for my Spotify Wrapped to officially figure out what was going on with my music taste and the story behind it for this year. Like mentioned earlier, music is used to tell a story, to reciprocate feelings, to express oneself; a lot of thought and magic behind production and lyrics that could give me goosebumps. Tell me, what is your favorite part about music? Feel free to take a look into my Spotify if you’re interested in what other music I may be listening to!