2024, A fantastic year for music. This list looks at ten albums that didn’t quite make headlines this year, but absolutely deserve to be recognised. Purely my opinion, of course.
10.
FRAIL BODY – ARTIFICIAL BOUQUET
Though ‘screamo’ music is something I rarely find myself listening to willingly, Frail Body caught my attention with their 2nd album, ‘Artificial Bouquet’. An eleven track record that combines heavy riffs with raw, emotive storytelling, it makes for an incredible listening experience.
With my two favourite tracks being the opener ‘Scaffolding’ and the closer ‘A Capsule In The Sediment’, Frail Body have created something much more than a filler sandwich. The band have described the album as ‘beautifully out of control’ and I’d have to agree, though in this case it is 100% a positive.
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9.
CHEEKFACE – IT’S SORTED
Returning to familiar territory for myself, Cheekface provided the goods with their fourth album ‘It’s Sorted’. Released back in January, the LA rockers capitalised on the high praise of their third record and produced something that could rival it, or even better, top it.
A band that started as an unambitious project back in 2017, Cheekface gained traction on their second single in 2018 and have been ever improving since. Ironic, talk singing accompanied by funky instrumentals, ‘It’s Sorted’ is a fun, playful record that deserves to be held to the same regard as their previous one.
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8.
GOOD COP BAD COP – WELCOME TO THE MARBLE ZONE
The side project of Milburn’s Joe Carnall and Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders, Good Cop Bad Cop released their second record back in April, titled ‘Welcome To The Marble Zone’. A follow on to their 2019 debut, this synth-infused album is a refreshing sound in a year dominated by guitars.
Though I wasn’t particularly a fan of their debut, this record is a vast improvement and utilises aspects of indie rock and electronic music to create a pleasant listening experience. If you’re like me and suffering from Arctic Monkeys withdrawals, Good Cop Bad Cop is a more than adequate alternative (for now).
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7.
LOS BITCHOS – TALKIE TALKIE
An album like no other on this list, ‘Talkie Talkie’ is the second studio album from Los Bitchos. A fully instrumental four-piece made up of musicians from around the globe, everything about Los Bitchos is fun. Their sound is full of energy, creating tracks that blow you away without the need for thought provoking lyrics or pretty vocals.
An album that can be played whilst you work out, study, cook or even when you’re doing absolutely nothing, ‘Talkie Talkie’ is phenomenal. It’s rare that an instrumental record can blow me away but that’s exactly what Los Bitchos have done here.
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6.
ANNA ERHARD – BOTANICAL GARDEN
Probably the most downbeat album on this list, ‘Botanical Garden’ by Anna Erhard is an incredible record that thrives in the lyrics department. Showcasing incredible wit, alongside her beautiful voice, Anna Erhard has provided a very unique take on social commentary and blended it with a quirky mix of indie and pop.
The title track ranks very highly in my songs of the year, a hilarious number that was spawned from an online review of the parking situation in the Atlantic. A severely underrated album, ‘Botanical Garden’ is unlucky to not make it higher on this list.
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5.
FEET – MAKE IT UP
‘Make It Up’ is the second album from FEET, a five-piece that first met at Coventry Uni a good few years ago now. Controversially, this album didn’t really hit when I first listened to it. Tracks like ‘Bullseye’ and ‘Why Would I Lie?’ stood out to me, but the whole record didn’t do much. However, I saw them touring this album at a small venue in Brighton and my opinion was immediately swayed.
I revisited the album post-gig and now I get it. Helped by the unique drumming style of Ben Firth, previously of the Dead Pretties, FEET are a band to keep an eye on. It might not be an instant hit, but ‘Make It Up’ is a very good record.
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4.
COURTING – NEW LAST NAME
Liverpool rockers Courting dropped ‘New Last Name’ at the start of the year and it has remained one of my favourite releases of 2024. Produced by Gary and Ryan Jarman of The Cribs, this record has a classic indie rock feel to it but also has that post-punky edge, something we’ve seen a lot of in the 2020s.
With themes that many ordinary people can relate to, such as relationships and money, Courting really stepped up their game with ‘New Last Name’. Narrowly missing out on the top three due to some weak moments, if the lads rectify these on album three they’ll be laughing.
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3.
FOXING (SELF-TITLED)
Releasing their self-titled album in September, Foxing dropped one of the records of the year. I hadn’t listened to much from the Missouri rockers before this release, but what I had heard had been rather mellow and relaxing. The same cannot be said for this record though, with songs like ‘Hell 99’ and ‘Spit’ taking me completely by surprise. Mixing their regular melancholy with heavy riffs and screaming really worked for me.
It was so unexpected but the whole album blew me away. Though they’ve been around for over a decade now, their music deserves to reach a wider audience and their self-titled record might be the one that does it for them.
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2.
86TVS (SELF-TITLED)
Coming in at second place is the self-titled debut album from 86TVs, a group comprised of Felix and Hugo White of the recently reformed Maccabees and former Stereophonics drummer Jamie Morrison. No strangers to success, you’d expect this record to be adequately rated but it’s one i’ve rarely seen mentioned. A very strong indie-rock record, even containing a feature from Jamie T, 86Tvs deserve much higher praise.
Unlucky not to find itself in first place, the 86TVs debut album is full of catchy riffs and the song-writing is nothing short of what you’d expect from the White twins. Personal favourites would be ‘New Used Car’ and ‘Someone Else’s Dream’, whilst the album’s closer ‘Living Is A Drag’ is genuinely 20 seconds long. A great record, but not quite as good as the next.
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1.
FAT DOG – WOOF.
Signed by Domino earlier in the year, Fat Dog dropped their debut album ‘WOOF.’ on the 6th September. Taking influences from rock, pop, dance and electronic music, this is one of the most unique, intriguing debuts I have ever heard. Every song on this record is great, but the one track that stands out for me is ‘Running’.
Five minutes of raw energy, ‘Running’ is a song I am desperate to hear live. Fat Dog are a band I am desperate to see live. They are destined for amazing things and they are fully deserving of the top spot. I cannot express how shocked I was to enjoy a dance / electronic album, but I did. Give this record a listen and you will not regret it. My album of the year for sure.
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