2024 Albums of the Year - #15-11

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for me. In this series, we’ll explore the 2024 albums of the year, a list of 25 records I believe to be the year’s finest. I love doing this annually for Phenixx Gaming and I appreciate when people reach out on Instagram asking about where new releases will land come time to write these end-of-year articles. Up next, we have albums #15-11. Let the fun continue. After you check these out, let us know in the comments if any of these records were on your albums of the year list!

15 – Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter

Halfway through Cowboy Carter the song “Spaghetti” starts with audio about the confines of genre. Beyoncé then proceeds to deliver her signature rap-sing vocals over a Western beat that feels both country and R&B. The creativity of Beyoncé’s journey into country-adjacent music is that there’s heaps of authenticity at the heart of this project. Every track on Cowboy Carter feels like a true love letter to a genre she hasn’t spent much time in but easily calls home.

It’s tough to define a Beyoncé album in the scope of her illustrious career because it feels like true perspective is challenging to capture. The simplest explanation for why Cowboy Carter works so well is that artistry, as the “Spaghetti” intro suggests, is just a concept. It means nothing in the way we connect to sound or song. What truly matters is the person creating. A once-in-a-generation talent like Beyoncé can move seamlessly through these concepts, and we’ll just be lucky to be along for the ride.

14 – Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet

If my count is correct, Short n’ Sweet is album six for Sabrina Carpenter, which is funny considering her Best New Artist nomination this year for the Grammys. 2022’s Emails I Can’t Send felt like a rebirth for the Disney Channel turned pop star. There’s a maturity to Sabrina Carpenter, but more crucially, a sensuality that disregards the male gaze in favor of themes that explore what makes women feel beautiful and loved for their own sake.

From “Espresso” to “Please Please Please”, this summer’s pop charts were Sabrina Carpenter’s. While the more indie-pop inclinations of an, ahem, brattier artist fed the clubs, Carpenter fed radio a hot streak for the history books. We’re in a real golden age for pop stars, and Sabrina’s inclination to lean into an array of older music stylings sets her apart just enough to stand out. Anyone can strike gold with a catchy hit, but Carpenter seems eager to mine as many unique earworms as possible while maintaining originality.

13 – Amyl and The Sniffers, Cartoon Darkness

Every time a punk group breaks out into the broader alternative consciousness, it tends to be with an album that returns to a bit of a simpler premise. The more experimental sounds of Amyl and the Sniffers are interesting, but on Cartoon Darkness we get a straightforward collection of tracks that anyone can vibe with. It’s not their most daring effort but íits the most impactful simply because it’s effective and full of personality.

As a frontwoman, Amy Taylor has spent 10 years being enigmatic and energetic, but she truly shines with a limelight cast on her and her band. Deeply feminist themes that don’t sacrifice the desire for joy and carefree living are very accessible and true to punk’s roots. It’s unclear how big Amyl and the Sniffers might grow their fandom from this 2024 record, but I could see a strong showing at 2025’s festivals and shows pushing this band to a really deserved height.

12 – Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Past is Still Alive

Anyone versed in indie music knows well by now that Alynda Segarra, the artist who records under the monicker Hurray for the Riff Raff, is extremely talented. The Past is Still Alive allows Segarra the space and sparsity of Western-style folk to really let their keen lyricism glow. I appreciate their forays into more electronic sonic spaces, but the well-produced folk sound works best for them and resonates greatly with their writing style.

With explorations into America’s decline, queer identity, and the exhaustion that comes from making it through a tough year, Hurray for the Riff Raff matches its reputation on The Past is Still Alive regarding heartfelt songs you can feel. “The World is Dangerous,” which features Bright Eyes’ Connor Oberst on vocals, is particularly poignant at a time where trust in our fellow humans feels at an all-time low: “Everyone is looking for someone to use/I don’t want no one to touch me.”

11 – Mannequin Pussy, I Got Heaven

First things first, Mannequin Pussy rocks; always has and always will. Now that that’s out of the way, I Got Heaven is a perfect introduction to the band for those who don’t have a history with them. There’s anger, frustration, and rage embedded into gentle sections of Marisa Dabice delivering angelic vocals. Make no mistake, however: the goal is not to be angels. Mannequin Pussy strives to embody messy discontent.

A sense of melody helps the medicine go down on each track of I Got Heaven, an album that otherwise seeks to mirror the world’s cruelty and chaos. In a time when rock was more in the mainstream music zeitgeist, Mannequin Pussy would likely be an even bigger deal than they are now. Maybe it’s fitting they’re not widely known outside of rock and alternative fandoms. The band’s goal isn’t acceptance; it is honesty and proper investigations into this mess we call life.