Top 10 Albums of 2024
The Crimson’s Arts Board presents its musical favorites of 2024, from “BRAT” to “The Tortured Poets Department.”
10. ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” is a record-breaking work of masterful lyricism and autobiographical storytelling. Swift dives deep into an array of subjects, including grief, fame, artistry, romance, and desire. “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” explores the denial that often comes with coping with a toxic relationship, using the metaphor of broken dolls and smashed sandcastles to evoke the feeling of being cast aside by someone you love. “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” is a song full of spite, mocking the media’s portrayal of Swift and embracing the villainous edge she’s often portrayed as having. The track’s eerie production and Swift’s emotive vocals feel empowering, especially with the lines “Who’s afraid of little old me? / Well you should be” at the end of each chorus. Swift’s collaborators, Post Malone and Florence + The Machine, complement the album’s melancholy subject matter with poignant vocals that bring their respective tracks, “Fortnight” and “Florida!!!,” to life. “The Tortured Poets Department” broke Spotify’s record of single-day streams with over 300 million, was the fastest album to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify, broke the record for largest sales week of an album on vinyl in the U.S. with over 800,000 units, and has been No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 17 weeks. It’s no wonder the album is this successful, with its touching lyrics, heartfelt ballads, catchy synth-pop tracks, and cohesive sound. “The Tortured Poets Department” dominated 2024, and for good reason. —Anna Moiseieva
We reviewed “The Tortured Poets Department” and gave it 4 stars.
9. ‘COWBOY CARTER’ by Beyoncé
Beyoncé shot back onto the scene this year with “COWBOY CARTER,” her eighth studio album. After breaking into dance music with 2022’s “RENAISSANCE,” the Texan superstar took a hint from back home and released the country jam that is “COWBOY CARTER.” The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 and notably at number one on the Billboard Top New Country chart, making Beyoncé the first Black woman to top that chart. The album was led by star single “TEXAS HOLD’ EM,” with over half a billion streams on Spotify of its classic acoustic strums, bass drum-powered beat, and — of course — beautiful vocal harmonies. More than just a country album, though, “COWBOY CARTER” is a Black country album, a distinction which raises its significance far above where it would be otherwise for a people so deeply intertwined with the founding of the genre. “COWBOY CARTER” is a standout album for so many reasons, but most of all because it sounds damn good. —Alessandro M. M. Drake
We reviewed “COWBOY CARTER” and gave it 5 stars.
8. ‘Bright Future’ by Adrienne Lenker
On “Bright Future,” Adrienne Lenker handles memory, time, fatigue, and love with heart-wrenching, unanswered pleas — “So, just say what it is that you want” or “You come around, I’m ruined” — in a tender voice that warbles like a stream. The acclaimed indie folk singer’s sixth solo studio album is lucidly lyrical, with lines that snake along each other in a graceful mastery of rhyme and imagery. “Bright Future” was recorded in a studio in the woods on analog tape, and a rustic autumn air practically suffuses the audio. Each track is a perfect whole, from the twangy and tenacious “Vampire Empire” to “Free Treasure,” which validates its near-worshipful chorus with beautiful particulars of memory. Only a folk album as great as “Bright Future” can craft transcendence with such humility — its songs are vulnerable and poetic, bobbing atop nimble instrumentals, yet without a whiff of pretension. —Isabelle A. Lu
We reviewed “Bright Future” and gave it 4.5 stars.
7. ‘The Secret of Us’ by Gracie Abrams
In her sophomore album, Gracie Abrams proves her aptitude as a folk-pop singer-songwriter. While singing about breakups and relationships past, her guitar ballads and breathy, yet forceful vocals captivate listeners. “us. (feat. Taylor Swift)” — the album’s fifth track about a short, ill-fated relationship — is a catchy and rare instance of Swift featuring on another artist’s song. Abrams shows her maturity in “I Love You, I’m Sorry,” admitting her mistakes in a relationship in a parallel to her previous song “I miss you, I’m sorry.” Abrams worked with producer Aaron Dessner on the album, recording many of the songs in his Long Pond Studio and continuing their collaborative relationship from her debut studio album “Good Riddance” which showed through the commitment to her sound and style throughout both projects. On “Close To You” — the final track of the album and one fans have wanted since she sang a clip on Instagram in 2017 — Abrams sings about a new romance, ending the album on a beat-driven and hopeful note. While summer 2024 will always be remembered by “BRAT,” for the sad-girl-pop lovers among us, it will also be marked by “The Secret of Us.” —Hannah M. Wilkoff
6. ‘CHROMAKOPIA’ by Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator seems to reinvent himself with each new album, and “CHROMAKOPIA” is no different. However, new sounds, new themes, and new features don’t necessarily mean a new Tyler. This album, dropped three years after his previous release, “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST,” proves that Tyler, The Creator can grow and develop as an artist while staying true to himself. In some tracks, he boasts of his success, sometimes sampling his mother’s voice saying things like, “Don’t you ever in your motherfucking life dim your light for nobody.” In others, he is introspective — revealing his anxieties about potential fatherhood, growing old, and being his authentic self. Toward the end of the album, Tyler opens up about his own father’s absence in “Like Him,” singing, “Mama, I’m chasing a ghost, I don’t know who he is.” Seven of the 14 tracks are only made better by guest appearances from artists like Daniel Caesar, GloRilla, and Doechii, among others. Although it took a year longer than usual for this release, it was definitely worth the wait. —Najya S. Gause
5. ‘GNX’ by Kendrick Lamar
Rapper Kendrick Lamar surprise-dropped “GNX” at noon on Nov. 26, only shortly after the virality of his beef with Drake this year started to die down. The 12 tracks of his sixth studio album are a bit of a departure from his previous discography. While albums like “To Pimp a Butterfly” or “good kid, m.A.A.d city” were more focused on social commentary, and “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” was thematically introspective, “GNX” is about Lamar’s thoughts on the rap scene and the music industry at large. It is playful and adventurous, calling out rappers and taking sneaky shots at Drake. Lamar, more than ever, seems to be stepping into his power and solidifying himself as a legendary figure in Black music. In this album, he is unapologetic as he displays his unbeatable lyricism and musical prowess. “GNX” is growth — and audiences everywhere should be excited about what’s next. —Najya S. Gause
4. ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’ by The Last Dinner Party
This British indie rock band’s debut album is a feat of theatricality and opulence. The opening track, “Prelude to Ecstasy,” is an instrumental trailer for the songs that lie ahead. With crashing cymbals, ringing church bells, and harp strums, the overture combines themes from the other songs on the album, creating an opulent soundscape fit for a medieval dinner party. “Burn Alive” features dramatic timpani drums and Abigail Morris’s dynamic vocals, adding beautiful texture to a song about the catharsis of putting music out into the world as a way of dealing with pain. Another star in this album, “My Lady of Mercy,” includes lush electric guitar riffs in the bridge and uses religious motifs, like “I’ll see you on Sunday” and mentions of crucifixes, to highlight the tension between religion and queer sexuality. The most popular track from “Prelude to Ecstasy” with over 145 million streams on Spotify, “Nothing Matters” is a carnal, unapologetic love song. The rich instrumentals and imagery of freedom with the lines “We’ve got the highway tight, the moon is bursting with headlights / One more and we’re away, love tender in your Chevrolet” come together to create an upbeat, maximalist tribute to passionate love. “Prelude to Ecstasy” is a decadent work of musical artistry, and hopefully not the last from “The Last Dinner Party.” —Anna Moiseieva
We covered The Last Dinner Party’s concert at the Royale here.
3. ‘Short n’ Sweet’ by Sabrina Carpenter
Chances are that you’ve seen Sabrina Carpenter on social media, either with her raunchy “Nonsense” outros, the inventive “Juno” sex positions on tour (“Have you ever tried this one?” she asks in Los Angeles as she executes a split), or the extensive digital footprint she has as a Disney child actor. But no one can begrudge Carpenter her breakout year as “Espresso” climbed the charts to become the song of the summer, or as she launched viral music video after music video. “Short n’ Sweet” showcases Carpenter’s signature humor and musical versatility as she draws inspiration from R&B (“Good Graces”) to country (“Slim Pickins”) to pop-rock (“Taste”). What’s most alluring about Carpenter, however, is that she’s having fun as she bounces around these genres and laments about the pitiful state of the dating pool for straight women, and her glee is palpable throughout the album’s double entendres and savage lyrics. Like it or not, Carpenter has certainly delivered on what was promised — clocking in at just over 36 minutes, the album is, like its singer, short and sweet. —Angelina X. Ng
We reviewed “Short n’ Sweet” and gave it 4 stars.
2. ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’ by Billie Eilish
Now on her third studio album, Billie Eilish is one of the most influential artists in the world. She has fully established herself as a queen of experimentation and, along with her brother and producer Finneas O’Connell, has been riding high on the charts ever since “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” released in May. The album continues Eilish’s trend of reinvention while sticking to her strengths as an artist. Her soft, pinpoint vocals grace all of the tracks and wrap them in a comforting blanket. Her lyrics touch on subjects similar to those in “Happier Than Ever,” but songs like “Lunch” still approach familiar themes of sexuality with a fresh, more explicit look — I’m looking at you, “Guess featuring billie eilish.” The track “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” has found success on TikTok, helping rocket it to 1.6 billion streams on Spotify. Her true strength on “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” though, is the new home she found in louder EDM-style songs like “CHIHIRO,” probably the album’s strongest track. Electronica is certainly not new to Eilish, but in this latest work she has found her groove with the louder side of the genre, expertly crafting enrapturing crescendos of sidechained synths and driving drum machines. —Alessandro M. M. Drake
We covered Billie Eilish’s concert at TD Garden here.
1. ‘BRAT’ by Charli XCX
Back in 2019, Pitchfork referred to Charli XCX as the “Pop Star of the Future.” “BRAT” made her the pop star of the present. Despite making hits like “Boom Clap” and “I Love It” early in her career, Charli remained peripheral in recent years. Despite limited mainstream crossover success, her music gained critical success through a boundary-pushing sound that earned her that “futuristic” description. With her sixth studio album “BRAT,” Charli firmly entered the spotlight, creating one of the most fun cultural phenomena of the past few years with “brat summer” along with an incredible album. Combining the mass appeal of her early career with the exciting hyperpop production of her recent work, “BRAT” features track after track of unabashedly fun music. The songs aren’t all drugs and partying, however. “Girl, so confusing” covers Charli’s strange rivalry-friendship with singer Lorde, resulting in an iconic collaboration where the two “work it out on the remix.” In “So I,” the album’s tribute to legendary producer SOPHIE, Charli delves into her grief and regret surrounding SOPHIE’s death in an incredible tribute to SOPHIE’s “It’s Okay to Cry.” Charli’s ability to cover these more complicated topics with a cohesive sound and relentless energy makes “BRAT” a spectacular listen. The album is ambitious without pretension and decadent without frivolity — or at least, all the frivolity is bluntly self aware. There was no better album to provide a soundtrack for the summer of 2024. Charli may be the pop star of today, but that isn’t because she’s slowed down. Rather, we’ve finally caught up to her. —Ria S. Cuéllar-Koh