“This Is How Tomorrow Moves” by beabadoobee
In August of 2024, popular indie singer beabadoobee released her latest album, “This is How Tomorrow Moves.” beabadoobee featured no other artists on this album, making it authentically herself. The singer first released her single “Take A Bite” on May 9, 2024. The song was an immediate hit, reaching the top ten on a radio chart in June. The release of this single left fans eagerly awaiting the release of the entire album. When released, the album quickly became popular on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, and a dance was even made attributed to the song “Real Man.” Other songs on the album such as “California” and “Girl Song” were featured in her North American Tour dedicated to the release of the album, which began in Philadelphia on Sept. 8, 2024 and ended in Los Angeles on Sept. 28, 2024. This album incorporated a beautiful blend of indie pop and rock, similar to her previous albums, yet still, beabadoobee managed to make it a great one.
“HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” by Billie Eilish
Released on May 14, 2024, “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” is Billie Eilish’s third studio album, and arguably her most popular. Viral songs like “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” and “WILDFLOWER” boosted Eilish’s already explosive popularity across social media. Support for both the album and Eilish is extensive, as the nearly year-long “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” tour began on Sep. 29, 2024, has shown incredible turnout and will continue through July 2025, traveling across both North America and Europe.
Aside from popularity, the musical quality of the album has not gone unappreciated, receiving countless award nominations, including several for the Grammys and Apple Music’s Artist of the Year. Even though Eilish began a musical career in her teenage years, “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” shows her personal journey, tackling topics like body image in “SKINNY,” Eilish’s sexuality in “LUNCH” and heartbreak in “THE GREATEST,” setting the sound apart from her previous albums, a detail noted in the all-caps style of the titles.
“The Tortured Poets Department” by Taylor Swift
On April 19, 2024, Taylor Swift released her highly anticipated 15th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” The album was announced during her acceptance speech for Best Pop Vocal Album for “Midnights,” at the 66th annual Grammy Awards. The release included singles such as “Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” both of which had a very pop feeling — similar to her recent albums and vault tracks. This midnight release was followed by a surprise: 15 more songs, produced by Aaron Dessner, subtitled “The Anthology.” Featuring songs like “The Black Dog” and “Peter,” many preferred these additions over the album’s 16 main tracks.
Though some disliked the album, there is no doubt that this has been Swift’s most poetic and self-reflective work yet. As she delved into heartbreak, mourning and anger, “The Tortured Poets Department” was beautiful, both vocally and lyrically. It has been nominated for six Grammy Awards, with many more nominations and awards to come.
“The Secret of Us” by Gracie Abrams
Released in early summer, Gracie Abrams debuted her sophomore album: “The Secret of Us.” The two singles — “Risk” and “Close to You” — were followed by 11 tracks, with one featuring Taylor Swift. Fan favorites off the album included “Normal Thing” and “Free Now,” as speculation of who the songs were about circulated on social media. As a recording from Aaron Dessner’s infamous “long pond studios,” this album featured more than just pop as the genre, Abrams branched out into country, indie and folk.
The up-and-coming artist followed the album with The Secret of Us Tour, traveling across 19 cities in 2024, and 38 more in the coming year. With Role Model as the opener, this tour skyrocketed Abrams’ career and popularity, with The Secret of Us Deluxe Tour announced in November. At each show, Abrams sings one surprise song off her previous albums and Extended Plays (EP), like “minor” (2020), “Good Riddance” (2023) and “This Is What It Feels Like” (2021). This concept takes inspiration from Taylor Swift’s surprise songs during The Eras Tour, with Abrams saying she pulls inspiration from both Swift and her music. “The Secret of Us” transformed Abrams’ career from a small, underground artist to a well-known name in the industry.
“BRAT” by Charli XCX
Released on June 7, 2024, Charli XCX’s sixth studio album “BRAT” took the summer by storm. The album is a daring culmination of hyperpop and electronic beats, heavily influenced by the London new rave scene of the early 2000s, where Charli began her musical career as a teen. The club-pop feel of the album is juxtaposed by the creativity and deeper meaning behind some of her lyrics. Charli eventually dropped remixes of her songs collabing with other well-known artists — notably Lorde on “Girl, so confusing,” Billie Eilish on “Guess,” and Troye Sivan on “Talk talk.” On Oct. 11, 2024, she released the remix album “Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat,” where she featured different artists on her original songs from the “BRAT” album.
With its rising popularity in the media, “BRAT” became a musical and cultural phenomenon. The song “Apple” became a trending dance on Tik Tok and “360” became one of the songs of the summer. The neon-green album cover became its signature color, and the term “brat” became a lifestyle. The brat summer of 2024 is one that will not be forgotten.
“GNX” by Kendrick Lamar
A later addition to 2024’s discography, GNX was a surprise album from Kendrick Lamar released by Interscope Records on Nov. 22, 2024. The album almost immediately hit the top of Billboard 200, skyrocketing to the number one spot in its second week on Dec. 7, 2024.
The album had a great collection of features from artists such as SZA, as well as a group of unique and clever samples such as 2pac Shakur’s “Made N****s” or Debbie Deb’s “When I Hear Music”. The whole album really meshed and had a consistent sound that makes you want to bob your head.
The lyricism and quality of production were also top-notch. Lamar’s unique style really shone through and once again Lamar stayed connected to his roots and avoided the overreach many popular artists of our time have fallen into.
GNX cemented itself quickly into one of Lamar’s greatest. And while it did not stack up to some of his albums, it really showed through as one of the best of the year.
