2024 Albums That Deserve Your Attention

Just last month, a study revealed that more music is released in a single day in 2024 than in the entire calendar year of 1989. Understandably, it raises questions for artists about what it means to have your music compete against other musicians in the world. How does an album cut through the noise? How does it rise to the top of the Spotify algorithm? How does it not get relegated to the ash heap of history?

When it comes to annual lists about the best records of the past 12 months, it’s easy to focus on all the heavy-hitters, the ARIA Award winners, the Grammy nominees, and the fan favourites, but what about those who have fallen through the cracks? Not necessarily by any fault of their own, these are some of the albums whose profile wasn’t quite as strong in 2024, or may have found themselves overlooked by potential audiences for a myriad reasons.

Some of these records may have been among your favourites for the year, while others might be entirely new discoveries which could very well upset the applecart of your already-decided ‘best of 2024’ list. No matter how you look at it, these are some of the albums released this year which definitely deserve your attention.

Alkaline Trio - Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs

Until 2024, it had been a long time between drinks for fans of punk veterans Alkaline Trio. With six years since their last album, it’s been the longest wait for a new record to date, but understandably so – with vocalist and guitarist Matt Skiba ending his seven-year relationship with Blink-182 in 2022.

Thankfully, Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs was not a reflective piece of work lamenting missed opportunities or time gone by, but rather a return to form for the Chicago outfit. As slick and powerful as ever, having Alkaline Trio at the top of their game makes the music industry all the most better.

Asha Jefferies - Ego Ride

Asha Jefferies’ Ego Ride is the sort of record which makes you wonder how in the world a debut album can be so accomplished. It’s easy to trace the threads, however. After all, Jefferies is no newcomer to the world of music, having released two EPs, opened for Julia Jacklin and Lord Huron, performed at BIGSOUND, Bluesfest, and received countless awards.

Along the way, she honed her impressive craft to curate a collection of songs which are resonant and emotive in their delivery, and absolute cutting in terms of the immaculately-written lyrics. Ego Ride might be a personal record in its composition, but the level of confidence, power, and versatile musicianship makes this an album which everyone can see themselves reflected in.

AURORA - What Happened To The Heart?

While AURORA might have said the title of her latest album was "the most important, beautiful and sad question I’ve ever wondered in my life", What Happened To Heart? is an album designed to help the Norwegian artist process grief, anger and pain. An album of exuberance following her earlier, more folk-inspired records, her fifth record is hard to describe.

It reckons with heavy themes such as capitalism and climate change, yet approaches them with elements of techno, pop, folk, and disco that blend together in an almost dizzying combination that showcases her eclectic versatility and inimitable ability to be a jack of all trades, and a master of every one.

Eliza & The Delusionals - Make It Feel Like The Garden

Not every band gets to make an impressive debut like Eliza & The Delusionals did in 2022 with Now And Then, and even fewer bands get to improve upon their exceptional introduction later. That’s the case with Make It Feel Like The Garden, an album whose luscious blend of indie rock is as ethereal and sweeping as it is confronting and arresting.

It’s an album of contradictions; one which can wash over you and one which can grab you by the collar and command your attention. But no matter which side of that paradoxical equation you’re on, it’s going to be a journey you’re glad you’ve taken.

Full Flower Moon Band - Megaflower

There's something to be said about group's like Brisbane's Full Flower Moon Band. After years chipping away at the live and recorded scene, they've evolved with every turn. Following showcases at BIGSOUND and winning the esteemed Grant McLennan Fellowship at the QMusic Awards, an 18-month tour off the back of second album Diesel Forever has resulted in the arrival of third album, Megaflower.

Now, they've grown into a band whose reputation as an acclaimed outfit is slowly preceding them thanks to the immense level of quality they provide with each and every track. 

Jordan Rakei - The Loop

New Zealand-born Jordan Rakei has been making music for years, but never had he made a record like The Loop. Describing it as "the album I've wanted to make since I was 19", The Loop is the latest step in Rakei's impressive career, which has seen him go from "fun, bedroom jam guy" to the affecting, accomplished artist we see today.

Having evolved from the soulful indie influences of Radiohead and Jeff Buckley into the more R&B vibes of D'Angelo and even Marvin Gaye, Rakei has crafted a record that is one of the few worthy of the tag, “an album you need to hear”.

Kittie - Fire

When Canada’s Kittie broke into the music scene with 2000’s Brackish, they were a force to be reckoned with. Though their ensuing discography was a case study in diminishing returns, their dissolution following the death of Trish Doan ostensibly closed the book on the group forever. Time makes fools of us all, however, and with the release of 2024’s Fire, Kittie proved the fuel that remains in their collective tank is as incendiary as ever.

Their first new album in 13 years, Fire sees Kittie at their ferocious best, pushing forth and breaking new ground with the same kind of progression and anger that first put them on the map 24 years earlier.

Ocean Grove - Oddworld

When Ocean Grove nabbed their third consecutive top ten with 2022's Up In The Air Forever, it was clear they were onto something good. Their genre-blending sound and immense live performances were already something to behold, but Ocean Grove weren't content with letting their sound become predictable.

This time around, for their fittingly-titled Oddworld, they decided to do something far more representative of who they are. Utilising pop influences alongside their nu metal, metalcore, electronic, and punk sounds, Oddworld (on their own label of the same name) is the sound of Ocean Grove firing on all cylinders and being the most true version of the band they’ve ever been.

Orla Gartland - Everybody Needs A Hero

Outside of the UK, Orla Gartland’s Everybody Needs A Hero hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but when you consider everything that’s gone into such a record, it’s hard to imagine why not. A lifelong artist who was busking from a young age, and slowly worked her way up to viral fame, television appearances, and even a co-write with BTS, her second album is a solid example of the benefits of hard work.

Heavily influenced by folk music with a strong command of pop music, Gartland feels like a well-kept secret on the verge of breaking through to the mainstream as she unites the two genres once again. Even more impressive, of course, is her ability to craft such a massive album alongside joining English pop supergroup Fizz. Talk about a hero.

Orville Peck – Stampede

Already a darling of the country scene, Canada’s Orville Peck followed up the critically-acclaimed albums Pony and Bronco with the fittingly-titled Stampede to further adoration this year. This time around, it was a celebration of the genre and those that inspired him, featuring duets with names such as Willie Nelson, Elton John, Beck, Mickey Guyton, and more.

In a year when country went further pop thanks to records from Beyoncé and Post Malone, Orville Peck reminded us that he was already doing it before it was popular – as were his myriad talented duet partners.

Phoebe Go – Marmalade

Phoebe Go’s Marmalade might be her debut album, but given her work with Snakadaktal and Two People over the years, it feels like she’s been a constant presence in our lives. That musical pedigree and accomplishment is more than present within this record, too, with Marmalade arriving as an album which is as confessional as it is vulnerable and fragile.

Informed by themes of desperation and dissociation, Marmalade and its songwriting aided Go's ability to heal and to understand her own feelings far better. Truly, while it helps the listener in much the same way, it's an album which sees Phoebe Go at his inspirational, unapologetic best. "I’m now just going all in, balls deep with an idea,” she says. “I find that I can say the thing I am scared to say a bit more and I find it very rewarding in crafting a song.”

Radium Dolls - Legal Speed

Brisbane's Radium Dolls are one of those bands you'll catch live one seedy night out and instantly tell all your mates about. Months later, when those mates finally catch them live per your recommendation, they'll be wondering why they hadn't jumped on board sooner. That's exactly how it feels to listen to their debut album, Legal Speed.

Packed full of the raw, gutsy energy only a band who cut their teeth on the live scene could bring to the table, and packed full of the casual Aussie vibes that make their music so accessible, it’s hard to see why they’ve not broken through yet, but it’s easy to see their story is just beginning.

Ray LaMontagne - Long Way Home

20 years on from his debut album, Ray LaMontagne is still the same great musician he has always been. His grasp on songwriting and melody is as strong as ever, and his delivery is as affective as ever, yet ninth album Long Way Home very well may have flown under the radar this year.

Going independent after years of major label support, it was his first album to be absent from the charts, but for diehard fans, it’s likely one of his strongest and most accomplished records to date. Beautiful in its composition and form, Long Way Home may very well in strong contention for the year’s best-kept secret.

Telenova - Time Is A Flower

When Telenova first appeared on the scene, listeners were certain they were witnessing the birth of something beautiful. Formed at an APRA SongHubs songwriting camp held at the Box Hill Institute in 2019, things swiftly snowballed with the three musicians finding widespread acclaim and reception throughout the Aussie music scene.

Fast-forward to 2024 and debut album Time Is A Flower sees a band who have refined and honed their sound to the point of being the band their talents and vision allow them to be. Harnessing that beautiful quality their earliest work showcases and pairing it with hazy pop songwriting, and the result is something that defies categorisation yet hits you in the heard, the heart, and everywhere else it needs to.

Tim Heidecker – Slipping Away

When a comedian decides to go serious, it’s often hard to separate their current work from their humorous past when the two have been so intrinsically linked (Joji, for example, comes to mind). But for Tim Heidecker – one half of the Tim & Eric duo with Eric Wareheim – he’s managed to carve out an impressive niche for himself as a creative of immense versatility.

Amongst the alt-country sounds of Slipping Away, it’s easy to try and hear Heidecker slipping a smirk into his delivery, but ultimately, he’s crafted something as touching, as warm, and as emotionally-affecting as ever – without a single punchline to upset to the impact it all has upon the listener.

Willow – Empathogen

There’s still a slight sense of disbelief when one listens to Willow, especially given her divisive 2010 arrival by way of Whip My Hair. But time stops for no one, evolution is key, and Willow’s sixth album, Empathogen, is proof positive we are not now who we once were.

Featuring guest spots from the likes of St Vincent and Jon Batiste, her genre-shifting exploration into progressive jazz is impressive and indicative of her constant evolution. It might not quite be in the same vein as her previous foray into the world of pop-punk and alt-rock, but these days Willow is a known quantity synonymous with quality.