Year End List: 2024

2024's edition of 50 albums I listened to, and loved, a whole lot.

Hey y’all. 2024 was a wild year for me. I moved cities - from a big one, to a much less big one, with a lot more internal hang-ups for me personally - got a home, and have generally been trying to nudge my life in directions that allow for a happier existence (like experiencing more nature, you know, touching grass and all that.)

As such, it was also a year that has been occasionally emotionally fucked up. The second half of the year has been a trying one mentally, but one thing that has kept me going was, you guessed it, music. I spent a lot of my life leaning all the way in on movies - going to film school, podcasting for nearly 10 years focusing exclusively on movies - but really my first love of media was always music.

Choosing to focus almost all my effort on the music side of my hobbies via this Substack has been really rewarding for me this year. It makes me incredibly happy to see that people are interested in finding new music, supporting new and exciting artists, and sharing or discovering together.

And because of this, creating my year-end list was easier than ever. I already had a database of everything I listened to - plus some amount of reviews or text or thoughts to pull from.

The hardest part was deciding where and how to cut it off at just 50 records!

So here’s 50 (or is it 50.5? you’ll see…) of my favourite albums from 2024. I hope you find something good to listen to, and let me know your thoughts on the list in the comments, on the hellsite, the better site, or just join the Rosy Overdrive Discord server where I can be found most days.

Don’t forget: if you’re reading this in your email it will be cut off. Read on the web for the full list of reviews!

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Spotify Playlist:

Previous year’s lists:
2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019
2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023

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Rosie Tucker - UTOPIA NOW! (Sentimental Records)

Genre: Power Pop, Indie Rock

No surprises here, I've been all aboard their mix of singer songwriter indie-pop and power-pop since Never Not Never Not Never Not in 2019. This is another phenomenal record from Rosie Tucker and one that even edges into pop-rock, radio-ready level hook territory on songs like "Suffer! Like You Mean It".

Huge tunes, amazing record, and if this list was numbered you can bet that it’d be right at the top.

Greenwitch - FORCED OUT OF EXISTENCE (Maggot Stomp)

Genre: Death Metal, Slam Death Metal

Absolutely has the goods when it comes to kinda groovy, breakdown death metal. I couldn’t quit this album from the day it was released, through today.

Mostly built upon a foundation of ignorant beatdown/slam hardcore ("Grotto of Obscene Sensation") but then they will also throw in a ridiculous thrash metal solo for good measure.

Just awesome, nasty stuff with songs called shit like "Spewin' Fluids." Can I get a hell yeah?

Fievel Is Glauque - Rong Weicknes (Fat Possum)

Genre: Progressive Pop, Jazz Pop, Art Pop

This album is a bit more adventurous than Flaming Swords, and I think it will suit a certain type of listener more. I like both sides of the band, and so for a week or two after it came out I was stuck in the middle trying to figure out which record I like most, the instant gratification of Flaming Swords or the out-there pleasures of Rong Weicknes. Over time, I’ve come to enjoy this almost as much as their previous record. Phenomenal “go for a drive” album.

bagel fanclub - encore county ground (Retrac Recordings)

Genre: Drill and Bass, Chiptune, Breakcore

This continues the textures that were established on How Are Your Cars Driving?, which I also loved. Mainly, chiptune melodies with breakcore/digital or harsh noise/drill and bass elements. It scratches a particular itch I have for maximalist electronic music that piles on elements of genres I like.. without relying on everything culminating in EDM-influenced style bass drops or whatever.

Also it’s an hour long - proof I don’t always hate on long albums!

Night Court - $hit Machine (Recess Records)

Genre: Power Pop, Punk

More from this prolific Canadian act, this time released on the very appropriate Recess Records label, since they play garage-y pop-punk a la Toys That Kill, The Marked Men, Scared of Chaka etc.

Night Court benefit from having a bit of an expanded palate, at least compared to some bands in this genre who just do the one thing exactly the same across all their songs. There's definitely a strain of indie-punk in their sound, and a couple songs actually brought to mind stuff like Dogs on Acid ("Permanent Vocation") for me. They also share that power pop sound of poppy punk bands like Tenement too.

This gets better and better as it goes, with a particularly strong second side that finds interesting excursions like the Jawbreaker-y intro to "Happy Birthday" or the stripped back "My Last Acid Trip."

Johnnie Carwash - No Friends No Pain (Howlin Banana)

Genre: Indie Rock, Garage Punk

A core memory of 2024 was definitely floating in water alone listening to this record and having it fully click. This is another album that I really dug when it came out, but one day it just clicked as a top favourite of the year.

Wrote about their previous record on my blog/newsletter but didn't like the album quite enough for it to end up on my year-end list. The band is still playing noisy pop with garage-indie and poppy punk(ish) elements, that hasn't changed much. But based on my memory of that other record, I feel like they've tightened up their songs and even streamlined some elements in a way that is super, super effective.

✂ Hate Myself, Anxiety, What a Life, I'm a Mess

Sweat - Love Child (Vitriol Records)

Genre: Hardcore Punk, Garage Punk

Gotta Give It Up was one of my favs from 2022 and probably one of the albums I listened to most that year. Something about their mix of hardcore punk and just a sprinkle of throwback classic rock elements worked perfectly for me.

Over the course of this year, their latest record warmed up from “more of the same, which is what I wanted” into a “dang, this may just stand toe to toe with their last one!” kind of deal. Big year for albums that made good first impressions but only grew stronger with time, to be honest.

lulamoon - opal (Limewire Exclusive)

Genre: Hardcore Hip Hop, Southern Hip Hop

This was nowhere on my radar until I was looking through the Esoteric list of Hip Hop albums from 2024. I love the production on this, 90s boom bap influenced beats and samples but presented through blown-out hyper-esque fuzzy and glitchy digital textures. Great bars too ("Pay pal look like Elvira, it's got big stacks").

All around this feels like a truly modern take on the kind of casually experimental 90s hip hop albums that I fell in love with when first expanding my musical interests. It loses a little bit of steam entering the final third but otherwise this was really strong all around.

Bonus points for Ladybug / Digable Planets reference.

ahem - Avoider (Forged Artifacts)

Genre: Indie Rock, Power Pop, Jangle Pop, Pop Punk

A lot of bands take their second album as an opportunity to expand their sound, add a bunch of additional instrumentation or splinter off into a bunch of directions they maybe couldn't have reached on their earlier releases. Ahem—who had a cracking album of indie/emo/power-pop with Try Again—instead just double-down on what they do best on their second LP.

A mix of crunchy power pop, bit of syrupy emo dual-vocal melodies alongside some higher energy songs. If there's any overall change from their last album vs this one, it's probably the pronounced addition of a bit of jangle to their sound. It's another very strong release from the band, and one that points to their increasing consistency.

I could see them turning into one of those bands that releases a record every two or three years, always solid and always reliable in the best kind of way. I hope they keep it up because this was a pretty quick addition to my year-end list for sure.

Kill Lincoln - No Normal (Bad Time Records)

Genre: Ska Punk

26 minutes of third-wave ska punk revival from Kill Lincoln. They took me a minute to warm up to, and a big part of unlocking my appreciation for their previous record was this album’s single "I'm Fine (I Lied)". They even sprinkle in some melodic hardcore elements on songs like "Planted" and there was at least one moment on the record where Lifetime popped into my head.

Their brevity is a positive here, as they definitely left me wanting more and this will be a very easy record for me to just smash the play button on again when it ends. Might be neck and neck with Can't Complain but I think this inches it out just a bit.

HEDGE - Better Days (Bloated Kat Records; Midnight Werewolf Records)

Genre: Pop Punk

Power-pop punk released via Bloated Kat Records. This has that 90s sound that makes me think of a bunch of different bands but that whom name checking might not exactly describe their sound to you well? It's very poppy, melodic indie rock influenced poppy punk. You can hear stuff like Sundials in their sound for sure, but another name that came to mind was The Fiendz circa-Wact.

Replicant - Infinite Mortality (Transcending Obscurity Records)

Genre: Dissonant Death Metal, Deathcore, Progressive Metal

When this album came out, it was the very definition of a "I pressed play because it looked cool" record. I guess this is technical death metal but there's some dissonance in their riffs, so it's also "Dissonant Death Metal."

Again, I'm no expert but I also feel like there's a bit of tech-thrash and progressive influence in here too, alongside heavier groove moments that recall metalcore breakdowns to me.

I dug this when it came out, and re-listening over the year only bumped it up to four star territory. This shit is heavy as hell and fucking rips real good.

The Dopamines - 80/20 (Rad Girlfriend Records)

Genre: Pop Punk, Punk Rock

Listen, I love The Dopamines and celebrate their entire discography. I could probably nit pick and figure out exactly where this sits in their records, which ones it is better than and which ones it is worse than, but the fact of the matter is: this fits in snugly into my “fuck it, listening to The Dopamines all day” schedules. Preparing for this list, I threw it on and oops, now I’m listening to their discography in reverse-chronological order and having a fucking blast.

It’s catchy as hell, and about as strong as any of their post-Expect the Worst LPs (all of which I love.)

mui zyu - nothing or something to die for (Father/Daughter Records)

Genre: Indietronica, Bedroom Pop, Art Pop, Dream Pop, Alt-Pop

A beautiful, gorgeous album. While not quite as immediately satisfying as Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century, it feels by design as it leans a lot further away from a focus on "songs" as building blocks and more into tones and textures. Lots of short interludes here and it certainly feels more influenced by classical or library music (a bonus for me to be honest.) This did make it feel like an album I appreciate more than something I repeat listen to over and over.

That said, it's an ambitious and stunning record through and through and I really loved it. In the latter-half of the year, I circled back and found it held up wonderfully.

Big Nobody - Charlie's Alive (Legacy Junk Ltd.)

Genre: Indie Rock, Power Pop

On their new album (and first as a full-band effort), Big Nobody has taken a considerably large step forward and improved upon their last record in almost every way. Bigger hooks, great riffs, a touch of jangle pop on songs like “Run”.

It’s such a well executed set of varied influences, that seeing their Spotify playlist included such disparate acts as Everclear, Drug Church, Happy Diving, Hum, Thin Lizzy, REO Speedwagon, Weezer, Jeff Rosenstock, The Goo Goo Dolls, Built to Spill, Sum 41 and more made a kind of wild sense to me in the context of their self-appointed “heavy pop” moniker too.

Thirdface - Ministerial Cafeteria (Exploding In Sound Records)

Genre: Hardcore Punk, Powerviolence

Immediately we're back. Some of the shit Thirdface pulls on "Mantras" is just too good. I loved Do It With a Smile and this was welcome surprise that I didn't realize was coming. Great mix of powerviolence, hardcore, punk and even some noise-rock like the end of "Meander". A lot of fun riff variety. Love that some of these songs could be like six powerviolence songs just strung together.

Sure, nothing they do here is genre-exploding stuff but I always like a band who have more ideas than they know what to do with. When they slow things down and get more melodic or groove-based (or approach post-hardcore elements on songs like "Sour") it works and I definitely dig the textures they're working with.

Stand Still - Steps Ascending (DAZE)

Genre: Melodic Hardcore, Emo, Pop Punk

Melodic music made by members of hardcore (or hardcore adjacent) bands is really having a moment the past couple years. And what is weird, is that a lot of these bands leaning into different melodic punk/pop/emo/etc. genres through a hardcore lens haven't really done it for me.

I say weird, because the dewtaylo-coined “pop punk by hardcore guys” genre is one that I am always scrounging around in for hidden gems. I guess Koyo have some songs but almost none of the bands doing this have been album groups for me.

Stand Still though, stand out. I’m not sure what the key is to their sound - could be that they approach most of their material with a The Movielife-esque ear (melodic punk, dollop of emo, enough chugga chugs to illicit an actual connection to something that could be called hardcore, etc.)

I think one important part is when they slow things down to a mid-tempo churn ("Dust") the melodies feel strong enough to support the energy dip (this is where bands in this genre generally lose me.)

youbet - Way To Be (Hardly Art)

Genre: Neo-Psychedelia, Indie Rock

Compare & Despair landed on my year-end list in 2020, so this was on my radar but I didn't have exactly huge expectations or high anticipation, I was just looking forward to it.

There's something about youbet that is able to exceed expectations of this kind of music anyway. There's a lot of that bric-à-brac indie-pop-psych-rock-etc. stuff out there and most of it doesn't usually interest me all that much any more. But youbet seem able to crack through the noise with their melodies for me. Yeah, there's a lot of neat instrumentation and little quirky textures to this album but I just really like these songs when it comes down to it. These songs feel like they could be stripped back or layered forever and the strength of what's going on foundationally would still remain.

Really not sure how to explain it, but even when I can point at sounds you may have heard done by other acts in here, youbet has something really special that makes it all work for me. You can even hear stuff like Duster in the textures of "Deserve" but it never feels like a photocopy.

Hell Beach - BEACHWORLD (Uncle Style Records)

Genre: Indie Rock, Power Pop

No album this year has rocketed to being my most anticipated as fast as this record. All on the strength of the single "Poison Mind", which fast became my "holy shit I need to hit repeat on this song because it's just too fucking catchy" song of the year.

Hell Beach play crunchy power-pop-punk with tasteful synths and a pinch of rock and roll attitude. Not every song here is as strong as their singles but it's all high energy and stuffed with huge hooks. There are times (like that little riff break 01:55 into "Poison Mind") where they almost recall those great moments when Sum 41 would melt together power pop hooks, pop punk power chords and a slight headbang element. Not that Hell Beach are doing anything remotely similar to Sum's metal or melodic hardcore influence, but their poppier moments do have some similarities, if not small ones.

This is just a great, summery guitar rock album with fun synth lines, lyrics that strike a good balance of the modern emotional worries ("Meltdown") without tipping into the internet-brained kind of lyricism that can occur on some emo-adjacent albums, and big sing along choruses.

✂ Poison Mind, Meltdown, Weekend Crush

Comfy - Goated & Foreboded (Self-Released)

Genre: Indie Rock, Power Pop

Comfy released two of my favourite indie rock records in recent memory with 2018’s Thanks for the Ride and 2021’s immaculate Volume For. Since then they have been busy, releasing albums of imagined video game music (Super Comfy World and Super Comfy World 2: The Lost Levels) as well as another proper album Jock Hours in 2022. For whatever reason, Jock Hours didn't grab me, although I am not sure I gave it a lot of time.

Goated & Foreboded though, hit me immediately. This is more of what Comfy does incredibly well: a grab-bag of indie rock, power-pop and guitar rock with hooks that stick. This can jump from jangly indie ("Dream is Dead") to crunched out noise-pop ("Spark"). In a way, they remind me of Built to Spill in spirit but not sound or texture (though "Awake & Living" does get there by way of sheer guitar heroics.) They can write concise indie-pop songs as well as they can write more layered guitar pop with solos and power pop textures ("Dream is Dead") just as well as they can follow that up with a driving, twangy jangle-y tune like "Tired & Troubled."

I think Comfy are shaping up to be a great, super consistent band that isn't afraid to follow their ambitions and inspirations wherever they may take them.

Pom Poko - Champion (Bella Union)

Genre: Noise Pop, Math Pop, Power Pop

After two fantastic albums of noisy art/math pop, on Champion the band sounds like they are getting a little comfortable. Birthday was a speaker-blowing fuzzed-out debut that felt like the band couldn't sit still for more than a minute or so. Cheater sanded their edges a little, but in a very satisfying way that didn't dilute their core experimentalism too far. Here, they are settling down further, but the foundation of what made their skewed pop effective still remains.

Where previously their bonkers hooks felt like little nuggets to be dug out of their songs, here I feel like they have started to fully flip their proportions of their songs. Their melodies are the basis of a lot of these songs and the excursions are the exhilarating noisy moments. I like the band enough to still enjoy what they're getting at in their songs, but I could start to see how a new listener might think elements of this sound like some other bands (a claim I don't think you could make about much of their earlier albums.)

Regardless, if you like out-there pop and guitar music and have a bit of patience to allow this record to open up to you, this one does hit. Another record I found lent itself perfectly to long drives and day trips.

Squint - Big Hand (Sunday Drive)

Genre: Post-Hardcore, Melodic Hardcore, Alternative Rock

If you’re gonna swipe from anyone, swipe from the best yeah? The band is probably incredibly tired of getting Drug Church comparisons, but they’re definitely the band that Squint sounds most like. Outside of Drug Church, Squint are one of the best bands to do it, partially because they are ripping from a phenomenal band, but also because their riffs are sick and their hooks are hooky. I don’t like to say reductive things like this, but I think they may have released the best Drug Church album of the year with this one.

Outer World - Who Does The Music Love? (HHBTM Records)

Genre: Art Pop, Psychedelic Rock, Space Age Pop, Indietronica

Fantastic chamber pop / art pop album from Tracy Wilson (Dahlia Seed, Positive No) and Kenneth Close (Positive No). It's a short album - EP? Mini-LP? Something in-between? - but it achieves everything it sets out to do in spades.

This is one of those albums where you find yourself wanting to live inside its reverb-soaked corners. I find it amazing that this is able to be so varied but still feel like a singular effort. It jumps from space-age bachelor pad pop to post-punk lead guitar lines, from organ-led psych-freak-outs to slinky spy movie atmosphere with ease.

RIYL: Stereolab, Broadcast, The Soundcarriers, Spacemoth, et al.

What Gives - Got Lost (What Gives)

Genre: Indie Rock, Power Pop

What Gives (feat. members of Annabel, Dowsing, and Elway) are back with new member Delia Hornik on keys. Their sound has subtly morphed from the The Get Up Kids meets Rozwell Kid style anthemic emo-power-pop heard on Feels Good into something even poppier and crunchier. I mentioned on a review of their singles that this sounds even more like Motion City Soundtrack and The Anniversary worship, which definitely tracks and also works well for me. They do slow things down for the Future Teens-y ballad of "Turn the Light Off Soon" as well.

I pretty much always have time for crunchy riffs and wee-ooo-wee-ooo synths so I dug this quite a bit. It definitely has a handful of songs that hit a lot harder than the others, but it remains pretty above-average on the whole, so if you are also someone who is always craving the sugary thrills of this kind of stuff, there's a lot to like here.

Cheekface - It's Sorted (Cheekface)

Genre: Indie Rock, Power Pop, Dance-Punk, New Wave, Post-Punk Revival, Geek Rock

Not a whole lot has changed: Cheekface will still very much not be for you if you've hated their albums so far, Amanda Tannen continues to be the band's MVP, secret weapon and key to unlocking what makes their songs work (if you aren't one of those people who can’t get past Greg Katz's lyrics and delivery, I suppose.)

In the past, I’d have said the best Cheekface album is the one you make of all the best songs from their full length albums. I think with It’s Sorted, they’ve got me to admit that this is their best album. Consistency is the name of the game here. Plus, “Popular 2” absolutely gets my vote for catchiest indie rock song of the year. It’s not even a fight, this song is massively melodic and hooky.

Prove me wrong, children! Prove me wrong.

Middle-Out - Middle-Out (Punkerton Records)

Genre: Pop Punk

Poppy orgcore FFO: Hold Tight!, The Dopamines etc.

There's a pinch of the emo-pop dueling vocalist stuff in Middle-Out’s sound that some orgcore/pop punk bands often dip into, which is nice, but it never strays too far from the beer soaked, pop-laced punk rock road. Might be over selling the orgcore thing as this sounds less like gruff flannel wearing stuff but I think it's close enough to the genre while also being very slick and 00s emo-pop adjacent that it ends up being a nice blend.

I'm an easy mark for this kind of thing, but to my ear the hooks are above average and the sing-along moments were really effective. A couple shrug lyrical moments ("401k") but this was an unlikely heavy hitter of a debut for me.

Hyperdontia - Harvest of Malevolence (Dark Descent Records)

Genre: Death Metal

2024 was the year I took my thrash metal obsession and spun off into a death metal deep dive. In the past, bands that rely heavily on the tremolo riff and the monotonous death metal vocal style are more often than not... not for me. It was always an easy skip when some cookie monster sounding motherfucker came on and the instrumentation seemed like nothing more than blast beats and less-than-detailed tremolo-ing. To assume that was all there is in this genre was a childish mistake on my part.

Hyperdontia are a good example of an act that is able to take the aforementioned elements that push me away, use them effectively, but not rely on them so heavily that I get bored. And to add to that, don't do so much else that we're not talking about death metal any more, you know? This isn't the knee-jerk assumption of the genre that I had in my head, like, at all.

The hyperactivity of the riffing appeals to me, as someone more entrenched in technical thrash fandom and coming at this from a place of thrash-influenced death appreciation. The vocals are maybe the closest to wearing me down here, but the melodic nature of the riffing - and in particular, the bass performance on songs like "Salvation in Death" - really kept me hooked.

Liquid Mike - Paul Bunyan's Slingshot (Self-Released)

Genre: Indie Rock, Power Pop, Emo-Pop, Pop Punk

Really my main complaint about Liquid Mike's self-titled release from last year was how short it was. I didn't end up listening to it a ton throughout the year just because it was so blink and you'll miss it. I know this isn't that much longer at 25 minutes but it does feel more like an "album" album.

More of Liquid Mike's great mix of indie, punk, pop-punk, power-pop, etc. with a bit of vintage underground indie jangle to it. The slightly longer running time as well is just enough to satisfy, and just not enough to make you want to re-listen to it all over again the moment it ends.

CANDY - It's Inside You / Flipping (Relapse Records / Triple B)

Genre: Metalcore, Industrial Metal, Digital Hardcore, Electro-Industrial

Okay, okay. This is two releases. Call it my top 50.5 albums of the year then? I dunno, but I just couldn’t separate these two releases in my mind.

Candy’s It’s Inside you just friggin’ rips man. I honestly have a soft spot for working little break beats and electronic flourishes into really aggro hardcore or metalcore stuff like this, and they do it super well here. Chiptune lead lines on "Dancing to the Infinite Beat"? Hell yeah, gimme more, I'm here for it. Sick shit straight up.

Flipping might top It’s Inside You, to be honest. Really depends on the day for me. It nails that insanely heavy breakdown sound without slipping into that tik tok “top 5 heaviest breakdowns” band sound? Hard to explain. Just immense, huge, enormous. Fucks you up in the best way AND has fun textures and electronic flourishes and even turntablist/beat moments that seal the deal.

Any day of the week, I can queue both of these up back-to-back and I’m a happy camper. One of the coolest bands in hardcore? Easily.

Chat Pile - Cool World (The Flenser)

Genre: Noise Rock, Sludge Metal, Film Soundtrack, Post-Hardcore, Experimental Rock, Alternative Metal

Hell yeah. Listen, you probably know about Chat Pile at this point. Very muddy, sludgy anxious noise rock, sprinkles of nu-influence and groove. Raygun's divisive vocals. Cool World is Chat Pile to a T, with some small tweaks and evolutions of their sound.

It's not going to convince anyone who has made their mind up about the band, but if you're into it already here's some more for you. I'm still into it, so I liked this a lot.

Carb on Carb - Take Time (Salinas Records)

Genre: Midwest Emo, Pop Punk

Very satisfying emo/indie/noise-pop kind of stuff from this NZ act (new to me, first I've heard of them.) Released by Salinas Records so you know we're talking consistency here.

Reminds me a little bit of bands like Doe, Martha, Oso Oso or a more subdued Woahnows. Driving indie-rock rhythms with emo hooks and buzzy guitars.

The kind of thing that I appreciate on first listen but found myself returning to a lot throughout the year.

Omnigone - Feral (Bad Time Records)

Genre: Skacore, Hardcore Punk

It continues to make me smile that there's a thriving ska punk scene driven by Bad Time Records (among others) that allows room for a lot of varying types of third-wave revival ska and beyond.

If you heard and liked Omnigone’s Against the Rest, you'll likely enjoy this new one. If you didn’t this is skacore from members of Link 80; high energy punk rock with horns and upstrokes, no mozzarella sticks or circuses to be found here.

It's 26 minutes, so pretty hard to complain even if this is more of the same as expected.

Stress Angel - Punished by Nemesis (Stygian Black Hand / Dying Victims Productions)

Genre: Death Metal, Thrash Metal

The meeting place of death and thrash metal is a real sweet spot for me. This has a main genre tag of Death and sub tag of Thrash, so we’re off to a good start, but there's a lot going on here I feel like that doesn't fit snugly into those two buckets.

Lots of cool vintage capital M "metal" dueling-leads and rolling drums on "Ritual Debt" that really diverge from both those genres. Honestly, it's sick because then when they jump back into tremolo-pummeling death riffs it's effective as hell. "Ancient Weakness" blasts along effectively for 3 minutes and then I thought it was over, but they slow things down and stretch out the atmosphere effectively.

It's not rocket science, but it allows them to be diverse without getting into outright "oh this is tech metal now" or "oh they're doing prog now" territories. Part of my brain wishes they would dip into straight up chugging metallic riffs or doomier, sludgier moments once in a while for some heavier headbanging but you can't win 'em all.

I also think the name Stress Angel is a sick name for a metal band. This rips y’all!

dgoHn - Alterations in Gyral Form (Self-Released)

Genre: Drumfunk, Drill and Bass, Drum and Bass

I really liked Undesignated Proximate from 2020 (landed on my year-end list that year) and so I've always been interested in hearing more from dgoHn. Was surprised that this came out in April on Bandcamp (and vinyl) exclusively, but it's a good reminder that I need to exit the walled garden of streaming more often than I already do.

It’s more drumfunk/jazzstep/drum and bass, whatever you wan to call it, from dgoHn, and that’s exactly what I wanted. Similarly to a lot of heavy and aggressive music, it’s hard for me to pinpoint what makes a drum and bass or drumfunk record work or not work. dgoHn’s sound here is exactly what you would conjure up in your mind as I describe the genres, but there’s a little I don’t know what in here that makes it sing. dgoHn’s work just has a personality to it that hits on all the work of theirs that I’ve heard.

Fastbacks - For WHAT Reason! (No Threes Records)

Genre: Pop Punk, Power Pop

Fastbacks are one of my favourite bands, but another one who were stricken by the uneven album bug. Don't get me wrong, Very, Very Powerful Motor and Zücker are two of my all time favs but I would never argue that they aren't top-heavy or don't have some filler on them. But they're a band whose highs are so very high, so sugary sweet and addictive that I will spend days listening to all their work.

So a new album from them, their first in 25 years, is a big deal for me. And it's a really solid reunion record to boot. If you like the Fastbacks' brand of punk-pop with flourishes of guitar heroics, this is that. It's a pinch uneven in some ways that all their records are, but it is also only 32 minutes and they have tightly focused most of these songs outside of their one indulgence (a 7-minute closer.) The rest are simple, punk-pop songs by the band that damn near perfected simple, punk-pop songs on those aforementioned albums.

I love the Fastbacks so much, and I'm very happy to have 'em back for another record in 2024.

Distants - LP (Salinas Records)

Genre: Punk Rock

Gruff, emotional, melodic punk rock from the Midwest. This is the band's first full length but they've put out some EPs and singles previously through Salinas Records, so I've had my eyes on them for a while now. This is very solid, and you probably already know what to expect based on the first sentence of this review. Strikes a good balance of the beer-soaked bearded dude orgcore vibe and just straight ahead melodic guitar rock.

Not super hooky, but strong enough overall that I didn't mind. Vocals might be the weakest link “objectively,” but in my opinion there's an increase of charm in this kind of music when the singer can only kind of sing. Kind of a feature not a bug thing for me, but YMMV? Anyway, great album!

✂ Mirror Years, Belly Up

Nuclear Tomb - Terror Labyrinthian (Everlasting Spew Records)

Genre: Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Death Metal, Technical Thrash Metal

Nasty death thrash that also slows down for moments of pure heaviness or segue into thrashy atmospheric stretches. This just shreds, that's all there is to it. "Dominance & Persecution" particularly slammed me back a bit when I was listening through for the first time, I love its inability to sit still and how it jumps through all different elements of thrash/death in one go.

Just a good time all around, and 32 minutes? Nuclear Tomb knows what's up.

Strychnos - Armageddon Patronage (Dark Descent Records)

Genre: Death Metal, Black Metal, Death Doom Metal

I probably shouldn't know what to do with this album, since it's a mix of death and black metal which are two areas of metal where I'm hardest to please (or have the least amount of experience, dealer's choice.)

This is good though, very heavy and evil and gloomy sounding (screams of children on a song called "Choking Salvation", check). My complaint about this kind of music always that there's some element of it that feels dangerously close to being repetitive to a fault - whether it's drums or the tremolo riffing or the vocals etc. - but everyone here is doing interesting stuff quite often and it doesn't seem to fall into that trap for me.

Some really good mid-tempo chugging on songs like "Endless Void Dimension" too, alongside more epic metal undertones. Really well-rounded stuff for the genre and above-average to my admittedly untrained ears.

Henry Homesweet - Morning Mayan (Essential Chip)

Genre: Chiptune, Minimal Techno, Dub Techno, Dubstep

Based on the bandcamp description, this is a collection of old songs from Henry Homesweet but I'm wondering if it's more of a kind of remixed and extended collection because these 10+ minute tracks sound almost like old songs re-configured or extended (in a good way.) Maybe not though! Maybe it's just a well curated collection of old songs that work well together!

This is the kind of chiptune you could give to someone who likes electronic music and they will be able to enjoy the songs in and of themselves because the sound palette feels very diverse, even though technically it's Trippy-H and nanoloop via Game Boy Advance.

There's a definite dub/techno influence on a few of these tracks too but even with three of them being 10 to 15 minutes long, none of them wore me down.

Footballhead - Overthinking Everything (Tiny Engines)

Genre: Alternative Rock, Emo-Pop, Pop Punk, Grunge

This was a tough one to decide if I was including it on the list or not.

Technically, I heard this album in 2023 when it was self-released. I didn’t include it on that year’s year-end list, because Tiny Engines scooped it up and announced a 2024 re-release. To me, the release sounds like a pretty simple remaster with no major changes that I can tell from my memory other than this still sounds very good. So in a way it still felt like a 2023 album to me, but since this was an official release this year I am saying it counts.

As far as that hook-laden emo-grunge / indie-punk / alt-rock thing goes I think this is well above average. They dip into moments where songs are straight up pop-punk ("Etched You In") but I'd have a hard time calling the album on the whole cut-and-dry pop-punk.

All around great, and since they yoinked the record from streaming in advance of the re-release, I enjoyed revisiting it throughout the year. Check out their “mini-LP” form this year, too!

Sleeping Bag - Beam Me Up (Earth Libraries)

Genre: Indie Rock, Slacker Rock

As a long-time fan of Sleeping Bag it pleases me they're still quietly pushing along as one of the most consistent acts in indie rock.

Not counting their releases of demos and songs written after the names of their fans pets (of which there are 5 lol) this is their 7th album I think? Sleeping Bag and Women of Your Life are both really underrated and this one is more solid, jangly, hooky, riffy indie rock with that slacker-y, recorded at home vibe to it.

I hope they keep releasing music, because I keep loving it!

Hemotoxin - When Time Becomes Loss (Pulverized Records)

Genre: Technical Thrash Metal, Technical Death Metal

First off, huge improvement over the album art from Restructure the Molded Mind, lol. Moved from something you'd be embarrassed to be seen listening to, to just a dope rainbow horror sci-fi ass painting, hell yeah brother.

Anyway, this feels like Hemotoxin are focusing in on their strengths; way shorter run time, no cruft like a cover song smacked on at the end, and just oodles of crazy as shit riffs. Particularly like when they mix some more obvious melodic elements into their riffing like they do about a minute into "Abstract Commands." They almost remind me of Old Nick or something when they do that? Probably a stretch, but...

Overall it could be too densely packed for some (and the solos lean back into that nerdy tech vibe) or even too one-note, but this is kind of what I come to technical thrash/death for, so I'm happy.

Louie Zong - AQUARIUM CITY (Fuji Apple Records)

Genre: Jazz Fusion, City Pop, Jazz-Funk, Acid Jazz

A modern take on jazz fusion that also hits on City Pop and other digital fusion styles of genres. I’ve heard some Louie Zong in the past (Rat Taxi had the kind of album art and name you just cannot skip) but their work hadn’t grabbed me in a top-to-bottom album kind of way… until now.

Maybe it’s the fusion I’ve been listening to lately, but all eight songs here just hit perfectly. Highly enjoyable stuff.

Group Listening - Walks (PRAH Recordings)

Genre: Chamber Music, Ambient, Modern Classical

Very nice modern classical that has some library music vibes to my ears. Cool vintage electronic textures (like the sparse skittery drum machines) and ambient elements but still feels like a modern electronic take on classical music to me throughout. Some jazzy moments with horns on songs like "Shopping Building" over top of a vaguely post punk textured bass.

A lot of "distant music" vibes here with some instruments creating a really rich, deep sound without being overly dense or cluttered. You really feel like you can disappear into the depths of these arrangements.

Probably not for everyone but it does strike an accessible balance between ambient and active music.

Melt-Banana - 3+5 (AZAP)

Genre: Noise Rock, Experimental Rock, Post-Hardcore, Art Punk, Hardcore Punk

There should be really lofty anticipation for the first album in 11 years from a band like Melt-Banana, but this snuck up on me so fast it was already out by the time I realized it existed.

This continues the band's slight evolution from the experimental noise core of their early work to the even more experimental art punk and sci-fi synths of their later work. This is still incredibly fast, loud, abrasive and very layered music but with the band's trademark ability to make it melodic.

At 24 minutes, it's one of the shorter albums from the band (by maybe 5 - 10 minutes tops, this is a band generally known for brevity) but it is as potent as ever.

Like Fetch before it, this is a very concise and dang near accessible example of what the band does best. A welcome return for one of the all-time greats.

Supermilk - High Precision Ghosts (Specialist Subject)

Genre: Indie Rock, Slacker Rock, Power Pop

Third album of indie rock from this band led by former Doe member Jake Popyura.

The band has always been a bit of a grab bag of indie rock textures and tones, but this album does find them leaning a pinch towards a more varied sound. There's some 80s post-punk ("Many Thanks") or even 80s pop rock (the "da da das" or "ba ba bas" of "Words of Affirmation") elements in here, alongside the usual 90s fuzzed-out hooky guitar rock.

I'm a sucker for the foundation of their sound - hooky guitar riffs and choruses - so this works for me. Another strong album from a band who is only gaining in consistency.

Pest Control - Year of the Pest (Quality Control Music)

Genre: Crossover Thrash

I really want another full length from this group, but an EP at half the length (10 minutes) of their LP will do.

More crossover thrash and hardcore breakdown riffing from the band that is my fav pick of the modern crossover/hardcore scene for sure. They do exactly what you want this kind of music to do, get in with some flashy, thrashy riffing and adding in some good hardcore influenced breakdown moments to get your head banging.

Abhorration - Demonolatry (Invictus Productions)

Genre: Death Metal, Thrash Metal, War Metal

Really good death metal with a lot of thrash's inability to sit still spread around for good measure. As dewtaylo mentioned in their review over on Rate Your Music, this is stacked with riffs. The songs are long but never feel like a slog because there's always something neat on the horizon at any given moment. A sneaky album that stuck in my heavy rotation for quite a while this year, for sure.

Dissimulator - Lower Form Resistance (20 Buck Spin)

Genre: Technical Thrash Metal, Technical Death Metal, Progressive Metal

Me, listening to a Canadian technical metal record released after 1989? How novel!

But seriously, I was perusing the Canadian tech metal chart on Rate Your Music and didn't have it filtered 1980 - 1989 (as I am wont to do) and this popped up and I figured why the hell not? I should really keep more of a pulse check on modern metal subgenres because most of the stuff I listen to these days from current bands are more in the grind/hardcore/death/etc. side of things.

And… this is very good! It's all-over-the-map tech thrash that jumps from time signature to time signature with guttural vocals. They certainly seem to nudge into death/blackened metal territory in moments. If you aren't into frills like random vocoders or random French spoken word outbursts then maybe they won't be your bag but I really loved it.

Tim Reaper & Kloke - In Full Effect (Hyperdub)

Genre: Jungle, Breakbeat Hardcore, Atmospheric Drum and Bass

45 minutes of really good drum and bass / jungle music from Tim Reaper and Kloke. The latter put out a record I liked quite a bit this year - despite it being a bit too much of an album for me. This is a little bit more digestible as a whole piece of music to me. Some nice atmospheric touches, but mostly this brings the drums that you crave.

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That’s it, that’s all. Be excellent to one other.

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