As the year comes to a close, and we bid “farewell” (and maybe “fuck you”) to 2024, it’s the perfect time to look back and celebrate the albums that shaped the soundtrack of the last 12 months. From deeply personal indie projects to genre-defining heavy hitters, 2024 was filled with groundbreaking releases that reminded us of the power of music and, more importantly, of the alternative community.
With so much incredible work to choose from, narrowing down our favorites was a daunting task. This year, the quality and variety of music made it impossible to rank our picks—every album brought something special to the table. Instead, we’ve chosen to celebrate each of these records equally, organizing them by release date to highlight the chronological journey through 2024.
Without further ado, here are our top 20 albums released in 2024!
Alkaline Trio — Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs
Released: January 26, 2024
Kicking off 2024, Alkaline Trio’s Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs feels like a fever dream of nostalgia, evoking the band’s signature blend of macabre storytelling and infectious melodies, delivering a gritty yet polished punk-rock experience. The album sees the trio, now equipped with drummer Atom Willard, embrace darker lyrical themes reminiscent of their earlier work, from existential dread to twisted love (“Bad Time”), wrapped in razor-sharp riffs and driving rhythms.
Vocalist/guitarist Matt Skiba’s haunting croons pierce through each track, while Dan Andriano’s basslines and expressive harmonies (plus taking over vocal duties on “Versions Of You”) ground the album’s more reflective moments. The record is a visceral, blood-pumping collection that underscores why Alkaline Trio remains integral to punk rock. —Paige Owens
IDLES — TANGK
Released: February 16, 2024
In 2024, IDLES took the ethos of the title of their 2018 record, Joy As An Act Of Resistance, and deeply applied it to the foundation of TANGK. In a world dominated by fear-mongering headlines seeking to divide, the phrase “Love Is The Fing” rings throughout the album and rings true for listeners in every corner of the world. Lead vocalist Joe Talbot retains his punchy, politically charged, and iconic vocals through a uniquely optimistic lens. “POP POP POP” shows the British punk-rockers discovering “freudenfreude,” aka finding joy in others’ happiness. “Dancer” featuring LCD Soundsystem stars a grungey bassline and encourages listeners to let loose and shake those hips and express themselves through movement. “Grace” is self-explanatory, and Talbot described it as “a breath and a call to be held.”
Along with the sonically aggressive odes to growth and love, IDLES is finally getting their flowers from the mainstream music community. The band is up for not one but three rock Grammys. TANGK is currently nominated for Best Rock Album, while “Gift Horse” is up for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance. Our fingers are crossed that this gritty, glorious, and unapologetic LP gets the love it deserves. After all, the band has been spreading love worldwide all 2024. —Maria Serra
NOAHFINNCE — Growing Up On The Internet
Released: March 8, 2024
NOAHFINNCE’s Growing Up On The Internet is an unfiltered exploration of identity, self-expression, and the chaos of navigating adolescence in the digital age. Packed with punk-infused riffs and NOAHFINNCE’s unapologetically authentic vocals, the album blends biting dark humor with heartfelt introspection. Tracks like “SCUMBAG” deliver anthemic energy while also calling out transphobia through distorted guitar melodies, shimmering synths, and pointed lyrics. The album’s authentic spirit and genre-defying sound reflect the restless creativity of its creator, carving out a unique space in modern punk/pop-punk. Growing Up On The Internet feels deeply personal and universally relatable—a rallying cry for the misfit generation. —Paige Owens
Erra — Cure
Released: April 5, 2024
Coming off of their most successful record to date, Erra had their work cut out for them when it came to writing something bigger and bolder on Cure, but they somehow managed to pull it off in a huge way. Progressing and evolving their sound while never forgetting what has made fans become some of the most dedicated in metalcore over the past five albums prior to this release, this is Erra’s best, most cohesive work to date, and the fans have agreed in a big way with a successful album release headlining tour that seen the band sell out venues they once played as opening bands.
Tracks like the electro, industrial-tinged “Slow Sour Bleed” (complete with an EDM dance break into a crushing breakdown), the spacey-feeling “Crawl Backwards Out Of Heaven,” and “Glimpse” (one of the best tracks the band has written in their careers bar none) show the band taking some bold risks that paid off in a big way. Meanwhile, tracks such as “Pale Iris” and “Cure” are some bread-and-butter metalcore heaters.
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J.T. Cavey and Jesse Cash are, far and away, some of the best songwriting and vocalist duos in heavy music. This record is a prime example of how their chemistry continues to build with each release. Their first time working with acclaimed producer Daniel Braunstein, the melodic and electric/synth elements of the album, which include some of the aforementioned tracks, the band’s ability to write soaring, catchy choruses and epic, technical breakdowns and riffs never feel stale or like it’s retreading past work. This album is a must-listen for any band of the genre. —Patrick Walford
Imminence — The Black
Released: April 12, 2024
Equal parts hauntingly heavy and beautifully melodic, The Black is a melo-death masterpiece, following in the footsteps of their idols turned friends/tourmates and fellow Swedes, In Flames. Violins and string sections over blistering riffs, breakdowns, and soaring choruses work in such an epic, cinematic way we’ve rarely, if ever, seen in metalcore.
Whether it’s crushing tracks such as “Desolation,” “Beyond The Pale,” or “Call Of The Void” with epic breakdowns and soaring choruses, to more melancholic, brooding tracks such as the album’s title track or “Heaven Shall Burn,” this Swedish quintet is simply creating an exciting kind of heavy music. Their sound not only feels like it belongs as the score to an epic Academy Award-winning drama, but it also perfectly conveys the dark depths that one feels and goes through while dealing with depression. —Patrick Walford
SeeYouSpaceCowboy — Coup de Grâce
Released: April 19, 2024
SeeYouSpaceCowboy is having the amazing breakout year that they truly deserve. Coup de Grâce via Pure Noise Records marks the band’s third studio album and is their most auspicious piece of work to date. Connie Sgarbossa masterfully intertwines soaring nostalgia-inducing emo vocals and passionate screams alongside radical metal riffs to make an electrifying sasscore record.
Alongside serving up a certified album of the year, SeeYouSpaceCowboy also crafted some of the most dazzling music videos of 2024, too. Beginning as a visual idea, Sgarbossa described Coup de Grâce as “something that mixes the innate emotion of post-hardcore with the cathartic essence of dancing and allure of cabaret/burlesque,” and the artists nailed it. “Lubricant Like Kerosene” featuring Kim Dracula, “To The Dance Floor For Shelter” featuring Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante, and “Respite For A Tragic Tale (feat. iRis.EXE) / Silhouettes In Motion,” are all cinematic experiences packed into mere minutes. The all-encompassing Coup de Grâce is a love letter to many art forms that will certainly offer some joie de vivre in your playlists this year and for many to come. —Maria Serra
Knocked Loose — You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Released: May 10, 2024
Plain and simple, Knocked Loose’s YWGBYST is not just one of the greatest records within the metal genre; it’s one of the greatest heavy albums of all time. This record is to 2024 heavy music that The Black Album was to Metallica in 1990. The sound, the composition, the urgency, sheer chaos, and intensity throughout, truly everything about this album, is unrivaled. It’s also the kind of record that was meant to be heard live as the band has somehow managed to make these tracks seem even bigger than on record.
From neck-snapping breakdowns and crushing riffs to an iconic punchy groove section, Bryan Garris’ visceral vocals combined with some stellar guest spots, this entire record is something that only comes around a few times in any generation. With accolades such as a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance with Poppy on the track “Suffocate” and their National TV performance debut on Jimmy Kimmel for the track, this band and album are breaking walls and climbing to heights that, outside of a couple of heavy bands, haven’t accomplished. This is a perfect 10/10 album with zero skips. —Patrick Walford
Wage War — Stigma
Released: June 21, 2024
When Wage War vocalist Britton Bond said on Rock The Walls in May 2023 that there was a bit of an industrial feel to what they were writing (and what would eventually become their fifth studio album, Stigma), we were excited to find out what that might mean. To say it blew any expectations away of what he might have meant would would be an understatement. Simultaneously, the band’s heaviest and most accessible release to date, Wage War maintains their magic of consistently being able to find the perfect balance of stadium-caliber rock/metal choruses and explosive breakdowns.
A record that goes from 0 to 100 real quick with “The Show’s About To Start,” listeners are immediately hit with an all-time metalcore pit call of “let’s get these bodies moving/side to side wall to wall” into a panic chord-laden breakdown. The energy continues right through “Self Sacrifice,” “Magnetic” (their first No. 1 rock single), the heavy AF, nu-tinged “NAIL5,” and the infectious “Blur” (which is now climbing the charts) in the first half. It becomes pretty alleged these ten tracks are some of the band’s best work to date.
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While the first half is nothing short of banger after banger, the back half is just as strong. “Tombstone” is arguably the heaviest track in the band’s career, while “Happy Hunting” will make listeners feel like they’re at the blood rave in Blade. “In My Blood” is primed to be a Florida Pro Sports Anthem from here on out as a love letter to their home state. —Patrick Walford
Scene Queen — Hot Singles In Your Area
Released: June 28, 2024
Everyone at idobi Radio knew that Hot Singles In Your Area via Hopeless Records would be a top contender for AOTY. After all, the singles and accompanying music videos for tracks including “18+” and “Pink Push-Up Bra” are true works of art juxtaposed with punch lyrics. Scene Queen’s commitment isn’t just to heavy riffs and glittering vocals for her trademark bimbocore, it’s also to proving time and time again that femininity is not a weakness, it is the greatest strength young people possess.
Frankly, it is inspirational to see an artist emerge who encompasses feminine rage, fiery horniness, and radical acceptance and so deeply connects with her pink-clad audience. Alongside sharing vulnerable messages pertaining to sexual assault and abuse of power, Scene Queen’s Hannah Rose Collins steps on the throats of those who won’t get the fuck out of the way. ICYMI, the album kicks off with “BDSM,” where the artist chants, “Scene Queen hates men.” In a political era dominated by misogynistic, homophobic, racist appointees and their weird internet influencers, this album serves as a great reminder that non-men don’t have to go backward and bow down to patriarchal standards.
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Additionally, Scene Queen intertwines her ferocious bimbocore sounds with fellow scene heavy-hitters and up-and-comers. Need an empowering pick-me-up? Add “POV” featuring The Ready Set to your playlist. Need to let loose? Listen to “Girls Gone Wild” featuring WARGASM (UK). And if you’re looking for the cuntiest track of 2024? “Stuck” featuring 6arelyhuman is a total serve. This album is a masterclass in proving that feminism is hot, cute, and fun, and it was such a slay to see these onstage on the idobi Radio Summer School Tour. —Maria Serra
The Home Team — The Crucible Of Life
Released: July 12, 2024
While on the debut idobi Radio Summer School Tour, The Home Team unleashed their blistering third record, The Crucible Of Life, via Thriller Records. The album showcases the band’s sonic evolution, blending infectious pop-injected hooks with sharp production, and captures their maturing prowess.
The group, defining their style as “heavy pop,” crafts a sound brimming with charisma and high-octane, danceable energy. Seriously, try not to move your hips while listening to this album—it’s impossible! At the forefront is Brian Butcher’s impressive vocal range, which effortlessly shifts from delicate croons to powerful, soaring outbursts that command the whole damn room. Complementing his vocals is the richly layered guitar work, weaving complexity and intricacy into every track. The rhythm section drives it all home with groovy, syncopated percussion that adds a vibrant pulse, making each song feel alive. If you’re not already shaking your ass to The Crucible Of Life, turn on “Loud” and “Brag” immediately. IMMEDIATELY! —Paige Owens
Speed — Only One Mode
Released: July 12, 2024
An instant classic in the entire history of hardcore music up there with the likes of Madball’s Set It Off and Terror’s Keepers Of The Faith, to say Speed has taken hardcore by storm worldwide would be an understatement. One of the most hyped AND talked about bands in the year+ leading up to the release of OOM, this Aussie quintet not only lived up to the hype and expectations or simply knocked it out of the park, they fucking obliterated it into space. Whether it’s the flute-infused tracks “Real Life Love” or “The First Test” to straight-up ass-beaters like “Only Foes,” “Send Them 2 Sydney,” and beyond, this record will have listeners headbanging, moshing, and two-stepping for decades to come. —Patrick Walford
Four Year Strong — analysis paralysis
Released: August 9, 2024
After over two decades of setting the pop-punk stage for many bands to come, Four Year Strong has earned every right to coast on legacy status. Yet, with their latest album analysis paralysis, the band proves they are quite the opposite of complacent. analysis paralysis marks a canon event for the band, melding their signature high-energy pop-punk tuneage with a raw intensity that pulls from the depths of hardcore, metal, and even experimental sounds. When the band entered the studio with producer Will Putney, they were in the midst of a creative block, grappling with how to evolve their sound without rehashing what had come before. The album’s title is a fitting reflection of this moment: there’s no time to freeze. There’s music to be made!
Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, she’s tiny, but she’s mighty! The pace is relentless; there’s no time to analyze or catch our breath, and it’s fantastic. Songs like “Paranoia” and “Better Get Better” retain the band’s classic pop-punk vigor and are filled with fast beats and catchy guitar lines—par for the course of an FYS album. But it’s on tracks like “Uncooked” and “Daddy Of Mine” where the band truly begins to push the hardcore envelope, giving us something a little heavier from our pop punk heroes. This sound comes naturally as if the band has been cooking an intensity under the surface for years.
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The album blends their signature anthemic energy with an unexpected heaviness, creating a record that feels both new and familiar. It’s almost like a breath of fresh, cold air, filling the lungs fast with life-saving oxygen. It was so satisfying to hear one of the pillars of pop-punk music find their hardcore footing while still staying true to their roots. Four Year Strong proved once again they can deliver the goods with an even fresher sound than before, and the future comes fast and is limitless! —Sasha
Foster The People — Paradise State Of Mind
Released: August 16, 2024
Indie-rock lovers really had a dazzling year of new releases to add to their playlists. Between Glass Animals’ I Love You So F***ing Much, half•alive’s Persona, and Wallows’ Model, I have fully reverted back to my 2014 Tumblr era featuring black tights and zip-up Docs. One indie-rock album took over my 2024 above the rest: Foster The People’s Paradise State Of Mind. As an avid FTP listener from their breakout single “Pumped Up Kicks,” their new record came back with a fresh perspective.
Prior to the 2024 release of Paradise State Of Mind, Foster The People dropped Sacred Hearts Club all the way back in 2017. Their seven-year break allowed them to craft what can be best described as outer-space indie jams. Moving away from their modern synth tones, the duo took a blast to the past with inspiration from disco and funk. If you love a bit of classic funk, “Feed Me” will be your jam for all of 2025, with groovy basslines and other-worldly beats.
Genuinely, this band has made an album that, first and foremost, speaks to them and their tastes. Mark Foster shared with Grammy.com that his writing functions like a “childlike flow state which is nonjudgmental and really based in improv.” He stayed true to himself and expanded the thrilling indie rock world of Foster The People into a dazzling experimental pop-pock universe that we’re all invited to live in. —Maria Serra
Stand Atlantic — WAS HERE
Released: August 23, 2024
Stand Atlantic began their WAS HERE album roll-out all the way back in 2023 with singles “KILL[H]ER” and “SEX ON THE BEACH.” And the full record, released on August 23 via Hopeless Records, was 100% worth the wait. Lead vocalist Bonnie Fraser absolutely stuns on the band’s fourth and most awe-inspiring installment. WAS HERE ups the ante beyond pop-punk and features electronic and even hyperpop elements at the forefront.
Beyond their exciting avenues of sonic growth, the band showcased a variety of talented alternative artists across the 15-track LP. From PVRIS and Bruses on “GIRL$” and Sueco appearing on “NOSE BLEED” to “CRIMINAL” featuring Polaris, each artist brought a new groove to the Stand Atlantic record that we are utterly obsessed with. Plus, being able to enjoy the new singles on the idobi Radio Summer School Tour (and a tour date with a Lynn Gunn video call) certainly quadrupled their icon status. All in all, this record confirmed what we already knew to be true: This is Stand Atlantic’s world, and we’re just living in it. —Maria Serra
The Dare — What’s Wrong With New York?
Released: September 6, 2024
It’s safe to say that indie sleaze is making a massive comeback. Can a culture and lifestyle so prevalent in the early 2010s ever surpass its peak without a particular set of artists that pioneered it to begin with? The 1975, Arctic Monkeys, and Lana Del Rey were key figures in the soundtrack to the movement. However, the aesthetic was charged by shows like Skins and clothing lines like American Apparel. If you bottled this entire era and opened it in the year 2024, it would be The Dare.
You might recognize him from his never-changing black suit and tie attire, a handful of Charli XCX parties––but more likely his viral smash hit “Girls.” The Dare released his debut album, What’s Wrong With New York?, in September and went from playing underground clubs in Los Angeles to landing a spot on the 2025 Coachella line-up. The record is a raunchy grunge-pop effort at its core. The Dare offers a twist of nostalgia in perfectly executed modern electro-indie pop. It is just as whip-smart as it is risque.
If you were around for the indie sleaze days in their prime or wish to have experienced it, you’ll love The Dare’s What’s Wrong With New York? all the same. —Tate Logan
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows — Until God Shows
Released: September 27, 2024
Led by Chiodos frontman Craig Owens, Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows‘ self-titled album, Until God Shows, is a striking showcase of post-hardcore intensity and razor-sharp songwriting. Owens’ wide vocal range steals the spotlight, gliding effortlessly from ethereal falsettos to piercing screams, each note packed with raw emotion and precision. The album thrives on emotional turmoil, with punchy instrumentation—from crushing riffs to electrifying melodies—perfectly complementing Owens’ commanding vocals. Tracks like “Hunger Pangs” and “MALICE” explode with blistering intensity, while “The Sweet Misery” blends heartfelt vulnerability with soaring choruses. Lyrically potent and thematically cathartic, Until God Shows grapples with redemption, resilience, and the darker edges of the human experience. —Paige Owens
Make Them Suffer — Make Them Suffer
Released: November 8, 2024
Recorded and written almost entirely within the span of 2.5 weeks of studio time between tours, Make Them Suffer‘s self-titled record is a defiant statement and metalcore magic. With a steady stream of singles dropping over about 16 months starting in 2023, the band delivered bangers such as “Doomswitch” and “Ghost Of Me.” Moving into 2024 and leading up to the album release this past month with tracks like “Oscillator” and “Mana God,” each track on the record brings its own creative sound and vibe throughout. Tracks like “Weaponized” and “Epitaph” showcase the band’s ability to write straight-up metalcore bangers or melodic anthems. This new era of Make Them Suffer is far and away their best, and there’s no shining example of that like the album-closing “Small Town Syndrome,” among the best tracks the band has ever written. —Patrick Walford
State Champs — State Champs
Released: November 8, 2024
State Champs dropped their heater of a self-titled record just in time for the end of the year. The album starts with a hard-hitting song, “The Constant,” that immediately sets you up for a story of relationships: business, platonic, and life partner, all included. Throughout the record, you hear familiar classic Champs riffs mixed with a little more fuzz and ‘90s influence. You can even pick up on some callbacks to past records while gaining a fresh perspective on what the new songs are talking about. Try not to smile while listening to “Hell Of It,” it’s damn near impossible! The record closes out with what will go on to become a career-defining song for them, “Golden Years,” which explains that the golden years of your life might be now or still ahead of you even though you think they have passed already. —Fish
Letdown. — Be Ok
Released: November 15, 2024
Blending confessional, emo lyricism disguised as arena-sized rock, Letdown.‘s Be Ok delivers a deeply personal and vulnerable exploration of the human condition in all of its forms. At its core is mastermind Blake Coddington’s emotive and soaring vocals, which guide listeners through themes of abandonment, heartbreak, self-doubt, and, ultimately, finding the strength to be okay. Interwoven with pulsating drums, electronic elements, and masterfully curated guitar lines, the album pulsates with intensity and catharsis. From the gut-punch opener “Hate Myself” to the emotionally charged “Bad Childhood,” which debuted during the idobi Radio Summer School Tour, Be Ok is unapologetically honest and heartfelt while navigating a plethora of personal battles. —Paige Owens
Poppy — Negative Spaces
Released: November 15, 2024
A record featuring some of the heaviest songs and breakdowns of the year, along with straight-up pop bangers, Negative Spaces is Poppy at her absolute best. Continuing to push the envelope of heavy music in a unique way that is truly one-of-a-kind, it has more than a couple handfuls of “holy fucking shit” moments throughout. It’s clear that working together with new collaborator and producer Jordan Fish (ex-Bring Me The Horizon) brought out the best work from Poppy yet. This record further cements that there is nothing out of bounds and that Poppy truly can do it all; the insane vocal versatility and performance throughout are simply mind-blowing. —Patrick Walford
