The Year of Dark Sad Boys and Powerful Pop Girlies
Favorite Albums Released in 2024
The Cure
Songs of a Lost World
As a lifelong Cure fan, I have eagerly waited for nearly sixteen years for a new album, and in 2024, when it finally dropped, it did not disappoint. It was my most anticipated album for the last couple of years since Robert Smith announced that he was working on new music, which was around/after the pandemic, and that the passing of various family members had resulted in this devastatingly somber collection of songs. The Cure is masterful in creating a lush, lulling introduction that fills the listener with anticipation and slowly builds up the tension to some of the most heartbreaking imagery from the first lyrics in “Alone” and does not stop until “Endsong”.
In addition, Songs of a Live World: Troxy London MMXXIV is a divine live rendition of the songs being played to a small dedicated collection of Cure fans, so this addition to an already illustrious discography from The Cure is just like heaven (yup, I went there). I like three songs in the track order they were arranged; “Warsong,” “Drone: Nodrone,” and “I Can Never Say Goodbye.”
This is my favorite album of the year because I cried deeply the first time I listened to the song “Alone.” The rest of the album does not stray from the depth of emotional exploration of the album's overarching themes of loss, grief, and loneliness are expressed clearly and felt deeply. Thank you, Robert Smith, for always giving us music to PLAY LOUD and feel grief at all the stages of our lives.
Normal Bias
Kingdom Come
This East Coast-based duo continues to be one of my favorite local acts on the Synthicide label, which also hosts many of Brooklyn’s best dark electronic music events and is run by music writer Andi Harriman. She wrote a great book on goth subculture called “Some Wear Leather, Some Wear Lace.” Anyway, that’s how I know of this duo, Normal Bias is comprised of Matt Weiner (TWINS) and Chris C. (Multiple Man). Their sound is referred to as “industrial body funk” by their own Bandcamp page, which does describe them to a t as the smooth deep yet not bass-heavy vox reminiscent of eighties synth pop baritone singers such as Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode. The synths are arranged in a way that creates a strong backbone so the songs can emphasize the low end to give it that EBM feel when you’re on the dance floor.
I have liked songs like “Kingdom Come” and “Embody Control,” which were also featured on their self-titled EP from 2022, but the addition of new favorites like “Burn in Gold,” “Holy,” and “Win Lose” are also making their way into my playlists. For example, the perfect balance of kick/snare in “Win Lose” keeps the groove going, supporting the song as synth soundscapes and textures are introduced as the layers of build-up.
This album may not have been as mainstream as the rest of my choices, but it definitely gets a lot of plays, and I also enjoy seeing them anytime they play live. It will always get me to buy merch. In the end I think I end up spending more on artists of this size than I do of much larger artists like the following newly minted pop icons of 2024.
Now onto the Powerpuff Trio of pop music: Charli, Sabrina, and Chappell:
Are you surprised? Not, one person is surprised.
I enjoyed all the flavors of brat so…
Charli xcx
brat
Not only was this one of the best-marketed and promoted albums ever but the way that her music captured the zeitgeist of the electronic pop music world and made brat happen, was done in a way the masses were not ready for. I related to her lyrics and songs because I was this girl in my late twenties/early thirties. I was out almost every night, drinking, smoking--and because I worked at a record store during this era—I was everywhere and everyone knew me. I was on the list for all the shows and could get on the list by asking the label reps. It took me back—brat captured the sounds and feel of my heyday, my peak party years and it was like a drug-induced flashback. brat hits how the club felt in those days. She uses a lot of the sounds and instrumentation of that time and updates it with styles and aesthetics of today, which are influenced by that era—creating a cycle of influence… like yeah ”360”—which is the first song of the album only to be bookended with a song called “365” which is a different type of cycle. One of the time, the other of space, not to mention her lyrics, can be vulnerable and, at the same time, delusionally confident and empowered. She held up a mirror to society, and society fixed its makeup in the reflection, flipped her hair, and took a selfie.
I loved all the variations of the songs, from the original songs to remixes to the extended edition features. It was all well done and produced from beginning to end. Because of brat, I felt inspired and empowered to use autotune on my vocals and just have fun with music myself as an artist.
I connected with songs like “Sympathy is a Knife,” “Girl, So Confusing…with Lorde”, “Apple,” and “Rewind,” which are some of my favorite tracks. I love listening to the Extended Version from beginning to end because “Spring Breakers” is my favorite song.
Sabrina Carpenter
Short n’ Sweet
I was not familiar with Sabrina Carpenter as a pop singer until this year, I only knew of her being a child actor. She pulled out all the stops as a performer and singer. This pop album did have all the colors of pop covered, from the country-fried “Slim Pickens” and “Sharpest Tool” to R&B-inspired songs like“Bed Chem” and “Good Graces”. My favorite thing about her is that she has a face like an angel and a dirty mind, and it all became a winning combination when she embraced an aesthetic reminiscent of old Hollywood. It’s as if she found the missing element to help her reach superstardom.
The love triangle and Hollywood gossip behind many of the songs added to the lore her fans were constantly trying to decipher in her lyrics. There is nothing more appealing than having easter eggs in your music that tie into things the tabloids and paparazzi plastered all over for everyone to see.
Chappell Roan
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
I know this came out in 2023, but this gets an honorable mention because it was an album most of us discovered or finally caught wind of this past summer…it’s impact on popular culture and all the relevant conversations about boundaries and parasocial relationships between celebrities and fans. Her music was fun, catchy, and horny. Her voice and stage persona are well-developed, and she has attributed her stage persona, her alter ego, to drag queens who inspire her (me too, girl). I don’t need to explain to anyone why she’s on this list—I know that her music brought joy into my life and that many of us were inspired to embrace vocal flipping because of her. The production of Daniel Nigro does not go unnoticed because he created the most beautiful tapestry of sound for Chappell to lay her vocal talent over and create some of the most addictive music in a long time, music her audience sings and yells along to. She invites her audience to dress up and play along with the world she has created. How the intro to “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” is perfect for making memes and videos because most girls and queers have had this experience, like writing songs like “Hot To Go” to include the audience from the get-go is something we, songwriters and/or producers, aren’t often thinking about when we are practicing self-expression. Something to think about…
A couple of my favorite songs from the album are; “After Midnight,” which calls back to Lady Gaga’s debut, The Fame, and “Kink is Karma” which I thought was a Taylor Swift song when I first heard it but it’s something that I have said in my past, so it resonated with me, and “Kaleidoscope” for its vulnerability and gorgeous metaphors among the heartbreaking storytelling—it hits me in the feels every time.
The collective happiness one gets from singing/yelling “Pink Pony Club” anytime it comes on—you know it’s going to always go off with this song.