The albums released in 2024 show this is a great time to be a music fan. Many others could have made this list, but these were the 10 that I just could not leave off. In no particular order, these are the best albums of 2024.

Check out Evan’s Top 10 Albums of 2023.

Sam Evian: Plunge

Release Date: Mar 22, 2024

Genre: Alternative 

You may ask. Who exactly is Sam Evian, and why is he in my top 10 albums of the year? To sum it up, he is a musical mastermind who deserves so much more credit than he has gotten thus far; especially after dropping a complete 70’s-styled banger of an album. Throughout, Evian adds passionate vocals, while mixing impressive drum beats with stunning sax sounds that if given the chance can flow through the back of your mind, altering you to another dimension. Evian isn’t the only star playing on this album though, as he is joined by Adrienne Lenker on “Why Does it Take So Long,” showing just how good the duo are together as they evoke a tone unlike any other. My key standout tracks from the album are “Wild Days,” “Jacket,” and “Why Does It Take So Long.” Overall, it is a great album that can be listened to in almost any mood imaginable.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Flight b741

Release Date: Aug 9, 2024

Genre: Gizz Rock

You may be looking at the name of this artist, wondering if you read it right, and you did. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard is a band filled with musical architects. They may be the most unique band currently releasing music, as they bend the horizons of what genre they produce almost every album they’ve dropped thus far. To put that into perspective they have released 25 albums in the last 10 years alone. Their most recent album dives into the blues and country rock realm, perfecting a sound they will hopefully use for future albums. The album perfectly encapsulates bouncing endlessly for hours on end, without a worry in the world. Even on your first listen of the album you can feel this emotion which is rare because usually it takes a second listen to feel this, but not with this one. With personal standout tracks such as “Hog Calling Quest,” “Le Risque,” and “Daily Blues,” this album is sure to strike you by surprise as to how well-perfected it is. This is one that everyone should at least try out, and after you’re done, go on and take a journey through the rest of the band’s extensive catalog.

Charley Crockett: 10$ Cowboy

Release Date: Apr 26, 2024

Genre: Country/Soul

Does Charley Crockett ever make a record where it isn’t just absolute country bliss throughout? Crockett incorporates country and soul into his new hit album $10 Cowboy, showing he has what it takes to become a star in the music realm. The album covers the theme of a street country singer living paycheck to paycheck, who accepts his unique musical identity. With key standout tracks such as “$10 Cowboy,” “Hard Luck and Consequences,” and “America,” this album is sure to make you feel like you are walking down the highway with your guitar in the quiet Southern side of the states. Even if you despise country music, give this album a shot, you never know what you may find interesting. 

Cameron Winter: Heavy Metal

Release Date: Dec 6, 2024

Genre: Alternative Rock, Contemporary Folk

Cameron Winter’s debut solo album, Heavy Metal, is unlike any other this year. Best known as the frontman of the band Geese, Winter has always been known for his complex lyrics and unique musical aspects, which are both perfectly portrayed in this album. This album was created on Geese’s past tour opening for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, giving the songs throughout an unpolished sort of feel, which makes it all that much better knowing that this came from deep down. With personal notable tracks such as “Nausicaa (Love Will Be Revealed),” “Love Taking Miles,” “The Rolling Stones,” and “Try as I May,” this album is for sure going to put you in the headspace of someone who is on an overnight train car, lying awake, with so many thoughts rushing through their head. This album will make you think more about everything happening in your life. If you enjoy the louder moments in this album, or Winter’s vocals, I would check out Geese’s album 3D Country, which was a killer of a record last year!

Ty Segall: Three Bells

Release Date: Jan 26, 2024

Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Garage Rock

When Ty Segall’s recognizable voice bellows through the air, you know you’re in for a trippy treat that will shake your body in disbelief. Three Bells is Segall’s first LP since 2022, an absolute hallucinogenic of an album. As the first song hits your brain, you are transported to space, but not the space you may think. A space more like a swirling nebula, where every time Segall’s voice sings or the interesting drum beats tap, a big bright dash of color shines through your brain, captivating you to continue with the album. Segall’s discography is pure, raw, and full of excitement that fancies a wide range of listeners because of its unpredictability, in genres. Despite being overlooked, Segall is one of the best vocalists in the music industry today, and he knows his way around a guitar too. With personal standout tracks such as “The Bell,” “Void,” and “My Best Friend,” this album is sure to take you on a trip through the cosmos, but make sure you keep a watch out for the Eggman while you’re there. 

Phish: Evolve

Release Date: Jul 12, 2024

Genre: Jam Rock, Space Rock

Phish, best known for their impressive (to say the least) live shows, just released their sixteenth studio album Evolve, an action-packed treat that can be enjoyed by old and new phans alike. Phish phans often overlook their studio releases because they lack the live Phish feel, but this album differs. There is something for everyone, from the lengthy jam in “Pillow Jets,” to the spacey feel in “Hey Stranger,” this LP is filled with pure Phish tracks that are now a part of their live setlists, and loved by many. This was easily a favorite album of mine this year, from my favorite band of all time. When Phish drops anything it’s a good year, and Evolve continued that sentiment. The song “A Wave Of Hope” is one of my favorite Phish tracks in the last couple of years, showing that they continue to evolve with each record they release. With key standout tracks such as “A Wave Of Hope,” “Pillow Jets,” and “Life Saving Gun,” Evolve is an absolute space-defining heater of an album this year that everyone should check out with an open mind.

Billy Strings: Highway Prayers

Release Date: Sep 27, 2024

Genre: Bluegrass

Billy Strings, the modern-day bluegrass phenomenon, released his new hit album Highway Prayers this year, which is sure to blow your mind. Strings has a way of bringing in fans from other genres, because of his face-melting bluegrass jams, that amaze almost all who listen. On Highway Prayers, Strings transports the listener to an old western town, almost like a scene out of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Strings has been on a complete gut-wrenching tear recently, showing no signs of slowing down any time soon, especially after dropping this banger. From the passionate lyrics to the smokin’ mandolin solos, this album is sure to heat you up with complete energy to the core. Prior to this year I had never really indulged in the bluegrass realm until I was approached with a Billy Strings recommendation, which changed my view on the genre indefinitely, causing me to fall down a rabbit hole of pure perfection. With personal standout tracks such as “Seven Weeks in County,” “Gild the Lily,” and “Leadfoot,” this album is sure to blow your mind, conveying a time much simpler.

Nala Sinephro: Endlessness

Release Date: Sep 6, 2024

Genre: Spiritual Jazz, Ambient

This year, the feeling of floating in space has been expressed through many albums, but none have matched the cosmic feeling you receive when listening to Nala Sinephro’s Endlessness. This album is like floating past space, to a completely new world of darkness and void, where the only noise available is haunting yet serene. Although this is a completely wordless collection of songs, so much can be felt simply by listening to every second of this experience through the waves of the ethereal. Sinephro’s incorporation of the harp into the mix of echoes guides the listener through the continuum of ambient perfection. This album feels like one long journey, so choosing a certain set of songs to pick as a favorite is nearly impossible. I cannot recommend this album enough, as it is sure to carry your sense far, far away. This album is best experienced while swimming laps in a pool at midnight, where the quiet of the night allows you to connect with each track.

MJ Lenderman: Manning Fireworks

Release Date: Sep 6, 2024

Genre: Alternative, Western Rock

What isn’t there to say about the best album released this year? That so-called album is MJ Lenderman’s “Manning Fireworks,” epitomizing classic Americana. The LP blends together the subgenres of Indie and western rock in a mesmerizing way, enchanting listeners with the pure elegance it entails. Almost every song on this album deals with hardships, which creates a sort of draining and haunting tone to both Lenderman’s vocals and the sound of the tracks. Lenderman plays in the band Wednesday, whose album “Rat Saw God” was in my personal top 10 LPS of 2023. I wouldn’t have heard of this album from Lenderman had it not been for Wednesday, so I have to give all my props to them. With personal standout tracks such as “Wristwatch,” “Rudolph,” “On My Knees,” and “She’s Leaving You,” this endless collection of saddening melodies is sure to put you in the headspace of a person awake, eating cereal at midnight, still distraught over their last breakup.

Jack White: No Name

Release Date: Jul 19, 2024

Genre: Garage Rock

Jack White, famed guitarist and lead singer of the White Stripes released an album full of quintessential rock music this year. White has had a fairly successful career as a solo artist since the disbanding of the White Stripes, and this album continues to hold his name as one of rock music’s greats. This album is raw, gritty, and really packs the punch as to what rock music once was, and what it can be going forward. “Rock is dead” is a term thrown out by many in the last couple of years, which is somewhat true, but not to its entirety. Sure, there’s no band out there now like Zeppelin or The Stones, but some bands do just what they did through different musical forms just like Jack White did with “No Name.”  With standout personal tracks such as “Old Scratch Blues,” and “Archbishop Harold Holmes,” this LP will surely take you back in time to White’s old rock roots.