my 24 favorite songs of 2024!

it's funny — when i sat down to finalize this list, i was initially like "huh. 2023 was a way, way better year for music," and i do still kind of feel that way. but then i had a heckuva time chopping my 50-something favorites from 2024 by almost half, and agonized over which ones would make the cut wayyy more than i did last year. so, i guess it was more solid than i thought? anyway, without further ado, two dozen + six bangers!

as always, here's the playlist.

honorable mention:  

buddy junior - "track 2"

lutalo - "about (hall of egress)"

charli xcx - "apple"

billy strings - "gild the lily" 

kesha - "JOYRIDE" 

hannah cole - "massachusetts"

24. starflyer 59 - "909"

the '90s shoegaze energy was strong this year, and one of the highlights was — gasp — from an actual '90s shoegaze artist. the brainchild of jason martin, starflyer 59 has been at it since 1993, and by jove, i'd say he's still got it more than 30 years later! moody, heavy, mysterious, and dark — what more could you ask for?

23. abby sage - "milk"

i'm going to stick with the haunting vibe for another minute before lightening the mood. hailing from toronto, abby sage caught my attention back in 2022 with the captivating "pool party," and "milk" maintains this effortlessly cool, raw, and emotional attitude.

22. wishy - "love on the outside"

all right, enough moping. it's time to get happy! i had to chuckle at the various descriptions i read of this song in various comments around the internet: "this sounds like it should be on the american pie soundtrack," "this sounds like the click five made a grunge song, respectfully," and "this feels like the 1996 we should have had instead of the 1996 we got." i'm not going to argue with any of these takes, and in fact, their accuracy is exactly why i like it so much. fun, summery alt-rock done right.

21. men i trust - "husk"

if i had to rank all of these songs based on the atmosphere they create, "husk" would probably be #1. it has a subtly hypnotic quality that evokes some sort of '80s astral or outer space journey, and singer emma proulx's delicate and understated delivery rounds it out perfectly.  

20. beach weather - "hottest summer on record"

beach weather came onto my radar back in 2017, when i heard the insanely catchy and completely addictive "chit chat" (i believe i tweeted something along the lines of wanting to inject the chorus into my veins at the time and still haven't changed my stance 7 years later). i've been lukewarm to blahhhhh on the stuff i've heard from them since, but "hottest summer on record" from their latest record melt quickly wormed its way into my brain and, much like "chit chat," has been stuck in my head during approximately 75% of my waking moments since i heard it in october. i especially love the playful change-up of "got me caught up in the headlights/got me fucked up in the head liiiike." cute. and apparently it's about doing shrooms and having sex in the desert or something? so that's a vibe.

19. the last dinner party - "burn alive"

it's giving souxsie and the banshees! it's giving marie antoinette! the last dinner party have gotten a lot of hype (and maybe an equal amount of guff), but i totally dig 'em! i actually like this tune way more than their breakout hit, "nothing matters." 

18. russ - "in the dirt"

who needs therapy when you have russ? that's my motto, anyway. the wholesomeness and positivity he adds to the hip-hop world is so refreshing, and his songs rooted in personal but often universal experiences give them a wide and relatable appeal. i recently realized that "in the dirt" actually reminds me, in its uplifting spirit, of my favorite hip-hop song of all time, "get by" by talib kweli. it almost feels gospel-esque, and his cadence and flow just tickle my brain so good. as a bonus, his instagram and tiktok presence is fantastic because he seems like such a down-to-earth dork, and i live for his videos of being overwhelmed at sephora or giving valuable and hilarious life advice.

17. the criticals - "adoringly drunk"

this sassy lil' sparkplug of a track by up-and-coming nashville duo the criticals has me jumping up and down and going nuts every time, screaming "HOLY GODDAMN, WE'RE ADORINGLY DRUNK TOGETHER!" i think i was put onto this band by greta drummer danny wagner, and i unsurprisingly dig them, as all of the boys have exquisite taste and i implicitly trust every one of their musical recommendations. it has a little bit of everything i enjoy: that early-2000s garage rock revival strut, mixed with a little britpop, and the incredible lyric "what the hell do you mean you don't like the arctic monkeys?!"

16. still woozy - "little things"

as i've surely mentioned in previous years, and despite my callout directly above, i typically don't focus a ton on lyrics; i'm personally more of a melody and instrumental gal. but i can absolutely appreciate when a song's lyrics paint a vivid and evocative picture, which is one of the things i love most about this tune. especially that first verse — sun dancing on tattooed thighs? sleeping in the car on the way to seaside? the lush production and lazy, hazy atmosphere just put me in the mind of a summer vacation while in the throes of young love. sigh!

15. allegra krieger - "never arriving"

allegra krieger was a new discovery to me this year, and the cool, earthy quality of her voice — buoyed by the vocal harmonies and grounded by that crunchy riff — made this track the standout for me.

14. THUS LOVE - "birthday song"

last year, THUS LOVE's "put on dog" landed at #4 on my list, i played the hell out of their debut album, memorial, and saw their absolutely electric live show this past january. so, it goes without saying that i was very eagerly anticipating their second full-length, all pleasure. and perhaps my expectations were a bit too high, as it didn't completely wow me for reasons i can't quite articulate. but a handful of the songs, including this one, were real growers. i just adore echo mars' voice and cadence here (especially the nonchalant, bluesy, almost improvised way they sing the second verse), the track's grungy '90s chug, and the melodically perfect bridge, which took up the remaining 25% of my brain space not occupied by the chorus of that beach weather song.

13. cloud nothings - "running through the campus"

i've been a cloud nothings fan for the past dozen or so years, and their output is one of the most remarkably consistent i've ever seen. they lost me for a little bit with 2018's last building burning, but returned to form with final summer. for me, they're at their best when they lean into their lighter, more optimistic side, with "running through the campus" being the best example on this record. 

12. halsey - "dog years"

on halsey's latest album, the great impersonator, she channels (but doesn't cover) a different artist that inspired her on every track. and upon first listen, this PJ harvey-coded pop song captivated me. it's so....sexy? but sad? and dark and haunting? this one is for the 2000s goth tumblr girlies.

11. fontaines D.C. - "here's the thing"

prior to this year, i'd heard and liked a few songs by fontaines d.c. here and there, but i finally dug into them with romance. obviously, my millennial ass immediately gravitated toward this song, probably because it could have come straight from one of my mix CDs in 2004.

10. sabrina carpenter - "espresso"

of all the pop girlies that popped off this year, i think sabrina is my favorite. i love her unapologetically horny songs, sugary retro sound, and blonde bombshell pinup aesthetic. truth be told, i was super torn between this and "taste" because i basically love both equally, but "espresso" was a full-blown, undeniable cultural *moment* and if you hate it, you hate fun. period!

9. matt martin - "half cracked"

every year, there are always at least two or three songs that i think are SO GOOD and i am SO DISHEARTENED that more people don't know them. "half cracked" by matt martin, a producer who has worked with COIN and faye webster, but recently struck out with his first effort as solo artist, definitely fits that bill. there's something nostalgically comforting about it that i can't quite put my finger on, and then i realized that the vocals and overall feel reminded me of one of my favorite songs from 2020, "in repeat" by wanderwild, and then i realized...matt martin was the fucking lead singer of wanderwild!! damn, i'm good and damn, do i have a musical type. anyway, it also has so much upbeat, go-getting main character energy — like, tell me this is not what would be playing in a 30-second montage where you dump your deadbeat boyfriend, apply to law school, publish a book, meet someone new, and get married!!! 

8. beyoncé - "BODYGUARD"

beyoncé goes '70s soft rock and i'm sooo here for it. don't @ me, but i've never been much of a bey girl (uh, BEYond doing a devastatingly accurate imitation of her sassy walk away at the end of the "crazy in love" video whenever it would play on MTV, in front of my parents' big screen TV, when i was in high school). anywho, everything about "BODYGUARD" is easy-breezy, with just the right amount of bad bitch-ness. "i'm 'bout to lose it, turn around, and john wayne that ass?" don't mess with cowboy carter, y'all.

7. blanko basnet - "entelechy"

i wrote about blanko basnet a while back on my substack, as i was initially introduced to them via their song "get away" in 2020 through a fellow writer on twitter. so i was excited to see that they released their first album since 2018 this year, and absolutely fell in love with the instrumental title track — the name of which translates to "the realization of potential." it seems apt, because for me, this song is relaxing and motivational all at once, capturing the beauty of both mundane and magical moments. in fact, i shed a tear most times i listen, because it's one of two songs that make my entire life flash before my eyes in a very romantic way (the other is :46-1:07 in "adam" by alex g.). do you hear it too?

6. bendigo fletcher - "sweet tooth" 

my boys in bendigo fletcher have landed in my top 10 for the third time with this thoroughly unconventional-yet-charming ditty. between the delightful vocal harmonies, twinkling folky instrumentals, and ryan anderson's signature clever lyrics (assuming that "i keep an elevator in my room" is a subtle devil's lettuce reference?), it checks all of my boxes. and the slightly unhinged and frantic "no sleep for the money, no sleep, no, no, no, no" at the end always makes me smile.

5. yot club - "pixel" 

i'm a sucker for a certain brand of dark bedroom pop that begs to be played while driving at night with the windows down, or while brooding at 11pmish on top of your covers in your skivvies in the middle of summer (just me?)...and "pixel" satisfied both of those soundtracking needs for me this year. while the line "i'm only a pixel in this world" might sound somewhat like a *hits blunt* declaration, it's...like...kinda true? whoa.

4. dogworld - "DASHCAM"

sharp, snotty, straight-ahead post-punk goodness from an australian band on the rise that evokes that visceral energy of seeing a rock show in a grimy, dark, dingy basement club. highly, highly recommend their RANGE EP, which showcases a variety of sonic styles, but rips no matter what.

3. momma - "ohio all the time"

also making a repeat appearance on the list — and in the top five — for a third year are my favorite '90s indie revival act, momma. they just never miss, and they're criminally good at what they do for being so young. and not to mention, barely alive during the era of their inspiration! while i will always be partial to the darkness of their debut album, two of me, i also love their lighter side that shines in songs like this one and "speeding 72," my favorite song of 2022. just makes you feel good, ya know? and that's a good thing.

2. maxband - "labor day"

the side project of parquet courts' drummer max savage, maxband put out one of my favorite albums of the year with on ice. it pushes all of my indie rock and post-punk buttons, and while i adore many of the songs on it ("slipping on ice," "take-out menu," "fabric,"), the urgent, straightforward gallop of "labor day" — especially the simple yet smart chorus — had me replaying it over and over. i especially recommend it if you're a PC fan, as maxband has much of that DNA (literally, max's brother andrew is the lead singer) but stands on its own with lots of great melodies and arrangements.

1. good looks - "self-destructor"

what. a. tune. when i first heard good looks this year via "if it's gone," the first single and another stellar song from their album lived here for a while, i mistakenly thought they were brand new to me. however, a dive into my previous monthly playlists revealed that i had actually discovered them in 2022 through their song "vision boards," though i never went any further than that. shame on me! their sound has evolved from a decidedly more bare-bones indie rock to a fuller, folkier, and more earnest vibe that almost veers into alt-country at times.

as paste magazine noted, "more than a few times, good looks’ music has been compared to that of classic rock icon tom petty; on lived here for a while, they sound more like tom petty fronting the strokes at .75x speed." no wonder i love them so much! and if you get the chance to see them live, you should totally go; i had the privilege in august in a room of like, 30 people, and it was fantastic. and they didn't stop at the release of an amazing album this year, either, dropping two more singles in october. in fact, i've come to love "chase your demons out" almost as much as this song!

4 days in southern california

my little fitness app told me that i walked *35 miles* between sunday and wednesday of my vacation, so i've essentially been sitting on my butt for a week since i got back. i've earned it, man. it was a great little solo trip, and i feel refreshed and recharged and all that jazz. 

DAY 1:

since the only direct flights from boston to san diego didn't get in until like 4 or 5pm, i figured i'd make a mini-road trip out of it by flying into LA, spending a day and overnight there, and then driving down to SD the next day with some stops along the way. and despite my drive taking place on a day that san diego received the most rain in a single day in 100 years (!!!), i somehow lucked out and avoided any areas of flooding and had a great time; my friends were sending me tiktoks of cars floating away being like "...are you okay out there?" hahaha.

weirdly, at the ripe old age of 37, it was my first time ever renting a car?! i typically don't like to deal with the hassle of finding parking and all of that nonsense when i'm on vacation, but it made the most sense for my purposes this time around. 

and it was indeed a quintessentially LA experience to basically drive across the entire city via gridlocked freeway from LAX to silver lake, past palm trees, as "sweater weather" by the neighbourhood played on the radio of my brand-spankin'-new corolla. iconic, really. 

i had some time to kill before my airbnb was ready, so i stopped at the new-ish and gorgeous cafe nido for a cold brew. i loved the indoor-outdoor setup and there were plenty of places to sit, plus a little trailer with books for sale. cute cute cute! 

since i was close to some landmarks in los feliz, i took a house-stalking stroll to see the "snow white cottages" (which have seen better days, but allegedly inspired snow white and the seven dwarves!)...

walt disney and his wife's first home...

and the majestic-looking shakespeare bridge:

i got to check into my airbnb a little early, so i set out toward beautiful beachwood canyon. the drive was so picturesque and pretty; at one point, i was driving with the hollywood sign straight in front of me and it felt like a movie scene!

i've stayed in several airbnbs at this point, but this studio was a top three for me for sure. it was spacious, well-decorated, and airy, with windows that wound open to let that lovely california breeze in, a kitchenette (which i didn't have time to use, but was a practical touch) and a deck that looked out at the hollywood sign. my host even left a bottle of red wine, a toblerone bar, and oranges for me! best of all, it was less money than any hotel i looked at for the night. loved it and would recommend it in a heartbeat to anyone who is looking for affordable accommodations in a gorgeous area of LA.

it was only about a 20-minute walk up to the "last house on mulholland" where you have an unobstructed and close view of the hollywood sign and it was beautiful out, so i took the opportunity to check that out. and a nice fellow tourist took this fun photo of me! bless.

this day was mostly a "redemption arc" (a strong term because i still did a ton the last time i was in LA) in which i hit up all the spots i didn't get the chance to last time. one of them was musso & frank, the oldest restaurant in hollywood — which was also featured in the movie once upon a time in hollywood! i nabbed one of the last seats at the counter and enjoyed my whiskey sour, prime rib, and baked potato.

OK OK OK AND THEN. i had been looking into the feasibility of grabbing a drink at the renowned chateau marmont because my ragtag posse of strangers-turned-friends got turned away last time i was in LA (even though i learned the next day that one of them was margot robbie's husband, and he totally could have pulled the "don't you know who i am?" card and he didn't. dammit!). 

anyway, the day before i left, i fired off an email to their concierge because reservations are required, and they got back to me right away and set me up with a 7pm slot at the bar. sweet! i was the only one at the bar when i first showed up, and was enjoying my $21 take on the espresso martini with tequila which was thankfully as strong as it cost, watching the old movies they project on the wall, when i had the bright idea to turn around and survey the tables behind me. i twist my head to the right and, ope, there's david spade with a couple friends, just shooting the breeze. but dude — i WALKED PAST HIM IN BEVERLY HILLS THE LAST TIME I WAS IN LA FOUR YEARS AGO. what are the goddamn odds??? am i meant to cross paths with david spade? is david spade my soulmate?? don't answer that because i'm delusional enough as it is. anyway, i didn't go over to him because it seemed like it would be supremely uncool as a fellow *~chic, hip~* chateau marmont lobby bar patron to do so.

then i met this sassy, fabulous dude from aspen colorado who works in tech and stays at the chateau "whenever he has $1,000 to burn" (is this real life? i love this alternate reality) and i helped him create a v impactful instagram story and he did a fun photo shoot of me and we had a grand old evening together. i love travel friends! 

 

DAY 2: 

before hopping in the car and heading down to SD, i took a rainy stroll down to the beachwood cafe, which has become famous because of its mention in the harry styles song "falling." even though we're nearly 5 years on from fine line's release, i was still half expecting a line of "harries" (the name for his enthusiastic fans) to be waiting outside. but much to my delight, a few minutes after the restaurant opened, i was the only one in there! 

i ordered the cornflakes french toast and it was delicious:

the drive, though a bit rainy, was pretty chill. i stopped in:

laguna beach, which was a bit too sterile and bougie for my tastes, but the rain gave me the perfect excuse to sing "come clean" by hilary duff in my head the entire time i walked around (IYKYK).

san juan capistrano, which i was low-key obsessed with because of the cutesy old town area that reminded me of st. augustine, florida. 

i grabbed lunch — a delicious crab cake salad — and a lemonade at the adorable, open-air ramos house cafe.

encinitas, which was also pretty "meh" to me...i strolled the main drag of shops and restaurants and it was extremely dead (probably because it was a weekday at 3pm) but overall, just kinda whatever.

it was, in fact, not sunny

i ditched the rental car once i arrived in san diego because it was expensive af even for 28 hours, and lyfted to my airbnb, which was a dooope "casita" studio secluded behind a cool house. i swear it felt like i was in the middle of the rainforest, and the fact that it was raining when i arrived only added to the tropical vibe:

the neighborhood i was staying in, north park, is basically the hipster 'hood of san diego, with lots of vintage shops, cafes, breweries, restaurants, and bars.

i popped into verbatim books, which i think was the most visually fun bookstore i've ever seen:

and then i warmed up with the best coffee beverage i think i've ever had — the "old west" with sarsaparilla, vanilla, sage, espresso, and milk — at lovesong coffee + market. it tasted like a hot root beer float, which might sound gross but i SWEAR it was amazing.

mabel's gone fishing was the perfect, cozy spot for a light dinner on a slightly chilly, rainy night. it was highly uncharacteristic of my typically always-hungry nature, but i just couldn't stomach huge meals on this trip for some reason, so the flavorful mussels escabeche and grilled sourdough were just the ticket, washed down with a glass of some natural riesling from a local winery. the staff was super friendly and helpful, and the ambiance was understated yet upscale. lovely! and now i'm having that experience where i've been craving those mussels for the past week and can't stop thinking about themmmm.

i was pretty pooped from the drive and the bar i had on my list, part time lover, looked like an unremarkable dive from the outside — which is fine because i love me a dive, but i didn't think i'd be missing anything by not stopping by for a drink. but i said "what the hell? i can just leave if it sucks," and strolled behind the big silver doors to enter the coolest fucking bar i've ever experienced in my life. 

the place is apparently based on japanese "listening bars," with a high-end hi-fi audio setup with a live DJ spinning indie records + a small record shop in the back! it felt like i was in the middle of some wealthy acquaintance's dark, moody, mid-century modern '70s living room and i was in heaven as i sipped my whiskey highball. especially when i was introduced to my current favorite song, "replica" by cory hanson, in one of those perfect moments when the song that's playing perfectly soundtracks your mood and experience and creates an irrevocable memory that you think about every time you hear it...and then wonder how on earth you made it almost eight fucking years without hearing such an incredible song!!

DAY 3:

after a minor delay in which i didn't have hot water in the bathroom and had to use my airbnb host's luxury spa shower (a blessing because it was ballerrrrrr), the rain had cleared and i headed out to enjoy my first full day in san diego!

i wandered down to south park — north park's equally hip counterpart — and over to communal coffee, an indoor-outdoor cafe, where i grabbed an orange cardamom latte to go.

there were some sweet-ass bungalows and spanish-style homes in the vicinity, which called for a brief house-stalking stroll:

and then it was onto balboa park, which took me forever and a day to get to because, once again, you cannot walk anywhere outside of the northeast ever. as the crow flies, i was seemingly right outside of the park, but somehow, i ended up on a goddamn muddy nature trail on a hill by myself trying to actually access it and scared a homeless man as i popped up from it at an intersection because that was the only way to get there on foot? i was laughing and crying and vowing to take lyfts everywhere thereafter. but anyway, the spanish village art center was colorful and fun! i took about a zillion photos, and one of the gallery owners was like, "i was wondering why you were taking pictures of these shops that aren't open yet..." in a very snotty tone of voice. and i was like "um, because i'm visiting from boston and they're beautiful!" and she just smirked and harrumphed. i don't often get the urge to call someone the c word, but it was rattling around in my brain for a minute there. the audacity of a tourist to take pictures at a POPULAR TOURIST ATTRACTION!

the other buildings in the park were gorgeous, too:

i lied about that part where i said i'd stop walking, because then i walked all the way to little italy to have lunch at morning glory, this extremely instagrammable brunch spot where i snagged the last seat at the indoor/outdoor bar and had myself a non-alcoholic orange julius and some delicious fried rice with scrambled eggs and pork belly. and, random but fun: they had a champagne vending machine!

on my way to seaport village, which was just kind of a little shopping area, i wandered through the gaslamp quarter and downtown. kinda gross, but there were some fun sights:

the invigatorium was a delightfully wacky venue for a midday cold brew, replete with dinosaurs, a massive disco ball, and a life-sized ronald mcdonald. gahhh.

originally, i had planned to stop in la jolla on the drive from LA since it was on the way. but as mentioned, the weather was terrible on monday and i had to return the rental car by 4pm, so it didn't work out. it was definitely worth the lyft trip up there in nice weather, though! i watched the hang gliders for a bit at the torrey pines gliderport, then headed up to the la jolla cove area to scope out the birds and sea lions:

but i was racing a bit against the clock, because i had big plans to TIKI at 5pm. the hottest tiki bar in town, false idol, is first-come, first-served at the bar. so i arrived just in time to jump in the line that was forming and get a seat. i had one of their happy hour specials, but i forgot to take a picture of the menu and completely forget what it was. it was painkiller-y, though, TALL, and delicious! but the vibe, man. i truly felt like i was in a polynesian cave. 

as an aside...i'm sure i've mentioned it many times before, but perhaps my #1 travel pro tip/hack is to ASK BARTENDERS WHERE TO GO! as service industry locals, they know all the good spots, and they'll rarely steer you wrong. for dinner, i was deciding between herb & wood, an italian spot with a top chef alum at the helm, and the lion's share, a dark and moody bar with a menu focused on wild & game meats. so i asked my bartender at false idol, and without hesitation, he declared that the lion's share was probably his favorite bar in the city. and after that, he just kept volunteering info and recommendations and it was delightful. 

and indeed, his recommendation was solid. at the lion's share, i ordered a cocktail that involved donut-infused bourbon, and some bison tartare(!!) that was just wow. my food theme this trip was apparently "meat and/or seafood with pieces of bread." here for it.

DAY 4:

i began my final day at santos coffee, a cozy north park cafe that seemed to be popular amongs the locals and their pups.

the caffeine and cheese danish was necessary, because then i was off to the world-famous san diego zoo. i wouldn't consider myself a "zoo person," but YO, this zoo was legit. i spent just about two hours wandering and it was well worth the hefty price of admission.

my feet were getting pretty tired at this point, so i was thankful that i had gone full tourist and purchased one of those hop-on, hop-off trolley tickets for the day. it not only let me sit for a bit, but i learned a lot about san diego while i was transported to my next stop, coronado island. 

i popped into the delightfully retro clayton's coffee shop for a tuna melt and cherry coke (which, sadly, was not actual cherry coke, but just coke with maraschino cherries in it. hmph)...

...and the island's requisite haunted hotel, hotel del coronado:

and the house where l. frank baum wrote the wizard of oz (supposedly, the hotel del coronado was the basis for the emerald city!):

i needed to charge my phone real quick, so i popped into parakeet cafe for a honey cinnamon latte.

back on the mainland, old town was a little touristy, but made for some really fantastic photo ops. 

i hailed another lyft to go watch the sun set at the appropriately named sunset cliffs...

and walked down to ocean beach, which is basically the slightly seedier venice beach of san diego. there was this cool street market happening, and i got some vintage duds! 

and because i somehow hadn't eaten any fish tacos yet, i grabbed a couple at mike's taco club, a hole in the wall less than block from the beach. 

it wouldn't be a proper socal beach evening without a hippie drum circle! i took in all of the drumming and dancing and good vibes. 

for a nightcap, i stopped into kindred, a whimsical bar that plays death metal. my drink, the snow bird, included rum, biscotti liqueur, fruitcake fassionola, sherry, ginger, and allspice bitters, got me back into the holiday spirit real fast. then, i couldn't stop thinking about the milk and cookies on the dessert menu, so i ordered them too. the girls next to me —whose conversation i had previously interrupted because one of them mentioned the broad city episode where ilana is dating the improv comic, aka my favorite episode of television ever — were like "oh yeah, you're on vacation. do it up." cheers, ladies!

all in all, a superb socal adventure.