The 2024 Albums of the Year by Modern Music Analysis
A few writers from MMA share some of their favourite picks from 2024
Contributors: Mark Chinapen, Josh Herring, Paul K. Barnes, Mariel Ferragamo, Isi, Yegor Mirnov
Another year has gone by, and with it came a slew of amazing albums for us to listen to. 2024 was quite the busy year with some stellar drops such as the culture shifting BRAT by Charli XCX, or the most recent stream of consciousness by Kendrick Lamar with GNX. Among these, we here at Modern Music Analysis would like to share some of our favourite gems we’ve been jamming to last year, so without further ado, here are MMA’s 2024 albums of the year!
The Year I Turned 21 | Ayra Starr | Words by Mariel Ferragamo
Atop the world’s rapid embrace of Afrobeats this year, the Beninese Nigerian singer Ayra Starr has emerged as an ambassador of the genre. Her debut album, 19 & Dangerous, blasted her onto the scene and led to an inaugural Grammy nomination. In her sophomore follow-up, Starr channels that momentum into a powerful coming-of-age storyline under the limelight in The Year I Turned 21. Now 22, Starr navigates her ascent to fame, projecting a measured confidence in carving out her place at the top, while revealing the insecurities that drive her.
“Birds Sing of Money,” is a violin-laden opening track that sets a fierce tone as she ventures into rap, unapologetic for her success in her lyrics. Heartbreak is another theme threaded throughout multiple sonic styles in her songs such as “Last Heartbreak Song” and “Goodbye (Warm Up),” the latter cleverly fusing dueling genres Afropop and amapiano to resemble a conversation between partners that are no longer in sync. “Lagos Love Story” adds a sweet pop vibe and a youthfully rose-tinted outlook on life. “Rhythm & Blues” brings yet another genre into the Afrobeats canvas Starr has sketched out. Adding to her signature sound, she drops in cameos from other industry names, including Asake on the retrospective “Goodbye” and Anitta and Coco Jones for the energizing ballad “Woman Commando.”
TYIT21 has some of the most earnest versions of Starr grasping the world around her. “Orun” is a deceptively buoyant track on mental health; its sunny packaging is a double-edged commentary on the hardship that comes with success, forced underneath the smile society expects our stars to have plastered on. In “Commas,” her trademark rich vocals shine as she sings about gratitude for her career while reckoning with the hustle of the industry. “The Kids Are Alright” is a heartfelt piece dedicated to her late father that weaves in recordings of her family sending him posthumous voice messages, all the while emulating to listeners a message of embracing life and letting the brazen mindset that comes with being young trickle into our lives, no matter our age.
Submarine | The Marias | Words by Paul K. Barnes
The album Submarine by The Marías sounds like how the cover looks. The sonics of it push the underwater theme forward with filters, sonar sounds and more that take listeners on an aquatic sonic journey with Maria’s soft voice and vulnerable songwriting being the tour guide. While listening to this album, it felt as if I was floating in a noise deprivation tank except the noises I was hearing were coming from this excellently curated musical journey.
Tracks like “Real Life” “Blur” “Love You Anyway” and “Vicious Sensitive Robot” are where the underwater effects of the album come out the strongest and these are some of my favorite moments on it. Maria’s vocals are soaked in reverb as are the guitars, keys and drums that surround her as the melodies warp and wash around her like waves and echolocation. And, amongst all the immersive sounds, Maria’s honest songwriting still shines through as she recaps various moments of her relationship with Josh Conway — her ex and fellow band member. Fully sung Spanish songs like “Lejos de Ti” and “Ay No Puedo” offer two completely different moods: The former is a slow yet expansive floating track while the latter has the signature groove and pace we often hear in Latin music. Basslines like the one in “Run Your Mouth” give the album a slight uptick in pace and serve as a more pop-based approach to the relaxing sounds across the album while the drums on “Hamptons” sound like ones pulled from the dance world as sonar-like tones carry the subtle melody of the track. Penultimate track “If Only” is a favorite of mine too and is completely absent of all the previously mentioned techniques of aquatic immersion. It makes up for it with a dramatically cinematic piano melody and trumpet solo instrumentation. Maria’s vocals sound like she’s on a stage in a late night club in a black and white movie in the best possible way.
Submarine was an album I loved because it took my mind on a musical journey through sound that transported me to the oceanic world of Maria’s mind.
Imaginal Disk | Magdalena Bay | Words by Mark Chinapen
The Californian duo made up of couple Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin explore self consciousness and what it means to be human on their sophomore album Imaginal Disk. They add elements of disco (“Image”) and progressive strings (“”Cry for Me”) among other nuances to their brand of synth pop to create an incredibly vibey album full of catchy tunes. Following a concept revolving around a character named “True” who learns to find her humanity. The themes range from worrying about the passing of time with tracks like “Killing Time”, to reaching a breakthrough of self realization on the final track “the Ballad of Matt & Mica”. With heavy (and oftentimes cryptic) lyricism followed by some excellent production, Imaginal Disk makes for one of pop music’s standout albums of 2024, rivaling the likes of other records like brat.
I’m still in awe at the album’s overall production, there’s something lush and refreshing to the synths and drums and so forth that play throughout the whole album. It’s like Magdalena Bay took some of the best nuances of some of pop’s left fielding artists and built upon them. Conceptually it takes a rather existential idea and breathes a new life into it, making the thought of finding one’s humanity not so depressing as other albums/media have made it out to be. Admittedly this was my first foray into Magdalena Bay ,most likely for many other people as well, and what a great first introduction Imaginal Disk was.
Penalty of Leadership | Boldy James & Nicholas Craven | Words by Diogo Isidoro
The chemistry between Boldy James and Nicholas Craven is unsurprisingly great. They showcased it on their previous project, Fair Exchange No Robber, and have done it again on Penalty of Leadership. This record was my favourite of the year for a long time, mostly due to the sample work in the production, which, to me, is undoubtedly the standout element.
Nicholas Craven delivers top-tier, loping, and atmospheric beats that are incredibly well-crafted. As someone who appreciates this high-emphasis sample style, I might be biased — but it’s undeniably well done. Boldy James’ vocals and bars are equally impressive. We see the rapper easing back into his comfort zone, delivering steely, stoic, and intricately worded reflections on street life. The final four tracks elevate the already great record to an entirely new level — what an amazing run. It’s so good to see Gangsta Rap gaining a fresh and modern light like this.
Premonition of Rain | AG Sully | Words by Josh Herring
Easily one of my favorite indie projects of 2024. With intricate, thrumming, erratic production lurking underneath one of the most powerful voices I’ve ever heard, AG Sully creates a powerhouse experience in only 29 minutes. “Temporary Space” with fellow Nashville artist Chuck Indigo, whose higher-pitched, southern breeze placates the eerie soundscape, shines but “You Memorabilia” steals the show. Wading in the weight of a toxic ex, Sully embraces change, a central theme of Premonition of Rain, and the grief of memories forgotten and relearned.
With an increased fortitude in songwriting, AG Sully will be special. The grasp on the air she can impose is incredible and reminiscent of other belters like Yebba and Adele. The whole venue is quiet, captivated, in a stupor of awe and disbelief when she sings. She commands the air to bend to her will and emotion of choice, and it does. I look forward to her future work.
WORLD WIDE WHACK | Tierra Whack | Words by Mariel Ferragamo
Tierra Whack has been one of hip-hop’s most under-the-radar iconoclasts since her 2018 debut, Whack World. Like a lava lamp of sound, her hallmark was her trippy songs that colorfully bubbled up into place, each clocking in at precisely one minute before morphing into a new one, no two quite the same. Her second album, WORLD WIDE WHACK, holds a warped, fun-house mirror up to her first, flipping the script on both its name and its tone entirely.
Whack is noticeably baring her thornier side with a full 40-minute round-up of twinged tracks that reveal her mental demons. Still true to Tierra Whack style, she approaches heavy-handed topics like depression with a bit of sardonic quirkiness while making room for vulnerability when the moments are right. Songs like “Chanel Pit” resemble her Whack World vibrant, whimsical self, with a playful marimba over trap beats and rapid, sporadic woodblock that underscores her bursts of staccato rap mixed with a smooth chorus. Those like the album’s opener, “Mood Swing,” expose a brooding, tempered Tierra that teases her conflicted psyche to come with lines like “Might look familiar, but I promise you don’t know me.” The topical pivots come overwhelmingly left and right between these two styles, reinforcing the tide of emotions Whack has let her listeners in on.
Her atmospheric and vocal shapeshifting are also a marvel. She takes on intense, deep talk-singing in “Ms Behave,” nasal vibrations in “Two Night,” distorted murmurs over honeyed harmonies in “Burning Brains,” and guttural, scat-like quips in “Snake Eyes.” Whack interlaces the worlds of R&B, rap, jazz, funk, trap, and even the childlike sounds of lullabies in her World of Whack — with the exuberance of a child finger painting, she’s left no musical color untouched, despite the album’s overall darker canvas. Whack radiates in her spirited delivery of spunky, nonsensical songs like “Shower Song” and “Moovies,” but the raw emotion in her tracks like the hazy, torpid “Numb” and ethereal “27 Club” show the whole self-portrait with provocative grace. WORLD WIDE WHACK’s shocking honesty is the outlet that frees her to exist in all dimensions once the rainbow mirage melts away.
Cosa Nuestra | Rauw Alejandro | Words by Mark Chinapen
Despite proclaiming to fans he was taking a break from music in 2023, the Puerto Rican singer continues his streak of satiating the Latin music scene with Cosa Nuestra, his fifth studio album. Since 2020, Rauw has delivered one full body of music each year, with every album reinvigorating his sound and adding new elements to signify a different “era” in his artistry. To recall, 2023’s Playa Saturno was enveloped by pure Reggaeton and Perreo, playing out like an all day beach party in the Caribbean. Cosa Nuestra however takes a step back by pulling from bossa nova, salsa (and the occasional reggaeton affair) to deliver a classy and slick back entry from Rauw.
Cosa Nuestra showcases Rauw’s ability to expand his artistry and vocal performance, such is the case on sultry “Khe?” or the ballroom classiness of a song like “Tú con Él”. Rauw even takes a stab at some Spanglish on the Pharell produced “Committed”. Topped off with features from Latin music’s top stars like Bad Bunny and Romeo Santos among others, Cosa Nuestra is another addition to Rauw’s elusive discography. Which direction he decides to take his music next, who knows? But here’s hoping it’s just as expansive as Cosa Nuestra.
PRATTS & PAIN | Royel Otis | Words by Diogo Isidoro
Royel Otis definitely had me watching the Aussie Indie scene, with PRATTS & PAIN as the perfect gateway for fans of dreamy, indie vibes. The record, immediately draws you in with its dreamlike, beachy feel, while quietly unfolding a raw and heartfelt love story. Each song feels like a different chapter in a relationship, seamlessly transitioning from upbeat energy to harder, more introspective moments.
The chemistry between the duo is incredible, and their guitar work embodies a typical Indie Rock style with a unique personal twist. The vocals are catchy and phenomenal, touching on a range of themes, and adding depth to the narrative. This album stands out not only for individual tracks but also for its remarkable consistency. Though the vibe can feel repetitive, the album’s catchiness and story make it super re-listenable and with a lot of individual replay value.
Alligator Bites Never Heal | Doechii | Words by Yegor Mirnov
Alligator Bites Never Heal is the perfect example of hidden gems this year. Doechii, a rapper, singer, and songwriter, is certainly on the path to becoming the next big female rap star, but she’s generally a fresh breath of air in the rap and hip-hop scene. Throughout this mixtape, she demonstrates such masterfulness and variety of sounds, from R&B and hip-hop to boom-bap rap, all of which sound like the state-piece of art.
Doechii is certainly the next big superstar in music, and I can promise you that already. When her debut drops, this will either be one of the biggest successes or the biggest disappointments — nothing in between. Her charisma and energy are simply breathtaking, offering something that current mainstream rap has been missing. Doechii’s sound has soul, heart, and an immaculate vibe that is simply irreplaceable.
Samurai | Lupe Fiasco | Words by Diogo Isidoro
Lupe Fiasco is known for blending catchy hooks and bars with introspective and conscious themes and he’s no different in Samurai. Bringing a creative idea, such as the Amy Winehouse personification, to life, along with other messages and themes incorporated with incredible execution, is truly amazing.
The concept, along with the quality of the record, makes this album not just memorable but one of the best of 2024. Banger after banger, Lupe proves that a project doesn’t need a crazy runtime to be amazing.
Shadowbox | MAVI | Words by Yegor Mirnov
Shadowbox by MAVI is another look at melancholy, with the outstanding mix of jazz and abstract hip-hop production. MAVI was another artist I discovered this year, and truthfully, I couldn’t be more excited about it. The self-awareness and lyrical prowess on this album are certainly singular.
From the first seconds, you get that dark and melancholic energy that MAVI’s music immerses you in. However, to describe this as his entire style would be an understatement.
On Shadowbox, we encounter relatable sounds that, while facing hefty challenges, also hold a light of hope and easiness. Aside from all the lyrical depth MAVI explores here, you simply get powerful rapping performances that provide a memorable experience and a pleasant aftertaste. Love this record.
And there you have it! We hope you found something new and agreed (or disagreed) with our takes. If you made it this far thank you for reading, and we here at Modern Music Analysis would like to wish you all a prosperous 2025!
