The Best Albums of 2024 So Far
Which albums impressed critics during the first half of the year? In the gallery on this page we rank the highest-scoring LPs of 2024 released through June 21, 2024. Albums are ranked by their Metascores as of June 25, 2024 and must have at least 7 reviews from professional critics to be eligible. Resissues, EPs, live albums, and compilations are excluded.
The top 20
#20:
87
Blue Lips (Top Dawg Entertainment)
by ScHoolboy Q
Scoring six points higher than anything the L.A. rapper has released before, ScHoolboy Q's sixth studio album (and first in five years) includes Ab-Soul, Freddie Gibbs, and Rico Nasty among its features.
"Whereas a lot of listeners might be tempted to ask themselves if ScHoolboy Q's latest offering was worth the wait, his remarkable growth also suggests that years of experience is perhaps what births the richest music, especially in a word-heavy genre like rap." —HipHopDX
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or stream it at Apple Music#19:
87
Filthy Underneath (EMI)
by Nadine Shah
The fifth and best album to date from the ever-dramatic English singer-songwriter follows 2020's Kitchen Sink—and an unusually traumatic period in her life that is reflected in Filthy's lyrics.
"An album that is leaps and bounds above anything else Shah has done before – a record that's layered and detailed, coated with beautifully rich production, yet also spacious and considered." —Uncut
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or stream it at Apple Music#18:
87
The Past Is Still Alive (Nonesuch)
by Hurray for the Riff Raff
The ninth and most autobiographical studio album from the Alynda Segarra-led Americana/indie rock project features contributions from Conor Oberst, Meg Duffy, Mike Mogis, and Phil Cook.
"The Past Is Still Alive is a remarkable album, one which achieves the impossible trick of capturing the mood of a nation and a vivid portrait of a single fascinating person – all within one gorgeous stew." —The Line of Best Fit
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or stream it at Apple Music#17:
88
Orquídeas (Geffen)
by Kali Uchis
Returning to Spanish-language lyrics for the first time since 2020's Sin Miedo (Del Amor y Otros Demonios), Kali Uchis scored the best reviews of her career for this fourth album overall.
"Orquídeas is a masterful ode to Uchis' ancestral roots. A project that artfully skywalks across a variety of Latin genres, including dembow, bolero, salsa and reggaeton, the project proves to be her most sonically ambitious to date—and boasts all-star level features to boot." —Paste
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or stream it at Apple Music#16:
88
What Now (Island)
by Brittany Howard
The former Alabama Shakes frontwoman finally returned early this year with a follow-up to her Grammy-nominated 2019 solo debut, Jaime. Sophomore slump? No way—What Now, her debut for Island Records, matched that previous LP's excellent score.
"For listeners up for an adventure — for an album that reveals itself gradually, continues to surprise after several listens and takes you places you didn't necessarily know you wanted to go — there are many rewards in store." —Variety
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or stream it at Apple Music#15:
88
Only God Was Above Us (Columbia)
by Vampire Weekend
While all five studio albums from the New York indie superstars have scored 81 or higher, this fifth album is their best-reviewed release to date. Only God Was Above Us reunites the band with producer Ariel Rechtshaid, and—unlike previous LP Father of the Bride (that was an Ezra Koenig solo album in all but name)—it was recorded by the full band.
"It is at once an ambitious record and one that will sound like home to anyone who still associates Oxford commas with the band. It's likely to bring in a new generation of fans, as well as perhaps pull some who've strayed back into their orbit." —Under the Radar
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or stream it at Apple Music#14:
88
Ten Fold (Big Dada)
by Yaya Bey
Ten Fold is the fifth LP from the Brooklyn-based R&B artist, and it finds her once again nimbly blending genres including funk, soul, and dancehall. This time, the experiments are in service of a more personal album that finds Bey dealing with the death of her father (the late Grand Daddy I.U.), whose voice can be heard in various samples on Ten Fold.
"Masterful sequencing and economical writing (most songs are under three minutes) allow Bey to be as nimble as ever." —Pitchfork
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or stream it at Apple Music#13:
88
Lives Outgrown (Domino)
by Beth Gibbons
Though a bit mellower overall, it's the closest thing to a fourth Portishead album that fans are likely to get. The second solo-ish release from Portishead vocalist Beth Gibbons is very different from 2002's folk- and jazz-influenced Out of Season (a collaboration with Talk Talk's Paul Webb), with a chamber-pop and at times electronically textured sound (co-produced by James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco) that's a bit closer to that of her main group.
"A dispatch from the darker moments of middle age, Lives Outgrown is occasionally challenging, frequently beautiful and invariably gripping." —The Guardian
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or stream it at Apple Music#12:
88
All Born Screaming (Virgin)
by St. Vincent
It's not quite her highest-scoring release to date—that would be 2014's self-titled St. Vincent—but Annie Clark's seventh St. Vincent album is a close #2. All Born Screaming is her first self-produced album, but that doesn't mean she recorded alone: Collaborators include Dave Grohl and Cate Le Bon.
"The album finds Clark at her most fragile and ferocious, seeking beauty among the waste and wreckage of 21st-century life. Itself a beautifully ugly thing, All Born Screaming is a visceral examination of art and nature when both are pushed to the brink." —Slant
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or stream it at Apple Music#11:
89
This Could Be Texas (Island/Universal)
by English Teacher
The year's highest-scoring debut album to date, This Could Be Texas comes from the Leeds, England-based indie rock quartet English Teacher. The LP includes the single "Nearly Daffodils," which was previously named the #7 song of 2023 by Time as the band first started to attract attention.
"It's a debut album full of confidence, heart and ambition, with songs that sound both instantly familiar and also like nothing you've ever heard before." —musicOMH
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or stream it at Apple Music#10:
89
Night Reign (Verve)
by Arooj Aftab
The first solo album in three years from the Grammy-winning Pakistani jazz and folk musician follows a 2023 collaborative release with Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily. Night Reign features lyrics in both English and Urdu, with the latter category including several tracks based on the poetry of Mah Laqa Bai Chanda. Guests include Elvis Costello.
"These are deep, emotional, sometimes bruising songs, though the insinuation of total darkness belies the exquisiteness of its spiritually rigorous forty-eight minutes." —The Quietus
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or stream it at Apple Music#9:
89
Tigers Blood (Anti-)
by Waxahatchee
After establishing a career-high Metascore with 2020's Saint Cloud, the Katie Crutchfield-led indie rock band bested that by one point with this follow-up and sixth release overall.
"With Tigers Blood, Crutchfield continues to perfect her songcraft and elevate the Americana genre – asserting a panoramic vision, radiating wisdom." —The Line of Best Fit
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or stream it at Apple Music#8:
89
Here in the Pitch (Mexican Summer)
by Jessica Pratt
Scoring five points higher than any of her previous releases, this fourth album from the L.A.-based folk singer-songwriter is her first release in five years.
"A cresting, rolling record of complexity and depth." —Uncut
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or stream it at Apple Music#7:
89
Hit Me Hard and Soft (Interscope)
by Billie Eilish
One of the most-anticipated releases of early 2024, Hit Me Hard and Soft is young L.A. pop star Billie Eilish's third studio album and first since her hit 2021 release Happier Than Ever. Again produced by Eilish's brother Finneas O'Connell, Hit Me Hard and Soft is better than that previous album—indeed, it's also better-reviewed than her star-making 2019 debut, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. Is it another hit? Well, every one of the LP's 10 songs has landed in the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 song chart.
"Tight, simple, and effective, Hit Me Hard and Soft does just that: it comes in with a bang, thrilling with fresh production and heavy lyrical content, before easing the listener into the murky emotional depths seen on the cover art." —AllMusic
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or stream it at Apple Music#6:
89
I Got Heaven (Epitaph)
by Mannequin Pussy
The fourth and best album to date from Philly punks Mannequin Pussy is their first LP recorded with new-ish guitarist Maxine Steen. I Got Heaven also represents a new embrace of a collaborative songwriting approach, and their first time working with veteran indie rock producer John Congleton.
"I Got Heaven moves with an intuitive grace that makes it feel stadium-sized without losing its nuance or its grounding in the scene that birthed it. It's easy to love, and it knows it." —Pitchfork
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or stream it at Apple Music#5:
90
Proxy Music (Storysound Records)
by Linda Thompson
Left unable to sing by a rare medical condition, British folk scene staple Linda Thompson drafted a group of family members, friends, and fans to lend their voices to 11 previously unrecorded compositions. So you'll hear the likes of Rufus and Martha Wainwright, John Grant, Richard Thompson (Linda's ex-husband and frequent collaborator), and The Proclaimers on the cleverly titled Proxy Music, produced by Linda's son Teddy Thompson.
"She clearly wanted an audience to hear these songs, but she also wanted a chance to create with artists she loves and respects, and the joy of creation is matched by the joy of hearing these musicians at work." —AllMusic
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or stream it at Apple Music#4:
90
Funeral for Justice (Matador)
by Mdou Moctar
The second Matador Records release from the band led by Tuareg blues/rock guitarist Mdou Moctar scored even higher with critics than 2021's already great Afrique Victime. Reviewers were dazzled by the fire and passion from a group labeled by musicOMH "the greatest rock band in the world."
"Even by Mdou Moctar's high standards, Funeral for Justice is extraordinary. It is searing in music and lyrics, with messages that are essential in a world on fire and whose sounds can carry those messages far and wide. More than any previous Mdou Moctar album, it feels alive." —PopMatters
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or stream it at Apple Music#3:
90
Iechyd Da (Domino)
by Bill Ryder-Jones
A one-time guitarist for English psych-rock band The Coral, Bill Ryder-Jones has been releasing solo albums since 2011, originally with an orchestral emphasis but gradually progressing into folk and rock sounds. But none impressed critics more than the self-produced Iechyd Da, which enlists strings, playful samples, and a children's choir in service of a lush and cinematic (but still mellow) sound likened by some reviewers to Mercury Rev or Spiritualized.
"Iechyd Da is his masterpiece, start to finish." —Record Collector
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or stream it at Apple Music#2:
91
Cowboy Carter (Parkwood Entertainment)
by Beyoncé
If Taylor Swift can successfully pivot from country to pop, why can't the planet's second-biggest pop diva make the inverse journey? But Beyoncé's eighth solo studio album and follow-up to Renaissance is, contrary to early reports, more than just a country album: Cowboy Carter also encompasses various forms of Americana ranging from folk to bluegrass, and enlists a huge stable of collaborators including Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder, Jon Batiste, Dolly Parton, Rhiannon Giddens, Nile Rodgers, and Raphael Saadiq. Like every one of her previous studio albums, CC reached #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, while its Metascore is second only to that of Lemonade.
"Clever, sexy, angry, soulful, witty and fantastically bold, Beyoncé stirs up the western and puts the you know what into country. I think it's a masterpiece, but don't expect to hear it at the Grand Ole' Opry any time soon." —The Telegraph
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or stream it at Apple Music#1:
95
Brat (Atlantic)
by Charli XCX
Metacritic's #1 Album of the First Half of 2024. Easily the best-reviewed album by Charli XCX to date, Brat is the sixth LP overall from the 31-year-old English electropop star, and it reteams her with producer A. G. Cook (among others). Critics have embraced the album's rave-influenced sound that eliminates some of the accessibility (and guest stars) of prior album Crash in favor of a rawer, grittier, and more sophisticated sound that is no less fun. Club classic, indeed.
"Brat is a perfect pop record over a decade in the making, a distilled and bottled cool that sings with fully realized potential, the release of inhibitions, the kind of confidence that can only be earned through shame, and the sort of hooks that God touches you with. Brat is next-level Charli XCX, a miracle and an instant classic. It's the kind of album that makes you feel lucky to be alive at the same time as it." —PopMatters
Buy it at
or stream it at Apple Music