Beyond The Stage released its first New Music Friday in 2015. We’ve strived to gather, write and share about the best new releases each week since. Now that 2024 is just past its halfway point, we are looking at the best music released so far this year. This list can include albums, singles and EPs by any artist. These releases are not ranked. This is rather a compilation of notable releases that every music fan should be aware of.
The Best Music of 2024 So Far:
Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future
If the current generation of music listeners were tasked to write a list of the most recognized artists in alphabetical order (this list isn’t, by the way), Adrianne Lenker would find herself at the top of many. Tracks like “Sadness As A Gift” explore the tough questions needing asked in relationships and not quite making progress by the ponderer shying away from opening their mouth to avoid heartbreaking answers. Lenker talks about getting lost in a partner’s charm throughout this record.
The Smile – Wall Of Eyes
The Smile were set to face judgment from their inception: Are they a Radiohead side project? Is Yorke the show? Who would listen if Yorke and Greenwood weren’t members? These questions, overheard from attendees at all of the group’s tour stops in the US, UK and EU since their first record A Light for Attracting Attention arrived in 2022, are irrelevant. The fans are there. The tunes are good. The members already have a legacy. Toss out these meaningless pop-quiz “gotcha” questions. The Smile is its own thing. Yorke, Greenwood and Skinner are the possessors of ultimate music ability. The showcase is something to behold.
The Last Dinner Party – Prelude To Ecstasy
The hype around The Last Dinner Party began with the arrival of their debut single “Nothing Matters.” That song orchestrated the presumption that their first record, Prelude To Ecstasy, would be a certified hit. There was no expectation that the LP better deliver and hit a standard. Instead, the music fandom had a lingering feeling it would be one of the hottest albums this decade. It was a sure shot. The anticipation wasn’t surrounded with passive-aggressive thoughts like “this better be worth the hype,” it was packed with a collective sentiment that “this record is going to bang.” The call is confirmed.
Brittany Howard – What Now
If this record were a thesis, the statement would be: “Brittany Howard is from the future and, also, Mars.” That’s not a theory. It’s a fact. Howard’s second solo album What Now begins with the mind-melting song “Earth Sign” and everyone can see Howard swimming through space headed to another galaxy to share her music.
IDLES – TANGK
Somewhere on the internet, IDLES singer Joe Talbot told a journalist the band was trying to sound like Paul McCartney on their early recordings for TANGK. They didn’t stick with that direction because Talbot decided it “sounded like shit.” Instead, IDLES fourth studio album is filled with their rhotic Bristol accents, carving a comfort in imperfections, after the band spent two straight records trying to be flawless and failing.
Faye Webster – Underdressed at the Symphony
It’s hard to pinpoint when Faye Webster hopped off the tall bike and exchanged it for a yo-yo. It’s harder to find when she promoted herself from small clubs with plastic decals on her stage and instead sold out big venues with crazy lighting, gifting a fuller sound to more fans than ever. It’s easier to see that Webster hasn’t steered away from her true self. In a world where girls are boxed into either writing six-minute power ballads about their romantic thoughts or singing about what toy/collector’s items they find beautiful, Webster has always chosen both. She’s done it since her S/T Secretly Canadian Debut and she’s doing it again on her latest album Underdressed at the Symphony.
Bleachers – Bleachers
Ten years and four albums on, Bleachers are still putting out well-mixed alt-pop songs. They move through subtle string arrangements and the sax solos still fly. Bleachers continue answering the rhetorical ask, “What would the E Street Band sound like in 2024?” There are plenty of “Sha-la-la-la’s” and “Woos!” The big switch-up that makes Bleachers’ self-titled album a unique listen comes through its lyrical material. Frontman and three-time Grammy-award-winning producer Jack Antonoff’s major lyrical themes have largely zoomed in on his life’s greatest tragedy: His little sister died from brain cancer at 13 years old. It’s a sad reality, one that has shaped Antonoff’s solo discography for a decade. That isn’t the case here. Now married, wiser and longing for an East Coast that only exists in the past, Bleachers are late 30-somethings on the cusp of their new major life shakeups.
Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well
It’s been 11 years since Kacey Musgraves revealed herself to be a relatable lyricist, even to those who have never set foot in a trailer park. A decade and six studio albums later, Musgraves continues combining wit with layered instrumentations. Musgraves’ songs are digestible. They aren’t complicated on the ear. But her finger-picking acoustics and the added orchestral strings are anything but extra easy to play. Musgraves walks a fine line between simple sound and robust mechanics.
Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood
The songs on Waxahatchee’s sixth record Tigers Blood dive right into human nature. To understand how singer Katie Crutchfield got here, you have to understand her previous album as Waxahatchee, 2020’s Saint Cloud. Despite the somewhat cliched notion of music being described as a therapeutic remedy during that tumultuous time, it is worth noting that Crutchfield’s discography had seldom been praised for such reasons before. The emotional depth and raw honesty of her music have always resonated with listeners, but Tigers Blood takes it to a whole new level.
Beyoncé – COWBOY CARTER
“There’s a lot of talking going on,” Beyoncé sings to open her new country album COWBOY CARTER. “I cannot believe Beyoncé Is releasing a country album,” and “She’s from Houston, so she’s got that Texas country girl in her,” are talking points overheard recently. Beyoncé’s right, most music fans have talked about COWBOY CARTER’s genre since it was announced. Where people have snarkily suggested COWBOY CARTER is supposed to be a joke, Beyoncé wastes no time calling out everyone who thought for a second that this was a joke. “You don’t know hard I worked for this” she says on the first track “AMERIICAN REQUIM.” Beyoncé would never put energy into creating something that wasn’t serious. She even says she fought to be recognized as being “country,” whatever that means.
Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
Vampire Weekend’s fifth studio LP begins with such little optimism that frontman Ezra Koenig kicks off the whole record by uttering “Fuck the world.” But this is a Vampire Weekend record after all, and now that the original lineup is mostly back together for the first time in a decade, the instrumental pessimism doesn’t even last through the first track. Opener “Ice Cream Piano” ends with a rapid beat per minute pace, carnivalesque keys and some marvelous allegro strings. There are even quick high-pitched guitar struts to make it clear: Vampire Weekend fans will probably find the band as lovable as ever on Only God Was Above Us.
English Teacher – This Could Be Texas
English Teacher first started turning heads in 2021. That’s when they released their debut single “R&B,” a rapid pace, thumping buzz of lyricism and groove. “Despite appearances, I haven’t got the voice for R&B, even though I’ve seen more Colour Shows than KEXPs,” singer Lily Fontaine uttered on repeat. That first song hooked a lot of attention spans. Three years on, an EP and several singles in between, English Teacher has retooled “R&B” for their long-time-coming debut LP This Could Be Texas.
Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department
Not long ago, Taylor Swift told millions of Grammy viewers that her new record, The Tortured Poets Department, was coming. Now her eleventh studio album is here. There’s just as much fanfare surrounding Swift today as ever. Her new music comes out while she takes a brief break from her Eras Tour. The record begins with “Fortnight,” a shivering bass-grooved ballad featuring Post Malone. The album is a testament to Swift’s continued longevity as an artist. She recorded 16 new songs for The Tortured Poets Department. That’s a lot of music to drop at once for someone who’s released albums for 18 years.
St. Vincent – All Born Screaming
Annie Clark can release about whatever she wants at this point in her career. She already is, has and probably will continue to. Clark’s put out critically acclaimed records under the St. Vincent mantra for nearly 20 years. In that time she’s gone from Polyphonic Spree member, Sufjan Stevens backing band guitarist, Taylor Swift’s personal songwriter, filled in for Kurt Cobain at Nirvana’s 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and developed a lifelong friendship with David Byrne. Clark was in those positions because she’s written lauded records like her debut album Marry Me, the super hits Actor and Strange Mercy, the reality-warping Masseduction, 70’s Broadway concept record Daddy’s Home and now All Born Screaming.
Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism
Dua Lipa has now shared her highly anticipated third album Radical Optimism. It’s a record with 11 tracks rooted in thoughts of a brighter future. Dua Lipa said she wrote the record while she was single. Then she collaborated with the likes of Caroline Ailin, Danny L. Harle, Tobias Jesso Jr., and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. Dua says the lyrics on Radical Optimism are filled with “looseness and honesty” in a way her two previous albums Dua Lipa and the highly acclaimed Future Nostalgia weren’t.
Clairo – “Sexy to Someone”
In April, Clairo made a cryptic Instagram post with the caption “maybe next month.” She had a big grin on her face and a clarinet in her hand. This week she finally shared a new single, “Sexy to Someone.” It’s the lead track of her new album Charm, which comes out on July 12. According to a release, “Sexy to Someone” is a thematic glimpse into what the rest of Charm will sound like. This three-and-a-half-minute tune starts with a loud piano thwump that strikes throughout the song. The drums are very snarey and sound like they’re being played in an open room.
Maya Hawke – Chaos Angel
Maya Hawke’s third studio album Chaos Angel is out now via Mom + Pop. Hawke has called this LP more uplifting and positive than its predecessors, including 2022’s Moss. She worked with her usual collaborators Christian Lee Hutson, Benjamin Lazar Davis and Will Graefe to produce Chaos Angel. The 25-year-old singer, songwriter, actress, NYC-born Julliard School grad credits James Blake and Adrianne Lenker as her inspirations on Chaos Angel. That makes sense. The record has more open vocals that allow Hawke to breathe throughout. There are quite a few songs with major production theatrics, too.
Charli XCX – BRAT
Charli XCX is not putting out dance music for people who flock to the most notorious downtown venues. The boldness on her sixth studio album BRAT is for people who send Instagram DM’s of upcoming underground dance shows to their best friends. Not to set a precedent, but it might be the best dance album this decade. The sounds on BRAT are an amplified and highly publicized release for people who understand that the best nights out aren’t spent buying liquor and trying to leave with strangers. Charli XCX would rather people come to the discotheque to dance and dance only. In fact, BRAT is a callback to the illegal underground London raves where she kickstarted her career as a 15-year-old. Now 31, Charli’s music isn’t only a tribute to the scene that raised her. Her sound also supports the future of dance music. BRAT uses flashbacks as an influence, but it pushes the genre forward.
FIDLAR – “FIX ME” / “GET OFF MY WAVE”
FIDLAR’s grand return to the surf punk scene was one of the most circulated moments in music this week. Instagram stories were filled with a billion captions along the lines of “FIDLAR is back, OMG!” That’s because the band shared its plans to release their fourth album SURVIVING THE DREAM. It’ll be their first studio LP since 2019. FIDLAR is also going on a North American tour this September and October. Releasing two new singles “FIX ME” and “GET OFF MY WAVE” were the cherries fans begged to go on top.
Gracie Abrams – The Secret of Us
Gracie Abrams’ second LP The Secret of Us is a summery pop record that leans heavily into fast-paced acoustic charm. Abrams has developed a style that pulls from all walks of pop. Guitars and solid lyricism push her career further forward. On her new cleanly-produced album, Abrams makes one thing clear: she can write. Its hit single “Risk” proves she can talk about existential crises of love better than most. “God, I’m actually invested, haven’t even met him // Watch this be the wrong thing // Classic // God, I’m jumping in the deep end, it’s more fun to swim in // Heard the risk is drownin’, but I’m gonna take it,” she sings. A quickly-strummed acoustic guitar plays underneath Abrams’ voice. It keeps a beat and pushes her along.
Camila Cabello – C,XOXO
Camila Cabello’s fourth studio album C,XOXO is the latest record to push production and theatric-heavy pop music towards audiences. Through all the pomp and circumstance going on during C,XOXO, there are times where Cabello shows her artistic evolution. There’s hardly a Latina-inflected moment and less girl-pop polish. This album has a more straightforward Cabello than anyone has heard before. The sounds accompanying Cabello’s autotuned vocals on C,XOXO are a masterclass.
Which of these tracks from our Best Music of 2024 version of New Music Friday will you add to your favorite playlists today? Any we missed? Let us know in the comments or on Instagram!
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