Like most of you, and every other media outlet under the sun, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite songs released in the previous 12 months. Year-end lists made by music journalists are always pretty funny. Especially these days, you can see them trying to thread multiple needles at once, mixing full-on poptimist choices with weirdo Pitchfork-approved electronic music, plus the occasional nod to cool indie rock, to clearly show range and illustrate superior taste, without steering too pop or too obscure. Do that many music journalists really listen to Chappell Roan, DIIV, Taylor Swift, Mannequin Pussy, and Burial in the course of a normal day? Who is to say?
The unique gift of cohosting our podcast How Long Gone is talking to and often becoming friends with people who make my favorite music, people I respect, and whose talent I am sincerely in awe of. There is no better feeling than refreshing Gmail and seeing the link come in for an album you have been waiting on, which is precisely what happened with Father John Misty’s Mahashmashana, a masterpiece and return to form from one of the greats. Christopher Owens fronted Girls, a band I loved. After a long hiatus, he returned this year with the excellent I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair. Vampire Weekend is a band that has been in my orbit for over a decade, but Only God Was Above Us really grabbed me. Charli and Lorde working it out on the remix became a go-to when I was on the treadmill. Sometimes, it’s simply reading Stereogum or The Line of Best Fit or getting a text from a friend, which was the case with Doechii, Chanel Beads, and Bliss Fields. Leon Bridges is an artist I worked with this year, and his song “Never Satisfied” stuck with me as soon as I heard it months ago—a testament to his classic approach, just good music, no bullshit. The point is, wherever the music comes from, I am just glad it found me.
My 2024 playlist includes many songs I absolutely rinsed this year. I bet I listened to Waxahatchee’s “Right Back To It” 100 times in a row when I was first sent a link to the album. Modern guitar hero MJ Lenderman gobsmacked me with “Wristwatch,” a song with lyrics so good you can’t believe someone actually sat down and wrote them. When something is that compelling, immediately striking, I listen to it incessantily on my laptop and in my AirPods until I know every word. I am sure a lot of my choices will be familiar. If so, I hope these serve as a reminder to play them again.
