Of course it was Brat. It was always Brat. This record is undeniable. I never expected a straight up pop record to be my pick of the year….but here we are. Brat is catchy, fun, harsh, raw, but most importantly…it’s vulnerable and introspective at exactly the right times. “I think about it all the time” is the stand out for me. Here Charli expresses such a vivid and complex emotion in such a simple, straightforward way. Blunt existentialism over sick beats will always win.
2025 is here. Stick together. We’re going to need each other. These were my favorite records of 2024.
-vh
1 - Charli XCX - Brat
2 - Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere
3 - Contention - Artillery From Heaven
4 - Kim Gordon - The Collective
5 - Genital Shame - Chronic Illness Wish
6 - Alkaline Trio - Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs
7 - Speed - Only One Mode
8 - The Cure - Songs of a Lost World
9 - Candy - It's Inside You
10 - Trail of Lies - Only the Strong
11 - Lesser Care - Heel Turn
12 - Krallice - Inorganic Rites
13 - Gouge Away - Deep Sage
14 - Body & Dis Fig - Orchards of a Futile Heaven
15 - Knocked Loose - You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To
16 - High Vis - Guided Tour
17 - Helko Spillovey - I Think of You Too Much
18 - Midwife - No Depression in Heaven
19 - Glaring - DR666 / Hope
20 - Deadbody / Tribal Gaze - Split