Songs have the ability to inform and create cultural moments throughout the year. While albums have artistic value and can often also have a great impact, the length of a single song means that they can be consumed quickly. The release of singles also means that focus is routinely placed on individual songs that are often emblematic of society and can often be seen as key events culturally.

It’s hard to talk about the music of 2024 without mentioning BRAT. It was ubiquitous, for better or for worse, and touched so many various facets of day-to-day life that it was inescapable. So when Lorde surprised everyone by featuring on the ‘Girl, so confusing’ remix, everyone was taken aback. With brutally honest and raw lyricism, the song cuts through any fake niceties to directly talk about the issue at hand, creating a beautiful and refreshing work of art in the process.

In 2024, social media has a larger impact, it seems, than nearly anything else on the success of a song. With the increasing popularity of TikTok, songs can receive new levels of popularity by being a part of trends. Songs like Tyla’s ‘Water’, Charli xcx’s ‘Apple’ and Chappell Roan’s ‘Good Luck, Babe’ are all blowing up on the internet and being pushed further into mainstream recognition due to the immense amount of love and use found online.

Adrienne Lenker had a fantastic year that saw the release of her song ‘Vampire Empire’. A different version to the one put out by her band Big Thief, ‘Vampire Empire’ combined Lender’s signature style of songwriting and use of metaphors with beautifully disjointed, country-esque guitar playing. Following the alt-country theme leads us to MJ Lenderman, who crafted the hauntingly devastating and poignant ‘She’s Leaving You’ and featured on Waxahatchee’s ‘Right Back To It’. His distinctive singing voice adds emotion to his lyrics, of which feel very personal and blunt, but it is all tied together by the electric guitar. The twang kicks the whole record off and gives the track character in the best way possible.

To end a rap battle victorious is impressive enough, especially when your opponent is as ubiquitous and commercially successful as Drake, but to do so in such a devastating, almost cruel, style makes the entire story like that of a legend. ‘Not Like Us’, the final diss track from Kendrick Lamar to Canadian rapper Drake, was a surprise drop that was released on top of another equally brutal song. In comparison to ‘Meet The Grahams’, ‘Not Like Us’ is made for dancing and being played in social events. The infectious beat that was produced by Mustard almost forces the listener to bop along with it, getting swept up in the current of Kendrick’s lyrical disses.

Fontaines D.C., well known for their poetry-influenced post-punk sound and writing, moved further away from the world of their debut album and their hit single ‘In The Modern World’ proved that. A perfect summary of Romance as a whole, ‘In The Modern World’ is a heartbreaking song that tackles isolation in the digital and modern age and how the relationships we form are affected by the world we live in. It’s a masterpiece of writing from the band that sticks around in your head, giving you much to think about and consider.

Few tracks can balance so much with such clarity, yet Magdalena Bay seem to pull it off with ease on ‘Image’. A perfect song that builds and builds, it holds all the energy that has been created before finally releasing it in a cathartic chorus, climaxing in all the instruments swooping back in and Mica’s vocals perfectly matching the tone and energy. The song, and album as a whole, are unique and ambitious but the duo are fearless in their art and it is in their confidence and creativity that allows for such incredible moments. Their work is seen best in ‘Image’, containing every aspect that makes the group so good, with the bass thundering along in the final chorus that pulls the track together into a release of energy that never, no matter how many times replied, never loses its appeal.

Northern Transmissions Best Songs of 2024

Position 11-66

11. FKA twigs – EUSEXUA
12. Friko – Get Numb To It
13. Christopher Owens – I Think About Heaven
14. Mannequin Pussy – Sometimes
15. Adrianne Lenker – Vampire Empire
16. Charli XCX ft. Lorde – Girl, So Confusing
17. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – “Oh Wow Oh Wow (How Wonderful She Is)
18. Tyla – Water
19. Waxahatchee – Bored
20. Bon Iver – Speyside
21. This Is Loreli – Perfect Hand
22. Soccer Mommy – Driver
23. Jessica Pratt – Life Is
24. The Cure – Alone
25. Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!
26. Squid – Crispy Skin
27. Wilco – Annihilation
28. Vampire Weekend – Gen X Cops
29. Faye Webster – But Not A Kiss
30. Sharon Van Etten and The Attachment Theory – Afterlife
31. Jungle – Let’s Go Back
32. Panda Bear and Cindy Lee – Defense
33. Blondshell and Bully – Docket
34. Beach Bunny – Vertigo
35. Karen O and Danger Mouse – Super Breath
36. Cults – Crybaby
37. Merce Lemon – Backyard Lover
38 Asap Rocky FT – Jessica Pratt
39. Doechii & JT – Alter Ego
40. Beth Gibbons – Floating ON A Moment
41. Ethel Cain – Punish
42. Elias Rønnenfelt – Worm Grew A Spine
43. St Vincent – Broken Man
44. Men I Trust – Husk
45. Christian Lee Hutson – Carousel Horses
46. Nourished by Time – Hell of a Ride
47. Lucius and Adam Granduciel – Old Tape
48. Wishy – Sick Sweet
49. Ducks Ltd. – Train Full Of Gasoline
50. Kim Gordon – Bye Bye
51. Cassandra Jenkins – Clams Casino
52. Wild Pink – The Fences Of Stonehenge
53. Chanel Beads – Embarrassed Dog
54. Clairo – Sexy To Someone
55. Waxahatchee – Right Back To It (featuring MJ Lenderman)
56. Leon Bridges – Sweet Honey
57. Japandroids – Chicago
58. Declan McKenna – Mulholland’s Dinner and Wine
59. Body Meat – High Beams
60. Cameron Winter – $0
61. Justice and Tame Impala – Neverender
62. Urika’s Bedroom – XTC
63. Kassie Krut – Reckless
64. Being Dead – Van Goes
65. Touche Amore – Goodbye For Now (Featuring Julien Baker)
66. The Bug Club – Lonsdale Slip Ons

Northern Transmissions Top Ten Songs Of 2024

10. Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

To end a rap battle victorious is impressive enough, especially when your opponent is as ubiquitous and commercially successful as Drake, but to do so in such a devastating, almost cruel, style makes the entire story like that of a legend. ‘Not Like Us’, the final diss track from Kendrick Lamar to Canadian rapper Drake, was a surprise drop that was released on top of another equally brutal song. In comparison to ‘Meet The Grahams’, ‘Not Like Us’ is made for dancing and being played in social events. The infectious beat that was produced by Mustard almost forces the listener to bop along with it, getting swept up in the current of Kendrick’s lyrical disses.

9. Father John Misty – I guess That’s Why Time Makes Fools Of Us

On Father John Misty’s new LP Mahashmashana, the artist AKA: Josh Tillman blends complexity and beauty into a cohesive, thought-provoking album. Father John Misty crafts a body of work that dances between genres and moods, exploring existentialism, mental health, and the weight of self-awareness with a poetic depth that almost feels absurd.

8. MK.gee – Are You Looking Up

Mk.gee, the creative moniker of New Jersey native Mike Gordon, is stepping into uncharted realms with his new solo material, a body of work that’s been steadily building after he first began to experiment with a new musical direction on 2020’s A Museum of Contradiction. These new songs find Gordon at his most inventive and adventurous, creatively renewed following his crucial contributions as a key member of Dijon’s band on the critically acclaimed 2021 album Absolutely.

7. Fontaines D.C. – Favourite

On Romance, the fourth and most ambitious LP by Dublin-bred quintet Fontaines D.C., the band dedicates itself to building immersive sonic worlds with each song. Fontaines D.C. have always explored the theme of belonging, but with each album, they orbit further and further away from inspecting it through the perspective of their Irish identity. Not only did most of the members move to London years ago, but between ROMANCE and 2022’s Skinty Fia, they also spent personal time abroad elsewhere, Carlos O’Connell in Castilla-La Mancha in Spain, Grian Chatten in Los Angeles, and Conor Deegan in Paris. As the members’ individual experiential horizons expanded, so too did their creative boundaries. Bringing them all back together, ROMANCE draws inspiration from unexpected sources including hip hop, nü-metal, heavy metal, and Akira, along with the band’s more usual literary ones like James Joyce.

6. Nilifür Yanya – Like I Say (I Runaway)

Nilüfer Yanya’s third album, My Method Actor, is a masterful affirmation of her confessional style — returning with lyrical punch and heaving, visceral production. Her thunderous songwriting remains, with more economical guitarwork and vocal priority than her former works. Still, the lo-fi grit of Miss Universe is peppered throughout, fuzzy as ever. In the throes of transition, scattered across insulated sessions with her career-long collaborator, William Archer, these intimate moments were a necessary reprieve to unearth trauma and chart a new course.

5. Geordie Greep – Holy, Holy

After three Critically acclaimed albums with Black Midi, Geordie Greep has become known for his Character driven songwriting, Satirical Humour and Virtuosic Guitar abilities, and those are as honed in and eccentric as ever on this album but maybe not how you would expect. In comparison to his work with Black Midi, this album is more focused on the songs, and aside from your occasional Zappa Esque Instrumental Departure, they are played relatively straight. The eccentric spirit of Greep’s Lyricism is at its most jarring, humorous, and at times absurd in The New Sound.

4. MJ Lenderman – She’s Leaving You

MJ Lenderman’s journey to this point is as important to the album as the music itself. After spending his early twenties balancing his job with self-booked tours and stints with the band Wednesday, the pandemic gave him the time to focus fully on his music. This period of introspection and creative freedom led to the release of Ghost of Your Guitar Solo and the critically acclaimed Boat Songs, setting the stage for Manning Fireworks.

At the heart of Manning Fireworks Lenderman merges a smorgasbord of guitar styles with punchy lyrics. Lenderman’s lyrics are sharp and evocative, as seen in the opening title track. Here, he critiques performative religion within the vivid imagery of a bird caught in a windstorm. Between his poetic song structure and folky instrumentation, it’s hard not to draw comparisons to Bob Dylan or Neil Young.

3. Cindy Lee – Kingdom Come

At its essence, Cindy Lee’s “Diamond Jubilee” is an enigmatic mosaic, blending influences from across the musical spectrum into a seamless continuum of sonic exploration. Attempting to confine it within the constraints of a single genre or era would be a futile endeavor, akin to trying to capture a fleeting dream in the palm of your hand. Instead, its magic lies in its fluidity, inviting listeners to immerse themselves fully in its landscape.

The emerges as a mesmerizing odyssey into the depths of ethereal melancholy, crafted with such exquisite mastery that it transcends mere music, resembling instead a timeless reverie. From the initial chords to the fading echoes of the final track, it ensnares the listener in a haunting embrace, weaving a tapestry of sound that defies conventional categorization.

2. Diiv – Raining On Your Pillow

An Oshin-era guitar part leads the way on “Raining On Your Pillow,” with Ben Newman’s signature floor tom drum pattern following suit. Tape samples wash and waver along with the song and provide an oddly comforting uncertainty that keeps you engaged throughout the song. Title track and fourth single “Frog in Boiling Water” features a similarly familiar guitar part, reminiscent of early DIIV or The Cure. Lyrically, it’s a very pointed look at what the uncertainty, confusion and distrust of pandemic life was like. In my opinion, this song features some of the most densely intelligent DIIV lyrics to date.

1. Magdalena Bay – Image

For years, indie pop duo Matthew Lewin and Mica Tenenbaum have been writing music hyper specific to and in conversation with the internet — fizzy backing tracks, a throw-everything-at-the-wall aesthetic in their artsy, DIY music videos where they play most characters, and solid synthpop where Tenenbaum’s high voice and vocal performance could stand out on any Spotify playlist or H&M fitting room. Their 2021 debut, Mercurial World, was a smorgasbord of styles and sounds and their sophomore album, Imaginal Disk, extends their avant-garde pop and stylistic focus.

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