The 100 Best Songs of 2024
Brand new American songbook entries, unhinged crashout ragers and meticulously arranged electronic music took this year's top spots
Note From The Editor
I have been looping these songs on the same Spotify playlist all year long and now my only hope is that your final days of 2024 are these tracks on repeat. Maybe it’ll even affect your Spotify Wrapped next year, maybe you’ll have an “Indie Sleaze AntiArt Pop” February, who knows.
This is definitely one of the bigger years for both mainstream and niche releases, so I’m excited to give you a look into the sounds that I’ve been obsessed with for the last 12 months.
Sincerely,
Ryan ANTIART
(Look out for some of my own singles from my band Sacred dropping in early 2025.)
Songs 100-11
SILLY HONORABLE MENTION: BIG JUSTICE & AJ, “WE BRING THE BOOM”
Raissa / Rahim Redcar, “No Genius”
Headless / The Life, “Lover’s Talk”
El Cousteau / Earl Sweatshirt, “Words2LiveBy”
voyeur, “Velvet”
A.G. Cook, “Lucifer”
Two Shell, “Everybody Worldwide”
Somewhere Special, “Secret”
Liam Benzvi / Blood Orange, “Other Guys”
KAYTRANADA / PinkPantheress, “Snap My Fingers”
Shallowhalo / Swordes, “You Are My Religion Now”
Sunflower Bean, “Shake”
TV Girl / George Clanton, “Summer 2000 Baby”
Nia Archives, “Forbidden Feelingz”
Taraneh, “Prophet”
fantasy of a broken heart, “AFV”
Bon Iver, “S P E Y S I D E”
Charlotte Day Wilson, “My Way”
Joey Valence & Brae / Ayesha Erotica, “THE BADDEST (BADDER)”
Slater, “FM Thoughts”
Jamie xx / Honey Dijon, Baddy On The Floor”
Sofia D’Angelo, “Jane Goodall”
A$AP Rocky / Jessica Pratt, “HIGHJACK”
Navy Blue, “Slow”
NLE Choppa, “SLUT ME OUT 2”
Billie Eilish, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
The Hellp, “Colorado”
Ethel Cain, “Punish”
Yeat, “GEEK TIME”
Fat White Family, “Bullet of Dignity”
Cash Cobain / Bay Swag, “Fisherr”
Jessica Pratt, “Life Is”
Brutalismus 3000, “9mm”
LCD Soundsystem, “x-ray eyes”
Erika De Casier, “Lucky”
The Weeknd / Playboi Carti, “Timeless”
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE, “LET THE VIRGIN DRIVE”
Arca / Tokischa, “Chama”
Mannequin Pussy, “I Got Heaven”
Denzel Curry / TiaCorine / A$AP Ferg, “HOT ONE”
LEYA, “Corners”
Caribou, “Honey”
Fckers, “Tommy”
CHRIST DILLINGER / Ayesha Erotica, “She Got A Sugar Daddy”
Justice, “Incognito”
vampireluvr, “Proof”
Yaeji, “booboo”
Schwefelgelb, “IO”
Nilufer Yanya, “Method Actor”
Adrianne Lenker, “Sadness As A Gift”
Floating Points, “Key103 [a56 edit]”
Zach Bryan, “Pink Skies”
FKA twigs / Koreless, “Drums of Death”
FJAAK, “Mechanic Love - Kitten & The Hacker Remix
Xiu Xiu, “Common Loon”
Jordana / Paul Cherry, “My Idol”
The Smile, “Zero Sum”
Tinashe, “Nasty”
Kareem Rahma / Tiny Gun, “Baby I Could Never Win”
Chanel Beads, “Police Scanner”
Fontaines D.C., “Starburster”
Caroline Polachek, “Spring Is Coming With A Strawberry In The Mouth”
LAZER DIM 700, “tony dim”
Kim Gordon, “The Candy House”
Tommy Richman, “DEVIL IS A LIE”
Wisp, “Pandora”
Who’s Who, “Ulterior Motives”
Mach-Hommy / KAYTRANADA / 03 Greedo, “#RICHAXXHAITIAN”
Playboi Carti, “ALL RED”
Johnny Blue Skies (a.k.a. Sturgill Simpson), “If The Sun Never Rises Again”
Geordie Greep, “Holy Holy”
Bassvictim, “Air On a G String”
Doechii, “NISSAN ALTIMA”
Helado Negro, “Best For You and Me”
Vince Staples, “Little Homies”
Porter Robinson, “Cheerleader”
Father John Misty, “Mashashmashana”
Sabrina Carpenter, “Please Please Please”
Curses, “Another Heaven”
George Daniel, “Screen Cleaner”
Lip Critic, “It’s The Magic”
SahBabii, “Viking”
Snow Strippers, “So What If I’m A Freak”
HiTech, “SPANK!”
Fabiana Palladino, “I Can’t Dream Anymore”
Clairo, “Sexy To Someone”
The Last Dinner Party, “Nothing Matters”
JPEGMAFIA, “Exmilitary”
Bladee / Yung Lean, “I DON’T LIKE PEOPLE”
Future / Metro Boomin / Kendrick Lamar, “Like That”
Vampire Weekend, “Ice Cream Piano”
The Top 10
Knocked Loose / Poppy, “Suffocate”
“Suffocate” is a technical marvel of hardcore music, ripping full speed ahead without a care for a damn thing in the world. It is without a shred of a doubt the very best collaborative track of 2024, combining a newly energized Poppy with hardcore veterans Knocked Loose for a track that feels like living in constant fear, dread and guilt.
Kelly Lee Owens, “Dreamstate”
This year was definitely all about the shorter tracks that fit well on playlists, but as a millennial-Gen-Z cusper, I still have a soft spot for longer and more conceptual cuts. The title-track to Kelly Lee Owen’s excellent new record under dh2 captures everything I love about her new direction in one six-minute package. Dreamy vocals, pumping rhythms that build on themselves, and an ethereal vibe that cannot be matched. It truly is what it's titled — a dreamstate.
2hollis, “trauma”
THIS SONG FUCKING SLAPS 2HOLLIS IS TAPPING INTO SOME CRAZY SHIT THAT THE NORMIES JUST CANNOT FATHOM THIS IS GOD-TIER ELECTRONIC RAP MUSIC OR WHATEVER THIS IS LABELED, END OF STORY.
Safe Mind, “6’ Foot Pole”
Cooper B. Handy, the hardest working man in DIY music besides Lil B, had a busy year to say the least. He’s dropped two solid full length releases and plenty of interesting collaborations with members of SURF GANG. The crowning achievement of this run was his first single under the moniker Safemind (a new band he formed with Augustus Muller of Boy Harsher), entitled “6’ Pole”. It’s a fun, catchy-as-hell slice of ‘80s pop with a slightly dark edge to it. The melodies — vocal and instrumental — are unstoppable and move in lockstep. Handy’s ever-strange stream-of-consciousness style matches with this beat that reminds me equally of The Human League and Bloodhound Gang. Idk this song is just special, a must listen.
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Psst, I see dead people.
Truly nothing was more satisfying this year than watching the downfall of Drake in real time. Lots of great digs at him came through two separate Future albums, Metro Boomin’s “BBL Drizzy” and of course, the Kendrick loosies that I collectively like to call THE HATE EP. The very best and most enduring cut to come out of all this was of course, “Not Like Us”. It’s not just the most well-executed diss track of all time, it’s also a legitimately great song in the greater rap pantheon. When the fuck is the last time you heard a mainstream rap song where you get three verses and an outro chant? And it stays engaging from start to finish? Lyrically, he’s essentially just recapping the Twitter discourse about Drake (a.k.a. “what the culture feeling”), maybe nothing special on the surface. But like Drake did by turning the age old adage “you only live once” in “YOLO”, Kendrick turned the Drake’s well-known past of questionable interactions with minors and affiliations with sussy Bakas into a summer smash. Dare I say — thee summer smash? Just the idea of him swapping places with Drake commercially by dissing him repeatedly is one of the coolest cultural things that’s happened in my lifetime. At the core of it, that’s really what ANTIART has always been about — putting the best and most daring artists in the highest charting positions and clearing out the lazy pop acts.
Charli xcx, “365”
Ok, I struggled deeply trying to figure which of Charli’s many everlasting bangers to put in this position. The question I really had to answer in order to get it down to just one was — which is the most brat? And ultimately, the line “should we do a little key, should we have a little line?” won me over — “365” is the M.O.A.B. (mother of all brats.) Even the remix with Shygirl was amazing. You’ve probably heard this song a million times and don’t need me to tell you why it slaps, it just does. It’s in your face, excellently produced, loops right back into the opener “360”, but also stands on it’s own as one of her very best songs ever. It kind of feels like the ultimate embodiment of her post-Crash ethos, saying what she wants and sounding however she wants and still reaching the highest commercial highs.
Mk.gee, “Are You Looking Up”
Ok, I keep talking about commercial singles and you might be thinking, “THIS LEFTIST LOVES MONEY”. But make no mistake, independent music also had a hell of year and I will not be forgetting about it. Mk.gee’s “Are You Looking Up” is the sound of one man with a guitar and dream. With a simple set of tools at his disposal, one of the year’s most unforgettable choruses has a forever home. I found myself walking around singing “SO WHY YOU LOOKING ARE YOU ASKIN’ WHY-HIII, ‘CUZ IF YOU WANNA GO, THEN BABY GO WIIIIILD” nearly every day since this song dropped, and I will continue to do so into 2025. This is the star-making highlight of his record Two Star & The Dream Police — just the most prominent and exciting piece of a captivating puzzle. Also, how did bro make it to SNL so quick? Kid’s a beast!
Magdalena Bay, “Image”
Magdalena Bay are a duo that really knows how to make singles that are catchy and artful in a way that only they could do. Just as well, they know how make it a small pixel of a larger, full-length album, picture. “Image” is all about perception — what are our perceptions, how do we change them, and who made us look the way we do? Is it God? It’s a hypnotic track that is almost free from pretense. Sure, it’s conceptual and part of a large body of work, but it’s jammy and lyrically abstract in a way that a lot of modern pop never quite gets to be. It reminds me of what Kero Kero Bonito did so well on their pandemic era record Civilisation but condensed into track.
Chappell Roan, “Good Luck, Babe!”
2024 was the year that the entire world got introduced to a brand new star — Kayleigh Rose Amstutz — otherwise known as Chappell Roan. And contrary to popular belief, “Good Luck, Babe!” is not just a throwback jam. It’s the blueprint for how to take the solid frameworks of the ‘80s, notably Kate Bush at her poppiest, and translate them to the modern era. The song has the instant classic sensibilities of Bush’s most well-known songs like “Running Up That Hill”, but definitely could only be made in 2024. It’s a song about flexing on your ex, who’s probably miserable in bed with their current beau watching you win on TV or their laptop. It’s relatable in that way, but never crosses the line into bitterness or fourth-wall breaking like a lot of the worst pop of the TikTok era does (It never does the “Um…well…haha…I never liked you anyway…YEEEEEEEAAAHHHHHH”, type of bullshit.) The verses and choruses melt into one another with ease, so much that I forget about the structure, which is rare for the modern era. It’s just one of the those singular high-charting singles that defines a decade and will influence pop acts for years to come.
Nourished by Time, “Hell of a Ride”
I could’ve given this spot to Charli xcx, Chappell Roan, Kendrick Lamar or Future if I wanted to simply consider Billboard charting or “cUlTuRaL iMpACt”. However, I believe it’s my duty as a music journalist to push past all the noise of the crowd and pick the very best song of the year, one that I guarantee will outlast the ephemeral times that we find ourselves in. Nourished By Time (real name Marcus Brown) is by far one of the most talented songwriters of his generation. He is so effortlessly able to capture Americana and the current condition in a way that only a DIY artist could. I mean let’s just take a look at some what the things he says: “Still call my ex girl when I go half crazy”, “Children stuck in the matrix…young breathin’ in them toxins”, “Goodbye, baby, goodbye, to the red, blue and even the white, I don’t know why it never felt like mine”. He puts into words what is difficult to articulate but plain to see. His last record Erotic Probiotic 2 tapped into this modern American acceptance that everything we know is ending. I personally think “Hell of a Ride” does an even better job at this than any song on the previous record, and I fucking loved Erotic Probiotic 2. A Skibidi Toilet and Prime-addicted iPad child might’ve called this song “We’re Cooked”, but the sentiment is the same.
That’s all without even commenting on the technical aspects of the cut, or how it sounds. Without acknowledging how well he’s been able to incorporate guitars into his dreamy R&B style, or how the production on this track is nothing less than perfect. It’s got great vocal and instrumental performances, really detailed mixing (those pianos hit), and a nice heavy master that makes the track feel huge. Even the cover and color scheme of the EP this is featured on is on point. You really gotta celebrate when everything just comes together in symphony. And that’s what this track is, to me at least. A symphony of tangible emotions and superb sound craft conducted by killer songwriting.
I’m not gonna say it, but you know what I gotta say.