The beauty of female art and expression is that it rarely conveys only one thought or emotion, and there are many angles from which to admire it. The same is true for much of the music women have created this year. In 2024, female musicians continued to break free of societal expectations and standards, using their artistic voices to reach audiences far and wide through recorded music.
It would be impossible to choose just one definitive album of 2024, so here are four of the albums that have shaped and sculpted my life this year. To me, these four albums reflect the culture, trends, atmosphere and heart of 2024.
“Charm” by Clairo
Clairo’s third studio album, “Charm,” sees her reaching new artistic depths as a musician. She breaks further away from her bedroom-pop origins to explore a whimsically golden, 70s-inspired sound that is sweeping and captivating. The record is enhanced by its creative arrangements, enveloped in warmth and colored by instrumentals including the mellotron, piano and flute. Lyrically, this album is about yearning for fleeting romantic gestures, savoring moments with a lover and finding confidence through loving and being loved. This record has a uniquely nostalgic sound, which encourages listeners to meditate and groove throughout its 38-minute span.
“Charm” explores new levels of lyrical maturity for Clairo; against these new sounds, she writes with a newfound sense of confidence. “Juna” embodies the coy flirtiness of new relationships, basking in a feminine glow that comes with feeling desired and truly known by another person. “Echo” is a dreamy song with hypnotic instrumentals reminiscent of ‘90s indie band Broadcast. Other tracks, such as “Nomad” and “Add Up My Love” perfectly capture the feeling of cruising with the windows down on a summer evening with the wind in your hair and the sunset coloring the sky. This album can best be described as a luscious sonic expression of those feelings of loveliness we spend our time searching for.
“Older (and Wiser)” by Lizzy McAlpine
On singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine’s “Older (and Wiser),” she showcases her ability to convey the emotional ups and downs of romantic relationships through the storytelling nature of her writing. Some songs on the record are instrumentally simple, while others build in mesmerizing intensity. The record has themes of first loves, breakups and losing oneself within the rollercoaster of romantic connections. The songs explore the way relationships shape and stunt the process of finding one’s identity.
A standout track on this record is “Vortex,” in which McAlpine goes through a whirlwind of emotions to grapple with accepting the idea that moving on from heartbreak is a long, nonlinear process. Other tracks, such as “Come Down Soon” and “Like It Tends to Do” convey a pattern of McAlpine letting herself fall in love again, only for her expectations to be ultimately let down. Throughout the album, McAlpine repeats this cycle of falling in love, having her heart broken, struggling to let go, going back to an ex-lover and learning new lessons as she repeats it all over again.
“Brat” by Charli XCX
Charli XCX’s “Brat” grew beyond its musical confines into an online cultural phenomenon and moment in pop culture, influencing summer trends of the year. While undoubtedly the soundtrack to many late nights and loud parties, the record is much more than just a fickle ode to partying with reckless abandon; in its entirety, it encapsulates the intricacy of female friendships, fear of aging, grappling with success, self doubt and faking confidence in the public eye.
Throughout the album, it becomes clear that Charli’s carefree party girl persona is a mask which hides her insecurities. “I think about it all the time” examines her conflicting feelings regarding possible motherhood, as well as the consequences having a child could have on her career. “Girl, so confusing,” is about the complexities of female friendship and how women tend to overthink how they are perceived by their peers. On the whole, this record is the honest narrative of an imperfect woman with much more character depth than just a love for partying.
“Bright Future” by Adrianne Lenker
Tender and vulnerable, Big Thief frontwoman Adrianne Lenker’s “Bright Future” strikes the familiar chords of intimate, open-hearted songwriting she exceptionally excels at. This album touches upon themes of growing pains, yearning and despair, all tinged with persistent hope. It is written poetically against sparse instrumentals and recorded in singular takes in a studio hidden away in the woods, and the songs capture the contents of Lenker’s heart and soul. Her writing is at times extremely personal, but in a way that touches delicately upon universal feelings. The simple instrumentation allows Lenker’s songwriting to be earnestly absorbed by the hearts of listeners.
This record displays moments of unmistakable joy, as well as overwhelming gratitude. Lenker knows, as many of us do, that joy never exists without grief and heartache. The vulnerability of the album’s opening track, “Real House,” reflects on her anguished longing for a real sense of home, effectively cracking open the heart of the listener and setting the stage for the rest of the album to patch it shakily back together. After the emotional wreckage the opening track provides, listeners are met with the jubilant tone of more hopeful songs, interspersed with moments of heartbreak. “Sadness As a Gift” expresses exactly what its title suggests, encouraging the acceptance of pain and sorrow even when it feels “too heavy to hold.” “No Machine” and “Free Treasure” convey a profound sense of gratitude for love and companionship. The record is a heartfelt, candid expression of human emotion, invoking all those feelings within its listeners.
Although there are various other records I could have highlighted here, these four are the ones that captivated me the most and had me listening again and again. They gave me just what I needed this year, drawing me in and immersing me in the alluring worlds they created.
