With 2024 coming to a close, Halftime Leisure has compiled a list of our picks for the best albums of the year. From Fontaines D.C.’s rock ‘n’ roll realness in Romance to the Americana influences in British singer-songwriter ZAYN’s ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS to the multifaceted pop of Charli xcx’s BRAT and Ariana Grande’s eternal sunshine, we have something for everyone. Clairo’s self-released Charm shines a spotlight on both indie and alternative releases, and the transformative power of a deft hand in songwriting.
COWBOY CARTER – Beyoncé
There is little praise that hasn’t already been given to the sonic mastery that is COWBOY CARTER. Upon first listen, many fans, including myself, immediately lauded the record as the magnum opus atop Beyoncé’s extensive 27-year-long career, having outdone herself time and time again—and that’s for good reason. The album feels like a tenderly penned letter to country music, drawing the listener back to the Black roots of the genre. Throughout COWBOY CARTER, Beyoncé takes delicate care in paying homage to the long legacy of country and its many practitioners through a carefully curated list of features and well-placed samples in the project. In the months following COWBOY CARTER’s release, the album broke records, started a wave of country-pop resurgence, and most recently, landed the greatest number of Grammy nominations in history. More than anything, this album cemented Beyoncé’s legacy as not only an iconic artist, but also a devout student of the very art of music. On top of showcasing Beyoncé’s vocal prowess, COWBOY CARTER is more than just a slapped-together collection of songs. Instead, it is a living, breathing archive of the past, present, and potential future of country music. Within the context of the larger three-act project kicked off by Renaissance (2022), Cowboy Carter feels like the tender embrace following its predecessor’s call for self-liberation. Altogether, this album is a sonic, narrative, and artistic wonder that has only continued to grow on me in the months since its release.
ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS – ZAYN
ZAYN’s switch from mainstream pop to the folksy, country-inspired sounds of ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS may come as a surprise for those who still see him as an extension of One Direction. However, longtime listeners, particularly those who paid attention to the lullaby-esque songs in his last album ironically titled Nobody Is Listening (2021), are not likely to be shocked. With a musical oeuvre of impressive genre-melding tracks that expertly blend pop, R&B, and even a bit of soul, ZAYN’s greatest asset has always been his voice, which is why his shift to stripped-down acoustics works so well: his vocals are able to take center stage. Even when his talent wasn’t quite as refined during his X Factor (2004–2018) days, he always has been a vocalist first and foremost, displaying an innate ability that others may only ever dream of developing. The laid-back instrumentals on this album allow ZAYN to truly shine and explore a vulnerability that might have been shrouded under the confines of any other genre. Embellished with his signature riffs and runs, ROOM UNDER THE STAIRS feels exactly like the passion project it is meant to be. The rural nature of his long-time Pennsylvania refuge is brought forth beautifully, creating a compelling and contemplative record. — Sagun Shrestha
eternal sunshine – Ariana Grande
No one thought Ariana Grande would release new music this year—least of all her. Wickedly, it’s thanks to a combination of public resentment towards Grande and a brief moratorium on Wicked’s (2024) film production that we were graced with the “true story about all the lies” that is eternal sunshine. Following a public divorce, highly publicized accusations of home-wrecking, and the onset of a healing romance, Grande uses eternal sunshine as an outlet to lay bare everything she wishes to say to fans and foes alike. Grande draws inspiration from elements of house and ’80s synth to tell the story of this chapter in her life, from her initial fury at her defamation to provocative disregard of the public’s narrative. The track “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” encapsulates the project’s core essence, detailing Grande’s yearning for public approval, only to be met with unwavering criticism and unachievable standards. Although she ultimately resolves to “sit in silence” with her truth, Grande also fires back at critics, asking frankly, “Why do you care so much whose – I ride?” in her vibrantly apathetic initial single “yes, and?” Grande’s eternal sunshine masterfully depicts the balance she has found when it comes to protecting her peace and tastefully putting critics in their place. — Karcin Hagi
BRAT – Charli xcx
Having crashed onto the scene with the force of a (lime-green) tidal wave, BRAT represents a monumental moment for Charli xcx—a mainstream breakthrough in the second decade of her career. To many, singles suffused with Charli’s infectious brashness like “360” and “Von dutch” supplied the hyperpop soundtrack to their nightclub and dive bar escapades. Underneath BRAT’s surface, however, is a project rooted in Charli’s ruminations on the pop industry and her place within it. Scored by intense yet mesmerizing synthesizers, “Sympathy is a knife” explores her pervasive insecurity and self-doubt when comparing herself to her peers. Weighty lyricism continues in “Girl, so confusing,” a track with dual meanings: it is both a frustrated message to fellow pop star Lorde and a broader reflection on the industry’s unrealistic expectation for female artists to be best friends and fierce competitors simultaneously. Whereas most albums would falter under the dueling themes of decadence and emotional vulnerability, Charli embraces these clashing subjects to stellar effect. Through auto-tuned vocals and electronic drum beats, she has emboldened a generation of listeners to just be “brat.” Or, for the uninitiated, allow yourself to smoke, drink, sob, and rage, but most of all, to have hedonistic fun. — Zachary Warren
Charm – Clairo
I met Charm in July, but I carried it with me into the fall. It watched, gently, as love turned into habit, then memory, then nothing at all. To Claire Cottrill, Charm is that first electric haze—when the story is still half told and possibilities hang unspent, static in the air. It’s this delicate moment that she and new collaborator Leon Michels render into sound in her third studio album. Charm presents Cottrill at her most craft-conscious; it feels both studied and startlingly intimate. It is also, if nothing else, deliberate. Negative space is used with a deft hand, and the instrumentation moves like summer heat, mingling with her voice until it’s not quite clear where one ends and the other begins. Cottrill writes about love without needing to name it; what emerges, both lyrically and sonically, is a series of quiet revelations. Love is the footprint left in the snow, the catch in your breath, or a scent in the breeze from far upwind. It’s infatuation. It’s patterns, looped in and around themselves, knotted like twine in the pit of your stomach as the understanding forms: some feelings aren’t meant to last forever. They’re meant to teach you how to let go. — Tina Solki
Romance – Fontaines D.C.
In a world where rock bands no longer dominate the mainstream, Fontaines D.C. has crafted an album that could make even the most dedicated pop fan care about rock ‘n’ roll. Fontaines D.C.’s latest album, Romance, is brimming with variety. On the album, the band reflects on complex themes of anxiety, emotional detachment, and desire, with a deeply honest, chaos-driven sound that draws you into their meticulously crafted world of moody, rock excellence. Whether it be gritty, punk-inspired fits of passion (“Starburster,” “Death Kink”), drearily longing laments (“Romance,” “Desire”), or infectious bursts of energy (“Here’s the Thing,” “Favorite”), the Irish rockers are not holding back. Far from the sterility of painstakingly perfected radio hits, Romance not only accepts the inevitability of roughness and chaos, but champions it. In this embrace of imperfection, the unfiltered artistic brilliance of Fontaines D.C. shines through. Above all else, Romance is a testament to the enduring spirit and unrelenting creativity of rock ‘n’ roll. — Elizabeth Adler
Memoir of a Sparklemuffin – Suki Waterhouse
Suki Waterhouse’s sophomore album is her most lengthy, whimsical, and extravagant project to date. The epitome of range, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin marries sounds reminiscent of grunge-pop, which would’ve done numbers on 2014 Tumblr, and ballad melodies that harken back to old-Hollywood glitz and glamor. The soundscape that Waterhouse curates is lush, magical, and hypnotizing, and she pens honest and punchy lyrics to accompany it. On “Lawsuit,” she has nothing left to say to a foe other than “You kinda let the whole world down.” The atmosphere shifts towards a playful air on more animated tracks like pre-release single “My Fun” and a feisty track three, “Blackout Drunk,” with the hook “When you’re a b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-blackout drunk” making for an earworm of a chorus. Central to Waterhouse’s identity is her ability to do it all; while the artist has previously been slighted in the public eye for dabbling in various professions, she reclaims all of them by declaring her nonchalance—“Call me a model, an actress, whatever”—on the aptly named breakout track bearing those exact three titles. While Waterhouse may not care for another label under her belt, we’re certainly crowning her the next indie it girl. — Eileen Chen
