#new music 2024 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

newmusickarl · 3 months

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New Year, New Music - Welcome to 2024!

2024 is here and we have been spoilt with an avalanche of great new albums and tracks already in January. From early Album of the Year shouts to month-defining grooves, as ever I’ve tried to cover as much as possible.

Of course, some of the month’s biggest releases will be covered in the upcoming new episode of the 5-9 Album of the Month Podcast. For those new here, this is where I take a seat alongside 5-9 Editor Andrew Belt and Check This Out’s Kiley Larsen to review five high profile album releases from the past month in music, and ultimately name one as our Album of the Month at the end of the discussion.

For our first episode of 2024, the five albums we will be discussing are:

Sadness Sets Me Free by Gruff Rhys (poll winner, thanks for voting!)

Big Sigh by Marika Hackman

MADRA by NewDad

Wall of Eyes by The Smile

Three Bells by Ty Segall

If you want to listen to this or any previous episodes on Spotify simply click the link below, but also be sure to follow 5-9 Blog on Instagram and Twitter for more news and polls relating to the podcast, along with other great content like film reviews, sports articles and more.

Listen to the 2023 Album of the Year special episode here

Album & EP Recommendations

Prelude To Ecstasy by The Last Dinner Party

Hype. Hype. Hype.

It’s funny, in recent memory anything that has been overhyped musically hasn’t really landed with me. Rock duo Wet Leg were being billed as a revelation and the best thing since sliced bread, but what I found was a very average band making, to me, overly repetitive music. Supergroup trio Boygenius were then one of my most anticipated records of last year, going on to receive universal acclaim as the best album of 2023. Sadly, I thought it was a good rather than great album and, in the end, it didn’t even make my Top 50 for the year. It seems over-expectation can be a curse and if there’s one band carrying that with them right now, it’s London-based quintet The Last Dinner Party.

In just three years, The Last Dinner Party have gone from forming to being signed to Island Records, to then playing talk shows around the globe and winning both the Brits Rising Star award and the BBC’s Sound of 2024 poll. Such is their meteoric rise to fame, there is constant talk of them being an “industry plant” – which of course is all absolute rubbish. But this type of extreme hype, scrutiny and expectation would be too much for any band right now to live up to – except The Last Dinner Party.

The singles in the build-up to this, the release of their debut album Prelude to Ecstasy, made it obviously clear that The Last Dinner Party were well worthy of all the attention they were receiving. Art-rock and baroque pop bangers packed with jaw-dropping vocals, scintillating guitar riffs, poetic lyrics rooted in feminism and, of course, their own captivating energy. So, I went into this album expecting greatness and I’m incredibly pleased to say, that is exactly what I found. Make no bones about it – Prelude To Ecstasy is a generational debut album that is truly exceptional in every way.

From the moment the grand orchestration of the opening title track greets your ears, you are pulled into Last Dinner Party’s stylish, richly-textured world. Burn Alive then cranks things up several gears, with singles Caesar on a TV Screen and On Your Side also carrying the momentum. Beautiful Boy is then a real standout, a gorgeous ballad about male privilege split into two parts that closes out a strong first half.

But as the album title would suggest, the first half is merely the build towards the triumphant grand finale and the stretch of six songs that make up the second half is a truly glorious crescendo. From the dramatic transition from Gjuha into Sinner, the towering guitars of Portrait of a Dead Girl and then the fist-in-the-air elation of the anthemic Nothing Matters, it pushes the album into masterclass territory. Closing track Mirror then brings everything full circle, pulling together all the elements that have made the previous 11 tracks so utterly engaging and life-affirming.

This debut from The Last Dinner Party really feels like a moment for British music, with the only thing I feel it is akin to is that of the Arctic Monkeys some 20 years ago, or Oasis another decade before that. Like it or not, The Last Dinner Party are the future of British rock music and they’ve made one hell of a statement as to why they are the chosen ones. So, stop with the industry plant nonsense and just give them and this album all the praise in the world – they deserve it.

Listen here

Saviors by Green Day

Let me start by saying that pop-punk legends Green Day were one of my first musical loves. As a teenager I discovered them through their “Best of” compilation International Superhits, before then diving through the rest of their catalogue. Then when their political rock opera American Idiot came out, that changed everything – to my teenage self along with my close groups of friends, it was a lightning bolt. So much so, our parents hired a van to take us down to Milton Keynes Bowl to see them in the Summer of 2005 – my first ever live show and still to this day, one of the best.

Sadly though like all first loves, Green Day kind of came and went. Follow-up album 21st Century Breakdown had its moments but ultimately didn’t hit quite like its predecessor and by the time triple album ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tre! dropped, I was over them altogether. However, I have still kept tabs on them since, dipping into each new record as it has come along but not getting particularly moved by what I have found. But when I read some reviews for Saviors and the record being described as “a return to form” and “their best since American Idiot”, I had to dive in to see if this was true. Whilst by no means on the level of their earlier work, I’m pleased to say that both those statements were indeed true.

If like me Green Day are prone to give you a nostalgia hit, then there will be plenty to enjoy with Saviors. The opening run of songs is particularly good fun, with opener The American Dream Is Killing Me playing out like a lost cut from American Idiot before Look Ma, No Brains! delivers a rip-roaring slice of punk. The next group of tracks are then the best on the whole record, from the angsty waltz of Bobby Sox to the rifftastic One Eyed Bastard, through to the melancholic rock of Dilemma and the nostalgia-soaked sounds of 1981. Honestly, I’m as surprised as you that Green Day could sound this good in 2024.

That said, at 15 tracks long the album does lose a bit of momentum around the midway mark, with the trio continuing to walk well-trodden ground but to less effect. However, they do pull it back somewhat in the final stretch, with the short, sharp and punchy Living in the ‘20s, the anthemic title track and the bluesy Fancy Sauce.

By no means perfect, it’s still great to hear Green Day deliver a solid effort again after all this time. With plenty of enjoyable moments, lots of fun riffs and a warm fuzzy feeling of nostalgia, this was January’s big surprise package for me, and one I was happy to receive.

Listen here

Letter To Self by Sprints

What was it I was saying earlier about hype?

One of the most talked about albums of the month, you couldn’t escape the buzz around this debut from Dublin-based, garage-punk outfit Sprints. With near universal acclaim and more than a few “early Album of the Year contender” shouts from the music press, I went into this one with a heap of expectation. Like a lot of records hyped up to the moon over the last few years, it was another that left me lukewarm on the first couple of plays. However, with the expectation then removed, I eventually started to see this Sprints record for what it is – a decent, albeit not groundbreaking, debut from a promising young band.

Everything that’s great about Sprints is served up in opening track Ticking, with Karla Chubb’s angsty howls and ominous guitar play the quartet’s driving force. From there it is pretty much more of the same with the band propelled by a relentless energy that lands their songs somewhere between The Mysterines and their Irish compatriots in Fontaines D.C. and The Murder Capital. However, when they breakaway from their core sound that’s where the highlights come for me, such as the whirring acoustic strums of Shaking Their Hands and the poetic rhythms of Literary Mind.

With a frantic pace and a runtime of just over 30 minutes, it’s a record that is over before you know it and, given time, leaves you wanting to return back to hear it again. An album I’m sure will hit hard in a live setting, whilst I don’t love this record like I know some fans and critics do, it has left me keen to see where the quartet go next.

Listen here

Iechyd Da by Bill Ryder Jones

Another record that hasn’t been short on praise this month has been the fifth solo album from Bill Ryder-Jones. Like his previous work, this is another album that leaves me slightly conflicted, as there are indeed moments of outstanding beauty scattered within, but there are also moments which can tend to drag. That said, whilst it hasn’t completely won me over, I can more than see why many have been fully captured by it, with beautiful songs like the string-tinged If Tomorrow Starts Without Me, the soaring slow march of This Can’t Go On and the radiant majesty of Thankfully for Anthony.

At times a towering work of genius and at others simply stuck in the mud, the positives ultimately outweigh the negatives and when Iechyd Da hits, it hits harder than anything released this year thus far.

Listen here

American Dream by 21 Savage

Enjoyable rap records have sadly become a bit of rarity in recent years, but thankfully January has already gifted me two that I have had fun spinning. First-up is the third album from British-American rapper 21 Savage, who has delivered a captivating new autobiographical project that coincides with an upcoming biopic starring Donald Glover and Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin. With guest appearances from the likes of Doja Cat, Travis Scott and Metro Boomin, Savage tells his tale as only he can, with honesty and clarity. There’s plenty of highlights too such as The Shining-inspired single redrum, the ominous strum of trap-groove pop ur shit and soulful closing track dark days.

Listen here

All Is Yellow by Lyrical Lemonade

A project that has been met with a universal shrug of “meh” by music critics, this compilation from Cole Bennett, director and founder of Lyrical Lemonade, I actually found to be quite fun. With a superstar guestlist including Eminem, Kid Cudi, Dave, Denzel Curry, Jack Harlow and more, it’s not a groundbreaking hip-hop project by any means, but it is an enjoyable listen on an entirely superficial level. Highlights include the dreamy and melodic Gus Dapperton, Lil Yachty & Joey Bada$$ collaboration Fallout and the Blink-182 sampling Hello There. This album won’t shake you to your core but if you simply want a non-taxing hip-hop record, you can do much worse than this one.

Listen here

People Who Aren’t There Anymore by Future Islands

One of my most anticipated records of the year thus far, Baltimore synth-pop outfit Future Islands served up their incredible seventh studio album, People Who Aren’t There Anymore, and I’m pleased to say it delivered on its early promise. Playing out almost like a greatest hits record at times, the more I spin it the more I think its quickly becoming my favourite record of theirs – which given their discography is saying something! Here’s what I said in my review for Clash:

“Whilst ‘People Who Aren’t There Anymore’ ultimately isn’t an album that breaks the Future Islands mould, it’s hard to hold that against them. This is their sound, and they prove here they can still do it better than any of their peers. And whilst the sonic evolution from their previous work may only be subtle shifts, the biggest change comes with the band leaning on personal stories this time around rather than more observational lyricism. Most importantly though Future Islands’ fans will find plenty to love with this album, with some of the songs here already instant favourites and others feeling like some of the best, most fully realised of their career thus far.”

Read my full review for Clash Magazine here

Listen to the album here

Birth of Omni by Birthmark

Quite fittingly, my first review of 2024 was a new project from one of the artists who made the standout record of my 2023. Indeed, the last time I was sat writing about Nate Kinsella’s musical output was only last month - when I was naming his album Lies, created alongside his cousin and American Football bandmate, Mike Kinsella, my Album of the Year for 2023.

Now back with his fifth solo album under his Birthmark guise, Nate has delivered yet another sonically adventurous record - one that primarily explores and reflects on his journey into fatherhood. Here’s what I said in my review for 5-9:

“Much like his recent work as LIES, Birth of Omni is a playful yet challenging listen - one that requires attention and patience in order for its full splendour to be revealed. But granted time, you may just find yourself mesmerised by Nate’s kaleidoscopic world, where his vocals frequently shapeshift from the demonic to the divine thanks to some trippy vocal distortion…

…You do get the impression that the primary audience for this album is Nate himself, which will no doubt turn off some listeners. But to any parents out there who may find themselves in Nate’s shoes, sharing some of the emotions he presents here, or indeed anyone simply interested in hearing him relay his parental journey in his own uniquely artistic way, you will find your patience greatly rewarded.”

Read my full review for 5-9 here

Listen to the album here

The King of Misery by Daudi Matsiko

As someone who sees himself as a champion for the thriving Nottingham music scene, I felt slightly embarrassed that British-Ugandan folk artist Daudi Matsiko was able to fly under my radar for so long. However, there is no escaping the understated beauty of his incredible debut The King of Misery, with LeftLion Music editor Gemma Cockrell summing it up perfectly in her review for 5-9:

“With the threat of AI taking over the music industry seeming more real as time goes on, The King Of Misery is as human as music gets. When listening to the album, you can imagine Matsiko recording each of these instruments and layering them with one another in a way that only a human being could achieve, and the emotion within his lyrics and delivery is something that no machine or robot could ever mimic or impersonate effectively.

The sadness, the despair, the hopelessness, the guilt; but also, the joy, the beauty, the gratitude and the hope, as it gradually begins to outweigh the darkness: The King Of Misery is a celebration of everything that it means to be human.”

Read Gemma’s full review for 5-9 here

Listen to the album here

Also worth checking out: How To Disappear by Casey, Little Rope by Sleater-Kinney, Everybody Can’t Go by Benny The Butcher, Plastic Death by Glass Beach

Tracks of the Month

Kool-Aid by Bring Me The Horizon

The biggest musical moment for me this month, and I’m sure lots of other music fans across the UK, was catching Yorkshire metal heroes Bring Me The Horizon on their massive arena tour.

A true spectacle from start to finish, it was a show filled with huge anthems and top tier production that combined to make for one of the best arena gigs I’ve ever seen. But just prior to that, Bring Me released their first new music since the shock exit of band composer, Jordan Fish. The good news is Kool-Aid is as great as anything they’ve released in recent memory, hopefully signifying that the band will continue to be just fine without him going forward.

Listen here

Just Another Rainbow by Liam Gallagher & John Squire

A collaboration made in 90s Madchester dreams. Legends Liam Gallagher and John Squire have announced they will be releasing a self-titled album as a duo on the 1st March and its sent indie-heads both young and old into a frenzy. Hearing the first track its easy to see why, with Liam Gallagher’s signature vocals sounding just blissful against Squire’s psychedelic guitar passages, with the latter fully stealing the show on this first taste of the new project.

Listen here

One Night/All Night by Justice & Tame Impala

Another huge collaboration, electronic icons Justice returned this month with news that their new album Hyperdrama will be dropping at the end of April, ahead of some huge festival appearances this summer. If that wasn’t big enough, the first taste of the new album features none other than Tame Impala, with Kevin Parker’s vocals lifting the track into a hazy cloud of paradise.

Listen here

Hunger Games by Bob Vylan

Expectations for grime-punk duo Bob Vylan’s forthcoming third album, Humble as the Sun, are only growing with each new single. With the first part of their latest release Hunger Games dealing with the current the economic crisis, before a self-worth affirming spoken word passage during the song’s outro, it’s starting to look like Bobby and Bobbie might just be about to drop their best record yet.

Listen here

Gift Horse by IDLES

Another punk outfit looking similarly set up to release their best album yet, IDLES release the highly anticipated TANGK in just a few weeks, which frontman Joe Talbot has described as their “Love” record. Latest single Gift Horse is yet another belter, with its clanging guitar riffs and Joe’s primal cries of “LOOK AT HIM GOOOOO!”

Listen here

We Make Hits by Yard Act

When post-punkers Yard Act released electronic epic The Trench Coat Museum last year, it looked like a change in direction may be on the cards. However, with news that the song wouldn’t feature on upcoming album Where’s My Utopia and the singles from that record sounding more in line with their traditional sound, these feelings were quickly dashed. It seems though that this may have been premature and some experimentation may still be on the cards, as We Make Hits is a left curve that’s also a catchy and joyous ode to friendship.

Listen here

The End of the Contender by Everything Everything

A band seemingly in the best creative patch of their already stellar career, Manchester indie-outfit Everything Everything are busy prepping for the release of their seventh studio album Mountainhead, which will be their third in four years. Now latest single The End of the Contender might just be the most hook-laden track from the record thus far, flush with infectious melodies and shimmering synths.

Listen here

Angel Face by Oscar & The Wolf

When Belgian pop sensation Max Colombie shared photos of his bruised and scarred face on Instagram, concern from his fanbase instantly arose. However, Max would later reveal that he was simply ready to share details of the darkest period of his life, channelling it into new single – Angel Face. A glistening, instantly catchy pop anthem, it’s a tale of sadness and heartbreak that just about overcomes its overwhelming production. Here’s hoping we get an acoustic version of the song too in the near future.

Listen here

Losing My Grip by Enter Shikari & Fever 333

With their massive arena tour kicking off later this week, genre-defying metal outfit Enter Shikari have dropped their latest banger to give themselves a further setlist headache. Featuring Fever 333 who will support them on the upcoming tour, it features a filthy Prodigy-esque beat whilst frontman Rou Reynolds takes no prisoners as he screams “I THINK I’M LOSING MY GRIP” alongside Fever 333’s Jason Aalon Butler.

Listen here

Burning Down The House by Paramore

Finishing this month’s roundup with a trio of exceptional covers, with the first one seeing Paramore take-on Talking Heads’ classic Burning Down The House, staying faithful whilst also putting their own slight spin on the track. Taken from a forthcoming tribute album to Stop Making Sense to mark its 40th anniversary, the project will also feature the likes of The National, Blondshell, Miley Cyrus and Lorde. Looking forward to hearing more from this one!

Listen here

Staying Alive (Chris’ Version) by Christine & The Queens

Technically released very late last year, I’m including it here as its too good to not include. Art-pop visionary Christine & The Queens has released his completely unique take on the Bee-Gees classic, transforming it into a trippy, swaggering electro-pop banger.

Listen here

Kiss Me by Matt Maltese

Having released one of my favourite records of last year, English singer-songwriter Matt Maltese is now getting ready to release his own covers album, with Kiss Me the first taste of the project. His take on the Sixpence None the Richer track, his smooth vocal tones and lounge-style arrangement suit the song’s mood perfectly.

Listen here

Also worth checking out: Predator by YONAKA, Off With Her Tits by Allie X, Loved by Four Tet, Is This Love by James, Gleams by George FitzGerald, Stay Cool by James Vincent McMorrow, Pearl by Walt Disco, No One by Express Office Portico

REMINDER: If you use Apple Music, you can also keep up-to-date with all my favourite 2024 tracks through my Best of 2024 playlist. Constantly updated throughout the year with songs I enjoy, it is then finalised into a Top 100 Songs of the Year in December.

Add the Best of 2024 playlist to your library here

Listen back to my Best of 2023 playlist:

On Spotify here

On Apple Music here

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