The 10 Best Songs of 2024

As someone who has spent countless Fridays dancing to the rhythm of life, I can confidently say that Glorilla’s “TGIF” takes the top spot for me this year. There’s something electrifying about the way Glorilla celebrates her independence and self-assuredness in a world that often tries to minimize women, especially women of color, in popular culture.

Music can be found in numerous places nowadays: attached to sports recaps and TikTok videos, played at political events and coffee shops like Panera, woven into sermons. While this widespread presence may sometimes diminish the significance of music, it also highlights the various components that distinguish outstanding songs.

I’m not just thinking about earworm melodies, sick beats, and killer hooks, though those are generally pluses. The songs that break through the noise of all the contexts in which we now play music also illustrate the value of swag, timbre, attitude, mystery.

This collection of 10 songs, ranging from rap, country, folk, and R&B, possess a multitude of captivating qualities. While not all are chart-toppers, each track has the power to grip your attention, prompting you to lean in closely and replay them repeatedly.

Note on Programming: The chosen tracks are from the albums that we’ve curated as the Top 10 Albums of 2024. To provide a more diverse musical experience, none of these artists are repeated in the selection.

10. “Riiverdance,” Beyoncé

Cowboy Carter, an album by Beyoncé delving into country music, is hampered by its eagerness to demonstrate that the Texas-born singer belongs in this genre. However, tracks like “Riiverdance” manage to shed off this need to validate and simply enjoy the rhythm. The music seamlessly blends elements from hoedowns and ballrooms, featuring soft, ethereal vocals alongside powerful commands over a strong bassline and lively acoustic guitar. In essence, it’s a fusion of country, house, and R&B – all encapsulating Beyoncé’s unique style.

9. “SUR LE PONT d’AVIGNON (Reparation #1),” Mach-Hommy

The Haitian-American rapper Mach-Hommy, known for his masked identity, creates globally influenced hip-hop that rewards attentive listeners. His track “SUR LE PONT d’AVIGNON” is named after a French nursery rhyme about a bridge, but don’t confuse him with the cast of Sesame Street. He vigorously attacks the twinkling beat by Conductor William, delivering boasts, threats, and jibes that defy easy comprehension and ridicule simplistic analysis. He is one of the few rappers who can casually say something as bizarre as, “My emporium consortium has been moving around with accordions throughout the village,” and trust his audience to decipher the meaning, if there even is one. It’s a delightful experience.

8. “Type Sh-t,” Future & Metro Boomin ft. Travis Scott & Playboi Carti

During the 2010s, Atlanta emerged as a hub for creating music by manipulating words and phrases into various melodic or rhythmic forms. Future, one of the pioneers of this writing and vocal approach, revisits it in “Type Sh-t.” However, instead of emphasizing the title phrase, Future, Travis Scott, and Playboi Carti casually integrate it into their confident verses – at times it functions as punctuation, while other times it serves as a setup for puns or jokes. Metro Boomin’s trap beat, marked by its clanging rhythm, steers their performances, transitioning from cold and sparse to lush and dreamy and then back again. Sometimes, subtlety can be just as captivating as grandeur.

7. “Leaving Toronto,” Mustafa & Daniel Caesar

In a different wording: Canadian folk artist Mustafa previously bore the Pan American torch for Toronto, yet on this melancholic and sweet-yet-sorrowful tune, he expresses his intention to depart from his hometown. He finds no sanctuary there from murderers and their persistent specters. Death is a constant presence in Mustafa’s mind: he’s tormented by the past and eager for vengeance. Despite the underlying tension, the song maintains an optimistic and cozy atmosphere. The harmonious campfire tunes of Mustafa and R&B singer Daniel Caesar float softly over the rhythmic drums and acoustic guitar, guiding them towards fresh beginnings.

6. “Dreamstate,” Kelly Lee Owns

The exuberance on the dancefloor is identified and pointed out as “Dreamstate,” a trance tune that flows like a wave pool in its surge and ripple. Welsh musician Kelly Lee Owens, with George Daniel and Oli Bayston as co-producers, subtly guides listeners towards an elevated state. The rhythmic structure gradually develops like a dream, incorporating swirling, bubbling synth melodies, soft intonations, and rhythmic pulses harmoniously. Throughout this process, Owens intertwines hypnosis with allure, using short bursts of speech to invite both body and mind to relax. By the time the formal beat drop occurs, around the 4-minute mark in the song’s 5.5-minute duration, it seems like you’re already floating.

5. “By Hook or By Crook,” Jessica Pratt

The phrase “by hook or by crook” usually signifies times of great need and hurry, yet California singer Jessica Pratt exudes a sense of calm on this tranquil tune. Her delicate vocals waft through the song’s minimal bossa nova structure like mist in a forest. And her gentle guitar strums are as soft as whispers, harmonizing with echoing taps and pliable upright bass. Pratt’s lyrics are typically vague, more about feelings than stories. However, the cryptic allusions to deteriorating landscapes and shifting seasons, coupled with the laid-back production, hint that time relentlessly moves “by hook or by crook.” Pratt seems to embrace this inexorable progression.

4. “After Hours,” Kehlani

Based on the same rhythm as Nina Sky’s 2004 hit track ‘Move Ya Body’, ‘After Hours’ is a lively club song that’s perfect for places where people gather but may not physically interact. Places like bars, dance floors, pools, and house parties might spring to mind as Kehlani navigates the border between flirting and seduction. In this song, Kehlani portrays a smitten admirer who is trying to prevent going home alone by persuading their crush to spend more time with them. The singer’s voice is expressive, swaying, bubbling, and quivering as they make their move. ‘After Hours’ is a playful yet sensitive tune, amplifying a simple question—’Why don’t you stay?’—into a dancefloor drama.

3. “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar

As a die-hard hip hop fan, I’ve been eagerly anticipating Kendrick Lamar’s moves this year. And boy, did he deliver! With the stealth drop of his sixth studio album in late November, Kendrick positioned himself to rule rap without formally releasing a full project. The California rapper, about to take the stage at the Super Bowl, stirred up not just his home state but the entire genre and American culture with his diss tracks aimed at his long-time rival, Drake.

2. “Nasty,” Tinashe

The song “Nasty” is surprisingly wholesome, addressing unrefined desires, yet Tinashe leaves the interpretation open as she seeks a companion in rougher settings. Her sultry vocals, suggestive lyrics, and longing tunes imply a vivid mental image that she’s envisioning. This track caught attention on TikTok earlier this year, but it truly shines when played through quality speakers. The light, minimalistic beat by Ricky Reed and Zack Sekoff accentuates Tinashe’s desires, emphasizing the raw passion in her performance. Planning a fantasy can sometimes feel as thrilling as living it out.

1. “TGIF,” Glorilla

For Glorilla, being single feels like an extraordinary spiritual state. When the Memphis rapper is not in a relationship, it’s not just about avoiding hassles and obligations; it’s about amplifying her energy, becoming unstoppable, radiating with vitality. She uses “TGIF” to celebrate this heightened condition, accompanied by thundering bass kicks and an epic horn loop that evokes the image of Godzilla rising from the Pacific. Her confident delivery transforms routine brags – feeling great, looking fabulous, sporting a fresh manicure-pedicure – into monumental displays of strength. This Friday night club anthem isn’t just about self-empowerment; it’s a demonstration of power itself.

2024-12-09 17:06

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