Andi’s List
Amidst the tumult of 2024, music was the ultimate cauterizer. Melancholic pop and romantic dance music stole my heart this year: it was dark, but never too. There was hope tucked in with the shadows. While some fell into the category of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”—Twin Tribes, Ultra Sunn, and She Past Away’s new single—these artists have perfected their sound, becoming unequivocal masters of their genres without feeling overdone.
The top three of my sweet and simple list belongs to artists who weren’t afraid to push the boundaries of the previous work. Normal Bias’ Kingdom Come LP was haunting pop perfection, a mature step up from their self-titled EP that felt much more EBM at its core. Heart-wrenching and beautiful, Normal Bias inherently understands the delicate balance of the kind of music that makes you feel: to dance, to writhe in emotion, to come out on the other side with a revived optimism. Silent EM’s Real Life was close behind. While not entirely pop, the LP is a departure from his previous work, adding a new layer of sophistication to his already perfectly-produced catalog. Newcomer LLORA won over my affections with their self-titled LP that embraced the craft of songwriting. Sad, sometimes quirky, but oh-so-beautiful, LLORA’s debut album was almost too easy to love.
In keeping with this year’s theme, I’m looking forward to the evolution of some of my favorite artists and bands next year—let’s see what the future holds.
1. Normal Bias – Kingdom Come
2. Silent EM – Real Life
3. LLORA – LLORA
4. The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
5. Ultra Sunn – US
6. Kontravoid – Detachment
7. Ortrotasce – Dispatches from Solitude
8. Dame Area – Toda la Verdad Sobre
9. Twin Tribes – Monolith
10. Teardux – Mend
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