What I Had On Repeat in 2024: Oldies, Newbies, and All the Goodies

2024 was a decent year for music, all things considered. I got more mileage out of my Spotify Premium than I ever have before, and when your music habits are weird and kind of off-putting, you have to present them in a way that’s palatable to the average consumer. Here are the albums I had on repeat in 2024—some are new, some are a couple of years old, and some are just a playlist of an entire band’s discography in chronological order. And yes, my Spotify Wrapped was very normal, thank you.

2024 On Repeat: Newbies

So many great new albums came out this year, and I kept a handful of them in my rotation. A lot of amazing women were on repeat, such as Maude Latour, Kacey Musgraves, and Megan Moroney. Overall, the new album vibes were immaculate in 2024, and here’s what I had spinning this year.

Deeper Well — Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves released her latest album, Deeper Well, in March, then dropped Deeper into the Well, the deluxe edition, in August. The expanded album included seven new songs such as “Irish Goodbye” and the heartwarming “Little Sister,” which I added to a country playlist I made for my little sister this year. I listened to a lot more country this year than I would have thought, and while Musgraves went back to her folksy roots now that she basically lives in a cottage in the woods outside of Nashville, I feel like she’s still that yodeling country girl at heart.

Am I Okay? — Megan Moroney

Again with the country albums, but Megan Moroney really did something with this one. Am I Okay? dropped in July, and I thought it was so nice I reviewed it twice. Moroney let herself get personal with her sophomore album, writing and co-writing songs that sounded like they came straight from her diary. “Mama I Lied” was a standout track for me, as it details lying to your mom about a toxic relationship so she doesn’t worry. That perspective is so common and relatable for so many women, and Moroney captured it beautifully.

Sugar Water — Maude Latour

Sugar Water dropped in August as Maude Latour’s first full-length album. Before that, she’d released various EPs and singles, but her debut LP is a culmination of her previous work into something polished and mature. Still, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, producing lines like can you spit sugar water straight into my mouth? Undoubtedly sexy, undeniably insightful, and full of hooks, Sugar Water introduced me to Maude Latour with a bang.

Eazy Peazy — Man/Woman/Chainsaw

Post-punk London five-piece Man/Woman/Chainsaw released their debut EP in November, and I consumed it ravenously. It’s just the right amount of chaos and noise combined with sweeping string arrangements that sound like they were less arranged and more thrown at the wall to see what sticks—and that’s the highest compliment I can give. I loved this EP, and I’m eagerly keeping an eye on the fledgling band to see what they do next.

2024 On Repeat: Oldies

It’s not often that I consume new albums the way I did this year. Mostly, I listen to the same stuff over and over again until I get sick of it. I still did that, even as I was looking into new music. However, in 2024 I had a handful of oldies on repeat. I didn’t manage to ruin them for myself, so of course I’m still listening to them 24/7.

Unreal Unearth: Unaired — Hozier

The base album Unreal Unearth came out in 2023, but Hozier released a series of B-sides from those sessions in 2024. Unreal Unearth: Unaired dropped in August, and I had it on repeat for the entire month and into much of September. It added seven new tracks like “Nobody’s Soldier” and the runaway hit “Too Sweet.” In particular, I’ve been known to just put “Too Sweet” on repeat, but that’s none of your business. That’s between me and Hozier.

The Black Parade — My Chemical Romance

Around the time that When We Were Young Festival was going on in Las Vegas, I fell back into an emo rabbit hole, as I am wont to do now and again. One of the albums I had on repeat was The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance’s magnum opus of a rock opera concept album. With the news that the band was touring the album again, I scoured Ticketmaster and StubHub and finally managed to snag tickets (if you’re going to the Tampa show next year come say hi). It’s my millionth time listening to The Black Parade, but for some reason, it’s my first time seeing MCR live. Someone revoke my elder emo membership card until September 2025, thanks.

So Much (For) Stardust — Fall Out Boy

Another 2023 album, I initially didn’t give much thought to So Much (For) Stardust. I was never really that impressed with Fall Out Boy’s last two albums. Their less angsty commercialized pop-rock comeback just didn’t grab me. In my opinion, the last great Fall Out Boy album was Folie a Deux. Until, that is, I really sat down and listened to So Much (For) Stardust. The lush, dreamy string arrangements paired with the signature Fall Out Boy sound and Pete Wentz’s familiar abstract lyrics made for a homecoming experience. In short, Fall Out Boy is getting weird again, and I’m here for it.

Dead Man’s Bones — Dead Man’s Bones

This is more of a new-to-me album that I thought I discovered for the first time in October. But, upon listening I realized that I had heard it years before. I recognized a lot of the songs, I just didn’t realize it was Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields. Dead Man’s Bones is a spooky, operatic jumble of songs that serves as a love letter to ghosts and ghouls. Essentially, Gosling and Shields created the perfect soundtrack to Halloween. This will be in my rotation every year for the foreseeable future.

Bonus: Discographies

2024 was a big year for me for two reasons—Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Arctic Monkeys have been around for almost 20 years. The Last Shadow Puppets haven’t done anything since 2016! Why are you obsessed with them now?” And to that I say, again, mind your own business. Spotify said I was in the top 0.01 percent of Arctic Monkeys listeners last year, and I’ll be damned if I don’t beat my high score this year.

I didn’t discover The Last Shadow Puppets when they were big because I stopped being chronically online in 2015. Essentially, I missed the wave by barely a year. However, discovering them now led me to Miles Kane’s discography. I realized I wrote about him briefly as a solo artist before I even listened to the amazing and, frankly, indulgent work he did with Alex Turner. Now, I’m realizing who was behind songs like “Little Illusion Machine,” and who does the guitar solo in “505.”

But, unrelated to the Monkeys, who seem to have kept him in their back pocket for the last 20 years, Kane is truly a leading man for the ages. Really, Miles Kane is the standout artist of my 2024 (barring the fact that his recent album One Man Band came out in 2023).

Am I being self-indulgent in my picks this year? Sure, you could say that. But if we listen to music solely based on critic reviews or what our friends think, we’re going to end up listening to some pretty bad stuff. Why waste your time with something you don’t care for just because Pitchfork gave it a 7.8? If you want to listen to Arctic Monkeys or Noah Kahan or The Beatles and nothing else on repeat for three months, who is anyone to say you shouldn’t? Life is so cruelly short; spend it listening to whatever you want.

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