PAPER's Best Albums of 2024

The last 12 months will likely be remembered for their societal and musical chaos in both intriguing and beguiling ways. Trying to convey all of that in album form — not just by what was made, by what drew us to listen from open to close and then on repeat — is no easy feat. Luckily, PAPER, in our love for music and allegiance to no particular sound or chart-toppers, has pulled together a list you can play well into the New Year and beyond. So sit back, relax and get stuck in. Check out PAPER’s staff picks for the best albums of the year, below.

— Erica Campbell, Music Editor

Related | PAPER's Best Songs of 2024

Charli XCX - Brat and it's completely different but also still brat

Charli XCX changed the world. Over a decade into a career that had her labeled a cult-favorite pop savant, her stunning self-reflection on the year's most under-anticipated album pierced the veil between indie pop and everyone else. Trace the line from the mixed reaction to Brat's debut single "Von Dutch" all the way until her sold-out show at Madison Square Garden, and it's a book plot critics might describe as unrealistic wish fulfillment. It's easy to get lost in all that noise when reflecting on the album, but its most integral element is Charli's own humanity, which she reflexively twists into new shapes on the remix album. If Brat is a study in self, the remixes are a study in Brat — the album, the cultural moment, the way of being. There will never be another album like it — not for this industry and especially not for her. She knows that, of course. Ephemerality is very Brat.

— Joan Summers, Writer

Tinashe - Quantum Baby

It's hard to untangle the success of Brat and Tinashe's own world tour on the coattails of her hard-earned success after a decade into a career often described as bubbling under. Not by this professional fangirl, of course, but by an industry that never knew how to place her. For me, she’ll always be a singular talent that bucked genre conventions, bucked the label game and has since produced a body of independent art that will stand unweathered by the sands of time. In an industry that prioritizes an ever-dwindling window in time for women to find success in, it's no small feat that 30-year-olds wrested control of the zeitgeist. That "Nasty" isn't even the strongest song on Quantum Baby, faced up against "Getting No Sleep" and "When I Get You Alone," is a testament to the album's lush sonic ambitions.

— Joan Summers, Writer

Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past Is Still Alive

Sometimes you don’t know if Hurray for the Riff Raff (the project of New Orleans musician Alynda Segarra) is writing or reporting on their landmark record, The Past Is Still Alive. A documentation of their time hopping trains with a community of queer punk anarchists, the record is filled with simple images (feeding grapefruits to cows, seeing track marks on a lover’s arm, painting oil cans), which somehow suggest something grander. That looming sense prepares you for when Segarra zooms out from the micro towards the expansive; like on “Colossus of Roads” when they sing, “Say goodbye to America/ I wanna see it dissolve/ I can be your poster boy for the great American fall.” Such a line encapsulates Segarra’s unwavering pen and explains why I have repeatedly turned to their words over and over again during this perilous, grief-filled year in our national politics.

— Tobias Hess, Writer

Sabrina Carpenter - Short n' Sweet

Prior to her breakout year, I thought of Miss Carpenter as little more than the teeny-bop purveyor of sultry, TikTok-ified R&B. Little did I know that behind the platinum bangs was a musician far weirder and far more ridiculous than I ever could have imagined (that's a compliment). She first notched herself into our collective brainwaves through the poeticized nonsense of her summer smash, “Espresso,” which she then followed up with the deliciously rambling half-ballad “Please Please Please.” When she released the whole album, it sounded as if Tweety Bird smoked Marlboros and was unfathomably horny. But even as the innuendos and that Grindr sound effect (?) made headlines, it was her deft hand at exploring the inner turmoil of love and lust that made this record far more than a shot of caffeine. It’s bright. It’s bubbly. It’s all just so... “Dumb & Poetic.”

— Tobias Hess, Writer

Ren G - Miss 24/7

On "Bangs," Ren G introduces herself: "This is Miss 24/7," she mutters before delivering a banger that could very well fit within the realm of the sonic universe she cultivated through New York Downtown mainstay Club Eat. When she and producer Chicken announced that Club Eat would be disbanding earlier this year, it felt like the end of an era. Even still, there was an excitement in the ephemerality of it all, and not long after, Ren G came back in full force. Her debut solo album, Miss 24/7, is a manifesto, with Chicken still showing up as a producer on many of the tracks. But she also expanded her horizons with sounds and musings that gave us a bubblegum-filled peek into the girl behind the club queen. If Ren's Club Eat era was like Lady Gaga hustling the streets as a DIY performer on Rivington Street, then Miss 24/7 is Ren G's The Fame.

— Ivan Guzman, Writer

Cece Natalie - Miss Behaves

Cece Natalie conjures up visions. Like an oracle, the 19-year-old singer and producer makes songs that feel stream-of-consciousness yet refined at the same time. Her music is like a cotton candy-fueled shroom trip as you're pre-gaming to go to the club in 2008, taking pics in your bathroom mirror to post on MySpace later that night. Inspired by early 2010s maximalist girl pop and internet kid Drain Gang delusions, Miss Behaves is music for hot bitches and SoundCloud heads alike. As she said in our recent interview, Natalie's music is spreading all over the city "like Cece COVID," and it's only the beginning.

— Ivan Guzman, Writer

Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well

If anyone else had a similar year to me, then you also were in need of a lot of grounding. Luckily, Kacey Musgraves released Deeper Well to lend a hand. Going back to her country roots, Musgraves leans heavily into the softer folk side of the genre while reminiscing about love, heartbreak, growing up and how we exist in the world around us. In the midst of my Saturn Return, these are all things I've been seriously considering. While the album may not have been on blast all the time this year, I always found my way back to it when I needed to get a grip on reality. Earlier this year she told PAPER: "As this world gets crazier, the more it makes me want to turn inward and find inspiration in the smallest of things: human emotions, the human experience, just being alive and experiencing love and loss. That's where I always come back to." Me too, girl!

— Andrew Nguyen, Fashion Editor

Kali Uchis - ORQUÍDEAS

At the top of 2024, Kali Uchis dropped ORQUÍDEAS, which honestly set the tone for the rest of my year. I had this album playing nonstop since it came out — and still now. It opens with lush vocals about love and lust and infatuation and heartbreak (my favorite things), set over chill club beats until she turns Latina mode on, interpreting genres like reggaeton, Dembow and merengue through her own lens. It's lit and calming at the same time, which is exactly how I like to be.

— Andrew Nguyen, Fashion Editor

Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, Billie Eilish’s third studio album, is a luscious exploration of sexuality and vulnerability. From explicitly queer anthems like “Lunch” to summertime hits like “Birds of a Feather," Eilish created an album that is unique, erotic and emotional. I don’t know how she does it, but year after year she continues to deliver outstanding works of art, and her risk-taking approach on HMAS may have made this her best album yet.

— Angelina Cantú, Editorial Producer

Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal

Alligator Bites Never Heal takes the listener on a sonic journey through Doechii’s deeply personal thoughts and lived experiences. Doechii is a visionary, a change-maker, an artist of her own design. Having been a longtime fan, first introduced to her quick-witted bars through “Spookie Coochie,” I have been waiting for her to have her big moment — and big moments she's delivered. From her masterful Tiny Desk session to her unforgettable performance on Stephen Colbert, Doechii is proving to everyone that 2024 is her year.

— Angelina Cantú, Editorial Producer

Ariana Grande - Eternal Sunshine

Ariana Grande’s seventh studio album, eternal sunshine, marked a shift in the pop star’s approach to dealing with personal matters through her music. Known for her carefully crafted pop persona and powerhouse vocals, this album offers a stripped-back look into her mind and unpacks her public perception by bearing her untold truth. She boldly confronts rumors of infidelity, sets the story straight on her silent divorce, lays the foundation of a newfound romance and speaks to her fans and the press directly about the whirlwind year of viral misconceptions – all written within a dreamworld she crafted around the beloved film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s an anecdotal lullaby, a love letter to a chapter she seems ready to close. Her production capabilities shine through, layered vocals reminiscent of Imogen Heap paired with tracks touched by the magic of Max Martin. Bravo, Ari.

— Alaska Riley, Social Media Editor

Camila Cabello - C,XOXO

C,XOXO was Camila Cabello’s venture outside of the bounds of Top 40 pop. More than a decade and four solo albums into her career, C,XOXO explores the idea of a "weird girl" pop record, marked by close-knit production team experimentation and hard-hitting features including Drake, Lil Nas X and the City Girls. The soundscape feels like a late-night drive on a girls' trip to Miami, the lyrics a tear-stained page from a romance-gone-wrong journal entry. Cabello proves that she’s keyed into vibes that feel true and fun to her even if she's often misunderstood, whether as just another person or as a figurehead in the music industry. At the end of the day, she’s still just a girl from Cuba, a girl who’s experienced heartbreak and a girl who just wants to have fun. C,XOXO intertwines the truth of all three.

— Alaska Riley, Social Media Editor

Miss Madeline - So Dramatic

Charli XCX properly broke into the mainstream this year, making space for another pop girl who approaches the genre from an underground, experimental perspective. Like a “shock to the system,” Miss Madeline’s debut mixtape, So Dramatic, is an unapologetic intro to the red-headed New Jersey native’s world. She treats cheerleader pom poms “like a glock,” wearing only a Victoria’s Secret Bombshell Bra, all while taking down fragile ex-lovers — many of whom are two-timing downtown DJs who don’t play “shit below 163.” The album features two collabs with fellow it-girls, Chase Icon and CLIP, and the standout single “OMG,” which has become an anthem in queer party circles around NYC. When Miss Madeline performs it live, the room sings back: “This might be TMI, but FYI, I think I fucked that guy on the exact same night.”

— Justin Moran, Editor-In-Chief

Ms. Boogie - The Breakdown

Ms. Boogie is the antidote to an impatient world. Her 2024 album, The Breakdown, shows how there’s power in taking the time for self-development and creating a body of work with people who speak the same language. The Brooklyn emcee — and all-around New York legend — teamed up with Blu Bone, M Jamison, Cassius Cruz, Jobanny and El Joven for the project, creating nine tracks that amplify the depth and beauty of the Black queer experience. “These individuals are all the designers, the architects, the engineers,” Ms. Boogie told PAPER during a roundtable discussion on The Breakdown. “I'm just really proud to be the subject.” Sonically, the songs reinterpret drill, which has long been a staple of NYC hip-hop, and lyrically, they retell Ms. Boogie’s personal memories, fears and dreams. “I wanna build my own world where it’s safe for the girls,” she raps on “Black Butterfly,” the emotional album closer. “Butterfly take your time.”

— Justin Moran, Editor-In-Chief

Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk

This has been a Magdalena Bay stan account since 2021's Mercurial World — an album that seemed nearly impossible to follow up. Imaginal Disk picks up sonically right where Mercurial World left off and builds an even more detailed world for the band to play in. The duo's paranoid lyrics hit just right this year. Oh, and they sound that excellent, live, too!

— Matt Wille, Managing Editor

Cecile Believe - Tender the Spark

Not to be that guy, but I've been following Cecile Believe since she went by Mozart's Sister (shoutout Montreal!). Tender the Spark is Cecile's most fully realized work yet, full of experimentation and straight-up bops. I could listen to this on repeat for hours. And catch me screaming, "Whipping my ponytail out the window of your daddy's Benz" at all hours of the day and night.

— Matt Wille, Managing Editor

The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy

I just don’t see the point of living in New York City if I can’t listen to the absolute most dramatic song I can find on repeat on the subway while yearning — no, aching for — a love I should probably already be over. Enter The Last Dinner Party’s Prelude to Ecstasy. How better to convey the chaos, confusion, impermanence and rawness of romance than with a raw, delicate Kate Bush-meets-Bowie offering that runs the gamut from fucking “like nothing matters” to sinning while wanting to escape the judgmental gaze of god? When PAPER asked the band earlier this year about their bravery when speaking on the “inner worlds of woman,” their laugh as they answered sealed my album of the year deal: “It's less bravery than just shamelessness.” Cheers to lyrical audacity.

— Erica Campbell, Music Editor

Amyl and the Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness

Cartoon Darkness was my surprise favorite of the year. Sure, a rock purist, in most cases I love a gritty guitar chord and crashing percussion as much as the next guy. Meet that with mischievous lyrics and a front woman dressed like she’s shown up to a second-hand shop and asked for The Runaways special, and I’m hooked. But Amyl and the Sniffers aren’t just witty lyrics and retro-bikinis. Speaking to the formidable Amy Taylor in the lead up to the album’s release, I was delighted and a bit stunned to realize the esoteric takeaways underlining the noisy punk romps that make up the album. From reminders of the gorgeousness of tempestuous love to the scary but surging desire to dream big, Cartoon Darkness is a reminder — as Taylor told PAPER— that “life is meaningless garbage, and that’s a beautiful thing.”

— Erica Campbell, Music Editor

PAPER's Best Songs of 2024

Photos via Getty / courtesy of the artists
Graphic design: Jewel Baek