This year has already offered a staggering amount of good albums from veterans and newcomers alike, and we’re only at the halfway point. Hardcore continues to crack through the surface, whereas pop heroes like Charli XCX and Billie Eilish made their long-awaited returns, delivering knockouts that united all types of music freaks. It makes us hopeful for what the following months deal out. In the meantime, given that there’s been so much to celebrate over the first part of the year, we turned to our readers and asked them to vote on the best albums of 2024 so far. These are their top picks, ranked accordingly below.
Read more: 10 most criminally underrated Bring Me The Horizon songs
5. Green Day – Saviors
Green Day kicked off the year properly by delivering their 14th studio album, Saviors. Marking their first record with producer Rob Cavallo in over 10 years, their latest wades through their devotion to punk while incorporating tons of references to the music that informed them. But just as they look forward, they’re also spending time reflecting on the past, as their celebrated albums Dookie and American Idiot turn 30 and 20, respectively. Fittingly, they’ll play both in full during their stadium tour, which has already kicked off in Europe and will begin in the U.S. at the end of next month. It’s a whirlwind year for the punk vets — and they’re celebrating in style.
4. Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Following their show-stealing Coachella performance in 2023, Knocked Loose had no choice but to return with a completely menacing album that emphasizes the moment that they’re having, which has become one of our readers’ favorites. Put simply, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To goes extremely hard. From uncompromisingly heavy collaborations with Poppy (“Suffocate”) to guttural bangers (“Blinding Faith”), Knocked Loose have set themselves up for a gigantic year as they prepare to head out on tour with Slipknot in August.
3. The Story So Far – I Want to Disappear
After six years, the Story So Far returned with their fifth studio album, I Want to Disappear, earlier this month. Produced by Jon Markson (Drug Church, Drain), the record features the kind of massive pop-punk ragers that the band have been putting out since their Under Soil and Dirt days. However, they also aren’t afraid to explore gentler territory, like on “Letterman.” Heightened by Parker Cannon’s combustive vocals, which only continue to get better with every album, the balance makes the record a gripping listen from start to end — and one that was certainly worth the wait.
2. Bring Me the Horizon – POST HUMAN: NeX GEn
Bring Me the Horizon’s new record, POST HUMAN: NeX GEn, had some snags in the road. It was pushed back from its initial release last fall, and following the departure of longtime member Jordan Fish in December, the band decided to surprise-release it toward the end of May. Though they had already previewed a handful of songs from its tracklist — “DArkSide,” “AmEN!,” and “LosT,” to name a few — listening to the project from front to back makes the songs hit so much harder. It’s the sound of the Sheffield giants entering their next era, continuing to experiment and transcend the boundaries of heavy music as they head toward something greater.
1. twenty one pilots – Clancy
If you know our readers, it’s no surprise that Clancy snagged the top spot. After teasing its arrival earlier this year, twenty one pilots came back with their seventh studio album in May. Following 2021’s Scaled and Icy, Clancy wraps up the sprawling multi-album narrative that began with Blurryface, even arriving nine years from the date of its release. As with everything that Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun do, look to the details. With alluring music videos for every song, which are just as much a part of the story as the album, the duo are truly capping off the years-long saga on the highest note possible.
