athena's top 5 albums of 2024 (so far)
a ranking of my 5 favorite albums from the first half of this year
In the beginning of the year, I made a promise to myself to listen to at least one album a week, front to back. This vow, coupled with the remarkable amount of album releases this year, has fueled me to become a self-appointed music critic. While I’m no Rolling Stone or Pitchfork magazine, I am really passionate about music and have a lot to say about it. So as we head into the second half of the year, I decided to share my top five albums for the first six months of 2024.
PLEASE NOTE: The following albums are my personal favorites, I am in no way trying to say one album is better than the other :)
5. Deeper Well — Kacey Musgraves
Starting off the list strong with Kacey Musgraves’ sixth studio album, Deeper Well. Just by listening to the first few seconds of “Cardinal,” the hauntingly beautiful opening track, it is evident that Musgraves is connecting back to her roots. As she notes in the title track, her Saturn has returned, and this album reflects it. The country singer bravely delves into the intricacies of going through change, falling in and out of love, and ultimately, finding grounding again.
I think that this record’s strengths lie in its melodic arrangements and overall theme. Its wistfully dreamy melodies soar in a way that simultaneously feels refreshing and nostalgic, pulling in the listener with every chord. This being said, there are times when the songwriting doesn’t measure to the standard she has set for herself on previous records. In songs like “Anime Eyes” or even the second verse of “Deeper Well”, the lyrics seem like they were pulled straight out of a text message, almost too self aware and straightforward. I think that this very literal lyricism could have been a writing tactic to focus on the overarching metaphor/theme, but I miss the wit that she displays on other projects. As a whole, Deeper Well is the ultimate grounding album, and my go-to for when I need to unwind.
4. The Secret of Us — Gracie Abrams
In the world of sad girl pop, The Secret of Us paves a path for itself. Although its only Gracie Abrams’ sophomore album, The Secret of Us has a witty, mature, and incredibly real take on the modern day romance. While it doesn’t have as many knife-to-the-heart lyrics as its older sister Good Riddance, Abrams’ tongue in cheek style writing for this record feels like the perfect fit.
After her success supporting Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour, fans were thrilled to see that Taylor was featured on Track 5, “us.” and it did not disappoint. Arguably one of the best on the album, “us.” perfectly encapsulates what this record is all about: taking off the rose colored glasses of a past relationship. It also follows the same production arc as most of the songs on the record. And while I am a fan of the emotionally climaxing bridge, too much of it can get a bit redundant. That being said, I am an even bigger fan of sad songs that make you want to rot in bed for hours, and The Secret of Us has plenty of those moments. In the Gracie Abrams multiverse, I would say that Good Riddance is for the peak of a breakup, and The Secret of Us is for accepting and moving on.
3. eternal sunshine — Ariana Grande
March was certainly the era of Saturn returning, and if you need proof, look to eternal sunshine. Fresh off the heels of her 29th year, private divorce, and very public scandal, Ariana took to the studio to create her most vulnerable album to date. Her seventh studio album shows the fall of one relationship, and the blossom of another. It starts with a question: “How can I tell if I’m in the right relationship?” and ends with an answer in the form of a voice note from her grandmother Nonna:
“And as I told her, never go to bed without kissin' goodnight / That's the worst thing to do, don't ever, ever do that / And if you can't, and if you don't feel comfortable doing it / You're in the wrong place, get out”
eternal sunshine does an incredible job highlighting the different aspects and complexities when processing a breakup, but what I think makes it so different from Grande’s past albums is her vocal restraint. In previous projects like Positions and sweetener, she does not shy away from showing off her vocal talent, but eternal sunshine shows an introspection we haven’t seen from her yet. On her most vulnerable songs, “we can’t be friends” and “i wish i hated you” the listener can hear the melancholy in her voice, and even the occasional cry. As someone who went through a situationship breakup herself this year, this album helped me mourn, process, and forgive. eternal sunshine is very clearly a breakup album, but I think it is more of a love letter to self discovery and strength.
2. BRAT — Charli XCX
If you’ve seen an awful lot of green as of late, or even heard the term “brat summer” tossed around, thank Charli XCX. The Essex pop star is redefining what it means to be a brat, and she’s taking the rest of the world along with her. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a “cool girl”, take one listen to BRAT and Charli will tell you. But be warned, it is not at all what you think it is.
The album opens with “360”, a clear tone-setter for what’s to come and an instant pop classic. It prepares the listener for what we are all expecting: an homage to early 2000s electro-pop, and the auditory equivalent of flashing lights and ecstasy. And while Charli delivers that with ease, we also get to see so much more depth to the pop princess that hasn’t been unveiled yet: self-loathing, jealousy, grief, and existentialism.
BRAT is incredibly self aware and proud of it. The powerful synths and overall production of tracks like “Von dutch”, “Club classics”, and “365” give themselves over to the nightlife scene — the feral, hazy, and adrenaline filled nights. But unfortunately, we can’t live in a constant club high, and Charli knows this. During the more introspective moments on the album, we see Charli in the peak of a tumultuous relationship with no one other than herself. It is a very visceral female experience: playing the “cool girl” but constantly being at war with yourself. Bouncing between what you think adulthood is like versus what it is actually like. And most importantly, trying to figure out what the F*CK you’re doing while acting like you have it all together.
1. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT — Billie Eilish
Putting out an album is hard. Putting out an album and not releasing any singles beforehand is even harder. Some may say that Billie Eilish’s choice to not give any hints as to what her third album would sound like was a mistake, but I think it was the perfect choice. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is one of the those albums that comes as a perfectly wrapped package deal. Every song is created with purpose, effortlessly connecting with the other, and bringing back melodic and lyrical motifs from its predecessors. The record explores different aspects of love: sapphic love (“LUNCH”), parasocial love (“THE DINER”), self love (“SKINNY”), and the most prominent theme on the album, falling out of love (“THE GREATEST”, L’AMOUR DE MA VIE”).
The central track of the album, and my personal favorite, is “THE GREATEST”; a song that encapsulates the frustration of being in love with someone who doesn’t love you as much as you love them. The arc of the song resembles Eilish’s 2021 hit “Happier than Ever” — starting off with soft, introspective vocals and eventually crescendoing into an angry ballad. The melody at the turnaround of the song is emotional, climactic, and bold — fully equipped with a career best belt from the singer. If you listen closely enough, the hauntingly beautiful melody is repeated multiple times throughout the album, reinforcing that “THE GREATEST” truly is the anchor of this record. The melodic and lyrical repetitions don’t end there, though. “BLUE”, the final track, makes a full circle reference to each song from the album in its first half, and ends with a self aware Billie expressing that she can’t save her ex lover from their fate.
It isn’t often that I find an album that has a different easter egg to discover after every listen, and HIT ME HARD AND SOFT delivers all that and more. Eilish and FINNEAS push their creative bounds on all aspects. Production-wise, FINNEAS outdoes himself on Track 3, “CHIHIRO” the perfect late night drive song. In terms of lyric writing, Billie uses her pen as a weapon. From her smirk worthy lyrics on “LUNCH” and “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” to the simple, yet vulnerable words on “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” and “WILDFLOWER”, Eilish shows the world how powerful of a songwriter she is.
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is definitely more of a slow burn record in my opinion, since it didn’t have as much buildup as Eilish’s debut album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, but I think it is just as creative, just as risk-taking, and deserves just as much praise.