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Neon green was undeniably the color of summer of 2024 as people flocked to social media to participate in the Apple dance or post edits of Kamala Harris to "365." However, Brat wasn't the only hit from this summer, with artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Don Toliver, and Billie Eilish all dropping long-anticipated albums in the past few months. After listening to over a 1000 minutes of these albums and probably ruining my Spotify Wrapped in the process, I have opinions. Brat Summer is over, so let's see how these albums measure up now.
1. Hit Me Hard and Soft - Billie Eilish
Favorite Song: "Chihiro"
Least Favorite Song: "Bittersuite"
The past three years have been the quietest for Billie Eilish's music releases and fans were left clamoring for her third studio album after she dropped the hit Barbie single What Was I Made For? in summer of 2023. Considering the album is #1 in this ranking, it was clearly worth the wait. Hit Me Hard and Soft is a noticeably more mature album for Billie, feeling like a mix between her edgy debut When We Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? and soft pop album Happier Than Ever. As her first release after her public coming out in November, Hit Me Hard and Soft is a deeply personal album for Billie and takes the listener along through the highs and lows of her life during her hiatus. Surprisingly, my favorite song, "Chihiro," was probably the least personal of the album. It tells the story of the main character in the Studio Ghibli movie Spirited Away, who journeys to the spirit world to undo a porcine curse cast upon her ignorant parents. With its heavy background synths, abstract lyrics, and vague chorus, this is one of the songs on this album that felt like it was made to be listened to as art, rather than typical radio pop. It covers themes of solitude and loneliness, using Chihiro's journey as a metaphor for Billie's feelings. The dark and moody tone of the song transitions smoothly into the lighter "Birds of a Feather," which is the most popular song on the album for good reason. It is a much needed break from the more serious songs before and attempts a more traditional radio pop sound with a great execution by Billie despite its contradiction to her usual style. It's also somewhat of a preparation for the next three, much more devastating songs about heartbreak. Shifting from a story about getting with her best friend's ex to the pain of unrequited love to a guilty confession of not loving her significant other, "Wildflower," "The Greatest," and "L'Amour de ma Vie" are an emotional tour de force of ballads and are stunning to listen to back to back. With many ballads in modern pop often coming off as contrived and unremarkable, these tracks are a breath of fresh air. However, despite all of the positives of this album, it admittedly suffers with poor pacing, with weaker songs at the beginning and end and her best material sandwiched in between. But in the grand scheme of things, the flaws are tiny and unimportant in comparison to the whole album's excellent writing and production and I'm really looking forward to seeing what Billie Eilish will release next.
2. Hardstone Psycho - Don Toliver
Favorite Song: "Tore Up"
Least Favorite Song: "Hardstone National Anthem"
Don Toliver opts for a darker sound than his usual albums in Hardstone Psycho, incorporating electric guitar riffs and maintaining a consistently strong, grungy production. If the entire album was Disc 1 and Disc 2, it would easily be my favorite of the summer. Disc 1 has a strong start in "Kryptonite," which has a double-sided approach consisting of a faster beat in the beginning then transitioning into a slower flow in the second half of the song. Don Toliver really uses his voice to its full potential in this song and the electric technique of the production adds a unique element that distinguishes it from previous albums like Lovesick. "Tore Up" is another solid song on this album, with its excellent production being a standout. It's usually easy for artists to have their voices drowned out by strong background production, but "Tore Up" does it effortlessly and the heavy guitar is a distinctive addition. Onto Disc 2, "Bandit" is a great choice for a single and an easy favorite on this album. The Tame Impala sample at the beginning is a compelling hook and the transition into hard beat was a pleasant surprise. The grungy guitar riffs align well with the album's aesthetic, making it one of the only songs that stays true to the biker vibe he attempts throughout the album. Later in the disc, Travis Scott gets a feature in "Ice Age," but it's a pretty boring verse that doesn't fit super well with the rest of the disc. The song has a fun switch-up with Don Toliver's verse at the end and smoothly shifts to a more hype energy that artistically juxtaposes Travis' more chill vibe. Disc 3's songs are all forgettable. "New Drop" has some clean synths that are satisfying to listen to, but it's definitely a more low energy track and its weak lyrics don't help. Disc 4 also doesn't improve significantly in the memorability aspect. Don Toliver's production takes a notable dip in quality in "Hardstone National Anthem," where his vocals are washed out by the bass in the background. As a whole, Hardstone Psycho is easily Don Toliver's best work to date and the back-to-back bangers at the beginning of the album are more than enough to earn its number two spot on this ranking.
3. Short n' Sweet - Sabrina Carpenter
Favorite Song: "Taste"
Least Favorite Song: "Dumb and Poetic"
I never thought I would be a fan of Sabrina Carpenter's music and I was especially wary after seeing Jack Antonoff listed as a producer, as his recent work in pop music hasn't been my favorite. However, Short n' Sweet pleasantly surprised me with catchy retro tracks that easily make Sabrina a standout pop artist. What I appreciate most about this album is that it isn't trying to reinvent pop music, which is rare after Taylor Swift popularized generic, "meaningful" music with the success of her latest album. Not every album needs to be about a major life experience or crisis and it's refreshing to see an album that's just fun all the way through. Even the more cynical songs like "Taste," rumored to be about Camila Cabello getting back together with Sabrina's ex, are so catchy that they don't feel contemptuous or overly emotional. Like "Taste," the other two singles on this album are amazing. "Espresso" is easily the song of summer 2024 and for good reason. It's silly, fun, and pleasantly carefree. The chorus has wordplay that adds a humorous tone to the song and it makes sense why it went viral on social media. "Please, Please, Please" is about Sabrina's latest boyfriend, Saltburn star Barry Keoghan, and the most experimental on the album, with airy vocals and a bit of country in the chorus. The song shows off Sabrina's vocal talent and the synths in the background add a unique, retro vibe. Short n' Sweet's biggest flaw is that the three singles are the best of the album. There's definitely other good songs like "Good Graces," "Juno," and "Bed Chem," but everything else is forgettable and I don't see myself listening to them again. "Dumb and Poetic" was probably my least favorite on the album, with Sabrina attempting a ballad with forced rhyming and mediocre lyricism that simply doesn't do justice to her voice. However, I'm excited to see what's next for Sabrina and hope she influences artists to leave the indie music craze.
4. This is How Tomorrow Moves - Beabadoobee
Favorite Song: "Everseen"
Least Favorite Song: "Girl Song"
Many have been anticipating Beabadoobee's next album after her Valentine's Day single in February and hit collab with Laufey in October. She promoted the album by dropping a single each month before the album release, generating a lot of hype on social media. Similar to Sabrina Carpenter's album, those three singles were all amazing and possibly the best of This is How Tomorrow Moves. It opens with the lead single, "Take A Bite," where Bea describes her toxic tendencies as well as her desire to repeat those damaging behaviors. This song is really good and probably one of my favorites from her discography, with a fun pop rock vibe that continues throughout the album. "California" is even better, taking on a more energetic tone as Beaboobee explains her frustration with her current lifestyle and desire to return to simpler times. Despite a strong beginning, the album drags for a bit of the middle. I was very ambivalent about "Girl Song," a fan-favorite from the album. On one hand, it distinguished itself from the rest of the album as a unique piano ballad that was likely the most personal to Beabadoobee. But despite the meaningful subject matter about body image and insecurity, it was a little on the nose in a way that felt disingenuous. "Everseen" was the second single released before the album and while I wasn't a fan initially, it became my favorite off the album. I think it was necessary to bring back some energy after the monotonous songs before. Especially with the recent controversy surrounding her ex-boyfriend and the following breakup song "That's the Way Things Go," it's nice to hear a happy love song from Beabadoobee. This song is definitely a lot more mainstream and not even close to her peak in Beatopia and Fake It Flowers, but the upbeat production was fun to listen to. I feel this way about pretty much the whole album: not as good as her past albums, but not bad at all.
5. Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Chappell Roan
Favorite Song: "Red Wine Supernova"
Least Favorite Song: "California"
Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is Chappell Roan's debut album and followed after her single, "Good Luck Babe!," blew up on social media. Chappell Roan is easily one of the artists most attributable to the pop revolution that has taken over summer 2024, known for a quirky, production-heavy sound that we all got used to hearing on the radio in the past few months. Starting off with "Femininomenon," the album immediately establishes a tone of hyper-pop chaos and energy that remains constant throughout. However, the song itself, while effective as an introduction, was mediocre and I got unbelievably sick of the chorus by its third repetition to the point where I never want to hear (or type) the word "femininomenon" again. The wordplay is just not as clever or funny as Chappell thinks it is and it's too on the nose to be the commentary on heterosexual dating culture that it was intended to be. Luckily, the next song on the album, "Red Wine Supernova," is significantly better and my favorite of the ballads on the album, most of which are pretty weak. The acoustic guitar is a welcome break from the over-enthusiastic production from the track before and Chappell's vocals are really able to shine in the chorus as a result. She picks up the beat at the bridge and shifts into a catchy, chantable verse that perfectly merges with the final repetition of the song's original chorus as a conclusion. The next few songs are pretty forgettable. "Coffee" is a slow ballad that negatively sticks out in an album full of colorful pop. I could totally see myself enjoying this song if it were sung by Laufey or Mitski, but the calmness of the song doesn't flow at all with Chappell's voice despite being an improvement over her screaming. "Casual," the next ballad, fits her vocal talents so much better and the raw vocals and production make it feel much more personal. The desire to elevate a relationship to the next level while the other person wants to stay uncommitted is extremely well-conveyed through emotional lyricism and the natural escalation of the song expresses her feelings much more effectively than the other songs on this album that attempt to communicate this through screaming. Speaking of, "HOT TO GO!" is one of the most annoying songs on this album, which is sad because the beginning of the song is great. The song starts off with a fun, rhyming verse that immediately gets tarnished by the "H-O-T T-O G-O" chant. No matter what critics are saying, it's not the new "YMCA" and more childish than quirky. Maybe it's just me being sick of its overexposure on my social media, but this album was not as endearing or fun for me as it was for most.
6. Charm - Clairo
Favorite Song: "Juna"
Least Favorite Song: "Terrapin"
Immunity is one of my favorite albums, so I was looking forward to Clairo's next release when she announced her third studio album in May. However, Charm just lacked the creative lyricism and production that I associate with Clairo's best music, with most tracks sounding derivative and feeling interchangeable as a result. The breathier voice that Clairo experiments with ultimately acts as a detriment in this album and makes most of the songs sound like bland bedroom pop and watered-down versions of past hits. To begin with some pros, "Sexy to Someone" is one of the few songs to feel unique in the album, incorporating a lounge-style production with smooth piano accompanying her crooning lyrics. The adjustment of traditional pop sounds into a modern album is beautiful to listen to and shows that Clairo isn't afraid to take influence from different music styles. She continues this experimentation by using a 70's style drum beat with simple piano to allude to old-fashioned jazz styles in "Juna." The uninterrupted brass section at the song is the perfect conclusion to her sensual lyrics about her deep connection with someone. I wish Clairo had leaned more heavily into the jazz vibe that these two songs have throughout the rest of the album because I think it would have been much more captivating. Instead, in songs like "Second Nature" and "Slow Dance," she opts for more monotonous, airy vocals that make me struggle to identify which song is which. There's also much less substance in these songs, especially in comparison to her past emotional powerhouses like "Sofia" and most other songs on Immunity. "Terrapin" is another example of bland lyricism with a three minute runtime that says absolutely nothing. There's an aggravatingly long intro of her humming before switching into a slow-paced description of the joys of living simplistically. It's a filler song at best and nobody would miss it if it was removed from the album entirely. Overall, Clairo struggles to play to her strengths in this album. Her voice has never been anything special, so she's always emphasized great lyrics and catchy choruses which is best seen in songs like "Bags" and "Amoeba." There is nothing in Charm that hasn't already been done in better indie albums, leaving a persistent feeling that something is missing.
7. Brat - Charli XCX
Favorite Song: "Talk talk"
Least Favorite Song: "Everything is Romantic"
Brat is the album that has defined 2024 the most and the one I listened to the least prior to this review. Charli XCX brings an energetic hyper pop that's messy and unlike the polished pop music we're used to hearing in recent releases. This is definitely going to be a hot take, but I was not a fan of this album. The autotune gimmick is overdone and the EDM sound is nothing new, especially when Charli herself has released amazing electro pop in previous albums like Crash. Still, I have to begin by giving credit to the standout songs on this album, which are all essentials on my summer playlists. "Talk talk" is my favorite song on the album because it gives Charli room to show off her vocals by toning down the background production while still maintaining the energy of the album. Brat struggles to be effortless, trying too hard to create cult classics and prioritizing neon green social media content over the actual music on the album. With the middle of the album mostly consisting of uninspired filler and having a complete tonal shift, it could have been removed with little impact on the album's quality. I have mixed feelings about "Apple," though I have to admit it's partly because I'm traumatized after seeing Nikocado Avocado do the Apple dance on TikTok. The chorus is objectively catchy and one of the stronger ones on this album, but it's almost not worth it because it means listening to the terrible first verse. Brat overall has a lot of great tracks and would be a significantly better album if those songs weren't overshadowed by the gimmicky, EDM-style Charli attempts.
8. The Secret of Us - Gracie Abrams
Favorite Song: "Close to You"
Least Favorite Song: "Good Luck Charlie"
After the release of "Close to You," one of my favorite pop songs of 2024, I was optimistic about The Secret of Us. However, the album itself was unoriginal and reeks of influence from artists like Lorde and Taylor Swift. Gracie opens with an extremely repetitive song "Felt Good About You," which brought nothing into the album except bland lyrics that almost entirely consisted of the title. It feels like she was really proud of the chorus and couldn't think of anything else, so she repeated it for the whole song. The next three songs are where the album peaks with "Risk," "Blowing Smoke," and "I Love You, I'm Sorry." "Risk" has a satisfying guitar looping in the background that pairs well when combined with her messy, obsessive lyrics. While Gracie's sloppy lyricism usually hurts her music, a flaw that is egregiously noticeable later in the album, the lyrics being all over the place contributes to her manic portrayal of herself in this album, as she sings about her desire to be in a relationship and weighing out the risks associated with a confession. The bridge is easily the best part of the song and my favorite part of the album, as it feels the most personal to Gracie even if it takes inspiration from other artists. Unfortunately, this is where the album peaks. The next song, "us." is an awful collaboration with Taylor Swift that completely kills any momentum built up from the last three tracks. Their voices don't work well with each other and I genuinely struggled to get through the chorus because it's so awful. The production from Jack Antonoff was also annoyingly overdone, overpowering their voices to the point where I couldn't hear what they were saying at certain points of the song. I was honestly just waiting for the songs near the end of the album to be over so that I could listen to "Close to You" again. After all of these mid tracks, "Close to You" is refreshing because it's just so good. The lyrics are sharp and bring passion that the album desperately needed earlier, making it a banger of an outro. I think Gracie has a lot of potential, but she needs to spend less time being an industry plant and more time writing her own songs to actually progress as an artist.
9. Vultures 2 - ye and Ty Dolla $ign
Favorite Song: "River"
Least Favorite Song: "Bomb"
As a fan of Kanye's pre-Donda music, this album is probably my biggest music disappointment of the year. A lot of fans and hardcore Kanye defenders were giving him the benefit of the doubt after his release of the subpar Vultures, but this last minute August album release just confirms that Kanye has officially fallen off. It's almost analogous to his public reception in the way that he goes from highs like "Runaway" and "Blood on the Leaves" to atrocities like "Bomb" and "Husband." The sloppy production and lyricism on Vultures 2 reads like Kanye was forced to release this album, causing it to be bloated with content and unfinished. Half of the songs feel like filler and the album would benefit from a shorter runtime similar to his 2018 album ye. Also, I still think Ty Dolla $ign is an odd choice for a Kanye collab and his vocals don't merge with Kanye's nearly as smoothly as past collabs like with Kid Cudi in Kids See Ghosts. However, the album still has its standouts in "River" and "Field Trip," which sound closer to Kanye's usual tight production and instrumentals in contrast to the rest of the album. "River" features Young Thug and creates a haunting contrast between Young Thug's verses of enjoying a materialistic and promiscuous lifestyle and Kanye's verses calling for the release of Larry Hoover and Young Thug (both jailed in widely-covered cases). Ty Dolla $ign then concludes the song by asking to be taken to the river, serving as a metaphor for the clearing and washing away of sins. Young Thug's contributions are essential to "River" and "Field Trip" is the same with Playboi Carti, Don Toliver, and Kodak Black. "Field Trip" sounds more like the lead single on Vultures 2 than the actual lead single "Slide" and the listens reflect that. Kodak probably has my favorite verse on this track and the crunchy drums in the backing track fit well with his rapping. However, the overpowering bass background is just too loud for the song, making it difficult to hear the actual rapping at times. That's about it for the highlights on the album and there are so many lowlights that I'm not going to be able to cover all of them in one review. First off, "Bomb." You only need to read the lyrics to know how bad the song is. It mostly consists of North West repeating the word "bomb" over and over again, only interrupted with Chicago's verses that are somehow worse. This is probably the only song that is genuinely unlistenable on this entire album ranking. Kanye next moves from unlistenable to mediocre with "Sky City." As a fan of the unreleased version, I was actually excited for this one, but the official release of this song is easily the worst version I've heard. I'm 99% sure that Kanye used AI for his verses because they sound uncanny and unlike any of the past unreleased versions. Pretty much all of Kanye's songs sound like AI on this album and he would benefit from taking some more time off to focus on his next release. Overall, I'm disappointed and I'm not sure if a Kanye comeback will ever be possible at this point.
Summer of 2024 had some great albums and I'm looking forward to seeing what all of these artists are going to come up with next!
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