Pitchfork editors are already thinking about which albums made the biggest impression and will earn a coveted spot on our year-end list. So we're highlighting some of 2024's most outstanding releases so far, rounding up albums that have earned high scores and Best New Music designations with a quick RIYL list (recommended if you like it) and links to our coverage.
Unlike our year-end lists, this one is organized in reverse chronological order. To help you keep up with the best music of the year, we'll be updating it periodically for the rest of 2024.
(All releases featured here are independently selected by our publishers. However, when you purchase something through our retail links, Pitchfork may earn an affiliate commission.)
April
RIYL: Yusef Lateef? New Jazz Age; flutes; Not in a rush; transcendental meditation; breathing? the wind; the concept of cosmic harmony. discovering the new class of jazz artists
Listen/Buy: Amazon | Apple Music | Raw Trade | Spotify | Tidal
RIYL: “Why I'm Leaving New York” Essays. the first three Vampire Weekend albums. self-mythology; self-referentiality; Soul II Soul's “Back to Life”? albums that open with the word “fuck”? held loosely but not let go
Listen/Buy: Amazon | Apple Music | Raw Trade | Spotify | Tidal
March
RIYL: The Velvet Underground? the Ronettes; Bradford Cox's old Blogspot. drag queens? hypnagogic pop; Brill Building pop; double albums; listening to YouTube albums. untagged .wav files. CD-R
Listen/Buy: Geocities | YouTube
RIYL: Square dance at Dior; Cavender's Boot City? Late nights at the local lounge; impossible honeys; The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo? Pig-tie your man; smoked brisket; correcting the historical record
Listen/Buy: Amazon | Apple Music | Raw Trade | Spotify | Tidal
RIYL: Unrestrained emotions. slips of the tongue; bass without a roof; glissando? Pool resonance; Fantastic Journey; lava lamps; antique perfume atomizers; pressed flowers; faded Technicolor
Listen/Buy: Amazon | Apple Music | Bandcamp | Raw trade | Spotify | Tidal
RIYL: Triplets? fractal; The intersection of rigor and whimsy. staccato; diamond drill bits. rock twisters; HBCU Drums; classic minimalism; astronomical observatories; mirage; occult quantization settings. physical modeling? ping pong balls falling into mousetraps. AP math
