You join us now as we kick this year’s Listmas celebrations up a gear by delving into our favourite songs of 2024. Be they chart topping singles or overlooked deep cuts, these are the tracks that had me coming back time after time. The songs that have been on repeat in my head for months on end. The tracks with the most astonishing “wow” moments which left me speechless, as well as those that had me singing along the loudest. Without further ado, let’s look back on the best songs that soundtracked 2024.

10. Marjana Semkina – We Are The Ocean

Right from first pressing play it exemplifies everything we’ve come to know and love about Marjana Semkina. The light and shade contrast between the dark gothic folk and elegant celestial strings, with her own haunting vocals operating in the shades of grey in between. What made this the standout moment of her new album Sirin however is that astonishing guitar solo. By the end I felt like I had ascended to a higher plane.

9. Caligula’s Horse – The Stormchaser

Honestly, Jim Grey could sing his shopping list and make it sound like some angelic elegy. With an emotionally charged message venting frustration at people’s selfishness, ‘The Stormchaser’ is able to show the full breadth of his talents as a vocalist, flitting between tenderness and thunderous ire. I love the track’s central cascading melody, and that bridge is one of the most raw and impactful passages I’ve heard all year. 

8. Wild Pink – Sprinter Brain

I probably spent more time with Dulling The Horns than any other album I reviewed this year, purely by virtue of the fact that I couldn’t make my mind up about it. Looking back, ‘Sprinter Brain’ was likely the main source of my indecision. “Surely I have to love the album if it has a song this good on it?”. The slow burn, the driving beat, the triumphant piano tone, the way the sax and the cathartic guitar solo jump in to up the ante. It’s quite possibly Wild Pink’s finest hour.

7. Luvcat – Matador

If I had a quid for every time I found myself singing “Here we are again, at the Kazimier Garden…” under my breath this past year, I would be a rich man. I’d be at least another tenner up just while writing this very list. ‘Matador’ has been the biggest earworm of 2024 by a country mile, living rent free in my head ever since I first heard it. Such a fantastic debut single, and I can’t wait to see Luvcat take 2025 by the horns.

6. Hozier – Too Sweet

There’s at least a dozen different Hozier tracks which should have had the same level of acclaim and attention as ‘Take Me To Church’ by now. It’s baffling how he isn’t hailed from all corners as one of the best artists of the generation. ‘Too Sweet’s massive, well-earned success feels like the world finally waking up to that fact. With its irresistible groove, slick lyricism, and vocals as rich as a fine wine, the track is yet another absolute triumph. 

5. The Decemberists – Joan in the Garden

Were it not limited to one song per act, half the tracks from The Decemberists’ new album could be making strong claims for a place on this list. If I have to narrow it down to just one, then it has to be ‘Joan in the Garden’. I could wax lyrical about this shifting, sprawling 20 minute epic, but really it all comes down to that finale. The last few minutes of ‘Joan’ is the most rousing and electrifying piece of music I’ve heard in ages.

4. Soccer Mommy – Abigail

Everything about ‘Abigail’ just oozes charm from start to finish. The dreamy melodies that saturate every second of the arrangement, alongside one of Sophie Allison’s most assured and gorgeous vocal performances, all coming together to deliver an endearing love letter to a cute video game romance. The world just feels like a prettier and more wholesome place while ‘Abigail’ is playing. My year has been just that bit brighter for having this song in it. 

3. Maggie Rogers – So Sick Of Dreaming

Ever since Maggie released ‘Love You For A Long Time’ I’ve been praying for her to fully embrace that sun-kissed, carefree road trip side of her sound. Her new record answered my prayers, and nowhere moreso than on the gorgeous Fleetwood Mac-esque groove of ‘So Sick Of Dreaming’. Every best songs list calls for a consolation prize for ‘song of the summer’, and this track was the keystone of my summer soundtrack.

2. Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!

Like much of the rest of the world, I discovered and became subsequently obsessed with Chappell Roan this year. Her debut album from last year is a bit hit and miss, but when it hits she’s absolutely phenomenal. Her most recent single ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ gives those album highlights a real run for their money, feeling like a fusion of Madonna and Kate Bush at their peaks. Imagine being hyped up as the biggest new pop star on the planet and then dropping a song that screams “you haven’t seen anything yet!“. Incredible.

1. The Howl & The Hum – Same Mistake Twice

A song so good it sadly overshadowed the rest of the album; but then I suppose he must have just broken the mould when he made this masterpiece. The soft heartbeat drums, simple folk guitar and gentle vocals building to become increasingly frantic and impassioned, all culminating in the cathartic Springsteenian sax soaring overhead as bombastic drums crash around you. The way it pairs uniquely whip smart and self-deprecating lyricism, with such an invigorating and triumphant arrangement, encapsulates everything I love about The Howl & The Hum.