2024 Top 10

So many great songs, what made the top spot?

Thanks for reading the first two sections of the best of 2024. Now the time has come to crown the best song of 2024. First off, it was a great year for music. We had superb albums, excellent singles, and wonderful moments throughout the year. Here are the top ten songs of 2024.

10. Fat Dog – Running – April
If you had told me in January that I would have not one but two Fat Dog songs on my end of the year best of list I would’ve said, who the heck are Fat Dog? But here we are. When they released “Running” in April, I immediately sent a link to Walle and said, I found your favourite song of the year (it ended up as his number 3, you can check out his top 5 here).

Top Songs of 2024: Part Three (Songs 1-5)

It was the most catchy, unique thing I had heard in 2024 and still is. I love this live version, I love the drummer with the dog mask and the Pulp shirt, I love singer Joe Love looking indifferent when he screams “God” I love the saxophone out of nowhere. Webster’s now defines banger with a picture of this song. It’s a trip!

9. Fontaines D.C. – Starburster – April
I’m not sure why, but for some reason when I think of Fontaines D.C. I almost always think of 90s one-hit wonder, EMF; and that’s not a shot at either band. I really like FDC, but I also really liked EMF. I’ve enjoyed Fontaines since they’ve been on the scene, but “Starburster” is an earworm like they had never produced before. It became a song I became obsessed with.

8. Shed Seven – Talk of the Town – January
I loved Brit Pop and if you had asked me in 1996 which Brit Pop band would have a number 1 album in 2024, I would’ve guessed 10 bands before getting to Shed Seven. But that’s what happened in January when Shed Seven released their sixth album and it hit number 1 in the UK. I originally put it on as a bit of a laugh, but the joke was on me because it was actually good. Anchored by “Talk of the Town”, it sure looks like Shed Seven have more good music in them. I like this live video because the bassist looks like my friend Murray, who also plays bass and from certain angles, I get annoyed that he didn’t tell me about his gig playing bass for Shed Seven.

7. Starcrawler – Learn to Say Goodbye – October
October marked the return of the mighty Starcrawler, with their strongest song in years, “Learn to Say Goodbye”. Part punk, part paranoia, and part Pumpkins, “Learn to Say Goodbye” is just a great rock song. Hope to get a new album from the LA band soon, but in the meantime, just put on headphones and rock out to this beauty.

6. SPRINTS – Literary Mind – January
When I first put on SPRINTS debut album, Letter to Self, in January, I didn’t know what I was listening to. But 2 minutes into the lead track, “Ticking” I was blown away. This was 2024 punk. What a great slap in your face album. By the time you get to track eight, “Literary Mind” you are emotionally spent, maybe that’s why it was the standout for me. It’s not as exhausting as the rest of the album and you can almost relax as you enjoy this amazing musical experience.

5. Vampire Weekend – Mary Boone – March
After 5 years away, Vampire Weekend were back with a new Only God Was Above Us. The album was highlighted by “Mary Boone”, a song that shares a name with the NYC art dealer. Using the back beat from Soul II Soul’s classic Back to Life and a wonderful choir, “Mary Boone” is just a fantastic song that is as nostalgic as it is brand new. An exquisite return to form for indie royalty.

4. Hinds – Superstar – July
You know those songs that get the whole stadium bouncing. Well, that’s what Spanish band Hinds have with “Superstar”. This song rocks! I’ve enjoyed Hinds since I first heard Good Times Bad and love that they are getting a decent push. I can’t believe this band is still playing in clubs, because the ladies are destined for much larger stages.

3. Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe – April
In a year that felt like the changing of the guard in pop, there wasn’t a better pop song than this one. Heck, I’ll go one further, this is the best pop song of the decade. Part Wham! Part Madonna, but all Chappell, “Good Luck Babe” is just a perfect song. When “Good Luck, Babe” came out in April, you felt as if Roan knew she had created an anthem. With it came a great deal of honesty, an attention-grabbing performance at Coachella, and by the time she destroyed Lollapalooza with a career defining set, we were in the palm of her hands. Now the only question is – you have the world on a platter for you Chappell, what are you going to next?

2. Blondshell (feat. Bully) – Docket – March
It’s the best indie rock single of the year. “Docket” by Blondshell hits all the elements of someone trying to justify their actions. Adding to our list of California-based bands in my top 40 this year, Blondshell’s “Docket” was the indie rock song we deserved in 2024. Blondshell and Bully were a match made in heaven.

1. The Cure – Nothing is Forever – October
2024 was a great year for music and what put the exclamation point on the year was The Cure’s Songs of a Lost World. An album about loss, mortality, and joy. And while they have written songs about all those before, for some reason this felt lived, this felt real. None of those emotions were clearer than Robert Starts singing on “Nothing is Forever”. I feel like Smith is singing directly to me, thanking me for being a fan, but then going one step further and begging me to keep listening, to still be a fan. We may have forgotten about you for a couple years now, but I promise we’ll be with you until the end.

I hope you had a great 2024 in music. I hope your 2024 list is awesome. Share some of your favourites below. See you in 2025!