Make some noise for the best rock albums of 2024. This list is rock music's definitive guide to the year, carefully ranked by fans like you. From indie and alternative to punk and metal, 2024's top new rock albums are as diverse as they are powerful. Jump into the mosh pit, and cast your votes for the rock album of the year.
Sample the distinctive beats of The Last Dinner Party in their album Prelude to Ecstasy - a 12-track special combining Baroque, pop, and prog, blending vintage charm with an edgy modern, internet-influenced style. Experience the heartfelt country roots in Waxahatchee's Tigers Blood where ever-evolving artist Katie Crutchfield isn't afraid to take musical risks. Lose yourself in Adrianne Lenker's deeply introspective, tech-free creation Bright Future, which proves that sometimes, the quietest sounds make the loudest impact. Or how about Faye Webster's relatable narratives of relationships and split in her indie-rock/country fusion album Underdressed at the Symphony - a melodic exploration of the banal brutalities of relationships.
Each album we've listed tells a distinct story, reflects a unique style, and satisfies a different corner of your rock-loving heart, making it a truly diverse rock bible to guide you through 2024! Now it's your turn to have your say. See a favorite? Give it the thumbs up. Feel an album is ranked too high? Use your democratic power to move it down. Let's rock the vote together, and determine which of these epic albums deserves the crown as the best rock album of 2024. Time to turn the volume up and dive headfirst into the thrilling world of rock 'n roll!
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- Vampire Weekend
- Columbia Records Group
1Only God Was Above Us
Released: April 5, 2024
Artist: Vampire Weekend
Best Tracks:
“Capricorn”
“Gen-X Cops”
“Classical”Vampire Weekend's fifth studio album Only God Was Above Us explores nostalgia with their signature style as well as surprises with instrumentation, musical phrasing, and lyrics. The band has stated, "We will push obnoxious sounds right up to the limit of listeners’ patience while also giving them songs that are catchy and fun.”
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- The Last Dinner Party
- Island Records
2Prelude to Ecstasy
Released: February 2, 2024
Artist: The Last Dinner Party
Best Tracks:
“The Feminine Urge”
“Nothing Matters”
“Mirror”The Last Dinner Party's 12-track album Prelude to Ecstasy combines Baroque, pop, and prog. The band credits the vast nature of the internet with the formation of their visual and musical style. Band member Abigail Morris states in an interview, “It sounds modern because it's a result of being churned out of the machine of being chronically online and regurgitating what you saw in your formative teenage years.”
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- Jack White
- Jack White
3No Name
Released: August 2, 2024
Artist: Jack White
Best Tracks:
“That's How I'm Feeling”
“Old Scratch Blues”
“Bless Yourself”Jack White's surprise album No Name features 13 tracks most punk-inspired work since his work with his band the White Stripes. The indie musician maintains a nostalgically old-school and authentic approach to making and releasing his work. In a music era with a penchant for releasing multiple songs before an eventual album, White presents his latest work as a single collection of songs - harkening back to the days of music yore.
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- Linkin Park
- Warner Records Inc.
4From Zero
Released: November 15, 2024
Artist: Linkin Park
Best Tracks:
“Heavy In The Crown”
“Over Each Other”
Linkin Park has returned with a new lead singer, Emily Armstrong, and guitarist Alex Feder, following the death of the original frontman, Chester Bennington in 2017. From Zero contains 11 tracks, with stadium-style songs, bringing together the elements of their old sound with new stylistic changes.
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- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
- Play It Again Sam
5Wild God
Released: September 4, 2024
Artist: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Best Tracks:
“Wild God”
“Frogs”
“Long Dark Night”
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds shine a spotlight on the nuances of grief, death, and spirituality in their album Wild God. Their 10 tracks combine their signature sound while taking new risks, evoking their stadium style with avant-garde style electric guitar sounds and even classical influences.
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- Adrianne Lenker
- 4AD
6Bright Future
Released: March 22, 2024
Artist: Adrianne Lenker
Best Tracks:
“Vampire Empire”
“No Machine”
“Sadness as a Gift”Singer-songwriter Adrianne Lenker disconnected from the distractions of modern technology to complete her album, Bright Future. Lenker's unplugged album extended to all aspects of the recording process, including previewing her songs to close friends to assess and "to rehearse some songs she’d nurtured as hatchlings and thought might be ready to take flight."
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