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Start-Track Writer’s Favorite Releases of 2024

By Valor / January 2, 2025

2024 was an intense year in music – many big artists released incredible albums that garnered global attention, and many small DIY artists released albums (and EPs and singles) that are sure to become DIY classics and pillars of their genre and the genre’s community, talked about for years to come. This is a list of each Start-Track writer’s top albums, EPs, and singles from this year. 

Filip’s Top Albums Of The Year (In No Specific Order)

Valor’s Top Albums Of The Year

  1. how we dig in the earth – A Place For Owls (read the review here: https://start-track.com/album-a-place-for-owls-how-we-dig-in-the-earth/) 
  2. Stars Align – New Age Thief
  3. Keep Your Cool – Riley!
  4. The Great Impersonator – Halsey
  5. Feeling Not Found – Origami Angel
  6. Where You Thought You Would Be – If Kansas Had Trees
  7. Bad Jazz – Virginity
  8. Humans Pretending to Be Human – Mud Whale (read the review here: https://start-track.com/album-humans-pretending-to-be-human-mud-whale-interview/) 
  9. Wearing Out The Refrain – Bad Moves
  10. Home’s Here – 3AM (read the review here: https://start-track.com/album-3am-homes-here-interview/) 

mynameisbluesky’s Top Albums Of The Year

  1. Moves in the Field – Kelly Moran 
  2. Sublte Movements – Surya Botofasina, Nate Merceraum, and Carlos Nino
  3. Rollercoaster – Cadence Weapon
  4. What Now? – Brittany Howard
  5. Halfsies – Lizzie No
  6. Quiet In a World Full of Noise – Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn
  7. The Great Bailout – Moor Mother
  8. Sun Without the Hest – Leyla McCalla
  9. ONEZ – Suzi Analogue 
  10. Four Tet – Three

Natalia Es’s Top Albums Of The Year

  1. King Perry – Lee Scratch Perry
  2. Imaginal Disk – Magdalena Bay
  3. Eternal Sunshine – Ariana Grande
  4. Cowboy Carter – Beyonce
  5. Japanese Journal, Vol. 1 – Waclaw Zimpel
  6. Nobody Loves You More – Kim Deal
  7. Orquídeas – Kalli Uchis

K Boykin’s Top Albums Of The Year

  1. Far Removed – Bummer Hill  
  2. Princess Feedback – The Dreaded Laramie (read the review here: https://start-track.com/interview-the-dreaded-laramie-album-princess-feedback/) 
  3. LONG TIME LISTENER/FIRST TIME CALLER – 95COROLLA (read the review here: https://start-track.com/album-95corolla-long-time-listener-first-time-caller/)  
  4. What You Want – Ogbert the Nerd 
  5. Casually Crashing – Arcadia Grey 
  6. Wearing a Wire – Soot  
  7. Disruptor – Middle Part  
  8. Home’s Here – 3AM  (read the review here: https://start-track.com/album-3am-homes-here-interview/) 
  9. birdwatching – CLIFFDIVER 
  10. Avoider – ahem

Pleasure Tapes’ Top Albums Of The Year

  1. Chameleon – Trauma Ray
  2. Nothing Runs Like You – Jane Deer
  3. Temporary Motion – THIN VEIL
  4. Teressa – blue heron holy ghost
  5. solace – blood pact
  6. Linus – Andromeda
  7. Secrets – MOP
  8. Attachment – Boy With Apple
  9. Angel In The Sand – Leaving Time
  10. i hope you’re ok – Glaring Orchid

Jason Toby’s Top Albums Of The Year

  1. Better Will Come – Flamingosis
  2. From Scratch – Psalm Trees
  3. LONG TIME LISTENER / FIRST TIME CALLER –  95COROLLA (read the review here: https://start-track.com/album-95corolla-long-time-listener-first-time-caller/) 
  4. Metaphors Are Really Cool –  everythingsadream
  5. powerline traps airplane – powerline traps airplane (read the review here: https://start-track.com/album-powerline-traps-airplane-powerline-traps-airplane/) 
  6. I Can See My House from Here – Big, If True
  7. A Hopeful Sign – Yellowcard & Hammock
  8. Into the Unknown – NERO
  9. Parallel Realms – STRFKR
  10. Seven of Eight – Telemakus

Kinda Grizzly’s Top Albums Of The Year

  1. Venom In A Pitcher – Harry Heart
  2. Vacationland – Western Jaguar
  3. Tangk – IDLES
  4. Chromakopia – Tyler, The Creator
  5. Someday – Swiss Portrait (read the review here: https://start-track.com/album-swiss-portrait-someday/) 
  6. No Name – Jack White 
  7. Nuclear Family Man – Nuclear Family Man
  8. Wolfram Jeckyll – Wolfram Jeckyll
  9. Letter To Self – Sprints
  10. A Dagger In Every Tide – New Ghost (read the review here: https://start-track.com/album-new-ghost-a-dagger-in-every-tide/) 

Start-Track Writers’ Top EPs Of The Year

Filip’s Top EPs Of The Year (In No Specific Order)

Valor’s Top EPs Of The Year

  1. Fate Lines – tenmonthsummer (read the review here: https://start-track.com/ep-tenmonthsummer-fate-lines/) 
  2. Halloween Sessions II – The In Betweens (read the review here: https://start-track.com/ep-the-in-betweens-halloween-sessions-2/) 
  3. Dibs on First Rips! – Buddy Bench
  4. Hard to Say – LaterGator
  5. Speaking Terms – Stella Bridie

mynameisbluesky’s Top EPs Of The Year

  1. Tongue in the Mind – Tongue in the Mind 
  2. This Ain’t the Album – Flyana Boss
  3. Speed – Nascar Aloe
  4. Chasing Chickens – Nourished by Time
  5. Wish You Were Here – They Hate Change

K Boykin’s Top EPs Of The Year

  1. Bosco – Hopeless Romantic  (read the review here: https://start-track.com/ep-hopeless-romantic-bosco/) 
  2. LEAVING – Kerosene Heights 
  3. Equinox Allergies – Sleepygolucky 
  4.  best buds 🙂 – red sun 
  5.  …Within a Forest Dark – +CAREGIVER+

Pleasure Tapes’ Top EPs Of The Year

  1. The Lottery / Dishes – Edlear (read the review here: https://start-track.com/ep-edlear-the-lottery-dishes/) 
  2. Blink Into Nothing – Lozenge
  3. Needle & Thread – Skeever
  4. Grief & Calamity – Herr God
  5. Hunting Jacket – Interlay

Jason Toby’s Top EPs Of The Year

  1. what is the purpose of your visit? – Fuvk (read the review here: https://start-track.com/ep-fuvk-what-is-the-purpose-of-your-visit/) 
  2. Solidarity – cornfed
  3. MUSTANG – southernwade
  4. Red – Lemaitre
  5. Where You Are – Tycho

Kinda Grizzly’s Top EPs Of The Year

  1. Centre Mass – Very Many Horses
  2. Live At The 606 Club – Longy (read the review here: https://start-track.com/ep-longy-live-at-the-606-club/) 
  3. 六 – Yesh Yoko
  4. The Car Beside The Road – The Foxgloves (read the review here: https://start-track.com/ep-the-foxgloves-the-car-beside-the-road/) 
  5. Voyager – Stubai (read the review here: https://start-track.com/ep-stubai-voyager/) 

Start-Track Writers’ Top Singles Of The Year

Valor’s Top Singles Of The Year

  1. Tequila Redbull – Equipment 
  2. Yesterday – Tiny Voices, Chris Freeman
  3. I Need You To Kill Me – Ditzy Spells (read the review here: https://start-track.com/single-ditzy-spells-i-need-you-to-kill-me/) 
  4. Even Green – My Own Desert Island (read the review here: https://start-track.com/singles-my-own-desert-island-even-green-kamikaze/) 
  5. Kid – Great Grandpa

mynameisbluesky’s Top Singles Of The Year

  1. Risk of Make-Believe – Son Lux 
  2.  Your Mom Does the Washing – Joshua Idehen 
  3. Spank Bank – The Dream Eaters
  4. One Nation – Pinkshift
  5. CNTY – WaBeya

Natalia Es’s Top Singes Of The Year

  1. Music for Machines – Grimes
  2. Scared of Height – Hera Bjork
  3. Teresa and Maria – Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil
  4. Broke My Heart – Caribou

K Boykin’s Top Singles Of The Year

  1. the thought of losing you – boy clothes  
  2. Drive Home – Bay Faction 
  3. Emma – See You Next 
  4. Boomer – Red Sun 
  5. Young Neil, He Lives Here – The Casper Fight Scene

Pleasure Tapes’ Top Singles Of The Year

  1. Future – Split Chain
  2. If We Didn’t Cry – Smush
  3. into place – Midrift
  4. Dirt – Short Frenzy
  5. leave – Flowerbed

Jason Toby’s Top Singles Of The Year

  1. Got What I Got – Fox Stevenson
  2. Heart Begins With You – Kowloon
  3. Haïku – Kissamilé
  4. Out of Sight and Mind – Stolen Gin
  5. A Lifetime Ago – Sleep Club (read the review here: https://start-track.com/single-sleep-club-a-lifetime-ago/) 

Kinda Grizzly’s Top Singles Of The Year

  1. Long Waits In A&E – Hope Of The States
  2. Carousel II – Chester Shakes
  3. Pool – Amelie Lucille
  4. Promise You’ll Stay – Daniyal
  5. Conversations – Mirella

Filip Zemčik is the founder of Start-Track and Z Tapes and the leader of the Start-Track writing team. He is a powerful voice in the DIY music world with an incredible ability to lift up and encourage artists and bands of all genres and levels of popularity. 

Valor is a writer for Start-Track and has been writing for the site for almost a year. They are based out of Kansas City, KS and love discovering new artists. They have a strong love for DIY emo and for going to DIY emo shows.

mynameisbluesky is a writer for Start-Track and a singer-songwriter and poet from Boston, MA. He is democratically voted the king of autism. His Instagram is @thecosmicbleautie and his Bluesky is onewordnocap.bsky.social.

Natalia Es is a writer for Start-Track and a music enthusiast who brings a lot of energy to the Start-Track team.

K Boykin is a writer for Start-Track who often introduces new artists and new music to the Start-Track team. He also goes by Killian and is a prolific and energetic writer.

Pleasure Tapes is a writer for Start-Track and a queer nonprofit record label. It is run by one human who is fueled by Yerba maté and lucky strikes. 

Jason Toby is a writer for Start-Track and is a Boston, MA-based creative and DIY music enthusiast. His Instagram is @jasontoby.design.

Kinda Grizzly is a writer for Start-Track and is an Anglo-Australian independent label, music collective, curator, and its own blog. 

Compiled by Valor

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