10) Coco & Clair Clair – “Girl” (2024)
Atlanta pop duo Coco & Clair Clair are back with their sophomore album “Girl”. The girls rose to popularity through their SoundCloud releases, becoming recognizable for their soft, dreamlike vocals and ethereal instrumentation. With the release of their debut album, “Sexy” in 2022, the group expanded on this sound and even changed it up with some high-energy tracks, like “The Hills”.
As the duo continued to grow, they released a remix album before beginning promotion for “Girl”. This new album has all of the traits fans have come to love, such as hard-hitting wordplay and soft vocals, while showing off some of their new and improved production value.
The highlighted track this week, “Martini” has a breezy and sassy feel as it opens the album.
9) Billie Eilish – “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” (2024)
Billie Eilish exploded onto the indie-pop scene back in 2015 with the release of her first single, “Ocean Eyes”. The track was the public’s first taste of what would become the hitmaking duo, Billie Eilish’s vocals and songwriting paired up with the production of her brother, FINNEAS.
With the success of her EP, “Don’t Smile at Me” and albums, “When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?” and “Happier Than Ever” the singer became known for her more melancholy tracks. With a knack for writing about the sadness that comes with growing up, Elish was enlisted to write one of the most emotionally hard hitting songs for the soundtrack of “Barbie” (2023), which earned the singer her second Oscar.
The highlighted track, “LUNCH”, features playful lyrics and an upbeat instrumental. As the lead single for this album, it got listeners excited for a different side of the singer’s recent work.
8) MJ Lenderman – “Manning Fireworks” (2024)
Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, MJ Lenderman got his career started by playing the drums for an artist from the same city, Indigo De Souza. After, he joined the band Wednesday for the release of their 2018 EP, “How Do You Let Love Into the Heart That Isn’t Split Wide Open”. Lenderman’s first solo album didn’t come until 2019, a self-titled work that was released while he was working in an ice cream shop.
The artist’s later release, “Boat Songs” garnered critical acclaim and got longtime listeners excited for what was next to come. The release of “Manning Fireworks” marks the artist’s return to music inspired by the experiences of life, recorded whenever Lenderman was on a break from the road.
This week’s highlighted track is called “Wristwatch”, a pensive shoegaze track with themes of regret over what could have been.
7) beabadoobee – “This Is How Tomorrow Moves” (2024)
British singer/songwriter beabadoobee comes from the Philippines and takes inspiration from Pinoy vocalists as well as indie rock artists like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Alex G. The singer first gained notoriety when placed on a list with other rising acts, like Billie Eilish, and led to beabadoobee touring with Clairo to support her Immunity tour.
Her song, “Coffee” was sampled for a TikTok song, “Death Bed” by Powfu, which is when the singer really made her way into the public spotlight. This last fall she performed at Tyler, the Creator’s music festival, Camp Flog Gnaw, at the event’s biggest stage drawing an audience excited to hear the musician’s live vocals as well as her bass skills.
The highlighted track this week, “Post”, grapples with feelings of not being fulfilled in a relationship and the disappointment that comes with it.
6) Childish Gambino – “Bando Stone & The New World” (2024)
Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, started his musical career in 2011 with his album “Camp”. He was known widely as a comedian who got his start as a writer for “30 Rock” before becoming an actor. Both of us on the music team were big fans of his work in the show “Community” as Troy Barnes.
His comedy background and musical inclination explain the silly nature of his earlier work. When Gambino shifted into a more serious tone while maintaining his whimsy, he really began to shine as a musician. This album came shortly after the release of “Atavista”, allowing Childish Gambino to solidify his spot as a staple summer artist. Glover has also stated that this album will serve as the soundtrack to an upcoming movie of the same title.
The highlighted track this week is “Survive”, combining heavy bass with some twinkling chords to create an interesting atmosphere.
5) Fontaines D.C. – “Romance” (2024)
This Dublin-based post-punk band formed in college over a shared love of all things poetic. In 2018 the group began self-releasing their songs and performing live, to the point of gaining the attention of Partisan Records. Since then the band’s albums have been met with critical acclaim and even a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album in 2021 with “A Hero’s Death”.
The release of “Romance” came in late August of this year to chart in several countries including the UK, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the USA.
Our highlighted track, “Starburster” served as the lead single for the album with its hard-hitting vocals and drum patterns.
4) Crumb – “AMAMA” (2024)
Back with their third album, Brooklyn-based psychedelic-rock band Crumb brings a lighthearted vibe to “AMAMA”. The band consists of Lila Ramani, Bri Aronow, Jesse Brotter, and Jonathan Gilad. With poetic lyrics written by Ramani, and hypnotic instrumental, this album is full of bright spots.
The title of the album, “AMAMA”, is the word for ‘grandmother’ in many Dravidian languages, including Malayalam, which is reflective of Ramani’s Indian heritage. The title makes more sense when you dive into the title track which opens with a sample of Ramani’s grandmother singing in Malayalam.
This week we’re highlighting the track “AMAMA”. This song is a great way to get to know everything Crumb has to offer with catchy guitar loops and soft vocals.
3) Suki Waterhouse – Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin” (2024)
Starting out as a model and actress, Suki Waterhouse began releasing music in 2016 with her single, “Brutally”. Some of the works Waterhouse is most recognizable for are her roles in “Love, Rosie”, “Detective Pikachu”, and “Daisy Jones & the Six”.
As she continued balancing her acting and singing careers, her first full-length album, “I Can’t Let Go” wasn’t released until 2022. This latest release, “Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin” comes after the artist opened for Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” at Wembley Stadium.
This week’s highlighted track, “Nonchalant”, describes the tug-of-war between being cool and mysterious versus passionate and dramatic.
2) Clairo – “Charm” (2024)
Clairo got her start by posting her bedroom pop tracks to the internet back in 2017. Songs like “Pretty Girl” and “Flaming Hot Cheetos” garnered the singer/songwriter swarms of fans, eager to hear what she could do on a record. In 2019, she released her first full-length project, “Immunity” which kept all the soft qualities fans had come to love with some higher quality production and clarity. Tracks “Bags” and “Sofia” from this project remain popular among fans and casual listeners alike.
After no album release for 3 years, fans were enthralled when Clairo announced “Charm”. The lead single, “Sexy to Someone”, showed a new side of Clairo. The artist led into a new style of instrumentation with piano and woodwinds heavy in the mix. The release cycle also saw the artist’s first music video in 6 years, for the track “Juna”.
The highlighted track this week, “Terrapin” is a chill tune about freedom and the ability to bounce back.
1)Magdalena Bay – “Imaginal Disk” (2024)
Pop duo Magdalena Bay is back with their 3rd studio album, “Imaginal Disk”. Following the release of “Mercurial World” (2021), fans of Magdalena Bay have been waiting to see what the synth-pop duo had in store for their next album. Expanding on themes previously explored, the new album offers both more personal themes lyrically and a much richer sound on the instrumental side.
Both of us on the music team got to see the duo bring the songs to life on the Denver stop of their “Imaginal Mystery” tour. With elaborate staging, lighting, decor, and costuming the show was truly unforgettable. The album is full of bright spots making it hard to pick just one song to spotlight.
The highlighted track, “Cry For Me” is a glamorous pop piece that takes on the view of a villain pondering the idea of forgiveness.