Sometimes, life does suboptimal things when it gets in the way, such as causing a delay in your year-end best-of blog until late February. And then, it’s time to get those best-of lists out there— on the record for historical purposes — and turn the page. There’s some undeniable regret that I won’t be writing more about 2024 music here in general, because it was one of the best and most memorable years for new music in recent (or even non-recent) memory. From indie superstars to regular superstars to local stars and beyond — encompassing all kinds of genres — the year was full of meaty, varied, invigorating and satisfying music. The competition for the HI-35, my annual list of the best overall tracks (local stuff is eligible for that, too!), was probably stiffer than at any point in the history of this blog’s year-end honors.
With intriguing new records coming out at every turn, it was a phenomenal year full of musical whiplash (without the abusive band director with a screw loose). A lot of really good albums and tracks didn’t make these cuts. But I won’t generate any more ado, because 2025 is now almost one-sixth over. So let’s get to it. Full-lengths (not EPs) are the only releases that earned consideration for album honors, and the release-date period we use here at Ear Traffic is between Dec. 15 of the previous year and Dec. 15 of the year in question. I’ll offer a few comments for my favorite local albums of 2024, and otherwise just get to the lists.
Best Local Albums
5. We Don’t Ride Llamas, American I(Con) — Austin’s most impressive quartet of heavy-rock siblings went blastingly all-out on their first full-length, feeding off their ever-expanding social consciousness and delivering beaty darkness at about every turn. Vocalist Max Mitchell has a healthy surplus of both stylistic range and staggering rage, which collectively make the likes of “RX,” “AAG (All-American Girls)” and especially the Winter Storm Uri catharsis of “(2-Inch) Grave” stick in your mind.
4. Hovvdy, Hovvdy — If anyone wondered whether a double album of Hovvdy’s folk-rocky slowcore might be too much of these guys at once, the answer this time, at least, was “No.” With Charlie Martin and Will Taylor’s vocals delivering the goods, a tailwind lending some of these songs some surprising heft, and well-wrought arrangements and flourishes — the insistent piano driving “Jean” and “Every Exchange,” the turntable scratches and synth programming of “Forever” — Hovvdy gave us a generously stuffed summer porchtime record that got noticed outside of the Austin diaspora.
3. BLK ODYSSY, 1-800 FANTASY — Juwan Elcock’s body of work as BLK ODYSSY added another acclaimed chapter, and so did his profile, as evidenced by his guest-shot pull for the the fascinating 1-800 FANTASY: Wiz Khalifa and Joey Bada$$ are among the features appearing on this eclectic and deeply conceived concept record. Building the record around the story of a teen obsessing over and pursuing his crush from a sex hotline is an idea that never overstays its welcome here, in part because Elcock is so good at melding elements of soul, jazz, hip-hop and R&B into one dark, well-produced, painstakingly crafted track after another.
2. Grandmaster, Grandmaster — From the rise of Jungle to the likes of Tommy Richman and even Paul Russell, funk and old-style dance-music seem to be not just having a moment, but building one. Grandmaster, a broad collab between members of a handful of local acts, entered this funk fray in 2024 with a novel twist: a concept album (top photo) about cults, stemming from a run-in cofounder Nick Leon had with an online scammer. From that wild inspiration comes vintage mid-’70s high-register harmonies, staccato guitar and lyrics that push Grandmaster’s funk opera story forward in tunes like “Black Garment,” “Testament” and “Pillars of Power.”
1. Being Dead, EELS — Considerably moreso than Hovvdy, Being Dead seemed to shock the Austin scene with their Best New Music designation from Pitchfork. But anyone who likes off-center garage-psych even a little bit had to agree with the assessment. And in my case specifically, Being Dead takes home the top local album prize in its second straight year appearing on this countdown. From the tradeoff vocals, stop-starts and tempo shifts of opening offering “Godzilla Rises” to the relentless bass and stoned-out ’60s garage-pop vibe of “Van Goes” and “Love Machine” — the latter managing to recall the Fifth Dimension, somehow — EELS is stuffed with treats and an overall vision that’s both retro and fresh.
Best Local Tracks
20. Queen Serene, “Glowing”
19. BLK ODYSSY, “WANT YOU”
18. Font, “Natalie’s Song”
17. Darkbird, “Little Death”
16. BLK ODYSSY feat. Wiz Khalifa, “XXX”
15. Big Bill, “Clean Feeling”
14. Farmer’s Wife, “Boheme”
13. Sarah and the Sundays, “The Cue”
12. Grandmaster, “Castle Door”
11. Hovvdy, “Bubba”
10. Geto Gala, “Champagne Wishes”
9. Die Spitz, “Little Flame”
8. Caleb De Casper, “Sik Culture”
7. Dayglow, “Cocoon”
6. Grandmaster, “Pillars of Power”
5. Being Dead, “Van Goes”
4. Big Bill, “Ex-Con”
3. Mikky & the Doom, “Garbage, USA”
2. We Don’t Ride Llamas, “(2-Inch) Grave”
1. Being Dead, “Firefighters”
Top 10 Overall Albums
10. Kacey Musgraves, Deeper Well
9. DIIV, Frog in Boiling Water
8. Kendrick Lamar, GNX
7. Brittany Howard, What Now
6. Mdou Moctar, Funeral for Justice
5. Fontaines D.C., Romance
4. Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood
3. Jack White, No Name
2. Charlie XCX, brat
1. Vampire Weekend, Only God Was Above Us
The HI-35: Best Overall Tracks
35. Beach Bunny, “Vertigo”
34. Paranoid Style, “Last Night in Chickentown”
33. Clairo, “Sexy to Someone”
32. Sheer Mag, “Eat It and Beat It”
31. Findlay and Miles Kane, “Juicy Fruit”
30. Mannequin Pussy, “Split Me Open”
29. Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things”
28. St. Vincent, “Big Time Nothing”
27. Love Spells feat. Deb Never, “Dope Sick”
26. Vampire Weekend, “Capricorn”
25. Adrianne Lenker, “Free Treasure”
24. Hanumankind feat. Kalmi, “Big Dawgs”
23. Charli XCX, “Apple”
22. Kendrick Lamar, “squabble up”
21. Fontaines D.C., “Here’s the Thing”
20. Billie Eilish, “LUNCH”
19. St. Vincent, “Broken Man”
18. Jessica Pratt, “Life Is”
17. Hurray for the Riff Raff, “Vetiver”
16. Brittany Howard, “Prove It to You”
15. Chappell Roan, “Good Luck, Babe!”
14. Mdou Moctar, “Funeral for Justice”
13. Waxahatchee feat. MJ Lenderman, “Right Back to It”
12.Rosé feat. Bruno Mars, “APT.”
11. Charli XCX, “Sympathy is a Knife”
10. MJ Lenderman, “She’s Leaving You”
9. Tommy Richman, “Million Dollar Baby”
8. Cardinals, “Unreal”
7. Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
6. Kacey Musgraves, “Cardinal”
5. Jack White, “That’s How I’m Feeling”
4. Tinashe, “Nasty”
3. Fontaines D.C., “Starburster”
2. Vampire Weekend, “Gen-X Cops”
1. Charlie XCX, “Von Dutch”