With almost half of 2024 behind us, it seems unlikely that anyone will surpass Taylor Swift's record sales, that anyone will write a song more somber than “Meet the Grahams,” or that anyone will cancel a stadium tour more sadly than Jennifer Lopez. yours. what we willpower get through the next 6 and a half months there are more great (and more terrible) songs that will define the year. However, mid-June presents an opportunity to take stock of what has already happened. Here, in alphabetical order by artist name, and with a Spotify playlist at the end that compiles them all, are the 24 best songs of 2024 so far.
Beyoncé, “II Hands II Heaven”
Months after the release of “Cowboy Carter,” this sprawling but intricate electro-country fantasy still seems to be unfolding.
laci kaye booth“Cigarettes”
A song about frustrated ambition that should broaden the professional horizons of this country songwriter.
Camila Cabello feat. Playboi Carti, “I love it”
Never underestimate the motivating force of a few years without achieving success.
Sabrina Carpenter, “Espresso”
“Me espresso” may end up being the best pop neologism of the year, but let's not overlook the linguistic invention in “I walked in and I dreamed it came true for you.”
Diiv, “Brown Paper Bag”
Savor the bad vibes of a world in decline.
Billie Eilish, “Birds of a Feather”
The shiny guitar? The rhythm that makes your shoulders sway? Does the broken voice run? Let Billie dance.
Ernesto achievement. Lukas Nelson, “Why Dallas”
Perfect western swing from one of Nashville's modern pros.
Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar, “So”
Look what they made him do.
GloRilla ft. Megan Thee Stallion, “Wanna Be”
Look what he made them do.
Ariana Grande, “We can't be friends (wait for your love)”
Think of the similarities to Robyn's “Dancing on My Own” as a feature, not a bug: Fourteen years after that Swedish singer regaled lonely club-goers with the latest sad track, Grande takes advantage of Robyn's beat to a song about the blissful agony of remembering.
Norah Jones“Run”
Scuzzy in a good way.
Tori Kelly, “High Water”
This self-affirming pop-soul anthem would have property “TRL.”
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
The kill shot from Lamar's fight with Drake has gotten to the point where you'll likely hear it a half-dozen times, including from the organist, over the course of a game at Dodger Stadium.
Dua Lipa, “These Walls”
Whether we can officially declare “Radical Optimism” a flop or not, Lipa must be disheartened by the fact that her latest LP sits 30 spots behind Fleetwood Mac's half-century-old “Rumours” on this moment on the Billboard 200. And still! Here's a delightful soft rock song that Christine McVie herself might have admired.
Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen, “I had some help”
“Dukes of Hazzard” reboots in 3, 2, 1…
Mk.gee, “Are you looking up?”
Imagine John Mayer’s “Sob Rock” as a DIY experiment on SoundCloud.
Kacey Musgraves, “Deeper Well”
Walk on the soft side.
Charlie Puth, “Hero”
It's true, you know, I really should be a bigger artist.
Tommy Richman, “The Million Dollar Baby”
His post-peak Justin Timberlake never could (and in fact with his last one he didn't).
Chappell Roan“Good luck babe!”
“When you wake up next to him in the middle of the night / With your head in your hands, you're nothing more than his wife.”
Sasha Alex Sloan, “Tiny's Song (Demo)”
Beware: This silent guitar and vocal ballad is about a lost pet and it will destroy you.
Taylor Swift, “But dad, I love him”
Grandiosely theatrical, righteously wronged and wildly funny, the climax of “The Tortured Poets Department” is an all-time Taylor.
Topics, “Amame JeJe”
All the sweat and pleasure of summer in one song.
Xavi, “The Devil”
Mexican music meets Midwestern emo; Big feelings and TikTok virality ensue.
