Throughout 2024, I gave myself the task of reviewing every single new album I listened to throughout the entire year– an activity I hinted at back in September with my article titled “I didn’t have a BRAT summer.” Now that the new year is well upon us, I think it’s time to reflect on my musical journey.
Over the past year, I listened to 16 new albums. I know that isn’t a lot for most people, but as someone who tends to stick to what she knows, that was a big deal for me! The only criterion for all of these albums was that they needed to be new to me, so I have albums ranging from the years 2005 to 2024. As much as I would love to tell you all my thoughts on every album, I don’t think our copy editor would be as pleased proofreading it as I would be writing it. So, for the sake of my word count and our editors, I’ll highlight three albums for you: an unfortunate flop, a surprising favorite, and a fantastic find.
Unfortunate flop: “Neon Dreams” – Jeremy Shada (2024)
While this labrum was not my lowest-ranked album of the year, it did come second to last with a score of 6/10. I love Jeremy Shada; I’m a big fan of his on-screen roles, and his debut full-length album, “Vintage” is one that I commonly find myself going back to. However, I also found in this album that Shada was also going back to what he knew, with that being songs about his wife. Don’t get me wrong, Carolynn Shada, the wife in question, seems like a great woman, and I’m sure Jeremy loves her a lot- especially with 2024 bringing the birth of their first child. This also means that Jeremy Shada falls into the category of men that I like to call “I love my wife” guys, meaning that his entire personality just seems to be that he, well, loves his wife. It’s very sweet that Jeremy Shada has a muse to base all of his love songs on, but when those love songs make up almost your entire discography, it can get kinda… old. When I originally listened to this album, I claimed that it was “about what I expected,” seeing that it was an album of pop songs that weren’t very deep lyrically. The biggest bonus points this album gets from me was that its song “Ghosted” was inspired by Sunset Curve, the boyband from my favorite TV show, “Julie and the Phantoms.” After the show’s cancelation in 2021, it was good to see Shada, who played a main role in the show, keep the magic alive.
Surprising highlight: “Dark Horse” – Nickelback (2008)
It’s time for me to break my silence… I only started listening to Nickelback because somebody on Spotify made a playlist based on one of my favorite characters, and among the sea of what has been dubbed as “divorced dad rock” was a lot of Nickelback. Go ahead, laugh at how cringe I am for liking Nickelback of all bands, but just know that I’m not listening to your laughter. I gave this album a 7/10 upon my first listen, only a single point higher than our previously belittled “Neon Dreams,” but if I could go back in time I would give it even higher.
“Dark Horse” made its rounds on my playlist last year, at one point even having me convinced that Nickelback was going to be my top artist of the year on my Spotify Wrapped. This album is 43 minutes of nostalgic rock songs that, in my opinion, truly never get old. I would even argue that Nickelback dropped the song of the summer in 2008 with their song “This Afternoon.” If you’re looking for something new, definitely check out this album. Who cares if you’re cringe?
Fantastic find: “GOLDEN HOUR: Part. 1” – ATEEZ (2024)
There were only two albums the entire year that I gave a score of 10/10, and one of them was “GOLDEN HOUR: Part. 1.” If you know me personally, you probably know that ATEEZ also took home the title of my favorite album in 2023 with their release of “The World EP.Fin: Will.” You also probably aren’t shocked by the fact that my favorite album of the year was, once again, a K-pop album- but bear with me out there if K-pop isn’t your thing.
“GOLDEN HOUR: Part. 1” clocks in at a little over 17 minutes long, with only six songs on its tracklist. Every single song on this album sounds different- which for ATEEZ fans shouldn’t come as a surprise. From the slow rap/ ballad piece you get with “Empty Box,” to the fun, silly vibe of their title track “WORK,” ATEEZ really never misses. I circled back to this album time and time again after its release in May, and I still continue to do so.
After breaking down every new album I listened to and (more or less) enjoyed in the year 2024, would I task myself with doing this again? No, I wouldn’t to be fully honest with you. However, I would suggest that others do this for themselves- especially if you consider yourself a sort of “music elitist.” You never know what albums will surprise you, and what others will let you down.
