10. Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet (Island)
Short n’ Sweet abounds with Sabrina Carpenter’s sly innuendo, a contrast to the cartoonish flair of Katy Perry. Perry’s Teenage Dream never missed an opportunity for playful objectification, becoming a parody of itself. This approach differed from Britney Spears, who was serious about her proactiveness. Careful not to repeat history, Carpenter sidesteps Perry’s obviousness without taking herself too seriously. The title Short n’ Sweet nods to its length, 36 minutes, and Carpender’s height, which in “Taste”, she describes as “Five feet to be exact.”
The sleek, chart-topping single “Espresso” embodies Carpenter’s approach to pop: cautious maximalism. The viral lyric “I’m working late ‘cause I’m a singer” summarizes her ability to create mythology around a self-evident topic: her occupation. By approaching a blindly optimistic genre with wry humor, Carpenter reclaims it for Gen Z. – Matthew Dwyer
9. EMEL – MRA (Little Human)
It’s rare to find a pop star who can claim to be genuinely revolutionary, but Tunisian singer-songwriter Emel Mathlouthi fits both descriptors equally well. Her 2010 song “Kelmti Horra” brought her work to a global audience when it became an Arab Spring anthem, and she’s continued to fight the good fight–creatively–ever since. As Emel, she makes genuinely global music, collaborating with artists worldwide and drawing on an even broader range of sonic styles in massively appealing ways. The new album, MRA (Arabic for “woman”), continues this body of politically engaged work and is perhaps her most expansive release yet.
Emel’s team across MRA is made up of women from the world over, including up-and-coming artists like Malian rapper Ami Yerewolo, Brazilian producer Lyzza, French singers Camélia Jordana, Penelope Antena and Katel, and many others. Artists bring their language, perspective, and style to a nonetheless cohesive mix of politically potent tracks. – Adriane Pontecorvo
8. Clairo – Charm (Independent)
In case you didn’t know, even music critics sometimes change their minds about albums after spending more time with them—even when the scores are already set in stone. Yet, six months after its release, Claire Cottrill’s third full-length still feels effortlessly charming, spontaneous, magnetic, and packed with tons of intricate details. It stands firm as the best in Cottrill’s catalog and one of the highlights against the bright backdrop of this year’s releases. This train of thought leads to an unexpected question: What do you think Charm has in common with Transformers, Harry Potter, and The Twilight Saga? Readers who guess correctly get our playful wink. The answer, of course, is—young geniuses.
After the initial success of those film franchises, Shia LaBeouf, Daniel Radcliffe, and Robert Pattinson—wunderkind actors at the time—did everything they could to avoid being typecast as one-hit wonders. The same can be said of Clairo. Following the breakout success of her highly timely, youthful, and pretty bangers from her bedroom pop era, she immediately shifted to more “grown-up” genres. Surfing through folk and soft rock, Cottrill eventually found herself in sweet and charming soul melodies. Almost all the tracks on Charm, recorded with a live session band, are so funky and timeless they could’ve fit right into episodes of Soul Train from the 1970s—yet Clairo somehow gives them the feel of a new incarnation of bedroom pop.
By naming the album Charm, Claire Cottrill draws in a broader audience while slyly mocking the industry’s obsession with marketable slogans. Even going big pop, she remains an enigma—an outsider masterfully juggling upbeat tunes, a melancholic atmosphere, and delicately penned lyrics. – Igor Bannikov
7. Kit Sebastian – New Internationale (Brainfeeder)
Duo Kit Sebastian’s entire career is based on understanding the world as a community. Comprised of Turkish-born London transplant Merve Erdem and English producer K Martin, their discography includes an unsettled mélange of styles. On New Internationale, this ranges from Anatolian rock to retro soul and far beyond, making it an impeccable demonstration of Kit Sebastian’s deep interest in the nature of modernity even as the duo critiques its problems through intricate multilingual lyrics.
The pair’s stylish execution makes them downright luxurious. Erdem’s theatricality emerges early with a dazzling retelling of the Faust legend. Martin’s eclecticism becomes clear shortly after that as the album moves through slinky R&B, smoky Ethiojazz sounds, and even gamelan vibes. New Internationale glitters, a robust pop masterpiece that is refined but not restrained, tasteful but never bland. They are simply captivating as they interrogate the layers of pleasure and destruction inherent in desire–for movement, safety, capital, and love. – Adriane Pontecorvo
6. Reyna Tropical – Malegría (Psychic Hotline)
Reyna Tropical began as a duo in 2016 as a collaboration between singer/guitarist/songwriter Fabiola Reyna and DJ, musician, and artist Nactali “Sumohair” Diaz. The duo released two highly regarded EPs that featured highly rhythmic music that blended exotic drumbeats, loopy guitar phrases, and celestial vocals. Their music made one want to dance and dream at the same time. Sadly, Sumo died in an e-scooter accident in Los Angeles in 2022. Fabio has soldiered on and recently released Reyna Tropical’s first full-length album, Malegría. It’s a wild creation filled with lively instrumental surface buoyancy, thoughtful, completive lyrics, field recordings from nature, and conversational interludes previously recorded between Sumo and Fabi.
Fabi generally sings in a hushed voice, which creates intimacy with the listener. She presents the character of the friend who tells us what we should already know. Life is a blend of joy and sorrow, the sweetness of life’s moments mixed with bitterness. All we have is each other. Let’s dance and fall in love, for what else is there? Reyna Tropical’s Malegría provides the soundtrack. – Steve Horowitz
5. Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk (Mom + Pop)
For the Los Angeles-by-way-of-Miami synthpop duo Magdalena Bay, their 2021 debut Mercurial World was already one of the best albums of the young decade, setting up a very high bar to clear for any follow-up effort. In truth, no one should’ve doubted Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin. Having moved out of a tiny apartment complex in Los Angeles to their own place (thereby allowing Mica to scream at the top of her lungs without setting off a noise complaint), Imaginal Disk improves on their debut in every possible way, proving more colorful, more ambitious, and far weirder than even they thought possible. With obscure lyrics about mirrors and identity wrapped up into a panoply of styles and textures, even throwaway interludes are filled with hooks that could be used in standalone singles.
The sly “Image” has the year’s best pop hook, while the epic “Death & Romance” is the group’s best creation to date, full-stop. Having written and produced for other artists, they steal back their Lil’ Yachty instrumental for the lushly psychedelic “Love is Everywhere”, go back to their amp-breaking prog-rock roots in “That’s My Floor”, and reach dreamy highs on the lush “Angel on a Satellite”, this time employing a real orchestra instead of the synthesizer string settings they used on their debut.
Since the record’s release, Rosalía dressed up as the album cover for Halloween, and the duo’s biggest pop inspiration, Grimes, swung by to do a remix, giving validation to a duo who are releasing the best possible pop songs of any given year. How imaginal. – Evan Sawdey
4. Beabadoobee – This Is How Tomorrow Moves (Dirty Hit)
Beabadoobee‘s third record, This Is How Tomorrow Moves, is an astute collection of 2000s indie rock and folksy ballads that combines the influences of her first two LPs. Known for mining 2000s radio, Laus has also become a fashion icon who embodies aughts nostalgia.
The emotional intelligence of Beabadoobee’s music comes from an ability to pair sound and melody and then situate that combination in the landscape of an album. The lyrical thread of This Is How Tomorrow Moves, which discusses romantic trials, the bliss of new love, and self-consciousness, is a framing device for a story of redemption.
By displaying an ambivalence to negotiate with the world around her, Beabadoobee achieves timelessness. Such ambiguity is the point of art. It exists for its own sake: a testament to humanity itself, which, as a species, perceives meaning in the world, even though its ability to do so will one day expire. – Matthew Dwyer
3. Beyonce – Cowboy Carter (Parkwood / Columbia)
Beyoncé doesn’t just put out albums; she makes artistic and social commentary. Since her self-titled LP in 2013, her records contributed to critical and topical conversations about race, gender, and politics. Her previous album, 2022’s Renaissance, celebrated Black queerness and club culture. On Cowboy Carter, the singer pays homage to her Texan roots and country music’s debt to Black creativity and Black excellence. Placing herself into a rich and diverse history, Beyoncé has released a brilliant country-soul record that celebrates the influence of legends like Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Linda Martell, Charley Pride, and Rhiannon Giddens.
Cowboy Carter spotlights the deep connections between soul, pop, rock, and country. Sounds of Americana, folk, and even dance find their way into these songs. On the powerful opener, “Ameriican Requiem”, the pop diva proudly claims her space, anticipating the hostility Cowboy Carter would face from country audiences. She sings of her profound attachment to the South and Southern culture – a complex and complicated history of pain and beauty. On the excellent “Riiverdance”, Beyoncé brings some of her club sensibilities to the string-laden confection (courtesy of super producer The-Dream). The hit single, “Texas Hold ‘Em” (which also became a social media sensation), is a fun high point.
Cowboy Carter invites country music royalty like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, Shaboozey. Perhaps the greatest moment on Cowboy Carter is a lovely cover of the Beatles’ “Blackbird”, which earns a gravitas in 2024 as civil rights, equality, and race relations remain as fraught and vulnerable as ever. – Peter Piatkowski
2. Miss Li – Livet, döden, skiten däremellan (Pistol Packin’ Music)
When many people think of Scandipop, their instant reference is ABBA. However, Scandinavian and Nordic pop music have been continually moving forward since then. Scandipop has reached such a popularity level that Swedish music exports outperformed the UK last year. It’s outstanding progress for the genre’s broad tent that so much of it has gone worldwide while many songs are sung in their original language.
After Linda Karlsson finished her football career, she turned to pop as Miss Li. She began singing many of her songs in English but switched to Swedish in her later career. Beyond her massive vocal abilities–which can soar above a wall of sound arrangement, swing through jazzy pop, command the stage with her distinct brand of cabaret pop, and articulate with the flow of a premier rapper–her music has been enhanced by switching to Swedish. The language’s sing-song quality naturally lends itself to pop music.
In this year’s Livet, döden, skiten däremellan, she and her husband Sonny Gustafsson created the biggest and best Scandipop album of the year. Nearly every song is a single–seven to be precise: “X”, “Hälsa Gud”, “Ålderdomshemmet”, “Misstag”, “Maraton”, “Verktygslådan”, and “Småstadsdrömmar”, which began releasing in late 2022. They are hook-filled, dynamic, sing-a-long songs that sweep you up in pure joy. The record breezes by in 32 minutes with not a trace of fat. This year has been challenging, and 2025 scarcely looks to be an improvement. Miss Li is to the rescue, so get happy. – Sarah Zupko
1. Charli XCX – brat (Atlantic)
After more than a decade of being “famous but not quite”, Charli XCX entered 2024 with a renewed sense of purpose, and everything involving her sixth album was an artistic – and marketing – masterstroke. Juxtaposing confessional lyrics with club-banger arrangements is nothing new to pop music, but Brat explores that idea in a way that’s never been done before. For every moment that celebrates the euphoric hedonism of club culture (the pummeling “Von Dutch”, the brash “360”) there’s a moment of crippling self-doubt and deep existential crisis.
At 32, Charli understands the party can’t go on forever, and the anxieties she reveals throughout the record – embarrassing herself in public, being pitted against more famous female artists her age, not realizing her full commercial potential, the lure of quiet domesticity – are painfully relatable, lending humanity to the edgy, often minimalist arrangements. “Apple” is the bubbliest song about intergenerational trauma you will ever hear, “Mean Girls” is as cutting as it is contagious, and the glitchy ballad “Sympathy Is a Knife” ditches pop banality in favor of raw, unfiltered anguish.
The influence of the late, great genius SOPHIE looms over Charli’s work from the past decade, and the gorgeous “So I” is a fitting tribute to an artist the mainstream world wasn’t ready for while she was alive. By 2024 the world was ready for hyperpop and Brat’s brilliant rollout – the Brat Wall, the Boiler Room set, Pantone 3570-C, “I’m so Julia”, Lorde and Charli working it out in the remix, the viral “Apple” dance, “Kamala is brat”, Billie and Charli’s sapphic thirst trap, the innovative and raucous SWEAT tour with Troye Sivan, the remix album – added more and more momentum. By November, she was hosting and performing on Saturday Night Live and bringing Brat’s defiant energy to a massive crowd at Times Square.
It’s incredible to think that this album, which is so preoccupied with the question of whether all that work and public life is worth it, would be the record that catapulted Charli XCX to pop superstardom. It could not have been scripted any better. – Adrien Begrand