By Allston Pudding Staff
Well, we’ve only gone and bloody done it again. Our staff got together and tried our best to make a comprehensive list of what we believe to be the 30 best albums that artists from Boston and New England released in 2024.
This process is never easy. We start with a list of ~70 releases and everyone involved sits down to listen through the full list. It’s fun, but arduous. We try to throw in as many differing genres as possible, to make sure we’re capturing the diversity of culture and sound of our local artists. Then, we vote.
One really cool thing that we noticed about the final list (and shortlist, too) is that it is filled with many artists who released their first full-length or extended projects. That is a good thing. That makes us hopeful. That shows that more people are picking up guitars, or drums, or synths or whatever, and just trying to make something cool happen.
This year, everyone Allston Pudding feels very honored after winning Music Publication of the Year at the Boston Music Awards. Allston Pudding is really just a group of individuals who really love supporting local artists. We believe that this city’s music scene is really where it’s at. We see so much passion and dedication from the artists here who try to create spaces for art and creativity to thrive. It’s never been more vital than now.
Make sure to support local artists by buying their music, merch, and tickets to THE GIG. See you out there.
Alexander only knows how to write bangers. It feels like we include them on this list every year, and that’s for good reason – they continue to churn out beautiful tunes over and over. Lucky Life is no different. There is the classic twinkling guitar but some fun distortion moments, talk singing, string instrumentation, and beautiful piano melodies that set this album apart from their previous ones. We’re already looking forward to covering the next album whenever that is due to release!
-Christine Varriale
Boston-based 3-piece Barefoot Young make mid-2010s Buffalo Exchange-core all their own. If you’re keeping score, you’d notice th’ Young are killing it out there: Production quality is on point, they play venues like Baby’s All Right, and they make the kind of big tent indie rock that could easily slot into the festival circuit. You can hear the instant appeal on earworms like “Talk” (it’s the slips into falsetto for me). Let’s hope Sleep Score racks up more points and begets even bigger stages for them in 2025.
-Dan Moffat
Beeef, which is comprised of Allston Pudding’s founders, are unsurprisingly influenced by blog rock. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin guitars are floated throughout, let’s “Sink/Let it Swim” in “Narragansett Bay.” Take-offs on Pavement vocals are felt in songs such as “Hummingbird” and “Observational Eros.” Beeef’s lyrics are the x-factor, that writer’s touch is felt with insouciant one liners that lodge themselves in my head for days. “I try to have some peace of mind cuz after all it’s hard to be pure, you know,” as the narrator allows themselves not to worry, and then the clean guitar tones shift to distorted guitars in the chorus is a brilliant maneuver. There’s clever joy (and pain) experienced all over this lived-in sounding record. Dropping five long years after their previous record, Bull In The Shade, Somebody’s Favorite is a generous play through that is so layered that if there are diminishing returns on repeat listens, I haven’t experienced it yet. It’s the kind of record that could be somebody’s (my) favorite.
-Dan Moffat
Boston’s BRICKLAYER were like a comet: burning so bright and so brilliantly they simply were not long for this little dance punk world. We’ll always have the memories though, and also their self-titled LP, which thrashes and sparkles and shimmers and shines with the sort of infectious energy that seems rarer and rarer as indie rock en vogue continues to downshift. BRICKLAYER (the album) kicks off not with a starter pistol, but a bic lighter and a hasty cig by the bulkhead door at the basement show, and things just get funkier from there. The chuggy “Sticky Fingers” retells failed teenage rebellion (via an aborted shoplift from the Providence Place mall) over doom-y garage rock hammers while the bubbly “Gay Breakfast” sprinkles some space age keyboard texture over that bowl of Lucky Charms.
-Dillon Riley
This album felt like love at first sight to me. Sometimes you have to sit with an album for a bit, but once in a while, you’re enveloped in just a few moments. I’m not an expert by any means, but I think there is a concept in Buddhism that presents the idea that when you first meet your soulmate, you won’t feel butterflies, but instead, an overwhelming sense of peace and calmness. So I think this album was my musical soulmate for the year, because it only took a few seconds listening to this album to just feel like I was meant to be listening to it. It is the group’s first full length album, and the core duo of Olivia Sisay and Ben Walker have created a more-than-compelling introduction. It’s the confluence of excellent anthemic songwriting to give the album it’s 90s/Garbage-tinged quality, brilliant production that gives every instrument rich, dreamy texture, and a touch of that je ne sais quoi when you hear a band and you know they’re really cooking up something special.
-Harry Gustafson
We can be easily bought here at Allston Pudding. When an album comes out that is this Boston, we have to include it. Colin Domigan – already a favorite at AP – is back with another collection of electronic tunes that range from EDM to house, eschewing any sense of familiarity between each track. It’s a broad scope for an electronic album, and it’s bangers only. But the real highlight is the deep Massachusetts lore peppering the song titles (and some of the songs). Cheers be damned, this is one for the natives. Deep local references to Kowloon, the Revere Flea Market, the brutalist McDonald’s and Building 19 (RIP) make this one a regional classic. Niche? Maybe. Jams? Wicked.
-Andrew McNally
Donna Revving, Donna Revving EP
Donna Revving is the latest guise of Cody Foley, the sort-of prolific songwriter behind post-twee band Ultra Chapelle. At three songs clocking in under ten minutes, Donna Revving’s debut EP plays like the bedroom pop you’d hear if you lived in Kirby’s Dreamland. Sweet, tuneful, and subtly avant-garde, Donna Revving is a promising, tantalizing tease from one of Boston’s rising pop auteurs.
-Ben Bonadies
Frances Forever’s much anticipated debut album Lockjaw offers an eclectic mix of indie pop, bedroom rock, and emotional storytelling, continuing with themes present in their prior discography. The album’s sound is characterized by catchy melodies and introspective lyrics, blending upbeat tracks with more somber lyrics. From opening tune “Stuck” to the closing song “Jupiter,” Frances is unafraid to transcend past the stereotypical indie sound.
-Elizabeth Weiss
Gollylagging’s Dry Rot is a statement piece on what the band sought out to be from the beginning. The musical stylings of the group have transformed a bit from their 2021 debut Ain’t That Just the Way!, but the writing was always on the wall with their 2022 single “Hydrangeas,” which saw them take a darker approach to writing. Founding members, Jake Regulbuto and Andrew Garas, have rounded out their line-up following their 2023 three-way split with Dino Gala and going222jail, which has introduced a new layer of complexity to their sound.
The most impressive aspect of Dry Rot is the pacing of the tracks. The lead single, “ATV,” draws listeners in with familiarity of what they may have already been introduced to weeks prior, but also acts as a sample of every different side of Gollylagging – the weird, the heavy, the soft and everything in between. “Sidewinder” follows up with a heavy emphasis on the intricacies of the band; if you listen closely to the verses, you can hear Regulbuto’s screams buried deep in the mix to add a sense of desperation. In terms of pacing, the title track closes out the front half and gives the audience a chance to breathe, relax and even sway a bit to the track that is nearly void of distorted guitars.
The second half starts with “Cleaver,” an uppercut of a track that features some of the most catchy and infectious riffs from Gollylagging’s discography – sometimes less really is more. Complimenting the heavy guitars are Regulbuto’s vocals pulled far back from the mix, which sound as if he’s singing from the next room with everything he’s got just to be heard. “Ginger Snaps” feels almost like an ode to Deftones with the quiet and haunting intro and heavy reverb, but the chorus brings it back to the definitive sound of Gollylagging, really setting them apart from writing a Deftones song. “Numbskull” is the perfect closer, rounding out the EP in the same way that “ATV” opens it. “It’s okay, c’est la vie. I should never trust a soul, I’m such a fucking numbskull,” sings Regulbato before the band kicks back even harder to finish off a refreshingly well-crafted release.
-Cam Cavagnaro
Happy Just To See You, Ways To Cope
Around 2018, singer Evan Benoit got into a nasty car accident that left him with chronic, sometimes debilitating pain. Now, you don’t need to know that to enjoy the anthemic, country-tinged emo (emo-tinged country?) of his band’s second full-length Ways to Cope, but you’ll start to notice things: the bifurcated coupe on the cover, lyrics about getting better, the struggle to make it up stairs or out of bed. The rhythm section of Evan Yarmo and Matt Bacon keep things moving at a lively clip while the mournful sounds of Zack Glennon’s foundational work on viola and violin and Benoit’s own quivering, barely-holding-it-together vocals fill the album with darker hues. The band’s skill with melody, especially on “Jelly Spine” and “Punchline,” are what keep this from taking a left turn to Bummersville. We’re always Happy to Just See another album these Manchester favorites.
-Ben Bonadies
hey i’m outside, hey i’m outside
Alt-country had a huge moment in 2024 with artists like MJ Lenderman selling out every venue he booked this year and Allston Pudding favorite Waxahatchee finally getting their first Grammy nomination. hey i’m outside, the new project from members of I Wish I Could Skateboard, jumped on the train but not in a disingenuous way. The band members hail from the south and return to these roots all over the self-titled album. It’s not only one of Allston Pudding’s picks for favorite local albums of the year, but it’s one of my personal favorites to come out in 2024. What can’t these folks do! I’m looking forward to a Beyoncé like genre exploration series of albums, so hit them up via Instagram DM calling for it for me.
-Christine Varriale
Back in the spring, Boston and NYC-based brother duo Joyer released their LP Night Songs. The album consists of a well organized tracklist of shoegaze and slowcore inspired work by Nick and Shea Sullivan. The album title implies when its best to listen to LP, as the lyrics and instrumentals emulate a darkness and introspective mood that resonates with night time. Expansive guitar and cymbal-forward drums make for an intense listen on tracks like “Silver Moon” and “Softer Skin.” Joyer also takes on a warmer sound that combines folk elements with shoegaze for “777” and “Star,” which effectively highlight what can make a night brighter. If you’re a fan of DIIV or Slowdive, you want to tune into Night Songs ASAP.
-Abby Stanicek
There’s a lot to feel bleak about in the year 2024, and everyone is dealing with it in different ways whether it’s assassinating a healthcare CEO or putting out one of the best albums of 2024. Kal Marks have never been known for putting out positive vibes with their music, although the members of the band are some of the nicest and most caring people you’ll ever meet. I didn’t have Kal Marks writing a love song on my 2024 bingo card, but it’s a nice change of subject for the album to end on after the noisy pessimism they have perfected over the last decade plus tackling topics including being overworked, having trouble affording healthcare, and income inequality. They continue to put out some of the most exciting noise rock in Boston over a decade into the history of the band, and we are truly grateful for them.
-Christine Varriale
Latrell James, Running in Place
Even if you don’t know Latrell James by name, if you’ve followed Boston’s hip-hop and R&B scene over the past few years, you undoubtedly have encountered his work as a producer. That’s why when he announced Running in Place, his first full length release in almost a decade, it felt as meaningful as Kendrick Lamar dropping out of nowhere. Worth the wait, as it turns out, because James navigates Running In Place with deft skill and creativity. While the title describes the album’s lyrical content, it doesn’t do the same for Latrells James as an artist. He’s too dynamic – in both production and lyricism – to get pigeonholed. He’s equally at ease over a harder trap beat (“Math”) as he is over the more atmospheric and soulful (“Pdb”). The album’s big highs come with songs like “Top Ramen,” which gets tied together with a vocal contribution from ToriTori. If you’re a real percussion nerd, take a listen to the way James plays with hi-hats throughout this album.
-Harry Gustafson
One thing you should know about bedroom pop artist Layzi is that she is anything but. Carissa Myre, also known as Layzi, has taken full responsibility for the creation of her music, making each track from scratch in the confines of her bedroom. Her latest EP in between brings a more refined sound to Layzi’s discography while still maintaining the warmth and comfort of the bedroom pop sound. in between follows Layzi through the various stages of grief and breaking off from an unhealthy relationship, giving each song a unique style amongst the consistency of Myre’s sound.
Standout tracks of the EP include the lead single “eventually,” “the other side,” and “whenurgone,” which encompass the different styles that Layzi plays with in her writing process. Beginning with a rhythmic play on a bossa nova, “eventually” carries plenty of intricacies that you probably won’t catch until a few careful listens – keyboards, drum rolls, unexplainable sound effects that don’t outwardly present themselves, but instead wait quietly until noticed. One of the more eclectic niches of bedroom pop, telephone vocals, brings itself to the forefront on “the other side,” where Myre uses a specially modified landline telephone to record her vocals with an inherent lo-fi sound.
Pivoting from her comfort zone, Layzi dips into alt-indie rock with “whenurgone,” which features somewhat more modern production. “When you’re gone, it feels like I stop breathing” Myre sings over weaving guitars and the ghostly delays of synth lines, providing an eerie sense of both comfort and dejection. The “in between” EP shows that Layzi knows what she’s capable of, but she still has plenty of gas in the tank to continue writing songs that push the boundaries of what bedroom pop can be.
-Cam Cavagnaro
Vermont-based Lutalo released his debut album The Academy earlier this fall, providing his listeners with a reflection on his past that takes the form of a story book through his captivating, descriptive lyrics. Despite the lyrical depiction of serious topics from his upbringing, he works fairytale characters into his story, such as goblins, knights and dragons. At times, the album takes on a grunge sound in moments of intensity, which is backed by his low vocals and distorted guitar. The more subdued, bright moments feature the higher end of his vocal range and a warmer guitar sound. His impressive singing capabilities and introspective lyrics work together to help the listener visualize the story he is telling with every track. You can catch Lutalo playing The Academy live when he embarks on his first US headline tour in early 2025.
-Abby Stanicek
On their follow up to 2020’s We Made Plans to Self-Destruct and Return to the Stars, Mallcops lean into power pop, and the results resemble the comedy and tragedy masks that represent the dramatic arts. It’s cover-to-cover anthems, and the results will have you howling through tears as you sing along with bassist Joey Del Ponte’s vocals. The Somerville four-piece are at their best here as they tap into Fountains of Wayne’s ability to blow the fuck out of a chorus, that one of these tracks – be it “Highway Song” or “Marceline” – stay stuck in your head for the rest of the day. These are songs that about feeling far away from the person sitting next to you, about daring to reach across that chasm and, if only briefly, try to hold onto something outside yourself. The way the outro to album closer “Ocean Arms” recycles the indelibly catchy “A-a-all over” that “I Don’t Love You” opens with, gradually fading into the sounds of seagulls cawing at the beach is cinematic album crafting at its finest.
-Harry Gustafson
In the midst of her biggest year yet, Mei Semones released her EP Kabutomushi in April 2024. Since the release of her captivating EP, she’s garnered the attention of many, including Flea. She also performed Kabutomushi live for Audiotree and was named as one of Rolling Stone’s “Artists You Need to Know in 2024.” Throughout the EP, Semones combines jazz, bossa nova, midwest emo and more with her impressive guitar skills and stunning harmonies. Semones not only shifts tempos effortlessly, but also switches between Japanese and English lyrics to detail the power of loving someone and the difficulties it can bring. The incorporation of classical string instruments also adds an emotional layer to the tracks “Wakare No Kotoba” and “Takaramono.” You can catch Semones playing Kabutomushi live while she opens for Hippo Campus at the start of 2025.
-Abby Stanicek
It seems like Perennial are included on our lists, well, perennially. Any new release from them is practically a shoo-in. Art History isn’t any different from previous Perennial albums, but there’s no reason to fix a format that isn’t close to broken. The band’s newest is another art-rock banger, stuffed with wickedly fast dance-punk tunes. These songs are by nature brutally loud and fast, but the production on them is so crisp and the energy is so infectious that the result is a clean, old fashioned good time. These are songs to dance to in the VFW basement. The band’s love of raucous and eccentric bands like The Hives and Be Your Own Pet is obvious – and the energy is no less pure.
-Andrew McNally
If Burlington, Vermont did indeed become the new de facto indie rock center of the universe in 2024, then Robber Robber’s debut LP Wild Guess may have been its crown jewel. The songwriting wing of in-scene MVPs Nina Cates and Zack James (both of whom spend or spent time in virtually every other VT band of recent note you’ve heard us or others talk about), Robber Robber zero in on a propulsive and minimal-yet-texturally-rich sound that lands somewhere between blistering noise rock and groovy post-punk. The group hit all the usual moves within that purview with wild-eyed glee, but things get real interesting when they stretch and contort these tried and true forms into new shapes like on the drum break-y “Sea or War” or the lumberingly beatific “Backup Plan”.
-Dillon Riley
Salty Greyhound, Salty Greyhound
Recorded over 10 years, the latest release from Allston’s Salty Greyhound is a glittering psych opus. You can feel that patience across these nine songs that hop and skip gleefully between garage (“Dog’s Mouth”), baroque (“Ladies”), and twee (“Milk”) with ease. Fans of the Flaming Lips, Ween, and MGMT will have lots to like here. There’s a real sense of fun and playfulness on these songs, without making the listener the butt of any joke. Salty Greyhound is utterly fearless, inventive, and catchy as hell: all the makings of a future cult record.
-Ben Bonadies
The Collect Pond, Lightbreaker
Nepotism is alive and well here at Allston Pudding, just ask The Collect Pond, or as we like to call ‘em, The Band That AP Built. All jokes aside, what we have here is a splendid collection of punchy, well constructed indie rock songs whose casual confidence and understated grace should and would be celebrated whether the band featured 2 of our esteemed editors or 0. Their second LP with celebrated Boston label Candlepin Records Lightbreaker finds Dan and the fellas pulling from their usual well of influences (a little kiwi rock jangle here, a little pac nw slack there), while folding in some new wrinkles to nice effect. Peep the bright and pencil-thin synths on “Dissociating (Cigarette Dress)”, the Sage-y flange chords on the terse “Revolution”, or the positively twangy closing suite of instrumental goodness for proof of concept.
-Dillon Riley
Tiny Habits, All For Something
Tiny Habits, aka 3 voices that blend so well in unison and harmony, have done it again with their debut album All For Something. There’s something so soothing about Judah’s, Maya’s, and Cinya’s voices on this album that makes it the perfect album to listen to when it’s raining/gloomy/cold, so it’s perfect for us Bostonians. “I Don’t Have the Heart” combines an upbeat vibe with sad lyrics literally with the line: “Hanging onto your humor and regretting your sins, why does this feel like the upbeat waiting to fall into a groove again?.” A must listen album for anyone who needs a reminder that music means something to everyone.
-Tanvi Shah
Brooklyn-based group Trophy Wife released their debut album Get Ugly on October 4, 2024. The LP had a timely drop, as it carries the perfect amount of angst to make it a perfect fall soundtrack. Lead singer Mckenzie Iazzetta’s powerful vocals convey the intense emotions behind each song’s lyrical content. Get Ugly begins with heavy-hitting guitar and empowered vocals from Iazetta, paired with intricate bass lines by bassist Christian Pace and heavy drum sections by drummer Michael Martelli. As the album progresses, the tempos begin to slow and instrumentals grow quiter, which allows for the listener to draw a tight focus on Iazetta’s poetic lyrics. The LP also gets extra points for the mention of “Simulation Swarm” by Big Thief on “Keep It.” Although the group has relocated to NYC, we’re still strong supporters from the north here at AP.
-Abby Stanicek
God bless the rap crew. Brockton’s Van Buren Records have been a scene stalwart for years and their latest Jwet EP sees Jiles, Luke Bar$, invada, Meech and FELIX! return to wax for the first time since 2022’s DSM. The Van Buren boys flex lavishly over beats that are alternatingly menacing and triumphant. Highlight “Rock Music” is a gauzy affair where ET tumbles out coos and jeers while invada displays his command of meter, elocution, and pace. With Jwet the Van Buren crew prove they’re as formidable as any group.
-Ben Bonadies
In a just world every alt-pop star would have their own theme song, and now VELVET DREAMING has theirs. “VELVET DREAMING” (the song) kicks off the short-but-powerful second EP from the Boston artist, and its bit-crushed dramatic sweep finds room for some turn of the century electroclash crunch and a wonderfully sour synth line in its punchy sub 2 minute runtime. While VELVET DREAMING certainly wears influences on their sleeves (and in their part-time duties as a DJ), it’s refreshing to hear boisterous pop music like this with the grit still intact. The EP’s closing title track may be the project’s finest work yet, a darkly lit strut that tackles insecurity not with pathos-laden wallowing, but boot stomps and broken glass.
-Dillon Riley
As long as there are basements in which to cultivate it, there will always be young, loud-ass rock bands doing massive sonic damage in the city of Boston. And we will hopefully always be there to report. warmachine are the latest in that long lineage, and their turbulent brand of guitar psychosis could reasonably be filed under shoegaze or post-hardcore or noise or even just ear-splitting (celebratory). browsers castle follows a few loosie demos from last year, and while the sonics have been upgraded (slightly) from those humble home recordings, the end result is a verifiable sludgefeast of pedal manipulation, whether leaning into ambient abstraction or post-punk-y movement. An excellent opening statement from a band we have primed to do big things in 2025, we must say that warmachine’s prowess is maybe still best seen live. On stage is where the group really attacks their instruments as if there’s personal beef between them boiling over, kicking up a racket that’s both bracingly intense and oddly beautiful. Go see ‘em, they play in town a lot.
-Dillon Riley
“I wanna hold you/ like a bazooka baby/ something so criminal/ right there in my hand.” So goes the opening lyric of the lead-off and title track from Winkler’s seven song album, Bazooka Baby.
As classic television show Happy Days and bubblegum Bazooka Joe concern themselves with a romanticized longing for an idealized version of mid-century America, Winkler also delivers a similar brand of rock ‘n roll. Early rock crooner at the sockhop with a modern spin — as if Mac Demarco were mixed like a Sheer Mag record. Winkler are skilled at the throwback as a jumping off point. I hope they can continue to grow into the kind of band that the closing track suggests, the original and groovy keys departure, “get it!.”
Bazooka Baby is a highly anticipated release from a celebrated local band, a pressure that few Boston groups can honestly feel, and Winkler delivered.
-Dan Moffat
One of the best debuts of the year came from Providence’s Wooll, who have given us a remarkably consistent indie record that is far more patient and collaborative than a normal debut record. The band operates as one unit throughout, bouncing intricate guitar rhythms, smooth and dreamy vocals and crisp work from the rhythm section against each other. These are well-worn songs, ones that are never too eager to get the pace going and aren’t afraid to noodle around. These tracks are low-stakes and warm, some small love labors that are just incredibly pleasant. The band teases some shoegaze influences, but never really leaves the realm of agreeable indie. In a rough year, this is just some cozy and enjoyable music.