Ryan’s Favorite Music of 2024
Including TikTok mashups and epic albums, ambient jazz and sugar-rush pop, beloved stalwarts and geniuses you’ve never heard of
For 15 years, my work—and life—clock was set to Pitchfork’s year-end lists. As one of the many editors, writers, and producers behind those annual features, I had a long-running system: figuring out my own faves, lobbying the rest of the staff, taking part in debates about which song or album should rank where, editing an endless number of blurbs, making sure everything was ready to publish, surveying the subsequent commentary, and then taking a two-week rest, feeling like I played my own little role in determining the best music of a given year. I won’t lie, it was a nice feeling.
This year is different. I’m no longer at Pitchfork. I’m not one of dozens of very talented people huddling together to create a huge list, feeding the insatiable desire for a definitive “best.” I’m a guy. OK sure, a guy with 20 years of music journalism experience. And a guy who relies on and is grateful for my four fellow Hearing Things founders each work day. And a guy who still lives and breathes music like my life depends on it—which, more than most, it kind of does. But still, a guy! There’s no illusion of “best” hovering over the following list. Instead, it’s a marker of what I’ve enjoyed, what’s moved me most, what I’d love for you to hear, too.
