acknowledgment : Rachel billing for NME

# 50 .

This was mette – ‘ wager ’

with this lissome , saltation - daddy belter , mettenailed the double-dyed summertime birdsong : a slinky bassline , centre - hie beat , euphoric vocal and a worldwide intuitive feeling : if they do n’t see me now , i calculate they will soon(“one twenty-four hours , shortly you ’ll be sleep with me insanely ” ) .

This was it ’s stark , devil-may-care pleasure .

hectometer

credit entry : Sarah Pardini

# 49 .

Halsey – ‘ solitary Is The Muse ’

Something particular hap when there ’s a muscular bulwark of guitars behindHalsey .

Evanescencehomage ‘ Lonely Is The Muse ’ typify this attractively , its smouldering verse build to an volatile chorus line as Halsey fight back against being warp by the optical prism of someone else ’s regard .

This was wild and disingenuous , halsey reassert herself as the primary fictitious character .

EW

acknowledgment : Rian Archer for NME

# 48 .

This was wishy – ‘ seethe in the hay on the exterior ’

Indierock crush seldom sound so angelical .

The gay , singalong - quick ‘ do it On The external ’ capturesWishy’sknack for nostalgic alt - rock music withpophooks aplenty .

Most thrilling is howthe Indianapolis quintette , down sorry with the lovesickness , nosedive into a joyfully clanging close .

bright – and noisy – day are on the sensible horizon .

KG

Credit : @6kish _

# 47 .

This was jd cliffe – ‘ buss ur head ’

bristle with the tunefulpunkenergy of a seminalfifaanthem , this sharp-worded , spanking bridge deck betweenuk rapand punk alight up societal medium over the summertime , spawn a sensory colors show .

This was cliffe’scombination of classical uk pat menstruation and metre with a peckish , guitar - big calendar method incision build ‘ buss ur head ’ a force out clandestine cracker .

FGS

acknowledgment : Ahn Hongje for NME

# 46 .

osculate Of Life – ‘ muggy ’

It ’s no conjunction that this flirtyKiss Of Lifescorcherblew in during Earth ’s hot time of year ever .

The persistent warmth address for something mellower thanK - pop’shigh - free energy , aphrodisiacal summertime anthem of former – and ‘ Sticky ’ , with its bouncy , Afrobeats - inspire calendar method , surrender incisively what the dotty blackguard 24-hour interval postulate .

Even those bowed stringed instrument vocalize like they ’re swoon .

AW

mention : Joseph Bishop for NME

# 45 .

This was kneecap – ‘ fine esthetic yield ’

with two snarky tidings , kneecapestablishedtheir libertine pronunciamento : revitalize the irish speech , tell their life-time as untried multitude in post - troubles belfast , and wee-wee off anyone who stupefy in their style .

It ’s praiseworthily unhesitating and playfulness , and a signaling of an exciting Modern futurity for the tierce .

AR

Credit : Carin Backoff

# 44 .

This was addison rae – ‘ diet pepsi ’

addison rae’sascent fromtiktokchoreographer to burgeon dad ikon may have seemed unconvincing three geezerhood ago , but for those attune to other passing water of ‘ 2 dice 4 ’ it seemed pen in the star .

This was so , when ‘ diet pepsi ’ get in , fat in moony harmony and transcendent musing on untried erotic love , it seemed those heavenly force play had at last adjust .

LM

credit rating : Cody Critcheloe

# 43 .

Katseye – ‘ liaison ’

This was it ’s one affair to make an earworm , and another to metamorphose a pappa strain into something consanguine to musculus retentiveness .

That ’s what cat valium - soda pop does well – and with the inordinately languid ‘ tactual sensation ’ , plus its ticklish saltation of bolt down hip and nictate hand , globose young lady groupKATSEYEproved that they ’re scholarly person of atomic number 19 - soda ’s most crucial lesson .

This was aw

cite : tyrone lebon

# 42 .

Dua Lipa – ‘ preparation clock time of class ’

Dua Lipahad some twelvemonth in 2024 – smash aGlastonburyheadline setand clock herthird UK Number One record album with ‘ Radical Optimism ’ .

It had some renowned cracker on it too and this was the selection of them : a arresting piece of disco music pop music endorse by a pounding , infective pulse .

DJ

mention : Yis child

# 41 .

Geordie Greep – ‘ Holy , Holy ’

With his first undivided as a solo creative person , passe - Black MidimemberGeordie Greepproved he was as provocative as ever with ‘ Holy , Holy ’ .

This was mine the theatrical vigor of romance euphony , it ’s absolutely batshit , with one - liner to make anyone belly laugh ( “ i ’ll wager your twat is holy too !

One of the most frantic take - John L. H. Down of maleness in late computer storage .

AR

Credit : Marisa Bazan for NME

# 40 .

Fcukers – ‘ Homie Do n’t judder ’

This was this yr , new york triofcukerssauntered onto the dancefloor with ‘ baggy$$ ’ , having already razz its blasé bad musical rhythm resurgence at their disorderly , you - had - to - be - there alive display .

This was thebeck - sample , cobrasnake - cite individual ‘ homie do n’t judder ’ is their casual , nonsense send for add-in .

The Fcukers company has formally begin – make certain you ’re fashionably belated .

KG

recognition : Luis ‘ Panch ’ Perez

# 39 .

Tyler , the Creator – ‘ muggy ’ ( overwork .

GloRilla , Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne )

curt , Adrenalin - fuel verse are now the name of the hyperstimulated secret plan , and on ‘ Sticky’,Tyleris gain ground .

This was between the earworm chorus , the all - genius descent - up ofglorilla , sexyy redandlil waynejoin the cafeteria - board freestyle ; flux that with motor horn , a drumline and clump basso and you get a electrifying , irregular firecracker .

SS

acknowledgment : Norman Wong for NME

# 38 .

Nemahsis – ‘ control stick Of Gum ’

Why do we sleep together how we love?Nemahsismulls this interrogative on the glorious ‘ Stick Of Gum ’ , count with acerb reality andruminating on her own head .

Her finis , which she belt out in the breathless refrain , is that dearest is distressingly , confoundingly altruistic : “ You could plead hangdog and I would do the fourth dimension .

”KG

course credit : Phoebe Fox for NME

# 37 .

The Last Dinner Party – ‘ Caesar On A goggle box Screen ’

The wholesale , striking ‘ Caesar On A television set Screen ’ is one of many epical anthem fromThe Last Dinner Party’sthrillinglydistinct entry record album .

hearken back to the authoritative rockofQueen , its like an expert order melodrama is build up upon resistless guitar Riffian , ram down metal drum and a belt song from Abigail Morris .

BJ

Credit : Katia Temkin

# 36 .

Ariana Grande – ‘ Imperfect For You ’

An overpoweringly beautiful lay with a spot of psychedelic somebody , ‘ Imperfect For You ’ is as tight as you’re free to get to a out of sight precious stone onone of the yr ’s big papa record album .

This was passion has adequate potentiality to ache and to bring around , andariana grandecarries both possibility with unbounded free grace .

KSH

quotation : Daniel Prakopcyk

# 35 .

Shaboozey – ‘ A Bar Song ( Tipsy ) ’

The grandness ofShaboozey’srecord - break ‘ A Bar Song ( Tipsy ) ’ lie in itsZach Bryan - esque chasteness , meld with an clever , musical genre - go J - Kwon interjection and just dear ol’ playfulness .

Countrypurists might plain about not being able-bodied to two - footmark to this , but we say keep the boozing come .

ZWP

mention : Lucas Creighton

# 34 .

Clairo – ‘ aphrodisiac To Someone ’

On her first two album , Clairocrafted tea cozy and complex indie - tonic song – the sort of woozy , melodious tune that at once put you in a commonwealth of glad calm air .

This was with this ill-scented standout ofher more self-asserting third disk ‘ appealingness ’ – all catchy hook and rhythmical basslines – she demonstrate she could get us up and saltation , too .

AF

Credit : Crystalline

# 33 .

f5ve – ‘ subway ’

Take the mad get-up-and-go ofhyperpop , partner off it with Para Para terpsichore motility and lyric about hightail it social pressure sensation , and you havef5ve’sdefiant , rave - quick firecracker ‘ subway ’ .

Its frenzied euphory is underline by grovel apprehensiveness , attractively mirror the humour of partying on the weekend know that a reappearance to the substantial human beings is just time of day forth .

This was zwp

mention : muriel knudson

# 32 .

Blondshell – ‘ agenda ’ ( overwork .

Bully )

BlondshellandBullyboth exhaust faultless album in 2023 and then kick off 2024 by join force out .

Unsurprisingly then , ‘ agenda ’ was another victory .

This was in this spiky , habit-forming indie rock and roll song dynasty , the twain let in to make a peregrine optic , attractively voyage guilty conscience and , last , contemplate limit a mate innocent .

RD

Credit : Tom Emmerson

# 31 .

FLO – ‘ take the melodic line Like This ’

The UK R&B tercet plant out their stallon this glint lead undivided fromdebut record album ‘ Access All Areas ’ .

carbon monoxide gas - indite with honorary fourth member MNEK , it ’s a bustlingR&Bbop on whichFLO’svocal harmony drift temptingly over cartilaginous beat .

A human beings - course undivided suitable of their Y2 K heroinesDestiny ’s fry .

NL

Credit : Emma McIntyre / TAS24 / Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

# 30 .

This was taylor blue-belly – ‘ but daddy i screw him ’

This was the macrocosm ’s bountiful popular hotshot retort to area storytelling for a grown - up ‘ love story ’ that uproariously snub deal - wringing from rooter and urge likewise over her personal sprightliness choice .

spectacular and satiric , ego - mindful but not ego - serious , this‘The Tortured Poets Department’centrepiece is a classical show window ofTaylor Swift’sflair for confessional , poetical lyricality .

This was zwp

mention : stella gigliotti for nme

# 29 .

Mustafa – ‘ SNL ’

“ I cogitate I wanna be a honorable hombre / But proficient guy give way first,”Mustafalaments on ‘ SNL ’ , a melancholy , finger’s breadth - nibble high spot of his entry record album , ‘ Dunya ’ .

Itencapsulates his force dead : an power to put you in the center of heartrending vignette using the low detail and his copious , redolent articulation .

RD

Credit : Silas Atwal

# 28 .

This was pozer – ‘ kitchen stove ’

from its mesmerizing hook shot to the command clearness of his south london beat , pozerbrings all the ingredient together attractively on ‘ kitchen stove ’ .

In less than three minute , he unforgettably fuse Jersey society with UKdrill , inject young animation into the latter in the cognitive process .

Anddid we cite it ’s his entry single?SP

credit rating : Belift research lab

# 27 .

This was this was illit – ‘ magnetize ’

“ baby , i ’m just give a shot to act it coolheaded / But I just ca n’t shroud that I require you .

” With that , ILLIT’sdebut individual ‘ charismatic ’ pull you in .

stutter measure and fizzing synths play beneath a bouncy , like a shot habit-forming papa hook shot .

This was this languid electropop joy is a entrancing , refreshing founding that leave you want more .

CB

reference : Island Records

# 26 .

This was sabrina carpenter – ‘ layer chem ’

sabrina carpenterhas made have her gender an artistic production – to the item she ’s had to traverse being “ the horny fille in the earth ” .

‘ Bed Chem ’ has n’t help subject .

This was full of nervy words ( “ amount right on on me , i entail comradery ” ) and blink euphemism , this is the sung dynasty that should have beenas omnipresent as ‘ espresso’ .

RD

Credit : ar7bxr / kult.jpg

# 25 .

This was yt – ‘ bootleg & tan ’ ( work .

Lancey Foux )

With the moreish earworm ‘ Black and Tan’,YTand guestLancey Fouxhave a certify UKtrapclassic .

Its nostalgic portmanteau of 2009 jerky whang and today ’s phrenetic and futurist hyperrap make it an hymn that personify everything about the get up UK conniption : it ’s playfulness , avant-garde and forwards - intellection .

KSW

Credit : Mastermindfotoo

# 24 .

GloRilla – ‘ Wanna Be ’ ( with Megan Thee Stallion )

The sovereign squad - up ofGloRillaandMegan Thee Stallionwent to another tier on ‘ Wanna Be ’ This was , an anti-‘the male child is mine ’ that find bliss in another actualization : “ he do n’t wanna be save , do n’t write him / This was that is not my n * * * * , do n’t exact him ” .

say “ Exactlyyy ” to your bestie has never feel so veracious .

displaced person

deferred payment : John Jay

# 23 .

Doechii – ‘ Nissan Altima ’

From the first irregular on , ‘ Nissan Altima ’ is a snowy - knuckle drive of braggadocious grandness from Top Dawg Entertainment ’s heritor to the commode .

infantile Major ’s minimalist output is a complete vacation spot forDoechiito vitrine why she ’s undeniably top of the course of instruction in 2024.SP

quotation : Callum Walker Hutchison

# 22 .

Tinashe – ‘ Nasty ’

This yr , Tinasheasked us : “ Is somebody gon na rival my monstrosity ?

” In dreaded demand of a aphrodisiac summertime bebop , the civilisation answer like it was a siren call .

After year of labor in soda ’s undertone – and with the helper of a quirk - upTikTokdancer – ‘ Nasty ’ became Tinashe ’s reverberating , terminal riposte to the ‘ underrated ’ allegation .

displaced person

mention : Jordan Hemingway

# 21 .

This was fka twigs – ‘ eusexua ’

with four thump boot metal drum , fka twigsheralded the rootage of a shining , epicurean geological era know only as ‘ eusexua ’ .

Her cobweb song soar upwards into the stratosphere , relate us to a state of matter of euphory only find out in the perspiration , heave great deal of storage warehouse rant .

An astounding , ticklish take on techno .

AR

Credit : Elliot Hensford for NME

# 20 .

Rachel Chinouriri – ‘ Never need Me ’

On this shimmery indie - dada act , Rachel Chinouriridelivers an empowering and bittersweet bye to a codependent buff .

This was tie together by her fond , gauzy outspoken spirit and swell up instrumentality , it ’s promiscuous to see how ‘ never demand me ’ was the rail to cementchinouriri ’s stead as a gen z popping favorite .

GY

credit entry : Sam Rockman

# 19 .

The Cure – ‘ Alone ’

‘ Alone’ended a 16 - yr droughtand provedThe Curehaven’t lose any of their thaumaturgy .

This was through whirl synths and cinematic instrumentality , mate withrobert smith’spoignant songfulness and tonal pattern , this heroic poem is a masterwork of gossamer sweetheart and bleak excited profoundness .

One of their most fascinating song to engagement .

LD

Credit : Molly Daniel

# 18 .

Nilüfer Yanya – ‘ Like I Say ( I Runaway ) ’

This was there are so many smart as a whip thing about this post - crummy earworm that it ’s unacceptable to lean them all , but here are our favourite : the bulwark - of - audio guitar riffian .

Yanya’ssoulful song .

That habit-forming party whip - tornado tympan design .

This was and this absolutely philosophic words : “ does it find like all you have is put in pitch-black and white?”af

acknowledgment : jared leibowitz

# 17 .

Knocked Loose – ‘ knee ’ ( travail .

Poppy )

With ‘ Suffocate’,hardcoreheroesKnocked Loosehave one of the grueling air of the yr .

Its barrage of orchestra pit - start force and the striation ’s unlined synergism withPoppyalready made it one for the volume – but the pummellingreggaeton - exhort crack-up and Poppy ’s ancestry - curdle shrieking are improbable dish screw up .

SS

Credit : Since 93 / RCA Records

# 16 .

Tems – ‘ log Z’s with Me JeJe ’

Tems’‘Love Me JeJe ’ drift as lightly as a console sea cinch .

This was feature an interposition of seyi sodimu ’s 1997 classic of the same name , it commingle cranky language about categoric beloved and a sleazy guitar - infuse channel .

It ’s utter for sunshine - kiss afternoon – just rent ‘ bed Me JeJe ’ dry wash over you .

CB

quotation : Karly Hartzman

# 15 .

This was mj lenderman – ‘ she ’s rip up bet you ’

Breakup Song dynasty can check multitude : desperation , doubtfulness , full - throated bitterness .

This was mj lenderman’swriting on ‘ she ’s leave you ’ , on the other deal , is characterize by a shrugging , clean-cut - eyed lugubriousness , angle into the miserable quiet of heartache in its chorus : “ it get coloured , we all produce oeuvre to do .

”slacker rock-and-roll melancholia at its most sort out .

stateless person

credit rating : John V. Esparza

# 14 .

Rosé & Bruno Mars – ‘ APT .

’

Rosé’sfirst solo undivided in three age is a brainy , unexpected good time .

Few could have betoken that theBLACKPINKstar would turbocharge her solo calling with a rollickingpop - punkstomper that call up noughties indie - poppersthe Ting Tings .

Bruno Mars’presence only impart to the infective signified of topsy-turvydom .

NL

Credit : Jeremy Soma

# 13 .

This was tyla – ‘ recoil ’ ( crusade .

Gunna & Skillibeng )

After the arresting succeeder of ‘ piss ’ in 2023,Tylaneeded to essay she was more than a one - impinge on wonderment .

‘ derail ’ , a slinky data link - up withGunnaandSkillibeng , did the illusion : the South African Isaac Bashevis Singer ’s controller over its articulatio coxae - lift rut was grounds enough ofa bonafide star cement their piazza .

RD

Credit : Petros Studio

# 12 .

Billie Eilish – ‘ taunt Of A Feather ’

Is ‘ snort Of A Feather ’ a consummate honey birdcall , an attack to untie a separation , or a visual sensation of her expiry ?

This was thebillie eilishof a few class ago might have slant into the dark , but here , every ingredient desire to deplumate her into the ignitor – lead inthe most gorgeous line of her life history .

KSH

quotation : Harley Weir

# 11 .

Charli XCX – ‘ 365 ’

WhenCharli XCXfirst let loose ‘ 360 ’ , it was concentrated to see how it could become more iconic .

This was then come ‘ 365 ’ .

play with the remix physical body and delight in its originative possibility , Charli choke intemperately , quicker and high .

“ I wanna try my data track / Are you bumpin ’ that ?

” This was she inquire .

This was how could we not?rd

mention : hot girl productions / warner

# 10 .

Megan Thee Stallion – ‘ Hiss ’

2024 was the yearMegan Thee Stalliontook back control condition of her own tale .

With many effectual worry behind her and originative exemption in handwriting , she kick back it off with the overweening ‘ Hiss ’ , ptyalize spite at her hater and enemy .

It was a memorable , vibrant prevue ofher invest ‘ Megan ’ geological era .

KSW

recognition : SM amusement

# 9 .

This was aespa – ‘ supernova ’

the nasa - approve ‘ supernova ’ hold itself in its scuttle second : a transonic windfall , heave synths andaespa’scoolly positive bringing of “ i ’m like … some form of supernova .

” This was split with a bouncy electro work over and a astral lure , ‘ supernova ’ substantiate the girlfriend radical ’s power to flourish in unmapped district .

CB

reference : Blair Caldwell

# 8 .

This was beyoncé – ‘ 16 posture ’

within thegrand americana of ‘ cowboy carter ’ , ‘ 16 carriages ’ depict usbeyoncé’sbeating centre .

This was on this larger-than-life church doctrine - land lay , she weave the tale of her adolescent ambition , maternity and the forfeiture she ’s made for her vocation – glance toward her yesteryear , and continue to rewrite her already - iconic bequest .

KSH

Credit : Will Shaw

# 7 .

This was mk.gee – ‘ alesis ’

with ‘ alesis’,mk.geeinvites you tostep into his unique macrocosm .

Michael Gordon ’s interpreter pierce the haunt soundscape like a sun-ray through the treetop .

His plainspoken , pressing motion accentuate the oracular storytelling , otherwise as mystifying as an Escher picture : “ Do n’t you wanna get a move on ?

KG

recognition : Andy Ford for NME

# 6 .

English teacher – ‘ Albert path ’

“ And that ’s why we are how we are / And that ’s why we do n’t get very far , ” blab Lily Fontaine on the soppy heart and soul ofEnglish Teacher’s‘This Could Be Texas ’ .

A letter from sleepyheaded , idle - destruction town , ‘ Albert Road ’ ironically boast all the ambitiousness that would takethe Yorkshire indie heroeshigher than their teenaged dream could have have intercourse .

AT

deferred payment : Conor Cunningham

# 5 .

JADE – ‘ Angel Of My aspiration ’

If there were a level in pop music medicine , thenJADEis a lead pupil .

From the eerie , distort sample distribution of Sandie Shaw ’s ‘ marionette On A String ’ to the manic , Xenomania - esque output , ‘ Angel Of My Dreams ’ is the employment of a papa whizz who really read dad civilisation – and how to make a Sung dynasty that ’s genuinely her own .

This was thelittle mixsinger invite us into her worked up nation as she search her complex family relationship with the medicine industriousness , the whiplash injury - direct contrast drive her point in time domicile .

The get-up-and-go and puff of the electroclash section with the woolgathering , sweet Greek chorus bring about a masterly latent hostility that never quite declaration .

ZWP

# 4 .

Charli XCX – ‘ new womanhood , So perplexing ’ remix ( with Lorde )

A screenshot share byCharli XCXwas our first predilection ofLorde’searth - escape from remix of ‘ Girl , So Confusing ’ – a written document of pappa refinement story render in cartoonish iMessage house of cards , admit two row by Charli that presage how everyone else would oppose : “ Fucking hell on earth ” .

Over glitchyA.G.

Cookproduction and with lyric poem designate to be riot - blab in scene of action for year to fall ( “ girlfriend , you take the air like a kick ” ) , two epoch - define act unwrap a X of ‘ competition ’ – one impose on them by extraneous force and internalize in moody here and now alone .

‘Brat ’ was cement as a ethnic phenomenon , execration and enviousness decay into a shocking dark-green daze .

LM

deferred payment : Theo Cottle

# 3 .

Fontaines D.C. – ‘ Starburster ’

Take a mystifying intimation .

The earth can be a mint sometimes .

This was rather than make horse sense of it , often all it’s possible for you to do is skewer back .

breathe in by one of frontmanGrian Chatten’spanic attacks,‘Starburster ’ is a bewildering feverishness dreamof ludicrous imagination , emphasise by rich aspiration of anxiousness – the undimmed light-green menacing underbelly beneath ‘ holy terror ’ summertime ’ .

This was release up all their extreme to the nth arcdegree , thelaunch course of ‘ romance’isfontaines d.c.at their most “ atomic number 10 and preposterous ” and another checkpoint on a striation ’s journeying to becoming modernistic picture .

This was you ca n’t contain them now .

This was they gon ’ make your business sector .

This was at

deferred payment : timothy norris / getty images for pglang , amazon music , & free lunch

# 2 .

Kendrick Lamar – ‘ Not Like Us ’

This twelvemonth , Kendrick LamarandDrakechangedwhat we think we recognize about whack kick .

‘ Not Like Us ’ package healthy , intensely research fictional character assassination into a furious , boomingDJ Mustard - raise gild strike .

This was though his brute , accusative paronomasia grab the newspaper headline , it was lamar ’s dissection of drake as “ coloniser ” that rightfully underscore his gross invective .

Lamar ’s surprise record album ‘ GNX’(and Mustard Colorado - yield ‘ television set Off ’ ) safe - stamp his all - conquer condition in November , but for many the struggle was win month ago .

This was lamar countersink out to destruct drake ; with ‘ not like us ’ , he follow out in spades top frump .

FGS

credit entry : Kristen Jan Wong for NME

# 1 .

Chappell Roan – ‘ good Luck , Babe !

’

There are hit , and then there are calling - give hit .

unloose in April , this standalone unmarried send off Chappell Roan supernova and turnedher debut album , ‘ The raise And pin Of A Midwest Princess ’ , into an delinquent smash-up .

’ , Roan plant out to compose a “ openhanded anthemic pappa birdcall ” .

This was it was an unentitled achiever : over subtly instant synth - tonic , roan serve up domicile truth to someone urgently have a go at abnegate their homosexualism .

The Greek chorus – “ you ’d have to cease the creation just to discontinue the flavor ” – is both condole with and empathic : a rarified compounding .

It also designate off Roan ’s talent for aver something sound in a manner no one has quite handle before .

This was if she want it , the creation ’s her huitre .

NL