By Joshua Gutierrez

Perhaps “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” was the most important work in Billie Eilish’s generational career; perhaps “BRAT” by Charli XCX was the most culturally relevant work of the year; and perhaps “COWBOY CARTER” by Beyonce was the most profound and complete album of 2024.

But as someone who grew up in the echoed halls with rock n’ roll in their headphones and has long admired the passionate expression of music’s grandeur… “Prelude to Ecstacy” by The Last Dinner Party was a brilliant testament and profoundly enjoyable. Combined with the forlorn expression, grief and desire of modern womanhood told through the lens of Romantic storytelling, The Last Dinner Party is the most important band in music.

“Nothing Matters” is undoubtedly a perfect rock song, “Ceaser on a TV Screen” is a brilliant analogy of male privilege with poignant storytelling, “The Feminine Urge” is an urgent portrayal of how woman are sacrificed at the altar of beauty and lust, and “Beautiful Boy” combined with “Gjuha” is perhaps one of my favorite forlorn pairing across all of music in 2024.

There is not a moment that isn’t brilliant on “Prelude to Ecstacy” and I’m so excited to name this my favorite album of 2024!!!

I can’t begin to explain how great this year was across all of music, but especially from the industry’s biggest names.

Who knows if we’ll ever, ever get the amount of names dropping albums like this again… Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Beyonce, Vampire Weekend, Clairo, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande… Like, my gawd I can keep going to.

I genuinely believe we in the community will look back on this year as a cornerstone year of influence for generations to come.

While I am so excited for 2025 to start and see how it will shape up in its own unique way, 2024 will be so hard to say “good bye” to!!!!

Bye!!!!

Listen To All My Selections From

These Albums On Spotify and Apple Music