With Staff Picks, our writers and editors select their favorite albums of the month. Check out the best of June below.
We’re halfway through 2024, and here at Consequence, we celebrated the best of the year so far with our 2024 mid-year report throughout the month of June.
But as we revisited music from the last six months, artists were dropping some serious album of the year contenders. In case you haven’t heard, Charli XCX is back with (arguably) her best album yet, and Normani finally dropped her debut album, Dopamine.
Meanwhile, newcomers Been Stellar proved that New York City guitar rock is alive and thriving, hyperpop star 2hollis provided an immersive, glitchy follow-up to last year’s 2, and Tems used her rising star power to make Born in the Wild a memorable statement.
Listed in alphabetical order, here are the best albums of May 2024 as selected by Consequence writers and editors.
2hollis — boy
Not much is known about 2hollis, but the young hyperpop star has been using mystery to his advantage. Each song on boy is as unpredictable as the last, and there’s an unceasing intensity to his music: a frequent tension between EDM-aided explosions and glitched-out, sputtering sonic collapse. His music is both caustic and freeing, chaotic and sublime, cringe and eternally cool. It’s an outstanding collection. — Paolo Ragusa
Listen via Apple Music
200 Stab Wounds — Manual Manic Procedures
200 Stab Wounds’ latest effort is intense enough to evoke a visceral reaction within a few seconds. The Cleveland death metal four-piece aims to break new ground sonically by presenting a chilling, blood-soaked, and extremely gory record. It is horrific in the most pleasant way, playing out like a horror film in the form of an excellent album. — Sun Noor
Listen via Apple Music
Been Stellar — Scream from New York, NY
Comparisons are easy when you come from the rich musical lineage of New York City rock ‘n roll, but Been Stellar don’t sound like anyone but Been Stellar, and so much of that is thanks to Sam Slocum’s candor behind the mic. Despite having an excellent song called “Sweet,” Scream from New York, NY is more sour than anything else; they’ll play high-end guitar lines like they’re kissing the bottom of their fretboards, but with an unavoidable level of urgency and emotion, the waters forever muddied, the tide of their grooves markedly jagged. As far as debut albums go, Been Stellar have opened on a rousing high. — P. Ragusa
Listen via Apple Music
Charli XCX — BRAT
They say that monoculture is dead, but you could make the argument that this whole month belonged to Charli XCX. BRAT is more than just a mood board or a collection of slick, icy club tracks. It’s a defining statement from a pop star who has been attempting what BRAT achieves since her career-shifting, ultra-prescient 2017 Vroom Vroom EP.
In fact, BRAT is the type of “crying at the club” record that countless pop stars have aimed to capture in recent years — but Charli XCX’s lyrical language, sonic left turns, and explosive personality is what makes BRAT her wholly original thesis. From the album’s “wink-wink” rollout, to its turbo-charged beats (anyone else crazy about the jazz piano breakdown in “Mean Girls?”), to an unprecedented “let’s work it out on the remix” addendum from Lorde, BRAT isn’t just one of the best albums of the year — it’s the ultimate offering from one of pop music’s most undeniable phenoms. — P. Ragusa
Listen via Apple Music
Dirty Three — Love Changes Everything
For the first time in over a decade, Australian post-rock outfit Dirty Three have a new full-length record. Luckily, Love Changes Everything proves the band is just as creative and technically impressive as ever. Over the course of six wordless, free-form-adjacent tracks, the trio is able to express deep feelings of excitement (“Love Changes Everything I”), melancholy (“Love Changes Everything II”), and, ultimately, resounding hope (“Love Changes Everything VI”). It’s an absolutely lovely comeback for a band that continues to rightfully command incredible respect within their niche little string-backed world. — Jonah Krueger
Listen via Apple Music
Lucky Daye — Algorithm
Algorithm feels like Lucky Daye took the concept of R&B and cracked it wide open. From the moment a listener presses play on any of his tracks, his vocal prowess is apparent, but what feels particularly exciting about Algorithm is how experimental Lucky Daye gets. No matter what your entry point is to the vocalist, the project is a wealth of riches; there’s so much passion to tracks like “Top” and “Mary,” and sharp edges to moments like “Never Leavin’ U Lonely” or “Blame,” the latter of which features Teddy Swims. He also welcomes the incomparable RAYE for a spell, confirming that around every corner of the LP is another treasure. — Mary Siroky
Listen via Apple Music
Megan Thee Stallion — MEGAN
“The sooner you accept that I’m that bitch, the better your life will be,” Megan Thee Stallion cheekily boasts before launching into “Rattle,” the second track on her newest project MEGAN. Coming as the knock-out blow of the record’s opening one-two punch — the first of which being the venomous “HISS” — the introductory line sets fans up for a record full of raunchy, pointed, bad-bitch bars. Over the course of 18 tracks, Meg proves she doesn’t need anybody but her damn self; she’s got men wrapped around her finger, stacks in her pocket, and isn’t about to back down from any disses coming her way. Hell, as proven on “Moody Girl,” she’s not even afraid to get vulnerable — it’s all part of being at the absolute top of your game. “He say I’m crazy,” she raps on the rock-infused closer “COBRA,” “Don’t I know it.” — J. Krueger
Listen via Apple Music
Normani — Dopamine
As much as the internet has enjoyed joking about the rollout, Normani’s Dopamine was genuinely worth the wait. Normani has the malleable kind of voice she knows how to wield just as well on a pop tune as she does a sultry R&B moment, and there are so many standout points on this record. Arguably, one of the brightest is “Insomnia,” a sad, floaty tune co-penned by none other than Victoria Monét and Brandy. Old-school chord progressions and layered background vocals are the perfect backdrop for her, and Dopamine manages to leave the listener wondering what’s next from Normani. — M. Siroky
Listen via Apple Music
NxWorries — Why Lawd?
Anderson .Paak has reunited with Knxwledge to reprise their NxWorries project, and eight years after their last album, they’ve accomplished a memorable record yet again with Why Lawd? .Paak seems to be at his brightest when collaborating, whether that’s with Knxwledge or Bruno Mars in Silk Sonic. Across 45 minutes, the duo construct a foggy, feather-light vibe, making Why Lawd? its own kind of hypnotic antidote — they may be spelling out some legitimate pains throughout, but each petal of anguish is wrapped in lush velvet. Not to mention some killer guest performances — Thundercat, H.E.R., and Snoop Dogg all hop in for some laid-back fun, and all the while, .Paak and Knxwledge reach for personal peaks. — P. Ragusa
Listen via Apple Music
Sour Widows — Revival of a Friend
Sour Widows’ debut, Revival of a Friend, is a heavy record — and not in the sense that the guitar tones are crushingly distorted (though the band indeed gets loud when the tune calls for it). Rather, the album carries immense emotional weight, like the sky is blacked out with storm clouds. A collection of songs written in the wake of several personal hardships (read Sour Widows’ Track by Track breakdown for further insight), the songs of Revival of a Friend are epic in scale, deeply engaging in craft, and cathartic as hell in practice. By the end of the final moments of closer “Staring Into Heaven/Shining,” it feels like the sun might just be starting to peek out from behind those clouds. — J. Krueger
Listen via Apple Music
Tems — Born in the Wild
Tems’ stunning debut album recounts her journey through superstardom and remaining grounded. Through 18 tracks, Born in the Wild sheds light on the R&B star’s personal journey towards stardom, grappling with imposter syndrome, and overcoming past traumas. Sweet love songs such as “Love Me JeJe” offer a contrast to the somber moments on the record. She also incorporates traditional music samples while fusing a slew of afrobeat genres, continuously honoring her roots. While Tems the hitmaker has become a familiar figure over the past few years, her latest effort aims to present a new side to her. – S. Noor
Listen via Apple Music
This Is Lorelai — Box for Buddy, Box for Star
Last we heard from Nate Amos, it was as part of the former Consequence CosSign duo Water from Your Eyes, which dropped one of the best albums of last year with Everyone’s Crushed. Now, he’s back with one of his many other projects, This Is Lorelei, a more personal, heartfelt outlet for Amos. In comparison to the snarky, controlled chaos of Everyone’s Crushed, Box for Buddy, Box for Star is genuine and warm-blooded — and as it turns out, Amos is just as good in this lane as any other. Acoustic instrumentation, honky tonk melodies, bittersweet dance grooves, and bright production are sprinkled throughout the album’s 10 tunes, resulting in a tracklist that addresses darkness while embracing the light. It’s an emotionally honest, intensely enjoyable ride. — J. Krueger
Listen via Apple Music