Top 52 Songs of 2024

Jan 13, 2025

It’s January here at Do You Know What I Love The Most?, and that means it’s time to sum up the last 12 months with Year End Lists! I’ll be devoting the rest of this month to rounding up and discussing the various media released in 2024 that meant the most to me — just like every other website on the internet! Isn’t that special?

The Year End Playlist is dead. Long live the Year End Playlist. As long as I’ve released Year End Lists on this newsletter, I’ve been compiling a playlist featuring one song from each release I listened to throughout the year, and then here on the newsletter, a sentence or two of commentary on each song. However, each year I watched their length skyrocket. In 2020 it was 27 songs; in 2021 it was 36 songs; in 2022 it was 51 songs; in 2023 it ballooned to a staggering 100 songs, and I was forced to only provide commentary sporadically due to space issues. Something had to change.

In 2024, my plan was to compile and release a similar playlist at the end of each Quarter, but it just didn’t work out. By the end of the year I wound up with a single 2024 playlist nearing 180 songs. Even I’ve never listened to it straight through. Instead of subjecting you to that, I culled it down to my absolute favorites. Maybe it won’t be as exhaustive of a look into 2024’s music as I usually provide (though I did to my best to repeat artists as little as possible), but it should be a lot more fun.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s my Top 52 Songs of 2024, which can also be found here on Spotify, along with my commentary on selected tracks. I’m assuming by now you guys know what I’m all about — more than ever, these 52 tracks lean into that brand of guitar-centric pop-punk, emo, indie, hardcore, and power pop I love so much. I’ll dig more into these songs in the commentary and when I count down my Top Albums of 2024 in a few weeks. For now, I hope you find something you enjoy!

“There, There” — Sweet Pill (Hopelessly Devoted To You Compilation [Wonder Years cover])

This cover — which builds upon The Wonder Years' classic set-list staple by adding an entirely new verse — is an audacious move, but one that entirely pays off thanks to brilliant execution. Seriously, that moment where vocalist Zanya Youssef's voice soars into the stratosphere for what should have been the final note as the music cuts out, only for it to come back in a second later as the song just keeps going is breathtaking for both the skill involved and the fact that it happened at all. It's bold, brilliant stuff. I was lucky enough to see Wonder Years frontman Dan Campbell join Sweet Pill when they performed this at 2024's Loneliest Place on Earth Fest, and what better endorsement could there possibly be?

“Dirty Mirror Selfie” — Origami Angel (Feeling Not Found)

My favorite song of the year. “Dirty Mirror Selfie” tells a tale of overcoming self-hatred and fighting back against that evil thing inside us all that tells us that we’re the problem, that we’re what’s ugly, wrong, or broken. “But it's a matter of time before I'm conquering it / I'll grab it in a chokehold, now I know I'm stronger than it / All this time I wasted struggling / Fighting for things that I thought that I lacked / Now I'm taking that back.” As someone who often feels like he wasted so much of his life and didn’t really even start living until he was in his 30s, I just find those words so inspiring, especially the conviction-filled, screamed “Now I’m taking that back!” that leads into the breakdown. As always, Origami Angel also delivers their message with music that’s as charming and earnest as possible, that’s free of guile and pretension, tossing in easycore breakdowns, soaring harmonies, and Weezer-esque guitar licks with all the conviction in the world. It’s a song that speaks to me on every possible level. Gami kinda have a knack for that. As always, that means the world to me.

“Alone At St. Luke’s” — Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties (In Lieu of Flowers)

This track is the ultimate example of the metatextual ouroboros that is Aaron West's songwriting. Aaron West is the fictional counterpart of Wonder Years frontman Dan Campbell; Campbell wrote the first Roaring Twenties songs as a character study, a look into the worst year in West's life, but then he went on the road playing these songs in character as Aaron West. The things that happened to him as "Aaron" during these shows then went on to become canon, events that happened to Aaron within the world of the songs, and which got incorporated into Aaron's story in future records.

"Alone At St Luke's" is a key piece to Aaron's story in In Lieu of Flowers, the moment where his drinking became a problem again, spurred on by his isolation while on tour in Europe. But this piece of fictional story is based on truth—while on tour in Europe, the rest of the Roaring Twenties caught Covid and had to go back home, leaving Campbell to finish up the tour as a solo act. That Campbell was able to recontextualize this event as a pivotal moment in Aaron's journey, use the music to reflect the change in Aaron's mood (the song's late shift from a raucous pub singalong to a somber acoustic ballad representing the moment Aaron's drinking stops being fun and becomes a real problem), and make it a crowd favorite anthem reflects the mad alchemy behind Aaron West's songwriting.

“I’m In Love” — Slaughter Beach, Dog (single)

This upbeat, almost jazzy little number tells a high concept love story about a man whose girlfriend is a contract killer. It should have been the theme song to this year’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith tv series (which we’ll talk about in a few weeks).

“Fluff My Pillow” — Carly Cosgrove (The Cleanest of Houses Are Empty)

To misquote Homer Simpson: “Ah, sleep. The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.” This deceptively simple song is brilliant. Sleep is vital; a good night’s sleep will fix almost anything; too much sleep will fuck you up. The narrator of this song is hiding from all of his problems, literally trying to sleep them away, but sleeping until it makes him sick, then sleeping more to try to fix it; it works on both a literal and metaphorical level to explore the way our coping mechanisms, even seemingly healthy ones, can fail us and trap us in vicious cycles. “Nothing matters in bed,” but you can’t stay there forever, dude.

“Open Container Blues” — Carpool ft. Briana Wright of Cliffdiver (My Life in Subtitles)

“My Plan” — Footballhead (Overthinking Everything)

“Stickers of Brian” — Hot Mulligan (Warmer Weather EP)

According to Spotify, this was the song I listened to the most in 2024. I believe it. It’s catchy as fuck. It’s also a bit of an unusual song for Hot Mulligan; they tend to reserve their irreverence for song titles and music videos while the actual lyrics are candid, personal, and depressing, but “Stickers of Brian” is humorous throughout, an acidic, sardonic, tongue-in-cheek screed against corporate culture. I wake up with this song playing in my head every day that I have to go to work. Don’t tell my boss.

“A Praise Chorus” — Martha (Is Tomorrow Just A Day Like All The Rest? [Jimmy Eat World cover])

“A Praise Chorus” is the best song ever written. Perhaps that should make it untouchable, but frankly, I want every band to cover it. The more I get to hear “A Praise Chorus,” the better. Martha released this along with a cover of Jimmy Eat World’s “Crush” as a limited edition 7” record, each copy individualized, stamped with a date of the recipient’s choosing. It’s a unique touch that really helped this release stand out.

“Wait For Hours” — Signals Midwest (Signals Midwest X ANORAK! split 7”)

“Real Juicer Hours” — Action/Adventure (single)

“I heard you had another breakdown / Who cares?” is one of those genius, classic opening lines, the kind I wish I could come up with every time I open a new draft.

“Stay Golden” — Combat (Stay Golden)

“Stay Golden” is a relentless pop-punk anthem that never gives you even a second to catch your breath. It’s a classic exploration of youthful disenchantment and generational change. It’s full of instantly iconic moments, from the “Hey Holden!” gang vocals that burst in near the end to the lyric “At least I’ve still got my Black Flag t-shirt,” which pops into my head unprompted at least once a day. It’s a perfect opening track, serving as a mission statement for the sounds and themes Stay Golden will go on to explore. What a fucking song.

“Ghosted” — Common Crime (Signals and Signs EP)

“Golden Harbor” — Macseal (Permanent Repeat)

I didn’t pay much attention to Macseal when I saw them open for the Wonder Years a few years ago, and boy, was that a mistake. Their new record Permanent Repeat came out of nowhere and blew me away this year. Deciding on just one song from the record to include on this playlist was probably the single most painful choice I had to make while putting it together. “Golden Harbor” is the track that sounds most like a hit single, and it truly rips, but there were two or three other songs from Repeat I could have included in its place that would have been just as good. Permanent Repeat is an embarrassment of riches.

“Double Down” — Future Teens (single)

This cathartic ode to trans joy that is also a powerful recounting of the challenges that go into transitioning could not be more appropriate and welcome in this moment in time, where it seems to be getting more difficult to be queer every day. I saw Future Teens perform this song at the Ottobar in Baltimore, Maryland this year, where co-frontman Amy Hoffman was able to introduce the song with a touching preamble about how he feels safe and accepted in rooms like that one. It’s a moment that’s stuck with me ever since.

“Glad That We’re Alive” — Maxwell Stern (In The Good Light)

In an infinite universe where the odds of meeting any one specific person are nearly a mathematical impossibility, every important connection we make is a miracle and should be celebrated as one. I often think about how I only met my boyfriend, who has lived all over the country, because he just so happened to move to Philadelphia at the same time I joined OK Cupid, and that I only joined when I did because a friend made that account for me, and that I only met that friend because he happened to follow me on Tumblr out of the blue one day, and that I only joined Tumblr in the first place because of a different friend that I only met because I happened to join a random comic book forum in, like, 2007. “Glad That We’re Alive” — from Signals Midwest frontman Maxwell Stern’s new solo record In The Good Light — is a beautiful, joyful celebration of beating the odds to find the person who means everything to us. “I’m so glad that we’re alive in the same place.” “I’m so glad that we’re alive at the same time.” I sure fucking am.

“all of my love” — Oso Oso (life till bones)

Historically, most of my favorite songs are the ones where their bleak, depressing lyrics are initially disguised by poppy, upbeat music. “all of my love” is a new classic of this very specific genre, gifting us a terribly sad break-up song that’s delivered with real pep, with Jade Lilitri’s smooth, comforting voice, and with choice hand claps, all helping the heartbreak go down smooth.

“Film Maudit” — Restorations (Restorations)

Restorations singer Jon Loudon has one of those voices that almost doesn’t sound real. Low, gravely, powerful, full of gravitas — can a human being really sound like this? We’re damn lucky that one does, and that he sings for Restorations.

“K2” — Liquid Mike (Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot)

I had to Google what K2 is. I am clearly not as cool as Liquid Mike.

“Top Deck Jinzo” — Arcadia Grey (Casually Crashing)

“Stick Season” — Knuckle Puck (single [Noah Kahan cover])

The only thing I don't like about this song is that it forced me to learn who Noah Kahan is; I didn't even realize it was a cover until my boyfriend—who, unlike me, actually listens to the radio and not weird bands with only 10 fans apiece—started singing along in the car one day. Sorry, but "Stick Season" was meant to be a pop-punk song, end of story.

“Hell 99” — Foxing (Foxing)

“Hell 99” immediately distinguishes itself by opening with anguished screaming before dropping into an acid trip, psychedelic nightmare, reaching its existential nadir with a frantic cry of “Is this all there is?! / is this all there is?! / fuck! fuck! fuck!” I don’t think any other song I listened to this year had a moment so stark, striking, and memorable. To be frank, the song goes on about a minute longer than it needs to — that outro really drags — but everything up to that point is just about unimpeachable. It makes an unshakable first impression. “Hell 99” is a song that cannot be denied.

“Application For Release From The Dream” — Thursday (single)

Thursday’s first new song since 2011 does not disappoint. It has everything I love about Thursday’s music, but delivered in a way that feels fresh and exciting. The soaring chorus! The breakdown! The spoken word, call-and-response bridge! It’s a real epic, an auspicious sign of things to come. I’m so glad these guys are still together.

“LOVE U ANYWAY” — Stand Atlantic (WAS HERE)

“Year of the Vulture” — The Wonder Years (single)

Both of the singles the Wonder Years released in 2024 leaned into a heavier, more hardcore sound that they’ve rarely explored before, and I love it — I hope their next album takes some inspiration from this, the same way 2022’s The Hum Goes On Forever took inspiration from the “throwback” singles they released in 2020.

“Year of the Vulture” was written specifically to serve as the theme song to WWE’s Philadelphia “NXT Stand & Deliver” event. It’s loosely told from the POV of wrestler Ilja Drajunov, an unusual departure for the Wonder Years, whose songs are normally strongly rooted in the perspective of frontman Dan Campbell. In that sense, “Vulture” is conceptually closer to an Aaron West song, even if it sounds nothing like one.

“Big Blind” — The Story So Far (I Want to Disappear)

“Bad Time” — Alkaline Trio (Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs)

Though they sound nothing alike, “Bad Time” is in many ways a spiritual counterpart to “I’m In Love” from earlier on this playlist, a track that uses its high concept to tell a simple, effective love story. The idea here is that the narrator is always caught up in some kind of absurd, dangerous, straight-out-of-a-movie scenario — a bank heist, a monster attack, etc — whenever his lover calls, but no matter how bad the timing, he’ll always stop to take her call because there’s nothing more important than talking to her. It’s as silly as it is sweet, and that’s a winning combination.

“One Cure to the Head, Two to the Chest” — Call Me Malcolm (Echoes and Ghosts)

“All For Love & All For Nothing” — My Cousin’s Girlfriend’s House (All For Love & All For Nothing EP)

While there’s songs on this EP that pack more emotional heft, “All For Love & All For Nothing” is certainly the most fun, a killer lead single and a perfect introduction to this delightful, up-and-coming Philadelphia area pop-punk band. That said, this song is best listened to immediately after “After Picas,” the track that precedes it, as the seamless transition between the two is by far the best moment on the entire EP. I am a sucker for a good transition.

“Better Now” — Barely Civil (I’d Say I’m Not Fine)

Gang vocals are the star of “Better Now.” They help define the classic quiet/loud structure of the song, create a unique kind of call-and-response dynamic, and are just a fun, propulsive element in a fun, propulsive song.

“Reaper” — Beauty School ft. Dan Campbell (single)

One of the many things I love about Wonder Years frontman Dan Campbell is how down he is to contribute a guest verse to another band’s song (seriously — he does it a lot); I’m not sure if it’s an effort to support smaller acts or if he just loves doing it, but either way, it’s endearing as hell. A Campbell guest verse is a guaranteed way to get me to check out a track, and “Reaper” is a pretty sick collaboration with the British emo group Beauty School (who are opening for the Wonder Years on a UK tour as of the time of this writing). I should check out more of their stuff.

“Bored of Being Sad” — Microwave (Let’s Start Degeneracy)

Easily one of my Top 5 songs of the year. It’s got a perfect chorus. It’s got a perfect riff that recurs throughout. “If you romanticize misery / brother you’re gonna be miserable” is a lyric that’s intensely personal and intensely relatable, but that also calls out an entire scene of emo kids who grew up fetishizing our own sadness. It’s a song that feels important without ever feeling self-important, and that remains fun throughout. I don’t always love Microwave, but when they knock it out of the park, they really knock it out of the park.

“777” — Riley! (Keep Your Cool)

Truly a perfect song, another of my Top 5’s coming off probably the best record of the year. The way the sample “777” opens on gradually transitions and fades into the opening riff is mesmerizing, those riffs are just absolutely sick throughout, both the verses and the choruses are immediately catchy and instantly memorable, the vocals hold nothing back from the very first note through the last, it’s just sick as hell. Perhaps my greatest weakness when it comes to writing about music is that I always just want to say “it’s a banger” and leave it at that, but like, “777” is a banger. You just gotta listen to it yourself, I think.

“Second City” — The Menzingers (20 Years Of Dreaming And Scheming compilation)

“Second City” is part of a compilation celebrating the 20th anniversary of Chicago’s Red Scare Industries, the record label who released the Menzingers’ second album, 2010’s Chamberlain Waits. The song is a nostalgic look back at the band’s experiences in Chicago during that era, and as we all know, the best Menzingers songs are always about nostalgia.

“Roll Me Away” — Kill Lincoln (No Normal)

“goin’ for the garbage plate” — CLIFFDIVER ft. Carpool (birdwatching)

CLIFFDIVER’s Briana Wright contributed guest vocals to Carpool’s “Open Container Blues” earlier on this playlist, so here Carpool singer Stoph Colasanto returns the favor. Legitimately, it was a coincidence that I picked songs with synchronized guest vocals for these two bands, but it’s a coincidence I love.

“Hard Mode” — Cheekface (single)

“A little friendly competition is healthy / as long as I win” is a lyric that hit way to close to home. I…really hate losing.

“World Apart” — Bike Routes (Rush of Energy EP)

“In Lieu of Flowers” — Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties (In Lieu of Flowers)

If I were a baseball player, I would want my walk-up music to be the last few measures of this song’s bridge, right as the build-up climaxes and every instrument comes back in full-stop under those iconic horns. This is one of those rare songs that immediately established itself as one of the band’s most important; it’s now the song Aaron West closes sets with, and it feels like it always has been, the crowd roaring the lyrics back as if they had known them all their lives, not just less than a year. In true Roaring Twenties fashion, it pulls this all off while also successfully serving as the climax of three albums’ worth of story, because Campbell doesn’t do things in half-measures. A tremendous song.

“Cross Your Mind” — The Forecast (Good Journey)

“Outlive” — Never Better Baby (single)

Despite growing up deeply religious, the only time I’ve ever really “felt” God has been at concerts. It’s a feeling Future Teens co-frontman Amy Hoffman describes perfectly in “Outlive,” the first single from his new side project Never Better Baby, where he realizes “God was always just a key change / I still sing hymns when I feel lonely.” It’s a powerful moment of growth for Hoffman, one that allows him to move forward with a new understanding of his past and a new approach to the world that takes what works from his past while leaving behind what doesn’t. We should all be so lucky as to reach that point.

“Stop Talking” — Motion City Soundtrack (single)

The first single to Motion City Soundtrack’s upcoming new record, their first in 10 years, and it is classic MCS. I love the self-deprecating lyrics, the fast-paced, punky tone, the guitar solo — “Stop Talking” has got me primed and ready for new music from one of my all time favorite bands.

“Fruit Wine” — Origami Angel (Feeling Not Found)

For a good chunk of the year, before the announcement of Feeling Not Found, “Fruit Wine” served as a standalone Origami Angel single, and it was a song a I listened to a lot. I love the heavier riff, the clever turns of phrase, it’s all around just a fun, solid song. Several songs from Feeling Not Found went on to surpass it in my eyes — including my favorite song of the year, “Dirty Mirror Selfie,” which we already talked about earlier on this list — but when it came time to compile this playlist, I just couldn’t exclude it, even if it meant including multiple songs from this release. “Fruit Wine” was just too big of a part of my 2024 to ignore.

“I Don’t Wanna Know” — BAD OPERATION (single)

The clip that opens this song sums it up best: “Bad Operation fucks.”

“Deadbolt” — The Wonder Years (Hopelessly Devoted To You Compilation [Thrice cover])

The Wonder Years’ other new single this year is a cover of Thrice’s classic “Deadbolt,” and maybe this is a hot take, but I like it way better than the original. The guitar sounds sharper to me, and there’s something I really love about the way Campbell enunciates these lyrics. It’s a killer vocal performance.

“Sudden Glow” — Expert Timing (CYLS Split Series #5)

Compilations, anthologies, splits, and the like are awesome ways to discover new music. I checked out this split from Count Your Lucky Stars records solely to hear the new Camp Trash song (which pops up a bit later on in this playlist), but was blown away by this track from Orlando, Florida’s Expert Timing as well. I’m so glad it found its way to me.

“The Empress” — The Early November (The Early November)

“Silver Cloud” — State Champs (State Champs)

How much can a band change before they’ve completely lost their identity? Should bands be more concerned with following their artistic muse, or pleasing fans? All musicians face this dilemma at one point or another. It’s a conflict at the heart of “Silver Cloud,” from State Champs’ new self-titled record. Throughout “Silver Cloud” the band longs for the clarity and simplicity of their early days (characterized as the time when singer Derek DiScanio still wore his hat backwards), a time where their future was wide open, where every place they went felt like home. In the chorus they long for a way to get back to basics. But they also question the wisdom of that path, expressing envy at the path other musicians have taken (“Stuck in the same spot / wanting what they got”) and worrying that it’s a waste for them to stay the same when they world doesn’t owe them success. I don’t know if “Silver Cloud” really resolves the conflict, or if there even is a correct answer, but given that State Champs is a bit of a back-to-basics effort for the band after 2022’s more experimental Kings of the New Age, I think I know which way the band is leaning for now.

“Friendship America” — Camp Trash (CYLS Split Series #5)

“Outta My Head” — Bad Moves (Wearing Out The Refrain)

This entire song is basically built upon one riff and one short, catchy lyric that both repeat ad nauseam. That shouldn’t work — it should be the kind of radio pop we’ve been mocking relentlessly for decades — but somehow, at least for me, it works incredibly well. Maybe it taps into that lizard part of my brain that craves repetition. Or maybe it’s just that these central, repeating elements are very cool. It’s hard to deny the chunky guitar with a shaggy, lo-fi, classic rock and roll sound. The lyrics — about how easy it can be to fuck up an important relationship — are simple and relatable enough to resonate with almost anyone. They’re a bit unusual for Bad Moves’ often more political topic matter, but at the same time, they still fit the band’s general vibe; the personal is the political, after all, and it’s interesting to explore how quickly a lapse of judgment can sour our opinion of someone. There were a lot of ways “Outta My Head” could have gone wrong, but instead, it’s a high point on an already excellent record.

“Acid Rain” — The Penske File ft. Chris Cresswell (Acid Rain EP)

“I’m Not Dead” — Charly Bliss (Forever)

The message of this song resonated so deeply with me. The lesson Eva Hendricks imparts here is that you’re never too old to have a fun and fulfilling life; as long as you’re not dead, you still have the opportunity. The only thing holding you back is yourself. It’s what’s running through my head every time I force myself to go to a show even if I’m not feeling it at the moment, every time I throw my pushing-forty body into a pit full of flailing human beings, every time I try something scary and new. Every time I don’t, I regret it. “I’m Not Dead” has been my mantra for a long time, but it’s nice to have the song to help remind me, and to impart this wisdom along to others.

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“Do You Know What I Love the Most?” is a newsletter from Spencer Irwin about his relationship with the stories he loves. Spencer is an enthusiast and writer from Newark, Delaware, who likes punk rock, comic books, working out, breakfast, and most of all, stories. His previous work appeared on Retcon Punch, One Week One Band, and Crisis on Infinite Chords, and you can follow him online on your social media of choice. If you like this newsletter, please subscribe and share with your friends!

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Top 52 Songs of 2024

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