Let's be honest - trying to sum up a year in music is like attempting to explain Matty Healy to your grandparents or giving a sensible answer when someone asks you, 'What kind of music do you like?'. It's messy, it's subjective and someone is definitely going to disagree with you in the comments.

But here we are again, Dear Reader, doing what we do best: Ranking things and having opinions about them. 2024 has been the kind of year that makes music journalists reach for increasingly elaborate metaphors - a year where artificial intelligence tried to write pop songs (badly), where every other week brought another "unexpected" collaboration, and where pop girlies ruled all.

From bedroom pop breakthroughs to stadium-sized statements, from heartbreak to hyperpop, we've listened to it all. Multiple times. Probably while crying in the shower or doing our silly little tasks or commuting to our silly little jobs. These are the albums that made 2024 feel less like a simulation and more like somewhere we actually want to be - ranked meticulously, debated passionately, and served up with a signature side of mild sass. Strap in. Things are about to get opinionated.

50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

There's always been a spark at the heart of everything Pale Waves. A dose of magic, a glint of something special, that has guided them through different chapters across their three studio albums. It's indescribable and irresistible. 'Smitten' embraces that emphatically: an album of soaring ambition and unstoppable pop hooks ready to be the go-to coming-of-age album of 2024. An irresistible soundtrack to a modern diary of love and life, 'Smitten' is the sound of that Pale Waves spark turning into a headline firework display.

Top Track: 'Perfume'

Fun Fact: Pale Waves played a secret show at 100 Club, London ahead of their comeback for us, performing under the name Perfume.

Sometimes, we need to state the obvious, so here we go. Amyl & The Sniffers' 'Cartoon Darkness' is a riotous punk manifesto that cements their status as one of the most exciting bands on the planet. It crackles with raw energy, Amy Taylor's feral vocals making it clear they're not tempering their approach. The album tackles climate change and AI with the quartet's trademark fury and humour. At its core, 'Cartoon Darkness' is a call to arms. Have fun, but fucking pay attention with it.

Top Track: 'Jerkin'

Fun Fact: The album was recorded at Foo Fighters' Studio 606 in California.