Relix Staff Selects Favorite Albums of 2024

Photo: Cassidy Rose Friedman | Design: Olivia Sasso

2024 was a phenomenal year for music.

From the titanic tours that brought on a booming resurgence for the live entertainment industry to the wave of artists wielding influence beyond the stage, music continued to provide the heartbeat for our culture. Though a new guard of pop powerhouses commanded the charts and tumult between hip-hop’s figureheads fed the discourse, the efforts of iconic groups and cutting-edge newcomers underscored the immortal importance of rock, folk, jazz, Americana and more. In the jam community, longtime innovators like Dead & Company and Phish pushed forward with bold new albums and record-breaking residencies, while rising stars like Goose and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard found acclaim and new audiences for improvisational music.

Here at Relix, we spoke with countless celebrated musicians and enshrined Brittany Howard, The Black Crowes, Marcus King, The Disco Biscuits, Phish, The String Cheese Incident, Bleachers and the legendary Phil Lesh on our cover. As we turn a page to our 50th anniversary year, we’re looking forward to much more good music to come.

To look back on 2024, we asked around the office for the Relix team’s favorite albums from the year. Our personal takes are listed here, in no particular order; read on for a playlist with selections from each pick. Happy New Year!

Harrison Ezratty:

River Road Collective – River Road Collective

Tipish – New Orleans Klezmer All Stars

Picasso’s Villa – Anders Osborne

Pa’ Tu Cuerpa – Cimafunk

Stories From The Battlefield – The Rumble Ft. Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.

David Ney:

Evolve – Phish

Flow Critical Lucidity – Thurston Moore

Run White Boy Run – Punkadelick

After Sunrise – Circles Around the Sun & Mikaela Davis

So Many Last Sips – Go Slowpoke

Hana Gustafson:

Trail of Flowers – Sierra Ferrell 

GarciaLive Volume 21: February 13th, 1976 Keystone Berkley – Jerry Garcia Band

Bare Bones Vol. 2: The Duo Recordings (Other Tunes & Arrangements) – Jerry Garcia and David Grisman 

A LA SALA – Khurangbin

Tales of the Great Rum Runners (2024 Remaster) – Robert Hunter

Matt Heineman:

The New Sound – Geordie Greep

Charm – Clairo

Phobia – Dopapod

DENIAL IS A RIVER – Doechii

Flight b741 – King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

Izzi Holmes:

Don’t Forget Me – Maggie Rogers

What a Relief – Katie Gavin

Live at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles – MUNA

I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet (Deluxe) – Del Water Gap

Wisecrack (Deluxe) – Haley Blais

Ari Cummings:

Highway Prayers – Billy Strings

Manning Fireworks – MJ Lenderman 

Sonido Cósmico – Hermanos Gutiérrez

Passage Du Desir – Sturgill Simpson

Underdressed at the Symphony – Faye Webster

Carter Norfleet:

Flight b741 – King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

Sonido Cósmico – Hermanos Gutiérrez

Catching Chickens EP – Nourished by Time

Revolution in Motion – The Disco Biscuits

Flash Flood II Mixtape – Daily Bread

Ricky Dinowitz:

Manning Fireworks – MJ Lenderman

Box for Buddy Box for Star – This is Lorelei

The 1974 Live Recordings Sampler – Bob Dylan

Woodland – Gillian Welch & Davids Rawlings

Speak to Me – Julian Lage

Olivia Sasso:

Don’t Forget Me – Maggie Rogers

Paradise Pop. 10 – Christian Lee Hutson

What a Relief – Katie Gavin

Memoir of a Sparklemuffin – Suki Waterhouse

Brat – Charli XCX

Rob Moderelli:

Here in the Pitch – Jessica Pratt

Diamond Jubilee – Cindy Lee

White Noise – George Burton

If I Don’t Make It, I Love U – Still House Plants

Infants Under The Bulb – Uranium Club