Here are the Concordian’s staff picks for the best songs of the year.
Many of the best tracks of 2024 were characterized by standout writing and production. This year saw many artists reinventing themselves or returning from a hiatus, effectively backed by creative instrumental choices. Hitmakers like Billie Eilish and Charli XCX created powerful and relatable singles that resonated with the masses, while newcomers like Chappell Roan gave us irresistibly memorable choruses and melodies.
Here are our staff picks for the best songs of 2024.
“BIRDS OF A FEATHER” — Billie Eilish
By Saskia Wodarczak — Opinions Editor
Basic choice, I know. However, Billie’s vocals in this are incredible. As always, the lyrics have a deep, soulful meaning and a certain eloquence about them. I think every person listening to the song has their own interpretation of it, and it means something different to everyone, whether it’s about family, friends, or a relationship. For me, the biggest punch to the gut is at the ending: “I knew you in another life, you had that same look in your eyes” — there’s so much emotion and nostalgia in that snippet.
“Girl, so confusing featuring Lorde” — Charli XCX
By Stefano Rebuli — Music Editor
The original “Girl, so confusing” was already a standout pop track with bright and buzzing synths in which Charli XCX told the story of unwillingly feeling at odds with one of her pop female contemporaries. The song turned out to be about New Zealand singer Lorde, who hopped on the remix to tell her side of the story. Her addition is not only revelatory in terms of the original song’s plot, but she bares a lot in her verse, being candid about numerous insecurities.
The remix is a brilliant meta extension of the original, allowing two pop girls to describe their feelings of insecurity with poignant honesty and overcome them to “work it out on the remix.”
“Diet Pepsi” — Addison Rae
By Kailee Krentz — Copy Editor
Having an Addison Rae song be one of the best of 2024 was not something I had expected, but I can’t deny its catchy and feel-good tune. “Diet Pepsi” has dreamy and hazy elements that keep me wanting more. Her soft voice that builds into the chorus and the smooth background vocals that cushion the rest of the track make great additions to the overall vibe she is trying to create. Her lyrics also have a sense of nostalgia to them, reminding me of Lana Del Rey. This song is one that I am able to listen to anytime, anywhere, and without question, I will start singing along to it.
“Home Sweet Home” — G-Dragon (feat. Taeyang & Daesung)
By Chantal Bellefeuille — Copy Editor
After seven long years, the Kings of K-pop are back. Originally meant to be released as a BIGBANG song, “Home Sweet Home” reunites the three remaining members of the widely beloved K-pop group. The song premiered at the 2024 MAMA Awards, a major music awards show in Asia, and broke the K-pop internet. Though I follow the genre closely, my algorithm hardly has any G-Dragon or BIGBANG. After the MAMAs, it was a different story; BIGBANG and G-Dragon flooded it.
The song itself has a great beat, with BIGBANG’s signature K-pop sound and G-Dragon’s iconic rapping. The best part of the song is the lyrics in the bridge, “We alike dead or alive, your life? Still life; It’s so nice, I missed you a lot. You’re welcome back home, wherever you are.” Many fans interpret this as an open invitation to their fellow band member T.O.P., who left in 2023, to return to the band.
“Good Luck, Babe!” — Chappell Roan
By Mathilde Colls — Assistant Sports Editor
This song changed my perspective on relationships and sexuality. I think Chappell is making a serious impact on 2SLGBTQI+ art, and this song is what brought it into the spotlight. The lyrics are raw and uncomfortable and force you to think beyond what you know about sexuality and love. Other than its very personal lyrics, the song is also so enjoyable to listen to and the vocals are beautiful. Everyone can feel in touch with it, and it brought an audience to Roan’s 2023 album, which deserves all the praise as well.
“No Rules” — Windows95Man
By Danylo Perkov — Assistant Opinions Editor
Starting strong with the jaw-dropping performance at this year’s Eurovision, Windows95Man presented us with a catchy song worth paying more attention to. While on the surface, the lyrics and the beat appear simple, the wonderful harmonies heard in the background accentuate the strong message of the song.
Keeping up with the Finnish tradition of presenting weird hits with even odder stage and costume designs at the yearly competition held across the European continent, the vocals sung by Henri Piispanen certainly rank this song high in my 2024 list.
“DANCE! Till We Die” — 6arelyhuman
By Ryan Pyke — Assistant Music Editor
This song is made to party to, like most of this artist’s discography. When you close your eyes and listen, you can almost see the neon lights pulsing. This song is emblematic of the escapist tone that much of pop music has adopted in 2024.
“Capricorn” — Vampire Weekend
By Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman — Editor-in-Chief
Vampire Weekend’s first release in five years, this track teased a new album so many had been waiting for. The video, as well as the new sound of the music, with their loud audio and visual “glitches,” promised a new era of Vampire Weekend that was still rooted in their unique style. The song combines headbanging and singing about the futility of life, and it has felt more and more relevant and relatable as the year has gone on. As we enter Capricorn season, this song will guide us through that timeless in-between, full of reflections on the past and hope for the future.
“Gualero REFF12.31” — RaiNao
By Diego Cervantes — Assistant Video Editor
This is one of my favorite songs of the year, as it combines Latin jazz and R&B, making a very enjoyable product. The song is about a desire to love someone physically. I think the reason I liked this song so much is because when I listened to it, it felt like a change of pace to the genres I was into at that moment, which made this song memorable.
“St. Chroma” — Tyler, The Creator
By Jeremy Cox — News Editor
This was the song featured in the minute-long music video that teased the CHROMAKOPIA album back in October. I may have watched that video over 20 times and relistened to Tyler’s whole discography several times solely because of the audio snippet. His perfectionist touch on imperfection is unique. His vocal layering and his intense whispering are so authentic, mixed with his stellar synth chords. Daniel Caesar’s own harmonics are the star of the show, which have been circling around my head for the past month and a half.
“St. Chroma” kicks off the album with so much energy, and his mother’s message at the very beginning of the song is a perfect intro to the album’s core theme.
