The staff at TFword have answered the most difficult question: “What were your favorite EPs or albums released in 2024?” Browsing through drum & bass, garage, indie alt-rock, R&B and other genres, here are our top selections from another eventful year for music!
SAGAR DESHMUKH
HALOGENIX – ‘PASSIONS’
Halogenix has long been recognized for his flair for experimentation and innovation, even before his time with Ivy Lab. Nearly a decade after his collaborations with Ivy Lab, Critical Music, and 20/20, he embarked on a new journey by founding his own label, Gemini Gemini. In April 2024, Halogenix unveiled his highly anticipated debut album, ‘Passions,’ marking a milestone in his already illustrious career. Now, eight months later, ‘Passions’ still stands tall, with few releases able to rival its level of brilliance, elegance, and depth.
Spanning fourteen meticulously crafted tracks, the album is an immersive journey through the unique sonic world of Halogenix. At its core, ‘Passions’ is a masterclass in tempo exploration, where every shift and transition is executed with remarkable precision. From high-energy moments to introspective beats, the album showcases Halogenix’s versatility and ability to weave together diverse influences into a cohesive narrative.
The album is unapologetically true to his artistry, blending intricate sound design with emotionally resonant melodies and bold rhythmic structures. It also includes two noteworthy collaborations with dBridge and Liam Bailey, further enhancing its diversity and appeal.
GREY CODE – ‘GROWING PAINS’ EP
When Grey Code steps into the studio, it feels as though he’s channeling something otherworldly, as if guided by sonic gods who help him shape his sound. There’s an undeniable magic to his craft, a level of brilliance that seems almost supernatural. It’s almost surreal how effortlessly Grey Code turns every release into something impactful with striking regularity.
This year, Grey Code’s brilliance shone through his return to Goldie’s iconic Metalheadz Music with the ‘Growing Pains’ EP. Spanning five tracks, each track rich with its own narrative takes you on a journey of its own. Yet, by the time it concludes, it feels like a cohesive, unified voyage—a testament to Grey Code’s masterful drum & bass storytelling.
ATRIP – ‘JUNCTION 3’ EP
ATRIP’s music does just what it promises—guides you on a trip through the cosmic and funky landscapes of bass, house, garage, and future beats. This unique blend creates a fresh and compelling sound that’s quickly gaining attention from both listeners and dancefloors worldwide.
While ATRIP made waves this year with the release of his ‘TANZPARTEI’ mixtape, it’s his four-track EP ‘Junction 3’ that stands out as our favorite release of the year. ‘Junction 3’ is everything you’d want from an artist who is making big moves in the scene—fresh, forward-thinking, and unique. With this EP, ATRIP is pushing the boundaries of genre, effortlessly blending elements of bass, house, garage, and future beats into a sound that is uniquely his own. His ability to experiment while keeping his music accessible is a hallmark of his work, and ‘Junction 3’ is a perfect example of this.
Where his mixtape ‘TANZPARTEI’ showcased his versatility, ‘Junction 3’ elevates his sound to new heights, further establishing ATRIP as a producer who is unafraid to push the envelope and define his own space within dance music.
LAVANYA THANKAPPAN
Rachel Chinouriri – ‘What A Devastating Turn of Events’
I hit the mother lode upon discovering ‘Never Need Me’ by Rachel Chinouriri earlier this year. A true pop excellence, the English alternative indie pop artist’s velvety vocals, upbeat productions and the ‘take no BS’ lyricism of ‘Never Need Me’ tugged me along to give her debut record a go. With arching and laid-back productions smeared across several tracks that focus on self-discovery and assimilation of life, ‘What A Devastating Turn of Events’ takes a peek into Rachel’s experiences thus far, documented via eclectic musical stylings.
Waddling through ‘What A Devastating Turn of Events,’ each number uncovers the day-to-day nuances with Rachel’s signature vocals and diaristic lyrics at the center. She takes the petty route in the speak-singing track ‘It Is What It Is;’ booming percussions and gritty electric guitar licks envelop the album opener ‘Garden of Eden’ as she grapples with the inane nature of existence; and ‘Robbed’ is a heartfelt dirge, accentuated by the painful timbre of the artist. A fine selection of more alt-rock and indie pop tunes makes ‘What A Devastating Turn Of Events’ a cohesive catalog that has added Rachel to the radar as a new star on the rise!
Wafia – ‘Promised Land’
LA/Australia-based, Iraqi-Syrian artist Wafia Al-Rikabi aka WAFIA has been unrolling a handful of singles this year from her forthcoming album ‘Promised Land.’ The collection so far descends into a myriad of introspective situations built around an atmospheric alternative-pop soundscape.
‘Distant,’ the latest single, is a finger-snapping ditty that sees WAFIA sequester herself from her partner to figure out the relationship. She paints a tender picture, set against the backdrop of a moonlit night, on ‘Say It To The Moon,’ as an ode to loved ones who live far away: “Whisper to the dark, I will keep your secrets / Underneath the stars, I can read your mind,” she croons.
Over gently finger-picked guitar, ‘Sad Shit’ ensues, with the uptempo ‘Crystal Ball’ and folk-esque ‘House Down’ wrapping up all the pre-release singles. ‘Promised Land,’ a project about ‘transition, distance, and immigration,’ will be released on January 17, 2025.
AAKANKSHA HEJMADI
RAYE – ‘Genesis.’
RAYE’s 5-tracker ‘Genesis.’ was definitely a highlight of 2024. In the R&B singer/songwriter’s succinctly carved-out style, the ‘Genesis.’ EP showcases RAYE’s superior storytelling and vocal capabilities.
The EP consists of five tracks but is neatly packaged into its seven-minute title track and the first entry in the EP, ‘Genesis.,’ followed by pt. i, pt. ii and pt. iii, where the title track is divided into individual tracks, distinguishable by the stylistic differences between each part. The fifth track on the EP is a live rendition of ‘Genesis.’ performed during July 2024 at the Montreux Jazz Festival.
‘Genesis.’ isn’t an easy listen for those lyric-inclined, with themes surrounding body image, alcohol use and depression. RAYE manages to get your foot tapping nonetheless, working alongside dream team producers Rodney Jerkins, Shankar Ravindran and Tom Richards to put forth a release that is a testament to how the singer/songwriter masterfully weaves stories from subject matter that is relevant and honest.
DENVER CARDOZ
Alboe – ‘Enroute 24’
Vedant Chandra aka Alboe’s house offering ‘Enroute 24’ is a sure shot mix to shake up dance floors and twist sundowner sessions worldwide. Shaped with waves of Indian classical elements, along with electronica and free-flowing dancey rhythms, the nine-track album is centered around a fictional story of hyper-fame, and each composition represents the beginning, the struggles, fulfillment, insecurities, curiosity, and hard work that go into accomplishing the unthinkable.
Plugged with the tabla, harmonium, and santoor, the music pulses forward with upbeat house vibrations, tantalizing breakbeats, creamy synths, and percussive sways. During its release, Alboe expressed in a press statement, “This album is definitely more me as I continue to explore the range that depicts my core, the fusion of more Indian classical elements along with electronica has allowed the compositions to come more easily.”
SafarRang- ‘Notes From The Dark’
SafarRang, the music moniker of Delhi-based singer and composer Bhanu Sharma, presented a robust debut EP earlier this year titled ‘Notes From The Dark,’ extending on his genre-fluid approach and delivering a record inspired by Hindustani music and poetry. Encased is music drenched with classical elements, old-school rock and roll, and stellar indie rock productions held by raspy and gravelly vocal textures.
This 4-track EP harbors an alternative fusion tracklist, graciously imbibing arrangements from classical instruments such as the swarmandal, harmonium, shehnai, tabla, and sitar paired with eclectic guitars, drums, and keys. SafarRang reeled in the likes of producer Ritvik De, sitar player Dhruv Bedi, and tabla artist Mohit Lal on this venture.
IVANOVA D’SILVA
ZAYN – ‘Room Under The Stairs’
This year ZAYN took a surprising turn, delivering a record that isn’t R&B or pop-infused, a genre that garnered him multiple hits in his solo career. ‘Room Under The Stairs’ is a cohesive project, one where the former One Direction star self-reflects on himself and his relationship with his longtime partner. With his smooth, sultry vocals and falsettos on display as usual, ZAYN takes listeners on a sonic journey rooted in his current home in rural Pennsylvania, where he penned most of the album. Followed by a departure with RCA Records, ‘Room Under The Stairs’ is ZAYN’s first album with Mercury, which sees the crooner head into a direction fans weren’t exactly familiar with.
ZAYN worked with Nashville-based Grammy award-winning producer Dave Cobb, who has produced for the likes of Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, and more. The record is starkly different from his debut album ‘Mind Of Mine,’ for which he collaborated with Malay Ho (producer of Frank Ocean’s ‘Channel Orange’). Over the guitar strums, beautiful key arrangement, and drums is a raw project from the ‘Dusk Till Dawn’ singer. ‘Room Under The Stairs’ is influenced by a country/indie/folk/soul sound and the ‘Pillowtalk’ singer bares his soul to the audience in a way that he has never before.
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