The end of 2024 means my first year of writing for New Noise is just gone! Let’s celebrate with this top 10 records list for this year, hoping it’ll also be useful to know me a little bit better. Enjoy!
10. The Dopamines – 80/20. I was lucky enough to have this record in advance, for review. I’ve been away from this kind of punk rock for a while before this one came out, and made it all a sweet return. I saw ’em at Fest in Gainesville this year, and the Backyard show was one of the wildest ever. A highly hyped band at the moment, and it’s all deserved. If this record is at number 10 on my list, imagine what’s next …
9. High Vis – Guided Tour. I have never loved High Vis before this record, I confess. I listened to this one right after it dropped, and it was love at first listen. It threw me back to the 90s in a no time: The opener would fit a Windows 95 commercial perfectly. This band just found the right balance, and I believe we’ll be talking a lot about them in 2025.
8. Speed – Only One Mode. Maybe not a revolutionary sound, but definitely a revolutionary band. This band just made all the right moves this year, ending up sharing stages with the most acclaimed bands around (Turnstile, Knocked Loose), and deservedly gained the favor of the public. I had the chance to work with them, and all I can say is they’re just genuine, and good people too, so I’m just happy for what’s happening around them. It’s more than just a flute in an hardcore song (that is still damn genius, though …).
7. Death Lens – Cold World. This record has literally everything. There’s the poppy ones, the wild ones, angry ones, radio bangers … and it’s all so embarrassingly well done. I feel there’s still a very Cold World out there for them, and I find it sincerely inexplicable. I think this is the kind of record that people will notice very late, but it has to happen because it’s too much of a good one. Total live band and one of Epitaph’s recent best.
6. Spaced – This Is All We Ever Get. This young band are giving me goosebumps. I discovered them a number of years ago opening for Comeback Kid, and I immediately liked them. I love the Buffalo- style hardcore, and I believe we finally have a good successor to Snapcase here. Another band that are getting way less than they deserve: If this interest for hardcore will continue, I see no reason why they’ll not emerge.
5. Drug Church – Prude. To me, Drug Church represent that step forward that alternative music should do in order to survive. This album is just dope; I loved every second of it. While continuing the legacy of the previous works, this record is mixing grunge, hardcore, punk, and noise, bringing the whole thing to the next level, and it contains the best songs that the band have ever written so far.
4. Hot Water Music – Vows. I approached this record with high hopes, since HWM are one of my favorite bands out there, and I didn’t love its predecessor, Feel The Void. My expectations were just outclassed: I knew Vows was going to end up in my yearly top 10 since day one. Featuring collabs with some of the greatest artists of the alternative scene (Thrice, Interrupters, Turnstile, City and Colour, and more), this record is a masterpiece. The two Fest sets, where a lot of the songs from this record were played, just made this album more meaningful to me.
3. One Step Closer – All You Embrace. Nailing it after a significant style change is not meant for everyone. One step Closer totally did it. All You Embrace marks the band’s landing on a more melodic sound with no compromises on quality. With catchy yet direct and impacting tunes, this record is a gathering of frighteningly good songs. I believe the band can do even better, so I’m all about waiting to hear what’s next. I know they’re gonna be a next big thing.
2. Mest – Youth. A well-deserved return from the ashes for a band that just never gave up for a second. Mest are indeed one of my all-time favorite pop punk acts, and thanks to this record, I had the chance to meet them in person. This should be enough to keep it on my top 10, but this album is way more than this. It sounds amazing, and all the songs are hits that will stick to your mind forever. It’s a short one, unfortunately, but there’s more on the way … can’t wait to hear!
1. Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To. This is just a brilliant work. It’s not just the songs; it’s the artwork, the merch, the imagery behind it … Everything is just perfect. I’m normally not really into stuff that is this heavy, but this record caught me in a moment where I was vibrating the same frequency. I feel like I just understood it in every way, and there’s no other records this year that I can feel closer. This band’s success is nonsense transversal to the point that they recently received a Grammy Nomination for Best Metal Performance, and this is way more unbelievable than when it happened to Turnstile. By far my album of the year. Arf, Arf!
