Our favourite Albums/EP’s of the year so far.

We’re midway through the year, so you know what that means. Time for the teams’ favourite project of the year so far, get your playlists and headphones ready.

Amelia H’s Pick: Rachel Chinouriri - What A Devastating Turn of Events

Rachel has gifted us this 14 track pop-perfection, with glistening vocals and addictive melodies. Including the hit singles ‘All I Ever Asked’, and ‘The Hills’, this collection of songs just shy of 50 minutes is a beautiful listen through and takes you on a thematic journey through Rachel’s life and upbringing. Blending genres and including touches of electronica, R&B and rock, the production is faultless. The lyrics are raw, honest and exhausting, sarcastic and witty, and she’s made it all work in tandem without subverting the seriousness of the chosen topics she writes about. This is exactly how to do a debut album.

Emma’s Pick: The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy

Prelude to Ecstasy is a refreshingly unique alternative-rock album with a lot of variation– the album has upbeat indie-rock songs like ‘The Feminine Urge’, ‘My Lady of Mercy’ and their hit, ‘Nothing Matters’, as well as the tender, piano ballad song, ‘On Your Side’ and the slower-paced ‘Ghuja’ which has the rarely-used instrument, the mandolin, accompanying the vocals. Orchestral music has even been incorporated into this album– the title track being an orchestral track, theatrically introducing the rest of the songs. This album seems to have everything, all in one extremely aesthetically pleasing, decadent, baroque-esque package.

Amelia G’s Pick: MRCY - VOLUME 1

With ‘Volume 1’, MRCY executed one of the strongest soul debuts to arise from the last few years. Formed of two-time Ivor Novello nominee Barney Lister and vocalist Kojo Degraft-Johnson, who’s worked with the likes of Little Simz, the duo seemed intertwined from the get-go, despite not having met much before releasing this album. ‘Volume 1’ is vulnerable, expressive, and bold, drawing on hints of gospel music and soft psychedelics to create a sound like no other. The project offered a space for both the talented and established musicians to set themselves free — creatively syncing to produce an 8-track masterclass in modern soul music.

Lujain’s Pick: Esme Emerson - Big Leap, No Faith, Small Chancer

Esme Emerson are undoubtedly ones to watch in the indie music scene for their heartfelt lyrics and versatile sonic capability. 'Please' was the lead single for the EP, which features chilled-out production with a slight country twang, and an apocalyptic-sounding build to the end of the song. 'Show You (Truck Song)' is a love song building on the country twang, featuring some earworm melodies and another satisfying outro chorus from the duo. My personal favourite, 'Afraid of Losing', is sonically reminiscent of a George Daniel-produced deep cut and explores the difficulty of being in your early 20s, and poignantly advises 'Don't forget to love it'. This captures the essence of Esme Emerson: chronicling the ambivalence with a grin on your face.

Lucy’s Pick: Lo Moon - I Wish You away More Than Luck

Lo Moon’s third album ‘I Wish You Way More Than Luck’ is my favourite record of 2024. It goes without saying that the LA based quartet revel in pulling the earth from beneath listeners’ feet with their explosive riffs and spellbinding lyricism. Lo Moon’s sound is a huge inspiration for my own musical projects, with songs like ‘Waiting A Lifetime’ and ‘Connecticut’ offering a masterclass in how to write music that brims with honesty and captivates you from the first verse. I can’t wait to see what they bring to the table in their live shows later this year, of which I’ll definitely be attending.

Toby’s Pick: ELIO - something in the air

This project is very much a coming together of everything ELIO has done so far. For fans of Charli XCX and big booming pop songs there's the groovy 'A2B' and teasing 'More Than My Mind', while the party of 'ASPHALT RODEO' is punctuated with trendy motor revs. However, where the record is at its most intriguing is when ELIO allows her pen to take centre stage. There's an effortless brilliance to 'Can I Make You Jealous' and 'Sorority' is endearing as it calmly takes a hammer to the industry's determination to pit women against one another. My personal favourite lands somewhere between the bedroom confessions and pop bangers in 'allofthat' - it's everything ELIO is about.

Manny’s Pick: Hannah Grae - Nothing Lasts Forever

I've been a fan of Hannah since her debut single, 'Propaganda,' which immediately revealed her exceptional talent. With a series of impressive singles, she released her debut project, 'Nothing Lasts Forever.' This album not only takes listeners on a journey of self-discovery but is also packed with addictive riffs, incredible vocals, and powerful storytelling. It encompasses everything great about Pop-Punk, with the closing track, 'When I Had Hope, I Had It All,' featuring a bridge that I believe won't be outdone for the rest of the year. Considering this is just her debut, there's no doubt in my mind that Hannah is on her way to the top.