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
Alligator Bites Never Heal – 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 & David 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