This week, we’re taking a step back and looking at the sound of 2024 through the songs that defined it. Joined by DT Carel, host of the YouTube program SpaceCastle, we’re crafting a carefully curated playlist of 20 essential songs from 2024 — tracks that captured the mood, creativity, and musical conversations of the year.

From widely celebrated releases to personal favorites that stayed on repeat, this episode explores how 2024’s music landscape took shape across genres, scenes, and platforms. We dig into why these songs mattered, what they reveal about the state of modern music, and how they reflect the shifting ways artists connected with listeners throughout the year.

If you’re looking for a smart, listener-drivenbreakdown of the best songs of 2024, a snapshot of the year’s defining sounds, or a playlist that captures what made 2024 memorable, this episode offers a thoughtful mix of reflection,discovery, and debate — all in 20 essential tracks.

🎙️ Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform—and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review to help more music fans find the show! Then, scroll down to hear all of the songs discussed in this episode. 👇

Chappell Roan – Good Luck, Babe!

Teddy Swims – Goodbye’s Been Good To You

Jack White – Bombing Out

Pearl Jam – Wreckage

Sabrina Carpenter – Lie to Girls

JJ Wilde – Arizona

Hot Water Music – Burn Forever

Linkin Park – The Emptiness Machine

JPEGMAFA (feat. Freaky & Alex Goldblatt) – Don’t Rely on Other Men

Joey Valence & Brae – The Baddest

State Champs – Silver Clouds

Spiritual Cramp (feat. White Reaper) – Whatever You Say Man

Sum 41 – Landmines

Blood Incantation – The Stargate [Tablet I]

Lamb of God (feat. Mastadon) – Floods of Triton

Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us

Eminem – Houdini

Dua Lipa – Houdini

Billy Joel – Turn The Lights Back On

Childish Gambino – Lithonia