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4batz delivered with his debut mixtape. The mysterious singer out of Dallas does a great job across these 11 tracks of cultivating a sound while telling stories from the heartbroken lover boy perspective. There’s a retro feel to this mixtape that’s reminiscent of the ‘90s, when acts like Jodeci effortlessly blended R&B and HIp-Hop, essentially ushering in the horny, yet stylish version of the male R&B we hear today. He doesn’t sing as well as that group did — but that doesn’t matter because songs like “act iii” and “act v” sound different from anything out right now, AI and industry plant allegations be damned. — ANGEL DIAZ

Grande has described her time in the studio making Eternal Sunshine as having been a therapeutic safe haven amid one of the most turbulent times in her life — something that’s evident in every single note of the superstar’s seventh studio album. Contextualized by the life-rearranging return of her Saturn (essentially astrology-speak for turning 30), each devastating voice crack on post-divorce reckonings such as “I Wish I Hated You” and “We Can’t Be Friends” and ponytail flip on f—k-the-tabloids bangers like “Yes, And?” and “The Boy Is Mine” allow listeners to hear the star heal in real time. It’s a deeply emotional journey marked by sick harmonies and deceptively up-tempo beats. — HANNAH DAILEY

Three years after Ayra Starr documented her Gen-Z coming-of-age journey on debut album 19 & Dangerous, she captures the highs and lows of early adulthood on sophomore set The Year I Turned 21. Her self-examination is poignant, whether giving thanks to God about where she’s headed in life on the resilient single “Commas,” clutching her heart due to the pain of unrequited love on the Giveon-assisted “Last Heartbreak Song” or grieving her late father on tear-jerking closer “The Kids Are Alright.” While Starr’s deep, rich vocals anchor the album, she diversifies her Afropop/R&B palate by exploring other sounds, as amapiano’s rollicking log drums power the multilingual female empowerment anthem “Woman Commando” (featuring Anitta and Coco Jones) and the joyfulness of highlife music is juxtaposed with melancholy melodies on “Orun.” — HERAN MAMO

History has not been kind to those who have told Beyoncé what she could not do. The superstar’s sprawling eighth studio album, then, provides her most full-throated repudiation to those gatekeepers: Cowboy Carter may present itself as “Beyoncé goes country” but the LP routinely defies its assumed premise to become Bey’s redefinition of American music on the whole, rendered through her singular artistic prism. Over 27 tracks, Bey delivers glimpses into her own life (“16 Carriages,” “Protector”), proposed evolutions on status-quo country sounds (“Riiverdance,” “Tyrant”) and star-studded collaborations, all while maintaining her place as an unquestioned paragon of modern music. — STEPHEN DAW

When Billie Eilish released the title of her third album, none of us were likely prepared for how accurate it would be. The 22-year-old star has created a masterful work of art that is arguably her most accessible to date, and still entirely unique. With 10 songs and clocking in under 45 minutes, Eilish manages to deliver a poignant and personal collection that touches on her growth in dealing with projections on her body (“Skinny”), examining toxic relationships (“L’Amour de Ma Vie”) and exploring her sexuality (just about every other song on the album). Hit Me Hard and Soft brings back the dark and occasionally sinister sound of her two previous albums, but infuses it with a lightness and freedom to make some of the best pop tracks of the year — including the delicious “Lunch” and “Birds of a Feather,” both already certified hits — that could make even the most heart-hardened critic swoon. — TAYLOR MIMS  

Nearly a decade removed from Trapsoul, now-veteran R&B hitmaker Bryson Tiller has finally found a sonic pocket that builds on that LP’s storied blueprint without explicitly retreading those grounds, à la 2020’s Anniversary. Featuring the smash single “Whatever She Wants,” the sweaty ode to summer lust “Calypso” and a winning duet in the Victoria Monét-assisted “Persuasion,” Tiller’s self-titled LP is one for the lovers, the singer-songwriter thriving in monogamy and embracing all the emotional peaks and craters that come with it. — KYLE DENIS

Only a handful of música Mexicana artists can slip in and out of multiple genres with ease, and Carin León is at the very top of that list. With his signature norteño at the core of the album, Boca Chueca is a masterclass on how to dabble in different styles – from pop and R&B to country and even ska – and still yield hits, without compromising your essence. With this set, it’s clear just how versatile León can really be, and that only has us on the edge of our seats for whatever he ends up doing next. — GRISELDA FLORES

Pearce followed her career-elevating post-divorce project 29 (and its expanded Written in Stone deluxe edition) by further mining her country roots for new set Hummingbird, threading these 14 sharply crafted songs with fiddle and steel guitar, centered by Pearce’s honeyed Kentucky twang. There are more expertly rendered breakup anthems (“Rock Paper Scissors” and “We Don’t Fight Anymore”) here, but as the album unfolds, flutters of hard-fought resilience and healing are also present — notably on the title track and “Trust Issues” — making the album an admirable encapsulation of Pearce’s nearly three-year journey of relationship gains and losses. — JESSICA NICHOLSON

From its first track (the synth-forward dance single “360”), Brat doesn’t let you relax for a moment — and the result is her most acclaimed work to date. While it largely remains rooted in Charli XCX’s characteristic proto-hyperpop throughout, the album’s 15 bangers run the gamut from mainstream radio-ready (“Talk Talk,” “Rewind”) to ripe for raving (“Club Classics,” “365”) to keenly self-aware and vulnerable (“I Might Say Something Stupid,” “So I”). It’s catchy, it’s challenging, it’s honest: What more could you want from an established pop star? — JOSH GLICKSMAN

Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee does not exist on Spotify, Apple Music or Bandcamp, but if you are willing to venture outside of those digital service providers — to an unbroken version on YouTube or to a downloadable or tracklisted stream on Geocities — you’ll be rewarded with one of the most delightfully melodic, confounding albums of the year. Lee is the drag persona of Patrick Flegel, former frontperson of the band Women, and their foggy, two-hour, 32-track project flows from psychedelic meanderings to 1960s girl-group pop to haunting Britpop and back. It’s playful, it’s trippy, and it’s so damn long — but getting lost in its hall of mirrors is an absolute pleasure, and a reminder of how good it must feel to create without boundaries. — CHRISTINE WERTHMAN

On Radical Optimism, Dua Lipa’s mantra seems to match the Dillon Panthers’: clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose. Her arena is romance, of course, and over a brisk 11 tracks, Lipa has her eyes wide open. The album’s three advance singles tell the story: Potential suitors must be supernaturally savvy to pin her down (“Houdini”), Peter Pan-like manchildren need not apply (“Training Season” is, in fact, over), and her rose-colored glasses are retired (“Illusion”). This sure-footed perspective of a grown woman knowing exactly what she deserves in love is soundtracked by some of the farthest-reaching productions the British pop star has employed yet, from the samba-inspired opening track “End of an Era” to the dragging drumbeat of album closer “Happy for You.” Dua Lipa knows exactly what she wants – sonically, and romantically too – and in the face of a dumpster-fire dating scene, she’s still choosing to remain radically optimistic that she’ll find it. – KATIE ATKINSON

Diverging from his usual trap bravado, Eladio Carrión’s Sol María is a stirring homage woven with a sonically richer, more personal thread. Opening with “Bendecido,” the Puerto Rican rapper sets a nuanced tone of gratitude, leading into deeper emotional territories with tracks like “Mama’s Boy,” featuring Spanish wordsmith Nach. Experimentation is key as “TQMQA” introduces Afrobeats, while “Sonrisa” merges Jersey club with dembow rhythms. “Todo Lit” with Argentine superstar Duki further showcases a blend of soft trap beats and boastful lyrics. Throughout the 17-track LP, Carrión balances personal reverence with creative innovation, crafting a musical tribute to his mother, Sol María, that resonates across the board. — IR

With more than half a dozen No. 1s on the Country Airplay chart as a writer, Ernest understands the architecture of contemporary hits. At the same time, though, he loves country oldies from the 1940s and 1950s, and he cooly knits the two worlds together on the 26-track Nashville, Tennessee. For the old heads, there’s “Why Dallas,” a jolly barnburner with Lukas Nelson where fiddle and needle-point guitar vie for primacy, and “Ain’t as Easy,” a doleful ballad that goes down like a shot of moonshine — smooth until it brings tears to the eyes. In contrast, “Did It for the Story” is a slick, chugging pop song; Ernest can’t help but write radio-ready records. — ELIAS LEIGHT

There’s no fat on Romantic Gestures Vol. 1, an austere and elegant collection of deep house and handsome techno. The album opens like a floor-filler, as the nasty bass buzz in “Hold Up” gives way to the sweaty throb of “Blue.” But this is a feint — by “Every Man Has Your Voice,” Fort Romeau has locked in to a more contemplative groove, with calm, sustained synth lines and whispery snatches of sampled monologue. This calm propulsion continues through the final track, “Be With U,” which rinses a vocal sample until it becomes a soothing mantra. Shortly after the track’s four-minute mark, though, there’s another energy shift: A new melody wafts in, like sunrise peaking through the windows of a club in the early morning, bathing the end of the album in rich beauty. — E.L.

Future and Metro Boomin’s long-anticipated joint album was set to be the blockbuster for the spring, but ended up lighting the fuse to the great rap battle of 2024 (and possibly of all-time) thanks to Kendrick Lamar’s atomic assist on Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Like That” declaring war against Drake and J. Cole. But the album was also much more than a historical footnote: Whether it’s the What A Time to Be Alive divorce or parents wondering why their Gen-Z kids are ending every sentence with “Type Shit,” We Don’t Trust You was a seminal pop cultural event. A chart-topping sequel arrived shortly after, to boot, though the original alone was well worth the price of admission. — MICHAEL SAPONARA

On their sophomore studio album, Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada — which loosely translates to “pretending that nothing’s wrong” — the McAllen, Texas-based group primarily sticks to its heartbreak lyrics backed by their signature cumbia, tejano and Norteño melodies. Particularly notable are the star-studded collaborations, including the experimental tribal guarachero “Desquite” with Nicki Nicole; the highly awaited team-up with Morat on “Los Dos”; and the Maluma-assisted “Por Qué Será,” which has quickly become a viral sound on TikTok. Also featured on the album is Frontera’s “Ya Pedo Quien Sabe,” with Christian Nodal, which earned the group its eighth No.1 on Billboard‘s Regional Mexican Airplay chart. — JESSICA ROIZ

Gunna’s artistry peaks when he seems to be letting loose in a care-free zone and having fun. After releasing the pressure valve that came with his first post-trial album, he did exactly that on One of Wun, while running around the country and indulging in his opulent life of luxury alongside the set’s executive producer (and his own personal close friend Turbo). Six-figure wires inspired the ethereal “Whatsapp (Wassam)” and recording at sea off Miami’s coast led to album standout “Neck on a Yacht,” so it’s safe to say adventure time paid off for Wunna. — M.S.

Idles may have dialed back the comical intensity on fifth studio album Tangk, but the euphoric exuberance still shines through on the Bristol post-punk band’s most mature release to date. Leaning heavily on moody synths and pared-back vocals, Tangk is an upbeat record that soars at its danciest moments, thanks to singer Joe Talbert’s chaotic vocal style and his fearless exploration of the limits of love, offering up exquisite songwriting and sharp production from beginning to end. — DAVID BROOKS

“Bad Bitty” brought Milwaukee lowend to the world, and J.P.’s Coming Out Party is his coronation as the Midwest’s reigning rap prince. The 19-year-old’s soulful, jazz-informed vocals add a unique edge to his rapped-sung cadence, while his party-ready lyrics exalt the carefree magic of your late teens and early 20s. With 12 completely solo tracks, Coming Out Party prides itself on its brevity, but these aren’t banal throwaways: Each song reveals a new layer of J.P.’s sonic profile, one that will surely continue to grow as he climbs hip-hop’s heights. — K.D.

A group can always count on their label head to create hype, but when Ed Banger Records founder Busy P told Billboard that Hyperdrama was “the best Justice album” ahead of its April release, he might have been right. While anything the French duo put out will always be judged in comparison to its era-defining 2007 debut LP Cross and that album’s many classic tracks (along with the other two excellent LPs) if you can listen without expectation, you’ll hear Hyperdrama as a sonic leap forward. Its 13 tracks add new levels of warmth, brightness and sensuality to the group’s sound while marking the most psychedelic terrain of the Justice catalog thus far. No skips, no notes. — KATIE BAIN

Though it may not have made quite the same splash as Musgraves’ pristine Golden Hour in 2018, Deeper Well finds the country-pop auteur accessing a softer, holistic side of herself that resonates much more deeply and profoundly than anything she’s ever released before. It’s the sonic equivalent of bare feet on soft grass, sunlight reflecting off gentle ripples in a pond – a serene and thoughtful body of work about embracing a new chapter of life without resistance or fear. — H.D.

As the most biologically diverse species of plants, orchids provide some fertile thematic soil for Kali Uchis to till on her stunning fourth studio album. Orquídeas takes the topics and genres Uchis has played with throughout her career and blends them in with all new sounds and subject matters to craft a comprehensive look at the Colombian superstar as a cultural curator of the highest order. This Spanish-language opus, with its perfectly placed collaborations (Peso Pluma, Rauw Alejandro) and entrancing production choices, is much like its titular flower: graceful, dazzling and endlessly varied. — S.D.

“Remember the days we used to drive upstate singing indie rock songs in the car?,” Rogers sings over plucking electric guitar strings on “The Kill” — one of several Don’t Forget Me tales detailing a nixed relationship, or one not worth pursuing in the first place. Still, the album feels primed for that exact kind of extended, windows-down journey: Rogers is at her breeziest on her third full-length, despite her standout songwriting trading the overtly sunny, feel-good road trip lyricism for the memories of a few storm clouds atop hazy riffs. Sometimes, it’s a beautiful thing to get caught in the rain. — J.G.

“I’ve got a loud bark, deep bite,” Missy Dabice wails on I’ve Got Heaven’s second track, and that pretty much nails this fanged earworm of an album. Mannequin Pussy was ferocious from the get-go, but this album sees the band — frontwoman Dabice is the only original member — making big strides in the melody department without sacrificing its punk roots. The result is a collection of songs that recalls the yin and yang of The Replacements’ ’80s underground rock classic Let It Be — especially the title track, “Loud Bark,” “I Don’t Know You” and “Sometimes,” which come on like radio hits then sink their teeth deep and don’t let go. — FRANK DIGIACOMO

Some might know artist/producer Michael “mk.gee” Gordon as the right hand man of Dijon for his critically acclaimed Absolutely; others as the guy from Frank Ocean’s Blonded Radio – the creator behind the sunny, Mac Demarco-inflected “You” (2018). Two Star and the Dream Police, however, is his complete reinvention. This time – he’s darker, hazier, shrouded in mystery, crafting a hard-to-place sound that places him somewhere between Phil Collins, Dijon and maybe even Jai Paul. Even Eric Clapton says mk.gee plays guitar “like nobody else,” likening his mastery to that of the late Prince. Amidst a generation of oversharing artists, begging for streams and spilling their secrets on TikTok, mk.gee seems like a time traveler: He rarely uses social media, hasn’t run many ads, and has only done one interview. Yet Two Star is still one of the most beloved indie rock albums of the year — proving that if the music is this good, it can still break through the noise. What a relief that is. — KRISTIN ROBINSON

The reclusive R&B multihyphenate returns to the spotlight after four years with his fourth studio album, PARTYNEXTDOOR 4. PND thrives when he makes music for the debaucherous late nights that bleed into bleary-eyed early mornings, with the Jamaican-Canadian star sprinkling his signature dancehall flair on the sweltering summer-ready track “For Certain” and toasting to unforgettable nights (you’ll most likely forget) on bottle service walkout anthem “Cheers.” But across the 14 tracks, Party confronts his love vs. lust moral dilemma as he desires a steady relationship where he can go home to his girl – only for him to keep her waiting there and then hit her with “Sorry, But I’m Outside.” Threaded together by skits narrated by a woman who’s fed up with his antics – and covered by controversial NSFW artwork – P4 renews his position as Toronto’s hedonistic hero. — H.M.

For more than 30 years, Pearl Jam has honed its sound into one that’s both signature to the band but malleable enough to weave in and out of genres and styles album to album. In some ways Dark Matter feels like it has pieces of each of those eras built into it. There are guitar effects that harken back to Vs. and Binaural; acoustics that feel more in line with Yield; and the types of soaring melodies that Pearl Jam found its stride with on its self-titled LP. The effect is something both new and familiar, of a band that knows how to maximize its strengths and find progress in the process — resulting in its best full body of work in many years. — DAN RYS

While she may have emerged from Berlin’s techno scene, Peggy Gou’s debut album is all soft edges and sensuality. The ’90s influence on the 10 house tracks is fused with a balmy lushness and the same sense of cool that radiates from the South Korea-born It Girl (or better, It Woman) herself. And while the music does in moments have a sort of toughness that hints at Gou’s Berghain-ian origins, you also don’t specifically need to be a fan of dance music at all to enjoy what should ultimately be a deeply listenable album for just about anyone. — K.B.

RM’s 2022 official debut solo album Indigo was a promisingly lush and varied entrance in its own right, but this May’s Right Place, Wrong Person is still a massive leap forward for the solo star. While BTS pushed at the boundaries of K-pop for much of the group’s career, RM simply refuses to acknowledge the existence of any such boundaries over these 34 minutes, with 11 songs that careen from hip-hop to jazz to punk to R&B to Fela Kuti-styled Afrobeats — while all still sounding like a coherent and natural artistic extension of one man’s creative vision. Right Place is one of the richest albums released in 2024, and cements RM’s place on the vanguard among similarly genreless artists like Tyler, the Creator, Kali Uchis and WILLOW. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER

SchoolBoy Q made some drastic changes in the five years it took him to release his sixth studio album. He got sober and cleaned up his lifestyle, started playing golf competitively and got good enough to land a spot in a Nike Tiger Woods commercial. All good, yeah? Not completely: At the same time, Q’s also had to deal with the loss of friends and family, the reconstruction of his self esteem, and the understanding that his life may not turn out to be what he hoped it would be. The beautiful but sorrowful Blue Lips chronicles all of the above and more. Songs like the excellent “THank god 4 me” flow from tender to boastful and back with an ease that can only come from an artist finally at peace with themselves and their station in life. The near-uniformly praised record didn’t break any streaming records or make chart history, but who cares? As Q asks on the jazzy, smoke-tinged “oHio,” “How much more I gotta prove?” To us: nothing at all. — DAMIEN SCOTT

“Traditional” isn’t a word that often inspires enthusiasm when talking about new music — but dust off your boots because Scotty McCreery made a classic country album, and boy, does it hit. McCreery steers clear of any current Nashville pop trends on Rise & Fall, instead doubling down on acoustic, electric and slide guitars, stomping, sturdy rhythms and a rich baritone that’s been the star of the show since he won American Idol in 2011. He’s got the tender moments (“Love Like This”), the clever wordplay songs (“Cab in a Solo”) and plenty of knee-slappers (“And Countin’”). And if that weren’t enough to make this a well-rounded record, he’s got a “three chords and the truth” thesis to tie it all together in “No Country for Old Men,” which shows that McCreery did his homework — and it paid off. — C.W.

Between her Hood Hottest Princess bangers and her stellar 2023 feature run, Sexyy Red could already put out a greatest hits collection if she wanted to. Instead, she chose to launch a new project in 2024, dressing up another smattering of rump-shaking, gun-toting bangers in a new MAGA-inspired “Make America Sexyy Again” aesthetic. On “U My Everything,” she gives Drake some space to attempt to reclaim the “BBL Drizzy” beat, while “Fake Jammin” provides more of that idiosyncratic off-the-cuff humor and attitude that makes her music so arresting. — K.D.

Easily one of the year’s biggest breakout stars, Shaboozey spends his terrific third LP fashioning the future of country music in his image. Collaborations with Texan rapper BigXThaPlug double down on the hip-hop bonafides he flaunted on “A Bar Song” and his Cowboy Carter features, but with rollicking country-rock anthems (the Paul Cauthen-assisted “Last of My Kind”) and sugary Nashville pop confections (“Annabelle”) in tow, Where I’ve Been is a kaleidoscopic look at country that brings its more fringe sounds into the spotlight. — K.D.

Even before releasing her 2024 album, Shakira had fans locked in with previously released global hits like her blunt Bizarrap Music Session, which inspired the album’s title, and the anthemic “TQG” with Karol G, both included on Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran. With the full LP – which includes “(Entre Paréntesis)” with Grupo Frontera, her first foray into tejano, and the electro-pop jam “Puntería” with Cardi B – the Colombian superstar creates a soundtrack, powered by profound lyrics, for women who are on a journey of transformation, and turning tears into diamonds along the way. — G.F.

As a trans woman who began performing music in the ‘90s, Shawna Virago is an under-heralded pioneer – which hopefully changes this year with the release of Blood in Her Dreams, one of the year’s best in the Americana vein. Virago’s attentive, vivid lyrics recall Lucinda Williams, while the ramshackle, pissed-off energy of L.A. punk band X runs through her vocals. Virago told Billboard that “Ghosts Cross State Lines” is about someone coping with the “psychic residue” of an abusive relationship, and as with every song on this LP, Virago spins the story with a keen sense of empathy. — JOE LYNCH

“It’s about life and death and love,” St. Vincent told Billboard of All Born Screaming, her seventh album. “And that’s it.” Weighty topics, certainly. But with Annie Clark drawing on her extensive musical palette, it’s a rush of a record — from the playfully funky “Big Time Nothing,” to the clanging electro-rock of “Broken Man,” to the title track featuring Cate Le Bon, which breaks with the album’s predominantly industrial vibe to close things out with a jaunty wink evocative of late Talking Heads. — J.L.

“I love you, it’s ruining my life.” The impassioned declaration (from opener “Fortnight”) is the driving force behind Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department — the pop superstar’s latest full-length, letting her unbridled emotions post-break-up run rampant over 16 tracks (31 if you include The Anthology). From devastatingly beautiful fountain & quill pen songs (“So Long, London,” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”) to slightly more upbeat glitter-gel pen anthems (“I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” “So High School”), Swift’s songwriting never leaves center stage — fusing the vibrant storytelling of folklore and evermore with the synth-pop production of Midnights and 1989. After 11 studio albums (plus four Taylor’s Versions, with two more on the way), Swift’s still got plenty of ink left to write with. — DANIELLE PASCUAL

Given her Nigerian roots, and that most first heard her via Wizkid’s mainstream U.S. breakthrough “Essence,” Tems has often (rather lazily) been painted with an Afrobeats brush. But those who have paid attention to her career so far know that her real trade is in her soulful, distinctive voice and her soaring melodies, rather than any particular style or backbeat. On her debut full-length, she channels the likes of Lauryn Hill, the neosoul tradition of the 1990s and early 2000s, Christian allusions and metaphors — and, yes, Afrobeats and amapiano, through both modern collaborators and classic samples. She sounds like the culmination of a world’s worth of influences: Which is to say, she sounds like herself. It’s a portrait of a woman finding her way in the world with a tunnel vision that no one else could conjure, and is one of the best debuts of a year already full of such major bows. — D.R.

The Last Dinner Party may have risen to fame on their provocative single “Nothing Matters” (“And you can hold me like he held her/ And I will f–k you like nothing matters”), but the quintet’s debut album showcases an all-you–can-eat buffet of talent. Prelude to Ecstasy is the kind of album best consumed whole, as the listener gets sucked into the haunting world created by the London band. It is filled with highs like the percussion-heavy “Burn Alive” and the anthemic “Caesar on a TV Screen” — as well as the deceptively gentle “Beautiful Boy” where Abigail Morris’ operatic vocals call out “the best a boy can be is pretty.” The whole album feels cinematic, with soaring strings and foreboding wind instruments helping to serve a refreshing, singular alt-pop sound. — T.M. 

The Mavericks are one of America’s great live acts and, as evidenced once more on Moon & Stars, among pop music’s most effortlessly eclectic ensembles. The songs on their 13th studio album, led by the glorious, sonorous baritone of frontman Raul Malo, once more bridge rock, country, tejano and the Latin influence of Malo’s Cuban heritage. The opening track, “The Years Will Not Be Kind,” boasts a co-write from Bernie Taupin, while “Live Close By (Visit Often)” was co-penned by the late K.T. Oslin. — THOM DUFFY

TiaCorine is the future. The Winston-Salem, NC artist’s versatility shines on her Almost There EP, as she stands toe-to-toe with Luh Tyler, Key Glock, and Zeelooperz and shows on songs like “Bonnet” and “Burnt” why she’s the queen of switchin’ flows right now.  Tia is also hilarious and witty: Bars like “You a vacuum in my house/ Stupid bitch, you know you suck” and “Frosty, like margarita rim, these hoes is salty” put her sense of humor on full display. — A.D.

Fourteen years ago, Reznor and Ross made their collaborative debut with their groundbreaking The Social Network soundtrack – so it’s fitting that, now with several more scores under their belts, they’ve hit a similar creative peak with their score for another time-capsule film set partly in the mid-’00s, Luca Guadagnino’s taut tennis drama Challengers. But where Social Network‘s icy material scored dim dorms and sterile boardrooms, Challengers‘ relentless rave- and techno-inspired compositions prove a perfect backdrop for the film’s tense matches – and the similarly on-edge lust-filled nights that follow them. For a little over two hours, movie theaters this spring felt like Berghain. — ERIC RENNER BROWN

Further proving that he lives and breathes hip-hop, Trueno thoroughly showcases the generational and cultural impact of the now-half-century-old genre on his third studio album, El Último Baile (The Last Dance). On the 13-track set, with no collaborations, the Argentine rapper born Mateo Palacios Corazzina delivers a lot of old-school and nostalgic rap. “Tranky Funky,” for example, brings to life a psychedelic funk-rap fusion à la De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. Meanwhile, he also taps into Afrobeats on “Como Antes,” sensual trap on “Night,” and groovy R&B on his viral “Real Gangsta Love.” — J.R.

Even following up a smash as big as “Water,” Tyla’s stellar self-titled debut album is clearly just the beginning. Over 14 tracks (which include features with Tems, Gunna, Becky G and more), the 22-year-old Johannesburg, South Africa native expands and refines her world of “popiano,” which she initially unearthed in her 2023 breakthrough. From soaring ballads like “Butterflies” to club-ready summer bangers like “Jump,” she effortlessly blends the Amapiano sounds of her home country with pop, R&B and Afrobeats — creating truly infectious melodies for the masses that bring her one step closer to achieving the dream discussed in her March Billboard cover story: to become Africa’s first pop star. — D.P.

Dropping just two days before he headlined Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, Usher’s ninth album could’ve essentially been a victory lap celebrating his return to pop’s forefront after an uncharacteristically wayward decade for the longtime superstar. But while Coming Home feels more like a consolidation of established strengths than a bold step into new territory, it never feels phoned-in: The 20 tracks are simply a master pop entertainer at work, blending styles and collaborators and always having an absolute blast, even when he’s singing about betrayal on the booming “Cold Blooded” or devastating heartbreak on the still-sublime “Ruin.” “You know I do it big,” he testifies on the album’s appropriately titled centerpiece “BIG,” and honestly we’re sorry we ever forgot just how much so. — A.U.

Vampire Weekend returns to its roots with its incisive and topical fifth studio album Only God Was Above Us. After a jam-band-inspired detour with Father of the Bride, the now-trio (along with producer friend Ariel Rechtshaid) shows that the musical and lyrical themes of its first three projects can still sound as fresh and pressing as ever in 2024. Always known for sharp, singular lyrics, Koenig gives some of his best lines on Only God. In “Classical,” he sings: “How the cruel, with time, becomes classical…It’s clear something’s gonna change/ And when it does, which classical remains?” In “Connect,” Koenig fears he’s lost touch spiritually: “Is it strange I can’t connect?…lately I know once it’s lost it’s never found/ I need it now.” He’s one of the few lyricists who seems connected (and willing to explore) global issues in his music today, including war, isolation and political unrest. It’s a reprieve from the hyper-personal, confessional lyrical style in vogue today and makes VW’s Only God Was Above Us one of the defining albums of early 2024. — K.R.

Vince Staples doesn’t have the career most thought the Long Beach rapper would have when he dropped the masterful Hell Can Wait EP in 2014. In 2024, Staples, now six albums deep, is probably best known as a funny but sobering raconteur; someone who has occasionally struggled transposing that personality onto this music. But with his new album Dark Times, it appears Staples has finally made peace with all that: Reprising the razor-sharp, big-fish-in-a-small-pond POV that first converted fans a decade ago, Staples’s last album is a succinct rumination on how life is going for the 30-year-old. He’s still dealing with problems of the heart (“Nothing Matters”), trying to show his friends from Long Beach a better way to live (“Black & Blue”), and working to make sense of our country’s social justice issues (“Freeman”). Only this time Staples sounds at ease and in full control of powers, sounding fine with the career he’s built for himself. — D.S.

For many indie-rock fans, Waxahatchee’s 2020 rootsy, relatable Saint Cloud was a quintessential pandemic album – and mastermind Katie Crutchfield followed a similar creative process for Tigers Blood, which like its predecessor was recorded with producer Brad Cook in just two weeks at the Texas studio Sonic Ranch. The result? Another sterling singer-songwriter set in the vein of Lucinda Williams, with perhaps even stronger writing. New this time around: Rising rocker Jake “MJ” Lenderman, whose distinctive guitar and vocal stylings elevate standouts like “Right Back to It” and “Burns Out at Midnight.” — E.R.B.

At 91, Nelson remains as vital as ever. He brings choice covers, new songs and the uncluttered production of longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon to The Border, his eighth new album in five years. At a time of historic U.S. migration from Mexico, Nelson pointedly opens with the title song, written by Rodney Crowell from the perspective of a U.S. border agent. But with deep empathy, Nelson sings of “…the hungry and poor /some to drown at the crossing/ Some to suffer no more.” — T.D.

Young Miko kicks off her debut album with “Rookie of the Year,” setting a self-aware yet boldly assertive tone right out of the gate. The Puerto Rican rapper elegantly balances revelry (“ID,” “F–k TMZ”) and introspection (“Curita”), crafting an audaciously fun and quintessentially queer narrative. The sequence of tracks is no casual lineup but a carefully curated showcase, from the catchy electro-pop cadences of “Princess Peach” to the pop culture-infused “Tamagotchi” with its clever analogies from the digital pet era. It’s clear that Miko is not just sharing music, but a deeply personal vignette of her life’s most formative chapters, skillfully framed within an intentional sound patchwork. — I.R.