Dec 30, 202410 min read

24 Best Songs of 2024: Small Artist Edition

Don’t get us wrong, we at Sonic Hub love the ‘Best Songs of 2024’ lists as much as the next music lover. However, if you’re like me, and you’ve read all the lists put out by the major music and news publications, you probably noticed the overlap between them all. Every list has the biggest hits of the year in the top 20 slots or so, and for me, that takes some of the fun out of it. Of course ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ ‘Birds of a Feather,’ and ‘Not Like Us’ are all beautifully written and produced, but when the top 10 songs are the same on every list, predictability outweighs novelty.

That’s why we’ve compiled our own list of the 24 best songs of 2024 (in no particular order,) featuring the very best of smaller artist releases. From indie pop anthems about religious trauma to fun hyperpop club tracks, this list has it all! We hope you check out these artists and continue to support smaller and independent artists in 2025.

‘Stained Glass Window,’ Sunday (1994)

‘Stained Glass Window’ is a devastatingly complex song exploring homophobia disguised as a breezy, upbeat indie pop anthem. Lead singer Paige Turner sings, ‘I took some pictures; Of me and you and I superglued; Them over scriptures; So I can worship something true.’ The second track off Sunday (1994)’s self-titled album paints a story of a secret sapphic relationship and the church’s condemnation of it, all while introducing listeners to the British-American band’s alternative/indie sound to set the tone for the rest of the impressive debut.

‘Die Your Daughter,’ Susannah Joffe

If you’re not familiar with Susannah Joffe, ‘Die Your Daughter’ is a fantastic song to start with. The Texas-born indie musician grapples with the concept of her parents aging as she sings, ‘Getting older looks good on you; But God, someone make it stop.’ Through Joffe’s emotive, soft, and almost pleading vocals, the dreamy indie rock song hits an emotional spot somewhere between nostalgia for what once was and sadness for something that hasn’t happened yet.

‘Legs,’ Annie DiRusso

In ‘Legs,’ alt-rocker Annie DiRusso captures the glorious highs and devastating lows of a canon event of adulthood: falling in love with your situationship. Pain and frustration evident in her voice, DiRusso sings, ‘You can leave, you can stay; Well, I think you want me.’ The alt-rock anthem laced sporadically with fun vocal effects has quickly become a fan favorite for listeners of DiRusso’s music.

‘Stay For Good,’ Siobhán Winifred

Siobhán Winifred’s ‘Stay For Good’ sounds like the embodiment of a summery 1980s coming-of-age movie. The indie pop track is warm, bright, and dreamy, and Winifred’s pop star vocals are the main attraction. She sings, ‘I adore you more than I, more than I should; Stay the morning; Stay for good.’ The song is perfectly hopeful with just a slight hint of sadness as if Winifred knows her lover will ultimately end up leaving.

‘Dramatic,’ Dirt Flirt

In ‘Dramatic,’ alt-pop musician Dirt Flirt explores her struggles with personal identity and mental health. She sings, ‘Not to be dramatic; But it’s a god-awful habit; Wishing I was someone I’m not.’ The indie pop song represents a darker shift in Dirt Flirt’s music; the heavy beat and guitar paint a climactic, cinematic image of a lone figure driving down the highway at night in the rain. ‘Dramatic’ is a cry for help, but it’s almost like she is begging herself for help, begging herself to open her eyes.

‘Healing Out of Spite,’ CATTY

Welsh pop/rock musician CATTY takes listeners on an unpredictable journey through the healing process of an explosive breakup in her debut EP, ‘Healing Out of Spite.’ The title track is a satisfyingly vindictive and delightfully spunky ending to her story that focuses less on ex-bashing and more on self-reflection. She sings, ‘I know it ain’t right; The reason I fight for my life; You should know I’m healing out of spite.’ CATTY leaves behind both her ex and the version of herself she used to be in the relationship. Even though it’s the last song on the EP, ‘Healing Out of Spite’ marks a new beginning in CATTY’s personal journey.

‘DELIRIUM,’ DellaXOZ

‘DELIRIUM’ may be one of DellaXOZ’s rawest songs. The rising Gen Z musician delves into the struggles of feeling stuck in her own head while being perceived in a certain way by others. She sings, ‘They think that it’s delirium; Maybe I’m insane cause; I can’t tell my brain to stop.’ This energetic, almost chaotic indie hyper pop anthem is laced with electronic effects, demonstrating DellaXOZ’s commitment to and deep understanding of her uniquely genre-blending sound.

‘SHADES ON (feat. Kreayshawn,)’ daine

Emo hyperpop club track ‘SHADES ON (feat. Kreayshawn)’ will have any Charli XCX fan immediately hooked. The lyrics are brutally honest and dryly comedic; daine sings, ‘I love money, I love drugs; What the fuck is going on? I don’t know, ’cause I'm on drugs.’ The Filipino-Australian musician is making a name for themself with their emo-tinged-pop sound, and this song has a little bit of everything: electronic effects, a heavy beat, and dynamic lyrics that flow smoothly and quickly.

‘Somebody’s Daughter,’ Hunnygloss

Hunnygloss condemns society’s treatment of women and queer people in ‘Somebody’s Daughter,’ directly linking it to their own mental health struggles. They sing, ‘Take my breath away; Punish me for all my sins; Tear me from the inside; I’m just somebody's daughter.’ The dreamy hyperpop sound naturally and initially sounds like the most prominent feature of the song, but Hunnygloss’s ethereal vocals and vulnerably introspective, deeply personal, and painfully raw lyricism should not be overlooked.

‘I hate your face,’ Alemeda

Sudanese-Ethiopian singer-songwriter Alemeda is making a name for herself in the pop/rock space, paving her way to becoming a household name. Sonically, ‘I hate your face’ blends pop and alt-rock with her beautifully precise vocals, creating an enticingly addictive and ‘vibey’ listen; lyrically, it’s a comedically scathing, wildly cathartic ex-bashing anthem. Alemeda sings, ‘Your ignorance makes we wanna suffocate; Toss out your prayers; ’Cause they’re not coming through, And I’m not a hater, but I sure hate you.’ Mic drop.

‘Better Than You Found Me,’ Carol Ades

‘Better Than You Found Me’ pairs Carol Ades’ pop songwriting talent with a light indie dancepop sound, meaning gut-wrenching lyrics and a beat that makes you want to move. The indie musician sings, ‘All of me dying when you’re not around; Will you leave me better than you found me?’ Though this song differs from the rest of the pop album, it blends genres adeptly and refreshingly. Who doesn’t love a sad song you can also dance to?

‘empty bodies,’ Chloe Charlotte

In ‘empty bodies,’ rising Manchester pop musician Chloe Charlotte bares her heart and soul to her listeners. The indie pop track explores the toll being stuck in a small town takes not only on Charlotte’s creativity as an artist, but her well-being and sense of identity. She sings, ‘I’m getting older now; I dream of leaving this town; Cause I’m stuck in a deserted city; Full of empty bodies.’ An echoing effect slightly distorts Charlotte’s voice, evoking a sense of lostness, emptiness, and hopelessness, the embodiment of a quiet, dark, rainy day stuck indoors.

‘bleach,’ Luna Shadows

In ‘bleach,’ alt-pop musician Luna Shadows deftly captures the pain of losing a loved one to what she calls false belief systems and the entrapments of abuse, and it’s pretty easy to tell exactly what she means. She sings, ‘You, you live to let me down and let me down again; You’re fading me out like bleach, I’m a stain, And you don’t wanna talk about it now; Wash me out again; It’s like I wasn’t even here.’ Losing friends to a political pipeline that Shadows says is ‘out of touch with reality’ is a painful experience, and this ’90s grunge-inspired track navigates that frustration impressively realistically and poignantly.

‘Fig Tree,’ Chloe Slater

Chloe Slater isn’t afraid to get political. In fact, she’s becoming well-known for it. Her most recent single, ‘Fig Tree,’ rages against male gaze media and the effects of capitalism and consumerism on women’s sense of identity and self-worth; Slater sings, ‘Consumer of whatever they sell you to make you feel young; Your life is more than their obsession.’ Slater wants her music to make a mark on the world, and she’s well on her way.

‘No Regrets,’ MARiMARi

Japanese-British artist MARiMARi’s hyperpop track ‘No Regrets’ is the embodiment of ‘fun’ and ‘gay.’ An up and coming musician in the Liverpool music scene, MARiMARi delivers sugary pop beats punctuated with electronic effects, paired with defiant lyrics raging against homophobia. She sings, ‘So I rip up the contacts that you made to shreds; And if I can’t have girls, I’ll put a boy in my bed; Alarms are ringing just the ones you set; Another motivation to have no regrets.’ This song is so reminiscent of a modern teenage coming-of-age movie: perfectly rebellious, powerfully bold, and a lot of fun.

‘Girlhood, Godhood,’ Tommy Lefroy

Alt-rock band Tommy Lefroy’s ‘Girlhood, Godhood’ explores themes of trust, faith, and belief. In this soft indie rock track, Tessa Mouzourakis and Wynter Bethel express their desire to simply exist and be believed, singing, ‘I wanna be free and I wanna be ugly; I wanna be mean and I wanna be ugly; Don’t wanna be seen; Wanna be believed in, believed in.’ Their perfectly complimentary vocals convey a genuine longing that borders on desperation, striking a deeply emotional chord and unlocking an ache to be seen and believed in.

‘One of Us,’ Nana Adjoa

In hazy indie song ‘One of Us,’ Dutch and Ghanian singer-songwriter Nana Adjoa leads listeners through an emotional journey with hauntingly slow, strummy guitar; soft, dreamy vocals; and expertly crafted lyricism. She sings, ‘When you become; The broken bread; Undiscussed; One of us.’ The verses follow a simple parallelistic pattern, with the first lines of every verse beginning with ‘when,’ and the last line all repeating, ‘one of us,’ creating a metaphorically repetitive and cyclical listening experience. It’s slightly unclear whether ‘One of Us’ details the toxicity of generational trauma or a less serious subject like codependency, but the air of dreamy mystery is one of Adjoa’s greatest songwriting and musical strengths.

‘Carousel,’ Ghostly Kisses

‘Carousel’ is a perfect metaphor for the cyclical nature of life and trauma and leaving behind one’s past self. This delightfully nostalgic dreamy pop song, complimented perfectly by Margaux Sauvé’s soft, blurry vocals, evokes a feeling of reminiscing and mourning, simultaneously reflecting on the past and desperately needing to escape it. Sauvé sings, ‘I won’t go in circles anymore; No, I don’t need you anymore; No painted horses anymore; No, I don’t need you anymore.’ By leaving her past self and her past lover, Sauvé is at long last able to get off the carousel after spinning endlessly for far too long.

‘Sickly Sweet,’ NewDad

Classic ex-bashing rock anthem ‘Sickly Sweet’ is the perfect musical introduction to Irish band NewDad. With spikey guitar riffs and dreamy, indie-style vocals, the song explores the toxicity of a deceptive and ill-intentioned lover. Lead singer Julie Dawson sings, ‘You’re sickly sweet; You’re sweetly sick; A shiny thing, I want to pick; Take a bite and spit you out; Done this so many times that I’ve lost count.’ The contrast between ‘sickly sweet’ and ‘sweetly sick’ sums up indecisive, uncommitted, hot-and-cold lovers so incredibly succinctly. Musicians are just like us; they are also incapable of ending their situationships.

‘Burton St.,’ OSTON

The upbeat alt-pop anthem ‘Burston St.’ sounds almost like Austin Wolfe, or OSTON is having a conversation with herself. In the first verse, Wolfe mourns her relationship and wallows in the pain of seeing the ghost of her ex in everything. But in the chorus, she sings, ‘Oh my god, just because you broke me doesn’t mean life stopped; I’m not broken without you, broken without you,’ as if she is reminding herself of her own self-worth. By the time the bridge hits, Wolfe has moved past who she used to be, boldly and happily declaring that she is ‘moving on from Burton Street.’ The chorus sounds a series of self-love affirmations, like Wolfe wants to remind herself and her listeners that they are not broken without them, whoever them is.

‘Party’s Over,’ Aziya

Aziya’s ‘Party’s Over’ is the love child of alt-rock and indie rock. The rising star mourns a love affair that could have been, blending a more electronic beat and echoey vocal effects with distorted guitar prominent in indie spaces. She sings, ‘Dead, I’m losing your face now, hey; Don’t fade away.’ The structure of this song is a bit unique; the bridge sits between the second verse and the chorus, which is only played once at the end. ‘Party’s Over’ hits the sweet spot between a fun party bop and a fast-paced but reflective indie track.

‘give urself 2 me,’ Cat & Calmell

Pop duo Cat & Callmell continuously reinvent themselves. From self-reflective, vulnerable anthems to dance pop tracks, they can do it all. ‘give urself 2 me’ is a horny party bop full of fun vocal and electronic effects, guaranteed to make you want to move. They sing, ‘Hanging ’round you like a necklace; Making all your neighbours jealous; Don’t you dare take your eyes off it.’ Casual sex is fun, and this energetic club track embodies that dizzying, hazy thrill through both fun, simple lyricism and fast electronic beats.

‘PTA mom,’ Rex Laurent

Rex Laurent’s anger is evident in ‘PTA mom’, anger at a cheating lover, their family, religion, purity culture, you name it. And she conveys that anger so beautifully through music. She sings, ‘Blisters on my heels from Mary Janes; God is good but you are great; Your mom steals from the PTA; Your dad likes women half his age.’ The beauty of ‘PTA mom’ lies in its musical simplicity; Laurent’s soft, blurry vocals are the focal point of the song, lightly supported by drums and strummy guitar. She pulls listeners into her world so skillfully that by the end, they start to feel like they, too, have been personally wronged.

‘girl talk,’ Juliet Ivy

Chinese-Columbian musician Juliet Ivy captures the not-so-pretty side of girlhood beautifully and poignantly in ‘girl talk.’ It’s not a female rage anthem by any means; the slow, ethereal pop song focuses more on empowering through encouragement. She sings, ‘My best friend is my intuition; She’s always right, and I love to listen; They say that weakness is falling to pieces; But I find my strength in getting up; And going for a cakewalk; That’s just girl talk.’ Ivy’s impressively crisp vocals and the slow guitar delicately paint the world of girlhood she explores, eliciting a warmly comforting and optimistically hopeful feeling. Maybe we can change the world.