Ericdoa has had a massive year. This is mostly all thanks to a January livestream where he emotionally sang the line “imagine if Ninja got a low taper fade” (yes, that was him). But let’s rewind a bit. I have been following the young pop star ericdoa for nearly 3 years, starting from his breakout hyperpop era during quarantine. From his 2021 collab EP then i’ll be happy with iconic hyperpop artist glaive to his 2022 indie pop album things with wings, ericdoa has had impressive growth as an artist. However, 2024 has undoubtedly been his best year yet. He supported synthpop artist Porter Robinson on his SMILE:D! World Tour and recently did a 15-day, non-stop livestream, where he made music with friends like The Kid LAROI and d4vd.
On DOA, ericdoa lets out his signature raw emotions with songs themed around infatuation, heartbreak, and navigating fame at a young age. The tracks “arm and a leg”, “crisis actor”, and “sweet tooth” all stand out for ericdoa’s hypnotic melodies and vulnerable lyrics. That being said, ericdoa is at his best on catchy pop tracks like “dancinwithsomebawdy”, “kickstand”, and “lastjune” where his passionate hooks and vocals shine. What makes ericdoa so unique is his hyperpop background coupled with his best friend Zetra’s brilliant production that blends genres like pop, rock, and trap. At only 22 years old, ericdoa is not afraid to be ambitious and take ownership of his authentic online personality. This album is just a perfect pick for parties and whenever you need to remind yourself to not take life so seriously.
Good Lord Always Invoke Virtuous Energy is what glaive stands for. Not really, but it kinda captures glaive’s whole persona. At the age of 19 years old, glaive has accomplished so much in so little time. During quarantine, glaive led the Soundcloud hyperpop movement with iconic songs like “astrid” and “heather”. However, after the release of cypress grove and all dogs go to heaven in 2020 and 2021, glaive’s addictive vocal delivery and genre-defining flows had reached their peak. This all changed with his unexpected shift in his 2024 EP, a bit of a mad one. Still keeping his classic hyperpop style, glaive now sang over lush and dynamic instrumentals that blended electronic with acoustic better than ever before. The EP was rather short because it teased the ideas he would expand upon in his album 8 months later.
May It Never Falter is such a fun listen because of its structuring. The first track “For God and Country” is a grand intro with beautiful progression. However, this tempo is completely contrasted with the next track “60000 ISK” where glaive sings intense lyrics over bass-heavy production. This pattern repeats for the whole album and it allows glaive to have both energetically arrogant and emotionally vulnerable tracks. Another interesting thing about this album is that glaive made the whole album with his friends in Iceland, which can absolutely be heard in the sound. Other stand out tracks are the soft “ik” and the hard-hitting “EVERYDOG HAS ITS DAY”. Overall, May It Never Falter is promising for glaive’s career and a captivating listen.
JPEGMAFIA is an interesting rapper to say the least. Some consider his music a jarring listening experience, while others consider him one of the most innovative artists of this decade. Regardless of the stances of critics, JPEGMAFIA is absolutely an impressive artist that is always changing his sound, self-produces all of his songs, and can effortlessly keep the listener excited. From his 2018 industrial hip-hop album Veteran to his critically-acclaimed 2021 cloud rap album LP!, JPEGMAFIA’s discography has something for everyone. Across his entire discography, his top priority is always creating music that unapologetically embodies himself and his braggadocious persona.
I LAY MY LIFE DOWN FOR YOU is a raw encapsulation of JPEGMAFIA’s dynamic experimentation and amazing performing skills. This time around in his production, JPEGMAFIA put focus on hard-hitting elements of heavy metal and rock, but he also contrasted this with orchestral strings. He really lets the electric guitar speak for itself on tracks like “vulgar display of power” and “Exmilitary” with major influence from other rock artists. However, the most exciting parts of JPEGMAFIA albums are his creative sample placements. Notable picks from the album include the Brazilian funk sample on “it’s dark and hell is hot” and the 2018 TV show Succession sample on “don’t rely on other men”. The highlight of the album for most people is the track “either on or off the drugs” where JPEGMAFIA perfectly blends his honest and vulnerable lyrics with the beautiful, melancholy soul instrumentals. Being my most listened to artist of 2024, JPEGMAFIA’s unpredictable styles and unfiltered personality is what makes me always return to his music.
Porter Robinson is a pretty iconic artist in the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) genre. He built his fanbase with his critically acclaimed albums Nurture and Worlds, pioneering a unique blend of lofi and EDM music. From his co-production on the iconic song “Clarity” with Zedd to his collaborations with the genre-defining artist Skrillex, Porter Robinson has left an underappreciated mark in the world of music. However, with his next album he followed a seemingly unwritten trend of 2024 music: switching your sound completely.
SMILE! 😀, as the name suggests, takes inspiration from 2000s rave culture, pop-punk, and hyperpop. Porter Robinson’s impressive and catchy synth leads really steal the show on tracks like “Cheerleader” and “Russian Roulette”. He sings his heart out on tracks like “Perfect Pinterest Garden” and “Mona Lisa”, where his unique pitched vocals and passionate lyrics make every moment memorable. Finally, his tracks “Easier to Love You” and “Everything To Me” bring back a delicate mood with his sweet and loving lyrics. SMILE! 😀 is a truly charming album that is a blast to listen to.
Cybertrash had quite an unexpected year. I discovered him in 2022 through his popular songs “hang tight” and “BOUND 2 U”, which have both previously been in my rotation for their fun summer vibes. To me he seemed like a simple hitmaker in his respective genre, but a common theme in 2024 has been artists completely switching their style of music.
HEAVEN IS BLUE can be best described as the sound of nostalgia. Cybertrash still has his signature acoustic instrumentals, but he builds a grand new atmosphere with dreamy synths and layered background vocals. Iconic moments from the album include the tracks “mound” and “dodger” where the extravagant instrumental breaks blended with his angelic vocals truly speak for themselves. There are also many tracks like “blameless”, “BLUE”, and “end of times” that mix catchy pop lyrics with the echoing mood that Cybertrash has constructed. The new sound that Cybertrash has created is different from anything I have heard and an underrated must-hear from 2024.
Wishlane had only 4,000 monthly listeners when I discovered him. With the release of Wallsocket (2023) by underscores and hypochondriac (2022) by brakence, I felt that the hyperpop genre had reached the peak of its experimentation. But this album completely blew away all of my expectations and kind of changed my perspective on what is still possible in this boundless genre. Nobody’s listening! is not number 3 on my list for no reason. Every sound is deliberate, every melody blends perfectly together, and every song feels like an adventure.
The best way of describing Nobody’s listening! is a high-speed vehicle chase with a little bit of life reflection sprinkled in every song. On earlier tracks like “27 degrees” and “String theory”, wishlane keeps the intensity at a 100 and sings his heart out with hard-hitting, distorted vocals. His heavy use of vocal stretching and volume pitching makes it feel like you are being thrown in and out of the action. However, what makes this album so impressive is wishlane’s versatility and range. On later tracks like “Interstate patsy” and “The homestead song”, wishlane sings beautiful, slow melodies over an acoustic guitar. There are still catchy songs like “Nosebleed” and “Dog eat dog” where wishlane uses EDM influences in each drop and creates incredibly unique melodies for each hook. Nobody’s listening! truly is a rollercoaster that you have to experience for yourself.
I did not believe in the hype at first. Magdalena Bay is a duo consisting of female singer Mica and male producer Matt. The best genre to describe their music is dream pop, but that really is an understatement. Imaginal Disk feels like a perfectly polished glass dreamscape sprinkled with glitter, stars, and stardust. Every song feels like a psychedelic journey through space and time.
On Imaginal Disk, the duo’s flawless synergy defines the Magdalena Bay experience. Mica’s heavenly singing feels like it’s directly in your brain, while also feeling like a distant message from an angel. On tracks like “Image”, “Tunnel Vision”, and “Love Is Everywhere”, the echoing vocal layers build a beautiful atmosphere of yearning and bliss. Matt’s production is elevated on tracks like “Death & Romance” and “That’s My Floor”, where the guitar, bass, and synth create grand and lively melodies. By far my favorite track on the album is “Vampire in the Corner” where Mica’s passionate chorus harmonizes with Matt’s ethereal synth production. There are not enough words that can do this album justice, so you just have to give it a listen.
And we reached number 1. Everyone’s top pick is always biased, but that’s just the nature of discovering new music. We are all very loyal to (or even gatekeep) certain artists that we grew up with, and for me that is the brilliant Quadeca. After listening to his music over the course of 3 years, I think that he has one of the most impressive evolutions as an artist.
Quadeca debuted as a polar opposite of his current music style, a corny Youtube rapper. This era was rather short lived and he eventually released his first notable album Voice Memos in 2019. Rap tracks like “Uh Huh!” and “War!” reflected the time, but the interlude “A Dream I Can’t Remember” stood out for its ambient tone that would later define his music style. In 2021, Quadeca continued to expand on this style with the winter-themed album From Me To You, featuring a new wave of energy, flows, and atmospheres. Tracks like “Sisyphus”, “Shades of Us”, and “Maybe Another Day” are major highlights from the album that show off his skills as a producer. However, this all pales in comparison to his 2022 indietronica album I Didn’t Mean To Haunt You. In this concept album, Quadeca tells a story of a ghost dealing with regret and depression as they watch their family move on from their death. I would pick out a specific track, but every moment on the album spells out a beautiful story with somber yet lifting instrumentals and lyrics.
Now this leads me to SCRAPYARD. As the name suggests, this album is a compilation of scrapped songs from his 2022 album. Because of this, each track has a unique sound and an idea independent from everything else. Indietronica tracks like “DUSTCUTTER” and “PRETTY PRIVILEGE” are the most reminiscent of Quadeca’s previous albums, but “WHAT’S IT TO HIM?” and “UNDER MY SKIN” adds a new layer of energy. “EASIER” and “GUIDE DOG” are fan favorites for their slow-paced and emotional lyrics. Quadeca contrasts this completely with experimental hip-hop tracks like “GUESS WHO?” that have harsh, grimy instrumentals and lyrics that boast his creative ability. But some of the best parts on the album are the brakence feature on “A LA CARTE” and the Kevin Abstract feature on “TEXAS BLUE”. Overall, this album shows a promising future for Quadeca’s artistic evolution, and look out for his album Vanisher: Horizon Scraper in the future!
