"[Rough Trade's] Album of the Year not only celebrates the collaborative and innovative artistic achievement found within it, but rightfully acknowledges the sonic paths yet untraveled that this final work will undoubtedly help set the course for."
Throughout a year of huge pop culture moments, an often deeply concerning news cycle, wins and losses for our music community, the pleasure of new music has always been a constant. In 2024 we discovered new talent, welcomed back established favourites and celebrated truly unprecedented sounds, particularly with the crowning of our Album of the Year - a body of work which epitomises boldness and musical evolution.
Thank you to all the music fans who have joined us to shelter in our beloved music bubble once more, heading down to our shops week in week out to buy new music. With this year-end list we share a selection of albums which have been championed and supported by our favourite labels and customers alike, leaving a lasting impression on our enjoyment of music and shaping our commitment to nurturing discovery.
Here are our favourite albums from 2024, including some very special Rough Trade Exclusive editions.
Prize Draw for CALM
Enter our charity prize draw for your chance to win 16 individually signed vinyl albums, with all proceeds donated to Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).
Album of the Year
SOPHIE - SOPHIE
Future Classic / Transgressive
Few losses stung harder than the loss of SOPHIE, an innovator who shaped pop's identity for decades to come. Near completion at the time of her passing, SOPHIE is a challenge from a true visionary to the listener: this record is a hard listen in a good way. Some people won't get it, but it's important that the people that do get it get to hear it, as not all great records are easy. Cathartic and cleansing across glacial soundtrack sections, rampant and destructive Berlin bangers and finally the sweet pop release of Always and Forever… it's the album your speakers dream about.
David, Head Office
"It’s been the greatest of honours for Transgressive to be involved with what we consider to be a truly timeless, transcendent and landmark album. Thank you, Rough Trade; we are forever grateful for all of your support."
Toby L, Founder, Transgressive Records
"There is an inherently infinite quality to SOPHIE’s music and this posthumous album is a testament to the boundless pop possibility that she embodied as an artist. Crowning SOPHIE Album of the Year not only celebrates the collaborative and innovative artistic achievement found within it, but rightfully acknowledges the sonic paths yet untravelled that her final work will undoubtedly help set the course for. A poignant epilogue and a gift for generations to come."
Emily Waller, Head of Brand and Content, Rough Trade
EXCLUSIVE: SOPHIE (Rough Trade Exclusive silver vinyl) + Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-insides Non-Stop Remix Album (Rough Trade Exclusive red vinyl)
READ NOW: In Conversation with Ben Long, SOPHIE's brother
English Teacher - This Could Be Texas
After winning the 2024 Mercury Prize, these reigning champions have made an expected appearance on our Top 20 list. The highly anticipated debut album from the Leeds-based four-piece has made a blazing entrance to the indie rock scene. This swarms with an enticing array of instruments ranging from the prettier violin chords and piano symphonies, all the way to boisterous drum beats and beefy bass licks. One thing to really take away from this record is its ability to own a line up of diverse songs. If you're still wondering where your favourite album of this year is then look no further.
Adam, Warehouse
EXCLUSIVE: This Could be Texas (Rough Trade Exclusive milky clear vinyl) + Live from BBC Maida Vale (Rough Trade Exclusive chalk white vinyl)
Laura Marling - Patterns in Repeat
Chrysalis Records and Partisan Records
If songs and albums are meant to give us perspective and comfort then Laura Marling’s Patterns In Repeat has to be your go to. Woodwinds and string quartets blend with domestic motifs of baby coos and dog pants, whilst Laura’s distinct voice narrates and enlightens, reflecting on new found motherhood, family dynamics and the mosaic of our every day. She moulds new themes, characters, and ideas on her eighth album for us all to consider. Also, she’s really one of the greatest writers on guitar, that absolutely needs to be said. There are many voices we need to listen to in the world right now and the voice of a mother is certainly one of them.
Mathilde, Head Office
EXCLUSIVE: Patterns in Repeat (Rough Trade Exclusive cream vinyl with signed print) + Laura Marling Sings Raffi (Rough Trade Exclusive vinyl album)
The Smile - Cutouts
This album is what The Smile fans have been waiting for. A fluid performance from the trio, with floaty compositions and some new tricks from Johnny Greenwood on guitar. Hearing songs like Eyes & Mouth on this record (after hearing the live version for years) is a real treat. The speed at which they’re producing and releasing music makes the project feel fun and full of genuine expression. They close the record with my favourite track, Bodies Laughing. It’s eerie, it’s playful and it’s clever, which to me is the epitome of The Smile that we know and love.
Josie, Rough Trade Bristol
EXCLUSIVE: Rough Trade Exclusive Live at the BBC 6Music Festival 2024 12" in a slipcase built to house both Wall of Eyes and Cutouts LPs sold separately
The Last Dinner Party - Prelude To Ecstasy
The Rock Beast must feed - but will it be ready for The Last Dinner Party? Coming on with anthem after anthem (Nothing Matters, Sinner and My Lady of Mercy all left a mark like a duelling scar), and channelling Queen and Kate Bush into something headline worthy from the get go, we've not seen a band so ready to take on stadiums since, ooh I don't know - Muse? Ultimately, you'll have an opinion on them by now - one of the marks of a generational band is that they split opinion. And that seems to be what they are, and wherever they go from here it's likely to be a spectacle.
David, Head Office
EXCLUSIVE: Prelude to Ecstasy (Rough Trade Exclusive cream vinyl) + Prelude to Ecstasy: Acoustics and Covers (Rough Trade Exclusive mirror board sleeve variant)
IDLES - TANGK
Partisan Records
TANGK feels like a controlled detonation of guttural poetry. Chaos with purpose, where every scream and dissonant riff carves out a truth from the noise. The album pulses with rage, humour, and vulnerability, holding a mirror to society’s fractures while daring you to dance in the wreckage. Dark, cathartic, and fiercely alive. TANGK doesn’t ask for your attention, it grabs it and refuses to let go.
David Bruce, Rough Trade East
EXCLUSIVE: Live at Glastonbury (Rough Trade Exclusive 12” featuring performances from IDLES’ landmark Glastonbury 2024 festival performance)
Amyl and The Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness
Rough Trade
The Aussie punks bring unmatched, blistering energy to an album that stands out for both its evolved production and bold exploration of new sonic territory. You can hear that so much care and hard work has gone into making this record and I find so much joy in watching their success, having followed the band’s journey since they played to a small but fervent crowd at Rough Trade East in 2018. You’ll also find a group built of passionate people who are genuinely generous with their fans - a quality as admirable as the music itself. The real fucking deal.
Emily, Head Office
EXCLUSIVE: Amyl and The Sniffers: Live at the Fonda (Rough Trade Exclusive 6-track live set recorded at The Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles on Thursday 15 August, 2024)
Charli XCX - BRAT
Being a late-realised pop apologist means I haven’t waited as long as others for this album, but I promise that I needed it. On the surface BRAT is sleazy, carefree and relatable but underneath the basslines, the it-girl twitter beef and the bright green rave gear there is something no major label or marketing campaign could manufacture. Not only is BRAT the melting pot of PC music and club culture but it’s a sincere rumination on turning 30, feeling alone in the crowd and worrying it might be too late. Charli was for the angels but Brat is for everyone.
Tilah, Warehouse
EXCLUSIVE: BRAT (Rough Trade EU & UK Exclusive orange vinyl) + brat and it’s completely different but also still brat 2CD
READ NOW: A Rough Guide To: Brat Summer
SPRINTS - Letter To Self
Few albums have come out of the traps as ferociously at-it as Letter To Self, a debut as urgent and insistent as this band's live offering. We've been blown away with them from day one and couldn't be happier to see them deliver on their early promise with a record this exciting. If you can't get behind Shaking Their Hands, no point checking your pulse - you're already dead.
David, Head Office
EXCLUSIVE: Sprints: Live in Dublin (Rough Trade Exclusive magenta vinyl)
Yard Act - Where’s My Utopia?
The charismatic trench coat-wearing Leeds four-piece embrace their eclecticism, dancing through the dread of reflecting on life and society with swaggering disco bass lines and hip-hop scratches. Helping them really draw out their playful side is longtime Gorillaz collaborator Remi Kabaka Jr. adept in bringing together genres such as Britpop flair and reggae-dub rhythms. A highly listenable album and further proof that these guys are one of the funnest bands on the post-punk circuit today.
Georgia, Head Office
EXCLUSIVE: Where’s My Utopia? (100 sleeves, exclusively hand sprayed by the band themselves for Rough Trade) + Yard Act: Live at the Nave (Covers EP recorded exclusively for Rough Trade.) + Yard Act: Live at Rough Trade (Rough Trade Exclusive live EP recorded at Rough Trade East in 2024.)
Father John Misty - Mahashmashana
Mahashmashana by Father John Misty can be perceived as anything but subtle. The eight songs (think of them as quasi-cosmic sonic landscapes) capture the many shades of Josh’s writing, which, like Fear Fun, possess layers of colour and lyrical craftsmanship. It’s well deserving of a spot in our Top 20. For casual fans, this feels like a strong return, and for diehard fans, you’re in for a treat.
Gaz, Head Office
EXCLUSIVE: Mahashmashana (Rough Trade Exclusive clear with red splatter vinyl)
Big Special - Postindustrial Hometown Blues
Loud and packed to the brim with a unique kind of punchy energy from start to finish. The lyrics are humorous, poetic, and steeped in a healthy dose of classic British irony, making for a truly engaging, often enlightening, listen. Sonically quite bleak and dystopian, but with an underlying thread of hope throughout, the band poignantly toe the line between anger and optimism. With this anthemic debut, Big Special have loudly announced itself as one of the most exciting up-and-coming British bands about.
Alice, Rough Trade Liverpool
EXCLUSIVE: Postindustrial Hometown Blues (Rough Trade Exclusive zoetrope picture disc edition - 500 copies only)
Fontaines D.C. - Romance
If you weren’t aware of or invested in the Dublin five-piece until now, their 2024 contribution will likely have ignited a full-blown love affair with material that’s seen them begin their graduation from cult status to alt-rock superstardom. A more accessible sound overall, Romance is expansive and emotionally full-bodied. Let’s also hear it for the string arrangements that, for me, elevate this record above much of what came before it. Never mind the best track on the album, In The Modern World has little competition for track of the year.
Emily, Head Office
EXCLUSIVE: Indies exclusive poster
Ezra Collective - Dance No One's Watching
Ezra Collective's latest oozes pure joy and fun - a totally infectious cool party vibe. Full of positivity and love, this record belongs in everyone’s collection to cover all of your dancing needs.
Leila, Rough Trade Bristol
EXCLUSIVE: Dance No One's Watching (Rough Trade Exclusive blue vinyl with signed polaroids) + Dance, Like No One’s Watching (Rough Trade Exclusive zine variant CD)
St. Vincent - All Born Screaming
Total Pleasure Records / Virgin Music / Fiction Records
St. Vincent’s All Born Screaming literally arrived in April…screaming. Annie Clark’s experimentation with modular synths crashes into her trademark angular guitar resulting in perhaps her hardest hitting album to date. Unapologetically funky and dark at the same time, this record is a masterpiece of groove and guitar tone with the songs to match. Anyone (somehow) still unconvinced should watch some of the live performances online where the album’s frantic energy is perfectly explored by Clark and band onstage. For me it’s reminiscent of post-Berlin era Bowie and I can’t wait to see where she goes next.
Rachel, Rough Trade West
EXCLUSIVE: All Born Screaming (Rough Trade Exclusive white vinyl + limited signed posters in UK stores only)
Clairo - Charm
From bedroom pop icon to cabin core aficionado, Charm stands firmly (in my humble opinion) in first place on the podium of Claire Cottrill's catalogue. Though this is her third release, Charm is in fact the first of Clairo’s albums to be self-released - a bold, yet arguably confident decision that is certainly embodied and reflected throughout the 11 tracks. Co-produced alongside Leon Michels of El Michels Affair, the album, from start to finish, is bubbling with an undercurrent of sixties-esque Californian pop and soft rock vulnerability. A truly honest and beautiful release.
Josh, Rough Trade Bristol
EXCLUSIVE: Charm (Rough Trade Exclusive coral pink vinyl)
Katy J Pearson - Someday, Now
Duly recognised as a spearhead of the ongoing alt-folk/pop revival, Someday, Now sees KJP lean further into her longstanding pop tendencies, crafting both warm, nostalgic quasi-disco and darker electronic pop, with the direction of acclaimed electronic producer and pop auteur Bullion. Katy's familiar lovelorn country-influenced twang is equally dreamy amidst these new soundscapes, taking a leaf out of the Metronomy playbook to bring together synth and blues into an 80s-inspired new wave sound. A confident new chapter for the Bristol singer-songwriter.
Georgia, Head Office
EXCLUSIVE: Someday, Now (Rough Trade Exclusive signed sleeve with Rough Trade photo booth obi strip)
Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk
Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin are reluctant to be labelled pop, but the Miami twosome’s second album as Magdalena Bay features some of the greatest pop songs of our age. Imaginal Disk is loaded with retro-futurist touches and hat tips to Yellow Magic Orchestra (Image) and ABBA (Cry for Me), with Tenenbaum’s airy vocals recalling Fever-era Kylie. Circling every cathartic chorus, though, is a fidgety, left-field sound world without boundary, the sonic equivalent of twenty webpages open at once. Imaginal Disk is a progressive pop album in the truest sense; these are songs fit to sail atop.
Huw, Rough Trade Warehouse
EXCLUSIVE: Imaginal Disk (Rough Trade Exclusive translucent vinyl)
Bill Ryder-Jones- lechyd Da
I knew what my album of the year would be at the beginning of January. The songs are constructed well and delivered with such honesty that I’d wager that it’s impossible not to feel something from this album. If you’ve suffered from heartbreak this record is like a hug when you need it. The sincerity in the lyrics makes it easy to connect with whilst the instrumentation and dynamics accentuate every single statement. If you were lucky enough to catch the album being played in full you’ll also see that this isn’t just studio wizardry - it’s a masterclass in song-writing and arrangement as well as musicianship
Matt, Rough Trade East
EXCLUSIVE: Lechyd Da (Rough Trade Exclusive mustard yellow vinyl)
Fabiana Palladino - Fabiana Palladino
Officially a megastar already in the Rough Trade office (after making our Rough Trade On The Rise curation earlier in the year), it's only a matter of time before the Paul Institute alumni Fabiana Palladino reaches a wider audience and the acclaim she richly deserves. As well written as any contemporary soul record in recent memory and a record that rewards repeated listens, despite hitting you with hook after hook the first time out. I Can't Dream Anymore will be on heavy repeat well into 2025 so if you don't know already, find out.
David, Head Office
EXCLUSIVE: Fabiana Palladino (comes with bonus Rough Trade Exclusive CD containing a live session at 180 The Strand)