The Second Annual Waxies! 🏆
The Wax Museum Award Show is live!
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time once again for the biggest night in niche music curation! Welcome to the Second Annual Waxies, where we present our coveted Waxy trophies to the albums and artists who captured the spirit of the past year in music, culture, and that sweet, sweet wax.
Before we begin, this is LAST CALL to save any songs from our two ever-evolving playlists — Album of the Year Leaderboard (Spotify | Apple) and The Best Songs of the Year (Spotify | Apple). They’ll be completely refreshed for 2025 soon, so grab your favorites now while you can.
Last week, we revealed our top 10 albums of 2024 and, for the truly dedicated among you, released an entire book documenting the top 100. Now we’re delving further into that list (and beyond) to shine a spotlight on the year’s best.
You’ll find the 30-song Waxies playlist at the end of this newsletter, featuring every winner we’re about to honor. Turn it up and let’s celebrate the records that made 2024 one for the ages!
Rookie of the Year
The Waxy goes to: Wishy - Triple Seven
Get Vinyl: Tomato Red | Jackpot Gold | Black
2024 was bursting with incredible debut albums — artists like Mk.gee, Friko, English Teacher, The Last Dinner Party, Sprints, Been Stellar, and julie all made waves and earned their spots on our 100 Best Albums list. But the standout for me was Indianapolis rockers Wishy.
Triple Seven is a nostalgia-soaked love letter to the ’90s, brimming with shimmering guitars and hopelessly romantic lyrics. With Kevin Krauter and Nina Pitchkites splitting vocal and songwriting duties, they’ve nailed a sound that feels timeless yet fresh.
Sophomore Slump Buster of the Year
The Waxy goes to: Being Dead - EELS
Get Vinyl: Speckled Dragon Egg
The sophomore album can be a daunting hurdle, forcing artists to either refine their debut sound or boldly reinvent it. For Austin duo Being Dead, the choice was clear: crank up the weirdness. EELS is a chaotic, genre-hopping fever dream that’s as ambitious as it is unpredictable.
From lush, Beach Boys-inspired harmonies to Animal Collective-esque bursts of experimental chaos, EELS revels in its beautiful messiness. It’s an album that refuses to sit still — if you’re looking for something that constantly surprises, EELS is a must-spin.
Double Stuffed Album of the Year
The Waxy goes to: Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubliee
Get Vinyl: Black
Cindy Lee (Patrick Flegel of Women) has delivered a monumental achievement with Diamond Jubilee: a sprawling, 32-track, two-hour double album that seems daunting to many in our TikTok-length-attention-span era.
But once you track it down and hit play, you’re hooked. This lo-fi, psych-rock masterpiece expertly balances the accessible and the avant-garde, weaving lush, nostalgic tales of love and longing into a kaleidoscopic soundscape. It’s bold, immersive, and worth the effort.
It’s no surprise that Pitchfork already crowned Diamond Jubilee the third-best album of the decade. And for those who want to dive deeper, don’t miss
’s song by song breakdown.All Killer No Filler Album of the Year
The Waxy goes to: Glitterer - Rationale
Get Vinyl: Orange | Black
Not everyone has 2 hours for a lo-fi opus. Sometimes you just have 20 minutes, which is the enough time for Ned Russin’s Rationale, under his Glitterer moniker.
With 12 tracks in 21 minutes, Rationale packs a punch. Think '90s grunge infused with the dreamy, ethereal haze of fuzzed-out noise pop. The lyrics are simple yet strikingly vulnerable, cutting straight to the heart and giving Glitterer a distinctive edge in a crowded field.
I Said Yep, What a Concept Album of the Year
The Waxy goes to: Lupe Fiasco - Samurai
Get Vinyl: Olive Green | Black
Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco delivers an unexpected concept with his ninth album, Samurai: the idea of Amy Winehouse as a battle rapper. The inspiration comes from a quote from Winehouse in the Amy documentary:
"I keep coming out with battle raps and they're just pouring out of me. Like Wu-Tang stuff, but really neat, very beautifully alliterated little battle raps. So next time you wanna come for me and have a battle rap-off, I'm gonna kill you. Because I'm a samurai."
For Lupe, this one line was a creative spark:
"For me, it was literally just that one quote. I wouldn't dare try to rewrite or even postscript her legacy in any way other than just imagine everything like, 'Yo, what if she was a battle rapper?'" What began as a single portrait evolved into an album, reflecting universal themes of artistic struggle within the entertainment industry.”
Reuniting with longtime collaborator Soundtrakk, Lupe crafts a jazzy, subdued masterpiece, exploring the challenges and indignities of sustaining a career in the arts. It may be his best work in at least a decade and could go down as a jazz-rap classic — a fitting tribute to one icon through the vision of another.
Solo Dolo Album of the Year
The Waxy goes to: Geordie Greep - The New Sound
Get Vinyl: Black
Black Midi may be gone, but frontman Geordie Greep is far from quiet. His debut solo album, The New Sound, is a dazzling storm of chaos and creativity — think Blackstar-era Bowie vacationing in the sun-drenched rhythms of Brazilian Tropicália.
Greep delivers a fever dream of grandiose anthems and labyrinthine lyrics, his theatrical vocals leading the charge like a wrestling heel cutting a promo. Whether or not Black Midi was your thing, The New Sound demands your attention.
Comfort Food Album of the Year
The Waxy goes to: Good Looks - Lived Here For A While
Get Vinyl: Magenta
The album I kept returning to this year was Good Looks’ Lived Here For A While. It’s the musical equivalent of your favorite diner meal — familiar, comforting, and always hits the spot. Packed with irresistible hooks, it’s the perfect mix of Tom Petty’s Americana heart and The War on Drugs’ atmospheric guitar riffs, tied together with raw, blue-collar storytelling. No filler, no pretension — just 40 minutes of feel-good rock.
Chameleon of the Year
The Waxy goes to: Mount Kimbie - The Sunset Violent
Get Vinyl: Orange | Black
This award goes to whoever changed their sound in the most impressive way — and no one surprised me more than Mount Kimbie. Expanding from a duo to a quartet with the addition of Andrea Balency-Béarn and Marc Pell, they’ve traded their post-dubstep roots for a bold dive into post-punk and art rock. Fuzzy guitars wrap around you like a warm blanket, with chord changes as delightful as stumbling upon a crisp twenty in your pocket. It’s a reinvention that sticks the landing and then some.
Lost in Translation Award
The Waxy goes to: Kneecap - Fine Art
Get Vinyl: Tri-Color
Kneecap’s Fine Art is easily one of my favorite hip-hop discoveries of the year. This Northern Irish trio blend classic hip-hop beats, Irish folk, and rave sounds, all wrapped in a reckless, refreshing sense of humor. The lyrics are unapologetically political, with an agenda focused on preserving Gaelic and kicking England out of Ireland. It’s a bold debut album that puts an often-overlooked area and language front and center.
The group also made waves this year with their hilarious, self-titled semi-biopic film starring Michael Fassbender, now streaming on Netflix.
Is maith liom Kneecap!
Don’t Call It a Comeback Award
The Waxy goes to: The Cure - Songs of a Lost World
Get Vinyl: Blood Red | Black
The Cure dropped their first album in 16 years, and I can’t overstate how surprisingly great this album is. After some less-than-stellar releases in the late ’90s and 2000s, The Cure has returned in top form, reaching back to that Disintegration-era magic from 35 years ago. If this really is The Cure’s swan song (and there’s no hint it is), it’s a stunning one.
And speaking of swan songs…
Farewell Album of the Year
The Waxy goes to: Gulfer - Third Wind
Get Vinyl: Vacant Yellow | Black
We lost a lot of good bands in 2024, saying goodbye to legends like Hall & Oates and REO Speedwagon, along with indie staples like Tokyo Police Club and Japandroids. But the best farewell of the year came from Canadian quartet Gulfer, whose final album, Third Wind, is a masterclass in going out on a high note.
Evolving from scrappy math rockers to fully embracing ’90s alternative glory, Third Wind features intricate melodies with layered complexity. Picture Minus the Bear’s precision colliding with Jimmy Eat World’s anthemic energy — warmly familiar yet daringly new. What a way to bow out.
Live Album of the Year
The Waxy goes to: Goose - Live at The Fox Theatre
Stream: Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple
Get Vinyl: Multi-Colored
This year, I became an admirer of the jam band Goose, despite never seeing them live or knowing much of their catalog. My conversion happened thanks to their use of YouTube, where they regularly drop high-quality concert videos. They recently outdid themselves with three nights at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, five and a half hours which you can now enjoy in its entirety on vinyl.
For my full list of my favorite live albums, vinyl releases, and album compilations, check out The Best Vinyl Releases of 2024.
Best Album Roll Out of the Year
The Waxy goes to: DIIV - Frog in Boiling Water
Get Vinyl: Melting Amber | Black
DIIV returned with Frog in Boiling Water, their first album in five years and their most ambitious work yet. Every detail feels painstakingly crafted — from the lush reverb-drenched guitars to the dopamine-inducing melodies woven into each of the ten tracks.
But the real standout was the album’s rollout. DIIV treated us to a hilariously fake SNL appearance, complete with host Fred Durst, plus a schizophrenic website that was as much art as marketing. It’s this kind of creative chaos that made Frog in Boiling Water one of the most unforgettable releases of the year.
Worst Album Roll Out of the Year
The Waxy goes to: Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & The New World
Get Vinyl: Black
Donald Glover’s sixth (and reportedly final) album as Childish Gambino, Bando Stone & the New World, was supposed to be the soundtrack to his upcoming film of the same name, directed by Glover and allegedly hitting theaters in 2024. As we know now, that didn’t happen.
The album itself is a mixed bag. When it hits, it hits hard — rapping ‘Bino makes a triumphant return on “Yoshinoya,” and Ludwig Göransson and Kamasi Washington bless us with the epic grandeur of “No Excuses.” But the uneven moments? I chalked those up to the idea that they’d make sense in the context of the movie. Now, I’m not so sure there ever was a movie. Outside of the trailer, which might have been all that was filmed, there’s no sign of it.
And let’s not forget, Glover pulled a similar stunt earlier this year with the fake 21 Savage biopic “American Dream.” In the words of George W. Bush, "Fool me once, shame on, shame on you. Fool me ... you can't get fooled again!"
Album Artwork of the Year
The Waxy goes to: Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us
Get Vinyl: Blue and Black | Black
When Ezra Koenig stumbled upon New York photographer Stephen Siegel’s 1980’s photo collection, one image stopped him in his tracks: Subway Nightmare 11. Its haunting, dreamlike quality struck such a chord that Koenig changed the album’s title to fit the image.
The stunning, Inception-like subway cover perfectly mirrors the album’s fixation on NYC’s underground tunnels and the band’s deep connection to the city. It’s bold, evocative, and effortlessly iconic — a fitting companion to my pick for Album of the Year. Only God Was Above Us truly is the total package.
Favorite Music Highlights of the Year
Let’s wrap things up with some quick hits of my favorite musical moments from 2024. Wherever possible, I’ve included timestamped YouTube links so you can relive the magic.
I must start with the instantly memorable and nonsensical “I got a houseboat docked at the Himbo Dome” line in MJ Lenderman’s “Wristwatch” that still hasn’t left my head.
The unexpected “It Must Have Been Love” Roxette cameo in Christopher Owens’ closer “Do You Need A Friend.”
A$AP Rocky’s laugh out loud “Tailor Swif” video.
Maggie Rogers hooking up with French nu-disco band L’Impératrice was one of the year’s best collaboration.
Grian Chatten’s sharp inhales in the chorus of Fontaines D.C.’s “Starburster.”
Kendrick Lamar igniting his feud with Drake with a jaw dropping feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That.”
Earl Sweatshirt’s quotable 16 bar verse on El Cousteau’s “Words2LiveBy.”
Sushi. Glory. Hole. Hey, where you going?
One of the year’s feel-good stories was the rise of Liquid Mike, aka Mike Maples, a USPS mailman who crafts his songs during his daily route. He delivers not just the mail, but also one of the year’s wildest lyrics — a crude Coldplay reference tucked into the banger “K2.”
Another fun line courtesy of Your Old Droog on Heems’ AotY contender LAFANDAR: “Shorty think she could do better than me? Must be on dust / I turn that bird to a ex like Elon Musk.”
The Steely Dan reference in This Is Lorelei’s “Dancing in the Club.”
The first three minutes of guitar bliss in Ben Seretan’s opener “New Air.”
The last three minutes of The Smile’s “Bending Hectic.”
Clairo rarely drops music videos, but when she does, they’re iconic.
And there’s no better way to end this list than Andre 3000’s flute mingling with Kamasi Washington’s sax. B-e-a-u-tiful.
The Second Annual Waxies Playlist
🎧 Stream on Spotify | Apple
And there you have it. Another year in the books. Thanks for your support, consider grabbing a book to put next to your turntable, and forward this newsletter to a friend who likes new music. Until next time!
This is so sick!!! So much stuff here I need to check out. And thanks so much for the shoutout man, I'm so honored 😭
Jared - love this! Are you gonna roll out a top songs for 2024 like you did for the half way point?