Psych

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Albums of 2024

Heart and soul, that’s not too much to ask, right? To be honest, I didn’t have an easy year exploring new music. The flood of releases is too much to keep up with—the conscious realization that you continuously miss more than you experience is quite demotivating, while exploring the sonic cosmos should be exciting—and wading through all the copycats and AI disciples makes it increasingly difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Thankfully, just when I thought the journey had become more important than the destination, and the future was finally losing out to the past, it turned out that there were still plenty of raw pearls and creative authenticators to be discovered (I don’t necessarily value perfection or innovation). And so I regained the feeling that blogs like ours actually add some value to all those algorithms around by putting them on display. Regardless, in my forays into the depths of the musical universe, I checked out 2,800+ new albums, resulting in a passionate longlist of 140 wantlist-worthy releases—the ones I liked and played the most, just a matter of taste I guess , are in the Top 50 below. Slightly eclectic, but all as real as it gets.

Music Year-End List || Niek’s Favorite Singles and EPs of 2024

Our second year-end list has landed: Niek’s 50 favorite singles & EPs of 2024! ICYMI, Dennis kicked things off two days ago with his list, and next week we’ll wrap things up with our favorite albums of the year.

The beauty of the short format of course is that there’s no room for filler, every track has to matter. This year’s picks hit that mark, though narrowing them down was no easy task. Honestly, there are more than a few gems I had to leave out-always a sign of a more than solid musical year. In a just world, these tracks would be blasting from radios and streaming platforms everywhere. So here’s to the bands, artists, and labels brave enough to keep fighting the algorithms, one single and EP at a time.

As always, and contrary to my favorite albums list, I’ve chosen to present these singles alphabetically. Ranking them feels besides the point—apples and oranges, small sample sizes, etc.

Dive into the list below, and check out my playlist featuring 90%+ of these tracks here.

New album: The Psych Fi’s || Can Con

Jerry Leger enchants with new “spontaneous psychedelic rock” project

The Psych Fi’s are a new country-tinged psych-rock project from esteemed Canadian singer-songwriter Jerry Leger, evolved out of performances with The Del Fi’s, whose other members also contribute to the new band. Their debut album Can Con was recorded live earlier this year in a haunted Toronto studio, where no fewer than eighteen musicians walked in and out—most of them did not know the compositions yet. Still, the five drawn-out songs—44 minutes in total—feel thoughtful and weighty. The compelling 14-minute opening medley Alone in a Room of Mirrors / James Cagney sets the tone without ever boring, and the other tunes hold your attention effortlessly. A timeless journey that enchants.


Can Con is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Bobo Integral. Featuring Jerry Leger, Don Stevenson (Moby Grape), Kate Boothman (Katie Cruel) , Angie Hilts, Nichol Robertson, Jason Kenemy, Dave Clark (The Rheostatics, Woodshed Orchestra), Michael Eckert, Ken Yoshioka, Matthew Cooke, Les Armstrong, Chris Bennett, Shawn Clarke, Katie Methot, Dan Mock, Kyle Sullivan, Alan Zemaitis and Aaron Goldstein.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Bobo Integral

New album: Fig/Astro || Bug Politico

Dreamy grooves that soundtrack composers should take note of

FigAstro is a new indie pop project by Fiachra Lennon and Andrew Lyster. From Dublin, Ireland they share their debut album Insect Politico with the world. Expect dreamy grooves with hazy vocals that recite socially critical lyrics—subdued rock music that does not shy away from electronics, with the atmosphere of Late Night Tales. It’s a psychedelic trip of ten songs—37 minutes in total—that adds color to a dark landscape.



Insect Politico is out now digitally. Add to wantlist: Bandcamp 

Music Year-End List || Dennis’ Favorite Singles and EPs of 2024

Next week we will publish our lists of favorite albums, but first here is an overview of short format releases that were—in my humble opinion—the most wantlist worthy. It’s a mix of welcome comebacks and uncompromising discoveries, all energetic and passionate.

Below you can listen to the Top 50 singles and EPs that I enjoyed the most last year (note: individual songs are excluded), in alphabetical order. Links point to Discogs or Bandcamp (the titles), and to previously posted reviews (in the body text). Add to your wantlist (or collection) what you like!

New album: Daffodil Pill || Daffodil Pill

A genre-fluid and mind-bending mood-lifter

Three years have flown by since we were introduced to Daffodil Pill, the eclectic rock band from Wrocław, Poland, who say they are all about breaking boundaries and riding the cosmic wave. They already proved that on 2021’s Yup EP, but even more so on this new self-titled full-length album. In seven songs—two EP tunes return in a slightly different version—we fly through all the colorful suburbs of the psychedelic rock spectrum, from surf to prog and back. The four musicians pull out all the stops in the more than ten minutes of opening track Alien Beach, a wild rollercoaster full of inimitable twists. What follows is a little less exuberant, but just as fascinating, always groovy.



Daffodil Pill’s self-titled album, produced, mixed and mastered by Marcin Bors, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Interstellar Smoke Records. Featuring songwriter Filip Dudek (vocals, keys, harmonica, vocoder, theremin, sitar), Dawid Stawiarz (guitar), Mateusz Wróblewski (bass) and Adam Chmura (drums, jaw harp).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Interstellar Smoke

New album: The Active Psychos || Mellow Drama

Eclectic 60s-inspired debut is a fascinating trip full of genre-bending twists and turns

Bournemouth, UK-based six-piece The Active Psychos storm onto the wantlist with their first full-length album, which not only has a great title—Mellow Drama—and beautiful cover art, but is especially convincing in sound and song structures. It is a melting pot of 60s-inspired styles, which we should probably file under garage psych. The music here is richly textured with guitars and keys bringing their best game, complemented by a mean rhythm section and characterful vocals. The listening experience is like a ride on a vintage train through a burgeoning landscape.

Highlights include the rocking opener Up & Gone (heavenly grooves and an earworm chorus), the gospel-tinged ballad Lord Have Mercy (elegant and timeless) and the country-indebted ditty Makes Sense (a good example of how relatable the lyrics are: “Well I don’t understand what you said when you said what you said last night // So let me be as clear as day ’bout what you said or what said as might // There’s only one thing to say to you // Or least one thing’ll make it plain to you // That what you heard ain’t probably what I meant”). The vinyl version contains a cover of Tomorrow Never Knows (The Beatles), which is not available on streaming services.



Mellow Drama is out digitally and soon on vinyl 12″ (self-released). Featuring Peter Hall, Francesco Lenzi, Andy Pickering, Joe Montague, Graham Gordon and Clare Davies.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || The Active Psychos

New album: Neon Lemon || Hypnagogic Visions

Daydreaming about an atmospheric journey through space

Austin, Texas-based garage psych band Neon Lemon have released their sophomore full-length Hypnagogic Visions on vinyl, featuring six spacey songs that total a bewitching and transcendent trip of over 31 minutes. Look at the instrumentation of Ben Siebert (guitar, vocals, keys), Chris Bryant (guitar, lap steel, sitar guitar, keys), Shawn Cawley (synth, theramin, keys), Levi Murray (bass, sitar guitar, keys) and Cody Read (drums, percussion, saxophone), and you know what to expect. Indeed, this is a soundscape of fuzzy guitars, hypnotic percussion, swirling organ drones, and reverb-soaked, dreamlike vocals. The album’s rich beauty offers an atmospheric journey that feels both experimental and thoughtful.


Hypnagogic Visions, recorded by Neon Lemon & Jonas Wilson, is out digitally and on vinyl 10″ through Feral Child. Nice cover art by Jim Franklin.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

New album: The Higher State || Internecine Free

Classic psychedelia meets contemporary critique

British garage psych outfit The Higher State are back with their new (sixth) full-length Internecine Free, following up 2016’s successful Volume 27 LP (which was actually their fifth studio album). The current line-up – Marty Ratcliffe, Paul Messis, Huw Walters, Ali Norton and Gijs de Jong – are single-handedly rebuilding the sound of the ’60s, and they’re doing it well. In twelve original, fuzz-laden songs they tick all the boxes, from jangly guitars and mood-enhancing harmonica to weathered vocals, on-target drums and yearning Farfisa melodies. Danceable and intoxicating.



Internecine Free, produced & engineered by Marty Ratcliffe, is out now digitally and on vinyl LP 13 O’ Clock Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp

New album: The Smashing Times || Mrs Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys

The Smashing Times walk a tightrope between pop and eccentric on latest album

On their 2023 album This Sporting Life, The Smashing Times gave their loyal fanbase the pop hits they crave, leaning into their accessible side and letting catchy melodies take center stage over their more experimental tendencies. But just because this Baltimore-based band can write some of the best underground hits doesn’t mean they always will. With Mrs Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys, The Smashing Times let their weirder side loose, creating an album that feels like a delightful plunge into the quirky and unexpected.

That said, Mrs Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys still has its share of irresistible tracks. The jangly title song is a standout, Ruper Tingle, Button Thief showcase a playful, offbeat energy. Meanwhile, I Paint The Picture rocks out with a grittier edge, and Tarts and Vicars keeps things driving forward with a steady, pulsing rhythm.

It’s not an album that everyone will instantly connect with, but for fans of underground pop who appreciate a healthy dose of eccentricity, this LP has all the makings of a new musical obsession. Mrs Ladyships and the Cleanerhouse Boys shows The Smashing Times pushing boundaries while staying true to their unmistakable sound. It is out now on K and Perennial Records


Add to wantlist: Bandcamp || Discogs

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