Taylor Joy's 2024 Top Ten
My favourite releases of this year trended crustier with earnest and anarchist lyrics, railing against the capitalist war machine and the capture of corporate technology... consider me re-enlisted for the crust war. Here’s what stuck with me this year, and what I want more of in 2025. In no particular order:
- LIFELESS DARK - Forces of Nature’s Transformation
About fuckin’ time... this record is everything I hoped it would be. Like slipping into a warm bath. - YELLOWCAKE - Can You See The Future?
I listened to this on repeat when I found it this fall. Well-executed dbeat, enough variation delivered via noise and breakdowns to keep it interesting, incredible vocals. - LOVE AND COMPASSION - ...Or Else
I made vegan pancakes at least 30 times while listening to this tape this year... officially the most-played-cassette on our kitchen boombox in 2024. - PORTAL TOMB - Last Frost Demo
Stellar debut release from one of my favourite current local (Montreal) bands, in a beautiful and instantly-sold-out cassette. - FLOWER – HEEL OF THE NEXT / PHYSICAL GOD
Technically 2023? Barely... this counts. FLOWER are perfect. - S.H.I.T. - For A Better World
Could this LP have been a 7”? Anyways, S.H.I.T. shits gold. - NO FUTURE - Mirror
Like being wrapped up in layered blankets of loud noise and lead by the hand through a maze of perfectly-executed tempo changes. - STRAW MAN ARMY - Earthworks
I’m really surprised by how much I liked this, really not my usual thing but for some reason I am 100% on board. CRASS for the 2020s. - MURO - Nuevo Dogma
Physical-only release from a band like this gets big style points. - DEMONSTRATE - Demonstration 2024
My list is light on hardcore this year because most of it didn't stick with me and a lot sounds like overproduced garbage that was engineered to win Spotify metrics. This sounds like shit (good) and makes me want to jump around. Nothing particularly special, but it just has the right vibe. XXX