Remarkably we find ourselves at the start of a new year but before we rush headlong into 2025, we wanted to reflect on the year just passed.
Despite the numerous social and economic challenges which made working in the creative industries such a challenge, it seems no-one told our musicians. Across the twelve months of 2024, we were inundated with a plethora of EPs and albums that meant we were never short of something to listen to.
It never gets any easier selecting our favourites but as usual we’ve put our best foot forward and given it a go. Here is our Northern Irish Albums & EPs of 2024.
If you missed it, you can revisit part one here: Northern Irish Albums & EPs of the Year 2024: 30 – 16
Selections by Addison Paterson, Aaron Cunningham, Ben Magee, Jonah Gardner & Robert Brown.
15. Córas Trio – Córas Trio
On their debut album Córas Trio transform how we think about traditional Irish music. The self described “avant free folk” outfit experiment with old traditional sounds melding them with electronic and jazz interludes to great effect. The frequently reference their music as being like a river and based on the spontaneous joy and often thought provoking ambience on offer, we hope it doesn’t run dry anytime soon.
14. Buí – Stopping Distance
New releases from Buí rarely appear with much fanfare, with the quiet release of Stopping Distance echoing the four tracks contained within. The midwestern emo of ‘Reset’ leads the charge through its repeating piano line and relatable lyrics. The rest of the lofi production rarely rises above a soft drum machine, acoustic guitar or piano but Josh Healy’s understated and introspective songwriting hits the mark each time.
Aaron Cunningham
13. J Shields – Evergreen
Debut EP by producer/vocalist/songwriter J SHIELDS is a varied ambient soundscape. The release follows Shields’ sole stand-alone single ‘Breathe’, upping the ante with a broader arsenal of mellow-to-intense stylings. Busy with components from across the electronic board, ‘Evergreen’ collates anxious high-ends with softer melodies and soaring vocals, becoming richer with each listen.
Addison Paterson
12. Virgins – nothing hurt and everything was beautiful
Belfast shoegazers Virgins deliver on their early hype with a confident debut album dripping with nostalgia. Over the eight tracks, Rebecca Dow’s vocals ride a blissful wave that borders into ethereal territory, all built on a foundation of euphoric shimmering guitar leads & walls of gargantuan fuzz. Love, sex, death, loss, you name it, Virgins cover it on a scintillating 40 minute journey.
Robert Brown
11. piglet – for frank forever
Few records this year embodied their artist the way that “For Frank Forever” did. From the artwortk, to the content, the the expertly crafted and emotionally laden titular track, this release was, and remains, a rollercoaster. Tackling profound grief, intense loss and gratifying renewal, this is the record that will make you a fan. Get on it, now.
Ben Magee
10. And So I Watch You From Afar – Megafauna
It should come as no surprise that ASIWYFA’s return is a great one. Their mammoth sounding ‘North Coast Megafauna’, an ode to the band’s home, sets the tone for an album never rests on a singular note or mood. A call to the community they’ve built, which comes across in the band’s inventive joy from riff to riff, and a closing track in ‘Me and Dunbar’ to commemorate a late friend.
Aaron Cunningham
9. Lord Jane – Tulips
Two years in the making, Lord Jane’s debut EP Tulips is a riveting alt rock affair. Across the release, their ability to combine softer guitar tones and vocals with aggressive climaxes was thrilling. It isn’t easy to balance the softer moments with the hard hitting but Lord Jane make it look so easily both on record and in a live setting. The opening riff on ‘I Did It To Myself’ alone is seismic and worth the price of entry alone.
Robert Brown
8. Chubby Cat – The Fine Art of Disassociation
One of the most singularly unique artists the north has to offer, with an EP to match. Blending elements of traditional Irish singing and songwriting with alternative pop, dance, neo-soul and electronica, this was a release I could not stay away from all year.
Ben Magee
7. Tramp – Bimbofication
Some bands where their art on their sleeve – and then there are bands like TRAMP, who wear it on their skin. Art-punk meets indie-DIY and Queer-worms riffs on a long-awaited debut EP that sees the Derry outift become the performers we thought they would be. The nature of the production on this record allows/encourgaes the chaos and vibrancy of the TRAMP live show to bleed through, giving each listen a slightly new experience to sink your teeth into.
Ben Magee
6. Chalk – Conditions II
Released last March, Chalk’s second EP was the precursor to another huge year for the three-piece whose reach now stretches well beyond Irish shores. Right out of the gate, Conditions II sets their stall out with their blistering melding of post-punk, techno and more. In many ways the romantic euphoria of ‘Bliss’ harkens back to the debut EP’s closer, but Chalk are a band that keep moving forward.
Aaron Cunningham
5. Or:la – Trusting Theta
That Derry born, globally respected producer/DJ OR:LA’s first full-length release felt overdue says it all. It arrives though, at its right time, playing with genre and entrenched in Irish lore — from its mythological references to collaborators (Derry songwriter SOAK’s spoken word sets the scene on Track 1). From there, basslines chug into introspective breakbeat and forward-thinking club classics. Unpicking queer identity, patriarchal experiences and genre itself, the record remains rhythmic and upbeat, with a sharp and wry edge.
Addison Paterson
4. Conchúr White – Swirling Violets
Few records from the North have done what they’ve said in the tin better than the Conchúr White debut ‘Swirling Violets’. Iridescent and lush in songwriting and melody, omnipresent and pervasive in its production, White oversees a creative expansion of the retro fantasia he founded on his debut EPs in masterful form. Despite the density in lyricism and melody, these are tracks that hook you from the start. So good are singles “501’s” and ” Righteous (Why Did I Feel Like That)”, that you feel almost guilty for switching records without exploring every corner of White’s dreamy indie-folk debut.
Ben Magee
3. Ciaran Lavery – Light Entertainment
Ciaran Lavery pushed the boat out even further on album number five, featuring collaborations with Joshua Burnside, Morgana and Liz Lawrence. Light Entertainment is brimful of Lavery’s wit and insight, as he seamlessly navigates tongue in cheek moments through to conflict and eventual hope. Musically as well, Lavery is keen to break new ground with textured production and arrangements that are never by number. An artist pushing the needle.
Aaron Cunningham
2. RÓIS – MO LÉAN
Mesmerising is too faint a word for MO LÉAN, a body of work that melds folk and jazz elements, electronic sampling, and guttural vocalisations based on Caoining and sean nós. Its 9 tracks speak of a shared and sacred grief, protest, and catharsis — with a singular voice: the Fear Manach producer/vocalist’s own take on ancient traditions and rites still felt today. Certifiably one that will stay with you.
Addison Paterson
1. Exmagician – Sit Tight
The wait for new music from Daniel Todd and James Smith was long but undoubtedly worth it. The eight years since Scan the Blue has allowed Exmagician to craft a flawless follow up.
The nine songs that make up the record exude a coolness that is hard to fully extenuate in written form. They bristle with energy and a sense of fun when those jangly guitars and reverb are joined by a host of whimsical effects and occasionally biting lyrics.
Sit Tight feels like a love letter to meticulously crafted psychedelic indie pop and one that leaves you on an incredible high after listening. Perhaps most importantly it stands strong as one of the best records you’ll hear anywhere this year, not just from Northern Ireland.
Robert Brown
Northern Irish Songs of the Year 2024
Did you miss our feature on our favourite songs of 2024, jump back in and read both parts below.
Northern Irish Songs of the Year 2024: 50 – 26
Northern Irish Songs of the Year 2024: 25 – 1
