The 18 Best Songs of 2024 (So Far), According to Vogue Editors

Say what you will about our political systems, but the United States sure knows what it’s doing when it comes to producing hit music. This last year alone saw the meteoric rise of artists including Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey and more—leaving music fans of all stripes plenty to choose from when considering the best songs of 2024.

The shortlist, according to us here at Vogue? We’re so glad you asked. Find our favorite recordings of the year (so far!) right here:

“Girl, so confusing featuring lorde,” Charli XCX and Lorde

The “Girl so confusing” remix with Lorde, period! So, it’s still 70 degrees in New York City: is it global warming, or the enduring power of Brat summer? Of all the culture-defining moments that Charli XCX gave us in 2024, her collaboration with Lorde was the one that perhaps best captured the album’s essence: vulnerability, authenticity, personal ambivalence, professional competition, and female camaraderie. What more could we ask for? I love “Guess” with Billie Eilish as much as the next gay guy, but this is the song that really should have gotten the Grammy nomination. —Mark Guiducci, creative editorial director

“Flyer Than U,” Laila!

This is one of my favorite wind-down songs of the year. It’s the perfect blend of fairy-like vocals and a soulful beat, laid under poetic affirmations about being fabulous. —Qieara (Q) Lesesne, associate talent manager

“AWARDS SEASON,” Bon Iver

I humbly nominate “AWARDS SEASON” by Bon Iver, which taps into heartbreak like only Justin Vernon can, telegraphing that aching, yearning feeling over a sparse track and layered vocals. While he’s an inimitable lyricist, this song doesn’t need to be intellectualized: anyone who hears it can feel his pain like an exposed nerve. —Hannah Jackson, fashion writer

“Tunnel Vision,” Magdalena Bay

Though Imaginal Disk is a no-skips album for me, Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin of Magdalena Bay bring their best with “Tunnel Vision.” The lyrics grapple with self-loathing over a sweet, poppy tune that you can’t help but bop to. And with that noisy outro, there’s really something for everyone here. —HJ

“For God and Country,” glaive

Glaive broke out as a teenage hyperpop phenom during COVID, and now—at the wise, old age of 19—has evolved into something more interesting: a composer of irresistible emo-inflected noise-pop electronic tracks. His latest album, May It Never Falter, is his best yet, recorded in Iceland and suffused with a wintery, contemplative mood. The best track is probably the densely layered, angsty first one, “For God and Country,” which builds through choir samples to skittery beats to a pounding cathartic crescendo. Catchy and relentless; I can’t stop listening to it. — Taylor Antrim, global network lead & US deputy editor

“SLEEP WHEN I’M DEAD,” Jack Kays

Jack Kays is a 25-year-old singer-songwriter from Ohio who creates ragged folk-meets-punk music about drinking too much, failing, wasting his life, and hauling himself back from the brink. His new album, Deadbeat, chronicles the ups and mostly downs of life at the American margins, and what it’s like to be in your 20s and struggling with depression, addiction, and gathering the will to keep going. Check out “Sleep When I’m Dead”–a fist-pumping singalong that hits like Noah Kahan channeling the spirit of Social Distortion. —TA

“Nissan Altima,” Doechii

On the Childish Major-produced tune “Nissan Altima,” Doechii delivers bar after bedazzled bar, reminding on us why she is the undisputed Swamp Princess. I cannot drive, have never gotten past a high school permit test, and yet this song makes me want to be in the driver’s seat with all my girls, wearing something completely devastating and blasting the track until the speakers shake. —Maya Layne, entertainment associate

“Juna,” Clairo

The rolling drums, the feathery harmonies, the mouth trumpet! I have nothing more to say except that I’m obsessed. —Marley Marius, features editor

“I think about it all the time featuring bon iver,” Charli XCX, Bon Iver

A very special shoutout to the remix: this has been a transformative year for me personally, and this song has fueled many reflections and helped contextualize many of my thoughts. I think about it all the time. — José Criales Unzueta, fashion news writer

“Chihiro,” Billie Eilish

I know “Birds of a Feather” is the album’s breakout star, but I just find “Chihiro” jaunty and beautiful. It’s been a mainstay on every bike ride, long walk, and contemplative moment of mine. —JCU

“Diet Pepsi,” Addison Rae

Welcome to the stage one of our rising pop girls! I loved her EP, but “Diet Pepsi” hit different this year. Cemented my late-summer vibe and has hit triple-platinum in my headphones. —JCU

“Coda,” Yung Lean and Bladee

Bladee and Yung Lean’s Psykos might be my most listened-to album of the year. “Ghosts” is catchier, but a bit of spoken-word by Yung Lean is hard to beat. This song anchors the album and also speaks to the current state of the world. For me, the contrast between the ethereal Bladee and Lean as a reluctant Atlas is amazing. —Laird Borrelli-Persson, archive editor

“She’s Gone, Dance On,” Disclosure

“Let’s Go Back,” Jungle

“Evergreen,” Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners (feat. Caamp)

My favorite songs of the year range from a classic house hit to a very folky track. The first time I heard “She’s Gone, Dance On” by Disclosure, I knew it would be a staple on my summer playlist. Then, once the season ended, Jungle dropped “Let’s Go Back” (which may or may not be one of my top songs on my Spotify Wrapped). I also can’t forget my year-round favorite: “Evergreen” by Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners (feat. Caamp); while the song has been out for a bit already, it was reworked this year to sound even better. —Kylee McGuigan, associate pooduction manager

“Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” Karol G

I just love her tapping into merengue for this one. The lyrics are sweet, and I love a song that makes me feel like it’s summer all year long. —Ignacio Murillo, global talent casting director

“Song of the Lake,” Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

I saw Nick Cave play with just one other musician at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn last fall, where they teased a couple of songs from the new album Wild God. I love the whole thing, but this one in particular really gets me. Volume way up! —Nicole Phelps, Vogue Runway global director

“Hey Homie,” Sofi Tukker

If you saw me walking down the streets of New York City dancing and singing, no you didn’t. But if you did, I was most definitely listening to “Hey Homie” by Sofi Tukker. It’s my favorite song of the year—an immediate serotonin booster! —Molly Barstein, associate manager, audience development