KAT’S TOP 9 SONGS OF 2024
Lately, I’ve been trying hard to share my music life as much as I do my writing/reading/researching life. I’m shy about this due to some pretty unfortunate circumstances growing up, but I’m determined to be known musically as well as writerly!
So without further ado, here are my top 9 songs of 2024! (Caveat—some of these songs may not have come out in 2024, but I discovered them in 2024, and I think you should too.)
9. “You Didn’t Know!” by the cast of Hazbin Hotel
Adult animation has really been stepping it up lately. In my day, adult animation was almost always satire—The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park, etc. Nowadays, we have much deeper and more interesting adult animated shows and Hazbin Hotel is one of them.
The premise involves the daughter of Lucifer (named Lucy, naturally) and her attempt to rehabilitate condemned souls in order to solve the overpopulation problem in Hell. She badly wants her rehabilitation to work because Heaven’s solution is to send down mighty angels once a year and annihilate said souls—render them nonexistent. In one of the most powerful episodes of the series, Lucy visits the Heavenly Hosts and appeals to their morality, showing proof that one of her rehab residents has been showing improvement and his soul has been healing. This song reveals that a great many of the angels of Heaven were not aware that Heaven was unilaterally extinguishing souls—and a great debate emerges among them (in song) on whether damned souls can be saved.
You can probably tell the creator of this series was Exvangelical with an obvious love of Broadway musicals—songs are used a lot for the storytelling and pacing in this series. But this song is my favorite, in how it tells a powerful story, reveals a personal betrayal, and has some killer harmonies on the hypocrisy of Heaven.
Emily: Was talk of virtue just pretension?
Was I too naïve to expect you
To heed the morals you’re purveying?
Lucy: That’s what the fuck I’ve been saying!
Together: If Hell is forever, then Heaven must be a lie!
If angels can do whatever and remain in the sky!
The rules are shades of gray when you don’t do what they say!
When you make the wretched suffer just to kill them again?!
8. “Eve Was Black” by Alison Russell
I firmly believe that AI should be relegated into recommending neat songs for me based on my astrology or birth date or previously liked songs—nothing else.
I bring this point up to let you all know that one of my little weekly rituals is pulling up the “Discover Weekly” playlist on Spotify every Monday Morning and listening through to the whole thing. This is something I really look forward to at the start of my week—I love discovering new music. And this is how I discovered a love for Alison Russell.
If someone were to make a film about Hades and Persephone, I’d nominate Alison to play Persephone. (She even has a song called Persephone!) Her voice is lush and husky, and I love how confrontational this song is.
Eve was black, haven't you heard?
The mother of all was dark and good
Eve was black, didn't you know?
Is that why you hate my black skin so?
Is that why you hate my black skin so?
7. “Great American Novel” by Elizabeth Gerardi
I discovered Elizabeth Gerardi on TikTok, which despite being a prototype of the end of civilization and regurgitation of misinformation—is an app I use regularly. (It’s meant to be addicting.) She has a lovely vintage 50’s-60’s feel to her music, but my very favorite is how she compares being loved by her partner to loving a wonderful book. This is another song that’s now hard to listen to (no wonder my favorite songs tend to be sad!), but still very special to me.
You read me like a book and said I was a great American novel
You know my darkest chapters and still keep me on the top shelf
You touch me like a first edition
In pristine condition
Even though it's far from true
I wasn't a masterpiece until I was held by you
6. “Take This Body Home” by Rose Betts
Another artist I discovered on the evil TikTok! If you are also hopelessly addicted to that evil platform, you might recognize her for the song “Irish Eyes”. But I’m more partial to her song “Ruins” and of course, my number 6 on the list, “Take this Body Home”. This song starts out with an Irish blessing that stirs anyone with Celtic roots. This has been the song I’ve been listening too lately, in all of the darkness and fear we’re facing.
May your hardened heart be woken
By the soft and distant song
Of all you left here unspoken
All the shards we keep stepping on
Take this body home
Take this body home
Call the wind, and let her know
Take this life outgrown
Take this broken soul
Call the stars, call them all
And take it high, take it far, take it home
5. “Royal We” by Janani K. Jha
I’ve been listening to Janani for a while now—I discovered her on Spotify through her song “Machine Learning”, which is probably my favorite song of hers. (If you ever wonder what the autistic experience of “masking” is, give it a listen.) It was a surprise to learn that she was more notably known on the evil TikTok, where she shares her deep talent for lyricism and puns.
“Royal We” came out this year and is a song about a devastating breakup. (Relatable, eh?) One of the reasons I like her music so much is she enjoys packing as much classical allusions and Greco-Roman mythology as she can. She compares falling in love with her ex to Troy being invaded—what a metaphor! It packs an impact to say the least and is an excellent song to nurse a broken heart.
Before I had you, I was free
Let my walls come down
I looked up and Troy was breached
And you won my crown
Now I’m running all my dreams
By the king and queen
I used to speak for me
But now I use the royal ‘We’
4. “Yoko” by Maisie Peters
I had a lot of Maisie Peters songs on my list—I’m a big fan of “Run!” and “Not Another Rockstar”. But I finally settled on “Yoko”, because it not only captures the sadness of a relationship ending with the subsequent realization that you don’t understand each other—it also addresses a pet peeve of mine. Yoko Ono did not break up the Beatles. Yoko Ono has been the subject of really nasty racism and sexism all of her life. Yoko Ono deserves better!
So, now we're seeing other people
And it's too late to tell you
But, man, you know, Yoko never broke up that band
You misunderstood The Beatles
Guess that's being twenty-two
You misunderstood a lot of things
But, yeah, I guess me too
3. “Scylla” –from the Epic Soundtrack, composed by Jorge Rivera, sung by KJ Burkhauser
Let me start off by saying that choosing ONE song from Epic (I limited myself to only choosing one) was incredibly difficult. Epic is a series of concept albums from a young artist named Jorge Rivera, based on The Odyssey. Each album is a different arc of the journey—Odysseus’ battle with the Cyclops, his encounter with Circe, etc. “Ruthlessness” was the song I listened to the most and is definitely a contender, along with “I’m Not Sorry for Loving You” and “Suffering”.
But eventually, I decided on Scylla, because her myth has meant a lot to me and I think Jorge and KJ captured her beautifully in the song. I’ll probably write more about Scylla in a later post, she’s been something of a totem to me in recent months, but take it from me, this song is angry and beautiful and gorgeous. Almost a female power fantasy.
Drown in your sorrow and fears
Choke on your blood and your tears
Bleed 'til you've run out of years
We must do what it takes to survive
Give up your honor and faith
Live up your life as a wraith
Die in the blood where you bathe
We must do what it takes to survive
We are the same, you and I…
2. “I’m Like Money” by Your Future Ghost
Your Future Ghost is the all new band formed by my favorite singer of all time, Kate Voegele, and Michael Grubbs (formerly of WAKEY!WAKEY). I love how in each new album, Kate tries something a little experimental, and her new band’s sound is something especially exciting. Their new music has a lot of synth and electronic influences, something Kate quipped as “dirty pop”. I’ve loved all of the singles they’ve put out, but I think “I’m Like Money” is my favorite, just for how monstrous and confident it is, all at once!
Don't judge me
Don't judge me
I'm like money everybody wants to touch me
Don't judge me
Don't judge me
I'm like money everybody wants to touch me
Don't touch me
Don't touch me
You don't know me so don't fucking touch me!
1. “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” by Taylor Swift
Just as C.S. Lewis was the world’s most reluctant convert to Christianity, I am the world’s most reluctant Swiftie. I really didn’t want to put her on my top 9 list—it’s just so expected, you know? Taylor releases an album, the album is spectacular, of course it goes number one…but I can’t really get around it. No other album touched me this year like The Tortured Poets Department.
And no other song got me through a bad heartbreak like “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart”.
I recognize Taylor Swift is a Sagittarius (are we sure she doesn’t have any Virgo Suns or Virgo Moons floating about?), but this song is such a Virgo anthem. Burying yourself in projects and productivity to escape the pain and loss of a breakup? That’s absolutely me. I love how bouncy and positive this song is, while carrying some of the most heartbreaking lyrics—a living metaphor of how it must’ve felt to perform on the Eras tour while suffering the grief of losing her seven year relationship.
'Cause I'm a real tough kid, I can handle my shit
They said, "Babe, you gotta fake it till you make it" and I did
Lights, camera, bitch smile, even when you wanna die
He said he'd love me all his life
But that life was too short
Breaking down, I hit the floor
All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting "More"
I was grinning like I'm winning, I was hitting my marks
'Cause I can do it with a broken heart (one, two, three, four)
I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday every day
I'm so obsessed with him but he avoids me like the plague
I cry a lot but I am so productive, it's an art
You know you're good when you can even do it
With a broken heart
And here we are to the end!
What were your favorite songs of the year?