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Top Ten Punk Albums of 2024
January 7, 2025 by Kevin Gomez
2024 was a great year for rock music, and punk was no exception. Even the Grammys which has been noticeably absent of rock music for years had several strong choices in the Best Rock Album category (two of which made this list).
With so many great releases it’s hard to narrow it down to just ten, but here’s my humble list of what made it to the top. I’d like to give a quick shoutout to just some of the other great albums that didn’t quite make the cut this year including Chaser, Vial, Amyl & the Sniffers, and The Black Pacific.
Green Day – “Saviors”
Quite frankly, this is the best material Green Day has put out in two decades. Not since 2004’s “American Idiot” have they released such a solid record, from start to finish, in my humble opinion. Lead singer and main lyricist Billie Joe Armstrong really decided to bare his soul coming to grips with his battles with addiction (“Dilemma”), his sexuality (“Bobby Sox”), and fatherhood (“Father to a Son”). “Suzie Chapstick” is as good a ballad as anything released this year.
Grumpster – “Grumpster”
Grumpster first came on my radar pre-pandemic when I saw them open for Lagwagon. Since then they have added Alex Hernandez as second guitarist and co-lead vocalist. Their self-titled third album finds the Bay Area quartet coming into their own and releasing their strongest album so far. Hernandez provides heavy guitar riffs and powerful vocals in “Bottom Feeder,” while bassist and lead vocalist Donnie Walsh continues to write catchy and emotional lyrics such as “Bran’s Motto” and “Wither.”
Alkaline Trio – “Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs”
The 10th full-length album found the Chicago band facing a dilemma: this would be their first album in two decades without drummer Derek Grant. Any concerns fans may have were immediately put to rest once they put on “Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs,” which shouldn’t be a surprise when you have someone as talented as Atom Willard on the skins. Guitarist and lead vocalist Matt Skiba and bassist and lead vocalist Dan Andriano seem inspired and bringing out the best record they have in years.
Kill Lincoln – “No Normal”
As soon as “I’m Fine (I Lied),” the opening track from Kill Lincoln’s fifth full length album kicks in, the album takes you on a fast-pace journey at 100 mph and never slows down. You can definitely see the influence of Less Than Jake and Streetlight Manifesto, combining the ska-punk of the former with the harmonized vocals of the latter, and the high-energy of both. Kill Lincoln have confirmed ska is far from dead.
Mannequin Pussy – “I Got Heaven”
With one of the most interesting albums on this list, I really enjoyed “I Got Heaven” from Philadelphia’s Mannequin Pussy. Marisa “Missy” Dabice’s vocals on “Loud Bark” are instantly captivating from both soft whisper to the eventual buildup of bellowing vocals. The band takes a lot of interesting turns on this album, where rarely do any two songs sound alike (compare the in-your-face title track to the peaceful “I Don’t Know You”), but all are enjoyable.
Idles – “Tangk”
Idles are a band that’s hard to pigeonhole or narrow down in terms of music, genre, and lyrics. A mix of punk in both music and attitude, alternative, hardcore, and art rock, they are also not ones to ever shy away from politics. If you enjoyed this album, which many fans and critics alike have, you really need to do justice by catching them live where they really bring these songs to life. “Tangk” comes as close to capturing their live energy and sound into a record.
Destroy Boys – “Funeral Soundtrack No. 4”
With their fourth release Destroy Boys have really matured in music and lyrics, while continuing to evolve and explore their own sound. There are times, like “Bad Guy” and “Plucked,” where I even get hints of Siouxsie and the Banshees, which is something I had not really heard from them before. Lead singer Alexia Roditis and guitarist Violet Mayugba continue to be an exciting duo to watch in punk rock.
The Last Gang – “Obscene Daydreams”
I have been following The Last Gang since some of their earliest releases and performances. While not taking as many chances as 2021’s “Noise Noise Noise,” the Los Angeles band finds themselves coming back to their punk rock roots and really building upon and improving that sound, such as “Berlin to Rome.” With “NRA Back 2 School” they are able to make that difficult conundrum of a highly politically charged song catchy and relevant.
Mean Jeans – “Blasted”
With their latest release, Portland’s Mean Jeans show they are just as capable of writing a 90-second, three-chord, catchy song as Dee Dee Ramone or Ben Weasel before them. Featuring dueling vocals from Billy Jeans (Christian Blunda) and Jeans Wilder (Andrew Bassett) and bass from Jr. Jeans (Richard Messina), the trio rip through 15 songs in just over a half an hour. Maybe most clever of all is “Pop Punk Casualty,” a tongue-in-cheek ode to pop punk icons.
The Linda Lindas – “No Obligation”
“Growing Up” was a great introduction The Linda Lindas and I think their follow up shows a lot of growth for the Los Angeles band in just a few years. “All in My Head” demonstrates a maturity in lyrics and music from Lucia de la Garza, while the title track continues a lot of the raw riot grrrl energy from bassist Eloise Wong. “Too Many Things” is the highlight for drummer Mila de la Garza, while “Yo Me Estreso” brings a Norteño feel thanks to guitarist vocalist Bela Salazar and guest accordion from “Weird Al” Yankovic.
SID 250106 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR
