Favorite Album Artwork of 2024

Written by: The Administrator

Greetings! In typical fashion, we're posting a favorite-of-the-year list long after people have stopped caring about that sort of thing. But here we are regardless, proudly displaying our favorite albums artwork of 2024 on the Sleeping Village's decrepit and cobwebbed gallery walls. Our schedule is untimely, and my personal commitment to the bit is unassailable.

The conversation surrounding album artwork this past year felt heavy. The promo inbox was absolutely riddled with gen-AI slop, the more obvious examples of which were immediately cast into the Bottomless Maw. However, as the year went of, it felt like detecting AI became more difficult, and many artists and labels seemed to be doing their absolute damnedest to avoid providing details about artwork. Generative AI is a true scourge, and it's our job as people who respect the integrity and profession to draw a line in the sand. And lastly: a plea to bands who don't credit cover artists: please credit cover artists! More than a few albums were left off this list because I simply could not find who to credit for the fantastic artwork. But! Without further ado, let's get to the art.

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Houle - Ciel Cendre et Mis​è​re Noire
Art by: Maena Paillet

This is such a kinetic piece--the interplay between the logo and the artwork captures a distinctly seasick sense of movement. The epitome of dark and stormy. 

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Caelestra - Bastion
Art by: Sean Counley

I love yellows and purples (you should see my home decor!) and here, Sean Counley's gloriously fantastical environ feels both inviting and foreboding.

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Frail Body - Artificial Bouquet
Art by: J. Bannon

The garish-yet-beautiful Bannon aesthetic is instantly recognizable, and the use of swirling bold reds here acutely and accurately captures the aggression at play.

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NxWorries - Why Lawd?
Art by: Israel Ramos

Extra points for goats! This is quite metal for an R&B/Soul record; so dark, so somber, so broody. I love the subtlety and expanse of the landscape--it almost feels miniaturized.
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Acid Mammoth - Supersonic Megafauna Collison 
Art by: Branca Studio

At first I didn't think this gritty amp-embracing pachyderm held a candle to the cover of Under Acid Hoof, but after reflection, I really enjoy how octopusian(?) the tusks are.
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Scoured - Scoured
​Art by: Thomas Cole

Cole's 1847 "Prometheus Bound" perfectly suits the gloaming-esque mood conjured by Scoured. I absolutely adore the subtle logo placement/integration here.

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Denzel Curry - KING OF THE MISCHEVIOUS SOUTH
Art by: Giovanni Mourin
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Technically this is the (confusingly entitled) deluxe edition, but it still counts! I love how this visually depicts the album's fluid cast of features while keeping Curry front and center.

Hyperdontia - Harvest of Malevolence
Art by: Wes Benscoter

I audibly gasped when I saw these beautiful blues and ugly yellows. And, like, a sailing ship crawling with terrible creatures? That's cool as fuck, no matter how you slice it.
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Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal
Art by: John Jay

This image of the self-styled Swamp Princess, an homage to Minnie Riperton's Adventures in Paradise, is stately and powerful and eye-catching. The predator is docile.
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plein de vie - Akrobatlar Savaşı Yitirdi
Art by: Arda Koçakoğlu.

This clown is stark and striking. I do not like how this image makes me feel, and because of that, I feel like it is remarkably effective.
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Dead Feathers - Full Circle
​Art by: Aubrey Rose

A beach is generally soothing, but there's a foreboding and unsettling air about the reds and purples that is quite striking. Simple, effective, and excellent logo placement!
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Traveler - Prequel To Madness
Art by: Dylan Barstad
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Have I mentioned that I like yellow? And also terrible creatures? This album cover has a terrible creature and is very yellow. In other words: perfection. 5 stars, no notes.
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Che` Noir - Lotus Child
Art by: ​hazem the architect

Despite a simple color scheme, this is full of texture and interest and intrigue. The crop on her face is excellent. Che` Noir consistently has fantastic art direction.
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Avernus - Grievances
Art by: August Friedrich Schenck

This 1878 oil-on-canvas by August Friedrich Schenck is entitled "Anguish," and it may very well be the greatest visual representation of anguish I've ever seen.
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Aara - Eiger
​Art by: Michael Handt

Narratively, I'm immediately intrigued. Compositionally, I love how the banner forces a starkness onto an already stark image, with emptiness forcing a sense of confinement.
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Deathrite - Flames Licking Fever
Art by: Rotting Reign

Look at all those swirls. Look at all those colors. This is vivid and lush to the point of near-excess, and thereby perfectly matches the energy and intensity of the music itself.  
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Slimelord - Chytridiomycosis Relinquished
Art by: Brad Moore

What is this, exactly? I couldn't say, but I do know that it is grotesque and beautiful and lush. Grossly gorgeous  stuff! Moreover, the color scheme is brilliant. 
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Tyler, The Creator - Chromakopia
Art by: Luis Perez 

Speaking of fantastic art direction, the Tyler + Luis Perez combination is consistently deadly. The sepia noir aesthetic of this era feels both surreal and paradoxically earnest.
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Defect Designer - Chitin
Art by: Ian Miller
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These guys are...kinda cute, no? Miller's art is organic and intricate yet almost cartoonish in proportion, and often treads the fine line between dream and nightmare.
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Hemorrhoid - Raw Materials of Decay
Art by: Filth Effigy
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I love the sense of movement and the profound emotion contained within this oozing mess. The blue arterial pop, the watercolored softness, the wandering eyeball.

Pyrrhon - Exhaust
Art by: Caroline Harrison

I mean, this is stunning. ​At this stage, I'm firmly convinced that absolutely no one can depict the convergence of beauty and grotesquery quite like Caroline Harrison. 
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Soulmass - Principality of Mechanical Violence
Art by: Samuel Nelson

You can always trust Samuel Nelson to deliver. My review goes into more detail, but 19 months later, I still confidently say that this is one of the best album covers of the year.

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And that's a wrap on 2024! Well, 2024 cover art, that is. Thank you for reading, and for waiting.
My Favorite Albums of 2024 will be published at some inopportune point in the future.