Written by: The Administrator
Whelp. Here I am once more, basking uncomfortably in the midst of list season, justifying why my year end lists are published a year behind schedule. If you've been around for a while, please feel free to skip ahead to the good stuff. If you're wondering why I do it this way, here's a brief explanation: I firmly believe that staying power is an important aspect of music appreciation. The ability of a project to outlast the narrow moment in time immediately surround release day is a testament to its quality. In deliberate spite of the inevitable industry churn, I enjoy the process of looking backwards to revisit old favorites at this time of year. But mostly, I started doing this because I got wildly off-schedule and found great value in committing to the bit. This is the way it is, now and forever. If you are at all interested, you can check out my Favorite Album Artwork of 2024 here, and my Favorite Albums of 2024 list will follow at, y'know, some random and inopportune point in the future. So: here are 20 EPs from 2024 that, given significant hindsight, are still my favorite EPs of 2024. They made an impact and stuck around in my rotation, and that's worth celebrating. As per established precedent, the following list draws from the assorted genres and subgenres that interest me, mostly within the sphere of metal and rap. I took some liberties with the "EP" label; some may technically be mini-albums, so apologies in advance. The list is alphabetical and unranked. Everything comes highly recommended. I'd also like to issue a massive umbrella "thank you!" to every artist who contributed to the releases contained within this list. And to you: thank you for your readership of this little music blog! You're very cool and I appreciate you very much.
Alluvial - Death Is But A Door (January 12, 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records)
Around the release of this EP, I got a text from my neighbor who, despite not really listening to metal, is oddly well informed. "Do you know the band Alluvial?" he asked. "They sound like a band you know about." Hell yeah I do. While not my typical speed per se, Alluvail's noxious brand of swampy deathcore is hooky, meaty, groovy, and gnarly enough to merit a prominent placement on ye olde gym playlist. It's a punchy take-no-prisoners listen, and while a full album might be a bit much, the EP format suits their pummeling style perfectly.
Amanda Reifer - Island Files (August 23, 2024 via TITLE9/Atlantic Records)
I was only familiar with Amanda Reifer through her work on Kendrick Lamar's "Die Hard," but am exceedingly glad that I checked out Island Files on a whim. On these five tracks, she leans heavily into Bajan influence via a sunny and humid R&B + pop-reggae conglomerate. The vibes are immaculate, and as a vocalist, she nails a warm and sultry confidence. Apparent fan-favorite "Sweat" is indeed excellent, but the infectious "Dry Cry" is one of my most-listened tracks of 2024.
Boldy James & Conductor Williams - Across the Tracks (July 16, 2024 via Near Mint)
This is one of those "might actually be an album" entries, but its like 26 minutes so we'll just roll with it. Boldy James and Conductor Williams are both masters of their respective crafts, and arguably operate in a similarly pensive aesthetic lane. The fruits of their collaboration was inevitably going to be worthwhile. As I said in my review: "Across the Tracks arguably shows us Boldy at his best as a storyteller. It is not the flashiest or most iconic; rather, it is intrinsically subtle. It does not demand attention with any immediacy. It takes time to sink in."
Cavern Womb - Stages of Infinity (May 24, 2024 via Rotted Life)
I almost forgot to include this one because I accidently internalized it as an album proper. As a project, Stages of Infinity feels so full, so fleshed out, so realized. It is twisted and gnarled, profoundly warped, uncanny, odd in the best of ways. If this is the forefront of death metal modernity, I'm here for it. As I said in my very belated review, "Stages of Infinity is required death metal listening for 2024." And yes, I still have a great and terrible need for a full album of this material.
Che` Noir - The Color Chocolate Vol. 1 (January 26, 2024 via Poetic Records)
Che` Noir is incredible, and across these four tracks, her intensely engaging storytelling is on full display. Standout features from Ransom (who appears elsewhere on this list) and ICECOLDBISHOP (who is a wildly underrated feature artist, imo) are very well-incorporated, but Che` Noir remains central and dominant across the EP. She is on an absurd run, and while all of her projects get significant play 'round these parts, this was the first I heard and remains a favorite.
D2x - THE HUNGER ERA (October 29, 2024)
D2x is an up-and-coming rapper from Chicago, and this (appropriately entitled) superhero-themed 7 track project serves as an effective primer to his toolbox of styles. He is flexible, he is emphatic, he is ambitious. He is lyrical without getting overly cerebral. Most importantly, he is hungry as hell, and both his drive and authenticity are uniquely tangible and palpable. Really interesting and diverse beat selection on this project as well!
Demon Sluice - Demo MMXXIV (May 24, 2024 via Negative Wingspan)
Demon Sluice made a pretty sizable impact in my particular circle of online music-listeners with this demo, and for very good reason. The brand of black metal represented here is grim, stygian, and absolutely littered with furious riffage. A surprising heft and brutality lurks at ever turn, never obfuscated by the notably dark atmosphere. Garry Brent's bestial vocals are the icing on the cake. This is truly hellish stuff, and a remarkably well-established aesthetic for a first outing. Demo MMXXIV served as a perfect appetizer for 2025's stellar Dancers Beneath the Shores of Fire, but that's a topic for another time.
Dialith - Alter (April 5, 2024)
I'm firmly of the mind that Dialith's 2019 album Extinction 6 and followup 2021 EP Atrophy went vasty underappreciated. Said projects get a lot of play here, and was was thrilled to add Alter to the rotation. This EP is a distillation of what makes Dialith so potent: the songs are exciting, the near-unlimited hooks are glorious, and Krista Sion's vocals are soaring and arrestingly powerful. "Ironbound" in particular is an addicting track. That surprise sax?! Chef's kiss.
Dødskvad - Krønike III (July 26, 2024 via Caligari Records)
Across three killer EPs, Dødskvad have carved out quite the niche for themselves when it comes to grimy, grungy, and otherwise gnarly death metal. Their production style is absolutely subterranean, and the general aura they create is beyond menacing. While undeniably murky, the IIIrd entry in the Krønike series is the clearest distillation of their morbid and horrible vision to date. The mini-review from our own Blackie Skulless was a tad lukewarm, but we are in agreement that Dødskvad have set themselves up nicely for a monstrous debut album.
Earthblood - Witchburner (April 18, 2024 via Inverse Records)
With these three bullish and behemothian tracks, Earthblood successfully incorporate both a slow-burning sludgy stomp and a thrashy drive to be the most cathartic band in the playlist. In my initial review of this (terribly underrated) EP, I argued that "if you like music of the pugilistic and pulverizing variety, you're not going to be disappointed." "Sons of Heavy Rain," in particular, is a mighty infectious track.
Justicar - Outbound Flight (March 1, 2024)
What an incredible opening statement for Justicar, and a prime environment for Alicia Cordisco, the riffqueen herself, to flex her ability to write earworms of the highest order. As I wrote in my lil' bandcamp comment: "this is top-tier US power metal executed at the highest level. The songwriting is energizing and engaging, and a true love for the subject matter shines through." Star Wars and power metal excellent in the same package is a dream come true. I'm so excited for the debut album.
Maruja - Connla's Well (April 26, 2024)
Okay, I'm admittedly cheating a bit with this one. I never listened in 2024--I instead checked this out retrospectively after very much enjoying this year's Pain to Power. Maruja have the uncanny ability to inject oodles of artsy chaos while simultaneously writing compelling, engaging, and listenable material. Excellent stuff. And, lest it be forgot: some expressive saxophone always gets a thumbs up from me.
Negative Bliss - Everything Hurts and I'm Dying (November 1, 2024)
In many ways, 2024 felt framed by Negative Bliss, and their inclusion in this list was both obvious and inevitable. But in regards to this blurb: I mean, let's be real. At this late stage in the game, is there anything original I can possibly say about this release (and the oeuvre of Negative Bliss in general) that I haven't already said? My answer, dear reader, is "no." Read my review in full here!
Pale Misery - Black Starless Sky (May 28, 2024)
On these five dismal tracks, Pale Misery cavorts with a unique brand of doomy dour black metal. Black Starless Sky is dark, dreary, oppressive, and oh-so gloomy. It is intrinsically alienating, and for that reason it is intriguing. In my initial review, I praised the "caliginous aura" on this release, noting it is "as morose as plumbing a decrepit well and finding nothing but the reflection of the titular black starless sky."
Pedestal for Leviathan - Festering Apparition (October 25, 2024)
A project that perfectly balances brutality, hookiness, and a delightfully thick atmospheric patina. In my review, I said that "this is a prime example of an EP where every track qualifies as my favorite." I also said that the project was very promising, a statement later proved correct by the eventual release of Enter: Vampyric Manifestation in October of this year. What can I say? I'm a prophet, evidently.
Ransom & Harry Fraud - Lavish Misery (March 8, 2024 via Momentum Entertainment/SRFSCHL)
In a just world, Ransom would receive the recognition and acclaim he deserves. This is evidently not a just world. On this collab with the ever-competent Harry Fraud, his pen is subtle and braggadocious in equal measure; his charisma is warm without ever feeling flashy. This is a tight and trim project from top to bottom--no fluff, no nonsense. If you're looking to sample, I recommend giving "The Losses" a listen. It's a damn fine track, and a prime representation of a damn fine collaboration.
Samara Cyn - The Drive Home (October 25, 2024 via VANTA Music)
Samara Cyn has become one of those rappers whose mere presence on a single track elevates an album significantly, and when it came to delivering her own project, she delivered. Her voice is so multifaceted, and she possesses a seemingly effortless ability to drop silky hooks, alongside vulnerable introspection, alongside a percussive flow that sneaks up on you with spine-tingling menace. The Drive Home is incredible, and "Sinner" in particular is an objectively perfect song; I will hear no argument to the contrary.
Soulmass - Promise (Sept. 8, 2024)
It simply is not a year end list without the presence of Soulmass, and (spoiler alert!) that law will be proven across my entire 2024 trinity. This three-track EP is an absolute ripper, leaning into a keen and vigorous viciousness that feels a different world from the death-doom environs of their earlier work. Promise is razor-sharp. To quote my bandcamp review: "Soulmass stop releasing the best death metal of the year challenge: impossible."
The Alchemist - The Genuine Articulate (Sept. 20, 2024 via ALC Records)
If you have the very specific experience of being me on July 11th, 2024, you heard The Alchemist absolutely crush a verse on Action Bronson's bombastic "NBA LEATHER ON NBC" and thought "wait, this fuckin guy raps too?!" Turns out "The Genuine Articulate" is a prime display of his prowess. His beats are as immersive as always, and his bars are beyond merely proficient. He sounds almost frustratingly nonchalant on highlight track "Something Light." The guestlist is stacked. Bottom line: do not let the fact that The Alchemist is a god-tier producer distract from the fact that he is also a talented rapper.
Transgressive - Bury Me in Rainbow Flags (December 14, 2024)
And last but certainly not least is the 2-track EP that introduced the incredible Bethany "Beef" Pitts as the new vocalist of Transgressive. I loved "Extreme Transgression" and "Bury Me In Rainbow Flags" as they initially appeared on the debut, but here, the tracks feel like they have evolved into their final form. Bury Me in Rainbow Flags is a potent one-two punch, a succinct distillation of Transgressive's ability to deliver thrash/death that is both unrelenting and startlingly catchy. It also set the stage quite well for 2025's killer run of EPs, which (spoiler!) will be making an appearance on a future Favorites list.
And that's a wrap on 2024! Well, 2024 EPs, that is. Thank you for reading, and for waiting.
My Favorite Albums of 2024 will be published at some inopportune point in the future.
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