With more and more artists releasing EPs to extend album cycles or just to get their music out there more frequently, I figured I’d give them their own best of list this year. Categorizing music release types gets tricky, and EPs tend to get lost in the shuffle. They aren’t quite full-length albums featuring a thought-out collection of songs curated over years, but they’re a little more than just assemblies of random singles–even though a lot of them don’t even get a physical release.
Each year, I notice more and more EPs come through and there were just so many great ones this time around–some even featuring chart-dominating singles! As always with my lists, this round-up of EPs features an eclectic medley of genres and both up-and-coming and veteran artists. There’s soul, indie folk, new wave, jazzy vibes, and synthpop to be found, here – as well as several EPs with “Un-” titles. So, please enjoy my list of the best 20 EPs of 2024!
If you’re so inclined, you can listen to a playlist of my top songs from these EPs here.
1. Hozier – Unheard (March 22, Rubyworks/Island Records/Columbia Records)
Not even Hozier and his team were prepared for the splash that this EP, meant as a bonus add-on to his previous 2023 album, Unreal Unearth, would make. The funky, hedonistic lead single “Too Sweet” accidentally leaked on a podcast before the EP was even released and proceeded to immediately go viral on TikTok. This launched Irish singer-songwriter Andrew Hozier-Byrne, already a legendary artist with a dedicated cult following of millennials (including myself), back into the mainstream limelight for the first time since 2013’s “Take Me to Church.” In fact, “Too Sweet” became a number one in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Australia, Iceland, Norway, and New Zealand–and the first U.S. number one for any Irish artist since Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” in 1990, which also happens to be the year Hozier was born.
Speaking on the song’s surprise success, Hozier tells Variety, “It’s a song about somebody who wants to self-destruct and get trashed! You know, I’ve had a quiet laugh to myself about that. I’ve definitely written songs that deal with more complicated, more difficult, themes for sure. But I guess it’s something that’s fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s part of its appeal. And it’s also why maybe, initially, when the choice came of putting it on the album, I thought that maybe it wouldn’t have worked. But there you go.”
Though less chart-dominating, the other three songs on the EP are equally great and showcase the full range of Hozier’s heretofore underrated talents, from the mellow folk tune “Wildflower and Barley,” co-written with Grammy-award-winning singer-songwriter Allison Russell, to the quirky Joni Mitchell-esque “Fare Well” to the gritty, bluesy sleaze of “Empire Now.”
My top songs: “Too Sweet,” “Wildflower and Barley (feat. Allison Russell),” “Fare Well”
Check the EP out here.
2. Hozier – Unaired (August 16, Rubyworks/Island Records/Columbia Records)
It turns out that 2024 was the “Year of Hozier.” Following up on the unexpected success of “Too Sweet,” he released a second EP of bonus songs from the Unreal Unearth sessions. The EP’s modern anti-war anthem lead single, “Nobody’s Soldier,” was live-debuted during his headlining 2024 Lollapalooza performance amid his nearly two straight years of touring.
Lest you think that the laconic neat-whiskey-and-black-coffee-drinking persona of “Too Sweet” is all there is to Hozier, this diverse EP is here to remind you just how wrong that assumption is. In addition to “Nobody’s Soldier,” the EP includes the sexy R&B-vibed “July” and the heartfelt folk ballad “That You Are,” which was co-written with Syrian-American singer-songwriter Bedouine (who you should probably also check out). Also, if you get a chance to see Hozier live, you most definitely should. He performs with an equally talented band and eschews the use of click or back tracks, making for an intimate, one-of-a-kind experience. Plus, his voice in real time is truly something to behold.
My top songs: “Nobody’s Soldier,” “July,” “That You Are (feat. Bedouine)”
Check the EP out here.
3. Quinn Oulton – Lead You To Water (November 22, DeepMatter Records)
More people need to know about Quinn Oulton. The London-based vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer started out playing saxophone and was primarily inspired by jazz. He released his first music in 2020 and has been cranking out songs and videos ever since. This EP features four incredibly addicting jazzy, sexy songs brought to life by Oulton’s sultry vocals and expert guitar work. They should all be mainstream hits. Can we please make that happen?
My top songs: “When You’re Near (feat. Rich),” “Heavy Breathing,” “Just Calm Down”
Check the EP out here.
4. Samantha Clemons – Fair Warning (November 15, Self-Released)
Texas-born and St. Louis-based singer-songwriter Samantha Clemons is another artist that everyone should have on their radar. Raised in a military family and inspired by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson, and her mother, who is a St. Lucian musician herself, Clemons began playing guitar at the young age of nine. In addition to founding a successful contracting firm, she started releasing music in 2018. This EP brings us five soulful, folk-tinged songs that showcase her rich, nuanced voice and superb storytelling abilities.
My top songs: “Fair Warning,” “You Are Mine,” “Colored”
Check the EP out here.
5. DREAMCAR – Dream EP (April 5, Self-Released)
If you know anything about me, it’s that I’m a Davey Havok fan. Be it his main band, AFI, Blaqk Audio (his electronic project with bandmate Jade Puget), or any of his various other artistic pursuits—which include still more bands, novels, blogs, and clothing lines—I’m here for it. On that list is DREAMCAR, a new wave supergroup he formed with three members of No Doubt (Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont, and Adrian Young) in 2016. DREAMCAR’s songs are always fun and catchy, as evidenced by their first single, 2017’s “Kill For Candy.” While its members have been busy with their main bands in the intervening years, they gave us a surprise drop of this fun 2024 EP, which features the sassy “Torn Close,” the nocturnal underground anthem “We Rats,” and a David Bowie cover for good measure.
My top songs: “Torn Close,” “We Rats,” “Moonage Daydream”
Check the EP out here.
6. Morgan Harper-Jones – Journal Versions (November 8, Play It Again Sam)
English singer-songwriter Morgan Harper-Jones comes from a family of musically-inclined people. Inspired by everyone from Diana Ross and the Supremes to Joni Mitchell to Okay Kaya, Jones started singing over the demo mode on her keyboard and released her first song, “Breathe,” in 2020. Though she’s been touring since she was 17, the 25-year-old musician still prefers the countryside.
“I’m in no way a rock star,” she tells Wasserman. “I like getting up early, being in nature, and doing wholesome things. I just love music.” Her songs were featured in the 2023 Netflix film Love At First Sight, and she released her debut album, Up the Glass, this year as well. This EP features five intimate, acoustic re-recordings of her previously released songs, including a new take on her popular cover of The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star.”
My top songs: “Video Killed the Radio Star – Journal Version,” “Lonely – Journal Version,” “Boombox – Journal Version”
Check the EP out here.
7. Bon Iver – SABLE, (October 18, Jagjaguwar)
Indie folk and experimental rock band Bon Iver, founded by Justin Vernon in 2006, has four full-length albums under their belt—most famously 2007’s For Emma, Forever Ago. While the group has dabbled in more produced music in recent years, this three-song EP sees a return to their more indie rock roots, which, as Vernon tells Stereogum, “runs the gamut from accepting anxiety to accepting guilt to accepting hope.” The lead single, “S P E Y S I D E,” can definitely make you cry if it hits you at the right time (based on a true story).
My top songs: “S P E Y S I D E,” “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS,” “AWARDS SEASON”
Check the EP out here.
8. Khatumu – hunting days (November 29, Self-Released)
Though she has always been artistically-inclined, New York City singer-songwriter Khatumu just barely started making music during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she taught herself to play the guitar while attending college. Since then, she has graduated from Yale University and is focusing more on music. On this EP, she plays an eclectic mix of slide guitar, banjo, and electric guitar accompanied by her lovely vocals and often intense lyrics that focus on situationships and romance gone wrong. For example, on lead single “hunting days,” she sings, “Treat me like a dog, take me out back, put a bullet in my brain. Tell me that my hunting days are done.”
My top songs: “hunting days,” “allergy season,” “not what professionals do”
Check the EP out here.
9. Nicosa – Era (November 29, Music Sounds Records/Venice Music)
Rio Rico, Arizona-native singer-songwriter Nicole Paco, who performs as Nicosa, creates melodic rock music with Latin pop influences, as you might expect from someone who grew up in a border town. Era is her debut EP, and it was recorded completely analog. These five songs are all catchy and fun and feature a mix of Spanish and English lyrics sung in Pacos’ airy vocals.
My top songs: “Pedazos,” “Pomegranate,” “Blend”
Check the EP out here.
10. Kaleah Lee – Birdwatcher (March 22, Self-Released)
Kaleah Lee is a singer-songwriter from Vancouver, Canada, who enjoys observing both how it feels to be a young woman in the modern world–and birds. She’s been making a splash on social media, with even Taylor Swift taking notice of one of her covers on TikTok. Lee’s debut EP, Birdwatcher, features seven delicate, nature-focused indie folk songs that are sure to pull you in. Speaking about the EP on Instagram, Lee says, “I made this project in my bedroom, the oldest song written September 2022 and the most recent July 2023, and I feel like it encapsulates the weird and warped and beautifully painful period of stretching and growth and change and living that existed in between for me.”
My top songs: “Birdwatcher,” “The Same,” “Wake”
Check the EP out here.
11. Zimmer90 – What Love Is (June 28, Self-Released)
German indie pop band Zimmer90 (“Room 90” in German) made a splash this year with their song “What Love Is,” which went viral on TikTok – especially in nostalgic flashback montages. The two first met through a mutual piano teacher who also helped them record their first songs and is considered a member of the band. Aside from him, the two count Tame Impala and Beach House as inspirations. “We have always been fascinated by vast sound worlds you can immerse yourself in,” the duo tells PAPER. “We see music as space. Whether played at a concert or heard by an individual in a room. And we wanted to have this quality in our own music, too.” This EP is chock full of catchy synth melodies with both disco and earworm qualities.
My top songs: “For You,” “Summer Rain,” “Drowning”
Check the EP out here.
12. Nourished by Time – Catching Chickens EP (March 22, XL Recordings)
The solo project of Baltimore singer and producer Marcus Brown, Nourished by Time caught a lot of ears with last year’s debut album, Erotic Probiotic 2. This follow-up EP was written both in his home studio and while traveling over the course of a year. Its title is a nod to the famous Rocky II scene in which Sylvester Stallone gathers rambunctious chickens to hone his agility. As you might expect from that thesis statement, it’s a diverse album full of pleasant R&B and bedroom pop-style grooves with what the kids might call a “chill vibe.” Despite this, the lyrics tackle some pretty dense themes. For example, according to the project’s Bandcamp, the EP’s opening song, “Hell of a Ride,” “contemplates the fall of the American empire and late-stage capitalism loneliness.” Still, we can all enjoy the journey with these five songs!
My top songs: “Hell of a Ride,” “Hand on Me,” “Romance in Me”
Check the EP out here.
13. The Doyénne – LA FEMMÉ TECHNO (December 6, House of Creation)
Phoenix-based producer and musician Syeed Poole, who performs as The Doyénne, has been creating music and putting on riveting live shows in Arizona for years. The Phoenix New Times even named him the “Best Musical Queer Icon” in 2018. This six-song EP, which he calls “a retro-art moment” on his Instagram, pulls from R&B, electronic dance, synthpop, and hip hop influences. It’s catchy, fun, and affecting.
My top songs: “NEW GAME+,” “ASS LIKE -RE:,” “LOVE LESSONS”
Check the EP out here.
14. Baby Rose and BADBADNOTGOOD – Slow Burn (April 12, Secretly Canadian)
Canadian instrumental band BADBADNOTGOOD has been busy this year, releasing a studio album and three other EPs in addition to this one. And while all were great, this pairing with singer Baby Rose really hit the spot. Rose was inspired by time spent between the bustling city atmosphere of Washington, D.C. and the peaceful Carolina countryside when penning these dreamy songs, and this collaboration with BADBADNOTGOOD as producers bloomed naturally into a full EP of six entrancing R&B, ‘70s singer-songwriter, and soul-inspired songs. Speaking about the EP on her Spotify bio, Rose stated: “It’s one thing carrying the weight of the emotion I’m going to bring as a vocalist and lyricist, but now I feel like I’m the head on a body with all these players and artists and other limbs. I’m in love with that process.”
My top songs: “Caroline (feat. Mereba)” “Slow Burn,” “One Last Dance”
Check the EP out here.
15. Hazlett – Goodbye to the Valley Low (Side B) (October 4, BLNK Music/Nettwerk Music Group)
Indie folk singer-songwriter Hazlett, who was born in Australia and now lives in Stockholm, is slowly rising to mainstream awareness with his vulnerable and soothing songs that could easily play alongside the likes of Bon Iver and Noah Kahan. This EP is the follow-up to 2023’s Goodbye to the Valley Low (Side A), which brought the world his now-popular songs “Missionary Feelings” and “Blame the Moon.”
According to his Instagram account, both parts were recorded in the “unusual silence” of an isolated cabin. Side B sees him grappling with loss and sadness a little more—something that he told The Luna Collective represents “post-cabin clarity,” as opposed to the “pre-cabin confusion” of Side A. The two EPs will eventually be put together as a full album.
My top songs: “Do You Haunt Me,” “Shiver,” “I’m Not Ready to Go”
Check the EP out here.
16. The Garden – Six Desperate Ballads (October 30, Self-Released)
The Garden is an enigmatic California experimental rock band composed of twin brothers Fletcher and Wyatt Shears. Since starting out as teens in 2011, the two have become known for their rowdy shows, face paint, and loud, punky music. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them live and it’s a real treat. This EP was aptly released just before Halloween, and it is indeed well-suited to spooky season. There are werewolf howls on “The Nightmare” and myriad other haunted flourishes. One reviewer described the EP’s opener, “Filthy Rabbit Hole,” as “a West Coast lo-fi hardcore punk track from the ‘80s.” But don’t let any of that discourage you! Other songs like “Man of the People” are full of melodic indie rock charm.
My top songs: “Man of the People,” “Ballet,” “The Nightmare”
Check the EP out here.
17. Helix – Unimaginable Place (February 1, Records DK)
Composed of Mari Kattman of Day 12 and Mari & The Ghost and Tom Shear of Assemblage 23, Helix is a husband-and-wife duo that describes their music on Bandcamp as “sonic cinema for sleepwalkers and insomniacs.” Featuring elements of synthpop, dub, electronic dance, trip hop, and lo-fi, it’s music that’s designed to get you moving. This four-song EP is the duo’s third offering, following a 2018 album and 2021 EP.
My top songs: “Hurt Like Me,” “Unimaginable Place,” “Grey”
Check the EP out here.
18. Chelsea Wolfe – Unbound EP (November 15, Loma Vista Recordings/Concord)
Reigning Northern California goth folk queen Chelsea Wolfe had a full-length album this year called She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She. This EP is one of two companion pieces, and Unbound takes four of the album’s songs and strips them down to the bones and marrow. Somehow, they became even more haunted, vulnerable, and lovely in the process. In addition to four dark, acoustic folk songs, the EP also features a Spiritbox cover, which was endorsed by vocalist Courtney LaPlante.
My top songs: “Whispers in the Echo Chamber – Unbound,” “Dusk – Unbound,” “The Liminal – Unbound”
Check the EP out here.
19. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Look At You Now (November 15, White Noise)
Reigning ‘80s electronic music kings OMD (best known for their massive hits “Enola Gay” and “If You Leave”) returned to making their unique brand of hooky synthpop music in 2006 after a hiatus. The English band formed in 1978, with its two primary songwriters, Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, kind of inventing the concept of the “synthpop duo.”
To date, the group have released 14 studio albums, with their most recent coming out last year. While there has been talk that the band is finally retiring for real, this catchy EP, which serves up plenty of their now-iconic sound, hints that they might just keep going.
My top songs: “Look At You Now,” “Tomorrow Is Today,” “Look At You Now – Walt Disco Remix”
Check the EP out here.
20. Tove Lo and SG Lewis – HEAT (June 14, Pretty Swede Records)
Amidst everything else that happened in 2024, Swedish indie pop singer-songwriter Tove Lo – best known for her mid-2000s anthems like “Habits (Stay High)” and “Talking Body” – teamed up with English musician SG Lewis (who she worked with on her last album) – and it totally worked out. While it started as a fun fling and a few leftover songs, the EP quickly evolved into a full-fledged affair. And before you judge me for this pick, listen to the thing! It’s full of 2010s pop fun with a few nü-disco moments mixed in.
My top songs: “Let me go OH OH,” “HEAT,” “Desire”
Check the EP out here.
Important note on year-end lists: This is just one person on the internet’s humble opinion about what is good. And while I like to think that I’m alright (sometimes, anyway), I would in no way claim that I know best when it comes to art (which we sometimes forget is what music is all about). That said, this is hardly an exhaustive list of every good EP that came out in 2024, and the order in no way indicates that one is superior to another. These are just my absolute must-listens.
Until next year!
