It’s that time of year again where I share my favourite release of the year (in no particular order).

1. Alkaline Trio – Blood, Hair and Eyeballs – The year started off strong with this release from Alkaline Trio which I got absolutely hooked on…Alkaline Trio have never mixed things up and just keep it simple with 3 piece pop-punk and this album sticks with doing just that.
2. State Champs – Self Titled – I’ve struggled to get into State Champs previously but spent December with this album on repeat, it’s high-energy and a lot of fun.
3. Pet Needs – Intermittent Fast Living – The third album from Colchester-based Pet Needs is fantastic and even saw them get into the top 20 of the UK charts. This band is well worth listening to and they’re easily the best local band (both recorded and live) and it’s great to see them getting bigger and travelling across the world!
4. The Hazy Janes – The debut (and self-titled) album from The Hazy Janes took me by surprise and was another album I found myself having on repeat, tracks such as YBB and their cover of Minnie the Moocher are standouts for me but this whole album is great!
5. Frank Turner – Undefeated – The 11th album from Frank Turner is a great album and has a great mix of faster more punk-based tracks and some classic ‘Frank Turner-esque’ ballads…one of those, the title track ‘Undefeated’ has certainly been a grower for me with it now probably being my favourite track on the album.
6. Linkin Park – From Zero – 2024 saw the unexpected return of Linkin Park with new singer Emily Armstrong and whilst From Zero doesn’t break any boundaries it felt like the perfect album for Linkin Park to return with and feels classically LP whilst showcasing Emily’s impressive vocals and I can’t wait to see them in Frankfurt next year on their tour.
7. Sum 41 – Heaven x Hell – The final album from Sum 41 is their strongest album in years and this double album feels like they’re returning to their roots and feels much closes to albums like ‘All Killer, No Filler’ and ‘Does this look infected?’ rather than their albums of late and this is certainly a good thing and whilst their breakup is sad it’s great that they’re going out on a high!
8. Neck Deep – Self-titled – There’s been a self-titled theme this year and this self-titled and self-recorded album from Wrexham-based Neck Deep is great…songs like ‘We need more bricks’, ‘Sort yourself out’ and ‘Heartbreak of the Century’ have all spent plenty of time going round in my head!