Futurism Restated: The Best of 2024 So Far

A look back from summer’s rose-tinted perspective

When I sat down to put together a list of year-so-far faves, I stopped short: What, I wondered, have I actually listened to this year? Thanks to the newsletter, I’m spending time with more music than ever—but the newsletter’s weekly cadence also means that I’m not getting to sit with much of it past hitting “send.” It was always thus, of course: An increasing amount of music hits the internet’s virtual shelves every year, and the more you try to take in, the less time you get to spend with any one album.

But then I remembered that making lists isn’t rocket science. You can, of course, try to come up with something that feels broadly comprehensive, that might function as a cross-section of a given scene, or sound, or set of tendencies. This time, though, it felt more honest to simply try to zero in on the music that’s accompanied me through the past six months (and, in at least one case, considerably longer). These are the albums that I’ve turned to in the kitchen and the car and on the walking trail, again and again—often, because I was writing about them for Pitchfork, but then simply because I wanted to, because they were the selection that seemed to make sense at 8 a.m. as I stuck in my earbuds and struck off on a gravel road through the countryside, or at 8 p.m. as the sun was going down and I was cracking open a bottle of red wine.

It’s a holiday in the U.S. this week, and it’s my daughter’s birthday this week, so I’m taking the week off from the regularly scheduled update of new releases. This post is for paying subscribers, to thank you for your support—you’re the ones that keep the majority of Futurism Restated free for everyone else, so this one’s for you. (Worth noting: It’s all new writing after the paywall—no recycling of blurbs simply because I’m looking back! In fact, a couple of these records I’ve never written about at all.) Paying subscribers are also privy to the ongoing mood-based playlists and the semi-regular Mixes Digest posts, which is now up to issue 6 and counting, filled with literally dozens of hours of ambient, techno, house, drum & bass, and more, for all your studying/commuting/cooking/zoning-out pleasure. Some of it could really come in handy, I’m telling you.

We’ll be back next week with more new releases, and more good stuff beyond that—including one very exciting artist interview and then, a first for the newsletter, some gear reviews of some very intriguing gizmos, because who doesn’t like to push a button every now and then? 

Finally: It may not have escaped your notice that Futurism Restated has a very snazzy new logo! The design is by the great Drew Litowitz, who did such fantastic work during his tenure that when I decided it was time to step up my own logo game, he was first on my list. 

Scroll on—and by all means, subscribe—for the best releases of 2024 so far!