To say that the community did an amazing job this year at making incredible music would be an understatement. In so many years before, there have been difficult moments when juggling quality versus quantity for math rock, but in 2024, y’all actually made it… easy? Believe it or not, yes – at the end of they day, this was the easiest Top 50 we’ve ever put together. There could have been many more.
Now, if we were still sticking to the Top 25 thing, which you would think might save us time, that would be more of a struggle. Sometimes separating the great from the greatest can blur the lines of what we’re actually trying to do which is ensure more people hear more music, and if possible, make sure the artists behind said music get their flowers. A Top 50 allows for people to use the list as more of a long-term reference too, as opposed to a sort of flash in the pan – it’s still a time capsule, but it’s buried a little deeper and holds twice as much inside.
Obviously, 2024 wasn’t all great. Actually, if 2024 was any indication, we don’t honestly know how much time 2025 can even offer us for things like making music just for the sake of making it. We want to say we’re just being pessimistic, but music aside, it was a year defined by humanity’s darkest qualities, from genocide and war mongering to corrupted power and blatant political subterfuge. For a game so rigged, things sure have taken a number of unexpected turns – there are so many memories from this year that we distinctly remember thinking ‘it’s time to wake up,’ but we couldn’t, because we were already awake.
While we’re here and able, we say keep making noise with your friends, families, and loved ones. Maybe it all really is a dream, even if it’s not a peaceful one. Either way, here’s 50 of 2024’s best math rock releases, and here’s to superior extra-dimensional beings breaming through the void to save us from ourselves before it’s too late. To 2025.
1. Yesness – See You at the Solipsist Convention
FFO Don Caballero, El Ten Eleven, Pele
Damon Che and Kristian Dunn set out to transcend their past laid legacies and do exactly that on their majestic debut. Fans of El Ten Eleven and Don Caballero will both be pleased, but they’ll also find that the synergy behind this duo makes for something new and noteworthy altogether.
2. Spirit of the Beehive – YOU’LL HAVE TO LOSE SOMETHING
FFO They are Gutting a Body of Water, Fire-Toolz, Tropical Fuck Storm
A record that broke our bodies, minds, and souls, but also helped put them back together in a more cohesive way, making for our most listened to record of 2024. For a band that always keeps us guessing, this album took the provocation of thought and wonder to new heights, sticking with fans long after the record is over.
3. Melt-Banana – 3+5
FFO Tera Melos, Nuito, Marmalade Butcher
Melt-Banana has never not ripped, but 3+5 showed a return to form in a way where their punk rock roots were showing as much as their noise and pedal worship, making for a non-stop thrill ride.
4. Bicurious – Your Life is Over Now…
FFO Alpha Male Tea party, Bloc Party, Cleft, The St. Pierre Snake Invasion
Taking the sheer anthemic force of bands like Biffy Clyro and Razorlight and melding it with the scope of progressive, ArcTanGent-adjacent math rock is no easy feat, but Bicurious make it look easy, and their latest record sounds breathtaking thanks to the spit shine of legendary Tom Peters at Trapdoor Studios.
5. And So I Watch You From Afar – Megafauna
FFO You Slut!, Town Portal, Adebisi Shank
Megafauna is a clear triumph for And So I Watch You From Afar, bringing all the experimentation of the last decade back home to the explosively emotional nature of their debut.
6. Geordie Greep – The New Sound
FFO black midi, Sungazer, Omar Rodriguez Lopez
The man has done it – Greep’s leap of faith into the world of solo performance and composition was a bold one considering he was part of one of progressive music’s most celebrated young acts, but it’s a move than rewards him, and us, as we explore a world of Latin jazz and surreal, sex-obsessed soliloquies with the maestro himself.
7. Toe – NOW I SEE THE LIGHT
FFO Jyocho, 3nd, LITE
Toe’s latest record is a celebration of life that almost comes as an unexpected surprise – their last couple of records were great but had a sense of reservation to them, almost like they were holding back, and with NOW I SEE THE LIGHT, they finally let it all out, and it’s oh-so-cathartic.
8. Catholics – Synonyms of Void
FFO Giraffes Giraffes, Cuzco, Dios Trio
Synonyms of Void is a fantastic trip down nostalgic midwest memory lanes and the forested shores of the majestic Atlantic, but it’s also very much an experience of its own as it blends the best of the scene’s past with the most exciting parts of the present.
9. Delta Sleep – Blue Garden
FFO TTNG, Via Luna, Hikes
The fact that Delta Sleep’s most mature, most direct, and most enjoyable album dropped in 2024 is almost somewhat of a miracle on it’s own, because it feels like yesterday that they dropped Spring Island, which we said all the same things about. However, there’s a sense of urgency on display with this one that wasn’t there before, giving Blue Garden even more staying power.
10. Layers in Lairs – Mantles
FFO Bearcubbin’, Brontide, Turquoise
After years and years of lamenting the absence of Bearcubbin’, Chris Scott returns with the debut of Layers in Lairs, an album that encapsulates that made the former project great while taking it to new places with drummer Jacob Moran.
11. Charger Port / Serling – I Don’t Watch Sports Anymore
FFO Terror Cell, Thin, Car Bomb
A two-for of the highest order, this split saw Charger Port come out swinging with some legitimately math rock-inspired nuggets, an act that paired impeccably with Serling’s slice-and-dice attack. Even if you never watched sports, this one comes highly recommended.
12. Antinomie – Pareidolia
FFO Fat Randy, Horse Torso, DazGak!
A true outlier of 2024, this bizarre and haunting foray into the artsy-est of Brooklyn’s math rock mirth was actually one of the year’s most deeply affecting albums. If Chat Pile is a little bit over the top but you’re still looking for that absurdist, even nihilist wit, Antinomie’s debut is a great start.
13. Coral Zero – Windwalker
FFO Kaguu, Uchu Conbini, standards
In stark contrast with most of what we listened to this year, Coral Zero dropped one of the most ephemeral, uplifting instrumental experiences of the year with their ten-minute Windwalker EP. It’s a breath of fresh air you might not even know you needed, so if you haven’t bookmarked it yet, you’d better do it soon and keep it handy for the perils of 2025.
14. Bangladeafy – Vulture
FFO Lightning Bolt, Hella, Machine Girl
Bangladeafy pleasurably blasted their way through a number of eardrums this year, brutally booming and buzzing with Vulture‘s increased thematic focus than ever. However, it’s also the band’s most elaborate offering to date thanks to weirder, wilder production and synth stabs, which gave it a seriously cyberpunk edge.
15. Chat Pile – Cool World
FFO Uniform, Sumac, Mamaleek
People are still recovering from Chat Pile’s last album, a nuanced but noise-fueled critique of middle America’s collapse that all but demolished the barriers between trauma and therapy. Some would say Chat Pile’s Cool World, is a functional sequel to God’s Country, but it’s almost a separate statement considering how much more personal, intimate, and all around fucked up it feels, and somehow, that makes it even more intense.
16. Edhochuli – Higherlander
FFO Mountain Man, Zeta, Mastodon
One of our favorite finds of the year, Edhochuli take hardcore, prog, and stoner metal to some really weird places on Higherlander. It’s a complex but tasty brew that had us regrowing beard hairs by the time Higherlander was even halfway finished, and by the time it was over, we were fighting off saber tooth tigers singlehandedly… in our minds, but it still counts.
17. Wombat Supernova – Apewoman VS Turbo
FFO Fox Territory, Tang, Tenchio
More than ever, it seems like people are able to fit infinite amounts of notes within their compositions, let alone their collections of said compositions. But Wombat Supernova lend credence to the notion that millions of notes can still be art and not just numbers for numbers sake – the duo takes Nintendo-core and steers it back towards math rock and prog while keeping in mind that priority number one is fun, which is a balance that’s harder to strike than you might think. There’s quality and there’s quantity, and thankfully, Wombat Supernova have both.
18. Gulfer – LIGHTS OUT
FFO Floatie, Youth League, Avec Plaisir,
What else is there to say than we will miss you, Gulfer, and your rocking tunes. It was a great run.
19. Yomi Ship – Feast Eternal
FFO The Mars Volta, Spirit of the Beehive, Poly-Math
Yomi Ship’s latest album was almost difficult to write about, because we kept singing into it like a warm bath. Taking a psychedelic, nearly vintage approach to post-rock and prog, Feast Eternal is a superbly accomplished lesson in how to blend the old and new without referencing particular influences in an any obvious way. At times it’s reminiscent of Mars Volta and Poly-Math, but direct comparisons are seldom revealed, and with an album this diverse, that’s the way we prefer it.
20. A.M Overcast – Nothing Untoward
FFO Fight Cloud, Love and Mathematics
A.M. Overcast turns loose some of the B-sides of his recent EP’s and, to absolutely no one’s surprise, it’s better than many competitors’ A-sides. If you’ve got something you want to write about, but want to do it beafully and somehow get it done in two minutes or less, take note.
21. Champagne Colored Cars – Future Noir
FFO Faraquet, Fox Lake, Snooze
When CCC first started mentioning their EP, we were confused and checking out calendars because we were thinking “didn’t that come out?” but it turns out they’re just really prolific. Future Noir comes hot on the heels of More Friends Than Fans, and it’s a uniquely sci-fi stab at a concept album that stays compelling the entire time. We’re generally not ones to beg for a sequel, but this is one of those rare times that the concept, execution, and the non-linear lore all seem to be in perfect harmony, so we’d be delighted if the story continued.
22. Fight Cloud – Ritual Disaster
FFO Champagne Colored Cars, A.M. Overcast, Invalids
There are a number of bands that just weren’t able to hack the comeback after the pandemic, and we’ve never once blamed a single one of them. That being said, we’re so glad that Fight Cloud continues to materialize with great music – their last album helped us through the isolation, and Ritual Disaster is poised to help us comprehend the aftermath, or at the very least let us know we’re not alone as we pick up the pieces.
23. Excuse Me Who Are You? – Double Bind
FFO As Living Arrows, Aren’t We Amphibians
It seems like the emo revival comes in waves, and bands like Excuse Me Who Are You? can show us what’s coming next, beyond revivalism: music made by kids that grew up doting on emo’s disturbed but alluring cousin, screamo, and we’re all for it.
24. Rob Ford Explorer – Nil
FFO Floral, Good Game, Invalids
A leaner, meaner, and altogether cleaner version of RFE is exposed on this EP, and it’s actually really rewarding as the band strips back their layers to reveal raw chemistry on Nil.
25. Socks and Ballerinas – A Bit Jumpy
FFO And So I Watch You from Afar, NYOS, Legos
Bristol’s bonkers loop duo never fail to keep things entertaining, but there’s something about their latest album that seems tense, almost on edge as it tries to laugh. It’s uncanny, because the guy on the cover doesn’t seem the least bit jumpy, if anything he’s quite the opposite. But maybe in the juxtaposition of the tightly-wound rhythms and the odd cover we find that really, we’re just jumpy too. These days, who can blame us?
26. As Living Arrows – Hope and Ruin
FFO Funeral for a Friend, Pg. 99, Heroin
Leaps and bounds above their debut in just about every way imaginable, Hope and Ruin leans on their established strengths while introducing new elements but subtle and extreme. If In the Abscence of… showed they had a clear vision, Hope and Ruin shows that the band is capable of far more than competency, often bordering the brilliant. Before too long, we’re sure this band is going to become a reference point for the next generation of screamo, post-hardcore, and more.
27. Champagne Colored Cars, Avec Plaisir, Narrow / Arrow, and Fox Lake – More Friends Than Fans
Okay, you don’t need an FFO for this one – you know you’re going to love it, and we do too. Each band here puts it all on the table, and normally on splits you see bands sort of rein in the risk, so you really get the sense that everyone really trusted each other here, and that every choice was made intentionally. While generally too difficult to manage, More Friends Than Fans is a four-gy we can wholeheartedly recommend.
28.Lilac Stranger – Dreaming in Lilac
FFO Protest the Hero, Closure in Moscow
While this band is new to us, Puerto Rico’s Lilac Stranger have actually been kicking ass for some time, and with their most recent album, it seems they’ve never been more able. While the band blends mathcore, prog, indie, and post-hardcore into their core sound, all of which are done extremely well, there is a consistent soul underneath the constant shifts of Dreaming in Lilac, making for an album that demands repeat listens regardless of how you try to label the record.
29. Professor Caffeine and the Insecurities – S/T
FFO Coheed and Cambria, Astronoid, Tiny Moving Parts
There’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears on display here, but for better or worse, every drop is delicious. Potentially the most interesting thing to us about Professor Caffiene and the Insecurities’ self-titled debut is that it’s feverishly layered with interesting harmonies on both guitar and vocals – they rarely get dissonant, but they do love to stretch, and it becomes subtly addictive once you start to notice it how they play with it.
30. Oolong – S/T
FFO Glocca Morra, Ogbert the Nerd, Suffer Like G Did
New York’s Oolong have a distinctly East Coast delivery that honestly takes us back to the booze-soaked glory daze of listening to Glocca Morra and Dananananaykroyd while… well, drinking and doing dumb shit in dorm rooms. And you know what? We love it.
31. Ogbert the Nerd – What You Want
FFO Touché Amoré, Algernon Cadwallader, Oolong
Perhaps even more than Oolong, Ogbert the Nerd imparted a particularly transportive experience to millennial listeners that checked out What You Want, which travels the same snow covered roads but with slightly more piss and vinegar as they slog through heartache and existential dread.
32. Spring Silver – Don’t You Think It’s Strange?
FFO Pet Shimmers, Spirit of the Beehive, Kikagaku Moyo
This experimental math rock record holds far more than one might think if they just stick around for a song or two – we recommend sitting through the whole thing so you can expose yourself to the various styles on display, from alt pop and breathy alternative to grinding, winding prog and math rock.
33. Fire-Toolz – Breeze
FFO Trust Fund Ozu, Ben Levin, Death’s Dynamic Shroud
A couple of years ago, we were turned on to Fire-Toolz for the first time, and we haven’t been the same since. Angel Marcloid’s most extreme solo project blends every genre imaginable at high-intensity speeds, and often the results are so littered with beauty and brutality that we can’t tell one from the other. That being said, Breeze seems like her most centered and emotional work to date, and if you’ve been hesitant to experienced her art up to this point out of sheer intimidation, we get it – but it’s a good time to face your fears.
34. Daydream Plus – Escape At Your Own Pace
FFO Floral, Catholics, Shalfi
Sometimes you hear an album and you just know that it’s a perfect fit, like putting on a shoe you used to wear all the time and thinking it would be too tight, but magically, neither of you have changed. We had a similar feeling when it came to Daydream Plus’ debut, but Escape at Your Own Pace was unquestionably an album of comfort and nostalgia for us, which at many times, was much appreciated.
35. Rainbow Face – Enjoy This Ruin
FFO Mamaleek, Cardiacs, Mr. Bungle
Portland’s psychotic prog purveyors Rainbow Face hold a unique place in our heart – they take a uniquely poetic stance on blending doom and prog, and it definitely makes direct comparison next to impossible. Yes, Rainbow Face is easily, quantifiably as gnarly as Chat Pile or Mamaleek, but potentially even more unsettling. Their carnival-friendly undertones result in a brand of dynamic spikes you don’t often see explored outside of the world of noise and industrial help establish levels of gothic horror as well, so if that’s your thing, hey – Enjoy this Ruin
36. Garrett Gleason / Niko Wood – When Abundance Fails
FFO King Crimson, Mylets, Fire-Toolz
The noise boys return with a formidable zeitgeist of tape-loop terror and non-linear repetition, and we had a feeling they would – neither of these guys has even come close, not even once, to letting us down.
37. Angus Bayley – Everything’s Dangerous
FFO Strobes, Three Trapped Tigers, Tigran Hamasyan
Yes, we are all still grieving Three Trapped Tigers, and it sucks immensely because we had just finishing mourning Strobes – but finally, the tears can stop. Angus Bayley’s debut EP (produced by Matthew Calvert and featuring Joshua Blackmore) bridges a gap in our hearts we never thought we’d cross again thanks to his expertly concocted experiments in jazz fusion, electronica, and piano-heavy prog, and it can for you too, if you let it.
38. Joseph A. Peragine – Epithet
FFO Don Caballero, The Dillinger Escape Plan
So, you probably already know that Joseph A. Peragine is essentially an accomplished author in the field of mental health, chronicling a journey through schizophrenia that can be hard to digest, but incredible to witness. You probably also already knew that he’s one hell of a musician, and that he often composes with former The Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Chris Pennie. Here’s one thing you might not have known, though – this album doesn’t just feature Pennie. It also features Damon Che. Yeah. You are welcome.
39. Bumpy Soup – The Bumpy Album
FFO Nnamdï, Nurture, Nurture, Dammit I’m Mad
The comedy troupe that is Bumpy Soup have a lot of talent up their sleeves – jokes, sure, but they’re also pretty great as actors and writers. Also, they’re all pretty decent musicians as well, which makes sense, but what takes a moment to comprehend is the legitimate depth they’ve put into The Bumpy Album. It’s not a skit or a punchline, in fact at times it’s pretty serious, but it’s a genesis of southwest emo like you’ve never heard it before, and in our humble opinion that makes it something really special.
40. No Edits – We All End Up the Same
FFO Bicurious, Delta Sleep, These Arms Are Snakes
Although No Edits is pretty much a punk rock band through and through, they were raised on stuff like These Arms Are Snakes and other D.C. Dischord classics, and you can really tell as the band sidesteps straight ahead structure with odd-times and meters throughout the record without making it the main focus. It’s just in their blood – also, it’s nice to see a slice of West Coast post-punk fit in so well with math rock, because so much of the best of that kind of the music is coming from the U.K., and we can’t help but get a little jealous.
41. Luo – The Cactuar Collections
FFO Paris Death Hilton, Three Trapped Tigers, Nobuo Uematsu
We’re happy to report that this unholy union of two of great things turned out incredibly well: Nobuo Uematsu’s scores for Final Fantasy VII-IX is an obvious but complex foil the strobing, laser-lit commotion that is Luo, and to have both in one place is a total surprise but a sonic dream come true.
42. Ufoufoufo – Ufoufo2: Hominid Catharsis
FFO Joseph A. Peragine, Deaf Club, PSUDOKU
This one is potentially the weirdest out of all 50, but it more than earns its spot with the way it’s insane, Grunt-like death metal vocals lend to the otherworldly tunes underneath it. Ufoufo2: Hominid Catharsis plays like a devilish trip to another realm altogether, much of it viewed through the lens of what feels like an interstellar grindcore / crust punk band. It’s a lot to handle, but if like ADHD-friendly genre-blenders like us, it’s well worth sitting through. There’s also an instrumental version.
43. Space Cadet 64 – Disappointingly Bassic
FFO Anamanaguchi, Strobes, apollo bitrate
Australia seems to be popping off with chip-tune and 8-bit glory, and near the top of the pile right now is Space Cadet 64 thanks to their highly detailed debut. There’s a lot of focus on original composition and emotive moments in Disappointingly Bassic as opposed to samples – it’s more loops that are manipulated to emulate the classic chip sounds, and the ratios are right on the money. Purists can scoff all they want, but this is a hybrid moment that all kinds of music lovers with an open mind are going to fall in love with. We already have.
44. Pulses. – It Wasn’t Supposed to Be Like This
FFO Zeta, The Fall of Troy, Soul Glo, Letlive.
Pulses. have birthed a truly modern post-hardcore record with It Wasn’t Supposed to Be Like This, and this time we mean that as a compliment. It’s always a risk to wear influence on your sleeve if you think much about the way you or your project is being perceived, but Pulses. transcend their obvious influences by honing in on lightning-quick transitions from prog to hip-hop to emo, anthemic pop-punk, and more.
45. We Broke the Weather – Restart Game
FFO Squid, Tales of a Liquid Dawn, Perfect,
If you’ve ever wondered what a little bit of garage rock and stoner friendly desert rock might sound like if it grew up on King Crimson, this is a solid bet. The thing is, it’s kind of a renaissance for We Broke the Weather with their new label, so they decided to take a risk with new things, and it’s better than it has any right to be. Restart Game plays a lot of games that you can really appreciate if you wear headphones, but regardless of how you hear it, it forges ahead like a black hole through space as it pulls in adjacent genres… so just be ready for that.
46. Oranssi Pazzuzu – Muuntautuja
FFO Full of Hell, Sumac, Vildhjarta, Violet Cold
Most people have pointed out this record in their year end lists, and for good reason – it’s the hardest, weirdest thing we’ve heard since the return of Vildhjarta in 2021, but it also smacks of some serious The Downward Spiral-worship, making for an engrossing Finnish expedition through the unknown. It kicks and screams, drones and hisses, and eventually implodes with noise, but fans of complex, heavy music will find themselves beyond satisfied by the time record is over.
47. Uniform – American Standard
FFO Crippling Alcoholism, Chat Pile, The Jesus Lizard, Cattle Decapitation
There were a handful of albums this year that really captured ugliness, and for better or for worse, Uniform may have been the ones to give the feeling its nastiest portrait. It’s like listening to an angry ghost trying to terrorize a slaughterhouse. Despite its numerous layers, it’s also profoundly clear, both in intent and in execution. Though it is perhaps the angriest album we heard this year, it’s still one of the best. Don’t let your parents hear you listening to this one.
48. Full of Hell – Coagulated Bliss
FFO The Dillinger Escape Plan, Portrayal of Guilt, Oranssi Pazzuzu
People always ask, “what band would you play for aliens if they finally show up?” and no one ever thinks to retort, “well… what kind?” Because if they’re xenomorphs or yautja, we’ll probably play them Coagulated Bliss. In 2024, one of heavy music’s most forward thinking bands put out several records as collaborations, all of which are great, but they also dropped their most complex and downright freakish full-length yet.
49. The Jesus Lizard – Rack
FFO Big’n, Metz, Shellac
It just flat out doesn’t make any sense that the first record from noise rock provocateurs The Jesus Lizard in over a decade is this good. But really, that’s on us – it has so much more energy than we would have predicted, so, shame on us. Rack is proof you don’t need to teach old dogs new tricks when the dogs kick ass and take names for a living. They’re doing just fine.
50. Shellac – To All Trains
FFO Big Black, The Jesus Lizard, Pissed Jeans, Nirvana
It’s a tough pill to swallow that this record is, at least from what we know at this time, the last Steve Albini record proper. It’s certainly possible he had other irons in the fire outside of his busy production schedule, but legends aside, we accept To All Trains for what it is – an effort as consistent as anything they’ve put to tape since At Action Park but more importantly, for us anyway, a solid goodbye.
“Something something something, when this is over
I’ll leap in my grave like the arms of a lover
If there’s a heaven, I hope they’re having fun
Cause if there’s a hell, I’m gonna know everyone”
(Thanks for reading! Don’t forget we’re doing our first giveaway of 2025 with Haunted Horses and Three One G – donate to Music Cares here and send us proof for a chance to win a limited edition Gold and Black press from the band. Drawing ends 1/17. If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here, but if you’re in a generous mood you can also donate to folks like Doctors Without Borders, the PCRF, Charity Water, Kindness Ranch, One Tail at A Time, Canopy Cat Rescue, or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary that could probably use it more – click on their names above to check ‘em out if you’re so inclined. Thanks again!)