It's difficult to see another album topping Bakersfield as this year's best pure country release.

With Shulamith, Poliça have managed to create one of the most confident and assertive albums of the year.

Just as deep and cosmic in scope as its predecessor, this album eschews traditional beats in favour of a primordial throb, a rhythm that seems to originate deep within the planet's core.

It's an intricate record, one filled with peaks and valleys, high points and low. It gets a little messy at times, but it finds beauty in it all.

On Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam, The Comet Is Coming continue their exploration of the wide wonders around us — the unknown, physical and metaphysical, light and darkness, life and death, and the connectedness and spirit laced between it all; broadening the scope, testing ideas and seeking freedom and rapture through rhythm and sound.

Keepsake marks an assertive, confident step forward for Hatchie and Pilbeam is well on her way to carving out her own storied path.

Venetian Snares is a veritable virtuoso when it comes to drum programming, and as was to be expected, My Love is a Bulldozer is littered with downright slick percussion.

The result is a moving, disquieting experience, sweetness and fear mingling together as the summer fades into autumn.

This is the kind of odd, idiosyncratic record that makes collaboration so compelling; whether or not it appeals to you, there's absolutely no way you've heard a metal release quite like it this year.

While dancing to his music may prove difficult, absorbing and enjoying it in other ways is certainly very easy.

Natalie Prass is a beautiful record that does best when it prods the sweet ache of failed romance.

Both sides of the coin show all the trappings of a '90s Warp Records release, which we know has been done before, and is certainly nothing new for Avery, but damn if he doesn't do it well.

For 43 minutes straight, she forces the listener to consider every facet of her sound without wasting a second of their time. Her self-assurance in her craft lays the foundation for an album that feels like a signature triumph.

At the Party is lusher and more delicate than its grungy predecessor, Mother of My Children, but no less powerful. Paul's latest is a warm and appreciative ode to the joys of passing the time with people you love.

Heavily inspired by collaborations with Antwerp's Baroque Orchestration X (B.O.X.) and other likeminded artists at the 2018 Berlin PEOPLE Festival, Altid Sammen is a sonic exploration of unique instrumentation that adds to the rich tapestry of Efterklang's canon.

Love in Flying Colors is steeped in an honest, vulnerable lyricism bolstered by dreamy, feel-good synth vibes regarding the complex emotion called love and all it represents.

Experiencing the music of OOIOO is an incredibly satisfying series of sensations that seems to form an exclusive bond between creator and listener. It's a plunge into unbridled creativity that is the true essence of psychedelia.

Coco Hames is a skilful debut that explores the softer angles that the Ettes' last effort hinted at, trading in the spark-plug energy of Hames' former band for a more reflective flavour of songwriting. Luckily, her talent and enthusiasm for her craft are as strong as ever.

It's a wide landscape that Tindersticks illuminate with a palette of both vivid and muted colours.

Apollonia works through numerous styles that easily complement each other, while being distinct enough to stand apart. With 18 tracks to wend through, the effortlessly experimental affair speaks for itself.

Leon Bridges' sophomore record rings as an endorsement of his range. And that's a great thing for Good Thing, which tempers its pop-radio ambitions with unique bends on the age-old love song in this super-tight, 35-minute ride.

Invasive and unknowably vast, Oro:Opus Primum is an excellent listen if you're looking to be blown apart.

It's not a stretch to preemptively label Poetry 2024's record of the summer for the alternative crowd. It's fun, fresh and doesn't take itself too seriously.

While Filthy might not be soundtracking any pool parties this year, it is one of the most vital releases of the summer.

This isn't a Sigur Rós album, and that's just fine. Lack of reverb-soaked bowed guitars notwithstanding, this collaboration vividly reimagines a bastion of medieval Icelandic poetry. The only issue is how long it spent under wraps.

If art mimics life, then Open Door Policy's musical tension, timely themes and efforts to reimagine the band while remaining authentic deftly capture today's world.

This is the work of ravenous, restless musicians who refuse to be pigeonholed.

It's a brand new soundtrack that doesn't require a film. Carpenter knows exactly how to appease his fans, and with Lost Themes, he has given them just what they want.