Halfway into the 2020s, it’s clear: This has been an incredible decade for Milwaukee music.

But you don’t need to look back at five years of releases to make that conclusion. Just this year, Milwaukee artists pushed artistic boundaries and made incredible statements that would rival artists from anywhere else in the world.

My 10 favorite local albums and 10 favorite local songs of 2024 don’t begin to scratch the surface when it comes to encapsulating the capabilities of musicians from our city. I implore you to revisit these releases or hear them for the first time.

And then keep listening to Milwaukee music — and be prepared to fall in love with endless discoveries.

10 favorite Milwaukee songs of 2024

The Palestinian-American singer has a radiant voice well suited to R&B, with a sparse and engrossing arrangement that gives it space to shimmer on this track. But the most splendid thing about “june :(” is how direct and relatable *aya is struggling with seasonal depression and looking back longingly at a more carefree and empowering time.

9. ‘RWS,’ SteveDaStoner

SteveDaStoner wins the prize for the Milwaukee music scene’s best self-promoter of the year. His irresistible “join my party” personality fueled his shows (including a Summerfest set jammed with rappers, kids and elders on stage) and his charming social media videos (including a surprise free concert stunt at 3rd Street Market Hall with none other than Ludacris). But that marketing savvy wouldn’t matter if he didn’t have fun songs to back it up, and our city’s unofficial summer anthem, “RWS,” definitely delivered that.

Exciting as it was to see Milwaukee (finally) host so many regional Mexican acts on big stages in 2024, the best part was seeing homegrown talent Klan 414 rise to the occasion with big shows and intoxicating original songs. “Enamora2” was a standout from a very good year, with tender croons from Jesus Armando Sanchez matched by Martin Flores’ glorious (but humble) acoustic guitar lines.

The punk band continues pushing itself in a poppier direction with this sleek and instantly catchy “Narcissist,” whose “na-na-na-na” vocal hooks are just as invigorating as Elizabeth Mauritz’s beautifully bitter takedowns of a terrible ex.

6. ‘Amy Come on Home,’ Ladybird

The country band’s latest album “Amy Come on Home” was a beauty, from the quiet but stirring opening track “Audrey’s Garden” to the bar-brawl-ready “Short King Shuffle.” Check out the whole album, but the title track is a knockout with it’s-impossible-to-resist climactic buildup and engaging payoff, foreshadowing even bolder directions the band might go.

5. ‘Death Is in the Air,’ Holy Pinto

Native Brit Aymen Salah has no shortage of beautiful melodies and gently devastating lyrics in his discography. But “Death Is in the Air” may be a new peak on both fronts, with a soft, Spanish guitar-kissed intro providing a disarming invitation before Salah, through his deceitfully pretty emo-seasoned voice, caps his tragic tale with a gut-punch final lyric.

Patience and meticulous craftsmanship have paid off for Jackson, who makes this list two years in a row, after releasing just three songs in that time frame. Country-flavored “China Lights” (enhanced by ghostly group vocals featuring Caley Conway and lonesome slide guitar from Will Hanson) demonstrates Jackson’s ability to raise the stakes — musically, theatrically and lyrically — without resorting to any predictable tricks.

3. ‘Maybe Hell Is a Better Place?’, Micah Emrich

Emrich made a rich, full-length album debut with “Promises,” but it was the single “Maybe Hell is a Better Place?” that demonstrated he’s a master at grandeur. The song offers a sumptuous three-course meal in under four minutes, beginning with soft guitar strums and pained vocal confessionals; moving into early Bon Iver territory with spectral falsetto; then peaking with trippy, wall-smashing, guitar-rock catharsis in which Emrich’s singing and lyrics remain the chief source of the song’s power.

It won’t be a mere moment for Bug Moment. The ambitious quartet — influenced by emo, certainly, but not constrained by genre limitations — emerged as a leader of Milwaukee’s exciting new generation of garage rock bands with 2023’s ambitious album “The Flying Toad Circus.” But “Purple Guy” ups the ante with even more drama and unexpected twists, an encouraging first taste of a new album that already seems poised to be a contender for the best-of-2025 list.

Zed Kenzo’s sticky flow, sharp ear for production and skill with irresistible hooks have long made her an artist in her own orbit in Milwaukee’s gifted hip-hop scene. But this year, she found a way to distill all of those talents into her boldest run of heart-bursting bangers to date — “I’m a Vibe,” “The Greatest” and “Dangerous” among them — all of which are two minutes or less. “Good Life,” with its Bollywood-gone-EDM beat, is the greatest in a great collection.

10 favorite Milwaukee albums of 2024

The Milwaukee rock band can always be counted on to deliver a delightful racket. And on their sophomore album, an improvement from a terrific full-length debut, they do just that. But there’s more to love about Scam Likely than Charlee Grider’s holler and Grider’s fellow ’90s-rock-inspired guitarist Denzel “Ducky” Dondiego (a wonderful parting statement before leaving the band to support their culinary career). Softer songs like “Nosebleed,” on which Grider’s vulnerable vocals at times resembles Billie Eilish’s elastic croon, demonstrate emotional depths that likely means greater things to come.

9. ‘Mere Survival,’ Joe Wong

The accomplished Milwaukee-born, Los Angeles-based film and TV composer — whose credits includes work for Fox’s “Krapopolis” for fellow Milwaukee native Dan Harmon — conceived and impeccably executed his own Pink Floyd-style opus on “Mere Survival.” It demonstrates, perhaps even more than his film and TV work, Wong’s ability to create cinematic-scale emotions through expansive and intimate symphonic-rock arrangements.

The singer-songwriter approaches her mid-twenties with a lot of soul searching across seven impeccably crafted songs — expressing regret for letting friendships wither, among other reasons for remorse, that are relatable regardless of your age. Mahal may have a lot to figure out in her life, but when it comes to acute and compelling lyrics about the human condition, “Allie” shows she’s an assured and commanding songwriter.

There are scores of gifted musicians in Milwaukee, but perhaps no one is as transporting as the Bush brothers Kevin and Will. Their PhD-worthy study of ’80s synthpop has paid off through their own meticulously crafted and engrossing music, which reaches new levels of emotional impact on this epic seven-song album. A-list pop stars and filmmakers would be wise to take notice and start blowing up their phones, begging for collaborations.

Not since Coo Coo Cal topped Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart in 2001 has a Milwaukee-based rapper had a bigger hit than J.P.’s irresistible “Bad Bitty,” which by year’s end accumulated nearly 26 million streams on Spotify alone. The album “Bad Bitty” appeared on, “Coming Out Party,” proved J.P. was no one-hit wonder, with each of the beat-slapping, fun-loving lowend tracks on the album every bit as intoxicating as the breakout song. Through some soulful vocals here, and surprising sonic detours there, J.P. illustrates that he has a whole lot to offer.

Caley Conway’s enigmatic and unpredictable tendencies shine brighter than ever on sophomore full-length “Partner,” making these seven dreamy tracks intriguing and arresting on first listen. But what makes “Partner” so powerful is the way it invites new considerations with each listen, from fresh interpretations of Conway’s mysterious vocal deliveries to a new layer of emotional resonance unearthed from an instrumental choice freshly detected after copious listens. And while my listens are so far just a handful, “Partner” really does seem like the kind of album that will provoke new revelations in perpetuity.

4. ‘Trust in Movements Made,’ Field Report

Field Report frontman Christopher Porterfield, one of Milwaukee’s finest songwriters, signed up to be artist in residence for the Lotus Legal Clinic’s Rise & Thrive program, partnering with five survivors of sexual violence, who lent their perspectives and poetry to songs about processing their grief and rediscovering their joy. The result is a moving document of human perseverance, determination and the power of empathy and healing.

3. ‘The Real Truth,’ Maximiano

It’s the “real truth,” all right — one of the most piercing and emotionally resonant collections of songs from a Milwaukee artist of the year, an even more admirable feat as a debut. From unearthing hard-fought realizations over ethereal ambiance on the jaw-dropping title track to a grand finale via “The Moment’s Gone” that slides from jazzy, piano-powered epiphanies, Maximiano turns “The Real Truth” into a towering artistic achievement.

After making this list last year with the frequently funny and infectious “Undeniably Ground-Breakingly Excellent,” James makes the list again with a very different album. “It’s Giving Healed Black Man” cuts closer to his heart as James seeks redemption and atonement, faces hard truths and seeks a healthier way of living — all while not abandoning the charisma, humor and heart-racing hooks that have made James one of the brightest talents on Milwaukee’s golden hip-hop scene.

Do life’s stressful circumstances make you want to scream? Make you feel like whimpering? Emo act Barely Civil has the perfect album for you, and for these times, throwing bitter screams against lonesome whispers, tender guitar melodies against heart-bursting rock onslaughts, grand statements against intimate emotional excavations. We may not be fine, but in tapping into such palpable anxiety with such clarity, Barely Civil has made the finest Milwaukee album of the year, and one of the finest albums to come from anywhere in 2024.

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.