Peter’s Most Listened To Music in 2024

Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?

Following suit with my top albums of the year, this week I’d like to spend some time breaking down what I listened to the most. As I predicted last week, I don’t think my top albums will have any correlation to what I listened to the most this year.

But we’ll see. I’m seeing these stats at the same time you are. I did not take a peep at it beforehand or anything. (Editing note: this is from January 1, 2024 through December 11, 2024. Unfortunately, Last.fm’s “wrapped” style recap doesn’t actually show up until January 2 of the next year.)

As was the case last year, my listening stats will be based on my Last.fm stats since I use multiple sources to listen to music. However, I purchased a car this year that has built-in Tidal, however, it doesn’t support Last.fm scrobbling but does add the stats directly to the in-house Tidal tracking system. I wish that were different, but that’s life. This post will solely be based on Last.fm stats.

My most listened to music should be super interesting as it’ll be a mix of newly released music and stuff that I’ve absolutely adored, but may not have been released this year.

And just like last year, I’ll be breaking it up into three parts: albums, artists, and songs. So without further ado, here’s my list!

Albums

If you ever questioned whether or not I was a certified swiftie, calm the fuck down. I’ve got the receipts to prove it. If anything, I’m actually shocked at how much she took over my top albums this year. She dominated the charts, even more than last year.

Starting off at number 10 is Sabrina Carpenter’s emails i can’t send. It moved down a rank since last year but it’s still a banger of an album. It falling down a rank makes a lot of sense because I don’t feel like I really played this album or any of its tracks that frequently this year.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad album. Not at all. I think what’s most surprising is that she continues to be my favorite artist, yet this album is ranked so low with only 91 scrobbles.

The main thing here is that Sabrina is no longer an underrated artist. I mentioned last year that she started gaining some momentum by opening for Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour (rip, it’s over). I think it’s a combination of that concert and the track Espresso that took her into the stratosphere.

On the one hand, I’m super proud of her. She absolutely deserves it. But on the other hand, I’m a little sad that the intimate, small venue tours are likely a thing of the past.

Favorite track: decode.

It appears that we have a tie for tenth as Caroline Polachek’s Desire, I Want to Turn Into You: Everasking Edition takes the number 9 spot with an equal 91 scrobbles this year.

Similar to my number 10 album, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You: Everasking Edition is an album I genuinely really love. But the reason why it’s low is because I’m just itching for her next release. I love both of her studio albums thus far, and I’m itching for a third.

But take your time, Caroline. The deluxe, Everasking Edition came out a year after the original. So she has time. Whenever it releases, I am stoked for whatever it is. I think I can officially say that she’s now my new underrated artist. When I mention her name, most people have no idea who she is. I hope this one changes, too.

Favorite track: Spring Is Coming With A Strawberry In The Mouth.

It’s the first, but certainly not the last Taylor Swift album you’ll see on this list. Coming in at the number 8 spot, we have Red (Taylor’s Version) with 95 scrobbles. This one honestly doesn’t surprise me. Of all of my top TS albums, Red (Taylor’s Version) is definitely down there. I think that’s mostly due to the diverse nature of the album. I like parts of the album, but not necessarily all of it.

Despite being at the bottom of my favorite TS albums, it’s still a really solid album. The best way I can describe the album is it’s a jack of all, master of none. She covers a lot in this album and there’s something for everyone. Some might like the entire album, but for me, there’s only a select few that really speak to me.

Favorite track: Babe (Taylor's Version) [From The Vault].

My number 7 spot is the exact reason why I think all streaming services should let you upload your own personal files. Of course, I’m talking about my bootleg The Eras Tour movie soundtrack, with 100 scrobbles this year.

If you’re like me and loved the concert movie, having a bootleg that you can play wherever you want is definitely the way forward until if/when we get an official version of the concert released as an album.

Favorite track: Don’t Blame Me/Look What You Made Me Do.

Coming in at the number 6 spot is The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology by... you guessed it: Taylor Swift. This one actually surprised me as it was number 5 on my favorite albums list for the year. I even mentioned in there that I wasn’t a huge fan of it, and thought it was another singles album.

Yet, here we are. I guess I liked it more than I originally anticipated because spoiler alert: it’s the only 2024 album on this list. The album got 114 scrobbles this year. And I honestly believe the only reason it made the list is because there are a few tracks on this album I just can’t get enough of.

Favorite Track: Florida!!!

My number 5 isn’t that old, yet I feel like it’s an absolute classic. That would be Pang by Caroline Polachek with 145 scrobbles.

It’s a repeat album from last year but for very good reason. I love this album. It’s one of a few albums that I can confidently say has no skips. It’s great from top to bottom, but each song stands on its own. I just can’t get enough of it. Honestly, I envision this album being on my list for at least another few years, if not indefinitely. It’s so freaking good.

But like I mentioned earlier, it makes me excited for her third album, whenever that’s arriving. She’s criminally underrated and is an artist I constantly recommend to people who have similar tastes to me.

Favorite track: Go as a Dream.

Spoiler alert: my last four picks are all from Taylor Swift and I’d say the ranking is pretty predictable if you know me at all. Coming in at number four is Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) with 166 scrobbles.

I’m kind of sad this album isn’t higher up because I really do love playing this album. I think the tracks stand on their own great and it’s an album I can listen to top to bottom.

Right now, it’s the closest we can get to a punk-pop from her (at least partially), and I’ll take what I can get. It’s most certainly an album I expect to see on this list for years to come.

Favorite track: Castles Crumbling (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) feat. Hayley Williams.

Number 3 is 1989 (Taylor’s Version) [Deluxe] with 173 scrobbles. I’m surprised this album is so high on my list. Unlike the last few albums, 1989 is an album I don’t regularly play top to bottom. It obviously could be played that way, but it’s not the way I prefer to play it.

I definitely have strong opinions on the rerecorded album, especially when it comes to how the tracks were produced. That’s no secret. But I have to say, a shoutout to my friend Amelia, because I think I have a new favorite track on this album and they’ll be so proud.

Favorite track: All You Had To Do Was Stay (Taylor’s Version).

We’re getting close to the top of the list, with number 2 being Lover by Taylor Swift with 178 scrobbles. People have been saying for years that Lover and reputation are sister albums but I never saw it.

Until now. Lover comes after reputation and it’s her rebound album. I’d say most (but not all) of the tracks stand on their own pretty well. But this album is meant to be listened to from top to bottom.

One track in particular gets a lot of hate, (ME! featuring Brendon Urie) and I completely disagree. It’s not the best track ever, but it’s a solid pure pop song. It’s meant to be bubblegum, upbeat, and overly happy.

Favorite track: Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince.

I’d be surprised if this one changes anytime soon. This one should surprise absolutely nobody but its reputation by Taylor Swift coming in at the number 1 spot with 230 scrobbles.

I don’t really have much to say. reputation is near and dear to my heart. I play it all. the. time. It’s played at least once a week, top to bottom. I will be the first to clown for reputation (Taylor’s Version) no matter what. Check in on me when the vault tracks drop because I may be deceased.

Favorite track: Dancing With Our Hands Tied.

Artists

Unlike last year, I think my top artists actually line up with my top albums. At least, it’s more consistent than they were last year, where a good chunk of my top artists did not have a single album or track mention at all.

Kicking off my list at number 10 is Billie Eilish. If I’m being completely honest, I loved HIT ME HARD AND SOFT but I completely forgot it existed after my initial listen. It’s a shame because I think it’s a fantastic release and way better than Happier Than Ever by a country mile. But I just forgot about it. I’m hoping this changes in the upcoming year.

I’m actually surprised Sigrid came up at all, let alone be number 9 on the list. But as the saying goes: you like what you like. I like all of her music for the most part, and a lot of her songs come up when I shuffle. I think that’s the key to her ranking here for this year.

Dua Lipa comes in at number 8. Again, this one is kind of a surprise given that I wasn’t a huge fan of her latest release. I wasn’t really quiet about that one. But I can’t deny that prior albums like Future Nostalgia are top tier albums and that’s likely why she’s here.

I can absolutely thank my wife for this one. Coming in at number 7 is Paramore. The band has been a favorite of my wife’s for a very long time, and I feel like this year is the first time I’ve really dug into the discography. Our music tastes are very different so we have different favorites. But I’m glad we have one artist we can agree on.

Although she didn’t break my top ten most played albums, she deserves to be on this list. That’s none other than Maisie Peters. I may not have been the biggest fan of the deluxe tracks on The Good Witch, but the original album cannot be denied. It’s so good.

Another artist where I wasn’t a fan of their latest release, but I liked all of their previous work. Coming in at number 5 is Ellie Goulding. In my book, she’s a legend of an artist. I grew up with her music and for me to continue to get excited about her new releases says it all.

I loved both of her releases and I’ve reiterated it multiple times in this post already: I cannot wait for what she releases next. My number 4 is Caroline Polachek. Everything from her vocal work to her production is a master class. I can’t say anything negative. Her studio albums are great, but so are her live performances. Keep up the good work.

The man. The myth. The legend. Michael Jackson. His legacy continues despite his estate continuing to fumble the ball with posthumous releases. There’s not much to say here. His work continues to influence the next generation of artists.

No, I didn’t join the trend this year. I’ve been listening to her music for a decade now. Taking the number 2 spot is Sabrina Carpenter. I’m glad everyone else discovered her this past year and she’s finally getting the recognition she deserves. I hope this continues on with her future work.

This woman cannot be stopped. She’s had an incredible career with a lot of ups and downs but thankfully the trajectory has been positive this year. My number 1 artist for 2024 is Taylor Swift. I said it last year, and I’ll say it again. It’s almost impossible not to be a fan of her work at this point. Between the tour, movie, new album releases, and rerecords, she’s been absolutely killing it.

Songs

I’d argue this is my least interesting list. It’s a combination of my top artists and albums. I have slightly more variety this year, bringing up the artist total to 4 in my top 10 list. And exactly like last year, I’m going to go ahead and group my paragraphs into artists to make it an easier read.

Kicking things off at number 10, we have Nonsense by Sabrina Carpenter. I think the live outros really got me listening to this track more than I normally would. That’s followed by Fast Times. To this day, the guitar solo is still the ringtone on my iPhone. Have yet to change that at all.

Coming in at number 9 is Dang by Caroline Polachek. That one doesn’t surprise me. It was the teaser track to what would inevitably be the deluxe version of Desire. It’s a very catchy tune. Next up, we have Billions at number 6. The choir outro to this track is heavenly. That’s all you really need to know.

Time for the big one. Coming in at number 8 is Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift. This was definitely gettin’ good now. The number 5 spot is a little bit surprising because I love the album but it hasn’t shown up at all until now, and that’s cardigan. I love folklore but I think it took a backseat this year. Next up is Style (Taylor’s Version). I’d such a bop. But not a big a bop as Blank Space (Taylor’s Version) which takes my number 2 spot. And unsurprisingly Look What You Made Me Do takes my number 1 spot just like it did last year. Ya might call me basic, but that track fucking slaps.

And that leaves number 4, which goes to Burning Bridges by Sigrid. I love the live vibe the track tries to shoot for here. Rather than try to shoot for a perfect studio sound, this track gets a bit messy and has an energy to it that I absolutely adore.

Conclusion

This is now the second year of me doing this and I loved writing it. There’s an obvious standout artist that dominated what I listened to and it’s obvious that I really do have comfort music.

Despite that, I do really love listening to new music. Hence why my favorite releases hardly mentioned anything that was presented here today. The better message is that I listen to a lot of music. And when I’m not reacting to, reviewing, or revisiting an album, I tend to shuffle at my desk. And that usually means playing a lot of comfort music.

If you found this post interesting, I’d appreciate a like or share. If you’d like to continue the conversation, let’s chat on Threads, Mastodon, or Bluesky!