Noise-Rock Essentials of 2024 from Caustic Grit to Psychedelic Chaos

The year 2024 has been a raw exploration of noise-rock, experimental noise, and psychedelic-noise, marked by caustic returns like the Jesus Lizard and collaborative projects like Human Impact. These artists seem to have distilled the unfiltered chaos of our current global breakdown—political decay, economic disintegration, and environmental collapse—into sonic expressions that range from punishing assaults to introspective meditations.

This list captures the sonic shrapnel of 2024 – a brutal, corrosive soundtrack to our fractured reality, arranged in alphabetical order.

Related articles: 20+ Best Alternative Songs of 2024 So Far

Buñuel – Mansuetude

Buñuel, the international collaboration of Eugene S. Robinson (Oxbow) with Xabier Iriondo, Andrea Lombardini, and Franz Valente, delivers Mansuetude, released on October 25, 2024, via Overdrive/SKiN GRAFT. Departing from their earlier trilogy, the album channels noise rock, post-hardcore, and post-industrial elements, confronting themes of human instinct with an unfiltered and abrasive intensity. Read our interview with Buñuel.

Edward Graham Lewis – Alreet?

Edvard Graham Lewis, bassist and vocalist of Wire, delivers Alreet?, a solo album steeped in experimental pop and electronic textures. Featuring contributions from Max Lorentz, Wire’s Matthew Simms and Robert Grey, and instruments like cello and hurdy-gurdy, the release balances rhythmic intricacy with alternating sung and spoken lyrics. The album title, a colloquial nod to North Eastern English, contrasts with the dramatic tone of the music.

Expose – ETC

Expose released ETC on January 24, 2024, through Quindi Records. The Los Angeles-based group crafted twelve tracks merging noise rock with electronic and free jazz influences, featuring contributions from various collaborators, including saxophonist Ray Monde on “Self Terror.” Formed in 2019 by Trent Rivas, Expose has continually evolved its experimental sound.

Harvestman – Triptych: Part Three

Harvestman, the project of Steve Von Till (Neurosis), concludes the ‘Triptych’ trilogy with Triptych: Part Three, released on October 17, 2024, via Neurot Recordings. This final installment continues the series’ exploration of European folklore and the natural world, integrating krautrock, analog synthesizers, and dub reinterpretations. Read our review of the ‘Triptych’ trilogy.

Hackedepicciotto – The Best of Hackedepicciotto Live in Napoli

Hackedepicciotto, the duo of Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten) and Danielle de Picciotto, release The Best of hackedepicciotto (Live in Napoli) on November 1, 2024, via Mute. This live album compiles two decades of their collaborative work, featuring performances recorded at Naples’ historic Auditorium Novecento. Presented as a limited double vinyl and digital release, it includes live versions of tracks from albums like Keepsakes (2023), The Silver Threshold (2021), and The Current (2020). Read our interview with Danielle de Picciotto and Alexander Hacke.

Human Impact – Gone Dark

Human Impact, formed by Chris Spencer (Unsane), Jim Coleman (Cop Shoot Cop), Eric Cooper (Made Out of Babies), and Jon Syverson (Daughters), released their second album, Gone Dark, in October 2024 through Ipecac Recordings. The album continues their exploration of noise rock and industrial music, featuring dissonant guitar riffs, electronic elements, and intense rhythms. Read our interview with Human Impact and the review of Gone Dark.

Jesus Lizard – Rack

The Jesus Lizard returns after 26 years with Rack, their seventh studio album, released on September 13, 2024, through Ipecac Recordings. The Chicago-based group—David Yow, Duane Denison, David Wm. Sims, and Mac McNeilly—delivers 11 tracks of raw, forceful guitar rock. Retaining the intensity of their earlier work, the album moves forward with sharp, uncompromising energy that refuses to settle into nostalgia. Read our review of Rack.

Julie Christmas  – Ridiculous and Full of Blood

Julie Christmas, known for her work with Made Out of Babies and Battle of Mice, released her solo album Ridiculous and Full of Blood earlier this year via Red Crk. Her explosive song “The Ash” is accompanied by a new video directed by Derrick Belcham.

Kim Gordon – The Collective

Kim Gordon released The Collective on March 8, 2024, via Matador Records. Featuring the track “I’m a Man,” driven by stark rhythms and angular instrumentation, the album captures Gordon’s signature edge. Best known as a founding member of Sonic Youth, her work spans decades of experimentation and collaboration. In The Collective, Gordon refines her focus on raw textures and confrontational energy.

LewisSpybey – LewisSpybey

LewisSpybey, the collaborative project of Edvard Graham Lewis (Wire, Dome, He Said) and Mark Spybey (Dead Voices on Air, Zoviet France), delivers a self-titled album through UPP Records. The release merges experimental sound design with ambient undertones and rhythmic structures, crafting a dense, cinematic atmosphere. Read our review of LewisSpybey.

Luna Honey – Bound

Formed in Washington, D.C., in 2017, Lunahoney behind Bound—set for release on November 22, 2024—uses unconventional instruments like organ pipes and vibraphones to craft their intense and atmospheric sound. Luna Honey’s members, Maura Pond, Benjamin Schurr, and Levi Flack, explore themes of transformation and emotional depth in their music. Following their debut album, Peace Will Grind You Down (2018), this new release ventures further into their dark and immersive style. Read our interview with Luna Honey.

MAQUINA. – Dirty Tracks For Clubbing

The Lisbon-based trio MAQUINA. delivered their LP Dirty Tracks For Clubbing earlier this year via Fuzz Club Records. Initially released digitally, the album quickly gained traction, leading to its vinyl edition arriving later this year. Known for their fusion of krautrock-inspired repetition, industrial techno, and EBM, the band uses a raw guitar-bass-drums setup to craft organic, high-energy tracks. Their relentless rhythm and adrenaline-fueled sound blur the lines between punk and psychedelia, making them a standout in both intimate venues and on dance floors.

Melt-Banana – 3 + 5

The Japanese noise rock band Melt-Banana, founded in 1992 by Yasuko Onuki (Yako) and Ichiro Agata, continues their dynamic trajectory with their ninth album, 3 + 5, released on August 23, 2024, through their own A-Zap label. As a duo since 2013, the band merges Yako’s rapid vocal style with Agata’s heavily processed guitar, integrating aggressive electronic elements. Read our interview with Melt-Banana.

Pharmakon – Maggot Mass

Pharmakon, the project of Margaret Chardiet, released Maggot Mass on October 4, 2024, via Sacred Bones Records. This fifth studio album marks her return after a five-year hiatus, introducing a shift in musical approach by incorporating industrial and punk elements alongside her established power electronics and noise influences.

Prison – Downstate

Prison’s forthcoming album, Downstate, is scheduled for release on January 31, 2025, via Drag City. This second album follows their 2023 debut, Upstate, and showcases a fusion of distorted rock, psychedelic elements, and blues influences.

Sex Swing – Golden Triangle

Sex Swing’s third album, Golden Triangle, released on October 4, 2024, via God Unknown Records, cements their reputation in noise rock with its raw intensity and layered compositions. The first album’s single, “Pat Jasan,” draws inspiration from an anti-drug movement in Myanmar, adding a provocative edge to their already dynamic style. Read our interview with Sex Swing.

Sly & The Family Drone – Moon Is Doom Backwards

The experimental noise collective Sly & The Family Drone, released Moon Is Doom Backwards on November 15, 2024, through Human Worth. The album features seven tracks recorded at Larkins Farm, emphasizing tension through sparse instrumentation and bursts of sonic intensity. Read our interview with Sly & The Family Drone.

The Body – The Crying Out of Things

The Body, formed by Chip King and Lee Buford, released The Crying Out of Things in 2024. King’s raw guitar and vocals, combined with Buford’s electronics and percussion, shape an album that combines elements of metal, noise, and harsh soundscapes. Read our review of The Body’s The Crying Out of Things.

The Eurosuite – Totally Fine

The Eurosuite, featuring members of USA Nails, Nitkowski, and Screen Wives, released Totally Fine on October 18, 2024, through Human Worth. Built entirely from live improvisations, the album blends synth-punk, noise-rock, and no-wave, with tracks ranging from krautrock-inspired rhythms to experimental soundscapes. Read our interview with The Eurosuite.

Xeeland – Zones

Xeeland, the experimental project led by Jason Stoll, released the project Zones on November 25, 2024, through Champion Version Records and God Unknown Records. Featuring contributions from nine vocal collaborators, the release merges field recordings, drones, and found instruments with a cut-up technique inspired by a review of Tarkovsky’s Stalker.

Featured image: Heinz Hajek-Halke

Topics: noise-rock songs of 2024, experimental noise in 2024, psychedelic noise albums, Jesus Lizard 2024 return, political decay in music

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