2024: My Year in Music

For a lot of reasons, this past year has been incredibly challenging for me on a personal level.

I found myself grappling with emotions like self-doubt, anxiety, and uncertainty—plus the ever-confusing combination of not even being able to name what I was feeling or figure out what was missing. Each time, it hit me differently. Sometimes, I was just short on confidence. Other times, I questioned everything. There were moments I felt deeply pessimistic about my future, and others when I wanted to leave it all behind and start fresh somewhere far away.

But here I am—it’s January 2025, and I made it through the year! That’s what counts, even though it’s left some scars that future-me will have to deal with.

Long Walks and Music for the win!

While I averaged about 5,000 steps per day in 2023, I ended 2024 with a much-improved daily average of around 8,000 steps. The shift became especially noticeable after I moved apartments in September—a huge new chapter in my life. From that point on, my Weekly Step Totals showed a clear uptick, particularly in the final weeks of December. After September, my average daily steps increased to 10,500, and by December, it was up to 11,500. It’s no coincidence that these were also the times I felt most sensitive to the emotions and negative thoughts I mentioned earlier. That’s when I felt the need for longer, more frequent walks.

(Just ignore the tallest bar in June—that was from a week of wildlife walks during a vacation in Canada, which did me a lot of good, too.)

There’s a saying, you can’t run away from your problems, but I definitely tried to walk away from mine last year. Fresh air and physical activity were a huge help in quieting the intrusive thoughts that were sometimes very loud in my mind. And there was something else that helped during those walks: music.

2024 was the year I rediscovered music—not just as something to enjoy but as a form of therapy. Because of that, I found myself listening to far fewer podcasts and a lot more music.

But what did I listen to? My Last.FM report for 2024 has the answer:

My most played artists

1. The Menzingers
   Since 2020, these four guys from Scranton, Pennsylvania, have been my most-played artist every single year. And yes, it’s that Scranton—the one you might know from The Office, which also happens to be one of my favorite shows. Funny enough, I only recently made that connection. The Menzingers are one of the rare bands I can listen to on repeat for hours, days, even weeks, without ever getting tired of them. My most-played track of theirs by far is After The Party , which perfectly demonstrates why their music resonates so deeply with me. Their lyrics carry layers of meaning that anyone can relate to. After the Party can be about recovering from a wild night out, a failed relationship, or even your life falling apart—basically, anything where the highs are incredibly high and the lows are devastatingly low.
   Even though they have a distinctive sound, each of their songs has a unique way of evoking different emotions or core memories. Take Lookers , for example. It leans more melancholic and nostalgic, pondering what might have been. And Greg, the lead singer, has an incredible voice that really shines in the the Live & Acoustic version of it.
   On top of their great songs, The Menzingers are also masters of low-budget music videos. I Don't Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore is a perfect example of how they pair humor and heart with their music.
2. The Gaslight Anthem
   I’ve been listening to The Gaslight Anthem for over 10 years now. After taking a break in 2018, they came back two years ago with an album that proved they hadn’t lost a step in their musical quality. Known for their faster, more energetic tracks like The '59 Sound and American Slang , they also showcase incredible versatility and flawless songwriting with songs like Here Comes My Man and Get Hurt .
   Lead singer Brian Fallon has one of the most distinctive and recognizable voices I’ve ever heard, and he fully embraces it in stripped-down performances like If Your Prayers Don't Get To Heaven and Positive Charge .
3. Jimmy Eat World
   Admittedly, up until this year, Jimmy Eat World was just another band to me. Sure, I listened to songs like The Middle and Sweetness regularly, but it wasn’t until this year that I truly experienced the full depth of their music—and I absolutely enjoyed it! I love the hopefulness in Futures , the nostalgia in Something Loud and the encouragement to see things in a more positive light in Chase This Light .
4. Linkin Park
   2024 was the year I rediscovered just how much I liked Linkin Park—and how much I love the new Linkin Park featuring Emily Armstrong! Their new album is an absolute banger. The more I listen to live versions of their new tracks like The Emptiness Machine and Two Faced alongside classics like Papercut (probably my favorite Linkin Park song), the more I appreciate how their music continues to evolve and improve with each new track and performance..
5. Spanish Love Songs
   I discovered Spanish Love Songs as the supporting act for The Menzingers during a concert in Cologne in February 2020, just a short time before Covid hit. For a long time, that ended up being the last concert I attended. But Spanish Love Songs left such a strong impression on me that I’ve been playing their music on repeat ever since. Songs like Generation Loss , Self-destruction (as a sensible career choice) and Losers perfectly capture a balance of sadness, anger, and a surprising sense of hopefulness and optimism.

My most played albums

1. Hello Exile by The Menzingers
   Favorite tracks: America (You're Freaking Me Out) , Strangers Forever & Anna
2. Futures by Jimmy Eat World
   Favorite tracks: Pain , Kill & The World You Love
3. Some of it was true by The Menzingers
   Favorite tracks: Hope is a Dangerous Little Thing & Alone in Dublin
4. Brave Faces, Everyone by Spanish Love Songs
   Favorite tracks: Beach Front Property , Brave Faces, Everyone & Losers 2
5. After the Party by The Menzingers
   Favorite tracks: After The Party , Midwestern States & Bad Catholics

My most played songs

1. Jimmy Eat World – Work
2. The Gaslight Anthem – History Books
3. Matt Mays & El Torpedo – Cocaine Cowgirl
4. The Gaslight Anthem – Positive Charge
5. The Menzingers – Ultraviolet

New Artists and Songs I discovered

• Fontaines D. C. – Starbuster
• Coast Arcade – City Limits
• Like Roses – Broken Things (Lie To Me)

Live concerts I loved

• Simple Plan – Live at Toronto Union Station
• The Interrupters – Live at Pinkpop 2024
• Weezer – The Blue Album (Live at Spotify)
• Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls – at Shamrock Rebellion

Live song performances I loved

• Soul Asylum – Runaway Train (Live on KEXP)
• Green Day – Basket Case (Live on the Stern Show)
• Bryan Adams – Summer of 69 (At The Royal Albert Hall)
• Linkin Park – My December
• Yellowcard – Ocean Avenue (Live on GMA)
• Jimmy Eat World – Love Never (Phoenix Sessions)
• Jimmy Eat World – Work (Phoenix Sessions)
• Jimmy Eat World – The World You Love (Phoenix Sessions)
• Jimmy Eat World – Pain (Phoenix Sessions)

Covers I loved in 2024

• Franz Ferdinand – Good Luck, Babe! (Chappell Roan Cover)
  
• Arcade Fire – As It Was (Harry Styles cover)
• The Beaches – One More Time (Blink-182 Cover)
• First to Eleven – Misery Business (Paramore Cover)
• First to Eleven – Face Down (The RJA Cover)

And a very special mention of this video from 2015, where Jim Adkins (frontman of Jimmy Eat World) sings the bands’ Chase This Light one of my all time favorite songs casually with just a guitar on a private wedding. Not ashamed to admit, that I watch this video at least once a month.