The very best debut LPs and EPs from the year that brought you Brat summer.

If you’re in mourning after another year’s failed attempt at a Spotify Wrapped that’s worth flaunting, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered. In the spirit of the season, and to help you succeed in 2025, we’re here to fill you in on all the great debuts you might have missed last year.

So, check out our list of our 15 favourite debut LPs and EPs from 2024 (in no particular order) below and thank us later:

NewDad – MADRA

Incredibly slick and deliciously dark, Irish band NewDad’s first whack at an album instantly got our attention with its fully formed concept and formidable nature. Titled MADRA (meaning “dog” in Irish) after those inescapable, unwanted feelings that follow you around like a dog, the album is bursting with existential lyrics, sickly-sweet vocals and haunting shoegaze soundscapes.

Read our review here.

2. Been Stellar – Scream from New York, NY

Named after that primal scream you might let out when words fail, Scream from New York, NY is a forceful tale of disconnection that’s filled with photorealist detail. Featuring addictive singles Sweet, All In One, and Passing Judgement, Been Stellar’s first LP is a remarkably volatile, nihilistic and instinctual record that hits the rich emotional core and gnarled beauty of modern life.

3. English Teacher – This Could Be Texas

Having released their first studio album to critical acclaim earlier this year, no list of the year’s best debuts would be complete without English Teacher. A truly original effort from beginning to end and crafted to absolute perfection, This Could Be Texas is poignant, irreverent, complex, and just plain entertaining; not to mention stuffed with so many deep and funny lyrics that it brings a much-needed kaleidoscope of colour to the post-punk genre.

4. mary in the junkyard – this old house

Easily the definition of indie artistry, mary in the junkyard’s debut EP is an intensely vivid, punk-accented foray into their entirely unique, emotional world. Evoking the pain and sadness that can sneak into memories of the past, the four-track epic sees thoughts unravel and emotions spiral out of control in moments of angry, weepy chaos rock that are so ferocious and expertly crafted it’s almost as if we can reach out and touch them.

Read our review here.

5. The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy

With everything The Last Dinner Party have achieved in the last year, it’s hard to believe that they only released their debut album in February. Opening with the orchestral title track in true TLDP fashion, the album moves swiftly into the instantly addictive Burn Alive before dancing through hits like My Lady of Mercy and the unforgettable Nothing Matters. It’s ambitious, luscious, theatrical, and quite simply an album that will remain on everyone’s lips for years to come.

Read our review here.

6. Cardinals — Cardinals

With enviable support from Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten, who called them “one of my favourite new bands” during an interview with Radio 1, Cardinals have easily established themselves as one of the most exciting alt-newbies to come out of Ireland. Forcefully stamping their distinctive footprints into alt music’s muddy landscape with their scuzzy punk sound, pop leanings and Irish folk nods, their expansive debut EP is captivatingly vulnerable and slick.

Read our review here.

7. Siobhán Winifred – Don’t Do Well Alone

Featuring previously released singles Lungs, Don’t Do Well Alone and a new collaboration with Stevie Bill on instant hit Killers, Siobhán Winifred’s pop-tinged, rousing indie-rock dazzles on her debut EP. Achieving an unflinching vulnerability and intensely relatable depth with its themes of human connection, personal growth and healing, Don’t Do Well Alone has a feverish live energy that highlights Siobhán as one of this year’s brightest rising stars.

Read our interview with Siobhán here.

8. Chloe Slater – You Can’t Put A Price On Fun

Despite its often-satirical nature, each track on DIY artist Chloe Slater’s debut EP is packed with meaningful lyrics. Encapsulating a distinctive, grungy style as it grapples with social disparities, the shortcomings of modern-day society, and growing up in the digital age, You Can’t Put A Price On Fun is a perfect example of profound indie in its most potent form.

9. Lime Garden – One More Thing

Dripping with the sounds of 2000s adolescence, Lime Garden’s debut album One More Thing sees the indie-rock band take an emotional look at themselves through numerous jangly hook-filled hits. Reflecting on their friendship and rollercoaster journey in the music industry as an all-female line-up, One More Thing sees Lime Garden intertwine their joy and more downhearted emotions in yet another solid indie-rock release.

Read our review here.

10. Gia Ford – Transparent Things

Fascinated by those figures on the fringes of society, Gia Ford’s debut album is a tapestry of perversely tragic characters. A master of vivid storytelling, her LP tells tales of the downtrodden to the downright dangerous through a shimmering array of pop tracks that are as sonically captivating as the figures they focus on.

11. Francis of Delirium – Lighthouse

An album so well-constructed you have to listen to it from beginning to end, 22-year-old Jana Bahrich — AKA Francis of Delirium – proves a pop-rock powerhouse on Lighthouse. Speaking to the idea that there is always light guiding you into spaces where you can accept love and joy, the gorgeously raw record ignites an overwhelming sense of hope through its ragged emotions and fragile honesty.

Read our review here.

12. Flip Top Head – Up Like A Weather Balloon

Self-branded as “Orchestral Cult Rock”, Flip Top Head’s debut EP channels an array of genres through an expertly blended and unique soundscape. Entirely captivating thanks to its engaging delivery and equal sense of prettiness, playfulness and melancholia, Flip Top Head easily prove their musical prowess on this six-track stunner.

13. Andy Goodwin – Tales of a Likely Lad

Andy Goodwin’s debut EP is a lesson in not giving a fuck. Stuffed with witty, wind-up lyricism, addictive hooks and charismatic vocals, Tales of a Likely Lad is a record that can be listened to time and time again. Bringing a refreshingly big slice of much-needed Britpop spirit back to the indie scene, the EP’s sonic depth and melodic groove make it a collection of tracks that are as memorable as they are gig-ready.

Read our review here.

14. overpass – From the Night

From the energetic titular track to the previously released singles Alright and Stay Up, it seems as though overpass have become more instinctive with their songwriting on From the Night. Putting their soaring choruses and melodic dexterity front and centre amongst a well-developed and cohesive soundscape, overpass’ debut EP sees the quartet make a strong declaration of identity with a new sense of sonic maturity.

Read our interview with the band here.

15. STONE – Fear Life For A Lifetime

Mixing lyrical vulnerability with heartfelt punk-inflected Britpop, STONE’s debut LP includes some of their most sombre heavy hitters to date. Moving away from their typically explosive approach to songwriting (without straying too far), Fear Life For A Lifetime modernises scuzzy nineties guitar music for 2024 with all of the attitude, ambition and mighty choruses to back up STONE’s mouthy musicianship.

15 Phenomenal Debuts from 2024

The very best debut LPs and EPs from the year that brought you Brat summer.

NewDad – MADRA