Chris Enriquez (OTMOP, Spotlights, etc) tells us about his 10 favorite albums of 2024

Musician Chris Enriquez kept very busy in 2024 with his various projects: he played almost 50 shows in 14 countries, drumming in Julie Christmas, Spotlights, Orange 9mm (as they played their first show in 25 years), On The Might of Princes, and more, and he also kept busy with his Light Tower project for shows and a collaborative single with Heavy Halo, “Interference.” As 2024 draws to a close, we asked Chris about his favorite music of the year, and he made us a list of 10 albums he loved. See his picks and commentary below.

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CHRIS ENRIQUEZ’S FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2024

The Cure – Songs of a Lost World (Fiction/Universal/Polydor/Capitol)
This is absolutely album of the year for me. This has elements of Disentegration, Wish, and Blood Flowers, which are my three favorite albums by The Cure. It’s everything you want from them and the production by Robert Smith and Paul Corkett is flawless. In my opinion, the last time an iconic artist put out their swan song this good was David Bowie’s Blackstar. You could lie and trick someone into thinking so many of these songs were by a young up-and -oming act, which means these innovators have never lost it. At times, you think to yourself that the best elements of Robert Smith’s vocal capabilities stand out the most, and that Simon Gallup’s bass stands out the most cause of how nasty his tone is, or how Jason Cooper’s drum sound and fills could rival Phil Collins on a good day and are his best recorded performances, or how Roger O’Donnell’s textures make you tear up more than ever and how Reeves Gabrels compliments what everyone is doing with his lush guitar. The truth is that you can’t pick one member who stands out the most because the collective group is simply at the top of their game on this release. What a great way to end an incredible run…

Jesus Lizard – Rack (Ipecac)
Choosing between this and The Cure’s Songs of a Lost World for my album of the year was SO tough. Both bands have proved with their latest albums, but especially Jesus Lizard with their live shows that age is TRULY just a number. This album is heavy as fuck, fast and ferocious at times plus slow and groovy at all the right moments. It’s gritty, raw and honors their classic while somehow sounding modern all at the same time. David Yow is belting his guts out and Dave’s bass lines are as memorable as ever, while Duane’s guitar playing goes from surf rock to Stooges style punk-rock and Mac is just beating the ever lifting crap out of his drums like he always has. “Hide & Seek” is an incredible high energy opener. “Alexis Feels Sick” sounds like it could have been on their amazing album Shot.

Fontaines D.C – Romance
In the same way that every time anything from Interpol’s debut Turn On The Bright Lights comes on during a late night bar hang, adding romance to mood/vibe, everything off this record has that same effect. How do I know this? There were many times this year while I’ve been in bars and I’d use Shazam to see what I was listening to, and I can’t tell you how many times it ended up being a song from this record. For me, I hear elements of Interpol, Of Montreal, Trail of Dead, Idles, Pulp and more. Ultimately this band is totally original though. Their music is dark, catchy, melodic, beautiful and hypnotizing. Vocalist Grian Chatten is a total rockstar in the best way.

Chat Pile – Cool World (The Flenser)
If somehow Godflesh, Jesus Lizard and Korn had a love child, it would be Chat Pile. Once I realized that God’s Country was their debut LP, I was worried about how they could possibly top it. My band, Spotlights had done some touring with them in 2023, and they mentioned that none of them expected their debut LP to get as much attention as it did. I loved knowing that they just wrote an incredible album cause it’s what they wanted to make vs doing something to be cool or fit in somewhere. That’s how the best albums are made in my opinion. Anyway, my worries are over. Not only does Cool World continue their thread of amazing noisy, hard and heavy style that incorporates elements of industrial, AmRep and nu-metal, but the production is spot on like their debut LP. If anything, they’ve added elements of shoegaze on some of the tracks and I just absolutely love the songs “Shame,” “Masc” and “I am Dog Now” which are already classics in my book.

Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She (Loma Vista)
The opening track, “Whispers in the Echo Chamber” has everything I want from Chelsea. It includes soft whispers/spoken word, haunting melodies, howls, pulsing electronic beats that draw you in and put you in a trance, and dark melodies on distorted guitars weaving and slithering in and out. The track closes with an incredible NIN style guitar riff that remind of me of something that could’ve been on 1994’s The Crow soundtrack. Track 2, “House Of Self-Undoing” continues the dark vibe but with a more upbeat trip hop beat. The album continues to incorporate more electronic elements and different sounds/textures. Producer Dave Sitek (of TV on the Radio) crushed it, as did longtime collaborators/band members, Ben Chisolm, Bryan Tulao and Jess Gowrie (who is a homie! Shout to her! She absolutely kills it live on the drums.) Having seen Chelsea Wolfe live many times over the past decade up until recently, her and the band still bring it!

IDLES – TANGK (Fear of Fiction/Balley/Partisan)
This album incorporates very unique production techniques that show in how there are elements of very raw and basic instrumentation fused with layers of piano and synths mixed with distorted noisy guitars and bass. Vocalist Joe Talbot really stepped it up with the melodic vocals and at times channels Thom Yorke as opposed to his typical Gang of Four-spoken word-talking style of vocal delivery. It’s almost as if their typical sound was thrown into a blender with elements of later Radiohead along with nods to The Stooges and The Jesus Lizard. What they’ve done though is totally original and something they can call their own. What makes this band important and stand out is that they are a modern rock band, packing out massive venues, getting lots of media hype and are Grammy nominated in despite of how unconventional their sound is. “Gift Horse” is a standout track for me and is a great example of how they blend their older sound into something more refined.

METZ – Up on a Gravity Hill (Sub Pop)
While METZ open the record doing what they’re best known for, fusing dissonant and noisy guitars, shouted vocals, heavy low-end bass, massive crushing drums, and crashing cymbals, they opted for a clearer sound vs the typically distorted and noisy production of past records. As the record progresses, you start to understand why. Not only is there more melody, but the album closes with what might be the best song of their career, “Light Your Way Home.” The album closer couldn’t be more different from what we usually hear from them. It is a mellower track that has elements of shoegaze. I hear elements of Ride and Swervedriver on that particular track and I’m just so glad the songs on this album were so good that my attention was kept until the end.

Whores – War. (The Ghost Is Clear Records)
Whores deliver exactly what you want from them. Putting out records that have a particular style that is typical of their sound isn’t always a bad thing. AC/DC and Motorhead are great examples of this philosophy. The album opens with “Malinches,” a fast half-time noise rock rager. It’s got groove, crashing cymbals and heavy drums, huge distorted and noisy guitars, low end that will rattle your speakers and house, maybe even the neighbors and ferocious vocals. “Quitter’s Fight Song” is my standout track. It has got elements of Jesus Lizard, Helmet, Melvins and is a perfect soundtrack for when you’re pissed off cause you had an awful day and wanna destroy everything in sight. I don’t know about you, but generally music gets me through frustration and if you’re also one of those people, this record checks off all the right boxes.

A Deer A Horse – Texas Math
To me, this is the best NYC band at the moment. Somehow, they didn’t end up on my radar until recently. I was happy to notice they work hard too. There aren’t enough bands who are hungry and touring AND doing something adventurous. This is noise rock and punk and grunge and so much more. It’s musical freedom. Musically, I hear elements of Unsane, Made out of Babies, Alice in Chains and Babes in Toyland, but also they are so much more. The musicianship is unbelievable. They manage to play the craziest parts without it feeling self-indulgent. The parts are memorable, and I love/appreciate the repetition of what they do because that’s what leaves a song stuck in your head. The songs also all stand out on their own. “Beehive” is a helluva opening song that draws you in. It’s hectic, noisy and somehow catchy. Then “Rearview” starts and has a wild dancey beat, but maintains catchiness, aggression, and noise. I’m so glad this band exists.

Melvins – Tarantula Heart
Melvins are back! The song titles are almost just as good as the songs themselves. Leave it to King Buzzo and crew to open an album with a 20 minute track called “Pain Equals Funny.” This is a return to form in terms of heavy riffs, huge ass drums, in fact these are double drums which feature Dale Crover AND the legendary Roy Mayorga (of Nausea, Ministry and a million other bands.) “Working the Ditch” is grunge at its finest and showcases what they’re best known for along with psychedelic rock elements. “She’s Got Weird Arms” is like if you took Miles Davis, Butthole Surfers and Frank Zappa and threw it all into a blender. “Allergic to Food” is a weird, fun, energetic punk rock song that could’ve been off of My War by Black Flag.

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Chris will be joining Julie Christmas again on tour in 2025, when they have a few European festival dates and a headlining show lined up. See all dates below.

JULIE CHRISTMAS: 2025 TOUR DATES
5/23 Fri FuzzClub Athens, Greece
5/25 Sun Portals London, United Kingdom
6/18 Wed Copenhell Copenhagen, Denmark
6/19 Thu Graspop Metal Meeting Dessel, Belgium

See more 2024 year end lists here.