The Best Songs of June 2024

If fairness was thrown out the window, all 10 of these songs would just be from Charli xcx’s BRAT extended universe. But, we decided to just pick one tune from the pop superstar’s hyperpop triumph. The other nine songs we’ve landed on are just as good, too. From Sabrina Carpenter’s really, really, really catchy #1 hit to a massively great collaboration between IAN SWEET and Porridge Radio, June gave us everything we could ever want. Throw in a new banger from MJ Lenderman and the return of Soccer Mommy and you’ve got a recipe for perfection. So, without further ado, here are our 10 favorite songs of June 2024. —Matt Mitchell, Music Editor

Allegra Krieger: “Never Arriving”

On her brilliant 2023 album I Keep My Feet on the Fragile Plane, Allegra Krieger made downtempo folk pickings her bag—and all of it was a treasure trove worth exploring over and over (especially “A Place For It To Land”). Now, not even a year on, the New Yorker is back with another record: Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine. Lead single “Never Arriving” is, in an instant, one of the very best tracks Krieger has ever released. It’s an immediate shift in sound, as she kicks the pacing up a notch and puts a heavier electric guitar into focus. “Never arriving, no crying, just lifting your chest to the sky,” she sings. “Art of the unseen, a blue screen, formless things with which you align. There is no sharpness.” What makes Krieger’s writing so special, always, is that she inflects her emotions into a one-of-a-kind language; “Eliminate edges with wonder, for the sake of becoming light” works only because she made it. “Never Arriving” is immune to commonality, as Krieger effortlessly balances a quick arc and a bombastic, soulful arrangement. —Matt Mitchell

Charli xcx ft. Lorde: “The girl, so confusing version with lorde”

I recently praised the refreshingness of how Charli xcx tackles the complexity of interpersonal relationships between women on BRAT—especially during an era in which well-intentioned but often ultimately shallow and reductive sloganeering of “girls supporting girls” runs rampant in pop culture. In the album version of “Girl, so confusing,” Charli makes it clear that the track is about a peer of hers who she both admires and envies. Because the two of them get compared to one another so often, it’s natural that Charli would internalize those comparisons—and, because they don’t know each other very well, Charli has the space to project her own insecurities. But instead of sidelining this other girl, Charli passes her the mic. Enter Lorde—the subject of the original “Girl, so confusing”—who lets us in on the foundations of her own protective emotional shield: “Girl, you walk like a bitch / When I was 10 someone said that / And it’s just self-defense / Until you’re building a weapon.” What this collaboration ultimately leads to is a deeper understanding between Charli and Lorde, a chance for both artists to express their reverence for one another—and it’s an absolute heater. Here’s to working it out on the remix. —Grace Robins-Somerville

Fontaines D.C.: “Favourite”

Let’s talk about a song that, from the first note, is perfect. “Favourite,” the second single from Fontaines D.C.’s forthcoming new album (and XL debut) Romance, is a chest-bursting, terminally sweet earworm that finds the post-punk Dubliners experimenting with a far poppier hue that usual. If preceding single “Starburster” was frenetic and energized through an anxiety personified, “Favourite” is the lullaby meant to cushion its fall. “Stitch and fall, the faces rearranged,” bandleader Grian Chatten sings. “You will see beauty give the way to something strange.” “Favourite” is immediately one of Fontaines D.C.’s best songs ever, a “continuous cycle from euphoria to sadness, two worlds spinning together.” There’s well-worn poetry and romance in the candy-coated, rocking and rollicking arrangement; a sense of longing that swirls around the endearments. —MM

Horse Jumper of Love ft. MJ Lenderman & Squirrel Flower: “Snow Angel”

Horse Jumper of Love enlist an indie darling dream team on “Snow Angel,” the third single off their forthcoming fifth record, Disaster Trick. “Snow Angel” is certainly the heaviest of the three singles the band has released so far, with fuzzy, layered rhythm guitars and spacey drums in tow. Airy vocal interjections from Squirrel Flower’s Ella Williams add a welcome contrast to the rest of the instrumental. Like many HJOL songs, the lyrics are vague and abstract, and here the band paints a picture of grief: “It feels evil in the dark / The minutes of your life / Love’s been sleeping in my mirror / I just want to be alone in it” really is something that can mean whatever the listener wants it to, and it’s certainly a thought-provoking way to end a song. —Leah Weinstein

IAN SWEET & Porridge Radio: “Everyone’s A Superstar”

For Pitchfork London’s annual Amplify series, IAN SWEET’s Jilian Medford and Porridge Radio’s Dana Margolin paired up at Abbey Road Studios for a new duet: “Everyone’s A Superstar.” It should come as no surprise that the song is unbelievably good, as Medford’s penchant for metallic, sugary pop hooks soars without a hitch when in conversation with Porridge Radio’s wall-to-wall, neckbreaker guitars. “I’ve been trying to forget what I’m missing,” Medford and Margolin harmonize in the chorus. “Once I forget, I’ll get back to living.” “Everyone’s A Superstar” is the collaboration you never knew you needed and, now that it’s here, good luck living without it. —MM