2024 in Review - In Conversation with Burst’s Music Team

As another year draws to a close, Burst Radio’s music team looks back on 2024, revealing their insights on the year’s developments and top picks of the year.

Tell us a bit about yourselves!

Elisha: Hi! I’m pleased to be taking on the role of Head of Music and I’m really excited to work with this great team of music enthusiasts - I think this year has been a refreshing year for music and it’s a real pleasure to be at the helm of this great wave of change.

Sam: Hello, I’m Sam and I’m excited to be part of Burst’s music team this year, I love music and think radio is really cool and still an excellent, though now underrated, medium. I’m excited to be involved in the future of Burst.

Seren: Hey I’m Seren, I’m looking forward to being part of Burst’s music, news and culture team this year. I host a show called Sunset Sessions on Monday evenings which got me into the role, and I’m so excited to be part of the future of Burst! Music has always been such an important part of my life and I’m so enthusiastic to be part of something like this.

What’s been on repeat for you this year?

Elisha: I listened to a hell of a lot of the usual suspects: Indochine, Slint, Car Seat Headrest and Red House Painters. One thing that surprised me this year was how high up Slowdive was in my Spotify wrapped top artists, finally overthrowing PJ Harvey as my top artist after a good few years - I listened to ‘Slomo’ (from their 2017 self-titled album) excessively this year, it pretty much soundtracked the entirety of my spring/summer.

Seren: Since Spotify wrapped recently came out, I’d have to say that my most played of this year was In Rainbows by Radiohead, closely followed by Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. My top songs of the year were ‘You Make Loving Fun’ by Fleetwood Mac and ‘Just Like Heaven’ by The Cure (my wedding song).

Sam: Not many surprises for me, Magnetic Fields really soundtracked this year for me, several of their albums really. A lot of my favourites, Talking Heads, Bowie, Pulp also a lot of The Jam, got really into them early in the year, and they’ve been a steady favourite, They Might Be Giants is another one that always seemed to stick with me throughout the year

It’s been a great year for music, what would you say your favourite release was?

Elisha: I really loved We’re Gonna Make It In a Man’s World by Camera Obscura, I went to the release party at Rough Trade East and had a whale of a time, I really love the way the band have preserved their unique indie-pop sound while continuously evolving. With releases such as Kim Gordon’s The Collective, Fat White Family’s Bullet of Dignity, Geordie Greep’s The New Sound, and of course, Brat summer takeover, it’s just been such a riveting year in music.

Sam: The Bed I Made by The Softies, they’re a folky, dream indie pop duo who returned after a 27-year hiatus with an album this year, and their first live performances in 10 odd years, really lovely album that reflects on the time since the last albums in quite a nice way and their music still holds up.

Seren: It would have to be Ascension by Berlioz. That whole album was unreal. A close second would be Romance by Fontaines D.C though. The best song on that album I’d say was ‘Sundowner’ or ‘Death Kink’.

…Most exciting gig?

Seren: My favourite gig this year probably follows my top releases! Both Berlioz and Fontaines D.C were very different but amazing gigs. The crowd at Berlioz was filled with love and everyone was grooving so hard, and at Fontaines, it was so lively and the energy was bouncing. I saw the Libertines at The Roundhouse which was an experience of course, although I can’t remember too much about it as I was a bit too tipsy. I also love a bit of house, dance and electronic, some of my favourite gigs this year would be Moodymann, Hot Since 82, Kolter, Pete Tong, Carl Cox (3 deck wizard), Anotr and Seth Troxler. It’s a large list but they were all honestly on par with each other. Anotr and Seth Troxler were together at a Circoloco event in Amsterdam and the energy was immaculate, Carl Cox played at a day event at Margum Castle which was such a beautiful place to be dancing with people.

Elisha: I’m really lucky to have seen a lot of really great live music this year, with the highlights being LCD Soundsystem & Pixies at All Points East, Miki Berenyi Trio at The George, Porridge Radio at Marble Factory and PJ Harvey (supported by Big Thief) at Gunnersbury Park - all of which were truly brilliant, but I think the standout gig would be John Maus at New Century, Manchester - I don’t think there are enough words to do this performance justice, what a man.

Sam: Probably seeing The Magnetic Fields in London performing the 1st half of 69 Love Songs, they were a band that I listened to more than most others this year by a large margin, seeing them live was something I thought I’d never do so it felt like a real privilege

Who do you think is ‘one to watch’ going forward?

Sam: Next year I think we should be looking out for Bird Photos, an indie rock duo, they released 2 singles this year, and I think they have a lot of potential to really go far in 2025. Also, Sierpinski, a shoegaze and noise-inspired indie rock band from Portsmouth, released an album this year, with one on the way and recently performed at The Lanes, I think they could go far. It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t mention Pulp signing to Rough Trade, playing some new songs and the rumour of a potential new album next year.

Seren: My ‘one to watch’ for the year ahead would be Alexandra Saviour. I saw her in the Electric Ballroom in Camden and it was such an experience. She makes sort of creepy, psychedelic rock music which really stays with you once you listen to it. She is due to release music any time soon and if it’s anything like her first two albums, this will be one to watch out for.

Elisha: I’m so in love with The Laughing Chimes at the minute, they just released a lovely new single called ‘High Beams’, I was already quite obsessed with ‘A Promise to Keep’, which had a real New Wave vibe to it so I was shocked to discover how new to the scene they were. It’d be criminal not to mention Aweful Kanawful and Fish Wife (the latter recommended the former - check out both, you won’t be disappointed!) who serenaded me through the early months of the year, I hope next year they get the recognition they deserve. Fuelled by cryptic posts on Instagram, I’m also so very excited at the prospect of a new album from Swans! God knows how that’s going to sound.

And finally, what would you say is your favourite album of all time?

Sam: My favourite all-time album is an impossible choice but a few I go back to time and time again are Stop Making Sense by Talking Heads, Station to Station by David Bowie, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic by The Sundays and Gold Against The Soul by Manic Street Preachers

Elisha: I could be here all day, it changes day by day for me. Souvlaki by Slowdive, Down By The Water by PJ Harvey and Methodrone by The Brian Jonestown Massacre are all real contenders. I’d be damned if I didn’t mention The Velvet Underground & Nico too. 

Seren: Picking my favourite album of all time is so hard, but if I had to choose it would be Beach Life - the Salinas Sessions. This is a good album with a mix of feel-good groovers. My Grandma, Aunty and parents used to play this album to me when we would all go and stay in a bungalow in Portugal so I have very fond memories of boogying in the sun to this at a young age. My other favourite album of all time is Dire Straits self-titled. It makes me feel like I should be riding a horse through the desert.

Like what you’re seeing? You can hear more from the team on air - Elisha hosts Gold Soundz every Friday at 7pm, Sam hosts The Show About Nothing every Wednesday at 9am (but stay tuned for updates in the new year!) and Seren hosts Sunset Sessions on Monday evenings.