Much has been made of last year’s pop girl renaissance, with huge breakthroughs coming from Chappel Roan and Sabrina Carpenter, plus continued dominance from Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Ariana Grande. But there has also been another renaissance of female alternative pop/rock artists releasing hits of their own.
For instance, 2024 saw Clairo release her third album, called Charm, full of soft rock and jazzy pop tunes. At just 26 years old, Clairo already has an impressive library of music to her name, and she just recently earned her first Grammy nomination. With songs like “Juna” and “Add Up My Love,” Clairo proves that rich production and a ‘70s-inspired sound still works, even into the 2020s.
Suki Waterhouse’s album Memoir of a Sparklemuffin is a modern indie pop-rock album full of catchy choruses and deeply vulnerable lyrics. Songs like “OMG,” “Supersad” and “Blackout Drunk” are perfect singalongs for a spring afternoon and pair nicely with 80s pop like the music of Kate Bush.
And finally, The Last Dinner Party is an indie rock band from London with five members and zero men. Their album “Prelude to Ecstacy” explicitly explores the female gaze, with one of their biggest songs even titled “The Feminine Urge.” Dark, dramatic, and full of baroque pop with shades of ABBA and David Bowie, The Last Dinner Party is definitely an act to watch moving forward.
Clairo’s “Charm,” Suki Waterhouse’s “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin,” and The Last Dinner Party’s “Prelude to Ecstacy” are all available now.
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