The 51 Best Songs to Come Out of the 51st State in the Past 365 Days

"I feel like right now, there’s as many exciting bands and artists coming out of the city as there have ever been since I’ve been part of the music scene.” — David Combs

Two years ago, when doing my lil intro spiel, I admitted that to be hopeful about the current state of the local music scene was “to test the limits of defiant buoyancy.”

Heritage sites like U Hall and Twins and 18th Street Lounge and the list goes on had been ingloriously shuttered. More than a handful of venerated bands had bailed for greener pastures, and still more were one foot outside the beltway. Affordable rehearsal space became as rare as a good house show.

But hope floats for a reason.

2024 was the best year the D.C. music scene has seen in at least half a decade. There have been more sold-out local shows than we’ve had in years, we’ve saved or salvaged some vital venues, bookers are doing a stellar job stapling local openers to touring acts’ marquees, and niche festivals like Breakin’ Even are at the very least breaking even.

As David Combs (talent buyer for Black Cat/Comet Ping Pong/Quarry House Tavern and guitarist for Bad Moves) told WCP’s Taylor Ruckle: 

“A lot of bands didn’t survive, and it took a little time for the scene to get out of that slump. But I feel like right now, there’s as many exciting bands and artists coming out of the city as there have ever been since I’ve been part of the music scene.”

If I tried to deftly craft out flowery contextual sentences to list all the Ws, we’d be here all day, so allow me to just toss out some bullet points:

  • The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis’ eponymous debut album came in at #5 on the New York Times Best Jazz Albums of 2024 list.
  • War and Treaty received two Grammy nominations (including one for Best New Artist, despite them having been around for like ten years but who’s counting).
  • Ekko Astrall’s pink balloons topped Pitchfork’s 30 Best Rock Albums of 2024.
  • Noochie’s Front Porch has become the new Tiny Desk.
  • Rhizome — “D.C.’s best music venue,” according to Chris Richards — met their fundraising target to purchase their new permanent space on Alaska Ave. 
  • DC9 — “D.C.’s best music venue,” according to me — turned 20. 
  • Anyone with “a black guy from Woodbridge, Virginia puts a stranglehold on the country music scene by copping J-Kwon” on their bingo card was able to check that one off. 

As always, praise be to Listen Local First, Hometown Sounds, Washington City Paper, The 51st, DMV Life DMV Daily, 730DC, City Cast, Washington Informer, The Hilltop, and all the various D.C. music WhatsApp groups that let me leech off their good taste.

If you have any questions/comments/concerns, I finally caved and set up an IG account for @worthwhiler. 

Enjoy! 

Every year, while researching, composing, and culling these best-of lists, I end up with a pocket-sized notebook full of jotted-down thoughts…

  • Here’s your annual reminder that this playlist is not a top-down ranking. It’s more a John Cusack-in-High Fidelity situation. Flow, thematic narrative, a desire to impress Catherine Zeta-Jones; it’s all in there.
  • For example, while I had to sonically warm things up with the criminally underrated K.A.A.N.’s aptly titled “Warm It Up, K.A.A.N.,” it would be a disservice to not give proper respect to Cat Janice’s “Dance You Outta My Head.”
  • ICYMI, Catherine Ipsan was an alt-pop artist and longtime fixture of the DC music scene who passed away from sarcoma at the age of 31 earlier this year. What will really break your heart: she released “Dance You Out Of My Head” a few days after entering hospice, and, as she posted on TikTok, “changed all the rights from [her] songs so every presave and every stream goes to [her 7-year-old son] Loren.” The track ended up becoming a TikTok sensation, racked up millions of streams, and reached #7 on iTunes.

  • Yes, I am aware the rest of the site is password protected. I’ve got a little something up my sleeve for 2025. I’d ask you to subscribe for updates, but that would be shameless.
  • The raging “Anger Artist” by FIASCO! is incredibly rewarding if you simply give in to the intricate chaos. Think of it like a Virginia Woolf audiobook, only with sludgy bass riffs and ululating jazz horns.
  • Pearl Street Warehouse may be unfortunately situated in Malebolge, the eighth circle of Hell The Wharf, but I cannot tell you how many rock/blues/soul/folk groups have a shot of them playing in front of that neon guitar pick logo…and they all look awesome.
  • On June 22nd, concertgoers had the choice of the Home Rule Music Festival, Songbyrd’s Summer Soulstice showcase thing, and returning conquerors SHAED selling out Atlantis with local up-and-comer Virg opening. Logistically frustrating yet undeniably auspicious.
  • I appreciate that thanks to the quirky malleability of the DMV accent, “area” is able to be rhymed flawlessly with “Terry McLaurin” in the Commanders paean “Give Em Hail” by 3ohBlack, Noochie, and Drew Keys.
  • FRIENDLY FIRE: Speaking of Noochie, you know how every music journalist in the city gushes about how vital he and his Front Porch series are to the local scene? Well, his show at DC9 had maybe 30 people, which means you all-hypers missed this impromptu freestyle when the house PA system faltered at the end of his set:

  • 90’s stalwarts Velocity Girl released a reengineered version of their Sub Pop debut UltraCopacetic earlier this year. Give it a listen, and you can draw an extra slinky Ernie Ball line straight from them to current celebrated acts like Pretty Bitter and Massie.
  • Get some Fresh Air with Mary Timony and Terry Gross!
  • Wale brought out QB1 Jayden Daniels at his homecoming show and, for a brief moment, everything felt right in the world.
  • BEST LYRICS:
    • “I gained twenty pounds last week, because you work at the Dairy Queen.” – Sub-Radio, Onto Me
    • “What a shame that we’re not robots. Mega awesome robots. With a shiny metal sword to slash and stab, not miss the things we cannot have.” — ok ivy, Robots
    • “Today, I unpinned your name from my texts.” — Caleb L’Etoile, Today
    • “I am not my data. And you are not your data.” — The North Country, We The People
  • Whenever I hit “Reject All Cookies,” I sing that North Country line to myself.
  • ACT LOCAL: It’s not going to happen at the federal level anytime soon, but Maryland lawmakers successfully passed SB 539, which will help rein in third-party ticket bullshittery.
  • Songbyrd rightfully gets a lot of credit for its consistently laudable booking (including unique fare like R&B Club), but their entire staff — from the door, to the soundboard, to the bar — deserve just as much credit for making it the ever-pleasant aural oasis it is.
  • SEXIEST ALBUM COVER: Internal Trembling, by the smoldering Sean Barna

  • PSA: 9:30 Club gift cards can’t be used for online ticket orders. You can, however, use them to purchase tickets over the phone, which is insane.
  • “How Kim Gordon and D.C. rap duo Model Home got together to get weird“
  • Over/under five months before “Glam” by Aaron Abernathy is in either a Hulu series or car commercial.
  • A note to lesser-known artists: have a robust Bandcamp page. It makes journalists’ lives so much easier, and a happy journalist is one more likely to write about you. For example, here are some of my favorite Bandcamp blurbs:
    • “Post-good music from DC. Available for weddings, guest lectures, business events, and catering.” — Dundrum
    • “i recorded guitars through an amp sim, drums are midi, and vocals are recorded in my dad’s honda accord” — Cuni
    • “Trust in our collective, barely comprehended universe that some force brought you here, to this moment, where your mind is open, and you want to hear some new cosmic music by Warm Frost.” — Warm Frost
  • Props to repeat list-maker Kali Uchis. I went with “Como Asi” for this year’s list, but her collab with Peso Pluma, “Iqual Que Un Angel,” has officially cemented her as a star (335,000,000 plays and counting as of this writing).
  • “Popular D.C. doughnut shop plays on with support from punk rockers”
  • Here’s a nifty interview with Melina Afzal, who runs sound at DC9. And because it’s a niche magazine, she gets into all the fancy gear audio nerd stuff.
  • MOST ENDEARING MUSIC VIDEO: “Ocean Blue” by Wall of Trophies

  • In terms of pure writing ability, there is no music journalist in the city who is touching Chris Richards. From his Olivia Rodrigo concert recap:
    • “If there’s a through line between Beatlemania and the Eras Tour, it resides in the throats of the young, who, after spending so much of their days practicing obedient silence, are suddenly given a chance to see if God can hear them.”
  • Alt-pop artist strawbalien sounds exactly like what you think an artist named strawbalien would sound like, and her song “strawberrypatches!” is destined to be set to an anime I’m not hip enough to know about.
  • The vocal loop production on “Panoramic” by Mumu Fresh gives me chills.
  • Berra’s song about “those guys” may have been the one to make this year’s list, and Griefcat’s “Cryptobro” is biting, but Devonly’s “Indie Boys” and its accompanying album art are absolutely savage.

  • Did you know Cordae’s mom was on Making The Band?
  • Longtime local music activist Christopher Naoum successfully infiltrated the mayor’s office, and his first big accomplishment was a sprawling “DC Music Census” that includes a useful dashboard you should play around with.
  • Some things I gleaned from working with Chris and the other contributors on that project: local bands are having a harder time finding practice space than they are bookings, sound ordinances will be the quiet killers of scene expansion, and there simply aren’t enough good recording studios/producers to give all our artists the “professional” sound they need to compete nationally.
  • I readily admit I’m taking liberties when it comes to labeling some of these bands/artists a D.C. area band/artist. Some of these list-makers may have since abandoned the area for more affordable locales with better opportunities, some may live closer to Richmond than Alexandria. Whatever. Enjoy the music.
  • Thank you to Lindsay Hogan for the header image.

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As mentioned above, all questions, comments, and concerns should be directed to @worthwhiler, where they will be gratefully received or immediately ignored depending on what you write.

See you in the pit,
BTR

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