It鈥檚 the end of the year so everyone is examining their Spotify wrapped - or Apple Replay, Amazon Wrapped, whichever streaming service you use to get your tunes pumping into your soul. For me it was Spotify, and while there were no real surprises on my Wrapped, I thought I鈥檇 share what kept me moving this year.

1. Alkaline Trio - Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs (2024): The latest offering from Alkaline Trio is a straight up banger. I rarely skipped a track on the new album and was lucky enough to see them when they toured through Vancouver in March. My favourite track had to be 鈥淏reak.鈥� I鈥檓 a sucker for Matt Skiba fronted vocals between the two singers. The dark subject matter just speaks to me for some reason. 
2. City and Colour - The Love Still Held Me Near (2023): While this album was actually released last year, I still had it going strong in 2024. In February, in advance of his Rogers Arena show,  I about the album and the incredible pain he went through while writing. The track that kept me coming back was 鈥淢eant to Be,鈥� which is gut wrenching with grief for a lost friend. Green is a full on emotional crooner and I can鈥檛 get enough.
3. Hot Water Music - VOWS (2024): I love me anything Chuck Ragan. His soulful voice just melts in my ears and the newest album doesn鈥檛 disappoint. I may be biased in my favourite song being 鈥淎fter the Impossible鈥� as it features City and Colour鈥檚 Dallas Green. The song is all about missing a friend, a loved one or someone who is no longer here. Fitting as I miss my friends back on the Lower Mainland. Also, slight brag - I was in the 0.05% highest listeners of the song. 
4. Rise Against - Various albums (1999 to current): So, Rise Against is one of my all time favourite bands and they will always make my Wrapped. This year was different though. The band was touring smaller venues and playing deep cuts from older albums, so I got to treat myself to a concert where I may just hear songs I鈥檝e never seen performed live before. And I was. One of the all time best songs by Rise Against, in my humble opinion, is 鈥淧aper Wings.鈥� In all the times I鈥檝e seen them live (amount in the double digits), I鈥檇 never heard it. But in November, I was finally granted the pleasure of hearing it live. Chills. 
5. Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism (2003): This is a 20-year-old album that reared its way into my rotation due to the 20th anniversary tour coming through Vancouver. It is by far one of the best Death Cab albums and I was extremely excited to see the band play the whole album from front to back for the anniversary show. In May, I was treated to a double header with the Postal Service celebrating their 20th anniversary of Give Up as well. Getting to see Jenny Lewis on backing vocals was amazing. Off this album, 鈥淭he New Year鈥� will be hitting my speakers on Jan. 1. 
6. Youth Fountain - Together in Lonesome (2023): This was a surprise. In April, ahead of the May concert date, I interviewed the man behind the band, . I listened to the album a few times to get a sense of what his sound was, as he is mostly a one man band who gets musicians to tour with him when the time comes. This album was far from my top picks but it has some good tracks, such as 鈥淩oses In My Backpack,鈥� that made me want to see the band perform. Unfortunately, they were not my cup of tea live, but I still felt it was worth mentioning them making my top list. 
7. Boys Night Out - Various albums (2001-2016): Another blast from the past was the rehashing of every Boys Night Out album as they are making a 2024/2025 comeback to the scene. They graced Furnace Fest in Alabama this past October and are getting ready to head out on tour with Armor for Sleep in the new year. This meant I went through their whole discography to prepare myself for their Seattle show in March. Their music never ceases to get my heart beating faster and my toes tapping. Best track in my opinion is 鈥淚 Got Punched in the Nose for Sticking My Face in Other People's Business,鈥� followed closely by  "Hold on Tightly. Let Go Lightly."