The 30 Best Polish Albums of 2024

During and immediately after the pandemic, the divide in the Polish music scene became more apparent than ever – even larger crowds began to attend “star” concerts and major festivals, and clubs and events related to indie music began to close. There was a lack of audiences, and fewer and fewer new interesting projects were created. In some areas, this was less pronounced (jazz was still performing very well); In other cases, there has been a clear stagnation (especially in indie/alternative rock). However, since the pendulum had swung too far in one direction, it had to swing back in the other direction with the same momentum. The past 12 months prove that this has finally happened. These are the 30 best Polish albums of 2024.

30. Porosity – Dungeon crawler (wrecking bar)

Monotony is usually associated with boredom, but when Bartosz Zaskorski (working under the name Porosti, which means “lichens” in Polish) used it as a tool, it turned out to be useful. Thanks to the musical parts repeated with every subsequent minute, Dungeon crawler Delve deeper and deeper into the cyberpunk world of dark and dehumanized electronics. The repetition of rhythms, synthesizer chords and melodies, combined with the pulled out and heavily distorted sound, has a hypnotic effect, and treating the entire album through a retro filter results in a very raw sound from the vicinity of early EBM.

29. Lutaonica – What about twelve or fourteen? (independent)

Lutownica (Soldering Iron) was founded nearly a decade ago by musicians from Blue Raincoat, Let the Boy Decide, and Low Cut – underground guitar bands actively releasing and performing music at the turn of the century, all of whom have a loyal fanbase. But everyday life took over and made them stop. The trio of Rafael Stucki, Christian Pilarczyk and Zbigniew Ambrosie can’t be considered too busy either; Needless to say, the new album was released nine years after its debut.

However, not having self-imposed pressures, not trying to stand out in the competition to get the most views and listens, and playing for their own enjoyment is what gives them… What about twelve or fourteen? A unique kind of freedom. Lutownica’s rock sound is probably a bit dated and deeply rooted in the ’90s – it’s easy to pick up influences from Killdozer, Hammerhead or Pussy Galore – but there’s so much authenticity to it that no one could deny it if it were to be described as one of the best. Teams of that era.

28. Ustatnia Klatka – Ustatnya Klatka (independent)

In 2020, lockdowns forced us all to slow down. What was terrible for some was a terrible experience. However, for others, it has become a creative process that would not otherwise be possible due to many other responsibilities and commitments. That’s when Ostatnia Klatka (The Last Cage) was formed but it took another four years before they released their first album.

There is no secret behind the main inspiration. The duo draws heavily on Polish coldwave classics from the 1980s, including bands like 1984, Made in Poland, and Cittadella. Guitar, bass, drum machine, almost deadpan vocals – using only a few instruments, they created music that was, on the one hand, extremely cold, thanks to lyrics that described personal emotional states and broader social situations. Context, boiling with emotion.

27. Crulesto – Batho jazz (independent)

The previous two albums of Królestwo (The Kingdom) – 2017 Ćwiczenia repetywne (repetitive exercises) And 2020 anthracite (anthracite) – It was evidence of the great power hidden in a properly graded and tense repetition, but there is a danger. Repetition is a double-edged sword; Even the most skilled craftsman can hurt himself without taking the necessary precautions. This was probably the main reason why the band rebuilt their sound on the third album, replacing the electric bass with double bass and adding saxophone, trumpet and clarinet. The foundation remains the same, but a new entourage of dark jazz – or, as the title suggests, pathojazz – has grown around it. Names like The necks or Lovecraft’s Hexagram It comes to mind as you listen, but at the same time, this is a new approach to creating music on the edge of jazz and ambient music.

26. Jantar – Turnus (skinny man)

Bossa nova hasn’t made a big comeback yet. still, Billie EilishLaufey, TikTok and Twitch have introduced a popular Brazilian genre, made popular by Antonio Carlos Jobim, to a new generation, and there’s plenty to suggest that young people love the syncopated guitar beats and melodic basslines.

Warsaw’s Jantar doesn’t follow the emerging trend but fits in perfectly, recording an entire album inspired by bossa and shifting the inspiration in an inconspicuous way, trying something new rather than paying homage as close as possible to the roots of this music. This should come as no surprise, given the band’s line-up – Jakub Ziolek, Krzysztof Kaliski, Grzegorz Tarwid and Tomasz Popowski are well-known musicians in the Polish experimental and improvised jazz scenes for many years. What’s next for Bossa? This may be the next big thing in the second half of this decade.

25. Königretschall – Psalm delirium (Gods Off War)

Black metal is one of Poland’s top export goods. Furia, Majla, Behemoth, and many others have gained international recognition in the past decade, growing the scene to exponential proportions. Many new groups have nothing to say and simply imitate their heroes, but fortunately, some do not want to join the imitative chorus and look for individual paths. Königreichssaal proved they were that group with their excellent debut released four years ago (Watch Al-Durr) We now confirm that it was not a one-time fluke.

Psalm delirium It’s an equally compelling record, even though it’s very different. The tempo is much slower, the vocals are angry and turbulent, and the mood becomes more annoying or even disgusting by the minute, but it’s so nice to hit the “off” button. Sometimes, it’s good when music makes us feel bad.

24.Tonfa – Trzsia Szina (Greater Tonga Energy)

“Leaving the underground is a constant struggle,” says one verse in the song “Traczek,” but Tonfa seems to be in a state of superposition. They have already crossed the boundaries of underground work and gained wider recognition. However, they remain one of the most important representatives of underground hip-hop in Poland. The key to success is the duo’s open mind and their ability to work on each path with a transformative approach. Trzecia szyna (third railway) It originates from the roots of hip-hop, but is filled with too many nuances to be classified into just one category. Very few colors can be used in a kaleidoscope, but the pattern arrangements still manage to surprise.

23. Faraway – away (Antina Krzyko)

Faraway is another band that seems to have emerged from the Polish New Wave and post-punk of the 1980s. However, just like Ustatnia Klatka, they waste no time on historical reconstruction, instead showing what this music might sound like today if its glory time had never passed. With the addition of saxophone, livelier punk rhythms, the pulse of dub, synthesizer backgrounds, and even a bit of African exoticism, the familiar rhythmic patterns, and the cold, piercing aura of Eastern European post-punk sounds sound as fresh as if they were invented yesterday. On the one hand, anyone listened to him Talking heads, Defoor Oingo Boingo should feel at home here; On the other hand, Faraway found his own sound on the first album.

22. ||Alaa|Meda|| – Spectra 02 (Garden of brutality)

Alameda has been recording and performing under many different guises of their names and with various lineups for over a decade. However, what remains constant is the evolving and expanding range of skills of Jakub Ziolek (a multi-faceted musician, known from Stara Rzeka, Ed Wood, George Dorn Screams, Innercity Ensemble, Tien Lai, and Jantar) drawing from different musical traditions from around the world. .

The main effect of the second part of Spectra (The first was released in 2022) which is the diverse music of Global South. However, there is no universality or attempts to impersonate someone else behind it. Batida, qaqoum, African and Caribbean rhythms are some of the borrowed elements, but their treatment through electronics shares a lot in common with deconstructed club.

21. Hatti Fati – oil (R&S)

When Piotr Kaliński finally signed with R&S Records (over the years, the Avex TwinBiosphere and Paula Temple, to name a few), he turned his solo project into a quartet with a distinct jazz flair, consisting of musicians associated with Algorisky, Hinode Tapes, EABS, Siema Ziemia, Lumbago and P.Unity. Fortunately, with such a wide range of skillful and daring inspired artists, there was no danger of reducing jazz to the level of ornamentation, as is the case with many late jazz imitation projects. With the right balance, there is room for both musical virtuosity and parts that can lull the audience or send them into a trance.