Best Album Covers Of 2024: 10 Great Artworks Of The Year

There’s a reason Noel Gallagher described vinyl as “the poor man’s art collection”. Given the right visuals, a great album can be elevated to “legendary” status, its cover having as much cultural impact as the music within – think, Nirvana, Nevermind; Pink Floyd, The Dark Side Of The Moon; Sex Pistols, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols. While some album covers aim simply to grab attention, the standouts help complete a cohesive artistic statement – and there are plenty of those among the best album covers of 2024. Here are the finest artworks of the year so far…

Listen to our Chart playlist here, and check out the best album covers of 2023, below.

10: Declan McKenna: ‘What Happened To The Beach?’

One of the most anticipated releases of 2024, What Happened To The Beach? is Declan Mckenna’s thought-provoking third album. Achieving the seemingly impossible, it dabbles in the heavy themes of environmentalism and the mounting pressures of climate change while still providing moments of pure euphoria. The album’s striking artwork was photographed by the multitalented Henry Pearce, who also plays keyboard during McKenna’s live shows. An early contender among the best album covers of 2024, the image perfectly encapsulates the essence of the searching music within.

Photographer: Henry Pearce