by Kendall Polidori
2024 Grammys Rock, pop & post-punk predictions
TRENDS
THE ROCKHOUND
Every year, some nominations seem obvious, others feel pleasantly surprising and a few rate as downright shocking. For example, women dominate the Album of the Year category this year. Look at some of The Rockhound’s favorite categories and predictions.
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
Nominees: Arctic Monkeys (The Car) Boygenius (The Record) Gorillaz (Cracker Island) Lana Del Rey (Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd) PJ Harvey (I Inside the Old Year Dying) WHO WILL WIN: Boygenius (The Record) WHO SHOULD WIN: Boygenius
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Nominees:
Alvvays (Belinda Says) Arctic Monkeys (Body Paint) Boygenius (Cool About It) Lana Del Rey (A&W) Paramore (This Is Why) WHO WILL WIN: Boygenius (Cool About It) WHO SHOULD WIN: Alvvays (Belinda Says)
I adore Boygenius—which includes solo stars Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker. I’ve been following and listening to the band 20
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since their 2018 EP boygenius, and have obsessed over their individual work. But if you’ve followed my reviews this past year, you may have noticed I have developed a deep appreciation for the work of Alvvays, a Toronto-based alternative-rock group that blows me away every time I see them live. To me, their music perfectly fits the alternative category—their sound is unconventional and outside the mainstream. Their song Belinda Says kicks off with a soothing synth intro and transitions to a fuzzy guitar melody; it doesn’t sound like any other alternative song out there right now. Five years after its last album, Antisocialites, Alvvays came back strong, earning a first-ever Grammy nomination.
I’m having the most trouble with this one. Of the artists on this roster, I’d consider Arctic Monkeys’ The Car the most alternative album. If the winner was to be picked solely by that standard, then they’d win. But is it the best album on this list? I’d say no. I’m at a tie between Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd and Boygenuis’ The Record because these were two of the best albums of the year. It’s been such a wonderful year for women artists. While I know music genres are a bit muddled today, I still like to hold artists to some categorization. While Lana Del Rey’s album is a mixture of pop, folk, rock and jazz, Boygenius’ album holds a stronger alt persona. Both are deserving, but considering Boygenius’ presence in mainstream rock it’s likely they’ll take this one home.
BEST ROCK SONG
Nominees: The Rolling Stones (Angry) Olivia Rodrigo (Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl) Queens of the Stone Age (Emotion Sickness) Boygenius (Not Strong Enough) Foo Fighters (Rescued)
PHOTOGRAPHS: ALVVAYS, ELEANOR PETRY; BOYGENIUS, CHUFF MEDIA; AND PARAMORE, ATLANTIC RECORDS PRESS
(The Record)
LU C KBOX
12/21/23 6:30 PM
