In what might seem like a total wildcard compared to the rest of my selections, this album from Charleston (by way of Philadelphia) group Little Stranger features Kevin and John Shields (no relation) rapping and reggae-ing their way through a mostly unserious set of songs.

There’s some Beck in their sound, plus some college kid hip hop goofiness that might have been inspired by Cypress Hill or the Beasties, although that’s more in spirit than in sound. They sing about Wordle and rap about Radiohead and sing over some goofy bossanova beats, and it can be a college-bro-ey experience at times, but all in all it’s a pretty good time.

I’ll leave you with my favorite lyric from “MAD DUMB” : “we stand on the shoulders of giants / so dummies like us can have phones and appliances.” Well said, my friends. Well said.

From the roundup Southern Sounds: South Carolina's Best Albums of 2024.