Madison’s musical odds and ends of 2024

Eclectic eccentricites abounded in a memorably varied year.

Not every musical release in a given year will fall under a category as broad or neatly-defined as “song” or “record.” There are releases that adjust the settings of traditional expectation, but still deserve some nods of recognition and a few rounds of applause. Every year, great artists leave Madison but continue to release excellent music, the artists and music community fixtures that stay local release videos of varying focus (documentaries, live videos, narrative-focused music videos, and more), various types of collections and compilations emerge, and makeshift reissues of fondly-remembered releases punch their way back to the forefront.

Over the course of 2024, all that and more emerged out of Madison, as well as other pockets of Wisconsin. (We’re happy to cover those non-Madison entries every once in a while here at Tone Madison, as we know how unlikely they are to be recognized by media outlets in their respective cities.) It was a truly rich year for music in Wisconsin, with a little something for just about everyone.

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In terms of music videos, Lovely Socialite’s “Top Secret Jazz” earned some gleeful, behind-the-scenes responses from our editors and writers. LINE’s “Nowhere” was a potent reminder of the medium’s capacity for poeticism (and “The In Between” was rife with warm familiarity). Hannah Busse’s “Playing Dead” was a gentle dose of lush artistry. Excuse Me, Who Are You? teamed up with fellow emo-punk rippers Hey, Ily! for a lived-in video capsule of memorable tour moments with “Https://mimasroom.com.” Jane Hobson’s “Chelsea” showed  that the songwriter continues to excel in the visuals department, incorporating a slew of great, modest effects work that piques interest while continuously raising the bar. Commonwealth’s Instagram-only video for “charlie’s song” wound up being—to my ears and eyes—the most quietly absorbing clip from a Madison act in 2024.

Acts who were Madison-based as recently as a year and a half ago also delivered excellent contributions. Post-punk powerhouse Interlay had an enormous year—their first as a full-fledged Chicago band—and returned to play sets in Madison a handful of times. Hunting Jacket, an EP full of tracks written while they were still in Madison, was a bold new high watermark. “Medic,” one of the many highlights on the EP, received an appropriately epic, windswept video accompaniment.

Singer-songwriter Winefred RT started the year in Madison, before also putting down roots in Chicago, a journey beautifully encapsulated in “Moving Song.” The song served as an end-cap to a fruitful year for the songwriter, who released three other strong works throughout 2024. Multi-instrumentalist and composer Taralie Peterson moved to NYC after releasing the excellent Mine To Give as a Madison-based artist. (The title track also received a wonderfully chaotic music video that spoke directly to the artistic instincts that have come to define Peterson’s work.)

A small handful of artists who had more tenuous connections to Madison but still lived within Wisconsin—whether they split time between here and another city or not—released superlative works. Devon Welsh (ex-Majical Cloudz) and Elori Saxl both took wildly different approaches to ambient-leaning records and Tone Madison covered both with extensive, standalone profiles. The Milwaukee-based band Impish Tips’ self-titled debut release featured Graham Hunt all across its credits, further elevating the band’s Madison connections (their membership includes The Wets‘ Benny Arnold). Driftless-area duo Bongo Frontier also managed a few truly excellent releases in 2024, cementing their status as one of the state’s more intriguing musical acts. And their Madison connection is furthered by their label, Kitschy Spirit Records, which is run by former Madisonian Chris Joutras. 

But back to Madison proper. There were a host of documentary-style releases across 2024, whether they came by way of band or… record store. Keep Spinning: A B-Side Story, Mitch Deitz’s mini-doc about B-Side Records on State Street, was made available for free streaming on Vimeo. Hardcore act Eat Turf and versatile jazz musician Adam Czerepinski made a number of their performances available to view on YouTube. LINE and Soul Impressions added to the pile with live captures of “No Clarity” and “Daydreams In Rose Tint,” respectively. Each of those videos was commanding in their own right, showcasing just how broad Madison’s range is when it comes to musical landscape. And Thomas Wincek’s Live Improvisation – November 13, 2024 – Gamma Ray – Madison, WI was a strong indicator of the value of audio-only live documentation. 

The instinct for preservation that’s often top-of-mind when considering documentation bled through to some of Madison’s veteran musicians in 2024, as a number of older releases resurfaced for digital streaming. Screamin’ Cyn Cyn & The Pons‘ joyously unhinged Screamin’ Target Hit Rate, two deeply impressive Voltress records (Moth and Antelopes), and two great releases from Creature Custard (Limbzeer, Limbzaire and Grocery Store) all made their way to Bandcamp. Each of those five releases was a blinding reminder of Madison’s musical history as well as a fascinating glimpse into what today’s crop of artists have taken from their local forebears. For as exciting as emerging artists can be, it’s important to value the excitement inherent to this city’s acts throughout an ever-evolving history.

Having a scope and understanding of history, in turn, can key a more layered appreciation for emerging acts or sounds, which are often tied to demo releases. Madison had a fair few of those throughout the year as well, with Sigra, Mumbumper, and Tomb Of Entrails all giving listeners something to love. And while it wasn’t exactly a demo, Heather The Jerk’s infectious Surreal Good Fun Exciting cassette operated on the same scrappy principles, carrying a similarly clear-eyed DIY appeal.

Rounding things out were the local releases that boasted a tongue-in-cheek charm and ensured that 2024’s musical offerings didn’t go by without being injected by a good bit of well-intentioned fun. We already covered Dear Mr. Watterson’s “We Should Have Been We Should Have Been DJs” in our favorite songs selections, but the split EP that houses the track also doubled as a representative pillar of strong community.

One thing we didn’t cover in 2024 was the enormously entertaining, late-breaking Daughters Of Saint Crispin release, Daughters Of Saint Christmas. Across three tracks, the doom-indebted duo carried on their annual tradition of a holiday release with some gnarled covers (“We 3 Kings,” “Last XMAS”) and a scintillating original (“Rainy Christmas Afternoon”). And, finally, one last oddball release that deserves a mention: Progressive Polka Project’s deranged ode to Culver’s, “Culvers Polka.” While the band’s based in Montana, they’re part of the Madison-based GoatVision Labs tape label and collective. May we all fiend for Wisconsin classics with this much emphasis in 2025.

All of these artists and releases made the music of Madison—and beyond—resonate with a certain level of profundity. Every release we heard here at Tone Madison meant something to somebody. And, as long as that artistic spirit remains alive and intact, we’ll have cause to keep fighting to ensure more recognition for more artists. It doesn’t matter if it’s a song, a demo, a documentary, an album, a video, or something more ephemeral. Send those releases our way as 2025 progresses (I am always personally reachable at steven@tonemadison.com), and we’ll be happy to spend some time hearing out what they might have to say.