“Psychedelic” has become a buzzword.  Publicists for artists of all genres use the term to describe their clients’ music.  It’s easy to understand why.  Interest in psychedelics continues to grow.  More and more people seem to be using psychedelics to improve clarity, focus, and mental health.  These substances can help people get unstuck by breaking them out of ingrained behavior patterns and offering a new perspective.  The “P” word, which once struck fear into the status quo and conjured images of murderous hippies, people jumping off the roofs of tall buildings, and going irrevocably insane, now has a positive connotation.   Psychedelia is generally a good vibe.

That being the case, the word is often overused.  It’s applied when it shouldn’t be—like in music.  I’ve listened to dozens, maybe hundreds, of albums that are described as psychedelic despite lacking true psychedelic elements.  Some such records have a druggy feel that isn’t necessarily psychedelic.  Others have a sound that dances around psychedelia but isn’t.  The tricky thing is that psychedelia is subjective, so one can’t typically say with much authority that a song or album isn’t psychedelic.  One must allow for a bit of interpretation when it comes to the subgenre of psychedelic rock.

The albums listed below all contain psychedelic elements—some more than others—and all can rightfully be described as psychedelic albums.  In determining which are the best, we considered the overall quality of the music as well as the degree of psychedelia.  Here then are the Psychedelic Scene picks for Best Psychedelic Albums of 2024.

10. Stung!— Pond

The Australian psych-rockers who evolved out of Tame Impala’s touring band delivered a solid album that jumps around stylistically.  Less psychedelic than their previous records, Stung! relies heavily on synthesizers and is reminiscent of the band’s Aussie counterparts King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.