2021 Albums Ranking

Here it is! Over the last twelve months, I have listened to 30 different albums that were released in 2021. This is my ranking from my least favourite to my favourite as of the last day of the year. Do keep in mind though that this is all just my opinion, and that all opinions can change! Enjoy xx

But first, here are my favourite EPs of 2021: - make sure you give them a listen!

Mallory Merk - Counterparts

Ultra Q - Get Yourself A Friend

Myriam Adams - SexySuburbanSadness

Creeper - American Noir

Salem - Salem II

Gorillaz - Meanwhile EP

Beabadoobee - Our Extended Play

Snaggletooth - Snaggletooth

30) Pale Waves - Who Am I?

All I could think about while listening to this album was how much it sounded like Avril Lavigne… and I don’t really like Avril Lavigne. In all seriousness though, this is okay???? but I’m still left waiting for Pale Waves to stop wearing their influences so vividly on their sleeves and actually do something that lives up to the reputation they’ve somehow managed to get themselves. If they want to just hop from one done to death blend of alternative pop rock music to the next, copying the mannerisms and sounds of the bands and artists who defined each blend, then fine, that’s up to them. But yeah I couldn’t enjoy listening to this; it wasn’t worth my time. 

Favourites: You Don’t Own Me (I didn’t like it much but I enjoyed it more than the rest)

Least Favourites: Any of the other 10 songs.

29) Royal Blood - Typhoons

I enjoyed the debut, thought the sophomore was dull, and have in general always felt that Royal Blood were a bit overrated. There is so much talent there but for me something about them just screams 'yeah this would be insane live but I don’t want to listen to it'. Luckily, Typhoons is more of a change of pace. It's fresher than their last album, with funkier bass lines, more creative electronics and backing vocals, and even a piano here and there. There are some fun moments, like Limbo’s dancey rhythms, the sassy high pitched vocals of Either You Want It, and the closing piano ballad All We Have Is Now. Other than these though, it’s all quite similar. It’s not that the sound is bad, but it just gets a little boring after a while. I probably wouldn’t be able to distinguish between most of the songs.

Favourites: Trouble’s Coming, Either You Want It, Boilermaker, All We Have Is Now

Least Favourites: Mad Visions, Hold On, Who Needs Friends

28) Foo Fighters - Medicine At Midnight

For me, Medicine At Midnight is another one of those just okay albums in Foo Fighters’ discography. It’s sort of basic rock with some dancey elements this time, which makes for a more interesting sound, but it still doesn’t get me too excited. That being said, I do very much enjoy the opening track Making A Fire, with its soulful backing vocals and uplifting feel. The same can’t be said for the lead single Shame Shame though, which is 4 minutes of not much going on. I feel like I’d enjoy most of this live but just listening to it as part of my regular day doesn’t seem too likely. Tracks like Cloudspotter, Holding Poison, and the title track just don’t do much for me, even if they’re groovier than your average Foo Fighters song. And then there’s the slower, acoustic based tracks like Chasing Birds and Waiting On A War, which once again are solid but do ramble on for a bit longer than needed. The latter does have a great ending though with the instrumentation building in tempo, dynamics, and texture. The closing moment Love Dies Young is fun, fast-paced, and flaming though! It’s like the Foos managed to book end a meh album with two great tracks, with a great intermission in the middle with the raging No Son Of Mine. Other than those though, I am bored. I hope in future they just go all out experimental instead of these ever so slight deviations into other styles of music. We’ve had enough of those; come on Foo Fighters, make an hour long prog album!

Favourites: Making A Fire, Love Dies Young, No Son Of Mine

Least Favourite: Shame Shame

27) Lorde - Solar Power

It pains me to put Lorde so low on the list because I adore most of her work and have done for years and years. The minimalistic yet so innovative nature of her first two albums stuns me every time I revisit them. Solar Power just was not the right third piece of the puzzle for me. I won’t lie, this album is blissful; it sounds beautiful and luscious and makes me want to visit the beautiful beaches of New Zealand even more than I already did. But it can get old fast, especially when it’s 12 songs with not much variation in sound or lyrical content. I love acoustic guitars and finding oneself as much as the next guy but I want a Lorde song to give me a rush of blood to head through its emotional bite rather than tell me that I need time for me, and vitamin D is good, and that I could kick back with a spliff if I needed to chill. I know all that stuff already. The title track is still an absolute jam though, I don’t care what anyone says. Secrets From A Girl (Who’s Seen It All) is a bit more uplifting and emphasised too, even though I can’t help but cringe at the weird pseudo climate crisis but also self care and emotion-heavy airline announcement at the end. Also can we please talk about how Fallen Fruit is one of her best songs to date????? I don’t know, I wish I had more to say but so much of this just blends into one mush of a album for me. I don’t even remember most of the songs because they’re all so laidback and samey. In defence of Lorde though (and I’ll always say this), if she truly believes that this is the best possible musical expression of herself at this point in her life, then it is. She should be doing what she is doing for herself and no one else. The rest of us are just along for the ride and should have no input. The artist knows themselves best, and the same goes for any artist. And who knows, maybe I'll adore this in a few years.

Favourites: Solar Power, Fallen Fruit, Secrets From A Girl (Who’s Seen It All)

Least Favourite: Dominoes, Big Star

26) Olivia Rodrigo - Sour

Another teen sensation - when’s it my turn?

For me, this album is pretty decent. The biggest flaw is definitely that the lyricism just seems to reiterate the same thoughts and feelings in every song. If I was angry at an ex while listening, I’d love it, but I’m not so I just feel like 'okay we get the message, move on'. That said, highlights include the cute and crisp back to back combo of 3 Steps Forward 1 Step Back and Deja Vu; Jealousy Jealousy, which finally changes the topic from break ups to self image and destruction; and of course the aggressive opener Brutal. The rest falls a bit flat. The high pitched breathiness of Driver’s Licence just reminds me of a Lorde rip off, and the hits of Traitor and Good 4 U have been screamed into microphones by my friends so often that I can’t bring myself to listen to them anymore (Looking at you Emily and Esha).

Favourites: Brutal, Deja Vu, Jealousy Jealousy.

Least Favourites: Happier, Drivers Licence, Traitor.

25) Goat Girl - On All Fours

Having fought through too many hardships to mention, Goat Girl show off their resilience and creativity on their sophomore effort, combining clean and bright guitar lines, bold synths, quirky as hell lyrics, smooth vocal harmonies, and percussion reminiscent of classic Talking Heads songs to create a fantastic formula that they stick to… a little too much. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy listening to this album, but making it through it’s almost an hour-long run time isn’t easy. Many of the songs are just a little too long in my opinion. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t of great quality though. I adore the electronic breakdown at the end of Sad Cowboy and can’t get enough of the funky rhythms and use of brass on Jazz (In The Supermarket). There is a lot of potential here for a great album but then songs like Anxiety Feels and They Bite On You just ramble on a little too much and I get bored. I will commend the lyricism throughout though because it is both creative and unconventional! At times On All Fours can be a bit ‘meh-eh-eh’ but if you ask me, the personality portrayed through the music is definitely worthy of  the title of G.O.A.T!

Favourites: Badaba, Jazz (In The Supermarket), P.T.S.Tea, Sad Cowboy, A-Men

Least Favourites: Anxiety Feels, They Bite On You, Where Do We Go From Here?

24) Twenty One Pilots - Scaled And Icy

They’re back, and they’re sounding positive. Scaled And Icy is a good time when it’s on but it's just not worth being on that often. I do enjoy this lighter, brighter side to the duo, but at the same time this album as a whole just feels a bit lacklustre; almost half-hearted. Maybe that’s to do with the lore surrounding the band or whatever but as much as I can dance and enjoy listening, I just don’t feel as much of a connection to this one. Good Day is sweet and great for summer; Never Take It is perfect for a sing along; and as straightforward as it is, Formidable is a beautifully smooth piece of music. Also Shy Away has been a banger since it first came out. One of my biggest issues with this project is the way it ends. It seems that in 2021, people are struggling to finish bodies of work and TØP are no exception. The last two songs throw the entire album’s vibe out the window and switch it up for a sinister, serious feel, which we’ve seen the band successfully do in the past, but here it just feels so forced and out of place that I just stop listening before they get here. Everything else is fun enough but not my favourite. For me, Trench is still the best album by this band, and it’s good that they’ve progressed to something new, but on this occasion it’s not been the best of changes. Although, the first ever Twenty One Pilots guitar solo being on this is a redeeming factor!

Favourites: Good Day, Shy Away, Never Take It, Formidable

Least Favourite: No Chances

23) Only Sun - Tangled Mind

Fun, colourful, energetic indie pop rock that’s perfect for summer (like have you seen these guys’ shirts? When I say summer I mean SUMMER!). I’ll be honest, going into this I was primarily of the mindset that this would just be another samey indie rock album but I am happy to say that I was wrong to think that. I saw these guys live a couple of years ago and they were good, but between then and now they have developed and improved so much. Tangled Mind has its heavier moments and it’s quieter, more heartfelt moments but it’s all so much fun. Being a fairly long album, there are a few tracks that could be cut to make it a better, more concise project, but for the most part, this is good stuff! The replay factor hasn’t been the highest but if Weird Wins comes on, best believe I’ll be dancing; if Throwaway starts playing, I’ll definitely start swaying; and no matter the time or place, when we get to the end of Surely No Way Back, I will be going fucking crazy! This is the best album of this style I’ve heard in a long time because it is so uniquely Only Sun.

Favourites: Surely No Way Back, Extraordinary, Bad Decisions, Throwaway  

Least Favourites: Penny Drop, Time

22) Sam Fender - Seventeen Going Under

In most cases, if an album is unbalanced in quality, it is usually the first half that is strongest. However for me, Seventeen Going Under is back-heavy. I’m not downplaying the first side of songs and I’m not at all saying that it ruins the album experience because it doesn’t, if anything it makes it better. But this fact has caused my relationship with this album to be one of putting on the odd track every now and then rather than listening to the whole thing in full. Mantra has been on repeat a good few times, mainly because of its succulent guitar solo, as have Paradigms and Aye, the latter of which, along with The Leveller, is just the faster paced bit of spunk that this LP needed. Also, I would argue that many of the bonus tracks are actually better than some of the cuts from the standard edition. Pretending That You’re Dead is a classic tale of wanting someone you can’t have and it is done so well. The guitars are eargasmic and the whole thing screams a good time, even if it’s not the happiest of songs. This should have been on the standard edition of the album, as should Angel In Lothian. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about the mega title track. Johnny Blue Hat’s saxophone on this one is a driving force that is second to none, and Fender’s lyrics don’t only talk of childhood but essential parts of life we all experience. Sam Fender is such an important artist for the UK at the moment and I’m excited for what’s to come; hopefully some experimentation.  

Favourites: Pretending That You're Dead, Aye, Mantra, Seventeen Going Under, Angel in Lothian

Least Favourite: Long Way Off

21) Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever

As overhyped as Billie Eilish can be, there is no denying that there is real talent and a degree of innovation there. For me, this album fixes her debut’s problem of it all sounding too similar, but it itself does lack some consistency of quality. Although the opener is a bit of a drag, the first leg of the album is packed with jams like I Didn’t Change My Number, Billie Bossa Nova, and one of my personal favourites Oxytocin. Unfortunately Lost Cause arrives shortly after, and this song is… well… a lost cause. I find this one so boring, I’m sorry it just does absolutely nothing for me (*gets cancelled by all the Billie Eilish stans*). OverHeated on the other hand is nothing short of sexy, with its intimate vocals and quiet yet busy beats creating a red-hot, sweaty, passionate image. The acoustic guitars of Your Power and Male Fantasy are also a definite highlight. I’d love to see Billie use them more often rather than just the dampened and ambient synth and piano sounds we hear so often; I’d say too often. The heavy, desperate, raging title track is also pretty great, with its pounding alt rock guitars and drums. Happier Than Ever is quite a journey to take and for the most part, it’s a rewarding one. I don’t think Billie has actualised her full potential yet but for god’s sake she’s only 20! One could argue that with all the different styles, it’s not a cohesive enough body of work, but I’d much prefer this than an album where every song sounds the same, and I’m excited to see which directions Billie explores next. 

Favourites: Oxytocin, Your Power, Overheated, NDA, Happier Than Ever

Least Favourites: Getting Older, My Future, Lost Cause

20) Arab Strap - As Days Get Dark

If there’s a word to describe it, it’s unique. This band has managed to create the most sinister sounding album of the year, with their relentlessly entrancing music and their uncomfortably intimate low Scottish accent that casually talks of dystopia, sex, drugs, death, and so much more. For the most part, it is very subtle, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t hard-hitting and brutally honest, which it is. The story telling is phenomenal all the way through, even if overall, the album is fairly one-dimensional. The lavish stings that appear from time to time are a joy to behold, particularly on Fable Of The Urban Fox. Also, I love the use of electronic beats throughout the album, purposefully contradicting the acoustic strings and pianos. It creates the feel of listening to a 50 minute long voicemail left by a serial killer; like I say, so so sinister! Definitely check this one out!

Favourites: Tears On Tour, The Turning Of Our Bones, Fable Of The Urban Fox, Just Enough

Least Favourite: N/A

19) The Darker The Shadow, The Brighter The Light - The Streets

Mike Skinner is back and every brummie garage head is rejoicing, including myself. There’s just nothing better than the combination of the strings, the minimalistic electronic beats, and the irregular colloquial poetry and storytelling of Skinner. This project is more dazzling than last years’ Streets mixtape. I feel more intent and sentiment from Mike. I love his commentary on dark deeds on Original Sin and the pitch shifted (what sounds like) female vocal snippets on this track are brilliant as well. This is by far my favourite thing Mike has produced in a while. It feels like a palette cleanser, taking things back to basics with next to no collaborators, chic and stark beats and samples, and blunt verses that just tell it as it is. As always with Mike Skinner though, there is great purity within all of this: the simple things in life can hold great significance. We hear of being picked last in PE on The Good In You, collecting sea shells on Love At First, intentionally not apologising because you think you’ve done nothing wrong on Act Nice. I know that this one won't be everyone’s cup of tea, but for me this is wonderful. Give it a go!

Favourites: Act Nice, Original Sin, Power Of Love Love Of Power, Don’t Judge The Book. 

Least Favourite: Love Is An Aching Tooth

18) Snail Mail - Valentine

Lindsey Jordan returns with more indie rock jams, this time in the midst of a crumbled relationship. It’s never easy after a break up, especially when you’ve been cheated on. As Jordan puts it on Forever (Sailing), “nothing stays as good as how it starts”. This is a brutally honest track. We’ve all felt hopelessly in love and sometimes, even if the same person loves you back, it can’t work out - “everything we try is failing”. I love the bark and bite of the snail we are presented with. Opening cut Valentine is a pining punk rock belter. Sometimes it’s best to just let it all out and my god does that happen here. This is an essential of the year no doubt about it! Snail Mail’s sophomore album does have its more subdued moments as well. I’m a big fan of Jordan’s acoustic work and C. et. al is one of my all time favourites from her. It puts into words the feeling of just slowly losing yourself with no control. You can feel your mind slipping away as you try and try to make something work that is doomed to fail. Musically, this isn’t the most varied album but I must shout out the song Automate for its wonderful textures and layering. I’d say the closer Mia puts it best though, by simply stating the facts - “Isn’t it strange the way it’s just over? No late night calls, you’re not here to walk me to my door, now I just love you more”. - we’ve all been there, and I know that I am just one of many who wishes that this album was around to get me through my own similar past hardships.

Favourites: C. et. al, Mia, Valentine, Forever (Sailing)

Least Favourite: Madonna

17) Zuzu - Queensway Tunnel

The queen of Liverpool herself has finally released her first album and I couldn’t be prouder to be a fan. Queensway Tunnel is the perfect next step in Zuzu’s evolution as a musical artist, with not just her classic guitar sound being represented but also her ability to write alt pop smashes like Lie To Myself and post break up ballads like My Old Life. The only small problem I have with this album is the pacing of it. The last three songs are all slow and sentimental and part of me just longs for it go out with a bit more of a bang rather than the faded out strings we get. This does not take away from the quality of the song construction though! Timing is classic Zuzu, Bevy Head will get you up and dancing in no time, Where’d You Go? picks you up and throws you around in a whirlwind (in the best way possible), and the lyrics of The Van Is Evil communicate the issues of touring when you’re trying to keep the environment and the climate crisis in mind. If you know me, you won’t be surprised that I like this song haha. Also I absolutely love the strings on this track; very Beatles esque and done very well, as is most of Queensway Tunnel.

Favourites: Timing, Lie To Myself, Where’d You Go?, The Van Is Evil, Bevy Head, Endlessly Yours

Least Favourite: Never Again

16) Munkey Junkey - Bitter Chitta

If you’ve ever felt like you’ve needed a spaced-out, auto-tuned hour long ego trip on a cloud, then I have a simple solution; just listen to Bitter Cheeta. Kurran Karbal (Munkey Junkey) has lived pretty much everywhere and had all sorts of crazy experiences, many of which are detailed in this set of songs. It’s just such an immense body of work, with hundreds and hundreds of layers of beautiful, shimmering electronics and synths that would feel right at home in a cartoon set in far away lands like Adventure Time or Bravest Warriors. It can all be too much when life is full of so much change, heartbreak, and crises, as touched upon in the insane Bury Her Bones, a song that goes from being a slow chill vibe to being an angsty, distorted rant, and then back again. On A Cloud is nothing short of gorgeous, and you guessed it, it feels like soaring through vast galaxies on your own little Super Mario cloud. In fact, this entire album is gorgeous, and beautiful, and pretty, and every other synonym! The production is flawless! When it’s not effortlessly gliding, it smoothly bounces and occasionally attacks with warped distortion. The hour long run time can be hard to get through but picking out certain tracks to listen to on their own is an easy task as, when it comes to Bitter Chitta, both quantity and quality are high.

Favourites: On A Cloud, Dehli Glue Kids, Sinful Enough, Bury Her Bones, Bitter Heart, Seventh Iteration, Cats and Dawgs

Least Favourites: All I Need, Gray

15) Bo Burnham - INSIDE

I’m not going to spend ages on this one because so many people can, have, and will break it all down better than me. All I’ll say is this: if an album was to sum up the last couple of years for future generations, it’s this one. If one day this album is found in the rubble or discovered on a long lost audio file or what will then be a vintage smart phone device, it will provide the best blunt description and statement of the common man’s thoughts during and experiences of the early 2020s. While it’s not something I’ve come back to all that much, there’s no denying that INSIDE is a wonderfully simple and beautifully yet painfully real account of modern life. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Burnham’s work and have found some of his comedy distasteful in the past but this… this is good shit.

Favourites: How The World Works, White Woman’s Instagram, Look Who’s Inside Again, All Time Low, Goodbye

Least Favourites: Comedy, Problematic

14) Damon Albarn - The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows

'It’s Damon Albarn so it must be good right?' is the kind of mindset I always try to avoid having when going into one of his musical projects. But then while listening I’m just always reminded of why it’s a valid assumption. He is just so so talented, and his second solo album is no outlier to this talent. In fact, I’d say I definitely prefer this one to 2014’s Everyday Robots, mainly due to jazzy passages that appear throughout, breaking up the modern day Damon’s sombre, melancholy piano stuff. He’s just a clever bastard and that’s all I’m going to say. If you’ve been good this year, treat yourself to a marvellous listening experience and stream this album.

Favourites: The Tower Of Montevideo, Combustion, Polaris, The Cormorant

Least Favourite: Giraffe Sea Trumpet

13) Kate Davis - Strange Boy

The first thing you need to know about Strange Boy is that it’s a strange album. Kate Davis keeps things beautifully simple but so so weird with her blend of guitar & synth pop and her creepy pitch-shifted, conversational spoken word interludes which, surprisingly, really add something great to this project. There’s something unique about the album that I can’t quite put my finger on; whatever it is, I adore it. The high whispery vocals, the smooth beats, the lazy synths, the delicate guitars and the blunt innocent lyrics of tracks like I’ll Do Anything But Break Dance For Ya Darling, Fighting With Myself, and This Song all combine so well. Feels Good and Oh No provide a change in mood with acoustic drums and heavier, more prominent guitar work. I especially enjoy the former as it also is a definite change of pace from the rest of the album. The lyrics are empowering and as the title suggests, it’s makes you feel good. You may be saying goodbye to someone but they don’t deserve to be in your company because of how they’ve treated you. The title track goes one step further than these two though by completely reinventing the wheel of this fairly chilled, floaty album. It’s a short, sweet, screeching punk belter of a tune that, despite being completely different and out of place to the rest of the album, is absolutely fantastic. You have to treat you ears to this album!

Favourites: I’ll Do Anything But Breakdance For Ya Darling, Feels Good, This Song, Make God Your Boyfriend, Strange Boy

Least Favourite: Too Young To Die

12) Finn - Here The Sky Is Different

UNDERRATED ARTIST ALERT!!!!!

I’ve never heard a song by Finn and thought that it wasn’t beautiful or that it didn’t have the potential to make me cry. On Here The Sky Is Different, the beauty continues, but this time with more of a focus on acoustic instruments and a more lo-fi production style. This whole record drifts by like a hazy desert sky and I am here for it. I don’t know what it is, but something about Finn’s vocal style just has an intrinsic quality of being overwhelmed by emotion, and he does so well to allow the instrumentation to both contradict and complement this. It’s lazy but intricate, subtle but immense, dreamy but oh so real. New territory is covered on this album, for example with the chugging, lo-fi, rocking sound of Damage, and it is done really really well. We also are met with some classic Finn on songs like Dream Residue and Commute which display the dainty ambient sounds we’ve come to know and love. I also MUST mention I’ll Hear You Over The Mountain as it’s one of my favourite acoustic guitar songs of the year, if not my favourite. Finn is worth your time, worth anyone’s time, so go and bless yourself with this stunner.

Favourites: I’ll Hear You Over The Mountain, Is This What I Wanted, Damage, The Clouds, Pretty Girl

Least Favourite: Smoke Off In The Distance

11) Japanese Breakfast - Jubilee

Jubilee is a vibrant insight into love and loss, packed with dance-worthy dream pop bangers, eccentric eye-openers, and deeper retrospective moments. Paprika is hands down the best opening track of the year, Kokomo IN has a laziness to it that perfectly reflects the feeling of being lost in a summer afternoon, and Posing In Bondage (great title) and Sit sound like they both belong in fun space adventure cartoons and sad ballad playlists at the same time. I see why some would say that there is unnecessary instrumentation with all of the brass, strings, and synths that feature fairly frequently, but for me, these inclusions are for the most part beneficial, as they give Jubilee a range of textures that so many alt-pop albums lack. The only time I feel that it does get a little clunky is during the second half, with what feels like random extracts of brass, strings, and pitch-shifted vocals randomly appearing during Savage Good Boy. That being said, Jubilee’s end is still solid, thanks to the slow, tear jerking closers Tactics and Posing For Cars. This is a great listen!

Favourites: Paprika, Posing In Bondage, Kokomo IN, Tactics, Be Sweet

Least Favourites: In Hell, Savage Good Boy

10) Turnstile - GLOW ON

Dream punk indeed! Turnstile have produced something brilliant here, the perfect combination of heavy hardcore and blissful dancey synths. Turnstile bring excellent musicianship to the table: DON’T PLAY features one of the best guitar solos of 2021, the smooth clean textures at the start of NEW HEART DESIGN are perfect, and the same can be said for the opening track MYSTERY. Turnstile display how talented a group they are and never cause you to feel bored. No song drags on for too long and the project as a whole feels tight and compact. If you’re looking for more of a classic hardcore sound, towards the end of BLACKOUT there is a fantastic breakdown to head bang to, and WILD WRLD is a non stop rager with the kind of punk drumming that any hardcore album needs. And who can forget HOLIDAY, which had me shouting along in seconds with its fun, catchy, aggressive hooks. I must mention UNDERWATER BOI! This song sees Turnstile crossing over into more of an indie rock sound (whatever that means), but still remaining true to themselves with hammering drums and crunching guitars appearing here and there. ALIEN LOVE CALL is also definitely one of my favourites; a slower track that wears its vulnerability on its sleeve with more minimal instrumentation. It’s simple but beautiful, and really does feel spacey with all its bright, glittery synths. It can be easy to get bored of heavy music but here, Turnstile have provided a fresh new take that, while not completely reinventing the wheel, is so much fun to listen to.

Favourites: HOLIDAY, ALIEN LOVE CALL, T.L.C, UNDERWATER BOI, MYSTERY, WILD WRLD, NEW HEART DESIGN.

Least Favourite: DANCE OFF

9) De'Wayne - STAINS

You won’t hear an album from this year with more energy than this one. There’s the politically charged National Anthem, the erotically charged Super 8; yes if I had to sum it up, charged up might be the way to go. De'Wayne won’t stop until he reaches the top and it comes across how thankful he is for every small milestone, as he goes back to his days of working at Taco Bell on the absolute banger that is Walking To Work. Success and ambition are common themes, with the title track including lines like "I’m about to make a milli stack" and one of the best lines of the year in "need a Grammy for my granny". The deeper and darker moments do appear in moderation though. Standout Land Of Snakes delves into how hard it is to trust people, and closing moment Me Vs You including lyrics about suicidal thoughts and being “haunted by a past that can’t be undone”. But what is so brilliant on this song is that De’Wayne surpasses the bad and shows how empowered he feels, aggressively shouting “Imma take em all out one by one, COZ I’M A GLADIATOR!” And he absolutely is. Stains is the perfect combo of punk, glam rock, and punchy hip hop and it deserves your time. Also, Awsten Knight from Waterparks features on Perfume, and if he's here it must be good right?

Favourites: National Anthem, Walking To Work, Perfume, Me Vs You, Land Of Snakes, Jungle

Least Favourite: Radio-Active

8) CHAI - WINK

The Japanese four piece return on their more chilled, synth driven third album. I’ve adored this band for a few years now. It’s clear that they love what they do and have fun playing and performing; and this really comes across in their music. WINK is a fantastic set of songs, focussing on themes of the power of cuteness and embracing imperfection to achieve true self love. The overall vibe is much more laidback than their punkier previous work but trust me CHAI’s larger than life energy will never give out. PING PONG (feat. YMCK) is a non stop party, with its quick dancey feel and it’s non stop rushing arcade sounds. Another banger is END, which features distorted shuffling trip hop esque drums and catchy vocal lines. I love what CHAI have to say about stupid societal appearance expectations on Maybe Chocolate Chips, with Ric Wilson’s featured rapped verse including lines like “your moles are what deem you special” and “they can’t define you with beauty myths”. In fact, every feature on this album brings something great to the table; Mndsgn’s vocals on IN PINK really certify this song as one of the best easy-going summer jams of the year. I don’t think I’ve ever disliked a CHAI song; even though the second half of WINK doesn’t switch up the pace or style too much, the consistent sound is a great one. WINK could be CHAI’s best album to date. They’ve naturally progressed into new territory and done it wonderfully.

Favourites: Donuts Mind Of I Do, Maybe Chocolate Chips, PING PONG, Nobody Knows We Are Fun, IN PINK, Wish Upon A Star

Least Favourite: Salty

7) Mdou Moctar - Afrique Victim

THE BEST USE OF AN ELECTRIC GUITAR ALL YEAR GOD DAMN!

This is a phenomenal LP, and an incredibly important one. Inspired by the political troubles and extremist group problems of his home country of Niger, Mdou Moctar has crafted something exquisite here. I can’t even begin to describe the intricacy of the rhythms and melodies he produces with his guitar so you’ll have to listen to them for yourself. If you love blues, psychedelic sounds, and classic Western African chants then this is the record for you. And even if you’re not well versed in any of that, do yourself a favour and listen to it anyway. Its peaceful moments (Tala Tannam, Bismilahli Atagah) will transcend you to a loving, optimistic state of being; and the ferocious guitar passages on tracks like Chismiten and Afrique Victim will have you seeing stars and strobes no matter where you are. I am so jealous of Moctar’s melismatic vocal capabilities. The movement of notes on the same syllables of words pairs really well with the polyrhythmic nature of the music. I only found this album a couple of months ago but what an effect it has had on me. It inspires me to improve not just as a guitar player, but as a person in general, and only the best and most powerful albums can do that!

Favourites: (All of them)

Least Favourites: N/A

6) Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Little Simz is the best rapper in the world, fight me. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is so so powerful and so so lavish and so so grand and is such a spectacle that it renders me almost speechless, so much so that I can’t listen to it too often. There is so much going on and packed into this hour long LP that it can be a lot to take in. But every time I have come back to it, I’ve loved (the majority of) it. The bars, the verses, the flows, all move like a body of water, surrounding everything and quickly making sharp unexpected changes in direction. Everything present on this project, even the stuff I don't like, has and serves a purpose, whether that be the huge theatrical instrumentation, the at other times laid back soulful instrumentation, the random sampled snippets of phone calls, the children’s choirs; everything. Even the interludes, which are a bit over the top for me, feel as though they belong. Little Simz has managed to create one of the great artistic expressions of the modern day. She addresses not only her own experiences with introversion but general societal disadvantages, and how other people’s thoughts (which it’s not always their fault for having) lead to actions which affect Simz’ life. For example, on Little Q, Pt. 2, we hear about when Simz was stabbed and how she questions the motives and thoughts of the stabber - “the boy that stabbed me is just as damaged as me, I could've been the reflection that he hated, the part of him he wishes God did not waste time creating”. I’m finding it tough to write about this album because it just covers so much. For me, no other rapper that I’ve heard goes as hard as Simz, whether that be with electric bars, sentimental slow pieces, talking about both the mental and physical sides of life; the inner and the outer, both of which it is so difficult to have any control over. This is a magnum opus if there ever was one.

Favourites: Introvert, I Love You I Hate You, Little Q Pt 2, Standing Ovation, I See You, Miss Understood

Least Favourite: Gems Interlude, The Rapper That Came To Tea Interlude, The Garden Interlude

5) Hayley Williams - Flowers For Vases/Descansos

The day this album came out, I tweeted that I’d spent a large part of 2020 dancing, crying, and singing along to Hayley’s debut Petals For Armour and that I wouldn’t be surprised if I spent loads of time in 2021 sitting, crying, and singing along to this album. My prediction was true. FFV/D is all the emotion left after the debut; a rawer, stripped down reflection on what is left after divorce. Instead of the left over thoughts and feelings being expressed through tour (thanks Covid), it’s manifested itself into a beautiful set of songs. Primarily based around the acoustic guitar, these songs are so wonderfully delicate, and bright yet sad. Just from the first line of the first song you can tell that we’re going deep: “the first thing to go was the sound of his voice”. It’s hard to single out certain songs because it all just flows so well as one body of work. It’s not as varied in sound as Petals For Armour but it’s just as powerful, with tracks like Good Grief displaying a lack in faith and the bad repercussions that come from divorce, and Inordinary focussing on significant traumas and changes from childhood. Just A Lover wraps it all up so well with one of the only shifts into electric instruments, and Hayley explodes with an urgent, pining, but self-assured end to this part of her life. There really isn’t a bad song on this thing and I’m just going to leave it at that. Go cry your eyes out to it.

Favourites: Just A Lover, Asystole, Over Those Hills, Inordinary, HYD, Wait On

Least Favourites: N/A (as if that could happen)

4) Various Artists - The French Dispatch (soundtrack)

Usually I don’t listen to film soundtracks but as Wes Anderson is my favourite director, I always make an exception. The combination of the delightful French horns, the classic pizzicato strings, and the sometimes subtle sometimes frantic pianos, works so so well. Also the occasional song with lyrics from artists like Grace Jones, Chantal Goya, Charles Aznavour, and Jarvis Cocker could only ever make this better! That’s it, that’s all I have to say, because this is just wonderful. So put on your best corduroy suit, and go take a walk through the early morning streets of your city while listening to this; you will be transported.

Favourites: Obituary, After You’ve Gone, Simone Naked Cell Block J Hobby Room, Fiasco, I’ve Seen That Face Before, Sonata For Mandolin And Guitar…, Tu M’as Trop Menti, The Private Dining Room…, Lt. Nescaffier, Aline. —— OH FUCK IT, ALL OF THEM!!!!!

Least Favourites: N/A

3) Tyler, The Creator - Call Me If You Get Lost

He’s back, it’s brilliant, and I am not surprised. IGOR saw Tyler really portray just how creative he can be, and CMOYGL is him burying you into the ground with that fact. Whether it’s the rapping, sampling, beats, changes in tempo, what ever; it’s all so truly and uniquely Tyler. This is his long form romantic epic, combining all he has done and is starting to do. We get the boastful bangers, the thoughtful in-looking pieces, the softer lovey dovey songs; everything. As always with Tyler’s recent work, to describe it as just rap would be a disservice. We are met with not only his classic crazy weirdo rap but also soul, RnB, spoken word, and the new addition of dub, which can be found on the beautiful SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE. CORSO is another standout moment. Most rappers show off about what they buy but here’s its done with a different dynamic, Tyler saying that he bought a new boat because he wants to “cry in the ocean”. The great music appears throughout this entire album with hardly any dry spells or rough patches. Some collaborators’ verses can feel a bit stale, for example, I can’t say I’m a fan of Lil Wayne’s rapping on HOT WIND BLOWS, but the instrumentation of that track makes up for it with its soaring flutes. There’s always something to bring you back to life after the rare occasions that this album feels dead. WUSYANAME has some of the smoothest, sweet-sounding soul that Tyler has ever produced, and is paired with some great left-field romantic lines about eating brioche and watching indie films at Cannes. MANIFESTO, LUMBERJACK, and JUGGERNAUT have non stop bars of fire; WILSHIRE is a great opportunity to experience the lovesick mind of the creator; and DJ Drama’s frequent inclusions will forever make me laugh and get me hyped up. I may prefer the more concise IGOR, but this (and my next pick) has been on repeat all year. I can guarantee that you’ll lose yourself in this masterpiece of an album, and then you’ll have to give Tyler a call (hehe get it?).

Favourites: CORSO, WUSYANAME, MANIFESTO, SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE, RISE!, JUGGERNAUT

Least favourites: RUNITUP, MOMMA TALK

2) Waterparks - Greatest Hits

I enjoy most things that this band puts into the world and Greatest Hits is no exception. Musically, it’s like Fandom (their last album) on steroids, and lyrically it focuses much more on inside of frontman Awsten Knight’s head rather than the exterior fan base, record labels, and ex girlfriends. Their fourth album is a great listen! The title track is like a countdown to a rocket taking off but after you’ve launched, the immense Fuzzy pulls you back down through a never ending spiralling abyss, filled with all the demons, colours, and sounds trapped inside your head. Waterparks have always been able to write catchy pop rock smashes and this album is full of them (Lowkey As Hell, American Graffiti). Something else they seem to get right is just making everything sound and feel so refreshing, whether that be through the glistening production (courtesy of Zakk Cervini), the airy vocals, the clean instrumentation; whatever. The best examples of this are the darker than it sounds Violet!, and maybe my favourite from the album The Secret Life Of Me, a song that sees Awsten longing for an escape to another world where he can bathe in the sunshine and be best friends with his evil twin. Love isn’t in the air for the majority of this project but when it is, it’s beautiful. Fruit Roll Ups, a song driven by a sweet set of arpeggios played on the guitar, the melody of which can only remind you of romance, is all about inviting over someone you’ve fallen head over heals for. It’s definitely the most wholesome part of the album with its references to eating sweets, drinking Capri suns, watching scary movies, and putting up fairy lights. Greatest Hits can go a whole lot darker though. Snow Globe and Just Kidding bring the back to back punches of feeling hated and hating yourself through their smooth RnB sounds, while You’d Be Paranoid Too… kicks you in the teeth with its commentary on, you guessed it, paranoia, done so through its roaring choruses and a larger than life guitar solo from Geoff Wigington. There are small moments of weakness throughout: Lowkey As Hell can get old after a while, the verses of Just Kidding sound a lot like those of Lowkey As Hell, the Gladiator (interlude) feels pretty unnecessary. Also, the instrumentation of later cuts LIKE IT and Magnetic has so many layers that it can feel a bit messy with too much going on. I still enjoy these two songs, especially Magnetic, but if you can’t handle a wall of sound, the likelihood is they’re not for you. Awsten’s rapping has come a long way too, as closer See You In The Future is full of quick witted bars. Overall, this is a phenomenal album. Don’t ask me to rank their albums because I adore them all but I imagine that Greatest Hits would be somewhere near the top. It’s shown them do well at trying new things and absolutely smash what they’re already good at.

Favourites: Fuzzy, Violet!, Snow Globe, The Secret Life Of Me, Fruit Roll Ups, Magnetic, See You In The Future.

Least Favourite: Gladiator (interlude)

1) Parannoul - To See The Next Part Of The Dream

Emo shoegaze from South Korea? Count me in!

This album encompasses what feels like every emotion you could ever bare. The lyrics tend to focus on the darkness and sad aspects of life but don’t let that put you off. If you ask me, Parannoul has put together something that seems to contradict itself yet remain cohesive all at the same time; it feels like everything. It feels like flying but drowning, isolation but being surrounded, explosion yet implosion; all at once. The 10 minute long White Ceiling perfectly captures the boring cage that everyday life can be; waking up everyday to the same ceiling and the same occurrences and occasions of your average day. Everything within this song reinforces the parochialism and claustrophobia of being stuck in an endless cycle, especially the alarms that bookend both ends. I highlight this song in particular but there really isn’t a dull moment on this album! The consistent larger than life guitars and drums cause a rush of blood to the head that won’t leave for a long time. This, paired with the busy electronics that feature on songs like Excuse and Analog Sentimentalism, take you into a state of living your life in constant strobe lighting if you will. Room is left for a change of pace though, provided with Extra Story and Chicken, the latter of which ends with innocent na na na-type lyrics, creating the impression of someone just letting go of all they have ever known, and accepting the blissful hopelessness of the void. If there was an album to soundtrack bearing down before a blinding white light in agonising tearful emotion, screaming for the pain to end; then this is it.

As you can tell, I love this album. I couldn’t just casually listen to it or select a track here and there as I could with a pop album, but jeez, when this is playing, you’ll find me transcending my physical body and going towards the beckoning distorted light of fuzzy emo shoegaze heaven. I highly recommend listening in two ways: 1) through good speakers of your stereo, Bluetooth speaker, or car, so you really get to experience every layer of the music, and 2) through your ordinary iPhone earphones while walking alongside the cars of the home time rush hour: the lights and moving vehicles paired with the noisy (in the best way) music and the bleak Korean lyrics will tear your mind open in ways I can’t describe. Expect to shed a tear or two as well; I certainly have!

Favourites: Excuse, Analog Sentimentalism, White Ceiling, Age Of Fluctuation, Chicken

Least Favourites: N/A