my favourite songs of 2021
Back at it again, here’s my 100 favourite songs of 2021.
A few ground rules: one song per artist/project; songs were all released in 2021 in some form (i.e. may have been released as singles earlier than 2021, but were featured on an album released in 2021).
(Scroll straight to the bottom for full streaming playlist)
100 Son by Rosie Low & Duval Timothy
99 Prester John by Animal Collective
98 Small Things by Nick Hakim & Roy Nathanson
97 Jumprope by Psymon Spine
96 Laurelhurst by Goth Babe
95 Duumbiyay by Madlib
94 Hot & Heavy by Lucy Dacus
93 The Step by Punctual & Nabiha
92 FAiNT by POiSON ANNA
91 Emergence in Nature by Hannah Peel
90 Vice by girl_irl
89 Desert Mule by F.S. Blumm & Nils Frahm
88 Tear in Abyss by death’s dynamic shroud
87 Back To The Old Days by Wayward
86 Times by Wu-Lu
85 Gratitude by Mr Jukes & Barney Artist
84 Talking Walls by Uma
83 Strawberry by Doss
82 rejoice by R.A.P. Ferreira & Scallops Hotel (feat. Eldon Somers)
81 Lagrimas del Mar by Irreversible Entaglements
80 I’m a Princess by Bill Wurtz
79 Lawmaker by Darkside
78 Whether the Weather by MYD (feat. Juan Wauters)
77 Crying at CVS by Kilder & Alice Longyu Gao
76 INDUSTRY BABY by Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow
75 Race Function Limited by Moor Mother (feat. Brother May)
74 Shinrin-Yoku by B.J. Smith & Huw Costin
73 In a Cistern by Devendra Barnhart & Noah Georgeson
72 Apartment Song by Really From
71 In Spring by Tara Clerkin Trio
70 Catching Smoke by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
69 Come Along by Coco
68 Anything At All by Bachelor, Jay Som & Palehound
67 I See You Sometimes by Vegyn (feat. Jeshi)
66 Oil Slick by Puma Blue
65 Indian Summer by Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
64 U Just R by Machinedrum (feat. Jorge Elbrecht)
63 Get Back by Chong the Nomad
62 Let’s Sing Let’s Dance by 박혜진 Park Hye Jin
61 Schatze by Ohtis (feat. Stef Chura)
60 Dumb Enough by Kirin J Callinan
59 The Princess and the Clock by Kero Kero Bonito
58 Movement 1 by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra
57 hypnotized by Tune-Yards
56 Overstand by Apifera (feat. Yonatan Albalak, Amir Bresler, Rejoicer & Nitai Hershkovits)
55 Indica Bike Ride by Louis Prince
54 Jail by Kanye West
53 Waves of Devotion by Rone & Georgia
52 You Could Be by Anz (feat. George Riley)
51 American Football by Kitten
50 Y by HIRA
49 SIERRA NIGHTS by Kevin Abstract (feat. Ryan Beatty)
48 2010 by Earl Sweatshirt
47 Outside the Outside by Helado Negro
46 Bunny Is A Rider by Caroline Polachek
45 I’m Just A Fan by Teezo Touchdown
44 That’s Mr. Bitch To You by Claud & Melanie Faye
43 Vanishing by Circuit des Yeux
42 Big Moonlight (Ookii Gekkou) by Vanishing Twin
41 John L by Black Midi
40 Be Sweet by Japanese Breakfast
39 Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life (MF DOOM Remix) by The Avalanches
38 Famous Last Words by James Blake
37 Big Wide Body by SoGone SoFlexy
36 At the Moonbase by Slaughter Beach, Dog
35 Duo by Sam Gellaitry
34 HAZARD DUTY PAY! by JPEGMAFIA
33 Un Monde Nouveau by Feu! Chatterton
32 BUZZCUT by Brockhampton (feat. Danny Brown)
31 Samurai Sword by Chad VanGaalen
30 Creatures by Viagra Boys
29 Persona by Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu
28 Prioritise Pleasure by Self Esteem
27 El Invento by José Gonzalez
26 Meanwhile by Gorillaz (feat. Jelani Blackman & Barrington Levy)
25 This Enchanted by Hatchie
24 Immune by Jensen McRae
23 Many Times by Dijon
22 Knees by Injury Reserve
21 Ayeye by Amaro Freitas
20 WUSYANAME by Tyler, The Creator (feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again & Ty Dolla $ign)
19 good 4 u by Olivia Rodrigo
18 Amir by Serpentwithfeet
17 White Horses / I Can Wait by Low
16 Gem by Jex Opolis
15 Little Deer by Spellling
14 Rocky Trail by Kings of Convenience
13 Are You With That? by Vince Staples
12 The flowers in my parent’s yard by Shabason, Krgovich & Harris
11 I Have a Love by For Those I Love
A brief interlude before the top ten
2021 has been a great year for the long player — in rough order, here are my favourite albums:
- For the First Time by Black Country New Road
Athens, France, Science Fair and Sunglasses are three of my favourite songs of this year, hands down. A short album but all killer no filler. - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature by Cassandra Jenkins
Beautiful, meditative, soothing. - For Those I Love by For Those I Love
One of the most moving projects I’ve ever heard. A raw direct window into deep sincere grief. - A Tiny House, In Secret Speeches, Polar Equals by Sweet Trip
Genre-straddling, mystical bliss. I love Tiny Houses, Surviving A Smile, and Chapters. - Prioritise Pleasure by Self Esteem
Anthemic, gritty, empowering pop. - Mercurial World by Magdalena Bay
A sci-fi disco that flows seamlessly from bop to bop. - Hey What by Low
Noisecore? Gospel crunch? Unique sonic brilliance from Low. - Call Me If You Get Lost by Tyler, The Creator
Effortlessly cool and infinitely listenable. - Music for Psychedelic Therapy by Jon Hopkins
Does what it says on the tin.
Onward!
10
Silk Chiffon
by
MUNA (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
Just so catchy, Silk Chiffon probably has my favourite chorus of the year. Music vid is pretty fun too.
9
La Perla
by
Sofia Kourtesis
La Perla has walking along the beach as the sun comes up after a night out in the Balearics vibes. It’s simultaneously danceable and contemplative; a banger, but also not a banger, depending on how you feel about bangers.
8
Tiny Houses
by
Sweet Trip
The opener to Sweet Trip’s In Secret Speeches record is a blistering statement of intent. A 50 second sound clash of violent synths and intergalactic fx sets the tone for an album that is sonically vast. The noise then gives way to a shoegaze anthem reminiscent of something off Swirlies’ They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days. An incredible lead off to an incredible album.
7
You Lose!
by
Magdalena Bay
You Lose! is so structurally simple, with a beating kick drum line, 8-bit synths and a stirring, albeit orthodox, guitar chord progression. Yet the end product is a song that is so much more than the sum of its parts.
6
t-shirt
by
Shura
t-shirt is one of the calmest songs I’ve ever heard. It feels like a song you can truly bathe in. When Shura sings “the truth is out there” it makes me feel like I’m a 10 year old child in the American midwest play-hunting for UFOs.
5
NAINAINAI
by
Atarashii Gakkou
Atarashii Gakko (新しい学校) meaning “new school” are a uniquely Japanese band. Single NAINAINAI is irreverent and catchy in equal measure. Looking at the metrics its also my most played song from 2021 — tbh it’s just a really really fun song.
4
29
by
Yaeji & OHHYUK
My favourite musical moment of the year is when the chorus of 29 first drops, with the buzzy monotone bass of Yaeji’s verse peeling away to reveal an unexpected bossanova-tinged bouncy chorus, over which Yaeji repeats the one line, “I gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go”. The B-side/other track from Yaeji and OHHYUK on this release, Year to Year is also definitely worth checking out.
3
Narrator
by
Squid
I love the way the second half of Narrator descends into a mad cacophony, it feels as if it should, and will, never end. Martha Skye Murphy’s guest vocals provide a grounding element amidst the chaos, making the track a tad more accessible than other Squid tracks that are dominated by singer Ollie Judge’s unique yelps — even at 8'29" in length.
2
Hard Drive
by
Cassandra Jenkins
It’s a little bit cheesy, but the line “Yes, and this is a hard drive” that punctuates the second verse gets me every time. Gives me the chills and the feels and the giggles all at once. Cassandra Jenkins’ spoke-sung masterpiece gives every line an amount of breathing room that is rare in modern music, allowing the listener to digest every word fully, mindfully.
1
Sunglasses
by
Black Country New Road
Sunglasses had its first release in 2019, but was rerecorded for the release of BCNR’s 2021 debut album, For The First Time. It’s an alt-rock post-punk epic about God knows what, and it’s my favourite track of 2021:
