It’s been an incredible year for music of all genres. This year our listening habits were a bit all over the place, so we decided to change up our list format. Here’s a sampling by genre of our 2021 list, so that no matter what you’re into, you’ll find something to love.
To read our full reviews and see the other 30 albums… READ OUR LIST!
Hip-Hop
With the Shifts by Maassai
…Even with all of this incredible artistry on display, Maassai’s lyricism shines more than anything else on With the Shifts. She opens the project with the bar, “Y’all know niggas who will put metal in your back like a piggy bank, just for pitty sake?” which is just a wild way to bring you into her world. With the Shifts is by far the most cohesive project that Maassai has released, and she’s making a name for herself as one of the most consistently great rappers out.
The House is Burning by Isaiah Rashad
…Filled with banger after banger and beats that bring nothing but bounce, The House Is Burning manages to keep the vibe while bringing Rashad back to his roots and simultaneously taking accountability for a handful of present mistakes. The album brings the same attributes that have always made Rashad so popular, turning each up to ten…
Dance
Pool by Skee Mask
…The songs on Pool tumble in and out of each other, held together only by a soft bubbling and a techno backbeat. I spent an incredible amount of time with this album over the course of the last few months and still couldn’t tell you a single song title. It’s an album that subtly glides in and out of your life. While it’s on, it provides a thin layer of certainty to everything, and with it off you can still kind of sense its beat backing everything…
Reflection by Loraine James
Loraine James' long-awaited Reflection encapsulated everything the London-based artist has been gearing towards in her career thus far. On Reflection, James seamlessly plays with unflinching percussive beats, integrating them with vocals from artists like Xzavier Stone and Baths. Reflection is made to be played and danced to in the early mornings at a club…
Pop
The Turning Wheel by Spellling
…Her vocals and instrumentation in “Boys at School” are soulful. Throughout the song, you can feel the goosebumps on your arms rise as her voice reaches higher notes. There’s no comparison to its originality and form—From start to finish, it is a musical masterpiece…
to hell with it by Pinkpanthress
Pinkpanthress’ music sounds like if rocket ships were invented in the early 2000s and high schoolers ran the space program. No song on to hell with it is over three minutes and most tracks are well under two. The album is over before you even realized you got past the intro. But, Pinkpanthress does not waste a second of her time…
R&B
Mother by Cleo Sol
Cleo Sol’s music is hypnotic. She crafts 8-minute odysseys that feel like they end in the blink of an eye. Her voice is enchanting and reassuring and she structures her tracks meticulously to reach luxurious climaxes. Her 2021 album, Mother, is like a comforting, tender hug. It leaves you with a warm feeling that seeps deep into your bones…
Fatigue by L’rain
I heard Fatigue for the first time on my headphones in the library, and it caught me so off guard that I left mid-exam to find some speakers. The album is flat-out beautiful. Fatigue has both incredible depth and immediate reliability…
Rock
Glow On by Turnstile
… From calm and dreamy moments to harsh and brash riffs that are capable of starting a riot in a Chili’s, Turnstile successfully blend the two moods sonically and deliver one of the most refreshing listens of the year.
Jubilee by Japanese Breakfast
In Japanese Breakfast's Jubilee, the Korean-American musician and author commits herself to the celebration of joy — a promise she made after feeling defined by the long stretches of grief following her mother's death in 2014. However, Jubilee is not an album that triumphantly screams joy at the top of its lungs. Instead, its exploration of joy stands at the intersection of being happy and desperately wanting to feel and be joyful…