This year I felt like I missed out on a lot of new music, and didn't hear nearly as much of it as I did in 2020. Even so, looking back I've found that there was a lot of great music from this year I did get around to. Particularly, when I went back to see what I had heard from 2021, I discovered there were many truly amazing singles that had made a mark on me over the year. Here is my list of the fourteen songs that have stuck with me the most from 2021. Enjoy!
14. KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD - O.N.E.
In 2017, when King Gizzard first introduced microtonal tunings to their sound, it was treated like mostly a one-off experiment, albeit a very successful one. With their recent albums K.G. and L.W., however, the band seem more comfortable working microtones into the mix without making it as much of a novelty. While I still prefer the Flying Microtonal Banana album personally, I can’t deny a song like “O.N.E.”, which has maybe their most organic use of the microtonal scale ever. It’s creative, it’s undeniably original, but more than anything it’s built around a rock-solid groove. “O.N.E.” is the kind of song that exemplifies why I think King Gizzard are the most exciting rock band of the past decade.13. ZOVI - I LOVE MY PLUSH CATERPILLARS
This was a rather prolific year for Zovi, yielding two full-length albums. The first was her most over-the-top ambitious project yet, The True Triangle, but personally I liked the second, I LOVE MY PLUSHIES A LOT, even more. “I LOVE MY PLUSH CATERPILLARS” is a perfect summation of the album, a work of aggressive positivity. Wholesome whimsy is an approach I wish more musicians took to their lyrics, and hearing it combined here with one of the most caustic instrumentals of the year is incredibly satisfying.12. THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES - THE FINAL PARADE
I have no idea if the album this is from is intended to be the band’s last, but this sure feels like a perfect cap to the BossToneS’ long career. Featuring members of Rancid, Fishbone, The Suicide Machines, Murphy’s Law, The Aquabats, Less than Jake and many, many more, “The Final Parade” is an eight-minute celebration of ska punk. It’s a triumphant look at the history of ska and particularly third-wave ska, pulling out all the stops and just having a great time, which to me is what this genre is all about.11. 100 GECS - MEMEME
Earlier this year, when 100 gecs announced their next album 10000 gecs, they were adamant to let the press know they were taking things in a slightly different direction from their debut. So I was somewhat surprised when “mememe” ended up really just capturing what I already considered the essence of 100 gecs as a band. It pretty much perfectly synthesizes all of the influences present on 1000 gecs into a single song. There are some slight developments in their sound, such as the moderately more pop-friendly approach and Laura’s vocals sounding much less processed, but this song still really is exactly what I was hoping for from this group. Very excited for the album.10. NUSAGI & DIANA STARSHINE - BLACK HOLE
I’ve been somewhat aware of both performers on this song for a little while, due to them being in circles only one or two degrees from my own, but this may be the only song I’ve really heard from either of them. Still, I fell in love with this song instantly and I’ve kept it on frequent rotation throughout the year. I’m not especially picky when it comes to hyperpop but I can still tell this is pretty high grade stuff. Between the absolutely golden chorus, beautiful vocal chops and relentlessly fun production, “Black Hole” never fails to pull me in. (get it?)9. PATRICIA TAXXON - BAD APPLE
A cover of a song from a Touhou game that I had previously never heard. Frankly, I like P.Tax’s version about 100 times more. The production on this version is immaculate, managing to incorporate a lot of hallmarks of Patricia Taxxon’s style without losing sight of the original composition. Otomachi Una is the “singer” on this recording, and sounds truly amazing. The incorporations of extra little key changes and such are also a nice touch. The attention to detail is immediately apparent. This song is the exact kind of thing that keeps me coming back to Patricia Taxxon’s music.8. CHVRCHES & ROBERT SMITH - HOW NOT TO DROWN
CHVRCHES’ latest album shows the synthpop group veering the furthest into rock territory they’ve ever gone, and the best song on it is the gorgeous “How Not to Drown”, on which frontwoman Lauren Mayberry duets with The Cure’s Robert Smith. This song has one of the greatest choruses CHVRCHES has ever put out (no small feat) and proves that Smith is as great a singer now as he’s ever been. CHVRCHES’ moody pop sensibilities translate unsurprisingly well to a more goth-influenced format. “How Not to Drown” is the greatest type of collaborative single: one that perfectly displays everything I love about both artists involved.7. MDOU MOCTAR - AFRIQUE VICTIME
Mdou Moctar’s brilliant Afrique Victime album stands as probably my favorite of 2021, and the undisputable centerpiece of the album is the seven-minute title track. “Afrique Victime” begins extremely stark and vulnerable, with a solo vocal and guitar, before gradually accelerating into the most fiery groove of the year, and the greatest guitar work of the year as well. Moctar spends a great deal of the song shredding with a ferocity all his own, as the rhythm section keeps slowly building up steam. Gloriously climactic, beautifully cathartic.6. VYLET PONY - ANTONYMPH
I generally don’t like songs about the internet. I like a lot of internet-influenced music, and songs that are maybe vaguely based off of things related to the internet, but once you start writing lyrics about Twitter or whatever is the moment I immediately start to tune out. “Antonymph” spends nearly its entire runtime alluding to internet phenomena in a way that’s nearly impossible to avoid. The entire premise of the song is entrenched in the concept of the fandom and letting your proverbial freak flag fly when it comes to embracing the media you love, and frequently mentions phenomena of the internet’s past and occasionally present. So when I say that I think that this song is unbelievably good, that should say something. There are occasional moments where I still have trouble with the lyrics to a minor degree (I know this is against the entire point of the song to nitpick, but come on, a Ray William Johnson reference? Woof.) but even so, the song succeeds with flying colors. This can be largely traced to the fact that this song just sounds fucking awesome. The production and arrangement are so meticulous and full of moments that I end up not even picking up on until eight or nine listens in, and Trixie’s vocals are fantastic. (The vocal chops rule too.) Any complaints I might have about this song are always immediately washed away by a flood of things this song has in its favor, and it’s been one of the most addicting songs of the year (to the point that it got me to purchase a 19-song concept album inspired by a TV show I haven’t even seen).5. KYARY PAMYU PAMYU - DODONPA
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s Candy Racer was one of the albums I was most excited for this year. Ultimately I think it’s probably her most inconsistent and underwhelming project to date, but bear in mind that’s by KPP standards, so it’s still pretty good. One of the main reasons why it's worth hearing is this song, which immediately stood out as one of the most uniquely forceful songs Kyary’s ever put out. Almost entirely composed of explosive tech-house beats and repetitive onomatopoeias from Kyary, “Dodonpa” is without question my favorite song Yasutaka Nakata produced this year. I remember a few years ago KPP was reported to be collaborating with SOPHIE, and while tragically we may never hear what came of that, this is what I like to imagine a collaboration between them would sound like. Pure, uninhibited energy and excitement.4. ANGEL OLSEN - GLORIA
Angel Olsen’s brooding collection of ‘80s pop covers from this year, Aisles, was rather excellent, but the song that really took me by surprise was her rendition of Laura Branigan’s “Gloria”. Her performance here is really moving, backed by tense synths and an aching string arrangement. The production is excellent, but really the most impressive element is Olsen’s vocal, which sounds at once lethargic, tortured and determined. This is one of the most stunning cover songs I may have ever heard, and it’s one of my favorite Angel Olsen songs without a doubt.3. PHOEBE BRIDGERS - THAT FUNNY FEELING
Bo Burnham’s homemade comedy special Inside is inseparable from the COVID-era hellscape that fueled it. While it contains a lot of Burnham’s funniest material, it grows increasingly sombre and heavy in tone as it continues, with several songs in the second half serving as naked displays of emotion rather than simple comedy pieces. “That Funny Feeling” is arguably the emotional center of the entire special, weaving together fragments of the modern era in a darkly funny-yet-depressing manner. So it’s really no wonder why professional miserablist Phoebe Bridgers would latch onto a song like this. Burnham’s original version of the song is very good, but honestly it doesn’t hold a candle to the apocalyptic beauty of Bridgers’ cover. I’m already in love with her voice in general but the palpable fear behind her performance here really adds a lot. The song is still deeply comical if hopelessly emotionally crushing, but it also feels more gravely serious coming from Phoebe, if that makes any sense. I also think the more detailed arrangement manages to add some weight of its own without losing the stripped-back feel of the original. As with “Gloria”, “That Funny Feeling” is a cover that I find to be extremely moving and even better than the already-great original recording.2. KERO KERO BONITO - THE PRINCESS AND THE CLOCK
This was a good year for vocal chops. KKB are not a band that usually use their lyrics to convey a narrative, but “The Princess and the Clock” makes me wish they did more often. One of the prettiest songs of their career so far, “The Princess and the Clock” puts Sarah Bonito’s soothing, whimsical voice to good use, with a wonderfully fantastical set of lyrics. The instrumentation manages to tastefully combine a lot of the greatest aspects of Kero Kero Bonito’s previous output and tell a story of its own. KKB have been one of the most imaginative bands of the past several years and this song certainly reinforces that.1. SHARON VAN ETTEN & ANGEL OLSEN - LIKE I USED TO
If you know me, you know that I’d consider the phrase “Springsteen-esque” to be extremely high praise. And this year’s collaboration between indie darlings Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen is Springsteen-esque in the best way. I don’t mean that it merely has the sonic palette of Bruce Springsteen (although it does sound to me like somewhere between “Born to Run”, “Badlands” and “The Price You Pay”) but that it also communicates the same pure, life-affirming joy that the best Springsteen songs do. “Like I Used To” is the kind of song where, after hearing it, I can’t believe I ever lived without it. The song is simply drop-dead gorgeous. Olsen and Van Etten’s chemistry is unbelievable and the chorus is the best of the year, period. This song makes me want to cry, but like “Born to Run”, the reason I’m crying is because I can’t believe a song can be this powerfully beautiful. Thank you, Sharon & Angel, for these four minutes of pure unbridled euphoria.Thanks for reading!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
(songs that were not to my knowledge released as singles but which are some other favorites of the year.)
- Donatachi - pisces rising ft. Chymes
- Goreshit - I Don't Give You New Shoes
- Fax Gang - Implosion
- Weezer - Numbers
- Beach Bunny - Nice Guys
- Left at London - The Ballad of Marion Zioncheck
- The Mountain Goats - Arguing With the Ghost of Peter Laughner About His Coney Island Baby Review
- Sadjoy - Don't Give Up Just Yet
- Ghoul Friends - Ghoul Friends
