Top 20 best albums of 2021 (new releases)

By Anna

Anna’s Top 20 Albums of 2021

Every year I get to discover new music, and every single day of a year I find my inspiration within this art form. Last year was no different. But something did changed. I found my way back to listening to full albums, and not just a song here and there, which is why I do not think I am exaggerating, when I tell you how giving it has been to discover new artists, new songs and new albums to fall in love with this past year. It was a magical journey that I am determine to continue in 2022. But before doing so, I have here gathered my top 20 albums of 2021 for you to get inspired by. It is funny how you sometimes get surprised by yourself in a process like this, as I learned that I had to leave out some personal longtime favourites, in order to make room for some new favourite artists. Different parameters has been taking into consideration in the proces of ranking the albums, such as lyrics, sound and mood. But in the end it came down to the overall feeling and experience of the album, in terms of deciding where each record should place. Enjoy my top 20 best albums of 2021 (new releases).

Charli Adams — Bullseye (Color Study, Ultra Records)

1. Bullseye by Charli Adams
   Genre: Indie pop
   Favourite tracks: Didn’t Make It + Bother With Me

Sam Fender — Seventeen Going Under (Polydor Records)

2. Seventeen Going Under by Sam Fender
Genre: Indie rock
Favourite tracks: The Dying Light + Paradigms

Lana Del Rey — Chemtrails Over The Country Club (Interscope Records, Polydor Records)

3. Chemtrails Over The Country Club by Lana Del Rey
Genre: Americana, folk, country folk
Favourite tracks: Yosemite + White Dress

Brandi Carlile — In These Silent Days (Low Country Sound, Elektra Records)

4. In These Silent Days by Brandi Carlile
Genre: Americana, blues, country, folk
Favourite tracks: Right On Time + Mamma Werewolf

Hayley Williams — FLOWERS for VASES / descansos (Atlantic Records)

5. FlOWERS for VASES/ descansos by Hayley Williams
Genre: Country folk, folk
Favourite tracks: Trigger + Good Grief

The Killers — Pressure Machine (Island Records)

6. Pressure Machine by The Killers
Genre: Americana, folk rock, heartland rock
Favourite tracks: Runaway Horses ft. Phoebe Bridgers + Terrible Thing

Orla Gartland — Woman on the Internet (New Friends Music)

7.Woman on the Internet by Orla Gartland
Genre: Indie pop
Favourite tracks: You’re Not Special, Babe + Madison

CHVRCHES — Screen Violence (EMI Records, Glassnote Records)

8. Screen Violence by CHVRCHES
Genre: Pop, synth-pop
Favourite tracks: Good Girls + California

Wolf Alice — Blue Weekend (Dirty Hit)

9. Blue Weekend by Wolf Alice
Genre: Alternative rock
Favourite tracks: How Can I Make It OK? + No Hard Feelings

Lucy Dacus — Home Video (Matador Records)

10. Home Video by Lucy Dacus
Genre: Indie rock/pop
Favourite tracks: Thumbs + Going Going Gone

Noah Gundersen — A Pillar of Salt (Cooking Vinyl America)

11. A Pillar of Salt by Noah Gundersen
Genre: Alternative, indie folk
Favourite tracks:
Laurel and Hardy + Atlantis ft. Phoebe Bridgers

MARINA — Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land (Atlantic Records)

12. Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land by MARINA
Genre: Pop, electropop
Favourite tracks: Flowers + Purge The Poison

Bleachers — Take The Sadness Out of Saturday Night (RCA Records)

13. Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night by Bleachers
Genre: Indie pop, synth-pop
Favourite tracks: 91 + Chinatown ft. Bruce Springsteen

Luke Hemmings — When Facing the Things We Turn Away From (Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

14. When Facing the Things We Turn Away From by Luke Hemmings
Genre: Alternative rock, indie pop, pop rock
Favourite tracks: Place In Me + Slip Away

Julien Baker — Little Oblivions (Matador Records)

15. Little Oblivions by Julien Baker
Genre: Alternative rock, indie rock
Favourite tracks: Heatwave + Faith Healer

Billie Ellish — Happier Than Ever (Darkroom, Interscope Records)

16. Happier Than Ever by Billie Ellish
Genre: Downtempo, electro-pop
Favourite tracks: Your Power + Male Fantasy

flora cash — our generation (Icons Creating Evil Art)

17. our generation by flora cash
Genre: Indie folk, indie pop
Favourite tracks:
i tell myself lies + Don’t You Look At Me That Way

Drew Sycamore — Sycamore (Warner Music Denmark)

18. Sycamore by Drew Sycamore
Genre: Pop
Favourite tracks: I Wanna Be Dancing + Didn’t Get To Know You At All

Maisie Peters — You Signed Up For This (Gingerbread Man Records, Asylum Records)

19. You Signed Up For This by Maisie Peters
Genre: Pop, synth-pop
Favourite tracks: Psycho + Elvis Song

The Fratellis — Half Drunk Under a Full Moon (Cooking Vinyl)

20. Half Drunk Under a Full Moon by The Fratellis
Genre: Baraque pop, chamber pop
Favourite tracks: Half Drunk Under a Full Moon + Strangers in the Street

So, here you have it! My top 20 albums of 2021. However, I feel there are a few EP’s that also need a shoutout this time around, so as a little extra treat for you, I have included my top three EP’s of 2021 in alphabetical order.

Allison Ponthier — Faking My Own Death (Interscope Records)

1. Faking My Own Death by Allison Ponthier
Genre: Indie folk
Favourite track(s): Harshest Critic

Gracie Abrams — This Is What It Feels Like (Interscope Records)

2. This Is What It Feels Like by Gracie Abrams
Genre: Indie pop
Favourite track(s): Rockland + For Real This Time

Holly Humberstone — The Walls Are Way Too Thin (Polydor Records, Darkroom, Interscope Records)

3. The Walls Are Way Too Thin by Holly Humberstone
Genre: Indie pop
Favourite track(s): Scarlett

Extra shoutout (I promise it is the last one)
Even though this album did not make it to my top 20 albums of 2021, I do need to mention it as it holds some of my favourite tracks of 2021.

Delta Goodrem — Bridge Over Troubled Dreams (Sony Music Entertainment Australia)

Bridge Over Troubled Dreams by Delta Goodrem
Genre: Pop
Favourite tracks: Paralyzed + Play