2021, following on from the smouldering refuse pile that was 2020, was a year that many looked to with a great degree of hope for a return to normalcy. What we got instead was a twelve-month period of very marginal improvement and large helpings of uncertainty. In many ways, it was a continuation of the same old song from the previous year.
Musings on misery aside (and speaking of songs), one very positive thing that came from 2021 was a surge of fantastic and exciting music from all over the world. Our sister site, mxdwn.com, compiled a Top 50 albums of 2021 list with some excellent picks from this year’s massive roster. You can check that article out here.
Geographical scale be damned, the United Kingdom has always been a hub for fantastic music, decade after decade birthing innovating and head-turning new artists. 2021 has been no different, and as a result, we’ve compiled a top ten list of our own to celebrate (and perhaps introduce people to) some thrilling new British music.
10). Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes- ‘Sticky’
Sticky is an album fuelled by that mosh-pit energy. Fast paced guitar riffs and heavy drumbeats really raise your excitement levels to a peak before it’s really even begun. Over lockdown, many of us likely dreamed about the day we could mosh and sing along to our favourite bands at huge gigs, a club, or even just at your local pub. Sticky truly represents that feeling. The opening track is all about that release of pressure that captures the fizzy, visceral thrill of pleasure-seeking. Then we get songs like “Bang Bang” and “Take It To The Brink” which you can really jump around to. Though it’s not all about releasing our pent-up energy we dive a bit deeper with tracks like “Rat Race” which attacks the callous opportunism of political figures who used the pandemic to increase their wealth. One of the best songs on the album is definitely the collaboration with Idles “My Town”, focusing on issues such as urban decay and men who can’t discuss their feelings. This is a fearless album and an absolutely banging indictment of the last two years that will resonate beyond his usual audience.
-John Weightman
9). Cleo Sol- ‘Mother’
Cleo Sol’s Mother is an hour-long story of welcoming a child into the world. The voice behind the mystifying mercury awards nominated soul group Sault, Cleo Sol is known for her soft and soulful voice. Throughout her album Mother the singer showcased her talent not only through her voice but with her immense songwriting and beat selection. While her album is presented as a letter to her newborn child, the emotion and feelings amplified throughout the project sit with listeners no matter their circumstance. The singer’s colossal project was well-received critically, with Cleo receiving three nominations at the 2021 Mobo Awards having been nominated for Best Female Artist of the year, Best RnB/Soul Act and Album of the Year. Despite not attending the awards show in Coventry, the eclectic singer took home the award for Best RnB/Soul acts, an award that cemented her as one of the best the UK has to offer.
-Noah Fashesin
8). PinkPantheress- ‘To Hell With It’
20-year-old singer, songwriter and producer PinkPantheress is just one of many British artists who broke out in 2021 with a hugely successful album. The Bath born artist initially found fame within the popular app TikTok; whilst studying the singer shared various tracks onto the platform. The tracks went viral and consequently the singer was signed to the major record labels Parlophone and Elektra Records. To Hell With It was released on 15th October 2021, the release was PinkPantheress’ debut mixtape and was received with great critical acclaim. The album serves as a homage to 2000s’ music with heavy sampling and smooth lines encompassing the album’s material. With a sample from the classic garage track “Flowers” by Sweet Female Attitude, the release’s opening track “Pain” transports the listener to the heyday of the genre. The track was released as the album’s second single and sired great success within the UK charts. PinkPantheress’ tribute to influential genres can also be heard in “I Must Apologize”, the track utilises a sample of “Gypsy Woman” by Crystal Waters to create an effortless house track. Throughout the album listeners can hear further influences from various genres including nu-metal, as heard in “Last Valentines” which incorporates a sample from “Forgotten” by Linkin Park.
-Sophia-Elizabeth Tuck
7). Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra- ‘Promises’
Every year seems to bring with it one wild card combination that no one necessarily asks for, or maybe even considered. 2021, a year that never seemed to do anything in half measures anyway, delivered to us one of the best curveballs in a good while; Manchester’s own IDM maestro Floating Points takes us on an ambient journey with backing from The London Symphony Orchestra to give us a new Modern Classical gem. But… the addition of John Coltrane alum Pharoah Sanders takes us from a progressive piece of electronic joy, to a minimalist chamber jazz movement that is absolutely greater than the sum of its parts. The 3 collaborators elevate each other in such a way that it absolutely worth investing 45 minutes of your time, and a bit of cash for a decent pair of headphones, to fully absorb the interstellar encounter. My first experience with a new oxymoronic genre, grand-minimalism.
-George Carter
6). Little Simz- ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’
It is through no luck or coincidence that SIMBI has been featured on almost every end of year list you can care to name. Any assumption that she peaked with GREY Area was put out within seconds of her 2021 release, with Simz somehow coming back stronger after an imponderably strong 2019 release. Laid over a dizzying myriad of styles, Simz impresses with a mature flow, laden with story-telling sensibilities and quotable, declarative statements on life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. Refusing to be pigeon-holed into one style or another, she shifts energies like outfits, from the gritty heaviness of “Speed” and “Rollin Stone”, to the blissful serenity of “I See You” and “Woman”, and again to the soulful, Afrobeat influenced ‘Point and Kill’ and “Fear No Man” toward the end, spitting over Afrika 70-esque beats that would entice a murmur from the late, great Tony Allen. There surely is something for everyone on this record, making it difficult to identify a leading single, a stand-out track, or even a track which typifies the album. With SIMBI, pieces form the whole, making it necessary to listen to the album, cover to cover, just like the old days.
-Charlie Walker
5). black midi- ‘Cavalcade’
Following on from their explosive art rock/noise-rock/post-punk/post-everything debut Schlagenheim, London’s black midi ventured into slightly more prog-rock oriented territory with their second record, whilst also managing to avoid shedding their quirks and eccentricities that made them so terribly exciting in the first place. The riffing is still unpredictable, jagged and dissonant in many places, especially with the addition of saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi and pianist/keyboardist Seth Evans, who add a whole new dimension to the group’s sound. Like a book penned by a master storyteller, the record gives the listener something unexpected and fresh with each song; from the screaming John Zorn-esque saxophone that meanders through “Slow” to the earworm bass guitar riff that grumbles beneath Geordie Greep’s accentuated, theatrical vocal delivery on “Dethroned”. Amidst a slew of creative experimental rockers coming out of the UK, black midi have proved once again that they are up there with the best of them.
-Julian Harding
4). Squid- ‘Bright Green Field’
Another crucial band in the UK’s roster of groups who undoubtedly have had every “post” label under the sun applied to their idiosyncratic and experimental sound would be Squid, hailing from Brighton. To put Squid into one box would be a pointless exercise, as with this ambitious debut full-length record the band has shown masterful control of blending their influences, in such a way that each track is a surprising and sometimes dizzying rollercoaster ride through a myriad of different genres. Drummer and vocalist Ollie Judge’s dynamic delivery of tales of dystopia in “G.S.K.” and musings on death by reckless driving in “Boy Racers” are captivating and reflect each and every lyric, whether he is howling in frustration or mumbling underneath an atmospheric drone. The guitars on the album are often defined by a glassy clean tone, spitting out math-rock inspired riffs with more than a hint of jazz influence at times, while an array of other instruments drop in and out to add to the experimental chaos. This stunning debut displays a clear and carefully crafted development from Squid’s pure post-punk beginnings, making the group one to watch for any experimental rock fan.
-Julian Harding
3). James Blake- ‘Friends That Break Your Heart’
James Blake’s Friends That Break Your Heart has to be on this list for a number of reasons, too many to count here. Suffice to say, everything just works perfectly. Opening up for a much more pop-style than he’d allowed himself in recent years, the album’s production is filled with this low-key intensity that makes the most out of every tiny detail, every sound allowed to shimmer and shine through the murk. With brilliant songwriting that combines his talent for memorable tunes and rich, emotionally nuanced harmony, the album doesn’t need to rely on production alone to have an impact. And then there’s that voice. That moment in “Say What You Will“ when he holds the highest note, yet remains tender and restrained, with the backing vocals continuing to circle around beneath him. If that’s not among the most beautiful moments in pop today, then I don’t know what is.
-Calum Moran
2). Sam Fender- ‘Seventeen Going Under’
Seventeen Going Under is one the most real and relatable albums released this year. While the primary musical influence of Springsteen is still clearly remains, Fender tells his own stories and creates his own motifs rather than borrowing common themes used by the Boss. Though there are still elements of this Fender executes it with his own now more developed and unique style. The opening title track incorporates a folk-inflected guitar motif and stripped-down drum beat that underpins Fender’s precise and evocative lyrics looking back on his teenage years. He returns to the subject of toxic masculinity previously explored on his debut album, the singer traces the links between violence and unresolved anger, while also reflecting truthfully and angrily on the brutal impact of a Department of Work and Pensions decision on his family. Fender’s ability to lay bare the conflicts and issues of masculinity in the 21st century is an almost unflinching approach to an often-taboo subject area. He has really developed his own lyrical style, shedding some of the more obvious Springsteen narrative motifs in the process.
-John Weightman
1). Black Country, New Road- ‘For The First Time’
Post-punk, post-Brexit new wave, experimental-rock, call it whatever you will. But no other group sums up the creative intelligence, anti-establishment attitude, or conspicuous self-awareness of the movement better than “Black Country, New Road” and their stunning debut For the First Time. This is a record that feels exciting, and despite coming out only three years after their arrival on the scene, it sounds sharp. Sharp like a band that have been honing their sounds for years. Because of this it’s hard to tell if the group will ever sound like this again. Isaac Wood’s droll wit is anxious to the core, and when paired with the obtuse, angular foundations from the rest of the band; it just sounds like lightning in a bottle. This is undeniably some of the most exciting music you’ll hear all year, it feels encompassing and unlimited in its creative direction. The fact this is their debut still shocks me.
-George Carter
