In 2021, I listened to more music than ever, both because I had more time to and out of pure necessity. Though the pandemic rages on, that hasn't stopped musicians from putting out material, and this year brought on a deluge caused by so many artists hitting the pause button last year. I consumed way more EPs this year as a result, since some bands still hedged their bets and are waiting until touring is fully back to release an album. Others tided over fans by releasing rarities or re-recordings of old work.
But no matter what shape or size it came in, music was great in 2021. Rap produced a wealth of gems after a slow start, emo music continued its rise in respectability, and even the supposedly dying genre of indie rock had some works that revitalized the form. Let's take a look at the best of what this year had to offer.
The rules: Everything is the same as usual. The window of eligibility for this list is anything released between January 1, 2021 and now. This list can include albums, mixtapes, EPs, and anything in between. As always, I'm praying that nothing substantial comes out in the twilight hours of the year.
