Like a cold glass of iced-tea, the music scene of 2021 was refreshing. And the world was truly in dire thirst after a never ending heatwave of sad releases to match the year of 2020, i.e. folklore, Punisher or Fetch the Bolt Cutters. This year, music feels more free. This year, music feels more joyous. This year, music was no longer a lifeline - but a soundtrack.
Locked in quarantine like the rest of us, artists had ample time to discover new sounds and, subsequently, live vicariously through it. This freedom to explore resulted in love letters to the world and its people.
On the surface these albums just feel fun. They feel refreshed. Deeper down, they have more depth than is observed on the first listen. These albums are good for windows-down summer breeze or curtains closed solo jams. Albums this past season were brighter and bound by only the sky. Here are the best of the best.
Lorde's Solar Power
Lorde’s last release, Melodrama, solidified her as an artist who was able to match the potential of her debut single “Royals.” That was four years ago; Lorde is the true antithesis of overproduced and over-rushed music. As she proclaims on the opening track of the record- “Won’t take the call if it’s the label or the radio.”
Tyler, the Creator's Call Me If You Get Lost
Tyler, the Creator’s sixth studio album, Call Me If You Get Lost is not his most accomplished work. It’s not his most well thought out project. Its storyline gets a little hazy at certain moments. Yet, Tyler seems like he has grown up a little bit. Tyler is still lost and confused, but now he is apologetic and matured.
