It’s been, I think we can all agree, an odd year. When putting together this list, I discovered many albums that I thought came out this year were, in fact, from 2020. But if seeing everyone’s Spotify Wrapped lists last week wasn’t enough exposure to other people’s taste in music for you, here are 10 albums that helped me make it through 2021. 

 

10: Weezer, “OK Human”

Sounds Like: Earnest, head-nodding orchestral pop overtures

Recommended Track: Numbers

Weezer has had a busy year; this year actually saw two new albums from the veteran rock band. While the stadium rock riffage of May’s “Van Weezer” was fun, the real standout was January’s “OK Human,” which sees Weezer eschew their typical guitar-centric sound in favor of the lush backing of a symphony orchestra. Even in this uncharted territory for the band, frontman and songwriter Rivers Cuomo’s ear for pop hooks shines through.

 

9: Brockhampton, “Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine”

Sounds Like: Nervy, gloomy hip-hop maximalism

Recommended Track: Don’t Shoot Up The Party

After a nonstop 2017–2019 run in which they put out five albums, hip-hop collective and boy band Brockhampton took a break in 2020, only to return this year with “Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine,” their most cohesive, accomplished work to date. The album’s often tense instrumentation underscores the group’s more mature lyricism and increased focus on melodic hooks, alongside an exciting array of collaborators. 

 

8: Shinee, “Atlantis”

Sounds Like: Colorful, genre-spanning vocal-driven dance-pop

Recommended Track: I Really Want You

Between years away from the K-pop scene due to South Korea’s mandatory military service and the tragic 2017 death of main vocalist Kim Jonghyun, boy group Shinee’s return was an uncertain prospect. But with the original album “Don’t Call Me” and its expanded edition, re-titled “Atlantis,” the group sounds as strong as ever. The album encompasses hip-hop, electropop, R&B, and retro-funk groove, anchored by the members’ powerful voices. 

 

7: Magnolia Park, “Halloween Mixtape”

Sounds Like: Trap-inflected Gen Z pop-punk jams

Recommended Track: Liar

The last couple of years has seen a resurgence of new pop-punk acts, fueled by nostalgia for the 2000s (and the seeming omnipresence of Blink-182 drummer-turned-superproducer Travis Barker). One of the most exciting acts to come out of this trend has been Magnolia Park, a Florida-based band whose music blends ultra-catchy pop-punk with modern trap pop and emo rap stylings into an infectious mix of chant-along hooks and bouncy riffs. 

 

6: Beach Bunny, “Blame Game” (EP)

Sounds Like: Punchy, sassy, power pop 

Recommended Track: Good Girls (Don’t Get Used)

Fresh off their 2020 debut LP, Chicago power-pop quartet Beach Bunny continue to refine their sweet and sour blend of surf-tinged guitar riffs and sentimental, biting lyricism on “Blame Game.” With frontwoman Lili Trifilio’s bright, earnest vocals floating atop hooky, energetic instrumentals, the EP’s four songs explore love, relationship dynamics, and gender norms, all in a candy-colored pop-rock shell that’s as irresistible as it is hard-hitting. 

 

5: Halsey, “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power”

Sounds Like: Theatrical pop meets gloomy industrial rock

Recommended Track: Easier Than Lying

Halsey’s music has often struggled to balance her alternative sensibilities with pop trend-chasing, but on “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power,” she leans into the latter to rewarding results. Backed by production by Nine Inch Nails Members and Oscar-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the album’s instrumental palette ranges from cinematic techno to raw-edged grunge, bringing the edge and poeticism of Halsey’s artistic voice to new heights. 

 

4: Japanese Breakfast, “Jubilee”

Sounds Like: Eclectic, wistful indie with wide sonic horizons

Recommended Track: Posing in Bondage

On “Jubilee,” her third album as Japanese Breakfast, Michelle Zauner delivers dance-pop, heartbreaking acoustic ballads, and a lot in between. The album is a rich emotional blend, tackling joy, grief, longing, and more. Expanding from her shoegaze-y guitar-centric roots, Zauner generates a rich, swirling soundscape that at times during the album’s production forced her to max out the number of tracks available in Pro Tools. 

 

3: Kero Kero Bonito, “Civilisation II” (EP)

Sounds Like: Dreamy synth-pop for the apocalypse

Recommended Track: The Princess and the Clock

While their early albums focused on day-to-day mundanity, UK indie trio Kero Kero Bonito’s “Civilisation II,” a follow-up to 2019’s “Civilisation,” takes on real-world horrors, from climate disaster to pandemic isolation, all in a synth-drenched kaleidoscope fantasy. Featuring bilingual prophetic proclamations, hazy production evoking the gloom of quarantine, and rave-worthy electronic breakdowns, this three-song package captures our moment in unique form.  

 

2: Porter Robinson, “Nurture”

Sounds Like: Airy, emotional, electronica 

Recommended Track: Look at the Sky

Seven years after his debut album, Porter Robinson’s second album, “Nurture,” sees the producer move from his earlier EDM style to a softer style of electronic pop that flits between enveloping ambient sound and euphoric bangers that make you unsure whether to cry or dance. The production is accompanied by lyrics that are inspired by Robinson’s struggle with depression and raw vocals from Robinson himself; computerized sounds have rarely felt more organic than on “Nurture.”

 

1: Chvrches, “Screen Violence”

Sounds Like: Dancefloor-ready synth-pop anthems with a gothic edge

Recommended Track: Asking for a Friend

In their last album, 2018’s “Love is Dead,” Chvrches arguably made a push for mainstream accessibility. But their latest, “Screen Violence,” sees the Scottish synth-pop trio returning to their roots, with an added twist of pandemic melancholy and a sprinkling of horror movie theatricality. With sharp insights on the music industry’s misogyny, both straightforward and mixed with allegorical slasher film imagery, frontwoman Lauren Mayberry’s sharp, clear vocals complement the instrumentation by Iain Cook and Martin Doherty. The album ranges from goth gloom to dance-ready jams, all with a rich sense of purpose. 

Oscar Kim Bauman can be reached at obauman@wesleyan.edu.