Another year in the books! Although 2021 had a slight return to normality, some things will never be the same. One thing remains consistent however, artists and songwriters continue to release new music in massive numbers. This past year major artists such as Adele, Tyler The Creator, Drake and Kacey Musgraves all released their highly anticipated albums to the world. We also saw genres like Pop Punk and Emo rise back into popularity much in part to artists like Machine Gun Kelly, Travis Barker and Avril Lavigne. The emergence of new artists like Olivia Rodrigo had a unprecedented impact on the global music charts. And rock bands like Wolf Alice and The War On Drugs both released career defining albums. We asked members of our staff to list their top favorite albums from 2021. You can also stream a mix of our favorites on the Spotify playlist at the bottom.
Ralph Torrefranca, Sr. Director of A&R
Top Favorite Albums
Dijon – Absolutely
Typhoon – Sympathetic Magic
Deb Never – Where Have All The Flowers Gone?
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Audrey Nuna – A Liquid Breakfast
Max Hirsh, A&R Manager
Top Favorite Albums
Tyler, The Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost
Turnstile – Glow On
Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
Jazmin Sullivan – Heaux Tales
Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg
Patrick Conseil, A&R Consultant
Top Favorite Albums
The War On Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Fancy Hagood – Southern Curiosity
Lana Del Rey – Chemtrails Over The Country Club
Brandi Carlisle – In These Silent Days
Ed Sheeran – =
Kellen Smith, Synch TV/Film
Top Favorite Albums
Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend
Turnstile – Glow On
Halsey – If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
Nas – King’s Disease II
Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime