The best songs of 2021 so far
Sharon Van Etten, Doja Cat, and more deliver the best songs the year has brought thus far
Music Lists Songs
One of the great things about pop songs is the brevity of the form. In just a couple minutes’ worth of your time, an artist can communicate the highest highs and lowest lows of emotion we’re capable of experiencing. Sometimes, it’s an emotional gut punch; other times, it’s blissed-out catharsis; and yes, most of the time it’s a milquetoast echo of other, better material, but that’s what makes the best songs stand out all the more. Taking genres and styles that have seemingly been done to death a thousand times over, and making them feel as vital and alive as the first time you heard them, is a minor miracle—a magic trick of sorts that never stops dazzling, no matter how many times it’s performed.
The artists below have all managed to pull off that musical miracle, dropping songs in the first half of 2021 that act as flag-waving avatars for their respective styles. Whether encapsulating the best sounds that contemporary K-pop has to offer, conjuring up new visions of post-rock, or just unleashing some ferocious hip-hop, these tracks seethe with the unleashed potential of the year’s best songwriters. In an effort to highlight the scope of the current music landscape and prevent overlap, we’ve restricted this feature to artists who aren’t on our list of the best albums thus far, and vice versa. Given the sheer tonnage of music released, there’s almost certainly a favorite song of yours that didn’t make our list (we have no doubt you’ll let us know in the comments); but for now, we can say that these are the songs that most moved our hearts and heads—and occasionally, our asses to the dance floor—in the first half of 2021.
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12 Comments
I’ll throw in Allie Crow Buckley’s Hasta La Vista, Jon Batiste’s Freedom, and Bob Dylan’s Key West (Philosopher Pirate) for good measure.
I hate to be that guy but “Key West” is from 2020
It’s timeless. Therefore Tears of Rage is also one of the best songs of 2021.
The usual roll call of rap retreads and exhausted college radio tracks, with a couple of notable tunes mixed in.
Where are Spinabenz “Who I Smoke” and Foolio response “When I see You”?
Where indeed!
“Like I Used To” FTW
Can we also talk about St. Vincent’s cover of “Sad But True” on the upcoming Black Album covers project?! Fucking bad ass
this whole 1/2way point thing has been kind of depressing, as it has made me realize I have listened to very little music from 2021 (other than “Like I Used To”)btw I like Save Your Tears but prefer In Your Eyes as the M83 to Save Your Tears’ ELO
disturbing lack of Japanese Breakfast – “Paprika” and Julien Baker – “Hardline” on this list
So many misses. No Squid, Black Midi, Japanese Breakfast…