Paste's 50 Best Albums of 2021

Here they are: the 50 best albums released during this strange rollercoaster ride of a year.

Source

# 1

Promises by Floating Points + Pharoah Sanders

Album • Mar 26 / 2021 Post-Minimalism Third Stream

# 2

GLOW ON by Turnstile

Album • Aug 27 / 2021 Post-Hardcore Alternative Rock

# 3

Ignorance by The Weather Station

Album • Feb 05 / 2021 Sophisti-Pop Art Pop

# 4

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz

Album • Sep 03 / 2021 UK Hip Hop Conscious Hip Hop

# 5

Jubilee by Japanese Breakfast

Album • Jun 04 / 2021 Indie Pop Chamber Pop

# 6

CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST by Tyler, The Creator

Album • Jun 25 / 2021 West Coast Hip Hop

# 7

New Long Leg by Dry Cleaning

Album • Apr 02 / 2021 Post-Punk

# 8

ULTRAPOP by The Armed

Album • Apr 16 / 2021 Noise Rock Post-Hardcore

# 9

ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH by SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE

Album • Apr 09 / 2021 Neo-Psychedelia Noise Pop

# 10

Valentine by Snail Mail

Album • Nov 05 / 2021 Indie Rock Indie Pop

# 11

Afrique Victime by Mdou Moctar

Album • May 21 / 2021 Tishoumaren Psychedelic Rock

# 12

HEY WHAT by Low

Album • Sep 10 / 2021 Post-Industrial Ambient Pop Experimental Rock

# 13

CARNAGE by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

Album • Feb 25 / 2021 Chamber Pop Art Pop

# 14

DEACON by serpentwithfeet

Album • Mar 26 / 2021 Alternative R&B Art Pop

# 15

Between the Richness by Fiddlehead

Album • May 21 / 2021 Emo Post-Hardcore

# 16

Haram by Armand Hammer + The Alchemist

Album • Mar 26 / 2021 Abstract Hip Hop East Coast Hip Hop Hardcore Hip Hop

# 17

An Overview on Phenomenal Nature by Cassandra Jenkins

Album • Feb 19 / 2021 Singer-Songwriter

# 18

Bright Green Field by Squid

Album • May 07 / 2021 Art Punk Post-Punk Experimental Rock

# 19

Sound Ancestors by Madlib

Album • Jan 29 / 2021 Instrumental Hip Hop

# 20

I Don’t Live Here Anymore by The War on Drugs

Album • Oct 29 / 2021 Heartland Rock

# 21

Collapsed In Sunbeams by Arlo Parks

Album • Jan 29 / 2021 Bedroom Pop Neo-Soul

# 22

Pray For Haiti by Mach-Hommy

Album • May 21 / 2021 East Coast Hip Hop Abstract Hip Hop

# 23

SINNER GET READY by Lingua Ignota

Album • Aug 06 / 2021 Neoclassical Darkwave Avant-Folk

# 24

Heaux Tales by Jazmine Sullivan

EP • Jan 08 / 2021 Contemporary R&B Neo-Soul

# 25

Any Shape You Take by Indigo De Souza

Album • Aug 27 / 2021 Indie Rock

# 26

Black To The Future by Sons Of Kemet

Album • May 14 / 2021 Afro-Jazz

# 27

Infinite Granite by Deafheaven

Album • Aug 20 / 2021 Shoegaze

# 28

Home Video by Lucy Dacus

Album • Jun 25 / 2021 Singer-Songwriter

# 29

Projector by Geese

Album • Oct 29 / 2021 Indie Rock Art Punk

# 30

Juno by Remi Wolf

Album • Oct 15 / 2021 Contemporary R&B Alt-Pop Indie Pop

# 31

Twin Plagues by Wednesday

Album • Aug 13 / 2021 Shoegaze Indie Rock

# 32

Nine by SAULT

Album • Jun 25 / 2021 Neo-Soul

# 33

Cool Dry Place by Katy Kirby

Album • Feb 19 / 2021 Singer-Songwriter Indie Pop

# 34

Bo Jackson by Boldy James + The Alchemist

Album • Aug 13 / 2021 Gangsta Rap

# 35

Fortitude by GOJIRA

Album • Apr 30 / 2021 Groove Metal Progressive Metal

# 36

Little Oblivions by Julien Baker

Album • Feb 26 / 2021 Singer-Songwriter Indie Rock

# 37

MAXIMUMBLASTSUPERLOUD: The First 24 Songs by Dazy

Album • Aug 20 / 2021 Power Pop

# 38

Fatigue by L’Rain

Album • Jun 25 / 2021 Neo-Psychedelia Neo-Soul

# 39

I Know I'm Funny haha by Faye Webster

Album • Jun 25 / 2021 Singer-Songwriter Alt-Country

# 40

For the first time by Black Country, New Road

Album • Feb 05 / 2021 Post-Rock Experimental Rock Post-Punk

# 41

Nurture by Porter Robinson

Album • Apr 23 / 2021 Electropop Synthpop

# 42

Vulture Prince by Arooj Aftab

Album • Apr 23 / 2021 Chamber Folk Ghazal

# 43

Dark in Here by The Mountain Goats

Album • Jun 25 / 2021 Indie Folk Folk Rock

# 44

Death of a Cheerleader by Pom Pom Squad

Album • Jun 25 / 2021 Indie Rock

# 45

Half God by Wiki

Album • Oct 01 / 2021 East Coast Hip Hop Drumless

# 46

Eternal Home by Fire-Toolz

Album • Oct 15 / 2021 Post-Industrial Progressive Electronic Avant-Garde Metal

# 47

Second Line by Dawn Richard

Album • Apr 30 / 2021 Alternative R&B

# 48

GUMBO'! by Pink Siifu

Album • Aug 02 / 2021 Trap Southern Hip Hop Abstract Hip Hop

# 49

Things Take Time, Take Time by Courtney Barnett

Album • Nov 12 / 2021 Singer-Songwriter Indie Rock

# 50

Smiling with No Teeth by Genesis Owusu

Album • Mar 15 / 2021 Neo-Soul