Pity the bands releasing new records this year, right? Another twelve months of uncertainty: will they be able to tour this album? Can they even get inside a studio? Will Adele's monopolisation of the world's supply of vinyl mean it can't get a 12" release?!
But on the other hand: it's a rare opportunity for artists to take a step back, pause for breath and figure out their next step. What kind of album do they want to make, in light of... everything? With a captive audience who are crying out for something new to distract them from the global pandemic, it might also be true that the current year has proven extremely fruitful for musicians.
Who knows what the artists think (though you could read our Pass The Mic feature to hear it from the horse's mouth). But it's safe to conclude from this, our annual Favorite list, that some incredible music has been released in 2021. We've asked our staff to each assemble a list of their best albums of the year, and using some advanced mathematics we've sliced and diced these lists into one SUPER-LIST, to present the 30 best albums of the year – as determined by Scene Point Blank.
We've also given you the luxury of the entire list as a Spotify playlist (minus one black metal act who aren't on streaming sites) so you can spend almost twenty hours listening to the music we loved this year, and it's also embedded at the bottom of this page.
For now, though, read on to discover our favorite albums of 2021.
Overall list
1
Turnstile
Glow On
Roadrunner
This band has blown up fast, and deservedly so. The band’s fourth LP weaves through everything these boys have been perfecting while honing their sound throughout their past three records, their side projects, and their remix EP with house DJ Mall Grab. As ever, Turnstile brings us groovy polyrhythms, crunchy power chords, booming stand-out bass lines, and rousing sing-along screams from vocalist Brendan Yates. On this record, they add even more electronic effects, drum machines, and moments to catch your breath wherein you might hear a clean piano solo or a nearly-acapella ballad from bassist Franz Lyons.
2
Descendents
9th & Walnut
Epitaph
While I like new Descendents, their older stuff always had an intangible bite to it. The new stuff feels more sarcastic, while their earlier material was pissed off underneath that playful disposition. And that’s what you get on 9th & Walnut which is billed as the band’s eighth studio album, though the timeline is more complicated than that. These are songs written by the adolescent Descendents in the ‘70s, recorded in the ‘00s and touched up in the present. Of the 18 songs, 15 have never been released in any format, while a few predate Aukerman joining the group and mark his first time on recorded vocals. And what you get is modern production with angry, early punk movement sounds and subject matter. These are good songs that rip, rage and roar next to the classics of the era. Without the lengthy intro to describe how it was made, it would fit neatly into the band’s catalog 20, even 30, years ago.
– Loren
3
Deafheaven
Infinite Granite
Sargent House
This is one of the most striking shifts in musical direction I’ve heard a band make. It’s also one of the few such shifts I’ve met where a band I previously did not care about turned into something I’m keeping on heavy rotation in my playlist. A very pleasant surprise to say the least. While I saw Deafheaven in the past as some kind of oddball amalgamation of blast-beat driven black metal slathered generously with an almost noisy tapestry of reverb and delay drenched shoegaze styled washes with a vocal delivery that was simply unintelligible, now things couldn’t be any more different. Infinite Granite is basically a shoegaze record that embraces equally dream pop leanings as well as post-rock ones. I think it’s a lovely combination and it’s executed so naturally that it feels like they’ve been doing this recipe for several albums. I really hope the band continue on this musical avenue for the foreseeable future. To me it feels like they’re doing a much better job in this area and quite frankly, I feel like Infinite Granite is one of the best albums of this year too. I wholeheartedly recommend this record to anyone looking to just drift and dream effortlessly – it’s as simple as that.
4
The Armed
Ultrapop
Sargent House
The lack of any restraint. That is what defines The Armed’s latest effort in ULTRAPOP. The mysterious collective has been on the path towards post-hardcore enlightenment for a hot minute now, but their latest album exceeds all expectations. The Armed distill the energy of the hardcore punk scene of olds while tapping into the experimental aspects of mathcore and post-hardcore. The result is a brilliantly chaotic and abrupt record. And still as brutal and punishing as ULTRAPOP is, what remains, in the end, is this incredibly joyous and celebratory essence, oozing through its addictive hooks.
5
Glitterer
Life Is Not A Lesson
Glitterer / Anti
The one-man side project of Ned Russin (formerly of Title Fight, Bad Seed, and several other Wilks-Barre hardcore bands), Glitterer gives a power-pop touch to post punk, with punchy drums and moody synths meshing well with fuzzy guitar tones and strong bass lines. Life Is Not A Lesson is the second full-length under the Glitterer moniker, a varied and subtly brooding album that runs at a concise 22 minutes. This is a perfect record for anyone interested in the catchier sides of post-hardcore, and it nestled deep in our respective rotations this year.
– Campbell
6
AFI
Bodies
Rise Records
After a couple of slightly underbaked releases, AFI re-found their previously high standards with 2017's Blood album, and this follow-up Bodies is of a similar vein (if you'll pardon the pun): dark, brooding and mature. The electronic/synth driven elements are no longer unexpected and slightly tinged with novelty, but instead feel appropriate and enhancing. There are moments that hint at possible new genres (soundtrack, industrial) and a couple of mild mis-steps which don't tarnish the whole too much. This is the sound of a confident band which can turn itself in a range of directions almost at will. They can sometimes follow paths that lead nowhere or to places better left unvisited, but this is much more preferential than retreading the same old ground over and over.
– Matt
7
μ-Ziq
Scurlage
Analogical Force
Mike Paradinas is one of the most important figures in the IDM scene. Having found the Planet Mu label, he has promoted a plethora of incredible and forward-thinking artists. At the same time, he has also been navigating the same sonic space through his μ-ziq project. Spending the best part of the ‘10s releasing μ-ziq’s lost albums, Paradinas finally returns with Scurlage, reminding everyone of his unique insight and capabilities. Moody and atmospheric, Scurlage moves through complex rhythmic patterns and unleashes its wistful melodies. In doing so it proves the relevance of Paradinas’ vision, how relevant it remains today, and how much we have missed it.
8
Neighborhood Brats
Confines of Life
Dirt Cult
Neighborhood Brats play punk as you’d expect it to sound – regardless of year or era. It’s angry, aggressive and timeless. A review doesn’t require hyphens and subcategories. But while they’re easy to pin into a genre, they remain full of surprises, which is exceedingly rare. For every political lyric, fist punch in the air and shout-along moment, there’s a parallel left turn. It’s political punk. It’s energetic, even infectious (pardon the word choice in a post-pandemic world). It sounds fun and gets your toes tapping, all-the-while the lyrics are about serious, heavy and pissed off stuff. To lift a line from “Who Took The Rain,” it’s about standing on the edge of darkness and light. It’s exactly what you should want in a record if you say you’re a fan of punk music.
– Loren
9
Slant
1집
Iron Lung
Slant is a 5-piece from South Korea -- not that you can tell the locale by the sound. It’s timeless and furious. It could be from DC in the 1980s or the Pacific Northwest in the 2010s. There are 10 songs here, none longer than two and a half minutes, and totaling 17-minutes from start-to-finish. It’s titled 1집, which is a Korean equivalent to self-titling a record, something kinda-sorta translated as “Volume 1.” It stomps and rages, but with some metallic flourishes here and there, often serving as a bridge. The vocals are so raw that it almost hurts to listen. I can’t say that 1집 reinvents hardcore, and I don’t think it’s supposed to. But it sure is cathartic. In a time when even the simplest items in daily life seem to add to stress instead of relief, 1집 blows off some steam every time I listen to it -- which is frequently.
– Loren
10
Hanalei
Black Snow
A-F
It’s been ten years since Hanalei released One Big Night, which is a long time between records for anyone. Black Snow is different: it’s from the punk world, but not of the punk world. Black Snow is soft rock that draws influence from across the board. It bears the most similarity to the Weakerthans, with subtle country, highway rambling tones, and more. This isn’t balladry or even an author ruminating in self-reflection; it’s narrative storytelling. And the music matches with ebbs and flows of emotion and movement. The album is a concept record, or collage in Moss’ words, that tells of a not-so-distant future ravaged by humanity’s mistakes. The stories within are articulate and touching but the power goes beyond sitting down with a lyric sheet. Just listening, the tone of Black Snow is that of any working-class city that’s been scarred by history and natural forces. It’s honest, open and humble, but equally tireless and resilient, even hopeful.
– Loren
11
DeeCracks
Serious Issues
Pirates Press
DeeCracks is not exactly new to the punkrock scene. Starting out as The Cretins in 2003, rebranding themselves to DeeCRACKS in 2007 this Austrian trio has some experience under their belts. Serious Issues is their fourth full length album. One of the things DeeCRACKS does to distinguish themselves from the faceless Ramones-clones of this world is they use a different vocal approach. These sixteen songs are diverse enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, but are coherent enough to make this one strong record. It is over before you know it. The balance of sweet and aggressive within the songs and the record as a whole is quite addictive and I find myself spinning this record over and over again.
– Dennis
12
Low
HEY WHAT
Sub Pop
To call Low a pioneering act would be an understatement. Through the years Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker have reconfigured the rock structure to fit their unique vision. The overwhelming shoegaze force, indie rock concepts, and ethereal dream-pop aspects all bend to their will. Their latest work HEY WHAT is no different. Sparhawk and Parker once more deconstruct rock motifs, inject a wealth of sound design applications to build this impressive facade. But, what remains beneath this all is an offering of stunning songwriting, sending chills down your spine with its sentimental depth. As is the case with everything Low has produced.
13
LLNN
Unmaker
PELAGIC RECORDS
LLNN plays a style that is difficult to describe. Is it post-metal? I would say yes, but without the long build-ups I associate with that style. Is it post-hardcore? Yeah, it has some characteristics I associate with that style too, but it is much too heavy to really fit that bill. Their bandcamp tags tell me it’s hardcore and sludge and synths. The synth part is the biggest difference with their previous band The Psyke Project. Where the riffs are very recognisable, these added layers of synths give them a whole different feeling. If you have some tolerance to harsh music, give this band a go. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am off discovering the back catalogue of this band!
– Dennis
14
The Obits
Die at the Zoo
Outer Battery Records
Die at the Zoo is a live recording from Obits, live in Brisbane, Australia, in 2012. There are 16 songs from the band’s catalog and it was recently released on limited vinyl by Outer Battery. There are probably two main angles for looking at a live record: is it capturing a time and place, or is it capturing an essence of the band. (And, yes, live records can do both simultaneously.) I see Die at the Zoo as the second of those two angles. Obits themselves are a no frills rock band, recalling a simpler era when “rock” was a genre instead of something with four extra hyphens and a dress code to match. I’ll admit I’ve never seen Obits live, but this fits what I expect: little banter, music center stage, and a timeless feel that eclipses that this is a very specific live recording. It’s what I imagine the band sounded like at every concert. This record hits the spot. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but you don’t fix what isn’t broken. Obits give a smooth, pretty ride every time. And so does Die at the Zoo.
– Loren
15
King Woman
Celestial Blues
Relapse
Celestial Blues majesty lies in the grandiose narrative that Kristina Esfandiari creates with her distinct voice, which takes the listener on a journey of the macabre. Having fallen from the light of heaven into the chasms of hell, King Woman's protagonist begins a voyage of discovery through religious artifacts and doomed elegance. The hypnotic intonation of Esfandiari's voice merges with weighted riffs and melodies that creep into your brain as the album moves towards the idea of ascension, crawling though the darkness to find the sliver of light needed for the ultimate retribution. It's a powerful work and one that needs much time to absorb, becoming all the more rewarding with each listen.
– Cheryl
