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LIFE: North East Coastal Town
New album: A celebration of their home city of Hull by the quick-witted, passionate indie post-punk band in a set of songs filled with humour, anguish and anger, but also a love letter to the area, and even all instruments played were locally bought
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Gemma Rogers’ debut album No Place Like Home
Debut album: Variously compared to Kirsty MacColl, Ian Dury, Lily Allen and more, the London post-punk indie artist’s debut LP is a packed with own authentic style of witty, talky, mischievous lyrics and catchy melodies from the perky to wistfully emotional.
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Spot the shrimp: Cave World by Viagra Boys
New album: The third and perhaps best yet album by the Swedish post-punk mischief makers fronted by the charismatic Sebastian Murphy, with a fusion of rock, punk, electronica and funk and packed with punchy, ironic, humorous lyrics, clever guitar riffs and keyboard sounds
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Cola: Deep In View
New album: Thrumming, knotty, catchy, clever, crafty, stop-start indie post-punk with an occasional glimmer of glam-rock by the trio of former Ought members Tim Darcy (vocals, guitar) and Ben Stidworthy (bass) alongside Evan Cartwright (drums) with this debut album
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Hercules & Love Affair: In Amber
New album: Andy Butler and friends return with a dark, powerful new LP that in comparison to previously is less dance music, more contemplation of serious issues, featuring again the distinctive countertenor of Anohni, but also percussion by Budgie of Siouxsie & The Banshees
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Gentle Sinners: These Actions Cannot Be Undone
New album: An intriguing, innovative new collaborative project by James Graham of The Twilight Sad and Aidan Moffat of Arab Strap culminates in this mysterious, genre-defying, experimental album of oddly poetic numbers
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Loose Fit: Social Graces
New album: Fresh, raw and full of vitality, the debut album by the Australian quartet of Kaylene Miller, Anna Langdon, Max Edgar and Richard Martin is reminiscent of the British late-70s post-punk bands from the Slits to PIL
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Skinty Fia: the third album by Fontaines DC
New album: The Dublin indie band’s third album comes, alongside the powerful, gritty songwriting, with an expanded sonic identity – guitars atmospherically expressing the darker and unnerving, with some shades of the Cure
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Stylish, strutting, studied performance: Walt Disco
New album: Dramatic, declamatory, stylised and immensely fun, this witty dandy post-punk pop debut with thrumming bass lines and shimmering synths by the Glasgow six-piece with echoes of the 1980s from Associates, Bowie, Human League, Rocky Horror Picture Show to Sparks
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Bodega’s second album, Broken Equipment
New album: Excellent second LP, following 2018’s debut Endless Scroll, by the punchy Brooklyn post-punk band, packed with sharp lyrics, driving rhythms and riffs, with central theme of how we are defined and shaped by outside influences and perceptions, from city environment to advertising
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A Place To Bury Strangers - See Through You
New album: Electro noise rock, progressive gothic post-punk? Whatever the genre label, a striking blast of a new LP by the New York band fronted by Oliver Ackermann now with newer members frenetic drummer Sandra Fedowitz and thrumming bass from John Fedowitz
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Silverbacks’ second album Archive Material
New album: Superb second LP by the Dublin-based post-punk art-rock quintet, who with shades of Deerhoof, Gang Of Four, but particularly New Yorkers Strokes and LCD Soundsystem, sharply capturing the crazy, creeping disquiet of the world, especially over the past 18 months
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Pointed lyrics: Yard Act, featuring frontman James Smith
Debut album: Following various singles including Fixer Upper, a set of newer sharp, funny, talky, wordy and witty post-punk-funk debut LP by the Leeds quartet, filled with ironic observation about Britishness, echoing some delivery elements of the Fall and Sleaford Mods
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Elvis Costello’s classic sound on The Boy Named If
New album: Classic Costello, with a vigorous new LP that rolls back the years, recalling all the the sharp, fast, clever punk-pop of the late-70s, 80s and 90s albums with the Attractions, including old friends Steve Nieve on keyboards and Pete Thomas on drums
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Niffit’s debut album Fuse
Debut album: Fabulous crash-bang post-punk from the Japanese underground scene in this debut LP by the quartet from Nagoya with stop-start rhythms, sharp, gunslinging guitar riffs and witty, shouty vocals that unleash a ball of electric energy
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Favourite selection part 2.
Favourite albums of 2021 – Part 2: Welcome the second instalment, following Part 1, which can be found here. A huge number of excellent releases, of which again this is just a selection many of which were written during, and about lockdown, but also saw many outstanding voices emerge as well as innovative sounds developed
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Take your pick. Are your favourites here? Also check out Part 2 coming soon.
Favourite albums of 2021, part 1: Another difficult year for everyone, but from soul and jazz, electro-pop the experimental and avant-garde, an outstanding one for music releases, perhaps in part because out of diversity comes great art. Also feel free to explore Part 2, which is now available to view here.
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Deap Vally’s Lindsay Troy and Julie Edwards
New album: Full of feisty swagger, and rich, fuzzy guitar grit, the Los Angeles pair of Lindsay Troy and Julie Edwards return for a fourth album of rock-rich irony, fun, sweary sneering, sex-talk, anger and meaty riffs, and one of best yet
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IDLES return with their fourth album, CRAWLER
New album: ‘Are you ready for the storm'?’ There is much expected blood and thunder in the fourth LP by the Bristol band, but also an expanded range of sounds, feelings, painful, angry and tender moments in this viscerally brilliant new work themed around addiction
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Geese’s debut album Projector
New album: Dynamic and brilliantly experimental debut LP by the very promising young post-punk Brooklyn band brimming with intricate guitars, changes of pace, vaulting from the abstract to the intimate
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