Best Overlooked Albums of 2021

Do you know what time it is, dear reader? College basketball is in a weeklong hiatus, the Grammy noms are out (which… yeesh), and my Google Docs are open for just the third time this year… yes that’s right, it’s time for my singular perennial article for The Couch, the Best Overlooked Albums of 2021! Lucky you!

As a reminder, this article is not a rundown of the top albums of 2021. It’s a list of projects that got significant spin time for me this year (both mainstream and otherwise) that I believe deserve more recognition. That’s why I, a mid-twenties non-author with zero music authority or industry sway, am giving them their due.

So, join me in pouring yourself a glass of cheap red wine, connecting those AirPods, and praying together that my writing has gotten better since the inception of this blog (which again… yeesh).

Here are 5 albums that stayed in my rotation throughout this wild year:

Absolutely // Dijon

Dijon came into my life three-ish years ago. He tends to enter unannounced, occupy 85% of my headspace for four consecutive weeks, and vanish into the night just as silently as he arrived. But WOWEE those four weeks are a vibe, man.

If forced, I would assign Dijon’s music into the newly-emerged Country Rap genre, but his audial ambiguity is so much more complex than that. Consider this: prior to Absolutely – his debut album – he toured with Vampire Weekend. Now that it’s been released, he’s on the road with Bon Iver. His music is mellow and meandering; hectic and harsh; soulful and sweet. Absolutely can be all these things at times, but it’s always beautiful. And for as chaotic as it sometimes sounds, there’s also a sense of purpose to every stray guitar pluck and mistimed clap.

Standouts: "Many Times", "The Dress", "God in Wilson"

MUST LISTEN: "Big Mike's (Live)"

Camp Nowhere // Peach Tree Rascals

You can never have too many boy bands!!!!!! The Peach Tree Rascals are a group of five second-gen immigrants from San Jose that make very fun music. Tbh I don’t know much about them. They went viral on TikTok once. That’s neat. I don’t have TikTok so I’m afraid to say more for fear of getting mocked by Gen Z, but I listened to them on a boat a lot this summer. PTR4L!!!!!!!!

Standouts: "OOZ", "JoJo", "Oh, Honey! (I Love You)"

MUST LISTEN: "Change My Mind"

Punk // Young Thug

There are people out there much smarter than I who say that Young Thug is evolving language as we know it. His signature warble rap is literally changing the game. That’s frickin dope. I don’t know much about linguistics but I do know that the Atlanta rapper has been lighting the world on fire with recent projects like So Much Fun and the Chris Brown collab Slime and B. In the last few years, a feature from Young Thug basically guaranteed a smash hit. As we got deeper into 2021, the anticipation for his next album got louder and louder.

And then he gave us Punk. Thug told us he was going to do something different, but I don’t think anyone really expected *gestures broadly* this. But let me tell ya, it’s reaaaaallly gooood. The typical Young Thug beats are stripped back to the bassline and coupled with either an acoustic guitar or twinkling piano. It doesn’t sound like a Thugger song, but the most recognizable element is still there: Young Thug himself. His storytelling, bravado, and of course that crooning voice still preside over all.

Standouts: "Stupid/Asking", "Livin It Up", "Road Rage", "Day Before"

MUST LISTEN: "Peepin Out The Window"

gg bb xx // LANY

LANY, a three person group originally from Nashville, have been making music a bit longer than the previous entrants. Formed in 2014, gg bb xx is their fourth studio album, and arguably their best to-date (which is saying a lot: Malibu Nights slaps). LANY has a way to make sad songs sound cotton-candy-sweet: I’ll be bopping around my bedroom, humming blissfully, when all of a sudden I realize the lyrics I’m folding my clothes to are “There you go, I admit it / No one I want more than you / But let's do the math / Nine out of ten times it don't last” and BAM. Waddaya know, I’m crying into my laundry again!

To be fair, I should know this about LANY by now. But they have a way of making you forget, in the absolute best way possible. They also know how to absolutely crush a hook over a synth beat.

Standouts: "roll over", "baby", "somewhere", "‘til i don’t"

MUST LISTEN: "dancing in the kitchen"

BELIEVE IN ME, WHO BELIEVES IN YOU // Aries

This, dear readers, is some of the best music I’ve heard in a long, long time. Aries is a 23-year-old singer, songwriter, producer, and YouTuber from Orange County. BELIEVE IN ME, WHO BELIEVES IN YOU is the follow up to his debut Welcome Home, a project whose heavy basslines, energetic synths, and classic guitars put him on the map for many. BIM,WBIY perfects much of what Aries has been creating over the years.

I can’t help but bob my head to every song; with a few, it takes significant self-restraint to keep myself from jumping around like a maniac. On top of the meticulously crafted beats, Aries layers his rich voice and melodic rhyme schemes in such a way that I can’t help but just lift my arms like that Kanye meme and roll with every ebb and flow.

I’ve only started listening to Aries in the last year or so, but between his music library and his extensive YouTube channel, it’s easy to get an understanding of his artistic gifts. BELIEVE IN ME, WHO BELIEVES IN YOU is a beautiful combination of emo, rock, punk, hip hop, and grunge to form a truly unique sound in today’s music landscape. I highly highly recommend listening to the full project. It’s a wholly joyful spin – I’m literally sitting here grinning my face off listening to it as I type. Enjoy :D

Standouts: "ETA", "KIDS ON MOLLY", "HOW RUDE", "DESPERADO", "WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT"

MUUUST LISTEEENNNNNNNN: "DITTO"