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From Liz Phair to Sarah Mary Chadwick: The Hidden Musical Gems of 2021
The best, and most under-rated, music of 2021
2020 was a year of isolation and lockdown. As such, while many big-name musicians sat out the year due to the unique constraints they faced, smaller, and less commercial artists — used to working with limited resources — welled the mine of 2020’s hardship to create the year’s defining soundtrack (Phoebe Bridgers with Punisher, Fiona Apple with Fetch The Bolt Cutters, et al.). However, with 2021 seeing at least a partial return to normalcy, this year was instead dominated by household names; with Adele, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay all releasing albums within weeks of each other. As such, the alternative music that defined the previous year, instead got largely lost amidst the crowd in 2021. So, here are the hidden gems of 2021; the music that most people ignored, but that you shouldn’t.
Me and Ennui Are Friends, Baby: Sarah Mary Chadwick
(CW: suicide) Sarah Mary Chadwick’s music has always harboured a deep sadness — not the sort of trendy, social media friendly sadness that has become almost trendy in recent year, but a harrowing, uncomfortable type of sadness that’s almost a form of grief in and of itself. However, on past releases — like the full-band…
