Song of the year, number 1: Self Esteem - I Do This All The Time (Official Video)

Part modern day take on Baz Luhrman's cult classic 'Sunscreen', part diary entry, part eloquent riposte to casual sexism and Rebecca Lucy Taylor's critics, part life affirming uplifting anthem, 'I Do This All The Time' is the perfect sound of 2021. It features Taylor's trademark bracingly honest lyrics and deadpan South Yorkshire delivery and combines it with the Self Esteem signature sound of uplifting harmonies, rousing choruses and clever pop. An odd hit in some ways, but a very timely one. 

Song of the year, number 2: LOUD WOMEN – Reclaim These Streets (Official video)

Written by a furiously angry Cassie Fox in the wake of the murders of Sarah Everard and Blessing Olusegun, 'Reclaim These Streets' was released as a fundraiser for Women's Aid and featured the talents of 64 vocalists. It was soon dubbed "The feminist Band Aid", a nod to the 1984 fundraiser, and to the fact that Siobhan Fahey (as one third of Bananarama) featured on both 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' and on 'Reclaim These Streets'. Given that the song was essentially a DIY release, it did remarkably well, picking up a decent amount of both radio play and media interest in the first couple of weeks after its release and reaching number 57 in the iTunes chart in its first week. While clearly a snapshot of a very specific moment in time, the song is catchy enough to transcend the moment and punk enough to endure as a song in its own right. 

Song of the year, number 3: Penfriend - Black Car [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

The video for 'Black Car' was filmed in Bristol during lockdown three, and the single was released as the UK began to emerge, once again, from lockdown in March 2021. 'Black Car' has proved to be a very honest, atmospheric and considered mediation on the pandemic that will endure long beyond its end. It was released just ahead of Laura Kidd's debut album as Penfriend, Exotic Monsters, itself a reference to Margaret Attwood, and while there's an aspect of the apocalyptic to 'Black Car', it's really more like a diary entry than a dystopian future. A dystopian now if you will. Kidd has made a number of public statements about why she had no plans to return to playing live in 2021, and 'Black Car' reinforces her feelings. 

Song of the year, number 4: Cults - Shoulders To My Feet (Official Video)

Taken from 2020's Host album, the understated masterpiece that is 'Shoulders To My Feet' was released at the start of December 2020 (as mentioned in earlier posts: My song of the year timescale runs from November to November each year, allowing me to scoop up any end of the year treasures I didn't clock in time in the following years list...) Anthemic, stylish, sophisticated, measured and hypnotic in equal measure it has proved itself to be a particularly stubborn ear worm as the year has progressed and, as such, I couldn't not include it this year. 

Song of the year, number 5: Florence + the Machine - Call me Cruella (From "Cruella"/Official Lyric ...

The end credits track to that most un-Disney of films, Cruella, 'Call Me Cruella' afforded Florence Welch the opportunity (which she clearly relished) to pen a sort of mission statement for an anti heroine who was both posh and evil, and who had been unleashed to wreak havoc in the staid couture world of 1970s London. The striking resemblance between Emma Stone's pre-transformation Cruella and Welch circa 2008 did not go unnoticed any more than the references to Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen did. A match made in heaven clearly. 

Songs of the year, number 6: Sabiyha - Lullaby (Lyric Video)

Released back in February, 'Lullaby' is a salute to Sabiyha's grandmother, who regularly looked after Sabiyha, her siblings, and their cousins on a regular basis when they were children. It's an impassioned track with a strong sense of narrative voice and character in which the stark instrumentation contrasts with crowd noise and appearances at the beginning and end of Sabiyha's grandmother, making it highly atmospheric as well as powerful. 

Song of the year, number 7 - Noname - Rainforest

When I first heard this incredible earworm in a context that wasn't the 6Music playlist, I realised that it had been edited for language to such an extent that the uncensored version was almost like listening to another song entirely. The radio edit kept the essential melodic quality but cut most of the political bite, which you can hear to full - albeit brief - effect here. It's like listening to a stream of consciousness diary entry; occasionally poetic, often angry and overflowing with references to everything from deforestation to deep thinking vs happiness to power structures and exploitation. While still being incredibly catchy. A reflection on revolutionary thought, but one you can dance to. 

Song of the year, number 8: Overcoats - Blame It On Me feat. Lawrence Rothman (Official Music Video)

Released as part of their EP of collaborations, Used To Be Scared Of The Dark, 'Blame It On Me' is a straightforward synth pop ballad in which the trademark impeccable harmonies of Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell are entwined with those of LA singer/songwriter Lawrence Rothman to beautiful effect. As has been the case with many of the music videos on my Song of the year list, the video represents an ingenious and very effective way of transcending Covid restrictions by using minimal casting and crew in a secluded setting and manages to be incredibly affecting. Absolute perfection. 

Song of the year, number 9: Zuzu - Timing (Official Video)

The opening calling card from Liverpool singer/songwriter ZuZu, and taken from her debut album Queensway Tunnel, 'Timing' was the perfect summer indie rock anthem; energetic, sun drenched, atmospheric and immediate. The video was a clever take on Tomb Raider while at the same time showcasing the beloved underground Merseyside tunnels that inspired the albums title. Tremendous and timeless. 

Song of the year, number 10: Lucky Iris - Coffee Shop

Leeds synth pop duo Lucky Iris released 'Coffee Shop' back in October. It's a wistful nod to the once commonplace experience of people watching in coffee shops, possibly in-between working, while questioning your own life and decisions. Beautifully evocative. 

Song of the year, number 11: Noga Erez - End of the Road (Official Video)

Noga Erez is at her best when she's skewering internet fashions and social media mores. Here she takes on the whole scope of fame with her typically keen eye and sharp tongue and channels the visual message through a video that suggests a never ending fashion show as a kind of survivalist audition video for life. It's a brutal world out there. 

Song of the year, number 12: Iraina Mancini - Deep End

A solid salute to the French yé yé sound, 'Deep End' is blissful escapism right down to its vintage themed video. Like Pearl Charles' 'Only For Tonight', 'Deep End' was released during lockdown three in the UK and was playlisted by BBC 6Music at a time when a lot of the population was working from home and wanted some good ear candy. None of this detracts in any way from 'Deep End', or indeed 'Only For Tonight', but I think it's fair to say that they are both stylish pastiches of existing past sounds that were loved both because of how well they were done, but also because there was something vaguely comforting about them in those dark months at the beginning of 2021. 

Song of the year, number 13: The Anchoress - Unravel

The whirlpool of grief, sonic layering and sophisticated instrumentation that is 'Unravel' comes from the critically acclaimed album The Art of Losing, Catherine Anne Davies second album as The Anchoress. Released in March 2021, the albums central theme of loss combined with the raw and complex soundscapes contained within marked it as a strong album of the year contender. While it didn't make my personal list in the end, 'Unravel' is a great introduction to the album and both album and 'Unravel' are certainly well worth a listen. 

Song of the year, number 14: Molchat Doma - Zvezdy (Official Music Video) Молчат Дома - Звёзды

The second Belarusian band to feature in this years Songs of the year list, Molchat Doma released 'Zvezdy' at the very end of 2020 (I think I already explained my November - November philosophy when it comes to compiling the songs of the year list...) just ahead of releasing their most recent album Monument. Like earlier Song of the year entrants Dlina Volny, the band hail from Minsk and, like Dlina Volny, identify as a post punk band (albeit with synth pop leanings). In both cases, there is a sense of an underlying societal discontent in their work, both musically and visually, a yearning for something better. On this track there is a wistful longing for romanticism and escape into the imagination, away from the crushing, soul destroying mundanity of everyday life and the overall result is that of a more cheerful Joy Division. Well worth keeping an eye on. 

Songs of the year, number 15: Pearl Charles - Only For Tonight

This delectable disco pastiche arrived fully formed in January 2021 at the start of lockdown three, courtesy of the 6Music playlist. If anything was going to relieve the bleakness of working from home and endless sodding Teams meetings, it was surely 'Only For Tonight', that strangely comforting lovechild of Abba and Tina Charles. It might not have been high concept, but it was infectious as hell and upliftingly sparkly and, sometimes, that's all you need. 

Song of the year, number 16: Indigo De Souza - Hold U [Official Music Video]

The leading single from her new album Any Shape You Take, 'Hold U' shows De Souza in uncharacteristically hedonistic mood, providing listeners with a sly dance floor banger that skips and scampers its way into your evening playlist, utterly charming the pants off you in the process. Irresistible. 

Song of the year, number 17: Pom Pom Squad - Crimson + Clover

An alluring punk girl take on the Tommy James and the Shondells classic, the Pom Pom Squad version of 'Crimson and Clover' serves as a flawless update of the original that sits well alongside tracks such as the angsty thrash of 'Crying' or upbeat odd-girl-out punk pop of 'Head Cheerleader'. It almost sounds as though it was made for them. 

Song of the year, number 18: Olivia Rodrigo - favorite crime (Live Performance) | Vevo LIFT

An understated slice of acoustic pop from the girl of the year Olivia Rodrigo. Debut album SOUR has bite but it also has its tender moments, as 'favourite crime' and 'hope that ur OK' testify. She makes it seem easy and effortless, but there is craft there as well as guileless. 

Song of the year, number 19: I, Doris – It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) – 2...

This irresistible, not to mention timely, update of the REM classic clearly kept London's premier 'mummycore' band busy this year. Bar staff waiting to be sacked ahead of lockdown one last year were playing the original version to customers as they waited for the plaguey apocalypse to happen and, for that reason alone, the song is due a considered, intelligent, not to mention very funny update. Dorises, we salute you. 

Songs of the year, number 20: Lana Del Rey - Dealer (Official Audio)

The impressively prolific Lana Del Rey has proved, once again, with her album Blue Bannisters that she has the propensity to surprise. This almost horizontal, lounging, loping stoner of a track starts like a slightly depressed Prince, goes full on wrath and self loathing fuelled exasperation, then spins back to brooding and sulking like an extra in a David Lynch serial. Absolute perfection. 

Songs of the year, number 21: Desire Marea - Tavern Kween [Single Mix] (Official Video)

A euphoric, soaring, almost otherworldly slice of mesmerising disco, this single also serves as an elegant salute on the part of Marea to his aunts, who would haunt the male dominated taverns of Amandawe in pursuit of good times and empowerment. It is a gorgeously atmospheric piece, timeless and stylish. 

Songs of the year, number 22: Moon Kissed - Saturday Night [Official Music Video]

Coming across strong, and with all the pent up energy and yearning of a age group who've been hit particularly hard by successive Covid lockdowns, 'Saturday Night' sees synth pop band Moon Kissed passionately missing the hedonistic rush of Saturday nights of yore. It's a stylish, sophisticated slice of pure pop energy that harks back to both the hedonism of the 1980s and more recent headrush pop acts such as Icona Pop. Time will tell if it stands the test of time, but at the moment it's a handy sonic postcard from 2021 that may well endure. 

Songs of the year, number 23: Courtney Barnett - Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To (Official V...

'Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To' is Courtney Barnett at her laconic best. In this case, trying to be philosophical in the face of a global pandemic and celebrating the small things in life. The song's themes are beautifully illustrated by the video, which celebrates the joy and anticipation of a prolonged postal fuelled friendship.

Songs of the year, number 24: ROSÉ - 'On The Ground' M/V

The debut solo single for BLACKPINK singer Rosé, 'On The Ground' demonstrated a more stripped down, reflective tone suggesting a change of direction away from the turbo charged high energy pop numbers the K Pop band are known for. 'On The Ground' has acoustic pop and electro pop elements, but there's a lack of bombast here and what you have instead is an elegant salute to the simple life. Which might seem odd, given the context, but it really, really works. A classic stylish pop piece that should age well. 

Songs of the year, number 25: Promise And The Monster - Beating Heart (Official Music Video)

Stockholm's Promise And The Monster (aka Billie Lindahl) has been releasing material since 2007. The  mesmerisingly pretty soundscape that is 'Beating Heart' was released as part of the Chewing Gum EP in early 2021. Comparisons to Kate Bush and early Grimes might spring to mind on the first listen, but it really is the track that keeps on giving, one that has created an entire sonic world around itself that you can inhabit blissfully for the almost 5 minutes of this most siren of songs. Breathtakingly gorgeous. 

Songs of the year, number 26: Das Beat - "Ariadne" (Official Video)

A lockdown project created in Berlin in 2020 by Agor (Blue Hawaii) and theatre actress Eddie Rabenberger, Das Beat released their EP Identität in May 2021. The title is presumed to be a reference to Ariadne of Naxos who, having provided Theseus with the ball of twine needed to escape the Minotaur's labyrinth, is then unceremoniously abandoned by him on the nearest convenient island. The video to this moody and atmospheric slice of electro pop includes a beguiling choreographed modern dance sequence between Agor and Rabenberger that is absorbing and apt given the themes of love and abandonment. 

Songs of the year, number 27: Billy Nomates - Heels

Coming on like a snarling, nihilistic scuffed electro punk version of Bette Davis, Nomates was tagged as One To Watch in summer 2020 by The Guardian's Laura Snapes (who definitely knows her musical onions). 'Heels', which was released in early 2021, became something of a musical calling card for Billy, serving as her ticket onto the 6Music playlist and ensuring that she was all packed and ready to go when gigs began to start up again. It remains a banging slice of attitude filled electro punk, and should endure well beyond this year as Billy Nomates star continues to rise. 

Songs of the year, number 28: Lauran Hibberd - How Am I Still Alive? (with Lydia Night)

In years to come, the Media Studies students of the future will look at the music videos of 2020 and 2021 and discern a specific aesthetic trend: The Lockdown Music Video.

A collaboration between Isle of Wight punk pop singer/songwriter and The Regrettes singer/guitarist, Lydia Night, this rousing slice of energetic punk pop sarcasm and sass appears to be taking as its subject matter the toxic relationship. Rather than have some kind of 'romance gone wrong' themed video however, Hibberd and Night have elected to collaborate on a video via video conferencing software and have, perhaps inadvertently, also managed to capture the stasis, boredom and repetitive nature of lockdown on both sides of the Atlantic in the process. Start listening for the guitar hooks and attitude, stay for the camera in the fridge, the cute animations and Hibberd attempting to mirror her dog's forlorn expression. 

Songs of the year, number 29: DLINA VOLNY "TOMORROW" (Official Video)

Belarus has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in 2021. Following the disputed election result of 2020, the mass protests and accompanying crackdowns and arrests, and in 2021 a couple of suspicious deaths of activists who fled to Ukraine, it looks as though the country is going to end the year with an ongoing proxy war with Poland and the EU, using refugees as pawns.

It is, it seems fair to surmise, probably not a great time to be making music in Minsk.

Dlina Volny's darkly sinister sounding synth pop acknowledges this state of affairs with their video for 'Tomorrow', albeit obliquely, and there is also something quite Cold War about the sense of unease situated at the heart of the video. The song itself is an absorbing, soaring slice of dark electro that hooks you in and doesn't let go until the very last utterly absorbing note. 

Songs of the year, Number 30: Ruby Fields - Bottle'o (Official Music Video)

Ruby Fields debut album Been Doin' It For A Bit was released back in September, and this self-lacerating stripped down piece of introspection was the standout track. The Australian singer/songwriter shares the same laconic lyricism as Courtney Barnett, but her sound is rooted in punk, 'Bottle O' being the quietest track on the album. She's consolidated the sound and good will built up by her earlier EP's with a strong album and it will be interesting to see what she does next.