What made albums notable in 2021? Music that connects people.
In 2021, musicians emerged from pandemic hibernation in studios, basements, and bedrooms. Scrambling to mount tours, artists snapped up calendar dates at reopened music venues like land during the gold rush.
Although music fans may have been deprived of attending concerts during lockdown, they’re reaping an unexpected benefit: Many musicians used the unplanned downtime to compose new material. Since March of last year, some artists have been inspired to look outward and write about the collective human experience. Other musicians haven’t directly addressed the pandemic on new albums, but the period of confinement amplified their yearning for connection. On many of 2021’s best releases, it felt as if artists and listeners were reaching out to each other to share loss
