The 40 Best Albums of 2021
Above is Metacritic's list of the 40 best-reviewed albums of 2021, ranked by Metascore. This list only includes new albums receiving at least 15 reviews from professional critics (though you'll find a quick list of the top albums with a smaller number of reviews at the end of the gallery.)
Otherwise, all full-length studio albums (or mixtapes) released between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021 are eligible, though reissues, live albums, box sets and other compilations are excluded. (Those excluded titles, too, are included in a separate list at the end of the gallery.) Albums are ranked by Metascore prior to rounding based on scores as of December 21, 2021.
(#10) It's been quite a 2021 for Michelle Zauner. Her new memoir, Crying in H Mart, was a hit (and is soon to be a major motion picture). The indie videogame she soundtracked, Sable, finally released in the fall after a lengthy delay. And her third album as Japanese Breakfast, the '80s-influenced indie pop gem Jubilee, is her most accomplished work yet
“It takes all the things that have always served Japanese Breakfast well — Zauner’s awareness of her voice and how best to deploy it, her knack for narrative and story as well as great hooks — and offers them fresh soil in which to grow.” —Variety
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