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.
(#4) After scoring an 85 for each of their previous two albums, Canadian folk outfit The Weather Station (fronted by former child star Tamara Hope, now Tamara Lindeman) managed to collect even better reviews for February's Ignorance, their fifth LP overall. The band's sound is bigger than ever before, with their lineup expanded to include a pair of drummers, a saxophonist, and occasional strings (arranged by Owen Pallett).
“What's being attempted here is sensational, an unmissable combination of common emotions and abstract anxieties that shouldn’t work. And yet, when Lindeman shares with us, these songs explode with the air of something incredible.” —No Ripcord
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