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.
These are the highest-scoring 2021 albums receiving 7-14 reviews from professional critics:
(#1)
95 Conflict of Interest by Ghetts
(#2)
92 Prioritise Pleasure by Self Esteem
(#3)
92 Glow On by Turnstile
(#4)
92 We're All Alone In This Together by Dave
(#5)
91 The Myth of the Happily Ever After by Biffy Clyro
(#6)
89 Bloodmoon: I by Converge
(#7)
89 For Those I Love by For Those I Love
(#8)
89 Pink Noise by Laura Mvula
(#9)
89 They're Calling Me Home by Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi
(#10)
88 Long Lost by Lord Huron