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.
(#16) Two years after taking the music world by storm (as a teenager) with her stunning, Grammy-winning debut album, Billie Eilish easily met the challenge of recording a follow-up by returning with this jazzy, downtempo sophomore set. Happier Than Ever finds Eilish exploring her newfound fame and expanding her sound, and it scored even higher with critics while once again making her a major Grammy contender. A companion concert film is also available to stream on Disney+.
“Happier Than Ever fully establishes Billie Eilish as one of her generation’s most significant pop artists – and, better still, does so without repeating a single trick from the debut that turned her life upside down.” —NME
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