David Friend Profile picture
Dec 1, 2021 51 tweets 71 min read Read on X
Music kept us sane, gave us hope and set the tone for whatever this road map to the future looks like.

A countdown of the 50 songs that shook me, moved me and grooved me in 2021.

Follow along on the #SongsOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 Image
#Songsof2021 #50: @thetrews - I Wanna Play

After a seemingly endless lockdown, it was an angsty, stadium-ready rock anthem that captured the heart of our collective desperation.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #49: Ralph - Love Potion

A heaping scoop of savoury baseline whisked with a cup of sugary vocals. Ralph's dreamy pop elixir is a trip worth revisiting.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @songsbyralph
#Songsof2021 #48: @dunmorebrothers - Step Closer

@AyabaPoetic's sermon about rekindling deeper connections flirts with a dangerous beat from Britain's sibling duo.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 Image
#Songsof2021 #47: @Hadiyageorge - Hot Flavor (Godmode Smash Bros Rmx)

The line between celebration and dissent blur in a mid-tempo mix that puts George's political lyrics on a pedestal.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #46: @ewanmcvicar_ - Tell Me Something Good

Throwing Rufus and Chaka Khan's classic into an erratic electro-blender seems like sacrilege...until the beat drops.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@ewanmcvicar_ #Songsof2021 #45: @alessiacara - Lie to Me

Toronto producer @Boi1da casts the pop sweetheart as a woman scored in a pitch-perfect return to late '90s R&B.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 Image
#Songsof2021 #44: Dan D'Lion - Peachy

Peaches were in season this year. And Dan Bartlett's alter ego was the vitamin-fuelled sweet spot to Justin Bieber's chill pill.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @dandliondlion Image
#Songsof2021 #43: @majidjordan - Waves of Blue

For three minutes and 28 seconds, everything seems right in the world.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@majidjordan #Songsof2021 #42: @shungudzo - White Parents

The Zimbabwean-American activist crashes guitars and drums against the uglier side of a mixed-race relationship.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #41: Charlotte Jane - Down Days

A frank confessional from the Yorkshire songwriter finds parallels with the vulnerabilities many confronted in lockdown.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@iamcharl0tte
#Songsof2021 #40: @elderisland - Sacred

The Bristol trio map out the fluidity of emotional chemistry in a periodic table of chimes, bubbles and electronic blips.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #39: @GorgonCity - You've Done Enough

A sharp vocal by Via Rosa of @TheDramaDuo is outdone only by the mysterious and implied trauma that lingers on this track.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #38: H.E.R. - Fight For You

Such a pure tribute to Marvin Gaye that you can almost hear the record crackling and popping.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @HERMusicx
#Songsof2021 #37: @sza - Good Days

Hazy like a summer morning.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #36: @joycrookes - When You Were Mine

A complicated stack of feelings run through this neo-soul reflection about an ex-boyfriend spotted in a relationship with a man.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #35: Chloe Moriondo - I Eat Boys

The listless "girl with guitar" sound of the early aughts is turned on its head with a feel-good morbidity.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @kidzwithbugz
#Songsof2021 #34: @TKAYMAIDZA - Where Is My Mind?

Buzzing electronics and haunting vocals layer an otherworldly take on the classic Pixies track by the Zimbabwean-born Australian singer.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #33: @IDK & @offset - Shoot My Shot

The closest we have to a time capsule for Clubhouse, the 2021 app that gave guys you ignored at the bar their own chatroom.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #32: @KaceyMusgraves - Breadwinner

Gender dynamics, relationship negotiations. It's all sharply written, at once deeply personal and equally universal.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@KaceyMusgraves #Songsof2021 #31: @DojaCat - Kiss Me More (feat. @sza)

Beyond the iconic TikTok "ding!" lies a simple, cutesy pop song that arrived like a warm hug in some very cold times.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #30: @cadenceweapon - On Me

Part grime track, part audio essay. The @PolarisPrize winner turns his acute focus on tech's role in racism & surveillance with a fiery urgency.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #29: @serpentwithfeet - Same Size Shoe

Black queer domestic bliss as told through the year's best metaphor: a marriage of footwear.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #28: @ambermark - Worth It

An exercise in self-affirmation that would've shone brightly any year, but was especially vibrant in 2021. Mark's vocals break through the clouds.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #27: @Tinashe - Undo (Back to My Heart)

Breaking from her record label led Tinashe to make her best album. And Undo showed you don't need execs to craft the sound of a smash.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist:bit.ly/BestSongs2021 Image
#Songsof2021 #26: Skiifall - Ting Turn Up Part II

Praised for his UK rap sound, Montreal's secret weapon raised the bar, inviting London's @Knucks on a sequel to his 2020 track.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist:bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @skiifalls
#Songsof2021 #25: Aldous Harding - Old Peel

A jaunty, hypnotic ball of wonderful, lyrical nonsense.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #24: Alex Porat - Dimension

Spidey's multiverse is no match for the Toronto YouTuber-turned-pop singer who's hauntingly obsessed with a broken relationship.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @alexandraporat
#Songsof2021 #23: Willow - Transparent Soul (feat. @travisbarker)

Eleven years after "Whip My Hair," the younger Smith proves she can rock as hard as she rattles preconceptions.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #22: Sun-El Musician - Higher (feat. Simmy)

Eight minutes of pure, dewy-eyed spiritual healing.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @sunelmusicianza @simmymusicsa Image
#Songsof2021 #21: @boburnham - That Funny Feeling

Seemed like a "Year in Review" for 2020. Turns out, it was a roadmap to 2021. Or is it 2022?

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #20: MUNA - Silk Chiffon (feat. @phoebebridgers)

A glorious, summertime queer pop anthem that demands you roll down the windows and crank it up.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @whereisMUNA
#Songsof2021 #19: Jackie - My Best Years

Throwing caution to the wind, the Toronto trio trade melancholy for tenacity in a hopeful pop confessional.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @itsjackiemusic
#Songsof2021 #18: @oliviarodrigo - Deja Vu

Teen break-up driftwood becomes trapped in an undertow of furious heartbreak and explosive resentment.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #17: @wizkid - Essence (feat. Justin Bieber, Tems)

A remix with the Beebs lets WizKid's overlooked yet alluring 2020 track slip onto this list. Consider it a correction.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #16: The Weather Station - I Tried to Tell You

Toronto folk artist Tamara Lindeman sees truth in the natural world as she considers signs that were ignored.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @TheWeatherStn
#Songsof2021 #15: Jayda G - All I Need

"Nothing has changed" is a tough sell in 2021. But this bouncy, unabashed retro house track makes the notion sound comforting.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #14: @remiwolf - Grumpy Old Man

If "Groove is in the Heart" was microdosed by a California nu-hippie with a knack for killer sing-along choruses. It just feels rad, man.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #13: Squid - Narrator (feat. @Martha_Skye)

Anger and apprehension crescendo in a kaleidoscopic sensory nightmare.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @squidbanduk
#Songsof2021 #12: @_elderbrook, Bob Moses - Inner Light

Two of dance music's classiest names are yin and yang for an ominous electronic storm.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @Bobmosesmusic
#Songsof2021 #11: Art d'Ecco - Head Rush

Glam rock theatre is resurrected in a song that evokes and provokes in equal measure.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@artdeccomsic
#Songsof2021 #10: @JessieWare - Please

Drawing on decades of dancefloor classics, Ware serves up a reminder of the freedom and connection in movement.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #9: @silksonic - Leave the Door Open

Retro fantasy that's so authentically vintage that it's easy to get swept away by the sexual healing.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@silksonic #Songsof2021 #8: Japanese Breakfast - Be Sweet

Dreamy '80s synth-pop that clings to hope there's brightness past the fog.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @Jbrekkie
@silksonic @Jbrekkie #Songsof2021 #7: @Charlottecardin - Daddy

Intriguing, mysterious, dangerous. Simply, delicious.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #6: Flight Facilities - Lights Up (feat. @channel_tres)

A symphonic seduction conducted by Channel Tres' alluring baritone voice.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @flightfac
#Songsof2021 #5: bbno$ - Edamame (feat. @richbrian)

A rowdy and raunchy banger from Canada's king of hooks who's still on his fratboy throne.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021
@bbnomula
#Songsof2021 #4: Polo G - Rapstar

Demons lurk in the whirlwind of success. And the Chicago rapper's ukulele-driven track offers a forboding perspective on chasing the prize.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist:bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @Polo_Capalot
#Songsof2021 #3: @SELFESTEEM___ - I Do This All The Time

A note to a past lover. A love letter to self. Standing on the shoulders of Baz Luhrmann's "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)."

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist:bit.ly/BestSongs2021
#Songsof2021 #2: Caroline Polachek - Bunny is a Rider

Bunny doesn't do rules. Neither does Polachek who samples baby coos and stutters through this incredible curiosity.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist: bit.ly/BestSongs2021 @carolineplz
#Songsof2021 #1: @LilNasX - Montero (Call Me By Your Name)

In an era when few can shock and surprise, Lil Nas X's audacious track will inspire and embolden a generation of young creators.

The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2021 playlist:bit.ly/BestSongs2021

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My Spotify #BestOf2020 playlist:bit.ly/BestOfSongs2020
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The song:

My Spotify #BestOf2019 playlist: bit.ly/BestOfSongs2019
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