Best Songs of 2021 (So Far)

Like come on, what’s better than music? More amazing songs out there than I can keep track of, but here are the gems released in 2021 so far, that I’ve come across. I promise not to let you down! These are great.

The Right Thing is Hard to Do – Lightning Bug

Slow, serene, dreamy. This song is a breezy summer day when you’ve got nothing to do but think. And we sure do have time on our hands, don’t we? “The right thing is hard to do, When you’ve got so much to lose, Still in fear, it’s hard to move, When you’ve got so much to prove”. 

Alright – Amos the Kid

Male Phoebe Bridgers? I’m sure he wouldn’t like to be called that, but it’s a compliment. Surprised when the male voice started. “Running around these woods, no shoes. We can kick it if you’re down.” Running around the woods – perfect place for this song.

Blue Canoe – Good Lovelies

Drink some whiskey, on your back porch in the sun, but don’t worry if it starts raining just a little. This song will do both. “It don’t matter at all, cause life is beautiful.” Repeat. Because it’s the truth, and the truth about the beauty in life, matters.

Sweat – Sunshine and the Blue Moon

I think this what it must have been like to hear Neil Young for the first time. A lot of people were born in the 70’s, what excuse do these guys have? Bring the guitar, please. “Green, red, blue, colours felt all through. You’ll rise up and tell what’s true.”

God’s Country – Ethel Cain

I suppose someone had to invent something that was the modern version of a Gregorian chant. A soft, gorgeous song about things that are distinctly not gorgeous. This song is poetry. “It was a highway to nowhere, and we rode it. Cold car with no gas and we chose it.”

Animal – Lump

Shamelessly modern, rather than touching on any aesthetic memory of when we were young. Vaguely menacing song that’ll happily sit through the summer to get to the fall where it belongs. “Dance, dance. This is your last chance. To break a glass heart. Just like you wanted.”

Emotion – Molly Burch

Now and then, you need a song with a hook so hard that it doesn’t matter how bad the coffee tastes, or how humid it is outside. It’s okay to dance, when you feel a hint of disco in the thick, warm air. “Timeless emotion. Always devoted.” The song you play loud in your back yard.

Hot Blooded – New Constellations

Remember Robyn? Me neither. If you’re a creative type, this is the ballsy song you play to go at your canvas, your word processor, your stick figure art, whatever. Thank you, decade of the 80’s… and the 20’s? “Please don’t waste my time.” Indeed, you didn’t.

California Screaming – Liz Lawrence

Okay, this is a 2020 song, so I’m cheating. But such a quirky, uneven song that’s spot on for the summer when we finally started beating this infernal virus floating on the tradewinds. “It gets so hard in the heat of it all. Shine a light like a chandelier. Am I hear at all? Am I hear at all?”