Artists in avant-garde and abrasive music — including, though certainly not limited to, metal, punk, and hardcore — have always anticipated, inspired, and responded to innovations in popular music. Musicians across generic and global contexts consistently draw on the visual aesthetics, formal experiments, and D.I.Y. ethos of the underground to fashion their sound and image. Musicians in the underground, conversely, find inspiration in the realm of popular music. In 2021, this ecosystem of inspiration between underground and popular music has felt more prominent than ever. For instance, consider the success of pop-punk revivalists Olivia Rodrigo and Willow Smith, or the ubiquity of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (of legendary industrial rock outfit Nine Inch Nails), and their production on Halsey’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. Recall that Yves Tumor performed in a Slipknot tee this fall at the Pitchfork Music Festival, and that Thundercat named Slipknot’s self-titled debut as his favorite album of the past 25 years. Bring Me the Horizon covered 24kGoldn and iann dior’s “Mood” for BBC Radio 1. Lil Nas X ushered in a contemporary Satanic panic with his music video for “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).” This conversation between disparate musicians, genres, and cultures has never seemed so vibrant and reciprocal.
I define abrasive and avant-garde music here as music in the underground that adopts a subversive, punk aesthetic; that reconfigures or transgresses the boundaries of extreme music (or music broadly); that elevates your heart rate and gives you chills. If abrasive and experimental music does in fact anticipate, inspire, and/or respond to popular music (among other things), then we can look to the exciting contemporary releases in the underground to [re]-assess and understand the music of our elders, the music of the zeitgeist, and, perhaps most importantly, the music that comes next. So: what were the most notable releases in metal, punk, hardcore, and experimental music in 2021, and what statements did they make?
In the realm of commercial metal, several legacy acts from the 2000s and 2010s released LPs. Some records polarized fans and critics, including Architect’s melodic turn on For Those Who Wish to Exist and A Day to Remember’s departure from easycore (and embrace of trap and pop-country aesthetics) on You’re Welcome. Other bands garnered accolades and acclaim for their consistency and late-career ambition, including Trivium (on In the Court of the Dragon), Every Time I Die (on Radical), and Andrew W. K. (on God Is Partying). However, French environmentalists GOJIRA reigned supreme on their eclectic seventh album, Fortitude. GOJIRA left a unique imprint on 2021 through their outspoken politics (e.g., all proceeds from their Grammy-nominated single “Amazonia,” which critiques deforestation in the Amazon, go to The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB)); the impressive diversity of their sonic influences (ranging from Meshuggah’s grinding djent to Roots-era Sepultura); their immersive music videos (e.g., see their homage to Planet of the Apes on “Another World”); and the rigor of their songwriting. In all honesty, the sheer weight of the breakdown at the finale of “Born for One Thing” earned Fortitude a spot among my favorite albums of the year — and signalled that, even after the metalcore revival of the late 2010s, breakdowns can feel exciting.
Listening to the crushing breakdowns of Spiritbox’s debut Eternal Blue, you might reach the same conclusion. Every year, metal and hardcore upstarts gain traction through live shows, press, and breakout records — 2021 was no different. For instance, Russian deathcore maniacs Slaughter to Prevail attracted an intense internet following through their stage masks (so explicitly recalling the nu-metal theatrics of Slipknot and Mudvayne) and sophomore record Kostolom. Several other rising stars in the underground released superb records throughout the year, from Gatecreeper’s My War-inspired An Unexpected Reality all the way to Poppy’s genreless opus Flux, but Spiritbox has them beat with Eternal Blue. The record features soaring lead vocals and piercing screams (courtesy of Courtney LaPlante, commercial metal’s most exciting young singer); intricate chord progressions and electronic furbishes; and genuine pop sensibilities. Hopefully, Spiritbox’s success demonstrates to their peers that bands need not compromise extremity for commercial potential; just listen to Eternal Blue’s wildly successful lead single “Holy Roller” (or watch its spooky music video, inspired by Ari Aster’s Midsommar), and you’ll understand what I mean.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned emo/metalcore/mathcore revival rages on with releases from renowned sasscore outfit SeeYouSpaceCoyboy… (on The Romance of Affliction) and Ohio’s finest, For Your Health (on the critically acclaimed In Spite Of). However, on their impressive debut Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year, Philly’s own Kaonashi forgoes the nostalgia trips and spin-kicks of their peers for an elaborate (though deeply personal) concept record. Dear Lemon House… follows the trials and tribulations of a high school student from Philly as they navigate a budding romance, school bullies, and parental abuse. Lead vocalist Peter Rono delivers witty, idiosyncratic, and emotionally devastating lyrics against the band’s frenetic mathcore sound. Haverford students will surely enjoy the album’s various references to life in Philadelphia: e.g., to Broad Street or Temple University. Although, in many other genres, the regional music scene is a bygone artifact from before the digital age, Kaonashi and their Philadelphian peers (including Japanese Breakfast, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE, and Mannequin Pussy, among many others) prove the exception to this rule. Kanoashi made a memorable impression at Philly’s notorious This Is Hardcore festival, filmed by Haverford alum, videographer, and political activist Sunny Singh (of Hate5six); in fact, many ascendant ‘core bands from the late 2010s — including Code Orange, Vein, Harms Way, and Turnstile — delivered raucous, career-defining performances at TIHC. All of this is to say: Kaonashi proves that the regional scene isn’t dead. In fact, for Bi-Co students, some of the most exciting developments of the underground are at our fingertips, just a Septa Ride away.
I could write volumes about the notable releases in abrasive and experimental music from 2021, but of course, that would exceed the scope of this article. Instead, I’ll simply note that, every year, fans of these genres witness a small musical renaissance — somehow, somewhere, an artist works tirelessly to push their genre forward. This year, I’ve felt privileged to witness the ongoing, thrilling hybridization of hip-hop / rap and metal / hardcore in trap metal and horrorcore, and the ascendancy of non-male artists in these genres, including Backxwash (see I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses, featuring production and mastering from members of clipping., Black Dresses, and Code Orange) and Dana Dentata (whose album Pantychrist features production from Dylan Brady of 100 gecs and a Travis Barker guest-spot). Indie labels like Searganet House and Closed Casket Activities continually release superb records from some of the the most exciting bands in the avant-garde and beatdown hardcore, respectively. The British post-punk revival of the 2010s continually evolves, with IDLES’s return to form CRAWLER and black midi’s anxiety-inducing Cavalcade exposing new audiences to the world of punk. The “tenderpunk” provocateurs in illuminati hotties, too, bridge the gap between the mainstream and the mosh pit on Let Me Do One More. Opportunities for collaboration and innovation seem endless, and the 2020s have only just begun. What can we expect next? See my curated list of the best albums of 2021 below, and you just might find out.
A final note: please know that this list is not exhaustive — it barely covers the sphere of abrasive and experimental music, and merely serves as a reflection of my own taste in music. I listen to music in other genres, as well, though not as extensively. With that said — what records did YOU enjoy this year? Any that you would include on your list of the best records from 2021? Feel free to list them below in the comments! Without further ado… here’s my curated selection of the best albums of 2021:
The Armed – Ultrapop
Genre: Noise Pop / Rock, Mathcore, Avant-Garde Metal
For fans of: Converge, Deafheaven, Queens of the Stone Age
Read More about the Armed: The Armed’s Adam Vallely Invites Us to Embrace the Confusion That Is “ULTRAPOP”
Backxwash – I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses
Genre: Horrorcore, Industrial Hip-Hop / Metal
For fans of: clipping., Moor Mother, Black Dresses
Read more about Backxwash: Backxwash: Inside the Dark World of the Extreme-Rap Visionary
black midi – Cavalcade
Genre: Progressive / Jazz / Math / Noise Rock
For fans of: Black Country, New Road, Protomartyr, and Xiu Xiu
Read more about black midi: black midi’s Music Embraces the Extremes
Full of Hell – Garden of Burning Apparitions
Genre: Powerviolence, Deathgrind, Mathcore, Noise
For fans of: Converge, Nails, Merzbow
Read more about Full of Hell: Exploring Full of Hell’s Pulverizing Musical Universe
GOJIRA – Fortitude
Genre: Progressive / Death / Groove / Alternative Metal
For fans of: Meshuggah, Sepultura, Opeth
Read more about GOJIRA: ‘Nature is hurting’: Gojira, the metal band confronting the climate crisis
illuminati hotties – Let Me Do One More
Genre: Tenderpunk, Indie Pop, Art / Pop Punk
For fans of: Mannequin Pussy, Mal Blum, PUP
Read more about illuminati hotties: Illuminati Hotties Dares You To Laugh
Kaonashi – Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year
Genre: Sasscore (Post-Hardcore, Mathcore / Metalcore), Emo, Djent
For fans of: The Fall of Troy, La Dispute, Soul Glo, SeeYouSpaceCoyboy…
Read more about Kaonashi: Kaonashi interview: chaotic post-hardcore band discuss their concept album ‘Dear Lemon House…’
King Woman – Celestial Blues
Genre: Doom / Sludge Metal, Goth, Grunge
For fans of: Chelsea Wolfe, Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou, Miserable
Read more about King Woman: King Woman: Celestial Blues Album Review | Pitchfork
Lingua Ignota – Sinner Get Ready
Genre: Neoclassical Darkwave, Avant-Folk
For fans of: Liturgy, BIG|BRAVE, LEYA
Read more about Lingua Ignota: Lingua Ignota’s Appalachian Gothic
Spiritbox – Eternal Blue
Genre: Alternative Metal, Djent, Metalcore
For fans of: Evanescence, GOJIRA, Architects
Read more about Spiritbox: Believe The Hype: Spiritbox are the hottest band in the world
Youth Code & King Yosef: A Skeleton Key in the Doors of Depression
Genre: EBM (Electronic Body Music), Industrial Hip-Hop / Metal, Synth Punk
For fans of: Godflesh, HEALTH, Street Sects
Read more about Youth Code & King Yosef: King Yosef and Youth Code Break Down Their Abrasive New Collaborative Album Track by Track
Honorable Mentions: LPs
Gatecreeper – An Unexpected Reality, The Body – I’ve Seen All I Need to See, For Your Health – In Spite Of, Genghis Tron – Dream Weapon, God’s Hate – Self-Titled, Thirdface – Do It with a Smile, Divide and Dissolve – Gas Lit, Black Country, New Road – For the First Time, Pupil Slicers – Mirrors, Yautja – The Lurch, HIDE – Interior Terror, Go Ahead and Die – Self-Titled, Scarlxrd – Dxxm II, Midwife – Luminol, Slaughter to Prevail – Kostolom, Turnstile – Glow On, Dana Dentata – Pantychrist, Poppy – Flux, Deafheaven – Infinite Granite, Trivium – In the Court of the Dragon, Alien Weaponry – Tangaroa, Between the Buried and Me – Colors II, Carcass – Torn Arteries, Succumb – XXI, Every Time I Die – Radical, IDLES – Crawler
Honorable Mentions: EPs
Mannequin Pussy – Perfect, Poppy – Eat (NXT Soundtrack), Knocked Loose – A Tear in the Fabric of Life, Portrayal of Guilt / Chat Pile – Split, Meet Me @ the Altar – Model Citizen, SeeYouSpaceCowboy… and If I Die First – A Sure Disaster, Gulch / Sunami – Split, Creeping Death – The Edge of Existence, Soul Glo – Dis Ni**a, Vol. 1 & 2, Show Me the Body – Survive
