DAVE MACINTYRE

CHVRCHES, Screen Violence (EMI/ Glassnote)

Dave, We’re All Alone in This Together (Neighbourhood)

Japanese Breakfast, Jubilee (Dead Oceans)

Kings of Convenience, Peace or Love (EMI)

Little Simz, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (Age 101/AWAL)

Porter Robinson, Nurture (Mom + Pop)

SG Lewis, times (Virgin EMI/PMR)

Shame, Drunk Tank Pink (Dead Oceans)

Snail Mail, Valentine (Matador)

Tyler, the Creator, Call Me If You Get Lost (Columbia)

This was an incredibly fruitful year for albums in particular, as other LPs from Arlo Parks, BROCKHAMPTON, Adele, Billie Eilish, the War on Drugs and Yebba came close to making my list. But my top choice of 2021 is Nurture, which came after Porter Robinson endured a years-long bout of writer’s block, during which time his brother had cancer. The end result was a remarkable leap forward for him artistically — dude has come a looooooong way from his maximalist, “complextro” EDM days.