Everyone knows that the albums of the year are the big ones – the coveted lists of all the best music of the year. But what happens when the best releases of the year weren’t quite touching that ten-track golden number? This year, some of the greatest music we listened to, some of our favourite bands we got into, some of our most-looped tracks and tunes came from a selection of amazing EPs. We’re just as excited to dive into them as albums! So here we go… Our top 25.
25. This Is The Deep – The Best Is Yet To Come, Pt. I
This Is The Deep’s mystical, magical “underwater night-time-orchestral” makes up one of the longer offerings on our roundup, stretching the bounds of the EP all the way to almost half an hour. But it’s with good reason – the sprawling grooves that fill that time are effortlessly cool, and toe the line between cool and weird perfectly too. They could soundtrack an acid trip, a lazy summer afternoon, or a party with equally fitting atmosphere, and have been a welcome soundtrack to the unsettling stasis we’ve spent a lot of this year in too. Plus – as they tell us – the best is yet to come. We can’t wait.
Highlights: Simulate Me, Mind Over Matter
24. Odd Morris – Cityscape The Ballet
Joining the plethora of dark, striking post-punk surging out of Ireland lately, Odd Morris prove themselves worthy members of the club on Cityscape The Ballet. It’s their debut EP, but it’s formidably polished – they’ve been biding their time, it seems, and waiting to put out a piece of work that’s remarkably cohesive and sonically intentional. Every track matches the others whilst bringing something specific to the ‘cityscape’ of sound Odd Morris are providing, which manages to stay just unpredictable enough as the vocals howl and meander around jagged melody lines. A great introduction.
Highlights: Rose Like Smoke, Cityscape The Ballet
23. Good Dog – Sam’s Arcade
Sam’s Arcade was a late offering to the soundtrack of the year, but it came at just the right time. The melancholy of impending gloom and darker evenings has been captured and slightly warded off by Good Dog’s serene alt-pop sound, even when he’s singing about the universal blue of November nostalgia. A comfort blanket of an EP that is impressively multi-levelled for an EP, somehow Sam’s Arcade maintains the lofi bedroom-poppy cosiness as well as throwing in some moments of more magnitude – brass and guitar solos swoop across the EP’s soundscape for some emotional highs and lows, leaving it infinitely loopable.
Highlights: Daffodils, The Party Must Be Over
![Good Dog – Sam's Arcade (2021) [24bit Hi-Res] Flac | WRZmusic](https://i0.wp.com/i.imgur.com/0CVmyBS.jpg?resize=723%2C723&ssl=1)
22. GIRLI – Damsel In Distress
GIRLI actually tossed two EPs into the ring this year – both worthy contenders, but Damsel In Distress is the one that showed us the trademark GIRLI sparkle that first had us falling in love with her before releasing her debut LP way back in 2018 (unsurprisingly, one of our favourites of the year back then too). This time around, Damsel In Distress moves from sparky schoolgirl laments and channels GIRLI’s knack for perfectly conveying youthful emotion into a set of early-twenties anthems. Queer love, body image, breakups – all common issues, but never portrayed more pointedly than in GIRLI’s diary entries of songs. As personal as they are, though, you cannot resist singing along to them, bouncy dark-pop that they are – and feeling not so alone.
Highlights: Dysmorphia, I Don’t Like Myself
21. Vanessa Gimenez – Make It Rain
Ex-Swimming Girls vocalist Vanessa Gimenez has long been one of the most atmospheric voices on the scene, and after Swimming Girls came to an end, she proves it once again on her debut solo release. Glimmering synths, melody lines that flicker subtly through their layers of Gimenez’s characteristically velvety tones, sprawling night-sky soundscapes – it’s a gorgeous showcase of Gimenez’s knack for creating a hazy sonic dreamworld, made even more gorgeous by the vulnerability of her lyrics. Doing Better in particular sees her shift from ethereal falsetto to an intimate murmur, for one of the most heart-wrenching cuts of the EP – and a natural highlight, reprised in style on In My Dreams.
Highlights: Doing Better, So Alive
20. Mazey Haze – Always Dancing
Another debut, and another incredible introduction – Mazey Haze’s Always Dancing is a glorious set of tunes that, as per the title, are infectious and delicious. Yet understated! Her silky vocals team up with a kaleidoscope of glittering countermelodies, injecting every track with depth and intriguing colourfulness so that even when they’re bright on the surface, there’s a glimmer of something deeper underneath that just keeps them on the edge. It’s beautifully immersive, conjuring a nostalgic kind of escapism, longing to just go with the flow, and that’s just what these songs do.
Highlights: Don’t Care, Sad Lonely Groove
19. Somebody’s Child – Hope, Amongst Other Things
To be fair, Top Drawer Romance came out in 2020. But Hope, Amongst Other Things came out in 2021, so it gets this year’s credit for having one of the most perfect indie songs released in the last five years (and then some) in it. Enough said. Top Drawer Romance might kick of the EP, but Somebody’s Child keeps up the ante throughout, balancing moments of moodiness with a summery carefreeness and festival-ready size – The Lover couldn’t be more made for belting out across a packed tent filled with people dancing with massive grins on their faces. When the EP came out, it was at a time where we were all feeling pretty hopeful (amongst other things), and that’s what encapsulates the songs on it. Dreaming of better times, with a little realistic reserve that doesn’t quite dull the optimism and joy.
Highlights: Top Drawer Romance, Brother
18. Tokky Horror – I’ve Found The Answers And Now I Want More
Mind-boggling, terrifying, urgent, and brilliant are just four words you could use to describe Tokky Horror’s description-defying debut EP. Blending the commanding intensity of electronic music with the attitude and buzz of punk and finding themselves somewhere in between the two in a total laissez-faire league of their own, Tokky Horror are experimental without being pretentious, seemingly just out to make a lot of the coolest noise possible. And they achieve this on IFTAANIWM, making a set of tunes that are overpowering, fuzzy, and fantastic. Plus, they cement themselves as one of the most exciting acts making music, pushing the boat that the likes of Strange Bones have been captaining thus far into the Bermuda Triangle and taking the helm.
Highlights: Girlracer, Eden On Acid
17. HUNYBEES – Filth
HUNYBEES provide us with another amazing debut in the form of Filth. Harking back to the absolute best of 2000s indie, with a healthy helping of fuzzy, guitar riffs, the most delightfully whining instrumental melodies, and Charlie Preston’s gravelly tones delivering relatable, warm lyrics about love and life. Catchy is an understatement – these songs feel like ones we’ve known forever, immediately familiar and precisely the type of song you’ll always love, perhaps just because it makes you feel like you’re in Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging or something. Spot on.
Highlights: Bad Bitch, I Keep Falling In Love
16. Bloxx – Pop Culture Radio
Almost precisely a year on from their stunning debut album Lie Out Loud, Bloxx return with another collection. Pop Culture Radio feels like Bloxx with no pressure – the best thing about Lie Out Loud was how personal it was, a navigation through vocalist Fee Booth’s world through her eyes, circling through topics often-tackled but not through the lens of an outspoken queer woman. Pop Culture Radio sounds like the songwriting of a band who’ve had a year or more to sit with what kind of songs they want to write – and after writing the songs they NEEDED to, now they’re just sharing the songs they WANT to at this point in time. That’s not to say the EP is without emotional intensity, though – Magnet, Emily, and Pop Culture Radio are bops, undoubtedly, but the EP’s opener is the most stinging, gut-wrenching handling of finding your own maturity and struggling with it. Bloxx are never ones to shy away from sharing their process, and though it feels more relaxed, Pop Culture Radio is still just as vulnerable.
Highlights: Emily, Everything I Ever Learned
15. Milk. – 2, The EP
Milk.’s contribution to indie-pop was well-established with last year’s 1, The EP providing a glittering selection of singalong bangers as well as more ambient cuts breaking up the tunes. And on 2, The EP, as you’d imagine, they more or less continue along the same track, amping up a little of the ambition to broaden their sound even more. There’s still classic indie-pop brightness, but tracks like I Hate The Way You’re Looking At Me (Lately) demonstrate how they’re pushing their futuristic (yet retro) stylings further into the glitchier realms without losing their charm.
Highlights: I Hate The Way You’re Looking At Me (Lately), In LA.
14. Cruel Hearts Club – Trash Love
Cruel Hearts Club’s debut EP summarises everything you need to know about them, in a neat fifteen-minute package. Defined by their trademark aura of cool, they’ve established the spirit of indie-punk in the edge they bring to their pinker, prettier side too. It’s real life with added sparkle; it’s glamour, but with teeth; it’s fun and bubblegum but it’s also emotionally raw at moments. Cruel Hearts Club have rounded out Trash Love with authenticity, especially in the single-take live recording of Where Has The Summer Gone that ensures Trash Love leaves you with a bittersweet, but certainly sincere, feeling.
Highlights: Dirty Rotten Scum, Where Has The Summer Gone
13. The Novus – Thaleia Standing
The debut EP from The Novus appeared this year and immediately cemented The Novus of one of the most essential, intentional new acts on the scene. From its conceptual death (Thaleia, goddess of masks, perhaps a little too resonant this year over all others) to the execution of the trudging, doom-laden post-post-punk, Thaleia Standing proves how well-fuelled the fire under The Novus is. They’ve got messages worth sharing, and an intrinsic knack for portraying it not just through artful lyricism but through the evocations of their music too. One to keep your eyes very closely on as we enter 2022!
Highlights: Journey (With No End), I Serve Not
12. Cathy Jain – artificial
On artificial, we get to know the psyche of Cathy Jain, alt-pop’s shiniest newcomer. It’s an immediate promise that this is a storyteller with an innate kind of reflectiveness that allows her to not only put her own thoughts into words, but make sure her messaging carries enough sprawling relatability to resonate across the board. artificial’s themes deliver an unnervingly accurate introspection on the anxieties of the internet age, all offered through a haze of gorgeous bedroom-pop that just heightens the reality of what Jain is saying. In a combination of observational humour and dreamy musings, Jain has made a wonderful entrance.
Highlights: cool kid, I see us in heaven
11. Crawlers – Crawlers
By now, everyone knows who Crawlers are. The Liverpool punk-pop breakthrough stars have long been adored by their cult following, but the release of their debut EP and breakout anthem Come Over (Again) is what’s really seen them catapulted to the levels of recognition they deserve. Rising up from years of DIY graft, Crawlers now find themselves on the brink of something amazing – and Crawlers (the EP) is transformed from brilliant debut to milestone moment. Beyond the spectacular, intense alt-pop of Come Over (Again), they’ve also provided a selection of biting punk and stinging alt-rock sounds, with unflinchingly ferocious lyrics characterising the EP’s storytelling nature. A stunning debut.
Highlights: Come Over (Again), MONROE
10. swim school – making sense of it all
the title of swim school’s debut is maybe not so apt – on their first release, they announce their arrival, but then proceed to explore their sound in a way that’s wonderfully youthful, and provides us with one conclusion: swim school are really great. Combining the indie-rock-adjacent stomp of Wolf Alice cuts with the delicate intimacy of acts like girl in red, swim school’s voice joins the fray of future classics immediately. They’ve not made sense of it all yet, but we get to watch them on their journey as they do, and it’s a rousing sight to see.
Highlights: see red, let me inside your head
9. Blondes – Out The Neighbourhood
After their breakthrough with Coming Of Age earlier this year, Blondes’s arrival on the scene was firmly announced. Their penchant for bittersweet nostalgia and their easygoing storytelling haze has been showcased across every subsequent release, and then their debut EP arrived. A collection of polaroid snapshots of moments of youth, and growing, and changing – quite literally spinning a soft yarn of coming of age, navigating the highs and the lows and not ignoring the dark, but definitely focussing on the light. Their gentle grooves and shimmering atmospheres are consistent throughout, shining a light on their aptitude for crafting narratives that are as effortless as they are real.
Highlights: Coming of Age, Low On The Comedown
8. Holly Humberstone – The Walls Are Way Too Thin
It’s hard to believe that this has been Holly Humberstone’s first big year – and even harder to believe that The Walls Are Way Too Thin is her debut EP. It’s a stunning selection of songs, intricate and intimate, and delivered seamlessly through Holly’s velvety vocals. She weaves her emotional stories through serenely stripped-back instrumentals, never doing too much but always striking the perfect balance between simplicity and complexity, making for a remarkably mature collection, and one of the most beautiful releases of the year.
Highlights: The Walls Are Way Too Thin, Scarlett
7. Beaux – memories written down so I won’t forget them
Bold move from Dirty Hit signee beaux – he released one of the most fun songs of the year in the form of guard down, and then didn’t even include it on his debut EP. Luckily, the rest of the songs on the record are just as fun. If guard down was the flashy, bright appetiser, then memories written down so I won’t forget them is the more refined main course, blending smooth, groovy beats alongside confessional lyrics that are immediately catchy, a pure invitation to bop along. In classic Dirty Hit style, beaux’s music is seemingly effortless, an airy breeze of beats and melody that fits together flawlessly.
Highlights: won’t you take me far?, fall forward
6. Pixey – Sunshine State
Liverpool pop princess Pixey’s debut EP packed in as much variety as an album, two sides and all. On the one side, there’s the fantastically sunny likes of Life In Stereo, Sunshine State, and Take Me On, that sparkle with 2000s brightness and girlband grooviness, and then on the other side there’s the moments in which Pixey chooses to take the softer path. Her more ethereal numbers are equally as powerful as her bangers, and filled with just as much personality. But overall, Sunshine State is playful – Pixey is an artist out to make music that’s interesting, varied, and fun, and she’s succeeded so far.
Highlights: Life In Stereo, Take Me On
5. DMA’S – I Love You Unconditionally, Sure Am Going To Miss You
Australia’s DMA’S aren’t unfamiliar with approaching a release with something to prove. Before the release of 2020’s The Glow, they’d made a very strong name for themselves as basically Madchester-adoptees, staunch favourites in the bucket-hat crowd for their riotous choruses and slick sound. Then came The Glow – their most challenging record yet, branching out into pop, electronica, dance, and altogether moving away from the garage-shaped box they began in. Now, with I Love You Unconditionally, Sure Am Going To Miss You, DMA’S simultaneously return to their roots as well as integrating their classic sound with a marked sense of maturity. And they nail it – the truest sign of a band who know what they are.
Highlights: We Are Midnight, Junk Truck Head Fuck
4. Lauran Hibberd – Goober
If there was a rankings list of coolest newcomer of the year, Lauran Hibberd would be at the top. Her debut EP Goober is the most perfectly balanced combination of confessional, cool, self-deprecating, funny, and devastating – and in sound, it’s pure light. From the skate-punk-tinged moments of raucous intensity to the sparkly buzz of tracks like How Am I Still Alive, on which Lauran teams up with The Regrettes’ Lydia Night (confirmed maker of gorgeous sunny punky tunes) to smile as they duet in disbelief, the beauty of Goober is how unpretentious it is. It’s an EP to carry around in your pocket and come back to like a best friend, as we did in 2021 – and as we’ll continue to do in 2022.
Highlights: Bleugh, How Am I Still Alive?
3. GENN – Liminal
Boasting album artwork of a fish-headed woman and a standout song titled Mackerel’s Funky Mission, it’s immediately obvious that the beauty of this EP is in its weirdness. GENN bring together a set of creative masterminds to make songs that feel so mystical and yet so natural. GENN, on Liminal, have whirled up a surreal land of ocean, midday sun that throws everything slightly off kilter, and magic – but somehow, also, they’ve kept it firmly grounded in real life. This isn’t a totally escapist work, with tracks like Catalyst dragging us back to life with striking vitality, in the midst of the adventure. A true all-rounder.
Highlights: Mackerel’s Funky Mission, Just Another Sad Song
2. Courting – Grand National EP
Courting entered the fray with a flourish, and with Grand National (alongside their delightful live show and constant self-deprecating hilarity) they not only play with the big boys, but quickly outpace them. (Should have placed a bet). The EP careens from biting, frantically belted buzz on the title track, to dirge-like intensity on the aptly titled Slow Burner (cowbell-driven, now-collaborative fan favourite). Pulling it all together, and summarising what makes Courting as good as they are so fast, is their charm (and that can’t be taught, or bought, as they lament on Popshop!). They’re a smile that you can’t quite tell is playful or bared teeth ready for a scrap, and they unsettle just enough to keep you hooked.
Highlights: Grand National, Slow Burner
1. Beabadoobee – Our Extended Play
Is beabadoobee a rock star or our best friend? On her 2020 debut Fake It Flowers, she proved the former, and on this year’s follow-up Our Extended Play, she reminds us of the latter. In four perfect tracks, she delivers the shimmering, swaying indie-pop that saw her soar upwards on tracks like Coffee, but amped up to appropriate magnitude for a star of her size now – it feels like a coming together of all of her progress, and it’s a gorgeous sight to see. There’s also, in her lyrics as well as in the sometimes-moody, sometimes-delicate tone of Cologne and Animals, a real intimacy that’s sometimes uncomfortable for how personal it feels – a line that her Dirty Hit labelmates The 1975’s Matty Healy, who produced the EP, is all too expert at treading. It’s a gorgeous collection, and a gorgeous showcase of what characterises beabadoobee’s songwriting talents.
Highlights: He Gets Me So High, Cologne
