The Music Observer 10: Looking back at 2021 [EPs]

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Here are my top 10 EP picks of 2021! (Albums and an introduction are here. Singles are here.)

THE MUSIC OBSERVER 10: EPs

(Note: These are not ranked, but are in alphabetical order by artist name.)

Wilted - Alice Robbins  Alice presents her vast musical abilities in this collection, throwing in some new and fascinating elements (I love the synth arpeggios on 'Double Knots', for example) while retaining that dream, hazy, alt-folk core which has served her so well to date. It's a short but lovely record, executed with crisp clarity, and demonstrating what an exciting artist she is. [Listen here. Read my thoughts on seeing Alice play live, here]

Nothing Feels Real - Bleach Lab  I think Bleach Lab have pretty much perfected their take on dream pop/rock with this five-tracker. It's rich with hazy, dusky, emotive sounds, and all very neatly put together. The vocals are appealing, with touches of harmonies just where they're needed - meaning that all in all this is a gorgeously satisfying listen and presents the band as very promising indeed. 'Violet Light' is a standout track. [Listen here]

Perfect Thought - Charity Stow  An inspiring and peaceable listen, and the product of lots of hard work. Charity's voice is the centrepiece of the record, displaying a lovely fragility in a cover of 'Across The Universe', which closes the EP, after earlier verging on damning judgement on 'Timothy'. Charity evolves and improves with every recording, and this record hints that 2022 should be a great year for her. [Listen here. Read more of my thoughts on the EP, here]

The Walls Are Way Too Thin - Holly Humberstone  Huge respect for Holly, a native of Grantham, only a few miles up the A1 from me. This record is extremely good - a neatly wrapped package of six songs which take you on a 21-minute journey through Holly's emotions and past experiences. It demonstrates her ability to casually and subtly shift genres, with some poppy moments, and others veering towards cinematic darkness. Holly's had a great year, culminating in that unexpected duet with Sam Fender and of course the Brit award. Look out for her debut album in 2022. [Listen here]

Planetary Shift - Graywave  Perhaps the perfect shoegaze record? Full of restrained laid-back power, it's sublimely paradoxical: at the same time raw and gentle. All five tracks are really good - there's depth to all the songs and a sense of the artist's true character coming through - and the whole thing feels like a fully connected journey. The final song, 'Before', builds to a really satisfying ending, as Graywave finally lets go and shows us their fiery side. [Listen here]

Things Only The Dark Knows - JJ Lovegrove  If you ever needed a shining example of music which conjures images from your subconscious, this may be it. The record absolutely succeeds in provoking thoughts of evenings and sultry mystery. JJ's vocals sound wonderful, and the music is pretty kick ass, too, particularly the final track which features some incredible guitar work from her Cornwall-based collaborator Minus Cube. [Listen here via Bandcamp. Read more thoughts on the EP and its live launch event, here]

One Of Us Was Building An Empire - Lossline  This band - who are a lovely pair of people - make music I once described as 'gloomcore' (and I'm eternally chuffed that they have embraced that term). Theirs is music which completely sums up the atmosphere of our times, with all its pains and flashes of light, monotony and fleeting moments of joy. It's heart-rending in places, and always very clever. The line "I'm OK, I'm all right" from 'Case History' will always stay with me. Keep an eye on these two. [Listen here. Read more of my thoughts on the EP, here]

Poltergeists - Soot Sprite  I've not found the time to write about Soot Sprite's music on the blog, yet, but I put them on my playlist a couple of months ago. I love their energy, melodic approach and sense of direction. They meld together very nicely, with a great lead vocal. They are a Devon-based trio with three EPs under their belts so far, and this latest record features six (generous!) strong tracks including the fabulous 'Alone Not Lonely'. [Listen here]

Making Sense Of It All - Swim School  This band err on the slightly dirtier side (sound-wise) with their grunge-y brand of dream-pop. There's a definite attitude shining through the fuzzy guitars and reverb drenched vocals, and this EP encapsulates that perfectly. It's a five-track exploration of where the band have got to, with hints of where they're going. 'Anyway' is one of standout tracks of this year for me. [Listen here]

Flush - Thyla  This offering is arguably on the EP borderline, with just three tracks (a double B-side single in old parlance maybe), but I'm including it anyway, because it's fantastic. The title track starts a little disjointedly, making the resolution into the dreamy, fuzz-heavy chorus all the more satisfying. The central track is the outstanding single '3', and the EP ends with 'Gum', both crisp, pacey tracks with loads of sass. Top level stuff. [Listen here. Read my thoughts on one of the songs from their previous EP, here]

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: 

Word Of Mouth - BLAB  A proto/bedroom punk record encapsulating BLAB's diverse musical nature, and top level skills.

Can't Escape The Feeling - Jodie Nicholson  Packed with fragile, pure, almost other-wordly vocals, this record will calm and transport you.

Mind In Decline - Shears  Mind in decline, but creativity rising; Shears is pushing things on and has produced an engaging and exciting recording.