some of my favorite songs released in 2021

I know I'm a little late to this, but after reading some entries people have made, I was inspired to write about the songs that were my favorite from 2021.

This year has been significant for me, I started making music and listening to a lot of stuff I would never usually listen to, and because of that, I have found an amazing community filled with supportive people that make really good music too!

With that out of the way, This blog will contain some of my favorite tracks released this year (in no particular order). It was very difficult to narrow the list down to 6 tracks, so no hard feelings if you do not show up on this list! lol

travongle - 太陽より明るくなるロリ

Off 7x11x13's comp "We Do A Little Music" travongle wastes no time getting right into it and sets the tone for a quite distorted energetic listen. I think my favorite part of this track is how travongle chose to interpret the sample "baht - Estrelar," a juke song and make it into their own style. The blasting breakbeats do the sample justice and leaves me preferring travongle's version over the original. If this track doesn't get you moving, I don't know what will.

Telematic Visions - broken nostalgie

Telematic Visions album "bluespring" was an album I wasn't expecting to like as much as I did. I've been on a huge breakcore binge this year, but it all clicked in my mind when I found this album. Cleaning the house, playing video games, or out for a drive, this album is the perfect BGM for any situation. Why? Don't ask because I don't know; it just works this way. Track 11, "broken nostalgie," stood out to me the most as it is by far the loudest song on this album. I love the melodies and bassline in this song. It feels so simple but works so well. bluespring is a great album, and I have bought it three times on Bandcamp now; I recommend it heavily.

CDR - Ugoku My Body

When I first helped azucatto organize the tracklisting for his compilation CYBER FAIRY RAVE II, I couldn't help but keep coming back to this song in particular. I started listening to CDR in 2020 when I watched his set at TSUNGEDDON. During that set, I went and bought a bunch of his CDs instantly because I knew I would be a fan immediately. Some of my favorite CDR tracks are his most simple, usually just amen break and anison, but there's something about it that makes it enjoyable every time in the way that he chops the breaks. This song and many others in this style from CDR (Amen Must Die amnjk tribute, just to name one) have inspired my own music, so thank you for the good songs!

Golden Boy - Now You Know

Like many other artists I listen to now, I first heard Golden Boy perform at TSUNGEDDON and loved every second of her set. This track, "Now You Know," is the first song from the album Dream Jungle, and it is the perfect intro to this album. I'm a sucker for some good jungle, which is exactly what this is. I especially love the vocal samples used in this song and always end up replaying this one to hear the intro again.
RIP Golden Boy <3

lhk - 5D TETRIS MATCH & REMATCH

This song is almost impossible to describe with words, but I think the title does it the most justice in explaining how the track feels. 5D TETRIS MATCH & REMATCH is an almost 9-minute song that takes many twists and turns through different styles, making it an enjoyable listen every time. I have no idea how lhk made a song this crazy. I think he meditated in the mountains studying orbs for multiple years and then came back to make this song. Please listen to this song and the rest of the EP on FOCUSONTHE (it's awesome) and while you are there, check out Seynoe World too for a similar experience. 

perfect young lady - EVENING

I know I said I wouldn't be picking favorites, but I lied. perfect young lady is easily one of my favorite artists I have found this year. I think I was introduced to this artist by an artist on Twitter, and I am very grateful for that. When you first hear the album PYL DEMO AND ... You would think it's from the '90s from its lo-fi production and recording methods, for that reason, I think it's very nostalgic to listen to (even though I was not alive then.)
Many people close to me know that I won't shut the fuck up about perfect young lady, but it's for a good reason. I was very happy when they announced a cassette release, and I hope to see them continue to grow because I would love to hear more music from them. It was hard to pick a favorite from this album, but EVENING is probably my most played, so I went with that. It's a very catchy song (even if I don't know what they are saying in Japanese) and has a lot of replay value. I personally like the version of EVENING on OCIRCO RECORDS GREATEST HITS more, but it's a close tie.

Anyways that was it. Thank you for listening to me ramble about songs I love if you read all of this.

Happy New Year, everyone, and here's to another year filled with great music!