Album of the Year 2021
This year just kept on giving with new albums and singles at every turn. After the hellish 2020 year, we all needed some normalcy in a world of chaos. Every genre of music rolled out new singles for their fans to get back to what we all know and love. Along with new albums, new singles, and tour dates being released, we all can't help but feel spoiled with getting back to what we missed most.
Here at Death Moth Press, we wanted to give you all our opinions of Album of the Year for 2021. It was hard to narrow down to just one but in case you missed it, here’s the albums that made our year.
The Pretty Reckless - Death By Rock And Roll
Chosen by one of our co-owners, Belindajean LaBoy
One of these many heavy hitters to release a new album was none other than The Pretty Reckless with their highly anticipated new and fourth album “Death By Rock And Roll”. This is the first album to be released in 5 years since their last album 2016’s “Who You Selling For". From start to finish, “Death By Rock And Roll” is pristine and doesn’t have a single flaw. The first single to be released for this album was “25” and the music was inspired by the sudden loss of Chris Cornell while the band was on tour with Soundgarden back in 2017. Throughout heartfelt lyrics about growth and loss to finding oneself again, there’s a song for everyone on this album.
If you’re wondering if the vocalist, Taylor Momsen looks familiar then you’re correct, she once played little Cindy Lou Who in the live action movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas and her final acting role was as Jenny Humphrey in Gossip Girl. She traded in her acting roles for a microphone and hasn’t looked back since. If you’re also wondering about the album cover, yes, she is naked on top of a gravestone proving nudity is power and that in death, you can be reborn anew.
Stay connected with The Pretty Reckless: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Picking just one album for the entire year of 2021 was incredibly difficult, here’s my personal top 5:
The Pretty Reckless - Death By Rock And Roll (February 12th, 2021)
Knocked Loose - A Tear In the Fabric of Life (October 13th, 2021)
Rob Zombie - The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy (March 12th, 2021)
Spiritbox - Eternal Blue (September 17th, 2021)
Bullet For My Valentine - Bullet For My Valentine (October 22nd, 2021)
Get to know our Co-Founder/Co-Owner, Photographer; Writer Belindajean LaBoy: Instagram | Email | Website
Amyl and the Sniffers - Comfort to Me
Chosen by one of our writers, Andres Schiffino
This Melbourne-based rock band has electrified audiences on both sides of the world with their energetic performances. Their music combines the ferocity of punk with the traditional Australian pub rock sound. Lead singer Amy Taylor has the tough rock chick persona that works so well when singing the type of beer-drinking party anthems that the band plays. Their sophomore album Comfort Me continues their bombastic style while incorporating some depth. While the guitars are still fuzzy and the music makes you bang your head, the lyrics have evolved to tackle weigheir issues and reflect Taylor’s psyche. Comfort to Me shows that Amyl and the Sniffers and way more ass-kicking in the rock scene to do and you will love every minute of it.
Halsey - If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
Chosen by one of our writers, Grayson Buckley
On August 27th, 2021, musician Halsey released their fourth studio album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. It’s a stunning album, paired with an entire feature film that aired before its release, and is overall one of the most ambitious creations of Halsey’s, leading it to be one of my personal top albums of 2021.
The album itself is genre-packed and lyrically amazing. It features influences of pop punk, alternative rock, grunge pop, and industrial - all brutal, all chaotically beautiful, and all perfect for this new era of Halsey. Their lyricism focuses on feminist ideas and addressing things like misogyny and discrimination, as well as being a way for them to discuss their pregnancy and childbirth journey. The religious iconography on the album cover and within the film - the Madonna-Whore complex influences, the styling dripping with royal and religious tones - all help Halsey create an album that truly delves into both the struggles and joys of motherhood, womanhood, and becoming oneself. This album has no guest features vocally, making this their own voice and experiences entirely. It’s a departure from what we’ve seen in the past from Halsey, and it’s some of the most raw lyricism I’ve seen.
One of my personal favorite songs, as well as one of the originally debuted singles, is “I Am Not A Woman, I’m A God”. Its driving rhythms and synths help carry their lyrics, a song full of dualities and self-doubt. Their vocals are strong, a development over their career of making music, and it’s one of my favorites just because of how powerful and badass of a song it is; despite the self doubt that exists in the song, describing oneself as a god and pushing through that self doubt and loneliness takes power.
Another favorite song is “Darling”, not just because of its beautiful and gentle sound, but because of its meaning. This entire album focuses on childbirth and motherhood, and it feels like a callback to “More” from Halsey’s prior album, Manic. It’s a love letter to their child, something very raw and important to them especially with prior struggles with pregnancy, making it one of the most heart-string-pulling songs on the album.
A final favorite from this album is “Ya’aburnee”, the final track off of If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. It’s another love letter, not just to their baby, but to their partner. It’s a poetically stunning song, full of beautiful metaphors. It’s almost gentler than “Darling” in some ways, with very simplistic background music compared to Halsey’s voice, and it pulls on your heartstrings in the same way. The song tells of loving the people you love so much that you don’t want to lose them before they lose you - the title roughly translates to “you bury me”, and that theme resonates throughout the song.
Overall, this entire album is beautifully produced and full of emotions. And, when paired with its film, is one of the most ambitious projects Halsey has done. Its vulnerability, ability to play with genre, and overall beauty makes this one of the best albums to come out in 2021.
Whitechapel - Kin
Chosen by one of our photographers, Ashley Ogle
In retrospect, the year 2021 brought us so many amazing albums. Many artists took advantage of their downtime last year and put out some of their best work yet. So narrowing down my favorite album of the year was no small feat. But the album that stood out the most to me was Kin by Whitechapel. The album resonates with me personally on so many levels. The theme revolves around real-life stories of the vocalist’s family and upbringing, with a supernatural spin on the retellings. The sound of the album is not what we are used to hearing from the band yet it still somehow feels nostalgic to us long-time fans. Bozeman’s range is beyond impressive, as he gave us more clean vocals than we have ever seen from him. The guitar riffs and breakdowns from Savage, Wade, Householder, and Crisp never cease to amaze. The guys leave you hanging on every last note, even on some of the more acoustic-sounding songs. There’s not a single track on the album you want to skip and no matter how many times you listen to the album it makes you feel something every time. The Knoxville band showed us that even though they played a huge part in founding the deathcore genre, they can do so much more. They will continue to evolve and surprise us for many years to come.
Cartel Madras - The Serpent & the Tiger
Chosen by one of our photographers, Kiera Kalleberg
My top album for 2021 is The Serpent & the Tiger from Cartel Madras. Their longest release yet, and the final installment of the Project Goonda trilogy, the EP clocks in at just over 26 minutes long and will keep you dancing the whole time. Eboshi and Contra, along with their collaborators, experiment with different styles of hip hop and pop while staying within a cohesive flow. The sisters tie in their Indian culture through lyrics as well as instrumentation, and while they revisit the party scene in these tracks, they also show vulnerability and emotion while delivering that female empowerment punch that first came in swinging with 2019’s Trapistan. TS&TT has everything you could want in an underground rap album all wrapped up into one, leaving you ready to take on the world, but also keeping you coming back for more.
