Unless you’re a music connoisseur, you’ve probably never heard of these songs, but then again, if you frequent the pages of Grimy Goods, you’re a bit of music connoisseur. While we love new tracks from mainstream acts such as Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo and Adele — our end of years lists are never about the radio heavy-hitters. We’re here to discover new music and share our finds with the people in an effort to support lesser known artists and bands — and to expose basic listeners who often subject themselves to mainstream radio because it’s easy. Finding great music isn’t hard, you just have to find the best curators for music discovery who will fill your new music-craving hearts with delicious tracks from all genres, and all peoples.
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Featuring: Little Simz, Current Joys, Arlo Parks, Luna Li, binki, Elohim, Night Beats, Wallice, Cuco, Mereba, Jungle, King Woman, and many more — these unique artists define new music in 2021 and have left lasting impressions on our pages and in our souls.
Spread good music, not viruses and share this list with friends that could use some music refreshers.
Best Song Releases of The Year 2021
Stream our favorite song releases of the year featuring over 130 songs and counting.
| Track Name | Artist Name(s) |
| fav flav (with Duckwrth) | Dua Saleh, Duckwrth |
| Llorona | Angélica Garcia |
| Giving In To The Love | AURORA |
| Goodtime Girl | Starcrawler |
| Year Of The Spider | Shannon & The Clams |
| Take Off Ur Pants | Indigo De Souza |
| Ella Me Enamoró | La Santa Cecilia |
| Mujer Jaguar | Combo Chimbita |
| Hollow (Do You?) | Geographer |
| She Said (She Said) | Velvet Starlings |
| Clay Pigeon | binki |
| The Walls Are Way Too Thin | Holly Humberstone |
| Naked | Current Joys |
| Cool Girl | dodie |
| Lay Up | Fana Hues |
| The Godde$s Way | NVDES |
| Photo ID (with Dominic Fike) | Remi Wolf, Dominic Fike |
| f*ckthat | IAN SWEET |
| Enough | Appleby |
| Made Your Mama Cry | Nana Lourdes |
| Pelota (Cut a Rug Mix) | Khruangbin, Quantic |
| Paprika | Japanese Breakfast |
| Ode to the Party Girl | Ha Vay |
| Hardly Use My Hands | Nick Pagan |
| Like I Used To | Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen |
| Alone But Not Lonely | Luna Li |
| From These Heights | Jelani Aryeh |
| Get Lost In The Music | Ambar Lucid |
| BONES | Calen Lucas |
| Northern Lights | Claire George |
| Wildfire | Cautious Clay |
| Wait, I Lied | Alfie Templeman |
| Woman | Little Simz, Cleo Sol |
| Specific (feat. Duckwrth) | TeaMarrr, Duckwrth |
| High & Hurt | Iceage |
| Chop X8 | Jagged Baptist Club |
| Hush | The Marías |
| Rider | Mereba |
| There’s only so much a soul can take | Shungudzo |
| Starting To Get To You | Jensen McRae |
| MANGO (Remix) [feat. Adeline & Masego] | KAMAUU, Adeline, Masego |
| Snow Tha Product: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 39 | Bizarrap, Snow Tha Product |
| Lucid Lucy | Sunny War |
| Sally | Jacklen Ro |
| Cantares | Buscabulla |
| B-Side | Khruangbin, Leon Bridges |
| Coffee | Ai Bendr |
| Once Twice Melody | Beach House |
| Yards / Gardens | Kate Bollinger |
| lonely | BETWEEN FRIENDS |
| I Wanna Help Your Mind | Goth Babe |
| Get Better | IAN SWEET |
| Maker | Hana Vu |
| Losing My Mind (with Elohim) | Party Favor, Elohim |
| Journey to the Center of Myself | Elohim |
| Smile | Jungle |
| One Last Time | LP |
| Across That Fine Line | Nation of Language |
| El Antídoto | Mexican Institute Of Sound, La Perla |
| Get Better | alt-J |
| Strong Feelings | Dry Cleaning |
| Grand Theft | SUN ATLAS |
| The Balcony | Fruit Bats |
| edamame (feat. Rich Brian) | bbno$, Rich Brian |
| Sorry’s Not Enough | Tasha |
| HUH? | Serena Isioma |
| CRIMEWAVE | Kate Clover |
| When You Land | Joel Jerome |
| Under The Sun | Cuco |
| The Darkness | Scarypoolparty |
| Bunny Is A Rider | Caroline Polachek |
| Get You Home | CLAVVS |
| Go Away | Omar Apollo |
| Crush | Ethel Cain |
| I Love You, I Hate You | Little Simz |
| Iowa | Slow Pulp |
| The Hardest Cut | Spoon |
| Lucy | KALI |
| Corde Sensible | Freedom Fry |
| Wild Sea | Dresage |
| Eventually | Chiiild |
| Morning Star | King Woman |
| Keep Moving | Jungle |
| I Just Wanna | KALI |
| Hard Way | Flock of Dimes |
| Recurring Dream | Ibeyi |
| Guilty Love | Ladyhawke, BROODS |
| Machete | SPELLES |
| Fallin’ | Valerie June |
| Miles To Go | Kaskade, Ella Vos |
| Hedgehog | MaryLeigh Roohan |
| Be Sweet | Japanese Breakfast |
| PISTOLWHIP | spill tab |
| Toast with the Butter | Blu DeTiger |
| Cuenta Lo | Biig Piig |
| DooWooDooWoo | Os Barbapapas |
| Look Away | Deap Vally, jennylee |
| 23 | Wallice |
| Cruisin’ to the Parque feat. Y La Bamba | Durand Jones & The Indications, Y La Bamba |
| Temptation Death House | Jagged Baptist Club |
| New Day | Night Beats |
| Too Good | Arlo Parks |
| Hope | Arlo Parks |
| BKGW | Nana Lourdes |
| Terry Crews | Lo Village |
| Only for Tonight | Pearl Charles |
| shoulda coulda woulda (feat. Deem Spencer & Torii Wolf) | Young Saab, Torii Wolf, Deem Spencer |
| ACTION | CHAI |
| Early Morning Breeze | Kishi Bashi |
| La torre (feat. Devendra Banhart) | Gabriel Rios, Devendra Banhart |
| ooh la la (feat. Mexican Institute Of Sound & Santa Fe Klan) – Mexican Institute Of Sound Remix | Run The Jewels, Santa Fe Klan, Mexican Institute Of Sound |
| Peur des filles | L’Impératrice |
| I Feel High (with DRAMA) | Poolside, DRAMA |
| Summer’s Over | Jordana, TV Girl |
| Day I Die | DeathbyRomy |
| Ten Billion Years | Torii Wolf |
| I’m the Echo | DARKSIDE |
| Soy Lo Que Soy | Monogem |
| Locust Laced | Sleigh Bells |
| Many Times | Dijon |
| Pool Hopping (Strange Pool Remix) [feat. Bartees Strange] | illuminati hotties, Bartees Strange |
| The Beachland Ballroom | IDLES |
| Bowman | Ultra Q |
| Games | Sans Soucis, Cécile Kyenge |
| Love and Hate in a Different Time | Gabriels |
| there for you | Sfven |
| Line of Fire | José González |
| Oaxaca Love Song 2 | Las Cafeteras |
| Sangre Poderosa | Andrekza |
| Cisgender | Shamir |
| Coming Back (feat. SZA) | James Blake, SZA |
| Cough Up Cherries | Kills Birds |
| Neo Surf | GENER8ION, 070 Shake |
| Doesn’t Matter | BENEE |
| Wake Me Up | Foals |
| I Need Nothing From You | Sega Bodega |
| Stupid Boy (feat. Big Freedia) | Slayyyter, Big Freedia |
| Traps | Bloc Party |
| 2gether | Mura Masa |
| Destroy Myself Just For You | Montell Fish |
| Vacio | Jarina De Marco, Empress of |
| Blame | Gabriels |
| That Life | Unknown Mortal Orchestra |
