Enfnts Terribles

1. Hyd — CLEARING

Hyd’s debut album, CLEARING, is much more than a 40-minute soul revelation for any pop fan. It is further proof as to why PC Music has such an influence on pop music because, just like Sophie, A.G. Cook, and Caroline Polachek, this album is nothing short of an extraordinary testament to the already legendary label. The American artist provides us with one memorable moment after another on their ten tracks while giving a unique insight into their thoughts. CLEARING has the potential to finish high on our list of best albums of the year, as it has become an album that will undoubtedly be referred to many times in a few years. A piece of musical heritage for PC Music.

2. Ojerime — Bad Influence

Not every artist succeeds in breathing new life into R&B, but British Ojerime does so with dynamism on Bad Influence. Collaborating with several great producers like Mura Masa, she worked on a very easily digestible yet exciting album. In just under twenty-five minutes, we hear how she goes for interesting musical choices and swings her vocal line to keep our attention. “Often Enough” and “Keep It Lo” are among the best songs we have heard within the R&B genre in a while. So let us hope many artists take inspiration from this project because the R&B world needs artists like Ojerime who dare to experiment while sticking to the genre.

3. Lolahol — Go

When your mom is seen as one of the world’s leading artists, music is clearly in your blood. Madonna’s daughter Lourdes makes an impressive debut with her EP Go under her stage name Lolahol. We hear a very intriguing introspection on pop music, which is far cry from commercialism but, it also harbors a certain accessibility at the same time. “Contradiction” is a strong opening track with its menacing, lingering build-up and is the perfect introduction to the American singer’s futuristic sound. On the following four tracks, we hear how her musical quest is increasingly taking shape and culminates in her previously released debut single, “Lock&Key”. Whether she will be able to follow in the footsteps of her mother, the queen of pop, remains to be seen, but there is already no shortage of individuality.

4. LOLA — Flicker

As recently as 2020, LOLA released her celebrated debut EP The Sleeping Prophet, but it is her second EP, Flicker, that goes off like a rocket. In it, the British artist pours out even more of her sultry and sensual R&B, which originated with IGLOOGHOST (A.G. Cooke, BABii) and Ragz Originale (Skepta, BenjiFlow). Title track “Flicker” is already a contender to be one of the best releases of the year, but the whole EP maintains that level. Alternating between abstract sounds and trap beats, LOLA creates her own little world, which we can’t get enough of after seventeen minutes.

5. Rebebe — What Are You Into

We discovered the Danish singer Rebebe in early October with her fantastic single “Prozac”, which is also the opener of her first EP, What Are You Into. On five tracks, she unloads in different ways, giving you the immediate impression that she knows very well what she is doing. “Fiancé” is alive with particularly cool synths that become increasingly menacing, and “DVDs” is even more terrifying. Only “Want Out” seeks refuge in subtlety and tranquillity. What Are You Into is a particularly flashy first performance from Rebebe, sometimes reminding us a little of Connie Constance or Nilüfer Yanya. Both fans of alternative music and pop will have an ear for this emerging artist, at least, we have anyway.

6. Tove Lo — Dirt Femme

Dirt Femme is another quarantine baby, as the album was made during a period when Tove Lo returned to her bedroom to create her songs. That this makes the album even more personal can be heard, especially in the quieter tracks, and colors every song even more. Tove Lo lets us listen in on her personal diary, does not shy away from intimacy, and only seems to gain self-confidence. Dirt Femme is, therefore, a pop album like only Tove Lo can make because the sensuality and depth do not have to work against each other. They only reinforce each other on these twelve tracks, creating Tove Lo’s intriguing vision of her regained sense of femininity. With her fifth album, the Swedish singer remains one of the women of our (pop) dreams.

7. Connie Constance — Miss Power

If there is anything that Connie Constance proves on Miss Power, it is the fact that she manages to grow engagingly through a period of setbacks. On her second album, the Brit delivers a rock-solid, cohesive work, combining indie pop, rock, and post-punk into her own sound with ease. She manages to hold our attention for 12 songs, letting us take a peek into her world of thoughts in a very beautiful way. Miss Power feels like a cry from an artist whose music is making the world a better place. This is music of the highest order!

8. Christine and the Queens — Redcar les adorables étoiles

On Redcar les adorables étoiles, Christine and the Queens opts for a more experimental form of pop music without breaking with earlier work. The result is an impressive record you must listen to in its entirety, as each song has its own role in the vision of this pioneering French artist. Redcar les adorables étoiles is an album for connoisseurs, listeners who dare to take a step, and anyone who just needs to get to know pop in its most poignant form.

Artwork of Hyd’s album ‘CLEARING’