Best of 2021: 80 UK & Irish songs

Same format and same rules as last year, so this is music by British and Irish artists only. Surprisingly, not much more than a dozen from last year’s list make it this time. Even more surprisingly, there are two totally different songs in this list both called The Last Man On Earth. Overall, the quality of the songs is better than ever, and every one of the songs on this list deserves its place here.

Album titles are clickable: please support the artists if you can.

80 Senses – Drop Your Arms (Single)

79 Stanley Odd – The Invisible Woman (STAY ODD: The Magic of Everyday Things)

78 A.A. Williams – Lovesong (Songs From Isolation)

77 Billy Spike Iland – Mechanism (Billy Spike Iland – Access Automation)

76 Feeder – Wall Of Silence (Single from upcoming album Torpedo)

75 Yammerer – Tell Me What The Ancient Astronaut Theorists Believe (Single)

74 Smoothboi Ezra – Stuck (Stuck)

73 Sprints – How does the story go ? (Single)

72 Arab Strap – The Turning Of Our Bones (As Days Get Dark)

71 Sunliner – Old Habits (Single)

70 Chubby and the Gang – Lightning Don’t Strike Twice (The Mutt’s Nuts)

69 Bea Anderson – Easy (Eden. EP)

68 Liam Wilson – Beside You (feat Liliia Kysil) (Single)

67 Asthmatic Astronaut x Texture – Figures in the Mist (Illvminate)

66 Lottery Winners – Times Are Changing (Something To Leave The House For)

65 Ego Ella May – Breathe (Fieldnotes)

64 Goat Girl – Anxiety Feels (On All Fours)

63 Mungo’s Hi Fi – Intravenous Dub (Antidote)

62 Mad Daddy – Hey Elvis! (Mad Daddy)

61 Illiterate & Loop Faction – Shine (Ordinary Kids)

60 James Yorkston and the Second Hand Orchestra – There Is No Upside (The Wide Wide River)

59 The Bug – Pressure (feat Flowdan) (Fire)

58 SHLUG – The Scent Of Roy Keane (Single)

57 The Norfolk Broads – Fear a Bhata (Yonder Green Grove)

56 Delian Sound – You’d Better (Rubber Legs EP)

55 Harmony & Tim Reaper – Bruckout (Meeting of the Minds Vol 6)

54 Glasvegas – Cupid’s Dark Disco (Godspeed)

53 Glenn Hodge Banned – Jack Of All Trades (The Long Run)

52 Wolf Alice – The Last Man On Earth (Blue Weekend)

51 Grace Petrie – The Last Man On Earth (Connectivity)

50 Leg Puppy – Your Profile Is Dope (I am a Social Media Expert) (The Air in Utopia is Poison)

49 Tirzah – Hips (Colourgrade)

48 The Luka State – Feel It (Fall In Fall Out)

47 Winter Wilson – The Passing Of The Storm (The Passing Of The Storm)

46 Gallus – Fruitflies (Single)

45 The Lathums – Oh My Love (How Beautiful Life Can Be)

44 Dry Cleaning – Leafy (New Long Leg)

43 Malaki – Dublin’s Burning (Don’t Forget To Take Your Medicine EP)

42 Top Left Club – RIP (Shoulders at 90)

41 Fears – Two_ (Oiche)

40 The Surfing Magazines – I Dreamed When I Was Young (Badgers of Wymeswold)

39 Deadletter – Fall Of The Big Screen (Single)

38 Nao – Nothing’s for Sure (And Then Life Was Beautiful)

37 Sea Power – Folly (Single from upcoming album Everything Was Forever)

36 Clwb Fuzz – GOD (Let You Lose) (Single)

35 Little Simz – Miss Understood (Sometimes I MIght Be Introvert)

34 Greentea Peng – Satta (Man Made)

33 Whiney – Headlines (feat Subten) (Bubblers Part Three)

32 Friend Within – Rola (Hope)

31 Ferocious Dog – Born Under Punches (The Hope)

30 Joe Solo & Rebekah Findlay – The Revolution Will Come (A Northern Soul)

29 Bicep – Apricots (Isles)

28 Danny George Wilson – We’ve Got A Lot To Learn (Another Place)

27 Loraine James – Simple Stuff (Reflection)

26 Swansea Sound – Rock n Roll Void (Live at the Rum Puncheon)

25 Venus Grrrls – Goth Girl (Potions EP)

24 She Drew The Gun – Behave Myself (Behave Myself)

23 Dave – Three Rivers (We’re All Alone In This Together)

22 Josephine Sillars – Measured (Desperate Characters)

21 Frank Turner – Haven’t been doing so well (Single from upcoming album FTHC)

20 India Jordan – And Groove (Watch Out!)

19 Robin Knightz – Composed (Single)

18 Liines – Keep On Going (Single)

17 Billy Bragg – I Will Be Your Shield (The Million Things That Never Happened)

16 We Were Promised Jetpacks – What I Know Now (Enjoy the View)

15 Porridge Radio – You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son (Single)

14 Grove – Black (Queer + Black)

13 Pa Salieu – Bad (feat Aitch) (Single)

12 High Fidelity – ELEVATION (MS003: Neigh Worries V/A)

11 Piri & Tommy Villiers – Soft Spot (MJ Cole remix) (Single)

10 Jamie Webster – Days Unknown (Single from upcoming album Moments)

9 Ghetts – Proud Family (Conflict Of Interest)

8 M(h)aol – Gender Studies (Gender Studies EP)

7 The Snuts – Blur Beat (W.L.)

6 Lizzie Reid – Company Car (Cubicle)

5 The Reytons – Antibiotics (Kids Off The Estate)

4 Sleaford Mods – Mork n Mindy (feat Billy Nomates) (Spare Ribs)

3 James – All The Colours Of You (All The Colours Of You)

2 Manga Saint Hilare x Freeza Chin – Voices (Wavrunner)

1 Girls in Synthesis – Don’t Try (Shift in State)