Best Albums
Discover
New Releases
Lists
Genres
News
Community
Sign In
Overview
Best Albums
Reviews
Lists
Perfect Scores
A.V. Club
Follow
www.avclub.com/music/
Highest Rated Albums of 2021
Decade
2020s
All Time
2020s
2010s
2000s
Source
A.V. Club
All
A.V. Club
Albumism
AllMusic
American Songwriter
Angry Metal Guy
Beats Per Minute
Blabbermouth.net
Clash
Classic Rock
Consequence of Sound
Crack Magazine
Distorted Sound
DIY
Dork
Earmilk
Entertainment Weekly
Evening Standard
Exclaim!
FLOOD Magazine
GIGsoup
Gigwise
God Is in the TV
HipHopDX
Kerrang!
Loud and Quiet
Louder Than War
Metal Hammer
Metal Injection
MetalSucks
Mojo
musicOMH
NME
No Ripcord
Northern Transmissions
Paste
Pitchfork
PopMatters
Q Magazine
Record Collector
RIOT
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone UK
Slant Magazine
Spectrum Culture
Spill Magazine
Sputnikmusic
Still Listening
The Arts Desk
The Forty-Five
The Guardian
The Independent
The Irish Times
The Line of Best Fit
The Needle Drop
The Observer
The Skinny
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Telegraph
The Young Folks
Uncut
Under the Radar
Upset
XS Noize
Genre
All
All
Alternative Rock
Ambient Pop
Art Pop
Contemporary Folk
Contemporary R&B
Country
Country Pop
Electronic
Folk
Folk Pop
Hip Hop
Indie Folk
Indie Pop
Indie Rock
Industrial
Metal
Pop
Pop Rap
Pop Rock
R&B
Rock
Singer-Songwriter
Soul
2020s
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
This is an ordered list of A.V. Club's highest rated albums of 2021. Check out
A.V. Club's Year End List
.
1
.
Snail Mail - Valentine
November 5, 2021
Indie Rock
,
Indie Pop
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
2
.
Taylor Swift - Fearless (Taylor's Version)
April 9, 2021
Country Pop
,
Pop Rock
,
Country
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
3
.
Julien Baker - Little Oblivions
February 26, 2021
Indie Rock
,
Singer-Songwriter
,
Indie Folk
,
Indie Pop
Score
100
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
4
.
Adele - 30
November 19, 2021
Pop Soul
,
Adult Contemporary
,
Pop
Score
91
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
5
.
Converge & Chelsea Wolfe - Bloodmoon: I
November 19, 2021
Gothic Metal
,
Atmospheric Sludge Metal
Score
91
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
6
.
Taylor Swift - Red (Taylor's Version)
November 12, 2021
Pop Rock
,
Country Pop
,
Singer-Songwriter
,
Pop
Score
91
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
7
.
Little Simz - Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
September 3, 2021
UK Hip Hop
,
Conscious Hip Hop
,
Neo-Soul
Score
91
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
8
.
Indigo De Souza - Any Shape You Take
August 27, 2021
Indie Rock
,
Bedroom Pop
,
Slacker Rock
Score
91
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
9
.
Angel Olsen - Aisles
August 20, 2021
Synthpop
,
Art Pop
,
New Wave
Score
91
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
10
.
Prince - Welcome 2 America
July 30, 2021
Funk
Score
91
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
11
.
Clairo - Sling
July 16, 2021
Singer-Songwriter
,
Contemporary Folk
Score
91
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
12
.
Olivia Rodrigo - SOUR
May 21, 2021
Pop Rock
,
Pop
,
Singer-Songwriter
,
Teen Pop
Score
91
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
13
.
Andrew W.K. - God Is Partying
September 10, 2021
Heavy Metal
,
Alternative Metal
Score
83
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
14
.
Lana Del Rey - Blue Banisters
October 22, 2021
Singer-Songwriter
,
Baroque Pop
Score
83
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
15
.
NCT 127 - Sticker
September 17, 2021
K-Pop
,
Contemporary R&B
Score
83
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
16
.
Low - HEY WHAT
September 10, 2021
Experimental Rock
,
Post-Industrial
,
Ambient Pop
,
Glitch Pop
Score
83
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
17
.
Kacey Musgraves - star-crossed
September 10, 2021
Country Pop
,
Folk Pop
,
Singer-Songwriter
Score
83
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
18
.
CHVRCHΞS - Screen Violence
August 27, 2021
Synthpop
,
Electropop
,
Pop Rock
Score
83
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
19
.
The Killers - Pressure Machine
August 13, 2021
Heartland Rock
,
Folk Rock
,
Americana
Score
83
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
20
.
Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever
July 30, 2021
Alt-Pop
,
Ambient Pop
,
Alternative R&B
,
Art Pop
Score
83
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
21
.
Rostam - Changephobia
June 4, 2021
Indie Pop
,
Art Pop
Score
83
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
22
.
Weezer - Van Weezer
May 7, 2021
Power Pop
,
Alternative Rock
,
Glam Rock
Score
83
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
23
.
The Hold Steady - Open Door Policy
February 19, 2021
Indie Rock
Score
83
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
24
.
Aimee Mann - Queens Of The Summer Hotel
November 5, 2021
Chamber Folk
,
Singer-Songwriter
,
Chamber Pop
Score
75
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
25
.
BLACKSTARKIDS - Puppies Forever
October 15, 2021
Score
75
Source →
Amazon
Music
Spotify
1
2
NOTE:
This is not a year end list. This list is ordered by the ratings A.V. Club awarded albums throughout 2021.
You May Also Like
The Needle Drop's Highest Rated Albums of 2021
Pitchfork's Highest Rated Albums of 2021
Rolling Stone's Highest Rated Albums of 2021
NME's Highest Rated Albums of 2021
AllMusic's Highest Rated Albums of 2021
Become a Donor
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Advertisement
New Album Releases
NR
Yung Lean
Psykos
79
Kacey Musgraves
Deeper Well
79
Four Tet
Three
79
Tierra Whack
WORLD WIDE WHACK
NR
Playboi Carti
KETAMINE
More Releases