2021: Worst to Best

Completely devoid of self-awareness, AJR weaponize orchestral instrumentation to bolster their own personal minutiae on the offensively empty-headed OK Orchestra.

Drake's portrayal of a braggadocious, self-centered, misogynistic playboy comes off less so parody and more so reality on the incessant Certified Lover Boy.

OneRepublic's morbid obsession with chart success results in a despicably corporatized, ironically inhuman travesty of millenial pop music.

Even with its lessened commerciality, Act 1's perplexing vocal performances make it just as intolerable as the band's previous headaches.

Despite Ed's hallmark sincerity, = reeks of recycled pop chords, forced homogeneity, and total hopelessness.

Despite YBN's meme-worthy notoriety, VISIONLAND is somehow not complete garbage.

To be completely honest, YSL's ragtag roster of rappers is nowhere near capable of carrying 75 minutes of material.

For better or worse, ZelooperZ's latest is zooted beyond comprehension.

Roddy Ricch's obnoxious obsession with "taking it slow" encompasses LLF to a detrimental degree.

Pop Smoke's estate trends toward XXX-level exploitation with the posthumous Faith.

TLOP5 sees Pi'erre's exemplary production become softened by characterless rap performances.

Flawless beatmaking lays waste to flat, comatose rapping: the same old same old for modern jazz rap.

Logic kickstarts a new streak of shitty releases with the legacy-testing Bobby Tarantino III.

Overloaded with exaggerated sweetness, CHAI foster the bootleg version of Bonito Generation with WINK.

Given the recent outpour of Antonoff-assisted indie folk, Solar Power offers little more than the occasional cringe.

Society has progressed past the need for Maroon 5.

Shooting off to the stars, Coldplay navigate the extraterrestrial Top 40 with Music of the Spheres.

Luminol sees raw, heavy sections of shoegaze stretched unnaturally thin across 32 unmoving minutes.

Baby & Durk's brotherly chemistry makes The Voice of the Heroes a career highlight for both.

A poor copycat of Legends Never Die, Fighting Demons reiterates every element of the former with little success.

With loftier ambitions comes a loss of identity: Life of a DON lacks the hard-hitting hooks Toliver is known for.

Trip at Knight's embrace of hyperpop aesthetics feels lacking compared to Redd's contemporaries.

On Punk, Jeffrey's attempts at gloomy, guitar-laced introspection become suffocated by lifeless trap drivel.

A daytime complement to KAI, Peaches is a noticeably weaker attempt at making moody, atmospheric KR&B.

Bambi is passable KR&B to a tee.

Compared to Poppy's rebellious back catalog, Flux sounds suspiciously normal.

STEREOTYPE's meager composition is somewhat mitigated by STAYC's sheer level of charisma.

A noticeable step down from its predecessor, Last Year Vol. 3 isn't exactly the greatest cap off to the series.

WOODZ' high-pitched hooks make lovesick seem sickly on the guitar-driven ONLY LOVERS LEFT.

A shadowy, dazing dystopia takes a backseat to everyday, flavorless K-Pop: the epitome of wasted potential.

Operating at 50% power, the Atlanta rap jokester debuts with a less-than-enthusiastic effort.

Boasting some of NCT's least essential material to date, Sticker is as stereotypical as the megagroup gets.

Daddy's Home operates as both eye-opening ear candy and sleep-inducing snack food.

SGR's avoidance of musical progression makes Ignota's demented theatrics leagues less engaging.

Quadeca's latest shows a majestic sense of ambition, even to a detriment.

Though scattershot with its consistency, Happier Than Ever sees Billie Eilish progress past the potential sameness of the debut.

LOVEHOLIC's noisy exterior constantly alternates between exceptionally arranged and excessively overproduced.

After years of rigorous research, TWICE perfect the science of satisfactory with Formula of Love: O+T=<3.

NCT DREAM's overpowering dynamism has the tendency to make or break most of the material on Hot Sauce.

Keem's tendencies to revert to basic, watered-down trap music often overshadows the record's visionary rap performances.

After having Awakened the World, WayV kick back with a new set of relatively mediocre material.

Departing for KWANGYA, the SMCU Express is ready to take netizens for a nostalgic trip down SM memory lane.

As demonic as it is desolate, Reserve's latest feels like a slow trudge through a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Evoking terror at every moment, Iosonouncane consistently stocks IRA with rich, chaotic compositions of darkness.

A special gift to EXO-L, FIGHT defies the restrictions set by military obligations, worldwide lockdowns, and fractured relationships.

Escaping the shadowy, dazing dystopia of days past, D:D sees the septet cross the border to a Chaotic Wonderland.

Everlasting with aggression, LP! is a total creative flex from experimental hip-hop's Swiss Army Knife.

The legendary K-Pop quintet awaken from hiatus with the show-stopping Don't Call Me.

A sense of melancholy engulfs the poignantly produced Friends That Break Your Heart.

A.G. Cook meets Blackpink. Take that as you may.