A ‘best of [insert year here]’, we did one last year and so we’ve just got to keep up the tradition now…
And here it is! The team behind Bloom Sessions have each picked three of their top tracks and albums from women and people of marginalised genders across the wurld. So take a peek at your peril… and let the challenge BEGIN:
Albums –
Dahlia Sleeps – Overflow, Pt 1
Izzy: Ever since their first song ‘Breathe’ came out in 2017, I have been hooked. I dare you to find a duo who can combine hypnotising synths, funky beats, and silky vocals quite so deliciously.
> Listen here! <
Lorde – Solar Power
Cheïma: Well, I mean, is it possible to not include Solar Power in my top 3? I had high expectations after the incredible Melodrama, and I have been on edge since then, and, well, she didn’t disappoint. She reinvented summer and it’s everything I have to say about it.
> Listen here! <
Little Simz –Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Claire: Little Simz is one of my favourite artists in the entire world, she’s utterly brilliant and I’ll fight her corner to the end. GREY Area was probably one of the best albums I’ve ever heard, defo within top 5, and Simzy has only come back and produced another real contender… Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is witty, intimate, fierce and just fucking brilliant.
> Listen here! <
London Grammar – Californian Soil
Izzy: The fact that this album is in my top 3 is probably a surprise to absolutely no one. Having seen London Grammar twice this year, and cried both times, I can confirm that I (dare say) think this MAY be their best album yet. If you can listen to ‘How Does It Feel’ without dancing, you’re either a sociopath or a liar. I don’t make the rules.
> Listen here! <
Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee
Cheïma: I have been listening to Japanese Breakfast for a few years now, and she still finds ways to surprise me with her talent. Her latest release is everything we needed in 2021: a soft, delicate, dark, rich, yet powerful and eclectic album. It’s just so… so… good.
> Listen here! <
Pixie Cola – You’re Living In Pixie World
Claire: Well well well, look who we have here! Pixie isn’t just a really lovely human, she’s also a spellbinding musician whose music will captivate you from the get go. For a debut EP, she really hit the nail on the head, and ‘Colour Blind’ was millimeters away from making my ‘best tracks’ list as well…
P.s. if you want to hear me gush more about how brill Pixie is, why not read this feature ey???
> Listen here! <
Doja Cat – Planet Her
Izzy: Listen ya’ll, we all knew this album would be on here somewhere. Would I play this album in front of my Nan? Absolutely not. Did I play it repeatedly at home during the lockdown, with the lights turned off and a bottle of WKD in my hands and pretend I was at Pryzm? Absolutely.
> Listen here! <
Griff – One Foot in Front of the Other
Cheïma: I recently discovered Griff with her very (very!) catchy debut single ‘Black Hole’ and I have been obsessed since the release of her first album. It is punchy, poignant, vibrant and navigates genres so effortlessly. Phew, just amazing.
> Listen here! <
Biig Piig – The Sky Is Bleeding
Claire: You might recognise Biig Piig from my list last year… but this time she’s released an EP of all EP’s. The Sky Is Bleeding was a really interesting place to hear her move into, it’s dynamic and fluid but still sounds super cohesive. Although to be honest, Jess Smyth could cough into a microphone and I would still herald it as MY FAV COUGH OF THE YEAR.
> Listen here! <
Tracks –
Freya Roy – ‘Fantasies Imagined’ (ft Maya Law & Gabriel Gifford)
Izzy: In the words of the bible, ‘this tuneth doth bop’.
There’s a bit of something for everyone here; a cheeky bit of moody pop, a slither of hip-hop, and all topped off with luscious vocals. Freya and Maya are also Norfolk gals which, in my books, makes them cooler. #NorfolkRepresent
> Listen here! <
Mitski – ‘The Only Heartbreaker’
Cheïma: I mean, come on – do I really have to say something? Mitski is just great. Maybe more than great: fantastic. This song is good. Maybe more than good: incredible. And me? Well, I just can’t wait for the new album.
> Listen here! <
Marnie Glum – ‘Celebration, Florida’
Claire: This song is literally a warm cosy hug, which is bizarre when you take a closer listen to the lyrics. I think it’s a combination of Charlotte’s soothing hazy voice, mixed with the twinkly guitar tones and sundried percussion. It’s basically an audio reinterpretation of a cold, sunny morning! I’ve listened to this one so much this year, it just had to be in my list.
> Listen here! <
Snowpoet – ‘Burn Bright’
Izzy: I’ve got nothing witty to say about this track; it’s just absolutely beautiful. That’s it.
> Listen here! <
Rumbi Tauro – ‘Run Run’
Cheïma: This is the song that introduced me to Rumbi’s world and, phew, I mean… what a song! It is honestly, one of the best songs I had the chance to listen to this year. Rumbi Tauro is definitely an artist you want to keep an eye out for!
> Listen here! <
Before Breakfast – ‘Wreck’
Claire: GAH! Where to begin… my journey with Before Breakfast started fairly recently, having seen them perform live in a pub in Otley, but since then I’ve been rinsing their back catalogue. Start your day with a bit of BB, honestly, you’ll thank me for it later. ESPECIALLY if it’s ‘Wreck’*, this is a real marinade of a track – the further you get in, the more juicy it gets and the flavours get more and more intense.
P.s. it was a real toss up between this or ‘Brush My Hair (And Tell Me That You Love Me)’, so go listen to them both…
P.s.s I’ve done it again, I can’t follow a format it seems
> Listen here! <
IDER – ‘cbb to b sad’
Izzy: Of course IDER have provided, yet again, another sad bop that will make you want to cry and slut drop so hard you dislocate your knees simultaneously. *Chefs kiss* Dinner is served ladies and gents.
> Listen here! <
Veronica Maggio – ‘SE MIG’
Cheïma: There are two (maybe a bit more) things I love in the world: pop music and Swedish pop music. So, Veronica Maggio is pretty much everything I love. Her seventh album is going out next year and I can already predict it’ll be in my 2022 top 3. MARK. MY. WORDS.
> Listen here! <
Bada bing, bada boom – there you go! You made it to the end of our list, and the end of 2021 huge congratulations.
Big thanks to everyone who has supported Bloom Sesh this year, and ofc a bigger thanks to all the amazing women and people of marginalised genders who keep putting on and releasing some mega tunes – we couldn’t be here without you!
Bloom Sessions 