As the year is passing by, the restrictions are easing, the artists are coming back more inspired than ever and the top songs of 2021 are adding up! On the menu for May, we got an almost 100% feminine cocktail with the groovy Jorja Smith and british indie rock leaders Wolf Alice. There’ll also be some new artists on the road to become massive that you should watch out for!
Best Albums May 2021
Jorja Smith – Be Right Back
The english R&B queen Jorja Smith made her long awaited return with an eight-track smooth and brilliant EP. Her nonchalant flow mixed with impactful lyrics and acoustic guitar sounds are all perfectly dosed. Her songs couldn’t be background music because they need to be listen to carefully.
Jorja uses music a way to convey her feelings of confusion, both about societal issues or relationships. In Gone for instance, that is one of the best new songs of 2021 if you ask me, she explained how it feels when a loved one walks away from you. But as she says, it’s not just about her. Her song lyrics can have different repercussions on each person who listens to them depending on their life trials.
- Genre : R&B
- Album mood : you put everything into perspective because you realise there’s so much more than your own little world and the world is imperfect, yet we have to try to make it better
- Favourite Tracks : Time, Addicted
- Release date : 14/05/2021
JJ Wilde – Wilde
You can feel how hard JJ Wilde worked to get to where she is now, aka at the top of canadian charts, because of how well produced the Wilde EP is! She didn’t want to pretend like she was anybody else and she was right : we love the good ruthless and rocky JJ Wilde. Off the Rails got us want to dance and drag anyone who tells us that our goals are unachievable. Once you got your dream all set up, “never look back”! A great record where you can find some top songs of 2021.
- Genre : rock
- Album mood : I’m the only person responsible for myself, my journey and my happiness so I better move my ass towards my happy place
- Favourite Tracks : Best Boy, Someone Under You, Mercy
- Release date : 14/05/2021
Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
You may know her for her role in a Disney channel series, like the famous High-School Musical, but Olivia Rodrigo didn’t stop after it! She has been a rising star in the past months and is literally breaking the world charts right now with her debut album Sour.
It’s pop, but it’s not too sweet ; Olivia definitely got plenty of stories to tell even at her young age. In a very short time frame, she imposed herself as the new millennial gen’ figure. But her song lyrics are deep and can be appreciated by people of all ages. Her song Drivers License for instance, will definitely be in the top songs 2021!
- Genre : Pop
- Album mood : feeling nostalgic about your past memories
- Favourite Tracks : drivers licence
- Release date : 21/05/2021
Best Songs May 2021
Wolf Alice – No Hard Feelings
Yes, Wolf Alice was listed on all my previous tops, what can I say? They simply drop a killer song every month to tease their upcoming album who should see the light of the day on June 4th. Can’t wait! With No Hard Feelings, we can’t say they went out of their comfort zone and are very recognizable, but it’s still a winning formula : whispered lyrics with a voice as sweet and on key as it is powerful. Already one of the best songs of 2021!
- Genre : indie rock
- Song mood : go stargazing with your friends on a hill cut off from the world and accept that not every relationship works out
- Release date : 11/05/2021
Laurel – Let Go
Let Go is the second single of Laurel’s upcoming EP Limbo Cherry, that she wrote during her creating time in Provence, south of France. This one sounds a bit more spiritual and deep than Laurel’s first new song You’re The One. Indeed, she describes it a passionate tune about feelings that her younger self could’ve felt. If you remember well, we had already felt this return in time vibes in her previous singles, so we could say that Let Go a well-thought follow-up !
- Genre : indie rock
- Song mood : trust issues are real and relationships can make it even harder sometimes, you gotta find the right peeps
- Release date : 12/05/2021
Barry Can’t Swim – Lone Raver
Barry Can’t Swim but he can produce music! Yes, that was too easy, but as he’s a brand new artist, I might be the first one to make the joke… Well, Lone Raver is a very pleasing and well produced sound to listen to and you cannot dislike it! It goes crescendo but in an uncomplicated way. Barry Can’t Swim did not loose side of the fact that simple notes always work.
- Genre : Electro
- Song mood : clubs are open again and the DJ is giving you a chill sound to get back to the dancefloor and to vibe to
- Release date : 14/05/2021
Katy Perry – Electric
Perry brings big pop star vibes in a heartbeat with new Pokemon inspired single Electric. It’s everything we could expect from her : powerful studio recorded vocals, buzzing production. Al though, nothing out if the ordinary! But if you feel like vibing to some good mainstream pop, this is a single for you.
- Genre : Pop
- Song mood : singing the chorus in a beach club with your first beer of the evening and new friends
- Release date : 14/05/2021
Twenty One Pilots – Saturday
Saturday set the tone of their new album Scaled and Icy. It’s not as emo-alternative as the Ohio duo got us used to, it’s more like pop bangers at the Twenty One Pilots’ style! The lyrics of this specific song are very personal, Tyler is thanking his wife for being his anchor during the pandemic and life in general.
- Genre : Pop
- Song mood : let’s do all those crazy things we’ve been craving to once the pandemic is over
- Release date : 21/05/2021
I hope you enjoyed the flourishing edition of the best May new releases! Will one of them be in your top 10 songs 2021? To help you choose, here are all the song and album reviews of each month of 2021.
