Best of Noise Rock 2021


I want to hear crass distortion, bass-heavy songs with harsh vocals! This is noise rock!


Number Five: Изразец – Изразец


Изразец (Izrazec) is… noise jazz? This one is somewhat hard to classify, as I first put it into the jazz category, before listening to it again more closely and ranking it with noise rock. Well, one thing is for sure, that blend is rather unique, and it’s also super satisfying! One discovery for you!


Number Four: Guzzlemug – Uncarved


Guzzlemug is a strange thing, and on Uncarved we get to hear two of their long-form compositions shine their brightest. It’s progressive rock with a strong noise rock feel, at least for me, and some improvisation passages thrown in for good measure. One of the best albums of the year for sure!


Number Three: Black Country, New Road – For the First Time


For the First Time is one great noise rock heavy on the alt side, and with a post-punk edge that adds to its charm. I feel like Black Country, New Road is this year’s Black Midi revolution: a band that came out of nowhere to be on top of everyone’s lists! If you also felt a bit let down by Cavalcade, why not try For the First Time?


Number Two: Lotus Titan – Odyssées


Wow, what an album! Odyssées is a progressive noise rock odyssey based on and accompanying French poetry by Julie Castel, and the two work so well together! It’s been one of the albums I most resounded with in 2021, and you should definitely listen to it!


Number One: Wizard – Definitely Unfinished


Ever since the release of Wizard’s—or W! Zard?—debut in 2018, I’ve liked this band. However, with Definitely Unfinished the French trio hit the ball out of the park and into orbit! The five tracks on record are creative, memorable, and utterly fascinating. I can’t count how many times I went back to this album to listen to it again and again, so here it is, at #1!


Notable Releases

Hover over foreign scripts for pronunciation and romanization.

Friday, 5 February

Black Country, New Road – For the First Time

40:44
noise rock, post-punk
London, UK
Ninja Tune

Tracklist (click to display)

Friday, 19 February

EIEIEIO – Great Siz

9:43
avant-prog
Hadley, Massachusetts
Independent

Tracklist (click to display)


Friday, 5 March

Guzzlemug – Uncarved

39:56
avant-prog
Chicago, Illinois
Independent

Read our review.

Tracklist (click to display)


Friday, 12 March

Lotus Titan – Odyssées

41:27
progressive rock, math rock
Toulouse, France
Independent

Read our review.

Tracklist (click to display)


Friday, 16 April

The Armed – Ultrapop

38:47
noise rock
Detroit, Michigan
Sargent House

Tracklist (click to display)


Friday, 23

Humans as Ornaments – The Option to Disappear

28:14
noise rock
Germany
Independent

Tracklist (click to display)

TDA – Ascète

30:09
experimental rock
Montréal, Québec
Michel

Tracklist (click to display)


Friday, 7 May

Crabe – Sentients

33:25
noise rock
Montréal, Québec
Pantoum

Tracklist (click to display)


Tuesday, 25

Circuit Circuit – Circuit Circuit

13:24
noise rock
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Independent

Tracklist (click to display)


Wednesday, 26 May

Black Midi – Cavalcade

42:19
noise rock
London, UK
Rough Trade

Tracklist (click to display)


Tuesday, 1 June

Pauwels – Toli

43:11
noise rock
France
Independent

Tracklist (click to display)


Friday, 4

Wizard – Definitely Unfinished

27:14
noise rock
Bordeaux, France
Independent

Read our review.

Tracklist (click to display)


Saturday, 26 June

Unstoppable Sweeties Show – Analogy to an Allergy

69:23
avant-punk
Liverpool, UK
Independent

Read our review.

Tracklist (click to display)


Thursday, 15 July

Vitesse Plaisir – Volcan Paon

31:42
experimental rock
Toulouse, France
Independent

Tracklist (click to display)


Friday, 16

Uwu – Uwu

18:27
noisecore
Providence, Rhode Island
Independent

Tracklist (click to display)


Tuesday, 27 July

Gorsedd FM – The Promise of Rot

35:57
experimental rock, surf rock
Philipstown, New York
Independent

Tracklist (click to display)


Tuesday, 24 August

Slag – Slag

87:33
noise rock
Chicago, Illinois
Independent

Tracklist (click to display)


Friday, 17 September

Willzyx – I Don’t Feel Anything

14:30
mathcore
Manchester, New Hampshire
Dark Trail

Tracklist (click to display)


Friday, 29 October

Le Singe blanc – Gol-Goth Attack, Volume Ⅲ

51:23
experimental rock
Metz, France
La Face cachée

Tracklist (click to display)


Tuesday, 16 November

УберлицоМакабры

32:50
experimental metal
Omsk, Russia
Independent

Tracklist (click to display)


Friday, 17 December

ИзразецИзразец

45:04
noise jazz
Moscow, Russia
Addicted

Tracklist (click to display)


Best of 2021

01/01 – Best of Afrobeat
01/02 – Best of Atmospheric Black Metal
01/03 – Best of Avant-Garde Black Metal
01/04 – Best of Brutal Death Metal
01/05 – Best of Classical
01/06 – Best of Death Metal
01/07 – Best of Deathcore
01/08 – Best of Doom Metal
01/09 – Best of Folk
01/10 – Best of Grindcore
01/11 – Best of Hardcore
01/12 – Best Improvisation
01/13 – Best of Indie Rock
01/14 – Best of Jazz Fusion
01/15 – Best of Jazzcore
01/16 – Best of Math Rock
01/17 – Best of Mathcore
01/18 – Best of Metalcore
01/19 – Best of Modern Jazz
01/20 – Best of Noise Rock

3 comments on Best of Noise Rock 2021

  1. […] 01/16 – Best of Math Rock 01/17 – Best of Mathcore 01/18 – Best of Metalcore 01/19 – Best of Modern Jazz 01/20 – Best of Noise Rock 01/21 – Best of Nu Jazz 01/22 – Best of Nu Prog 01/23 […]

  2. […] 01/16 – Best of Math Rock 01/17 – Best of Mathcore 01/18 – Best of Metalcore 01/19 – Best of Modern Jazz 01/20 – Best of Noise Rock 01/21 – Best of Nu Jazz 01/22 – Best of Nu Prog 01/23 […]

  3. […] noise rock band Cassels’s newest ≮-tagged release: A Gut Feeling. After last year’s Black Country, New Road domination, I feel this year Cassels have given us a title worthy of the very best of 2022 in its category. A […]