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AIM Awards nominees announced

By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 11 June 2021

The nominations for this year’s AIM Independent Music Awards have been announced, with Arlo Parks leading the pack in terms of number of nominations, being shortlisted in four categories. That’s ahead of Working Men’s Club, who are up for three prizes.

Says Parks: “What an honour to be nominated for four AIM Awards. This is far beyond my wildest dreams and I’m so glad my work has reached this far and touched so many, especially in these tumultuous times”.

Say Working Men’s Club: “It’s a real honour to be nominated for three AIM Awards, many thanks to AIM and to everyone that has backed our record. We can’t wait to be back out playing in front of real people as soon as possible”.

The awards will be livestreamed on 25 Aug. Here are all the nominees…

Best Independent Track
Arlo Parks – Hope (Transgressive Records)
Bonobo & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Heartbreak (Outlier – Ninja Tune)
Enny – Peng Black Girls feat Amia Brave (FAMM)
Katy J Pearson – Take Back The Radio (Heavenly Recordings)
Lava La Rue – Magpie (Marathon Artists)
Mustafa – Air Forces (Young)
Serpentwithfeet – Fellowship (Secretly Canadian)
Shygirl – Tasty (Because Music)
Squid – Narrator feat Martha Skye Murphy (Warp Records)
Tkay Maidza – Shook (4AD)

Best Independent Album
Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams (Transgressive Records)
Che Lingo – The Worst Generation (7Wallace Music)
Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg (4AD)
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises (Luaka Bop)
Krust – The Edge Of Everything (Crosstown Rebels)
Moses Sumney – Græ (Jagjaguwar)
Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher (Dead Oceans)
Speaker Music – Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry (Planet Mu)
Rian Treanor – File Under UK Metaplasm (Planet Mu)
Working Men’s Club – Working Men’s Club (Heavenly Recordings)

Best [Difficult] Second Album
AJ Tracey – Flu Game (Revenge Records)
Bicep – Isles (Ninja Tune)
Dream Wife – So When You Gonna… (Lucky Number)
Fontaines DC – A Hero’s Death (Partisan Records)
Leon Vynehall – Rare, Forever (Ninja Tune)

Best Independent Remix
Songhoy Blues – Bon Bon (Mike Lindsay Remix) (Transgressive Records)
Thundercat – Fair Chance feat Ty Dolla $ign & Lil B (Floating Points Remix) (Brainfeeder)
Ela Minus – Megapunk (Elkka Remix) (Domino)
P-rallel – Soulboy feat Greentea Peng (IZCO Remix) (Different Recordings)
Sweat feat Liz (Sophie Remix) – Sonikku (Bella Union)

Best Creative Packaging
AJ Tracey – Flu Game (Special Edition) (Revenge Records)
Figaro de Montmartre – Emotion Soap (Figaro de Montmartre)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Eco Wax Editions (Heavenly Recordings and Flightless Records)
Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs (Rough Trade Records)
Working Men’s Club – Working Men’s Club (RAW Edition) (Heavenly Recordings)

Best Independent Video
Arlo Parks – Hope (Transgressive Records)
Julien Baker – Hardline (Matador Records)
Kojaque – No Hands (Different Recordings)
Novo Amor – If We’re Being Honest (AllPoints)
Wesley Joseph – Thrilla (Eeviltwinn)

UK Independent Breakthrough
Arlo Parks (Transgressive Records)
Conducta (Kiwi Rekords)
India Jordan (Ninja Tune)
Rina Sawayama (Dirty Hit)
Working Men’s Club (Heavenly Recordings)

International Breakthrough
Bicep (Ninja Tune)
Fontaines DC (Partisan Records)
Jayda G (Ninja Tune)
박혜진 Park Hye Jin (Ninja Tune)
Tkay Maidza (4AD)

One To Watch
Che Lingo (7Wallace Music)
Enny (FAMM)
Lava La Rue (Marathon Artists)
Nova Twins (Nova Twins Ltd)
TSHA (Ninja Tune)

Best Independent Label
4AD
Dead Oceans
Forever Living Originals
Partisan Records
Transgressive Records

Best Small Label
Athens Of The North
Finesse Foreva
Killing Moon
Sonic Cathedral
Strut Records

Indie Champion
Bandcamp
Love Record Stores

Diversity Champion
Paulette Long