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CMU Playlists
On The CMU Stereo 2021 – Summer
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 14 December 2021
Here we are then, part three of our round up of our favourite tracks of 2021. And that must mean we’ve come to the summer. You know summer, right? Boundless possibility, endless sunshine? Actually, in the UK this year I seem to remember it mainly rained. It was the sort of summer people in other countries imagine we always have. And just when we were allowed out again.
There was plenty of new music though. Like the second album from Dave, ‘We’re All Alone In This Together’. Another expertly crafted longform release from the rapper, it features collaborations with Stormzy, Wizkid, Fredo, James Blake and more. For our playlist though, we’ve (perhaps appropriately) picked a track with just him. ‘We’re All Alone’ opens the album and sets the scene for what is to come, delivering a wide-ranging story packed with twists, emotional heft and sudden shifts in musical style.
The big release of the summer – and indeed the year – was the second album from Billie Eilish, ‘Happier Than Ever’. After the immense success of her debut, which set her up as a pop star who doesn’t play by the rules, fans went through months of anxiety that it had all been some sort of fluke. What if she couldn’t do it again? Well, bad luck to the alternate reality that had to deal with that, because over here she nailed it. Building on what she set up on her debut, it’s another album packed full of ideas and stand out tracks. The title track here is a mini epic melodrama.
Another big pop release was the new album from Halsey. As a teenage Nine Inch Nails fan, I often told anyone who’d listen that I’d like to hear a pop album produced by Trent Renzor. It seems Halsey did the same, the difference being that she grew up to have a status that would allow her to make that happen. And so, ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’ was born – a concept album about pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood provided with a dense, cinematic sound by Reznor and his production partner Atticus Ross.
Elsewhere we’ve got the always awesome combination of The Bug and Flowdan, two very different takes on hopes of one day having a musical legacy from Hamish Hawk and BXKS, a track from Buffalo Daughter’s excellent ‘We Are The Times’ – their first LP for seven years – and more.
Listen to these tracks, plus our winter and spring selections, on our Spotify playlist below, and come back on Thursday for the final instalment – our autumn choices.
Here are the ten tracks on our summer playlist:
Indigo De Souza – Hold U
Dave – We’re All Alone
The Bug – Pressure (feat Flowdan)
Hamish Hawk – The Mauritian Badminton Doubles Champion, 1973
Billie Eilish – Happier Than Ever
Halsey – I Am Not A Woman, I Am A God
Buffalo Daughter – Loop
BXKS – Mean Amount
Efterklang – Hold Me Close When You Can
Qrion – 11-11
