21 EPs for 2021 Part 1: Here Are My Favorite Shortplayers of the Year
Some of the best moments in music this year came from short sets. Here's the ones I have enjoyed the most.
A year ago, I started Check This Out! with a bold move - ranking my favorite records of the year and giving a brief synopsis for each. Going off of saved playlists and little else was a huge undertaking.
I’m much more prepared for it this year after writing multiple reviews for the music I love every week. Because of this, I’m ready to share more than just my favorite records. Today, I am featuring the first part of the EPs I have treasured during another uncertain year. Next week, we’ll continue by digging into the most outstanding albums of the year.
Like 45 singles dominated full-length 33s back in the day, I believe there has never been a more critical time for EP format than now. Between shortened attention spans and the return to focusing on singles (not my favorite thing to happen in music, but there’s no denying audiences are looking for three-minute highlights right now), a short set of songs can hit just right. Another reason EPs are more relevant than ever is because of the pandemic. While trying to figure out rehearsals, studio time, and vinyl printing services (thanks, Adele!), artists can release a few songs at a time to keep on the radar.
Here’s a list of EPs that I’ve had on repeat this year, with some of my favorite work coming from these releases. It’s an eclectic list of indie, jazz, country, chillwave, and house (so much house music), so let me know below anything that stands out to you.
21. Black Mountain - Echoes
Vancouver’s Black Mountain and their explorations of Black Sabbath riffs and so much more have been some of my favorite releases of the past five years, with 2016’s IV and the untouchable Destroyer arriving two years ago. Echoes see the release of three new tracks that touch on synth-pop and glide comfortably in some hazy prog exercises. There’s also an excellent demo for “Future Shade” from Destroyer that shouldn’t be missed.
Echoes is available now on Jagjaguar.
20. India Jordan - Watch Out!
There continues to be a fantastic UK electronic scene, and India Jordan is just as vital as any producer in the sphere. On their second EP, Watch Out!, Jordan returns with a set of jubilant 90s house music that is “about movement in so many different ways.” “Only Said Enough” is a high octane clubber that would have found its way onto a soundtrack from a movie starring Johnny Lee Miller had it arrived 25 years ago. Full of well-placed sirens and dog barks, the title track has a similar effect. Inspired by lockdown bike rides, “You Can’t Expect the Cars to Stop if You Haven’t Pressed the Button” uses traffic light samples to make a uniquely driven track. Jordan finishes the set with the best piece, “And Groove,” which sees them at their warmest and most approachable.
Watch Out! is available now on Ninja Tune.
19. Gold Tides - Fever Water
Santa Fe’s music scene may be smaller than what I’ve been used to in my previous residencies, but the quality makes up for it. My favorite find has been Gold Tides and their debut EP, Fever Water. High desert shouldn’t be where surf rock this fine comes from, but Gold Tides hit all of the right spots with their tight indie rock in the vein of DIIV and Beach Fossils. Formed by drummer Jeremetrius Brownstone and brothers Lorenzo and Rick Aragon, Fever Water sometimes flirts with the Arctic Monkeys, and “3 Am,” finds singer Gabe Kohler in his best Alex Turner mode.
Fever Water is self-released and available now on Bandcamp.
18. NewDad - Waves
From Galway comes NewDad and their gorgeous shoegaze debut, Waves. Many years in the making, NewDad is ready for the spotlight with six songs that float perfectly in a melancholic nostalgia-drenched sound. On songs like “I Don’t Recognize You,” singer Julie Dawson and company show why they’re one of the most hyped bands in Ireland. With no filler, I can’t wait to hear where they go on their full-length release.
Waves is available now on Fair Youth.
17. Mannequin Pussy - Perfect
Mannequin Pussy hasn’t missed since they started releasing records in the mid-00s. The melodic punk band from Philly saw their listenership expand when they signed to Epitaph for 2019’s excellent Patience, and Perfect is meant to be a bridge between that record and what comes to next. “Control” has a fresh dream-pop sound before digging back into their hardcore roots on “Perfect,” and “Pigs Is Pigs” features the first lead vocal outing from bassist Bear Regisford. The highlights, though, are “To Lose You” and “Darling,” which finds the band at their most accessible thanks to the new soundscapes that exquisitely fit Missy Dabice’s vocals.
Perfect is available now on Epitaph.
16. Burial & Blackdown - Shock Power of Love
Burial is one of the biggest names in London’s electronic scene at this point in his career. After releasing a critically acclaimed duo of jungle and 2-step records in the mid-00s, Burial has been exploring the EP format ever since, with an increasingly ambient sound to go with it. On Shock Power of Love, Burial splits the bill with fellow Londoner Blackdown for an unpredictable 28-minute ride. “This Journey Vip” and the remix of Heatmap’s “Arklight” are strong showings from Blackdown, but Burial’s two tracks show why he is a master of the format and are his strongest showing in years. “Dark Gethsemane” unfolds across many movements and styles, while “Space Cadet” finishes the uplifting outing on a high note.
Shock Power of Love is available now on Keysound Recordings.
15. DMA’s - I Love You Unconditionally, Sure Am Going to Miss You
After two outstanding records, I can’t say I was entirely on board with last year’s The Glow from DMA’s. The trio from Sydney took a commercial chance by working with producer Stuart Price (The Killers, Dua Lipa) but lost too much of the Britpop worshipping beginnings that made so many love the band. I appreciate trying something new, but DMA’s seem to have received the message as well with their latest, I Love You Unconditionally, Sure Am Going to Miss You. If you have an Oasis-shaped hole in your music heart (accept it already), then it’s time to pick things up again with these guys. Full of heart on a sleeve sincerity, “1 Way,” “We Are Midnight,” and “Viol” are some monster-sized arena fillers fit for the Gallagher brothers in 1994.
I Love You Unconditionally, Sure Am Going to Miss You is available now on I Oh You / Infectious Music.
14. Krosia - Better Hours
Chillwave, I can’t quit you (nor do I want to).
Relatively new to the game, Krosia is a French-based producer who has been quietly building one of the better catalogs in the synthwave scene. Better Hours is everything I want out of a chillwave record - easy to get lost in and a fit for almost any situation that needs a mood lifter.
You’ll notice a few repeat record labels on this list, and indies like Stratford Ct. deserve acclaim for continually finding ways to release top-notch synthwave.
Better Hours is available now on Stratford Ct.
13. Ben Reddell Band - ¡La Baby!
What I said in my review: “My Baby” is a classic love song that is so breezy and familiar; you’d swear it was a standard. “Cocaine” is a stomping party-er that leaves Slowhand’s old piece to rot. Reddell is a clever lyricist, and it’s hard not to chuckle while he sings about “drinking in my underwear” and asking for a lighter “cos I want to roast this bone” while the world burns outside.
¡La Baby! is on all streaming services now.
12. The Julies - Lovelife
It’s probably up for debate whether a reissue should be on a current list, but Lost in Ohio’s remaster of The Julies’ 1996 EP, Lovelife, is too good to leave out. With only two short records to their career, The Julies are everything modern shoegaze bands want to be. Pulling from The Cure and The Smiths, songs like “Drive Me Mad” and “Wake Up, Christine” will have you wondering how The Julies weren’t one of the biggest bands of the mid-90s.
Lovelife is available now on Lost in Ohio.
11. pronoun - OMG I MADE IT
What I said in my review: Opener “SOUND THE ALARMS!!!1!” finds Vellturo struggling with the rest of our generation to find her footing as she sings the infectious chorus of, “people say that you’ll find yourself eventually with the passing of time, and I’m out here tryin’, but I still feel like dyin’.” “I’M RIGHT BACK IN IT” is one of the songs of the year as Vellturo achieves pure pop perfection in the vein of Tegan & Sara.
OMG I MADE IT is available now on Wax Bodega and Sleep Well.