5 New Albums You Should Listen To Before 2021 Ends

Tea n' Tunes
3 min readNov 12, 2021

Today is November 12, 2021. I’ve been looking forward to this day for quite a few months because many of my favorite artists dropped new music today. So, I wanted to share with you the ones that I’m most excited to dig into. (Note: These albums are presented in no particular order.)

1. Nija — On Call

If you don’t know the name Nija Charles, you’re about to. Nija is an incredible songwriter who was a former student at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music (which also happens to be where I study). At the age of 24, she has already established herself as one of the most sought-after songwriters in hip hop/R&B. She has worked with artists including Beyoncé and Jay-Z; Cardi B featuring SZA; Cardi B featuring Kehlani; Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande; and Chris Brown featuring Drake. Now that she is an icon in the industry, she is beginning to release her own music under the name “Nija” and her latest single, “On Call”, is the third release from her anticipated debut EP.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6pIxAsFxQuCcNId8c2v5d9?si=8EjqdncGTJqukZaSOGZf2g

2. Alé — The Party

If you’ve been around the New York indie-pop scene, you may have Alé before. Alé has played with bands including GOODTALK and Cooking Class, but he’s now pursuing his solo project. Known for his electric stage presence and frenetic energy as a guitar player, Alé knows how to command a crowd. Similarily, he knows how to command his DAW as well. The Party features 5 tracks, all written and produced by Alé himself.

3. Nana Mendoza & Tony Glausi — Nuestro Amor

I first came across Tony Glausi on Instagram, where he posts videos of himself playing trumpet for 34,0000 followers. In addition to being a trumpeter though, he is also a songwriter and producer. For this project, he collaborated with Mexican R&B singer, Nana Mendoza to write some contemporary R&B bops!

4. Taylor Swift — Red (Taylor’s Version)

The long-awaited re-recording of Taylor Swift’s 2012 album, Red, is FINALLY here! This time around, she’s re-recorded and re-produced all of the songs, and also includes a few new ones (the 10-minute long version of “All Too Well” is a must-listen), and the album is INCREDIBLE. Not only do her vocals sound better, but she’s also developed so much as an artist over the past decade or so, and much of that is encapsulated in the new version of Red. Recently, Taylor has been re-recording many of her older albums in order to reclaim the master rights to her songs, which were originally owned by Big Machine Label Group, and later sold to Ithaca Holdings. By going back and re-recording the songs, she is not only reclaiming the rights to her songs but also setting a precedent for other artists and labels who try to screw artists over.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6kZ42qRrzov54LcAk4onW9?si=manKsgxqTw-XcewZvyEvOQ

5. Silk Sonic — An Evening With Silk Sonic

Silk Sonic is the name of the powerhouse collaboration between artist-producers, Anderson.Paak and Bruno Mars. This album allows you to experience the best of both worlds. With Anderson.Paak’s R&B beat programming and jazzy chord progressions, combined with the massive funk sound of Bruno Mars, every single song on An Evening With Silk Sonic is well-crafted. “After Last Night” features legendary vocalist, Bootsy Collins, and renowned jazz bassist, Thundercat. To have four incredible minds on one track can only mean great things. I’d even go as far as to say that this might be the best album of 2021.

https://open.spotify.com/album/0S0r2RFucaW9kVjBtcBOV1?si=S_oIWPejTQuQrhvMnHAhGg

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