Deep Cuts. An idea spurred by those countless playlist drifters, jumping from single to single, without investigating albums further. Here you'll find the five best 2021 songs discovered by Dozens Of Donuts in the previous month, not given exposure via the duty of lead single. The only condition I've imposed upon myself is that no artist can have more than one song.
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Poppy - Hysteria
Flux | Alternative Rock
Flux found Poppy narrowing down her key influences, parting with the purposefully-obtuse persona, cherishing the fusion of Pop and Rock instead. Unlike the other swift, gut-punch hits, 'Hysteria' incorporated a fair deal of psychedelia that bordered on Indie acts like Wolf Alice, Let's Eat Grandma, and even Beach House if Victoria LeGrand had pounded a Red Bull. It goes and goes and goes, building in ways that feel familiar to early 2000's Emo Punk. A genre that, when refined, has proven invaluable in the growth of many modern artists. Poppy is no exception. And though I'm rarely a fan of Screamo, Poppy's distanced incorporation of the act, during 'Hysteria's' maximalist climax, fits the bill.
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Parannoul - Love Migraine
Downfall Of The Neon Youth | Shoegaze
Though I've yet to understand the overwhelming praise, Parannoul's extremist take on Shoegaze - thrusting walls of sound over melancholic Emo whispers - has its merits. The consummate whole can be found on 'Love Migraine,' the finale to Downfall Of The Neon Youth. In it, Parannoul doesn't rush to the tympany unlike his other, agitated efforts. 'Love Migraine' builds with natural, pent-up gloominess. It doesn't all hit at once, but rather obfuscates outbursts with recurring moments that increase the restlessness until the top pops like a champagne cork. Beauty hides behind the grotesque, marring each half in ways only Shoegaze knows how.
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How 'Harmonia's Dream' wasn't a single is beyond me. It's designed, from the ground up, as one. Right from the get-go, War On Drugs' prioritized focus on synthesizers bounces like ping-pong balls through momentous rhythms. Adam Granduciel's committed Americana, surprisingly, matches like peanut butter and fluff to this new, accessible style. War On Drugs' anthemic progressive is forever present, much like the portrait of American ingenuity and industrialization they're so clearly moved by. By song's end, the starlit synthesizers cascade like a clarion call to the heavens. 'Harmonia's Dream' is ripe with vigor that never subsides.
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Petunia was dominated by two incredible cuts; 'Pass Away' and 'What Has Happened.' Listen to those singles first, as 'Falloff,' while still an admissible addition, doesn't live up to the majesty set by those towering predecessors. Still, it's vibe is undeniable, representing the best modern day Tonstartssbandht has on offer. Rolling pastures with gusts of wind disguised as nifty acoustics, shifting passages like seasons changing on a whim, and a Krautrock freakout that's irresistible to the touch. Here, the White brothers' fragile vocals shine over the massive Rock crunch that rips currents through 'Falloff's' final underbelly. A song whose gifts keep giving.
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Naturally, LP! took JPEGMAFIA's voracious sound in a litany of tugging directions. However, while his lyrics failed to advance to any meaningful territory, the quirks and nuance of Peggy's production techniques reached a masterful high. This was evidenced everywhere, but 'WHAT KINDA RAPPIN' IS THIS?'s' lush soundscape, that subliminally married the discordant Glitch present in his anxiety-ridden prose with a new, majestic river of psychedelia crescendoed to a disorienting head. It was sleek and anthemic, finding common ground in the advancement of Tyler, The Creator's Cherry Bomb experimentations. Military drums competed against farty bass and frazzled chipmunk vocals, all while a single verse commandeered the language and confidence forever present in JPEGMAFIA's music.
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