Before we head full swing into 2022, we run down our personal ranking of the best Singaporean albums and EPs worth celebrating from 2021.
Whatever we thought was terrible about 2020, 2021… didn’t do much to change. With a pandemic that doesn’t seem to end, and ever-changing signals from the powers above and nations around us, the light at the end of the tunnel still seems distant for the music and live spaces so precious to us.
But it wasn’t all darkness here at Big Duck. For one, we marked our long-awaited return to the live space with our collaborative show at Baybeats, which featured Ihasamic x Wovensound, deførmed and Don Aaron. And the reason why that happened, of course, was because of the quality of our music that’s remained, with Singapore’s musical landscape continuing to evolve with exciting voices: with the pandemic continuing to hamper down live shows, we’ve seen a greater share of electronic music this year, with irresistible slices of Italo disco (KAYE) and compilations by familiar faces (Syndicate). In the pop world, there were returning sophomores (Shye), electropop showcases (Jasmine Sokko), to groovy sensuality (Slodown). There were also our fair share of bands, serving up flavors from ethereal dreampop haze (FERS) to throwback indie rock (Beach Things). And of course, stopping just short of longer releases, we were also blessed with memorable singles - some of which were odes to literal singles (deførmed).
Heading into the new year, we’re back here to share our favourite releases that have wowed us across the Singaporean musical spectrum in 2021, from pop-friendly grooves to left-field noise abstractions. There’s heart, soul, and a lot of creativity in here - music is still fighting the good fight. - JX Soo
Listen to these albums by clicking on their respective album art.
Contributing writers: JX Soo, Elly Lau, Isaac Chiew, Oto Sequeira
Honourable Mentions
viticz
re_build
Electronic
An early career highlight from teen beatmaker Viticz, Re_build traverses fractured glitchscapes and net-obsessed Japanese hip-hop styles to create a statement that glows with exhausted interiority. Enlisting features from Japanese compatriots Lil Chill, Tyrrer and yxki, the EP’s fluorescent cuts of auto-tuned melodies and noise (“Swimmy”) come hand in hand with inversions via cavernous sound design (“Submerged”) - its whole forming a personal triumph over burnout and exhaustion. - JX Soo
Highlights: “Swimmy”
The Oddfellows
What’s Yours and Mine
Indie rock
Singapore’s original indie rock luminaries The Oddfellows return after almost 30 years with What’s Yours and Mine, an album that stays true to their signature 90s-indebted college rock with newfound vigour and determination. Recorded and put together over the pandemic, the band flips the script to present life-affirming tracks that choose to see the good in even the direst of circumstances. From previously unrecorded cuts reinvigorated from their repertoire over the years (“You Calm Me Down”, “The Song You Said I’d Never Write”) to gripping new numbers like the anthemic “New Future” and soaring “Silent Worlds”, The Odds prove that age is just a number. - Isaac Chiew
Highlights: “Silent Worlds”
ila
naik angin
Experimental electronic
A set of exhilaratingly spiritual compositions from multidisciplinary artist ila cooked up via Microkorg and Vulca Drums, naik angin’s minimal beatscapes manage to conjure a spellbinding nervous tension, shifting gears from squelching backbeats to kraut-like pulses. Even with its sonic primacy, it never forgets to lead to a joyous joget. - By JX Soo
Highlights: “hiruk pikuk”
Read our original review of the record here.
Blush
Blush
Shoegaze
The overwhelming comment that accompanied Blush’s initial single “Best Friend” was that we’ve kind of heard this before. After all, with members from by now Singaporean indie rock staples like Cosmic Child, Sobs and Hauste, the polish that accompanied its the quartet’s noise pop hooks and Drop Nineteens-like guitar work came as no surprise. But pleasantly breaking those expectations entering their EP was finding the newly minted quartet embracing the dirt - there, Blush shined with cathartic bliss, whether it be via cavernous doomer slowcore a la Have a Nice Life (“Suck”), or hushed deliveries over muscular shoegaze punch (“Come Clean”). As much as these folks kickstarted the dream pop renaissance in Singapore, the island largely still lacks actual shoegaze that brings the noise - so it’s good to hear them kick in the fuzz. - JX Soo
Highlights: “Come Clean”
Saints Among Sinners
Y/OURS
Indie rock
Indie rock ensemble Saints Amongst Sinners finally came through with their debut full-length, Y/OURS, a colorful, multifaceted effort grounded in both the group’s unity and ambition. While at times taking missteps (“Mattgnawlia”’s lo-fi foray), the Saints reap rewarding results from the record’s diverse palette, shifting gears between dreampop-smeared propulsion (“Bitter Truths”) to confidently laid back grooves (“Lover’s Dream”). On lush standout “Ikhlas”, they find a perfect balance between texture and energy - as vocalists Day and Mateen intertwine, the septet shows that all’s well in the family. - JX Soo
Highlights: “Ikhlas”
20
Kotoji
Scribbles of the First
Indie rock
Full of blossoming power pop sincerity, Kotoji’s debut full-length shines with visions of teenage years never spent at a corner Tower Records joint, presenting 2000s-adjacent memories flowing between listening booths wedged between racks of J-rock CDs and timelessly wide-eyed romances, polaroids and broken hearts. Whether it be Mitski-like melancholia finding homes in massive hooks (“Please Don’t Do It”), tasteful tributes to Spitz-colored days of yore (“Caving In”), crisp jangle pop (“For Now, We Are Good”), or harmonies reminiscent of Japanese contemporaries like Regal Lily (“Spring Street Honeybee”), Kotoji packs her poignant debut with a sense of bildungsroman yearning that remains ever-appealing - even with production decisions brickwalled just like the past. - JX Soo
Highlights: “Spring Street Honeybee”, “Caving In”
19
Chriskris
Wishful Thinking
R&B
Inspired by confessions of adolescent love, Chriskris’ debut album Wishful Thinking is marked by infectious vocal melodies, lushly layered harmonies, and hard-hitting 808s. Teaming up with producer Lowkeii, the rapper cooks up impassioned love songs that draw from an inspired blend of hip-hop, R&B, and soul. Of note are memorable hooks of tracks such as the bossa nova-inspired “INFATUATED” and synth-led “SHE’S MINE”, as well as the heart rending honesty of trap head-bopper “AGAIN” and neo-soul stirrer “LEAD ME ON”. - Isaac Chiew
Highlights: “INFATUATED”
18
Riko and Su
Ember Girl
Electronic
On Ember Girl, Riko and Su put you in a trance with music that flickers and glows. Mirroring the algorithm-generated chill playlists that haunt every corner of the Internet, the husband-and-wife duo’s debut EP is structured as a seamless mix of atmospheric house, where shifting modes of temporality and light coalesce in just over 24 minutes. At once kinetic and contemplative, Riko and Su deliver the thrill and intimacy of a bedroom solo rave—the perfect balm for late-night ennui. - Elly Lau
Highlights: “Ember Girl”
17
Electrico
Left of the Century
Indie rock
With 25 years of musicianship under their belt, Electrico made an unanticipated comeback with Left of the Century, an EP with a set of four fresh tracks appealing to fans both old and new. Preceded by their B-Sides live album recorded at the Pasir Panjang Power station, the four-track release marries Electrico’s signature early 2000s alt-rock with melodies and motifs inspired by the changing face of modern indie pop, and a greater embrace of synthesizers and experimental production techniques. The result is a record notably more atmospheric and ethereal than their anthem-heavy earlier works, like “Love In New Wave” and their 2009 National Day classic, “What Do You See?”. For those looking to explore the world of Singapore’s foundational indie scene, the record stands as a nostalgic and dreamy return. - Oto Sequeira
Highlights: “Fire in the Sky”
16
Ferng
The Non-Essential Funpack
Minimal techno
On Ferng’s cheekily-titled three-track salvo of minimal techno, its grids find bedfellows with hypnotic loops, thumping kicks, and cheeky samples, as the anonymous producer’s evolving rhythms gradually morph into barn-burners worthy of warehouse raves in an imagined timeline. Yet underneath the rave-induced fun, the titles of these beats carry a dark humor. Mirroring the national handouts and absurd politics that its title lampoons (“East Coast Plan”, “The Battle For Aljunied”), the kinetic yet hyper-clinical facade Ferng brings to the EP’s rave-worthy fun asks a biting question: what true fun can you be if you’re meaningless and non-essential? - JX Soo
Highlights: “Jessica Talking Cock”, “The Battle For Aljunied”
15
Halal Sol
Dijamin
Deep house
The six tracks on Halal Sol’s debut EP Dijamin alone feel like enough deep house goodness to run an entire night’s party on the dancefloor. The EP steadily accelerates at every turn with an addictive momentum, right from the get go with hard-hitting opener “Don’t Feel The Bass” all the way through to the sliding bounce of Kaye’s “Hearing Deficit” remix. Highlights include “Rotund”, which builds steady hi-hats and woozy synths up into an ecstatic thump engulfed in all-encompassing arpeggiators, and “Rushin”, an rhythmic and atmospheric trip aided by Darker Than Wax contemporary Bongomann. Club doors may remain closed, but Dijamin is a shimmer of light that suggests that the party is far from over. - Isaac Chiew
Highlights: “Rushin - Bongomann Re-rush”, “Rotund”
14
Terrible People
Home, In A Way
Emo
Shedding the scrappiness of their predecessors Smoking Man and Like Clean Air, ragtag emo prophets Terrible People pack in their third record enough emotional gut punches to cause hemorrhages of heartbreak more than eight times over. Aided by a powerfully clear mix, muffled sonics no longer hinder their strongest suits, crafting songs that overflow with catharsis on all fronts - 17 minutes of poignantly earnest melodies paired with pounding hooks (“Every Day”), all while their honest examinations of self-doubt and exhaustion pair themselves with stark, spaced-out foils of beauty (“Juniper”, “Slow Blinking”). Sure, some cuts have that downer Weezer energy going (“The Movies”), but listening to their weary maturity on the record’s glowing highlights and urgent anthems (“Courage”), you can’t help rooting for the underdogs. On “Derby,” they convincingly encapsulate themselves: “We’ll get them next year, win every game, home and away” - as far as Terrible People have done, Home, In A Way is their greatest win. Even when they never hit a grand slam, a home run’s a home run - glorious all the same. - JX Soo
Highlights: “Every Day”, “Derby”, “Courage”
13
MZA
Balmoral
Electronic
An ode to his experiences growing up in both Singapore and Japan, MZA’s debut EP Balmoral is a vibey mish-mash of hip-hop, downtempo, house, ambient, and drum ‘n’ bass that combines to explore the cyclical nature of life. Drawing from masters past such as Nujabes and DJ Krush, the producer flexes his diverse musical versatility and impressive beatmaking chops over the EP’s short runtime. Be it the hazy beatwork of Toshinori Kondo tribute “Morning Salutations”, the propulsive drum ‘n’ bass of its title track, or the jazzy hip-hop breakbeats of “Sunset”, Balmoral’s tracks are imbued with an undeniably hypnotizing allure. - Isaac Chiew
Highlights: “Balmoral”, “Sunset”
Read our original review of the record here.
12
TENTANG LANGIT
Tinjau Belukar
Folk
Stripping down the former abrasion of his former bands like Lubricant, Anxious Living and Stellarium, singer-songwriter Tentang Langit embraces tender reinvention on his debut LP - and he comes out of the tunnel with something magnificently life-affirming. A heart-rending document of urban life put in form through sincere Malay folk, Tinjau Belukar drips with powerful beauty in every mode, whether it be fingerpicked indie rock strokes (“Merah Tanda Marabahaya”), delicate piano and synth flourishes (“Tuhan Metropolis”) or even shuffling bluegrass-esque rhythms (“Langgam Marhaen”). Binding everything is the raw affectations of lived experience, of which his magnificent voice carries and harmonises with soul (“Kembara”). The urban blues never cease to be relevant, and for that cause, Tinjau Belukar is keeping the Singaporean folk torch well, well alive. - JX Soo
Highlights: “Langgam Marhaen“, “Kembara Di Jalanan”, “Merah Tanda Marabahaya”
11
Steve McQueens
The Observer
Neo-soul
“Any groove experienced is purely intentional,” the Steve McQueens proclaim on their biography - and on their fifth album The Observer, that statement rings more true than ever. With their work holding tasteful restraint in tow, all with unsurpassed maturity and cohesion, the neo-soul staples channel effortless grooves that thrive alongside concentrated, focused melodies, elevating both their signature playful twists and refined songcraft alike - moving from gentle balladry (‘Beginning’) and lush romanticism (“Mila Ascending”) to delightfully inquisitive odes to attention (“Eye”). They’re even a tad self-observational: “Do you like jazz?” asks vocalist Eugenia Yip on “Blue Spicy Pumpkin” - when the full-on chops showcase finally comes about on the final odd-timed fusion bonanza “15/16”, it all feels worth it. - JX Soo
Highlights: “Mila Ascending”, “Eye”
10
Planeswalker
Entity
Progressive electronic / ambient
A furthering of Planeswalker’s 2020 work Perihelion, the solo project from sound artist / ambient producer Mervin Wong terrified with Entity, a murky sonic journey to oceanic depths below. Tracing a sonic submersion dense with manipulated strings, melancholic synth work, and menacing intensity, Entity’s pulsating masses of sound (“Entity”) seemed to craft an sepulchral tale of sinking doom - only for glimmers of hope to reemerge, as one miraculously returns to the surface (“Return”), washing back on Wong’s shores. - JX Soo
Highlights: “Entity”, “Return”
9
LMBO
lmbo
IDM
Rendered in exquisite granular detail, the anonymous veneer behind the moniker LMBO served up a slice of nocturnal IDM full of transportive sound design and stunning stylistic creativity. On some cuts, wonky beat patterns balance between panning planes of manipulated glitchwork, while on others, rumbling subbass takes hold, conjuring tides of pixeled emotion. But the true jawdropper remains its final track, ‘In Orbit’ - as gated synths morph into a otherworldly wash of sublime kicks and spectral sonics. When the track, and EP descends onto its landing pad, a peculiar levitative bliss washes over LMBO’s sonic plane, leaving you to ponder where the hell this incredible sonic universe came from. At just under 15 minutes, the anonymous producer’s ridiculously immersive debut is easily one of the year’s most stunning and surprising highlights - supreme night music for dreamed digital dimensions. - By JX Soo
Highlights: “In Orbit”
8
lewloh
michigan/missinghim
Folk pop
Pop culture is obsessed with the devastation of first love, but no one really talks about how second loves can be just as—if not even more—crushing. That’s what Lewis Loh sought to chronicle on his elegiac sophomore album, where he maps a geography of heartbreak across the winters of Michigan. Departing from the pop rock sounds of 2017’s Lullacry, Loh leans in on fingerpicked guitars and hushed double-tracked vocals, tracing the contours of loss through Swiftian vignettes that bleed with small-town sensibilities: “One time/Under the old pine/We said there’d be a house one day.” Throughout michigan/missinghim, Loh tends to emotional wounds with a gentle touch; the music cradles deep swells of regret and yearning, memorialising absence itself. - by Elly Lau
Highlights: “Terminal”, “Summer Boy”, “One Time”
7
Cayenne
Cayenne
Hyperpop
Released just before the turn of the new year, Celine Autumn’s Cayenne alias turned heads with a pioneering venture into hyperpop worlds. Though normally renowned as the vocalist for dream pop outfit Sobs, the EP was a maximalist and infectious record that toys with mid-2000s pop tropes - the perfect soundtrack for fever dreams and solo bedroom raves. Together with her bandmate Jared Lim, they juxtapose twinkly synth arpeggiations and dance-inducing syncopated chords with pulsating noise-influenced distorted basslines in vein of producers like Arca and SOPHIE - creating a release deliriously happy as it is innovative. - Oto Sequeira
Highlights: “Drivin’ Away”
6
Carpet Golf
Not As Good A Fisherman As Brock Lesnar Is A Man
Emo
Uniting members from Subsonic Eye, Charm and the Neptune Waves, Carpet Golf’s debut strikes with an explosive tale of friendship and madness - an innovative addition to the emo-revival landscape laden with structurally dynamic pieces, peppered with addictive math rock-influenced riffs condensed into powerful minute-length songs. From their shared instrumental chemistry, to the numerous tongue-in-cheek inside jokes that color the brief LP’s lyrics, the supergroup’s shared camaraderie is evident - making Carpet Golf’s depictions of nostalgia and joviality riotously infectious. - Oto Sequeira
Highlights: “Brock Lesnar”, “Jimmy”
5
BGourd / Beansprouts
Veggie Wraps, Vol. 3
Experimental hip-hop
BGourd, Singapore’s most creative and enigmatic rapper, kicked the year off with a seven-track journey into his unconventional mind and approaches to hip-hop. A collaboration between the vegetal rapper and his brother in arms/producer Beansprouts, the dynamic duo dip into modes reminiscent of artists such as Death Grips, Flying Lotus and JPEGMAFIA to deliver a fast-finishing and highly diverse set of tracks, ranking among his discography’s best. Featuring a wide variety of influences hailing from, hip-hop, punk rock and experimental music’s left-field corners, Vol.3’s flurry of jazz chords, choral vocals, odd time signatures and harsh noise altogether morph into a semi-ironic autobiographical account of his life and upbringing. - Oto Sequeira
Highlights: “Robbing Breath”, “Virtual Machine”
Read our interview with BGourd and Beansprouts on VW3 here.
4
Jorud
jorud music
Experimental electronic
2021 has undoubtedly been a productive year for Jared Lim, otherwise known as the resident shapeshifter of the Singaporean underground. For someone who straddles the realms of indie rock and avant-pop, it’s wholly unsurprising that he would be churning out experimental releases on the side. Like most of Lim’s previous work under the jorud alias, jorud music retreats to the sort of digital obscurity that Extremely Online producers often cloak themselves in, indulging in shitposting energy and gibberish titles. This cheekiness translates into the music, especially when Lim goes full pop: take the bubblegum gloss of “Spin” or the wobbly buoyancy of “Yeh”; you can tell the jorud persona is all about having fun. There are also mellower moments scattered throughout, from the melancholic sprinkles of acoustic guitar on “A” to the soft hum of ambient drones that open “Noooo”. But these production choices never distract from Lim’s ethos of playfulness, and all seven tracks are just as danceable as they are abstract. jorud music is as chameleonic as the man himself, a manifesto for what Singaporean experimental could sound like. - Elly Lau
Highlights: “Crusty”, “A”
3
Don Aaron
FREEDOM?
Synthpop
Despite unabashedly wearing heavy ‘80s and vaporwave influences on his sleeve, Don Aaron always looks forward on his sophomore full-length FREEDOM? – balancing his reverence for a nostalgic sound and massive hooks (be it on its title track or lead single “ITS UR BODY”) with experimental textures and unconventional song structures that constantly keeps one on their toes (namely instrumental tracks “TRANQUIL LISA” and “ESCAPE FROM GRAPHICITY”). Aaron’s virtuosic guitar chops also shine through as he rips through tasteful solos on tracks like earworm “UUUU” or soaring closer “WE SEE THE GAMMA”. FREEDOM? is a love letter to the music of decades past, and proof that even by heavily looking back, one can pave the way for new and exciting sonic possibilities. - Isaac Chiew
Highlights: “ESCAPE FROM GRAPHICITY”
2
mary sue
To Those Foreign Nights, I Love You
Experimental hip-hop
Experimental rapper Mary Sue has had a busy year. Since dropping his debut EP GREY NOISE in 2020, Sue has made standout appearances on a slew of forward-thinking hip-hop projects (BGourd’s Veggie Wraps, Vol. 4, Chef Chung’s BALANCE, Kingayeo’s ARMOR KING), all while dropping fresh singles alongside a trilogy of impressive EPs, including the zine-accompanied ANOTHER TIME, and METAMORPH, produced by Virginia producer and common collaborator, TRISTANTHEEND. But of the trilogy, the earliest, to those foreign nights, I love you remains the most captivating and artistically complete of the rapper’s extensive 2021 repertoire, an immersive fever dream into somnambulic darkness. Birthed from insomnia-stricken nights and featuring Fauxe on additional production, Sue’s versatility and fondness for the abstract are immediately apparent – “still” sets the mood with hazy chopped-and-screwed samples, while “for u” mesmerizes with loops and “ornament” brings powerful bars to understated soul samples. Elsewhere, Sue sings in a stunningly emotional performance on standout tracks “been here before” and “seen this before”, mirror images of each other with heavily overdriven and modulated vocals that drip with vulnerability, topping off a haunting sonic image that lingers into the wee hours. If creativity and vision are the measure of a great rapper, Mary Sue may very well be Singapore’s best. - Isaac Chiew
Highlights: “Still”, “Seen This Before”
1
Subsonic Eye
Nature of Things
Indie rock
Bravely embracing reinvention and a poignant kinship with nature, Singaporean noise rock stalwarts Subsonic Eye’s third LP Nature of Things is nothing short of masterful - with its glowing warmth and effortless brilliancy worthy of classic status. A sharp turn from the lo-fi bedroom charm of 2017’s Strawberry Feels and its shoegaze-tinged sequel Dive Into, the band reinvigorate their sound with clarity and immediacy, embracing a more direct approach drawing from ‘90s indie rock, jangle pop, and even hints of midwest emo. Taking inspiration from time spent hiking, fishing, and cycling together on the sunny shores of Pulau Ubin, the band explore their place in the world and understanding of nature with playful abandon, while also coming to grips with its bleakness with newfound maturity.
That exploration is powerfully delivered by Nature of Things’ impeccably tight and concise songwriting, elevated and made possible by their undeniable chemistry lovingly nurtured over their six years together as a band. Daniel Borces and Jared Lim’s open tunings and tastefully overdriven guitars synergise perfectly in tuneful riffage, balanced with bassist Spencer Tan’s muscular grooves with graceful restraint. Drummer Lucas Tee holds together the whole in top form, bringing an emotive and exhilarating edge to Nature of Things’ songcraft with effortless clockwork-like precision. It’s in this context singer Nur Wahidah finally shines - with her cautiously optimistic lyricism and confident delivery complimenting this fresh, driving sound with a youthful introspection that makes for her best set of vocal performances yet.
The results are high points that feel timelessly replayable: be it the memorable hooks of “Cabin Fever”, the unrelenting propulsion of fan-favourite “Fruitcake”, or the idiosyncratic charm of penultimate track “Kaka the Cat”. But no matter its mode, the album’s thematic exploration of its core subject matter - nature - is never one-sided, ranging from a deep appreciation for its accompanying bliss (“Animinimism”, “Further”) all the way to environmental existential dread (“Consumer Blues”, “Unearth”). A landmark release in every sense of the word, Nature Of Things is an affirming testimony of a band that has found new life by embracing the growth of both their own and their inhabited worlds - staying always grounded, yet never jaded, Subsonic Eye have built their defining indie rock statement. - By Isaac Chiew
Highlights: “Fruitcake”, “Spiral”, “Kaka the Cat”