THE PIT LONDON PRESENTS: TRACKS OF 2021
Despite the circumstances, 2021 has been a massive step forward for alternative music. We’ve had brilliant songs and visuals from many of our favourite artists. The Pit team have selected our top three tracks - here is what we came up with!
James’ picks (@jamsandwij)
Rasharn Powell & AB001 - Smithereens
Growing up chasing sunlight on a BMX, Rasharn Powell brings summer evening soul on ‘Smithereens’. It sits within the Londoner’s debut project Dusk & Dawn, which landed as soon as July began.
The track’s narrative juggles freedom and loss as Powell navigates a breakup in his youth, via a bit of a biking metaphor. He’s described ‘Smithereens’ as his “account of the unease of going through heartbreak, to how [he] felt once past it”.
Utterly lucious, producer AB001 passes throwback R&B through a funk filter and slows down the dials. Together with Rasharn Powell’s earnest vocals, the pair create a reflective tune with a breezy groove.
‘Flux’ is track two off of singer-songwriter Eleni Drake’s intimate album Can’t Stop The Dawn. Accompanied by her flipped electric guitar, Eleni Drake sings a melancholic melody reflecting on how she’s settling with what she’s learnt from past experiences.
There can be benefits to being alone and detouring from the plans you once had for your future. And though it might seem unfortunate, the things you want might not give you peace. Eleni Drake expresses all of this and more, with her delicate vocal harmonies accenting the sincere songwriting.
Alternative versions of three Can’t Stop The Dawn tracks have since been released, and having also collaborated with Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn this year, more growth is surely on its way for Eleni Drake.
KeepVibesNear & Kieron Boothe - M25
KeepVibesNear calls his sound Noir R&B for a reason. Moody yet impassioned, the East London vocalist lays it out for all to see on his EP Now That We Know.
His voice pricked up ears amidst the many talents of 2020’s The Silhouettes Project, and alongside fellow Melting Pot Music artist Kieron Boothe, ‘M25’ shifted down the gears of British R&B.
With production from Harvey Whyte, the tune is a laid-back love jam for those late night drives to your partner’s side. It’s an ode to the London Orbital that’s so smooth it almost makes the motorway seem pleasurable. Jump in.
Ben’s picks (@tibbitsben)
My top played song on Spotify for 2021. I just can’t get enough of Knucks. Arguably the king of alternative rap in the UK right now, there is no doubt that the West Londoner is one of the most technically proficient and lyrically creative spitters in the UK game.
There was a noticeable absence of solo releases from Knucks this year, with his penmanship mostly only bestowed onto us via a series of diverse and brilliant features (see ‘Summer is Blue’, ‘Bobby & Rowdy’ and ‘Standard’). However, we were graced with one solo offering from the man himself, and what an offering it was! Clocking in at just over ninety seconds, with only one verse, it seems barely comprehensibly that such a mere snippet of an artist could showcase so much. Yet it does. Knucks’ phrasing and rhyme scheme is impeccable, his charisma on the beat is unparalleled, and the Breaking Bad theme is a certified winner. For the life of me, I can’t understand why Knucks is not one of the biggest rappers in the country. Perhaps 2022 is the year in which he finally gets his flowers.
Rachel Chinouriri ft Hak Baker - November
In a year bulging with boundless cross gender and genre collaborations, it was incredibly difficult to pick one that stood out amongst the augmenting amalgamation of the UK alternative scenes. Pip Millett and Ghetts’ ‘Running’ is a show-stopping stunner, Kojey Radical and Lex Amor’s ‘War Outside’ is one of the most thought-provoking tracks of the year, and Pit favourites Bel Cobain and Danny Sanchez illustrated sonic connection at its fullest on ‘Lately’. For me though, it was Rachel Chinouriri’s inspired recruitment of East London crooner Hak Baker for ‘November’ that spellbound my ears into daily replays and late night pondering. Over an instrumental full of vibrancy and purpose, the two impress bountifully with their lyrical prowess and seamless chemistry, highlighting the power of duality in a compressed narrative. Long may the collabs continue!
Mac Miller is one of the greatest songwriters of his generation. This year, the late rapper’s critically acclaimed cult 2013 mixtape ‘Faces’ received a much-welcomed remaster. A project that shaped Miller’s career, there has seldom been a body of work as strikingly honest and musically eclectic as the tape. The final of the twenty five tracks is a bonus, and was the only previously unheard offering released alongside the revamped collection of classics. ‘Yeah’ marks a surprising stylistic turn from much of the tapes ambient, inwardly gazing alternative rap, instead unveiling a side to Mac that was unfortunately scarcely explored in any of his later albums. This is one of the most cinematic, dramatic, emotionally potent and perceptive tracks I’ve heard in some time. I don’t even want to describe this one, just experience it for yourself and cherish Mac’s genius - I certainly do.
Jay’s picks (@jaymfullarton)
A standout from this year's excellent ‘TYRON’, ‘i tried’ is the first track of the second half of the LP, and it’s a fantastic contrast to the eerie, grimy style of the first half, catapulting it into a more melodic, gorgeous soundscape. The story behind the track’s sample is very upsetting, it borrows from Trey Gruber’s ‘I Tried’, who died of a heroin overdose at age 26 in 2017. It definitely adds a darker layer to the song, contrasting the upbeat instrumental with lyrics like ‘I tried to die (the pain won’t die), I tried to take my life (and you caught me with a smile)’, and finishing with lyrics seemingly referencing his addiction; ‘I’ve got a sickness, and I’m dealin’ with it, it feels like I’m sinking, all of the time’.
After a turbulent and excruciating wait for Kanye West’s ‘Donda’, we finally got it, just as everyone was losing hope. One of the highlights is definitely ‘Off The Grid’, boasting features from Playboi Carti and Fivio Foreign, who delivers my favourite verse of the year. It’s hard not to get excited as soon as you hear the beat transition into a Drill section with its stuttering hi-hats and pitch-shifting 808s, because you know Fivio Foreign is about to lay down one of the most unexpected, ruthless verses for two minutes straight, with lyrics like ‘and I’ma always catch a hard shiver, I know it’s demons in that dark liquor’, and ‘I’m feeling marvellous, who let the monster loose?, they call me a product of my environment, I tell them ‘nah I’m what god produced’’. The production on this track is immaculate, but Fivio is the real star of the show.
Madlib – Road Of The Lonely Ones
This track reminds me of cold winter nights, and now it’s nearing that again it’s probably time to give the whole album another spin. That album being Madlib’s ‘Sound Ancestors’, a fantastic, overlooked LP from this year, with ‘Road Of The Lonely Ones’ being one of the best tracks, and a true highlight from this year. The classic, dusty soul sample gives the track a warm, bittersweet tone, it’s beautiful from start to finish. More importantly, it’s a crossover with two legends in their respective genres, Madlib and Four Tet, who helped arrange the entire album, constructing Madlib’s loops, ideas, and experiments into fleshed out songs. It’s such an important collaboration that flew way too under the radar, give this track a spin now.
Lewis’ picks (@lxdoob)
Black Country, New Road – Sunglasses
A tasteful rework of a revolutionary movement in the post-punk scene. Fusing ‘low’ culture with high-brow metaphors, Isaac Wood is becoming one of the most proficient UK lyricists in the scene. Whether you prefer the structured remake or the raw energy of the original, there is no escaping this track’s crushing momentum.
ELSAS is an artist who incorporates heavenly harps and angelic vocal layering into her compositions to a point where no-one can touch her artistic integrity. The patient progression of this track is addicting and awe-inspiring. The attention to detail in music theory goes way above my head, but I can recognise pioneers when I see one.
Himera & Instupendo – Faint
The artificial composers Himera and Instupendo team up to create one of the most unique fusions of electronic music and passion this year. The grainy, soft vocals of Instupendo reverberate around a graceful armada of synth to generate a soundscape akin to a lost pop song centuries from now. The stripped-back nature exemplifies the raw emotion within the track; it feels like a message to an unknown long-distance partner within a mystical cyberspace.
Jimi’s picks (@jimidakilla)
A song that is difficult not to like, EST Gee demonstrates his signature combination of his husky voice and raw, up-tempoed trap instrumentals. What stands out for me the most is how he uses his accent to captivate us listeners and filtering in some great one-liners which are fit for all sorts of Instagram captions.
Huge banger. Definitely agree with old, die-hard Trap fans that say this is the best representation of his early days. The way the production compliments his tone, delivery, and content is 10/10 stuff, a really good year for him and this was definitely a stand-out moment for his career.
Dom’s picks (@domtavlor)
The Alchemist, Earl Sweatshirt & Navy Blue - Noble
In hip-hop, reunions and collaborations rarely feel very fulfilling. There’s always something unorganic about it - you’re left thinking that something other than the music has driven this forward. Whether it’s Kanye performing with Drake, or the recent crop of posthumous albums that feature artists the deceased never met.
Hearing ‘Noble’ was like watching the sun briefly cut through the clouds. It’s just over a minute long, but somehow, it says everything about the warmth and resilience of Earl and Navy’s relationship as close friends and fellow artists. The Alchemist lays the bright yet brooding foundations for a poetic back-and-forth between the two, marking a landmark moment amongst a string of important records coming from Al’s Santa Monica studio.
I, like many others, love Isaiah Rashad because he has the ability to speak on something in the smoothest way possible. He polishes lyrics that are heavy with angst and concern until they’re an earworm simultaneously fit for a late-night drive or an early morning walk.
‘RIP Young’ is soaked in soul. A type of drowsy soul that can pair a Project Pat sample with a 70s keyboard loop and make it the perfect backdrop for Isaiah to whisper about shining every chance he gets. So, when he says, ‘ain’t nothing but a good day, don’t die’, you can tell he really cares.
Mach-Hommy - The 26th Letter
In 2016, on the album HBO, Mach-Hommy told the listener he “need(s) a python trench coat man”. The half a decade since has seen Mach on a run which rivals almost anyone else, so much so that he started selling some of his albums for over a grand. It was a realisation of self-worth that you can hear most on the opener of 2021’s Pray for Haiti, ‘The 26th Letter’.
The instrumental sees a collection of old horns pulsate throughout, never piercing the surface. It’s almost as if they’re scared to blare louder than Mach-Hommy and Westside Gunn’s voice. It’s haunting and full of the self-assured one-liners Mach and Gunn are known for. You can tell he not only knows what he wants, but he knows how to get it, saying - “Mach-Hommy is an icon - end quote, this gon’ be the year i get my python trench coat.”
Alfred’s picks (alfredbk1)
This was my first introduction to Canadian Skiifall. They are known as our cousin and you can really hear it in their music. From Drake to Tre Mission, you can hear the impact. When listening to ‘Bentayga Dust’ you can definitely hear the evolution of this sound. Since this song, he has gone on to release many bangers and pop over to the UK to shell the stage.
Enny x Odeal - Bernie Mac
This has been an amazing year for both artists. Their catalogues may not be as long as their peers, but what they lack in quantity, they more than make up for in quality. This is a strong contender for midnight song this year with a glass of curvosier.
Tion Wayne x Russ - Body Remix
This song bangs, 10/10!