As normal came back into view in 2021 — then seemed to slip away again — great songs arrived from places we could predict and places we never thought to look. Here are The Times music staff’s picks ...

While 2020 felt like the year that didn’t happen, 2021 has felt like the year that just… kinda did. As the calendar pages flipped by, we cautiously began searching for a semblance of a familiar life, ...

In Slate’s annual Music Club, Slate critic Carl Wilson emails about the year in music with fellow critics — featuring New York Times contributor Lindsay Zoladz, freelance writer Briana Younger, NPR ...

Think of the best songs of 2021 as a playlist catering to the most basic human urges. Within it, booties were called, muffins were buttered and... "Only here to sin." That admission from NPR Music's ...

The top country songs of November 2021 prove how you'd do well to grab a partner to notch a hit. Six of the Top 11 songs are collaborations and another is from a band. The No. 1 song on this month's ...

Isle of Wight, England duo Wet Leg released their debut single “Chaise Longue” via the Domino on June 15, 2021. It was written for fun in a single day by vocalist Rhian Teasdale while she was sitting ...

One of the best parts of TikTok is discovering catchy music, and there was plenty of it on the app in 2021. I mean, who didn’t hit “add to playlist” after repeatedly hearing hits by Paramore, Taylor ...

2021 was, to be sure, a wild year, but it also brought some solid country tunes to the airwaves. Whether you're into pop-country or a more traditional vibe, this year's biggest country hits run the ...

Sixty-six tracks that tell the story of the year: a posthumous political statement, a hyperpop star finding his footing, an emerging force’s debut smash and a superstar’s 10-minute redo. By Jon ...

"Only here to sin." That admission from NPR Music's song of the year lies at the heart of many of the stories told across these 100 tracks. Perhaps the crowning of Cardi and Megan's "WAP" last year ...

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It’s brutal out there, and that’s why, more than ever, we needed the consoling and prodding pleasures of popular music to help everything make sense in here. [Stage direction: taps chest, knowingly.] ...