2021 UNDERGROUND HOT 100
by Steven Logan
01. “I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES”
Backxwash feat. ada rook
A monster of a lead single, all snarling rage and adrenaline from Montreal metal rapper Backxwash and a blown-out inner monologue hook from Ada Rook. The track was a new lyrical high for Backxwash, zooming out from the personal to the global historical and mixing in horror elements to chilling, exhilarating effect.
02. “PUNK ROCK BOYFRIEND”
MACY RODMAN FEAT. SHAMIR
With heartbeat drums and the opening lyrics “Driving in your car/Pretend to know a song I've never heard before”, Macy Rodman and Shamir basically made a cool kid’s “Teenage Dream” - but about breaking into the mall to steal Adderall instead of going to the beach in skinny jeans, Rodman’s vocal performance perfectly captures the crush-struck energy of the track.
03. “CY”
CLOSEGOOD
“CY” is a triumphant roar of a return for California duo Closegood, a standout single from their second full-length THOTFORM. This shit-talker’s symphony pours a nimble, piercing synth line over a rumbling bass, with instantly classic lyrical one-two punches like “I just got my cervix scraped/Bitch I’m metal from my head to cunt you can’t relate”.
04. “BIMBOFICATION”
JAYE NAIMA
2021 was undeniably the year of the bimbo, and Raleigh rapper Jaye Naima set the tone immediately. She raps about “demon time”, reality TV style confessionals, and OnlyFans over a simple beat that nonetheless shows off the best of her energetic style. “I ain’t no airhead but I be like ‘Oh my gosh!’” kills me every time.
05. “GIRLBOSS”
GIRL_IRL FEAT. GOZLING & ZHONE
Girl_IRL really stood up at the board meeting and pounded on the table with this one. “Girlboss” is a wildly catchy club anthem that features a dizzy, robotic verse from Gozling that would be a standout on it’s own…anyway, pay them immediately! Corporate feminism has never sounded so deliriously fun.
06. “POTENT”
CHLOE HOTLINE
Cincinnati’s Chloe Hotline rarely hits you over the hit with one huge hook - instead, every part of the song is a new catchy melody. “Potent” stands out from her sizable 2021 output with a marching beat, vaporous vocal samples and an evocative central concept. “Potent” is featured on Chloe’s 2021 album +NYSTYNCT with nine other examples of her seemingly effortless pop hip-hop.
07. “BED HEAD”
GOD SAVE THE CLUB KIDS
“How long has this been on your mind?” “I don’t know, I don’t know, lately”. The debut single from God Save the Club Kids starts as a whisper, a pensive pillow talk, before exploding into an anthem, a living fantasy. Grey’s soaring, earnest vocals take the song from great to unforgettable.
08. “HARD”
MICHETE
Michete is always worth the wait. Seattle’s resident woman in her late twenties continues to deliver the closest thing the underground has to event singles, following up last year’s “Back of the Truck” with “Hard” - a blistering yet somehow beautifully empathetic takedown of a narcissistic “stupid fucking man child” over a pounding, sex-club house beat.
09. “GLOOMIE SHROOMIES”
TAYLAR ELIZZA BETH FEAT. RAVE HOLLY
“Gloomie Shroomies” might be the overall strangest song I heard this year, a neo-hippie dream featuring a zonked out vocal from Seattle rapper Taylar Elizza Beth about all the drugs on rotation plus and a sleepy stoner verse from Rave Holly about alien spaceships and forming their own government. TEB for President!
10. “SIR”
JAWN HOUSTON
The best of San Antonio’s Jawn Houston shines through on “SiR”, built over a chaotic, stuttering electronic beat that mirrors the mindset of someone head-over-heels in lust. The track takes a welcome swerve to camp in the bridge, with the lyrics: “My liege, bring me down to my knees/Shove that sword right into me”.
11. “GUESS WHO”
CHAV
The enigmatic and intergalactic Chav returned to Earth in 2021 to deliver their Totally EP, led by the club ready single “Guess Who”, a wild ride anchored by the extremely beltable hook: “I DO WHAT I WANT”. Don’t get too comfortable, though - the song will shift your attention multiple times throughout.
12. “HEATHEN”
LAUREN AUDER
Lauren Auder unleashes the tempest within on “Heathen”, the lead single from her 5 Songs for the Dysphoric EP. What begins as a contemplative, almost regretful song - “In the river I was born, they should have made this clear” - morphs into a declaration that the storm has come and Auder has reclaimed some agency in the center of it - “To be sincere, I’ve made this clear”.
13. “METALLIC”
QUINTON BARNES
There isn’t a bad song on Quinton Barnes’ album As a Motherfucker but Metallic stands out for its transition from a gloomy pensive opener that picks up as Barnes builds themself up mentally, steeling their confidence: “At least I got hits”.
14. “GAY AGENDA”
SHAMIR
Much internet ink has already been spilled about the sociopolitical dimension to the lyrics for “Gay Agenda” and its follow-up single “Cisgender”, but the pair of singles from Shamir’s upcoming EIGHTH studio album Heterosexual also prove that they’re at the height of their power when it comes to wrapping eagworms in scuzzy grunge-pop production.
15. “STFU”
SAILEM
Sailem breathes fire on this single from their 2021 project The Sailem Witch Trials, chanting on the hook that they’re a big deal - and daring you to disagree. Being under their spell might be dangerous, but it sounds like a hell of a party.
16. “ON ME”
LASSAI
“Let’s get out in the club/Been cooped up in the crib all day”. At less than 2 minutes runtime, Lassai’s Chicago house-sampling “On Me” perfectly captures that very brief, shining moment in 2021 where we thought the pandemic might be over and we would be able to go back to living our pre-Covid, debaucherous life full-time.
17. “PUKE”
CORY LINER
Don’t lie to Louisville rocker chick Cory Liner, she’ll know. And she won’t hesitate to write a four-and-a-half minute post-post-grunge torch song all about it.
18. “LIKE ME TOO”
DOCX FEAT. GRIZZY MACK
This soft danceable collab between Madison’s DocX and Chicago’s Grizzy Mack is the perfect tease - it comes and goes so quickly, leaving you wanting more of the mournful melodies that flow over both the verse and chorus.
19. “BULLET TRAIN”
PIZZAGIRL
The UK’s Pizzagirl opens his propulsive, dream pop breakup single with a graphic image: “My heart exploded there on the bullet train, I know”. The rest of the truck is just as captivating, with very specific lyrics (“You kissed your plastic surgeon with lips I know he’s working on”) and immersive production.
20. “FWM”
TEYANA ROYAL
“Can’t Fwm” is an exciting level-up for Louisiana’s Teyana Royal. She raps and sings, bringing a fresh spin on classic braggadocious lyrics on an overblown, bass-heavy beat.
See the full list and listen to the Spotify playlist below.
Backxwash feat. Ada Rook “I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES”
Macy Rodman feat. Shamir “Punk Rock Boyfriend”
closegood “CY”
Jaye Naima “Bimbofication”
girl_irl feat. Gozling & Zhone “girlboss”
Chloe Hotline “Potent”
God Save the Club Kids “Bed Head”
Michete “Hard”
Taylar Elizza Beth feat. Rave Holly “Gloomie Shroomies”
Jawn Houston “SiR”
CHAV “Guess Who”
Lauren Auder “Heathen”
Quinton Barnes “Metallic”
Shamir “Gay Agenda”
Sailem “STFU”
Lassai “on me”
Cory Liner “Puke”
Docx feat. Grizzy Mack “Like Me Too”
pizzagirl “bullet train”
Teyana Royal “Can’t Fwm”
ZLUTZ feat. Himera “777”
Asbestos Lead Asbestos “Heart Attack”
KC Ortiz “Beat Beat Beat”
Donatachi “buttons”
Liz Lawrence “Where the Bodies are Buried”
Manchado “Dicen”
Vamsi “See Through”
Kit Major “Solo Disco”
Jaye Naima “Face & Body”
Superknova “Goals_”
Michael Medrano “i don’t wanna talk about love”
Liska “Na Na Na Na”
Cakes da Killa feat. Proper Villains “What’s the Word”
Emily Blue “7 Minutes”
Forget Basement “Angel”
Tommy Bravos “Kassandra”
Willie Thee Bawdy feat. Shilow “Big Fine Bitch”
Diamond White “Digitally Yours”
PeaNut “Happy”
Pom Pom Squad “Head Cheerleader”
SPIDER “I’M FINE! I’M GOOD! I’M PERFECT!”
Jackie Simons “If Only Fear Could Be a Job”
Chloe Hotline “Incognito Mode”
Foxgluvv “Lemon!”
Teyana Royal feat. Jaye Naima “Push It”
Jack Rua feat. Kit Major “Vacuum”
Quinton Barnes “Arouse”
Ian Isiah “SEE YOU”
Chippy Nonstop feat. dj genderfluid “Breaking Your Heart”
Jake Germain “COME OVER”
Nexus J feat. Glitter Moneyyy “Cum Ovr”
Drebae “Facetime”
BUZZ “FTN”
Vetta Borne “Girls”
TommieTee “I Don’t Wanna”
SADBOYMUSIC “jovian”
SXMSON “L2LY”
Pom Pom Squad “Lux”
Tommy Bravos “Magic Rush”
Berry Galazka feat. Girli & Suzi Wu “Man Can’t Hang - Remix”
Siena Liggins “No Valet”
$WAGGOT feat, Kokayna “Tastemaker”
Sevenths feat. Gabriel Aaron “Polite”
Jaye Naima “Pu$$y Stuntin’”
Moistbreezy “H2O”
Taylar Elizza Beth “Siq as Fuq”
Shamir & Esther Rose “Songs Remain”
IXXF feat. CHAV “Tired AF”
Chippy Nonstop “Bubble Up”
Vze feat. Lez Pop “CAKE - REDUX”
$WAGGOT “Red Circles”
Codi Smith “can’t remember”
That Kid “Cobra”
ZLUTZ feat. Vascha “Conscious and Earthbound”
Chloe Hotline “Michigan”
BabyAngel69 “Cruel Intentions”
Davy Boi “GET TO KNOW ME”
Saturnultra feat. Lil Kintexx, Saturnultra, SKAHPXINT & zombae “GOOD LUCK!”
Angel-Ho “Liberation”
Cory Liner “Visas”
Janghoon “overload”
Macy Rodman “Rock ‘n’ roll Gay Guy”
Avereaux feat. GodIsMikey “Smash Bros”
Nina Tech “Supastar”
Jay Americana “The Fever”
Taylor Gray “Wait for It”
Djor “6040”
Dvnots “Acrophobia”
Malldate “b ur girl”
Parker Lennon feat. BabiBoi “Different Face”
GESS feat. SXMSON “Dignity”
GodIsMikey “FEELINGS”
TWINKIDS “Hate Myself Around You”
Zeke Forever feat. Oseph Parks “wonderland”
Vze feat. Nitrah Neon “WHIP”
Tabby Wakes “Lost”
Ripparachie “Like Dem”
Rosie Borden feat. Vze “D.L.”
Marcus Saint “Milkshake”
Stas THEE Boss feat. Nappy Nina “Pandemy Stimmy”