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The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2021

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Without a shadow of a doubt, more new Irish music has flown into our inboxes over the last 12 months than any year since we launched back in 2013. As we low-key stressed out on a shared Google doc to compile our annual end-of-year lists, it got us wondering: was it all happenstance or, you know, a direct result of [gestures wildly] all the shite that’s been going on?

We can’t say for sure but the latter definitely checks out. Whether for release, distraction, or escape – stemming from time freed-up or inspiration en masse – artists from every corner of the island have far from faltered in the face of worldly doom. And we’re not one bit surprised. Last year was much the same and, no matter how things look come December 2022, we’re excessively confident we’re set for another year of genre-spanning, forward-pushing greatness.

Over the next few days, we hope to illustrate just how good we’ve had it in 2021. Ahead of the Top 100 Irish Releases of the Year at the start of next week, here’s our Top 100 Irish tracks of the year.

100. [Indistinct Chatter] – Essential Services

99. Beauty Sleep – Go

98. Let’s Set Sail – Toledo

97. Invaderband – Handcuffed Man Shoots Himself

96. Nylophone – Shy One

95. Boyfrens – Kiss Dance Sweat Move

94. Rory Nellis – Strange Behaviour

93. Niamh Regan – Happy Again

92. Ships – Ode to the Ward

91. Aonair feat. Caoi De Barra – Think Twice

90. Rosa Zajac & Daragh Lynch – The Burning of Auchindoun

89. Chris Con – Around She Goes

88. Wynona Bleach – Aubergines

87. Robin Olly James – Red Tor

86. Kyoto Love Hotel – Saithnín

85. étáin – bone house

84. Daithí – An Irish Goodbye

83. Ciaran Lavery – I Love The Inevitability of Death

82. HAVVK – Automatic

81. Joshua Burnside & Laura Quirke – Far Away The Hills Are Green

80. Clara Tracey – Soap Girls

79. Neil Brogan – New Development

78. F.R.U.I.T.Y. – U.P.S.

77. NUXSENSE – Pendulum

76. Jackie Beverly – Temporary State

75. Lilac – Remember, No Regrets

74. it’s just Cat – baby blue.

73. Sprints – Modern Job

72. Vivamagnolia – 990 Miles

71. The Disco Participation Matrix – High Rise [Kevin Blake Remix]

70. Zizou – After It’s Done

69. Cobra Truth – DUSST

68. Smoothboi Ezra – Stuck

67. Hannah Peel – Emergence in Nature

66. NewDad – Slowly

65. Loner Deluxe – Tin Foil Hat

64. Laurie Shaw – Bargain Hunt

63. Acid Granny – I Love The Brits and I Love The Queen

62. This Ship Argo – Hum

61. Tolü Makay – Aye

60. Erica Cody – Queen

59. Slomatics – Kaān

58. Skinner – Beer Me, Jim

57. Shaun O’Connor & Alan Daniel Tobin – The Consequences of Breaking The
Heart

56. Cherym – Gone Girl

55. Elaine Mai feat. MayKay – No Forever

54. Ordnance Survey – Vico Road, July 1984

Ordnance Survey – Vico Road, July 1984 from Gavin O’Brien on Vimeo.

53. David Holmes – Hope Is The Last Thing To Die

52. Fixity – [Do The] Bits and Pieces

51. Maria Kelly – Martha

50. Soda Blonde – Holy Roses

49. Celaviedmai feat. Alan McKee – Upset

48. April – Piece Of Me

47. Saint Sister feat. Lisa Hannigan – The Place That I Work I Am You

46. Sun Collective – Ogham Scars

45. Soulé – Queenish

44. AILSHA – FBOY

43. Lighght – there are parts of my soul i don’t dare speak

42. New Pagans – Christian Boys

41. Kynsy – Mr Nice Guy

40. Pixie Cut Rhythm Orchestra – I didn’t love you when I said I did and I don’t now

39. Bobbi Arlo – Fever Thoughts

38. Katie Kim & Seán Mac Erlaine – Empire One

37. Maria Somerville – Seabird

36. God Knows feat. Senita – Glory

35. Just Mustard – I Am You

34. Frog of Earth – OY SEH UM

33. Sinéad O’Brien – Girlkind

32. Tuath – That Looks Like A Good Spot For Some Luxury Apartments

31. nimf – The Faery Sea

30. Stella – you are here

29. windings – The Ground

28. Æ MAK – New Friend

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27. Myles Manley – Shiteshow

26. The Bonk – Ten Thousand Steps

25. Kineograph – PacketCity

24. An Cárthach – Arbatax

23. For Those I Love – I Have a Love

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22. Gaze Is Ghost – Wild Geese

21. Sorbet feat. Maija Sofia – I Heard His Scythe

20. Murli feat. Gemma Dunleavy – Odyssey

19. CMAT – No More Virgos

18. Brigid Mae Power – Mother In The Sky

17. Meljoann – Overtime

16. Denise Chaila – ANSEO feat. Jafaris

15. Whozyerman? – Why What?


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14. Arthur Itis – Am I Dancing?

13. Strange Boy – Waiting

12. Pretty Happy – Sudocream

11. piglet – mill

10. Documenta – Silverwood

9. Jack Name & Aoife Nessa Frances – Watching The Willows Burn

8. Eimear Reidy & Natalia Beylis – They Rustle And Blink In The Hawthorn

7. Silverbacks – Wear My Medals

6. Cormorant Tree Oh – Zip Issues

5. John Francis Flynn – My Son Tim

4. M(h)aol – Asking For It

3. Kojaque – Town’s Dead


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2. The Altered Hours – Thistle

1. Mícheál Keating & Brendan McInerney – It’s Still There