Top row, left to right: Youth Lagoon, African Head Charge, Fred again..; Bottom row, left to right: This Is The Kit, dodie performing at the Tiny Desk Courtesy of the artists hide caption
Dodie
dodie performs a Tiny Desk concert. Credit: Bob Boilen/NPR hide caption
Top row, left to right: Vieux Farka Touré, Hermanos Gutiérrez, dodie; Bottom row, left to right: Young Jesus, Spring Summer, Plains Courtesy of the artists hide caption
Projects released by Blu DeTiger, girl in red, Normani and Draco Rosa are among the NPR Music staff's favorite songs and albums that didn't make our final best-of lists for 2021. Photo Illustration by Renee Klahr/NPR; Getty Images hide caption
Clockwise from upper left: girl in red, Bachelor, Arlo Parks, dodie, Paris Texas Courtesy of the artists hide caption
The Essex singer Dodie. Her debut full-length, Build A Problem, tops our shortlist of the best new albums out on May 7. Parri Thomas/Courtesy of the artist hide caption