August 2021 saw the release of a number of long-awaited album drops from The Killers, Villagers, Liars, and Chvrches, among others.
You can also see our album reviews section to get full reviews and more select indie album releases.
*Roll over cover art to play Bandcamp embeds.
Fever Dreams (84)
Villagers
Released: August 20th
The latest full-length release for the Irish indie-folk band, Villagers, led by Conor O’Brien was mixed by David Wrench.
Uncut (80): At its best here, this produces minor masterpieces like the shimmering romance of “The First Day” or “Circles In The Firing Line,” a lithe and bristling combination of John Grant and John Misty.
American Songwriter (80): The title says it all, giving an impression of wistful repose and a genuinely soothing serenity that’s become Villagers’ signature style. ‘These Fever Dreams’ are well worth holding on to.
DIY Magazine (80): Here, the sonic experimentation finds his production and arrangements reaching the same imaginative heights. A thrilling and unpredictable addition to Villagers’ gleaming canon.
The Apple Drop (84)
Liars
Released: August 6th
Angus Andrew includes Cameron Deyell, Lawrence Pike, and his wife Mary Pearson Andrew for the Liars’ 10th full-length release.
Record Collector (100): The rockier songs have a vague whiff of Faith No More’s deepest cuts, or even the lurching noir-rock of Tomahawk. … On the poppier moments he flaunts his range more confidently than ever. There’s a lot to take in. … Few bands remain so interesting for so long. The adventure continues.
Dusted Magazine (80): Overall, this new chapter in Liars’ fascinating story is perhaps their most easily digestible for years, synthesizing many laudable qualities of different chapters of the band’s career.
Beats Per Minute (78): Everything here sounds tighter than before, with an emphasis on riffs and melody, allowing the experimental tendencies of Liars to take a step back for a moment. As a result, ‘The Apple Drop’ will likely be labeled their ‘pop’ album, and that’ll be a justified assessment.
Refuge
Devendra Banhart
Released: August 13th
The ambient release from Devendra Banhart and Noah Georgeson features contributions from Tyler Cash, Todd Dahlhoff, Jeremy Harris, Mary Lattimore, Nicole Lawrence, and David Ralicke.
Glide Magazine (80): The result leaves the listener the way the best ambient music does, comforted, beguiled, and refreshed, and when the disembodied voice finally chimes in on “Sky Burial” it’s just enough to pull the listener in for the final stretch.
Pitchfork (62): Though the album is staid and formulaic by design, it doesn’t always color inside the lines: It feels more like background music failing up than ambient music failing down.
Pressure Machine (80)
The Killers
Released:
The poems Brandon Flowers wrote about the small Utah town he grew up in were the basis for the Las Vegas rock band’s seventh full-length studio release that also features a guest appearance from Phoebe Bridgers.
The Line of Best Fit (90): They’ve created something cinematic, pragmatic, and above all, fantastically like nothing we’ve heard from them before.
New Musical Express (80): A deeply satisfying entry into their catalogue. It’s a homecoming of discreet intentions, not the pompous heroes return they’re likely used to – the modesty and subtlety suits them.
No Ripcord (70): The band’s blinkered aspiration to create a classic again produces an album that is enjoyable but hollow. In that way, at least, Pressure Machine is a Killers album just like any other.
Screen Violence (81)
Chvrches
Released: August 27, 2021
The fourth full-length release for the Scottish synth-pop trio features a guest appearance from Robert Smith.
AllMusic (90): Not only is ‘Screen Violence’ Chvrches’ finest work since ‘The Bones of What You Believe’, it’s also their most purposeful. It feels like they took stock of who they want to be and what they want to say, and these epic songs about letting go but holding onto the ability to feel make for a stunning creative rebirth.
Consequence (75): ‘Screen Violence’ contains cathartic moments, anthems in the dark, and they approach them with tact and enthusiasm
Paste Magazine (61): It simply does what CHVRCHES have always done, but it falls short of reaching the exciting thrills of their earlier work. Rather than distilling their sound into its most captivating components, Screen Violence retreads already well-trodden territory.
How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?
Big Red Machine
Released: August 27th
The second full-length release for the collaboration between Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner features guest appearances from Fleet Foxes, Lisa Hannigan, Ben Howard, Ilsey, La Force, Anaïs Mitchell, Naeem, Shara Nova, Taylor Swift, This Is The Kit, and Sharon Van Etten.
Spin (80): Though periodically unfocused, it mostly succeeds in not only championing the spirit of collaboration but also accentuating its guests’ artistic strengths. Throughout this record, Vernon and Dessner find joy in community.
The Guardian (60): The problem is that it occasionally sounds like Dessner and Vernon were simply enjoying themselves too much while assembling their friends’ work. The album lasts over an hour, and somehow feels even longer, perhaps because its tone never changes. There are tracks here that could have used an unsentimental edit.
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Draw Down The Moon (80)
Foxing
Released: August 6th
The fourth full-length release for the Connor Murphy-led trio was produced by Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra.
Exclaim (90): The band had already pushed well beyond their initial territory with Nearer My God. Draw Down the Moon transports them out of that world entirely and into a galaxy of their own.
Pitchfork (60): ‘Draw Down the Moon’ most often plays like a collection of Total Life Forever extended cuts, moments of thoughtful lateral thinking tacked onto the beginnings and endings of otherwise familiar indie rock songs.
Harmonizer
Ty Segall
Released: August 13th
The latest solo release for the Los Angeles-based rock artist was co-produced with Cooper Crain.
AllMusic (80): The songs jump from pounding metal excursions to tightly wound modern rock to synthy weirdness, each one ripping cleanly through the speakers with nary a ragged edge or stray shard of feedback. … Wrapped up tightly in slick modern clothes, they are something new. … Harmonizer is an exciting and intriguing addition to his bursting-at-the-seams discography.
Dusted Magazine (70): With ‘Harmonizer,’ Segall moves further out into his own personal weirdness, without compromising the red meat appeal of his rock aesthetic. It’s a neat trick, using different tools to make different sounds that, nonetheless, fit very squarely into his catalogue so far.
Into the Blue (77)
The Joy Formidable
Released: August 13th
The fifth full-length studio release for the Welsh alternative rock trio was recorded in Utah.
Glide Magazine (80): It is a multifaceted album of contrasts that melds pop hooks, rock guitars, and beautiful melodies in a way that crosses genres and tones and rewards careful listening.
The A.V. Club (67): It’s an undeniable return to early form, albeit with the clear sensibility of a band struggling to again find the magic in the formula.
