Most Wanted New Music Releases of 2021

The Discogs Community is always looking to discover new music. Sometimes you’re listening to a classic album for the first time and, other times, you’re keeping up with the latest releases. Looking back on 2021, there were quite a few new albums and EPs that music lovers really coveted.

The following list of the hottest new music has been determined by the number of 2021 releases that were added to Discogs users’ Wantlists throughout the year. Reissues have been filtered out and the list has been limited to 20 entries to cut down on the amount of duplicate albums. (In this case, duplicates are different pressings of the same album.)

It would be impossible to look back at the year and not mention notable pop artists. Two pressings of Lana Del Rey’s Blue Banisters with different covers and vinyl colors both made the list, as well as “blue marble” and “orange marble” versions of Lorde’s Solar Power.

The collaboration between Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, and The London Symphony Orchestra also wound up on the list twice with a U.S. and a European pressing. The same goes for the two variants of the Dee Gees’ (aka Foo Fighters’) Record Store Day release that landed in the top 10.

Additional entries include eclectic picks such as Taylor Swift, Madlib, and Turnstile. Seeing a pop phenomenon, hip-hop legend, and modern hardcore band all end up in the top 20 is another testament to the diverse tastes of the Discogs Community.

Since the list was capped at 20, Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour is only included once. However, four different vinyl variants can be found in the top 100 most wanted new releases. Currently, Sour is the third most wanted album of 2021 among the Discogs Community. This is quite the achievement, especially because Sour is Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album.

Although they didn’t make the list, it’s worth noting the 2021 reissues that the Community wanted this year. Two reissues of One Direction albums were among the top 10 most wanted, with a translucent green pressing of Up All Night claiming the number one spot. The unprecedented success of this debut album led to dozens of CD versions, but this is the first time the album has been pressed on vinyl. Recent reissues of multiple Lady Gaga and Metallica albums were also among the top 50 most wanted in 2021.

About the data: In order to prepare this list in time for a year-end review, the Wantlist data reflects January 1, 2021, through November 30, 2021.