Are These The Best Aussie Albums Of 2021?

The complete list of nominated albums for the 2021 Australian Music Prize has been revealed.

Narrowed down from more than 450 eligible Australian albums released this year via a diverse judging panel of industry experts, 110 titles (listed below) are now vying for the 17th annual cash prize of $30K, courtesy of independent merch company Soundmerch.

Aussie muso and AMP judge Abbe May said: “It’s such an extraordinary opportunity to hear the vast expression of Australian album making talent.

“I am always so excited by the capacity for Australian artists to not only create world-class music but to achieve this consistently in the powerful and difficult form of an Album - it is not an easy accomplishment and yet so many Australian artists have made some of the world’s best albums this year.”

The shortlist, which will contain nine albums, will be revealed in late January, and it’s been confirmed that funding has been raised via EMI, Virgin and Island to guarantee that the final artists are not out-of-pocket by attending the winner announcement event in Melbourne on March 3.

“Over most of the AMP years, if an artist has told me that they can’t attend the main event as they simply can’t afford it, I’ve been able to help them out – however, with the craziness of the past couple of years AMP funding hasn’t been able to do so,” AMP Founder/Director Scott Murphy said.

“To now have additional funds which are dedicated to those artists is such a relief!” 

The Avalanches took out the 2020 Australian Music Prize with We Will Always Love You, joining previous winners Sampa The Great, AB Original, Gurrumul, Courtney Barnett, The Jezabels and more.

THE 17TH AMP NOMINATED ALBUMS

Allday – Drinking With My Smoking Friends

Amends – Tales Of Love, Loss, and Outlaws

Amyl and The Sniffers – Comfort To Me

Australian Art Orchestra - Hand To Earth

B Wise – Jamie

Bad Bangs – Character Building

Baker Boy – Gela

Courtney Barnett - Things Take Time, Take Time

Big Scary – Daisy

Billy Davis – This Is What's Important

The Black Sorrows – Saint Georges Road

Bliss n Eso – The Sun

Bones and Jones – Ginger Gold (Farm Singles)

Bored Shorts – Way Off!

Katie Brianna – This Way Or Some Other

Lachlan Bryan & The Wildes – As Long As It's Not Us

Candy – A Pull To Heal

Troy Cassar-Daley – The World Today

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Carnage

Sarah Mary Chadwick – Me & Ennui Are Friends, Baby

Charm of Finches – Wonderful Oblivion

Belle Chen – Late Night Sessions: New Dawn

Chet Faker – Hotel Surrender

Children Collide – Time Itself

Civic – Future Forecast

Client Liaison – Divine Intervention

Comets – Rain Faces

Cool Sounds – Bystander

Cosmic Psychos – Mountain of Piss

Deuce – Deuce

Emma Donovan & The Putbacks – Under These Streets

Ryan Downey – A Ton Of Colours

Dseeva – Pressure Makes Diamonds

DZ Deathrays – Positive Rising: Part 2

Kutcha Edwards – Circling

Ruby Fields – Been Doin' It For A Bit

Tori Forsyth – Provlépseis

Good Morning – Barnyard

The Goon Sax – Mirror II

Grigoryan Brothers – This Is Us: A Musical Reflection of Australia

Grinding Eyes – Taste The Monochrome

Harpooner – In Two Minds

Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant

Holy Holy – Hello My Beautiful World

HTRK – Rhinestones

IJALE – OTTN (On to the Next)

Illy – The Space Between

Indigo Sparke – Echo

Izy – Irene

Jarryd James – P.M.

Jazzparty – Nobody Gets Away

June Jones – Leafcutter

Jonnine – Blue Hills

The Jungle Giants – Love Sign

Steve Kilbey & The Winged Heels – The Hall of Counterfeits

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – L.W.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Butterfly 3000

Kucka – Wrestling

Ajak Kwai – Let Me Grow My Wings

Jack Ladder – Hijack!

LANKS – Spirits Pt. 2

LIARS – The Apple Drop

Jess Locke – Don't Ask Yourself Why

Luca Brasi – Everything Is Tenuous

Maple Glider – To Enjoy Is The Only Thing

Martha Marlow – Medicine Man

Mere Women – Romantic Notions

Merpire – Simulation Ride

Middle Kids – Today We're The Greatest

Mista Monk - Inkswel – Muti

Mitch Dillon's Compulsive Ramblers – Mitch Dillon's Compulsive Ramblers

Mod Con – Modern Condition

The Murlocs – Bittersweet Demons

Ngaiire – 3

Mike Noga – Open Fire

Odette – Herald

Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth

The Paper Kites – Roses

Parvyn – Sa

Perfect Moment - Kangourou

Tex Perkins & The Fat Rubber Band – Tex Perkins & The Fat Rubber Band

Pond - 9

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets – SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound

Jordan Rakei – What We Call Life

Gretta Ray – Begin To Look Around

REMI – Fried

The Rubens – 0202

Rüfüs Du Sol – Surrender

Emma Russack & Lachlan Denton – Something Is Going To Change Tomorrow, Today. What Will You Do? What Will You Say?

Saint Surly & Dyl Thomas – Twelve (Hundred)

Heather Shannon – Midnight Sun

Tim Shiel – Distractions One

J.P. Shilo – Jubjoté

Shining Bird – Deadlands

Skydeck – Coupon

Alice Skye – I Feel Better But I Don't Feel Good

Sleep D x Ad Lib Collective – Flashed Glass

Snowy Band – Alternate Endings

Julia Stone – Sixty Summers

Liz Stringer – First Time Really Feeling

Tash Sultana – Terra Firma

Sam Teskey – Cycles

Time For Dreams – Life Of The Inhabitant

Tora – A Force Majeure

Tropical Fuck Storm – Deep States

Vika & Linda – The Wait

Bob Weatherall / Halfway / William Barton – Restless Dream

Marcus Whale – The Hunger

You Am I – The Lives Of Others

Gretta Ziller – Judas Tree