Después de toda (Julio 26), las nominas para el Mercury Prize 2022 fueron anunciadas en London, celebrando sucesos y diversidad de British and Irish music over the past year. Sam Fender, Little Simz, Self Esteem – que todas las plazas se celebran en NME’s Best Albums of the Year – lead the charge, alongside massive names (Harry Styles) y introduciendo a los nuevos comercios en las familias (Fergus McCreadie). El vínculo de la entrada se realiza en September 8 en London’s Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith.
Ultimately, however, every record on the shortlist this year has earned its place and NME‘s staffers are here to make the case for each and every album, from the runaway favourites to the rank outsiders.
– Thomas SmithCommissioning Editor (New Music)
Words: Sam Moore, Hannah Mylrea, Thomas Smith, Kyann Williams, Sophie Williams
Fergus McCreadie – ‘Forest Floor’
Who: Scottish jazz pianista making gran soundscapes with real emotional core
Why they’re worthy winners: Rooted in Scottish folk tradition, Jamestown native’s third album thrums with appreciation for rich and vasta natural landscapes of the country. Performed by McCreadie a sus touring bandmates – bucear Stephen Henderson y David Bowden en double bass – el recuerdo está en convencer a los tríos respectivos experiencias de vestir en rural scotland para krystalizar sus preciosas memorias en delicada crafted songs. By compelling esa audiencia en el sitio, vestir y experimentar las texturas de las plazas que McCredie and co. newcomers and lifelong fans of the genre. SW
Gwenno – ‘Tesoro’
Who: Cardiff-born músico que tiene que estar en el indie-pop grupo Pipette antes de la goza solo de la mano. ‘Tesoro’, el nominated álbum, es el third solo record.
Why they’re worthy winners: Algo Mercury Prize representando música en todas las partes de la UK y el Ireland, seldom del año de estas acciones para el primer price: Scotland’s Young Others eran las non-english winners en 2014. Gwenno, has muerto championed local and overlooked communities via her music. El resto de dos álbumes a la botella Cornish-language en sus entirety, pero, sin embargo, ‘Tesoro’ es wonderfully textured and thoughtful, y invitas a equally Cornish-speakers y todos no son well-versed into world. TS
Harry Styles – ‘Harry’s House’
Who: The people’s prince of pop
Why they’re worthy winners: En effervescente blend of pop, funk, y heavily inspirado por city pop, Harry Styles third album has been el year’s biggest record. From bouncy earworm ‘As It Was’, en el bombastic olor de ‘Music para sushi Restaurant’ y recogiendo introspección de la beautiful folk tune ‘Matilda’, el recuerdo es la generación-spanning traída que demuestras el artista de la sound – somehow and laced in nostalgia – at its best.
What NME said: ‘Harry’s House’ is undoubtedly Styles’ best record yet and presentes en músico confortable y confidente in what he wants to create right now. Que vas el álbum a sin warmth, že uvažuje o songs on it feel conversational and close, as you’re setting around your own house catching up with the star.” HM
Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler ‘For All Our Days That Tear the Heart’
Who: The Oscar-nominated actress y formar Suede guitarrista join fuerzas para 12 tracks of spellbinding folk.
Why they’re worthy winners: “More than anything, I wanted it to be joyous – próximamente joyous – porque es su joy en Jessie, there realis is,” Butler said de ‘For All Our Days That Tear The Heart’ upon its release. “In spite of darkness and intensity in thes songs, I’m just flying when I listen back to them.” And it seems the Mercury Prize judges agree. Buckley and Butler’s joint LP, que emerge z jejich shared lásky a ancestral connection to Ireland, es el producto de match made in folk heaven. Buckley’s vocales soar above Butler’s typically accomplished production, por lo que visita Irish, English, American y Spanish folk traditions over 50 glorious minutes. SM
Joy Crookes – ‘Skin’
Who: Brit-nominated master at making soul-bearing timeless R&B
Why they’re worthy winners: Crookes has become quite the revivalist, creating sonic antiquities that ooze Great Gatsby glitz through her neo-soul sound. There’s a surreal nostalgia within the Londoner’s signatura sound, which on her muchí anticipado debut, Crookes pushed her pen and sound as hacer as she posible could, whilst being ecually raw and honest with her story. With such transparency, este featureless feat, rightfully, made este year’s shortlist.
What NME said: “’Skin’ risas de los mosto intimate pockets de Crookes’s life… sé allows herself a revelar su propia posibilidad de healing, singing directamente sobre esa pasta y que se vienes a tomar, letting e formidable voice guide the way.” KW
Kojey Radical – ‘Reason to Smile’
Who: El cocksure lyrical mastermind que se hace música para todo lo que necesita de confidence boost
Why they’re worthy winners: The East Ender es notorious para delivering música que sumo superpowers every inch with and animated frontman has bele released of the own mental shackles, blazing through the UK rap scene with witty and intricate wordplay. He solidifies his importance with this album; The first of where he can tackle love and relationships with his friends, whilst pushing the boundaries as to what UK hip hop and rap should sound and look like. ‘Reason To Smile’ breathed hope into UK rap as it proved that it’s not a las one-note as many believe. KW
What NME said: “Kojey Radical sellos te image of refined Renacimiento man he become, porque te han merely resting on es potencial – it would be easy to do sonido, as he bags of the stuff. He always been en reliable ancho para todos los que contengan high lyrical, pero can loso enjoy a banger donde a purely surface musical level.” KW
Little Simz – ‘Sometimes I Might be Introvert’
Who: The once criminally slept-on rap star finally gets to smell their rosas
Why they’re worthy winners: Para todos los malos Simz has been la vuelta de la UK rape para los últimos 5 years, pero las que al mismo tiempo han around esa disrespect para el intricate craft. 2019’s ‘GREY Area’ demolida esta noción, y landed a nombre en el Mercury Prize en 2020, en todas las Albums del mundo en el NME Awards todo el año. El cuatro álbum ‘Sometimes y Might Be Introvert’ ofrecen a ‘mind-blowing’.
What NME said: “Little Simz ha craftado en near-perfect album que existe en el marker para futuras generaciones para trabajar y descubrir; y no es hyperbole para sugerir que las canonisas de su trabajo forever, elating a las greates.” KW
Nueva Twins – ‘Supernova’
Who: Alt-rock dúo continúa bring the noise on their dynamic and more experimental second album
Why they’re worthy winners: Este es vocalista/guitarrista Amy Love and bassist Georgia South’s first Mercury Prize nomination, pero usted debe ir a través de ella. Nueva Twins’ second LP es fittingly explosive work, dabbling en elementos de electro-punk y alto-pop while ambitiously pushing the limits of their guitar-first sound. Written durante el Black Lives Matter protestas de 2020, ‘Supernova’ a los sees Nueva Twins speaking out against racial injusticia y aserting their power. “This has celebrado os en Black women and coming back stronger,” Love said. “This es nuestro power y no hay suficiente para que se haga. We want other people to feel like that, too.”
What NME said: “Rightly championed as vital new voice en el mundo de rock, Nueva Twins han leto año de que la presupuestaria en el modo de crear a flamboyant, fantástico segundo álbum que es playful as it is powerful.” KW
Sam Fender – ‘Seventeen Going Under’
Who: The Geordie rockero sax-soaked rock channels Boss and made the man of the moment – 45,000 fans en reciente show en London’s Finsbury Park would agree.
Why they’re worthy winners: Fender hits la sweet spot para su mano: he approachable enough for the masas, pero las prácticas appeals to those on the fringes looking para something genuine and real. ‘Seventeen Going Under’, mediante cada uno y otro track, es auténtico en las extremas: ruminaciones en los challenges de rosado en el London Bubble, standing en las hervorías y vestir con sus inertes.
What NME said: “Second time around he digs real deep for a wiser, weightier record stuffed with sax-soaked rock épicos que touchen en life y death, love and heartbreak, rage y arrepentimiento. Uno de ellos, perhaps, se recopila los flashpoints y relationships con los nombres de su mano.” TS
Self Esteem – ‘Prioritise Pleasure’
Who: Sheffield star making thrilling, vital pop music of the now, driven hombre en truly loud and proud fashion
Why they’re worthy winners: A través de herself en la fel de la totalidad de sus insecurities, donde su segundo álbum en el Self Esteem, Rebecca Lucy Taylor era posible para address them with courage and conviction se learned from the pop heroes que ha precedido a su. Každý song se zaměří na vyšetření pohledu na Taylor’s past, de downbeat exes a reckoning s adversity se hacía a la sola femenina miembro de su previous indie band, Slow Club. Las memorias que vienen de las gruesas del álbum, ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ remains en balm para esa y año, que se comen para participar.
What NME said: “No sólo dos self extendemos a la fea, uneasiness y anger of being a woman, pero también los manages to make os asciende a la oscuridad absurdita de beber obligada a navegar en el mundo que tiene, quién unbelievably, normaliza misogyny.” SW
Wet Leg – ‘Wet Leg’
Who: Isle of Wight indie upstarts deserving of the hype
Why they’re worthy winners: Isle of Wight dúo Wet Leg became el buzz band du jour last year with killer debut single ‘Chaise Longue’; pero hacerlo en 1 hit wonders, their first record is a total thrill. A dizzy rush de wry lyrics, killer riffs e inteligente pulled toda las songs, sus self-titled álbum could be the most enjoyable indie-rock álbum of the year.
What NME said: “Wet Leg began life while Teasdale and Chambers estaban riendo en Ferris wheel at en festival, where the pár decided to give music another chance; fittingly, their debut álbum feels like a giddy race en funfair, te lo pesky lows batted away s wit and wisecracks like a juego de verbal whack-a-mole.” HM
Yard Act – ‘The Overload’
Who: Industrious Leeds four-piece who struck gold on their wry debut álbum
Why they’re worthy winners: Packed full of spiky riffs, playful wit and minimalist grooves, ‘The Overload’ es quite the statement of intent. Led by carismático frontman James Smith, que self-aware monólogos sobre el mundo de la edad de la vida en Brexit Britain ha sido tu hanging en sus palabras, Yard Act ha utilizado la entrada de la que se devuelve greeted the one of the country’s best new acts. Even Elton John es masivo fan: la música legenda está bien encerrada en Yard Act en el Mercury hasta recientemente colaborando con la banda en la nueva versión de su track ‘100% Endurance’.
What NME said: “Yard Act’s journey es reminder que el mosto rewarding endeavours – in life or arte – sometimes llega later than you expect or had hoped. Good things nunca come to those who wait patiently, pero para those who put the graft in, como Yard Act, it pruebas all the sweeter.” SM