Bop Shop 2021 Favorites: Songs From Dawn Richard, Wet Leg, IU, And More

Bop Shop 2021 Favorites: Songs From Dawn Richard, Wet Leg, IU, And More




The search for the ever-elusive "bop" is tough. Playlists and streaming-service suggestions can only do so much. They often leave a lingering question: Are these songs really good, or are they just new?


Enter Bop Shop, a hand-picked selection of songs from the MTV News team. This weekly collection doesn't discriminate by genre and can add anything — it's a snapshot of what's on our minds and what sounds good. We'll keep it fresh with the latest music, although expect a couple of oldies however goodies) every once in a while, also. And to close out 2021, we've rounded up some of our preference bops from the year, just as we did with the 2021 albums you might've missed.


Get ready: The final Bop Shop of 2021 is currently open for business.





  • Dawn Richard: "Bussifame"



    As soon as Dawn Richard returned this year with "Bussifame," the multi-talented artist used it to present the future. Across her latest album, Second Line, hallmarks from hew New Orleans upbringing (like the album's title itself) combine with spaced-out R&B, funk, and glimmering grooves. The action comes with each other beautifully on "Bussifame," a shapeshifting celebration that obliterates genre entirely. Earlier this year, Richard told MTV News of her hope that Second Line would "open a floodgate so that any time whenever you ask the next artists under me who were their inspirations, they can name more than one token Black artist as an inspiration to them in a genre that isn't hip-hop or R&B." —Patrick Hosken






  • Wet Leg: "Chaise Longue"



    At this point, "Chaise Longue" is basically a meme. It's easy to be able to see why: a song so effortlessly catchy with bright hooks and deadpan Mean Girls lyrical references that it's tailor-made for the repeat button. Thank the rather playful and canny British duo of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, who release music as Wet Leg. For now, they've released four songs ahead of their self-titled 2022 debut LP. The perfect these is, needless to say, the delightful sprinkle of indie-rock sugar that is "Chaise Longue." Immediately after listening to it so several times, there's only one question left to ask: Would you like us to assign someone to butter your muffin? —Patrick Hosken






  • IU: “Lilac”



    Either you spent the entirety of 2021 streaming “Lilac,” or you’re very, very lame. Because the title track from IU’s critically acclaimed fifth album, “Lilac” served as a nostalgic and whimsical introduction to the K-pop superstar’s new era, which soundtracked several of our respective years. With its bright and airy synths, heavy rhythm guitar, and disco pop-inspired melody, the refreshing track breathed new life into a grim year. Featuring accompanying lyrics that bid farewell to the past and supply hope for a higher class of future, IU inspires fans to look forward with positivity and optimism — a brilliant message to convey this year. In “Lilac,” IU may have asked us to “love [her] only 'til this spring,” yet I have a feeling we’ll be loving her for much, much longer than that. —Sarina Bhutani






  • Muni Long: “Hrs and Hrs”



    Singer-songwriter Muni Long’s latest track “Hrs and Hrs” has ruled the world wide web for the past week and is setting a cozy new common for cuffing season. Garnering praise from the likes of Doja Cat and Halle Berry and spawning a remix from August Alsina and countless compilation videos from fans touting the couple objectives the song’s lyrics hint at, the song has each person online in the mood for love. “Yours, mine, ours / I might do this for hours / Sit and converse with you for hours,” she croons. “When you do what you do I’m empowered / You give me a super power / With each other the world would be ours.” Given Long’s writing credits for Rihanna, Mariah Carey, and Fifth Harmony, it’s no wonder the song is a smash. If this is a glimpse of what’s in store from her in the new year, 2022 is already looking promising. —Virginia Lowman






  • Coheed and Cambria: “Shoulders”



    It’s been nearly 20 years since their debut album, The Second Stage Turbine Blade, nevertheless Coheed and Cambria are still finding ways to excite their ever-growing fanbase, as we saw with this year’s release of “Shoulders.” The track, a continuation of the longest-running concept story in music, masterfully pairs heavy metal-infused riffs with sweeping, melodic vocals in a way that only Coheed can. For the music video, the progressive rockers deliver a powerful efficiency as mysterious, masked figures emerge and remove their masks one-by-one to reveal the people underneath. “As a musical group, we’ve routinely been a little bit outdoors of the mainstream and that’s helped keep us true to ourselves,” the order mentioned in a statement. “As people, it’s crucial concentrate on your strengths and who you are, and not try also hard for acceptance. Each person is special and has their own unique contributions and that’s what the video represents.” —Farah Zermane






  • Michelle: "Syncopate"



    "Syncopate," by six-piece New York songwriting collective Michelle, sounds immediate and timeless. Because the sort gear up to drop their majorly leveled-up second album, After Dinner We Talk Dreams, in January, they're spreading the message far and wide. And "Syncopate," with its gentle swagger and undeniable dance-pop sensibility, is the message. Unlike their soul-baring slow burner "Mess U Made," the two-minute "Syncopate" doesn't have a millisecond to spare, cramming in hooks and harmonies from its four vocalists (Emma, Sofia, Layla, and Jamee) and producers (Charlie and Julian). It's mildly nostalgic and totally suited for a bedroom dance party — both make it utterly 2021. —Patrick Hosken






  • Maisie Peters: “I’m Trying (Not Friends)”



    This deceptively chipper cut from English indie-pop singer Maisie Peters packs the categorize kind of oh-so-relatable punch only a solid breakup bop can. Try as she may, Peters can’t bring herself to swallow her pride once she encounters her ex-boyfriend in public. “Not companions / No, we’re somewhere in between / ‘Cause you’re awful and I miss you / And I killed you in my dream last night,” she sings over a clapped-out beat and dainty guitar flourishes. Between Peters’s lilting vocals and airtight songwriting, it’s damn near impossible to decline hitting repeat. And hey, if “at least I’m trying” isn’t a brilliant summary of 2021, then I don’t know what is. —Sam Manzella






  • Claud: “Soft Spot”



    Claud unleashed the “gay shit” on their first full-length album, Super Monster, back in February, however this especially soft cut has stayed close to mind while in the cold winter months. An extremely earnest declaration of feelings for a lover long gone, the song and its strumming and slow-thumping chorus is bedroom pop at its finest. “I wish I left all my things at your place / So I might come get them,” they sing, imagining a dream scenario where “we’d do things we may regret,” before resolving that perhaps it’s a hatchet better left unearthed. Still, its dreamy chorus reminds us that a soft spot in the heart stays soft. —Carson Mlnarik






  • CKay: “Love Nwantiti”



    You can’t scroll through TikTok or Instagram without coming across Nigerian artist CKay’s tropical hit “Love Nwantiti.” With 100 million weekly streams, the Afrobeats song is the earworm we’re all playing and dancing to on a loop. And while the passion tale CKay sings of — the sort of love that makes your “temperature rise,” that familiar feeling of someone being “like the oxygen I need to survive” — isn’t new, the introduction of a African dialect into mainstream American pop culture is, and it’s a welcome one. “Love Nwantiti” is Igbo and loosely translates to “small love.” During the song, CKay weaves in other Igbo words and Nigerian cultural staples like “Nkwobi,” which he gets cheeky with lyrically. Hip-hop, pop, and reggaeton all draw inspiration from Afrobeats; music keeps it up and continues to be our gateway to exploring and strengthening our own sense of “love nwantiti” for new cultures. —Virginia Lowman






  • Tkay Maidza: “Cashmere”



    Australian singer-songwriter Tkay Maidza confronts her deepest thoughts alongside smooth hip-hop and soulful synth stylings on her EP Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3, however no track better describes her dualities than “Cashmere.” A heavenly chorus precedes a bopping beat, highlighting the Zimbabwe-born singer’s velvety voice as she admits she’s both soft and tough — like cashmere — in the midst of a spiraling relationship. And what its dreamy and vibrant video lacks in sweaters, it takes up for in bold artsy vision and wildfire spirit. —Carson Mlnarik






  • Vincint: “All Over Again”



    If there was one album that I played on repeat and danced to with reckless abandon, it was Vincint’s There Will Be Tears. A master of heartbreak pop, Vincint has a uncanny ability to layer weak lyrics over a uptempo beat and yield a song that is both resemble plus a cheerleader in your most emotional hours. Though I didn’t experience a breakup this year, spending per year indoor in 2020 certainly put a lot about life and love into perspective, and as this year comes to a close and another few months of quarantine are likely on the horizon, who isn’t questioning what they wish to “do over again” and do better this time around? —Virginia Lowman






  • Flock of Dimes: "Price of Blue"



    one of the big lead-guitar lines of 2021 is thankfully attached to one of the year's best songs, period. Both the ascending ax work and the tune construction come from Jenn Wasner, half of indie stalwart categorize Wye Oak and Bon Iver member who records solo as Flock of Dimes. Her wraithlike vocals make "Price of Blue" instantly memorable, however her work with producer/Sylvan Esso talent Nick Sanborn to prepare layers and build upon a skeleton of scuzzy guitar noise transforms it. Thanks to a deceptive chord progression, the song keeps climbing higher like a freed balloon up until it's totally out of view. Six as well as one half minutes feel like a blink. As soon as you open your mind again, Wasner has quieted — nevertheless "Price of Blue," and the rest of her good album Head of Roses, will linger well into 2022. —Patrick Hosken






  • Drinking Gentlemen and Ladies Choir: “There Is No Spring”



    Any time Korean skate-punk musical group Drinking Gentlemen and Ladies Choir returned this year with Marriage License, they simply had no time to waste. The fantastic and urgent LP crams 11 songs into 22 minutes, exploding out of the gate while still managing a couple of wistful and even borderline progressive moments. The ideal song on it, "There Is No Spring," combines all those concepts in a sneak-attack single that means how much they've matured since 2019's identically kick-ass Keep Drinking. The promise of their future is potent enough to get drunk on. —Patrick Hosken













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