HEALTH's John Famiglietti tells us about his 10 favorite albums of 2021
Noise pop/industrial greats HEALTH are gearing up for their second collabs album, DISCO4 :: PART II, which features their recent tracks with Nine Inch Nails and Poppy, and 2021 also saw them collaborating with Deftones’ Chino Moreno on a song from the Dark Nights: Death Metal soundtrack. With the year coming to a close, we asked the band what their favorite albums of 2021 were, and bass/electronics player John Famiglietti made us a top 10 which includes Knocked Loose, Full of Hell, Backxwash, Gatecreeper, Gojira, Perturbator, Youth Code x King Yosef, and more. He also wrote commentary on each pick, and you can read on for his full list…
1. SIERRA x MATTEO TURA – “INNER SPEECH” / SIERRA – “TRAPPED”
This isn’t an album but a double single but I really wanted to shout out my favorite new artist I just discovered this year, SIERRA. I’ve been listening non stop to her 2019 EP GONE, and these are are my favorite 2021 singles of hers. Especially INNER SPEECH, with fellow dark clubbin’ artist Matteo Tura (not exactly a lightweight). It’s dark, it’s heavy, and it will make you wanna party.
2. YOUTH CODE x KING YOSEF – A SKELETON KEY IN THE DOORS OF DEPRESSION
Youth Code have joined forces with the yung King Yosef to deliver a searing 29 minutes of the finest Los Angeles Industrial Hatred. Sara Taylor has one of the best screamz in the biz….yeahhhhhh.
3. GOJIRA – FORTITUDE
A strangely uplifting yet ripping metal record that slowly, but surely, turns into a prayer circle.
4. GATECREEPER – AN UNEXPECTED REALITY
The Power Trip of Death Metal. Super tasteful–and so good it can stand up to the classics with the added unexpected bonus of being on grid while still sounding totally classic. There’s also a melodic and groovy element that really sets Gatecreeper apart.
5. EKKSTACY – NEGATIVE
’00s indie rock filtered through the 19-yr-old mind of someone who came of age during the Soundcloud rap explosion. The kids are alright.
6. PICTUREPLANE – DOPAMINE
The Starchild hath returned and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. If you like Travis, here’s another collection of great Pictureplane chunes.
7. PERTURBATOR – LUSTFUL SACRAMENTS
The long awaited Perturbator album with an all new darker sound and direction, perfect for your next unholy ritual.
8. KNOCKED LOOSE – A TEAR IN THE FABRIC OF LIFE
An immaculately produced Drop-A relentless dog fest, fronted by a screamer who sounds terrified to be there, giving it an extra edge.
9. FULL OF HELL – GARDEN OF BURNING APPARITIONS
Completely unhinged, yet purposeful; supple, yet masculine–an intersection of grindcore, noise and that certain je ne sais quoi…
10. BACKXWASH – I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES
Nightmarish, minimal doom rap over the half-est of half-times set in the end of the end times. Bring Backxwash into your life.
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HEALTH are also playing Roadburn 2022 and touring Europe with Perturbator and Author & Punisher in fall of 2022. Dates below.
HEALTH / Perturbator / Author & Punisher — 2022 Tour Dates
October 6 Lille, France Aeronef
October 7 Paris, France L’Olympia
October 12 Bordeaux, France Krakatoa
October 13 Toulouse, France Bikini
October 14 Madrid, Spain La Riviera
October 15 Barcelona, Spain Razzmatazz 2
October 16 Nantes, France Stereolux
October 18 Lyon, France Le Transbordeur
October 19 Strasbourg, France La Laiterie
Oxtober 20 Lausanne, Switzerland Les Docks
October 21 Munich, Germany Freheiz
October 22 Vienna, Austria Arena
October 23 Budapest, Hungary Akvarium Nagyhall
October 25 Prague, Czech Republic Lucerna
October 26 Wroclaw, Poland Zaklete Rewiry
October 27 Warsaw, Poland Progresja
October 28 Berlin, Germany Heimathafen
October 29 Goteborg, Sweden Tradgar N
October 30 Stockholm, Sweden Berns
November 1 Helsinki, Finland Tavastia
November 3 Oslo, Norway Vulkan Arena
November 4 Copenhagen, Denmark Pumpehuset
November 5 Hamburg, Germany Uebel & Gefahrlich
November 6 Utrecht, Netherlands Tivoli
November 8 Cologne, Germany Kantine
November 9 Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxermbourg Rockhall
November 10 Brussels, Belgium Ancienne Belgique
