Wolf Alice, Arlo Parks and Mogwai among Hyundai Mercury Prize 2021 nods

22 July 2021, 11:57 | Updated: 22 July 2021, 15:58

The list of the best albums of the year has been announced - with the winner announced in September.

The nominees for the 2021 Hyundai Mercury Prize have been announced, with Wolf Alice, Arlo Parks, Mogwai, Laura Mvula, Celeste and Ghetts all up for the award.

London band Wolf Alice and Birmingham singer-songwriter Mvula have both now been nominated for every album they've released.

Wolf Alice was nominated in 2015 for their debut My Love Is Cool and won the prize in 2018 for their follow-up, Visions Of A Life.

Glaswegian post-rockers Mogwai have received their first ever Mercury nomination for their tenth album, As The Love Continues.

The list also includes London indie pop musician Arlo Parks for her debut album Collapsed In Sunbeams, grime artist Ghetts for his third album Conflict Of Interest and BRITs Rising Star winner Celeste for her debut Not Your Muse.

The winner will be announced at an awards show at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith on Thursday 9 September, featuring live performances from the shortlisted artists.

READ MORE: Where are the Mercury Prize winners now?

Who are the Mercury Prize 2021 nominations?

• Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams
• BERWYN - DEMOTAPE/VEGA
• Black Country, New Road - For The First Time
• Celeste - Not Your Muse
• Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises
• Ghetts - Conflict of Interest
• Hannah Peel - Fir Wave
• Laura Mvula - Pink Noise
• Mogwai - As the Love Continues
• Nubya Garcia - SOURCE
• SAULT - Untitled (Rise)
• Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend

Taking to Twitter, Arlo Parks said "What a surreal moment - I'm so happy to be recognised in this big, pure way."

READ MORE: When Arctic Monkeys won the Mercury Prize

See the 12 Hyundai Mercury Prize 2021 nominated albums here:

Arlo Parks - Collapsed In Sunbeams

Arlo Parks was won of the name's on everybody's lips at the start of this year, and when she released her Collapsed In Sunbeams album on 29 January 2021 it scored her a UK Top 3 album.

BERWYN - DEMOTAPE/VEGA

Berwyn's mixtape, which was released on 25 September 20230, was written in just two weeks with an old laptop and broken headphones and is described as his "last-ditch" attempt to escape his situation.

Black Country, New Road - For The First Time

The seven-piece rock outfit's For The First Time sees them tackle everything from jazz to noisecore. It's said to be a challenging listen but it's nevertheless been praised by critics.

Celeste - Not Your Muse

The 2020 BRITs Rising Star winner Celeste has already exceeded expectations with an Academy Award nomination under her belt for Best Original Song. Her debut album, which was released on 29 January 2021 also scored her a UK No. 1.

Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises

The collaborative work, which was released on 5 February 2021, is a collaborative work between electronic musician Floating Points and jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders as well as the orchestra.

Ghetts - Conflict of Interest

Ghetts third record, which peaked at No.2 in the UK charts, sees him cover themes of fatherhood, his struggle with ADHD and his thoughts on teenage heartache.

Hannah Peel - Fir Wave

Hannah Peel's latest album is inspired by the patterns created by fir trees on the side of a mountain.

Laura Mvula - Pink Noise

Mvula went on a hiatus after being unceremoniously dropped by Sony Music. However, her Pink Noise album, which was released on 2 July this year, sees her bounce back with a smile across her face. So perhaps it's extra special that pink noise - like her previous two albums - have been nominated for a Mercury Prize.

Mogwai - As the Love Continues

The Scottish post-rockers, who have received their first ever Mercury nod on their 10th studio album, have suggested their more instrumental tracks could have become more popular over the last year.

Nubya Garcia - SOURCE

Garcia's debut album sees the jazz musician celebrate Afro-Carribbean sounds.

SAULT - Untitled (Rise)

The British music collective, which has been surrounded by mystery, released this effort on 18 September in 2020. However, with the band's identity being a secret, it remains to be seen whether SAULT will turn up to perform on the night of the ceremony.

Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend

The nomination sees Wolf Alice's number one album join a very special club of artists whose first three albums have all been nominated for a Mercury Prize. Laura Mvula and Ellie Rowsell and co now join Coldplay, Anna Calvi and Michael Kiwanuka in receiving the honour.

The 2021 Hyundai Mercury Prize judges are: Anna Calvi – Musician & Songwriter; Annie Mac – Broadcaster & DJ; Danielle Perry – Broadcaster & Writer; Gemma Cairney – Broadcaster & DJ; Hazel Wilde (from Lanterns on the Lake) - Musician & Songwriter; Jamie Cullum - Musician & Broadcaster; Jeff Smith - Head of Music, 6 Music & Radio 2; Michael Kiwanuka - Musician & Songwriter; Mike Walsh - Music Consultant; Phil Alexander – Creative Director, Kerrang!/Contributing Editor, Mojo; Tshepo Mokoena – Editorial Director, VICE.com; Will Hodgkinson - Chief Rock & Pop Critic, The Times. The Chair of the judging panel is Jeff Smith.

The judges said of the 2021 selection: "It is testament to the strength of British music that, during a year which saw musicians face the toughest challenges of their lives, so many remarkable albums came out nonetheless.

"There was an embarrassment of riches for this year’s Hyundai Mercury Prize judges to choose from, but the final twelve show how diverse, vibrant and far-reaching British music continues to be."