20 Best Album Covers Of 2021

The Minnesota hip hop legends saw their reputation take a hit these last few years. Ever since 2016’s Fishing Blues, it seems like they’re no longer untouchable: from that point on every project Slug and Ant released was met with a mixed critical reception and a divided fanbase, the best example being their previous opus, the very experimental and '80s-inspired The Day Before Halloween, an album whose cover, by the way, would’ve featured on a 2020 edition of this list.

This year, they weren’t the only act to opt for a painting with zero text as an artwork for their project, other examples being Hand Habits’ Fun House and Mogwai’s As The Love Continues. And while WORD? is probably the most straightforward of the bunch, it’s also one of the most effortlessly gorgeous.

It’s not simply cheap drip painting either. Pay attention and you’ll notice it’s a cluster of graffiti-style inscriptions written all over each other, making for an indiscernible whole. Now I don’t know what that’s a metaphor for, but it’s a good one.