20 Greatest Debut Albums of the 2020s (So Far)

The debut album. A career-affirming moment for an artist to establish both their sound and their audience.

Whether a slow build-up over drip-fed singles or a sudden breakthrough introduction, a great debut delivers music that sticks with us for months and years to follow. It's an opening statement we will always return to, proving an artist's mettle in the scope of modern music.

The 2020s opened with a challenging landscape for music, as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted live performances, delayed releases, and forced artists to adapt to an unprecedented reliance on digital platforms. As we reach the mid-point of a decade marked by transformation and growth following its rocky start, one constant shines through: the multitude of diverse and exceptional debut albums. These records have deeply shaped contemporary music culture and are undoubtedly poised to leave a lasting impact for decades and generations to come.

From indie rock supergroups to experimental jazz, rap enigmas and future-facing club pop. Here are 20 first-time full-lengths which have registered with us as the best of the best.

Cleo Sol - Rose in the Dark (2020)

A singular voice for British soul, Rose In Dark was gifted to the world a long time after Cleo Sol had started making music - but good things take time and with this exceptional album, the proof is in the pudding. Made in close collaboration with her partner and fellow SAULT creator Inflo, Sol wears a heart on her sleeve, an intimate, stylistic ode to love, steeped with authentic vintage soul influences.

Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA (2020)

A thrilling adventure to introduce a rising Japanese-British star. An exploration of identity, family, gender and sexuality, set to a backdrop of genre-splicing avant-pop. Sawayama introduces an artist who is a performer, as competent with powerful pop ballads as working with nu metal and hard rock, immediately leaving it all on the field, an unstoppable force of energy. And yet beneath the atomic power is fragility, and most importantly humanity.

Nation of Language - Introduction, Presence (2020)

From their debut album through to their third, Strange Disciple, being crowned as Rough Trade Album of the Year in 2023, the love for Nation of Language spread through the Rough Trade office at lightning speed. Gloomy but infectious synth-pop with plenty of euphoric moments to indulge in. September Again is an album highlight to return to September, again and beyond.

READ NOW: Where I Am Now: Nation of Language

bdrmm - Bedroom (2020)

bdrmm's knack for ambient atmospheres has captured our attention from the get-go. The Leeds/Hull group released their debut to the world with the help of the most reputable gazers in British music, Sonic Cathedral, and what an accomplished debut it was. Seamless crossfading and sheer curtains of distortion. A modern-day shoegaze essential at the onset of their career. Don't miss the band making a return to their guitar-heavy beginnings on new album Microtonic, releasing February 2025.

Black Country, New Road - For The First Time (2021)

A post-rock/guitar band releasing on an electronic label? Emerging from the famed Brixton Windmill scene, Ninja Tune signees Black Country, New Road caused quite the stir with their 2021 debut, which quickly garnered critical acclaim for its genre-defying breadth. The first of the band's two full-lengths so far, showcasing the truly unique songwriting perspective and the singular emotional tones of founding vocalist Issac Wood. Since Wood's departure, BCNR continue as a newly reformed six-piece, with a hotly anticipated third album tipped for 2025...

Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg (2021)

"Post-punk? Art-rock? Try dizzying departure to the banality of everyday life, with hooks galore. Unique and downright seductive."

Rough Trade Album of the Year in 2021. South-London four-piece Dry Cleaning somehow stood out in the somewhat saturated post-punk scene. These guys were not just another deadpan band with guitars, Dry Cleaning's sound cut through with their intriguing and moving style of surrealism. A sound which you can't help but get swept up in.

Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8 (2021)

You don't have to be a jazz aficionado to realise the instant power of Nala Sinephro. Space 1.8 was composed, produced, performed, engineered, recorded, and mixed by Sinephro, aged just 22. The young artist's sound has qualities reminiscent of great bandleader Sun Ra, weightless music, transcendent, meditational, a dreamy ambience which mixes traditional elements with the avant-garde, fusing minimalistic drone-y sounds. Following Space 1.8, the debut full-length with Warp Records, Sinephro returned in 2024 with Endlessness, further cementing the quietly successful star's position at the forefront of our modern jazz world.

Olivia Rodrigo - Sour (2021)

The perfect album for today's pop audience hungry for that pop-punk take. Sour catapulted Olivia Rodrigo from Disney TV star to chart-topping musician and Gen-Z's queen of pop. A rollercoaster of emotion and poignant intensity, both wistful and angsty steers the collection of break-up anthems that make up Sour in the right direction, establishing Rodrigo is a force in music who is set to be around for a long time. Simply irresistible.

Shygirl - Nymph (2022)

From 2016 onwards Shygirl's infectious hyper pop sound had been bubbling to the surface, a string of singles and EPs achieving four-on-the-floor high NRG club satisfaction. With Nymph, Shygirl's outstanding musical persona that she had been drip-feeding us so far really came to the fore, taking a more dreamy and sensuous approach with her club-ready sounds, a reveal of an artist oozing overt sexuality and confidence. 2024 was really Shygirl continuing her meteoric rise with the release of Club Shy and a coveted spot supporting Charli XCX on the Brat tour. Not so shy after all.

Ethel Cain - Preacher's Daughter

A highly conceptual, graphic visual identity, Ethel Cain (real name Hayden Silas Anhedönia) is an artist who not only arrived with a debut but also a whole world. Loosely biographical, this album is the origin story of Ethel Cain, the preacher's daughter in a small Alabama town, grappling with sexuality and religious trauma. Crafting a unique brand of soaring gothic pop Cain presents a no-bounds exploration of shame, drawing from Anhedönia's own journey as a trans woman. This debut kickstarted Ethel Cain's cult following, marking her out as a vital voice for women in music.

Wet Leg - Wet Leg (2022)

All day long, all day long, on the chaise longue...

An in-your-face arrival from the Isle of Wight duo. Wet Leg really got people listening with viral hit Chaise Longue and followed with a set of equally infectious ear worms on their self-titled debut. Idiosyncratic indie pop with endless double entendres alongside more scuzzy, dreamy numbers, Wet Leg showcase a fresh, funny take on guitar music, with plenty of likeable personality and silliness.

Were you at the Rough Trade shows? A slew of shows for the history books.

Jockstrap - Jockstrap (2022)

Former Guildhall School of Music and Drama students Georgia Ellery (Black Country, New Road) and Taylor Skye's phenomenal Jockstrap project is the definition of uncategorizable. I Love Jennifer B is without doubt some of the most versatile and exciting production of the 2020s, from the glitchy techno of 50/50 to the meticulous string arrangements on Glasgow or Concrete Over Water. An eclectic blend of tastes and classical training making the perfect balance of chaos and cohesion.

Nourished By Time - Erotic Probiotic 2 (2023)

Baltimore post-R&B artist Nourished By Time aka Marcus Brown is a time capsule into the past and future. As surreal and bizarre as the album name itself, Erotic Probiotic 2 brings together new Jack swing style vocals, infectious melody, 80s electro bass lines and spoken interludes. A reflection on religion and existentialism in a strangely soothing way. A new bar for alt-R&B for sure.

Yussef Dayes - Black Classical Music (2023)

An opening statement but not an introduction, Yussef Dayes' phenomenal debut solidifies what we already knew about the talented multi-instrumentalist: his art derives from raw individuality. Building on the already solid foundations of his acclaimed releases so far, Black Classical Music sees Dayes create with renewed purpose, inspired by his growing family (fatherhood, both new and old musical partnerships), his eclectic music taste and traditional cultural jazz flavours. 

READ NOW: In Profile: Yussef Dayes' Black Classical Music

CASISDEAD - Famous Last Words (2023)

Enigmatic doesn't cut it. CASISDEAD has been an elusive, anticipated cult figure in underground rap since his sporadic drop of singles between 2014-2022, the most famous of these being the legendary Pats Earrings in 2018. Finally in 2023, Cas unleashed UK Top 10 charting debut album Famous Last Words on legendary label home XL Recordings. Cas shares the most of himself his fans have ever seen, presenting the sound world and full personality around already revered tracks Traction Control and Pats Earrings. 80s-inspired synthpop soundscapes, grime and a sci-fi aestheticism lyrically exploring crime, addiction, and inner struggles. This was everything CASISDEAD fans were waiting for and more.

boygenius - the record (2023)

Three of the most affecting and celebrated songwriters of the last decade, the real allure and likeable quality of boygenius is the genuine friendship between Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Aside from fighting patriarchal rock norms, boygenius' emotionally intense guitar-driven debut is a cohesive success, the trio joining forces to pen some of the sharpest songwriting around.

Blondshell - Blondshell (2023)

A hotly anticipated album in 2023, Partisan-signed Blondshell (Sabrina Teitelbaum) channels the energy and rage of Dry era PJ Harvey with her pop-orientated take. Influenced by 90's alt-rock from the likes The Cranberries, Liz Phair, Cocteau Twins and Hole, Blondshell makes a bold introduction of Sabrina's developed sound and character, true coming-of-age pop anthems leaving us eager for more.

English Teacher - This Could Be Texas (2024)

The highly anticipated debut album from Leeds-based four-piece English Teacher made a blazing entrance to the indie rock scene. The versatility of this band is their selling point, switching from soaring melodies, frantic post-punk guitar and reverb-heavy instrumentals. Coming in at number 2 in our Albums of the Year 2024 list, these guys are very much now leading the way as one of the UK's hottest rising bands.

KNEECAP - Fine Art (2024)

The arrival of this debut has been nothing short of an unforgettable breakthrough for the Irish duo, alongside their six-times BAFTA-nominated film. A world not commonly represented in modern music, KNEECAP's exhilarating debut is bold and hedonistic, but most importantly: political. Swapping between the Irish Language and English, the raucous group blend trad, rave, grime, hip hop, garage, and punk sounds into a dexterous statement about West Belfast living and Irish identity.

Mk.gee - Two Star and the Dream Police (2024)

Once you enter Mk.gee's world of sound, you will be sure to have him on repeat for the foreseeable. After releasing EPs and mixtapes since 2017, it was his collaboration with Dijon on his debut album, Absolutely introduced him to a wider audience in 2021. The arrival of his own debut marked something special. With distorted guitar riffs and raw, soulful vocals, Mk.gee cuts through all the other guitar music out there with a captivating sonic landscape that refuses to conform to traditional boundaries.

Further Listening...

We've seen an endless amount of show-stopping introductions and the list above is by no means extensive to the creativity we've heard in the last five years. So, here's an extended selection of must-hear albums from some further favourite artists who have made a significant mark on the current decade.

Beth Gibbons' solo debut Lives Outgrown, Ghent-based duo and Soulwax signees Charlotte and Bolis' Topical Dancer, Oklahoma noise rock quartet Chat Pile's God's Country, the one and only Midwest Princess Chappell Roan's The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Leeds post-punk forerunners Yard Act's The Overload, Copenhagen composer ML Buch's sparkling experimental pop debut Skinned, The Bill Ryder-Jones-produced debut album from Brooke Bentham Everyday Nothing and many, many more...

READ NOW: Rough Trade Essential: Debut Albums