Little Simz is the only artist here with a Mercury history: her third album, Gray Area, was nominated in 2019. Her second nod comes for its follow-up, Some I Might Be Introvert, which reached No.4 in the UK chart album and was widely regarded as one of the best British albums of 2021. Placed at #3 on the Guardian’s year-end list: “A narrative journey in the truest sense, Sometimes I Can Be an Introvert is upfront about the intense sense of self-doubt that so often chases sweet drunkenness of success,” the reviewer wrote. Jenessa Williams. Simz leads a female-dominated pack, with seven of the 12 albums by solo artists or mixed groups. Isle of Wight indie-rock duo Wet Leg are among a handful of acts nominated for their debut album – a “much more nuanced and three-dimensional than the infuriatingly repetitive song that made their name”, wrote Rachel Aroesti of the Guardian referring to their debut single, Chaise Longue. “We’ve seen so many bands we admire be nominated for this award over the years,” Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers told the Guardian. “It’s so surreal to now be one of the contenders. When we played our first gig just over a year ago at Latitude, we never expected something like this to happen and we’re so excited to continue to do this every day.” Joy Crookes is performing at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. Photo: Dylan Martinez/Reuters London-based songwriter Joy Crookes is nominated for her long-awaited debut album Skin, released five years after her first singles. “Pulling at the threads of her identity – her Bangladeshi-Irish heritage. growing up in south London – and weaving them into wider socio-political themes, he’s created a record that’s vibrant, urgent and full of life,” said Alim Kheraj of the Observer. Self Esteem (AKA Rebecca Lucy Taylor) receives her first nomination for her sophomore album, Prioritize Pleasure, which topped the Guardian’s Album of the Year 2021 list. “In a pop landscape that often seems to bottle it all inside, Prioritize Pleasure marked a highly credible revelation not just of the intense emotions of the past 18 months, but of a lifetime,” wrote Michael Cragg of the Guardian. Elsewhere, Welsh synth-pop artist Gwenno is gearing up for her third album, Tresor, her second collection of songs in the Cornish language. Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler on their debut collaborative album, For All Our Days That Tear the Heart. and London rock duo Nova Twins for their second album, Supernova – one that brought together metal, EDM, horrorcore hip-hop, house music and R&B into a “completely cohesive and authentically powerful style,” wrote the critic pop by Guardian, Alexis Petridis. Guitarist Amy Love told the Guardian they were delighted to be nominated for their second album, which they recorded during the lockdown. “There was so much going on in the world and in our personal lives that making this album was really therapeutic: we allowed ourselves to be more vulnerable, to experiment more dynamically. We’re really proud of that.” The Nova Twins are the first Black rock acts to be nominated for the award. “It means everything to us,” the Georgia South bassist said. “When you start out, you think we’re just two guys who want to rock out and make music, but the more we got on and realized how much diversity is missing from the music scene and the heavy music scene. When we play shows, people tell us, “we felt so much” or “we’ve never seen so many people of color at a show.” We’re proud to open the doors to more bands that are diverse – female, non-binary, POC, from the LGBTQIA+ community – saying that everyone is welcome.” The Nova Twins… (LR) Georgia South and Amy Love (R) of the Nova Twins perform at this year’s Glastonbury festival. Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images After several years in which Mercury’s shortlist reflected at least a little of the UK’s fertile jazz scene, it seems to have returned to the glory years of the “token jazz album”, with only one artist from the genre up for grabs: the Scot pianist Fergus McCreadie for the trio’s third album, Forest Floor. He was inspired by the Scottish landscape, thanks in part to the lockdown he lived in at his parents’ house in the countryside. “It’s great to represent Scotland and Scottish jazz,” McCreadie told the Guardian. “I’m excited not only for me, but what this can mean for opportunities for our scene. The Glasgow and Edinburgh jazz festivals got me started – both really amazing places.” Forest Floor also reveals the inspiration of Scottish folk music – another genre that has historically lacked love from the Mercury committee. “Jazz is what I was trained in, but it’s very hard to ignore where you come from as a musician,” McCreadie said. “I grew up with a pipe band in my town, my parents listened to a lot of folk music – you can’t get away from that in Scotland. I love the music so much and it’s nice to showcase it in a different way than it’s been done before musically.” The award has declined in terms of representation compared to recent years. This year, only 33% of applicants are people of color, down from a high of 64% last year. And 2020 remains the benchmark for gender diversity, with 66% of female candidates compared to this year’s 58%. Kojey Radical. Perhaps the least surprising of the male candidates is Sam Fender. The soulful indie rock of his second album, Seventeen Going Under, has galvanized festival crowds and political rallying cries. London rapper Kojey Radical’s debut album Reason to Smile has been nearly a decade in the making. It’s an album reminiscent of previous Mercury winner Ms Dynamite’s A Little Deeper, wrote the Observer’s Kadish Morris, both “era-defining works that blend hip-hop with neo-soul and jazz, and narrative that paints the black British experience with the finest of brushes”. Those who believe that Mercury should be the prerogative of left-field music – as opposed to its mainstream equivalent, the Brit Awards – may clutch their pearls as Harry Styles’ presence on his third album, Harry’s House, a record of “very well-crafted pop songs” that nod to yacht rock and the sounds of the mid-’80s, wrote Petridis. They’re joined by Leeds four-piece Yard Act, whose debut album The Overload runs on “scrappy-yet-muscular post-punk funk: punchy disco drums, stabbing guitar, bass-driven melodies,” wrote Petridis. “Everything helps, doesn’t it?” Singer James Smith told the Guardian about their nomination. “You don’t expect it when you make an album, so when it happens you’re grateful.” Overload had connected with listeners, he argued, because it tells a “universal story of a man in his late 20s or early 30s who’ve spent their whole lives trying to live by a set of principles that they begin to question and then abandon for thanks to an easier life – a sell-out, essentially.’ Honors like the Mercury Prize “help artists in an ever-shrinking financial landscape,” Smith said. “It turns more of a spotlight – which you clearly need – on them. There will be acts where they paid similar attention to the Yard Act. acts where they had much more; and acts with none. It’s useful to put it all on one TV broadcast and give it enough coverage.” He added: “For what it’s worth, I don’t think we’re going to win,” giving Little Simz the prize. The judging panel – which includes musicians Anna Calvi, Loyle Carner and Jamie Cullum – said in a statement: “Getting down to 12 albums this year was not easy, simply because there were so many worthy ones to choose from. This serves as proof that British and Irish music thrives during volatile periods in history, with the albums selected covering everything from imaginative pop to avant-garde rap to Cornish folk-rock. We believe these 12 amazing albums each have something to say artistically and socially, all in their own unique, enriching way.” The ratio of independents to major label albums has also fallen: with a ratio of five indies to seven majors this year, compared to eight indies to four majors last year. This year’s Mercury Prize ceremony takes place on 8 September 2022 at the Eventim Hammersmith Apollo, with the winner taking home £25,000. Albums by British or Irish artists released between 17 July 2021 and 15 July 2022 were eligible for entry.
This year’s Mercury Prize nominees
Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler – For All Our Days That Tear the HeartJoy Crookes – SkinSam Fender – Seventeen Going UnderGwenno – TresorKojey Radical – Reason to SmileLittle Simz – Sometimes I Could Be an IntrovertFergus McCreadieSHoperitizesleas – Forest Foritizen’s HouseWet Leg – Wet LegYard Act – The Overload
