Arlo Parks by Jack Bridgland
“What an honour to be nominated for four AIM Awards,” Arlo Parks responds. “This is far beyond my wildest dreams and I’m so glad my work has reached this far and touched so many, especially in these tumultuous times.”
Nominees for the 2021 AIM Independent Music Awards have been revealed today, with Arlo Parks and Working Men’s Club among those up for top prizes.
Those two are shortlisted in both the UK Independent Breakthrough and Best Independent Album categories, while Arlo Parks is also in with a chance of Best Independent Track thanks to Hope, as is Katy J Pearson with one of Live4ever’s top tracks of 2020, Take Back The Radio.
“Every year I find myself saying how exciting and diverse the list of nominees is at the AIM Independent Music Awards, and 2021 is no exception,” AIM CEO Paul Pacifico says. “These awards genuinely represent the incredible of array of talent and breadth of success in our community.
“The artists and creative entrepreneurs we recognise are innovators at the cutting edge of culture. Building on our first ever virtual event last year, we’ve got some very special plans for the show in August and look forward to delivering a dynamic and spectacular interactive show.”
2021 AIM Independent Music Awards shortlist:
UK Independent Breakthrough;
Arlo Parks (Transgressive Records)
Conducta (Kiwi Rekords)
India Jordan (Ninja Tune)
Rina Sawayama (Dirty Hit)
Working Men’s Club (Heavenly Recordings)
International Breakthrough;
Bicep (Ninja Tune)
Fontaines D.C. (Partisan Records)
Jayda G (Ninja Tune)
박혜진 Park Hye Jin (Ninja Tune)
Tkay Maidza (4AD)
Best Independent Track;
Arlo Parks – Hope (Transgressive Records)
Bonobo & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Heartbreak (OUTLIER – Ninja Tune)
ENNY – Peng Black Girls ft. Amia Brave (FAMM)
Katy J Pearson – Take Back The Radio (Heavenly Recordings)
Lava La Rue – Magpie (Marathon Artists)
Mustafa – Air Forces (Young)
serpentwithfeet – Fellowship (Secretly Canadian)
Shygirl – TASTY (Because Music)
Squid – Narrator ft. Martha Skye Murphy (Warp Records)
Tkay Maidza – Shook (4AD)
Best Independent Album;
Arlo Parks – Collapsed in Sunbeams (Transgressive Records)
Che Lingo – The Worst Generation (7Wallace Music)
Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg (4AD)
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises (Luaka Bop)
Krust – The Edge of Everything (Crosstown Rebels)
Moses Sumney – græ (Jagjaguwar)
Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher (Dead Oceans)
Speaker Music – Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry (Planet Mu)
Rian Treanor – File Under UK Metaplasm (Planet Mu)
Working Men’s Club – Working Men’s Club (Heavenly Recordings)
Best [Difficult] Second Album;
AJ Tracey – Flu Game (Revenge Records)
Bicep – Isles (Ninja Tune)
Dream Wife – So When You Gonna… (Lucky Number)
Fontaines D.C. – A Hero’s Death (Partisan Records)
Leon Vynehall – Rare, Forever (Ninja Tune)
Best Independent Remix;
Bon Bon (Mike Lindsay Remix) – Songhoy Blues (Transgressive Records)
Fair Chance ft. Ty Dolla $ign & Lil B (Floating Points Remix) – Thundercat (Brainfeeder)
megapunk (Elkka Remix) – Ela Minus (Domino)
soulboy (IZCO Remix) – p-rallel, Greentea Peng (Different Recordings)
Sweat ft. LIZ (SOPHIE Remix) – Sonikku (Bella Union)
One To Watch;
Che Lingo (7Wallace Music)
ENNY (FAMM)
Lava La Rue (Marathon Artists)
Nova Twins (Nova Twins Ltd)
TSHA (Ninja Tune)
Best Creative Packaging;
AJ Tracey – Flu Game (Special Edition) (Revenge Records)
Figaro de Montmartre – Emotion Soap (Figaro de Montmartre)
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Eco Wax Editions (Heavenly Recordings and Flightless Records)
Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs (Rough Trade Records)
Working Men’s Club – Working Men’s Club (RAW Edition) (Heavenly Recordings)
Best Independent Video;
Arlo Parks – Hope (Transgressive Records)
Julien Baker – Hardline (Matador Records)
Kojaque – No Hands (Different Recordings)
Novo Amor – If We’re Being Honest (AllPoints)
Wesley Joseph – Thrilla (EEVILTWINN)
Best Independent Label;
4AD
Dead Oceans
Forever Living Originals
Partisan Records
Transgressive Records
Best Small Label;
Athens of the North
Finesse Foreva
Killing Moon
Sonic Cathedral
Strut Records
Indie Champion;
Bandcamp
Love Record Stores
Diversity Champion;
Paulette Long