week 31 (many weeks later): 'favorites of 2021, pt. 1'

after an unplanned and (mostly) unexplained hiatus, I am officially re=launching my weekly playlists series (at least, this is the plan; I hereby promise to make a solid, concerted effort to keep another disappearance at bay). To (re)-kick things off - and since my playlists have been missing for the better part of a year - I am sharing a a round-up of some of my (lower-key) favorite songs that are new to the world this year (including a few covers that I just adore; one song per artist with a few exceptions when it was just too darn hard to choose); happy listening