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Brat summer continues. Charli XCX’s much-discussed pop masterpiece is one of the 12 albums that’s made the shortlist for the Mercury Prize, the annual award that the British Phonographic Industry and British Association of Record Dealers hands out to one album from the UK and Ireland. It’s the second time that Charli XCX has been nominated; How I’m Feeling Now previously made the shortlist in 2020.
The people behind the Mercury Prize just unveiled this year’s shortlist, and it includes a few big names, as well as some that you might not recognize. Portishead singer Beth Gibbons is up for Lives Outgrown, her first proper solo album. (Portishead won the 1995 Mercury Prize for their classic debut Dummy.) The Last Dinner Party, a band that’s become a big deal in the UK, are also nominated for their debut Prelude To Ecstacy, while drum ‘n’ bass producer and singer Nia Archives is nominated for her own excellent debut Silence Is Loud.
This year’s other Mercury Prize nominees include past nominees Corinne Bailey Rae, Berwyn, and Ghetts, as well as first-timers Barry Can’t Swim, Cat Burns, CMAT, Corto.alto, English Teacher. Check out the list of nominees below.
• Nia Archives – Silence Is Loud
• Barry Can’t Swim – When Will We Land?
• Berwyn – Who Am I
• Cat Burns – Early Twenties
• CMAT – Crazymad, Tor Me
• Corto.alto – Bad With Names
• English Teacher – This Could Be Texas
• Ghetts – On Purpose, With Purpose
• Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown
• The Last Dinner Party – Prelude To Ecstasy
• Corinne Bailey Rae – Black Rainbows
• Charli XCX – Brat
This year, there won’t be a big ceremony to announce the winner of the Mercury Prize, but that winner will be unveiled in September. Last year, Ezra Collective’s Where I’m Meant To Be was the big winner. You’d have to imagine that Brat would be this year’s frontrunner, but weird things almost always happen with this award.