It’s difficult to define what counts as alternative rock. However, the flip side of differentiating the two is that it allows us to spotlight more rock-adjacent artists and bands without having to leave out any deserving acts. The more, the merrier applies here. And considering the very thin line between what’s considered alternative and indie, it’s worth recognizing those who are furthering the genre in the mainstream as much as those who are doing the same in the underground and independent scenes. With that sentiment in mind, here are our favorite alternative rock songs of 2024.
This feature was written by David Sosa, Sandra B. Olinger, and Steven Ward.
Amyl and The Sniffers “U Should Not Be Doing That”
Amyl and The Sniffers preserve punk for the modern age on their new album, Cartoon Darkness. With unapologetic bombast and flashing a toothy grin of irreverence, “U Should Not Be Doing That” gleefully bites off the heads of those who make their delicate (or misogynistic) sensibilities other people’s problem. Launching itself over a live-wire and savagely punchy melody that punctuates Amyl Taylor‘s fiery sneers with virulent sonics. “I was in LA, shaking my shit / While you were down in Melbourne saying, Fuck that bitch,” she howls as she aims her daggered words at people who still groan over the sight of a female rocker showing some skin.
For Taylor, the song speaks directly to those “random 40-year-old metalheads sitting around a table doing lines and bitching about a 28-year-old chick in a band for wearing shorts and ‘selling out.’” The music video for “U Should Not Be Doing That” is itself a pumped-up and adrenaline-pulsing montage that finds Taylor and actor Steven Oggsweating and raging in the desert heat.
BALTHVS “Aguacero”
Whether driving tracks forward with cumbia-inflicted percussion or swirling Middle Eastern music and modern funk into a psychedelic fusion, BALTHVS’ prolific output is matched by a consistent delivery on quality. As the second single off their new album, HARVEST (July 19), “Aguacero” strikes gold with its entrancing guitar and bass smoothly leading into a gradually increasing rhythm. Their embrace of psychedelia is as prevalent as ever, setting the mood on “Aguacero” through an atmosphere nothing short of mystifying. Mercuriana takes on vocal duty, singing in Spanish on a song that slowly transforms around its percussion. What starts as a meditation bordering on hypnotism transforms into a danceable rhythm, exemplifying the band’s ease when bridging between emotions or genres, often doing so subtly until everything comes together at the climax.
beabadoobee “California”
It’s odd to think Beabadoobee is an artist closer to pop than rock, considering she got her start making infectious indie rock anthems. But “California” shows how the two can coexist without clashing or splitting her down the middle artistically, combining the radio-friendly melodies she picked up in recent memory and the pop-rock that contributed to her fast-growing popularity.
Beabadoobee’s homesick anthem doesn’t shy away from the pitfalls of being booked and busy, delivering a track that seemingly embraces and mocks the sunny disposition of the state. The brooding guitar and bass align with her angst that comes and goes, allowing the “I swear I tried” post-chorus to hit with an honest sentimentality made incredibly impactful by Beabadoobee’s voice. The outro achieves a similar effect, with the “They’ll never know” line speaking directly to the listener.
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DEADLETTER “More Heat!”
Ahead of the release of their debut album, Hysterical Strength, UK post-punk six-piece DEADLETTER offered another glimpse of their full-length with “More Heat!” A sequel of sorts to their explosive EP Heat! from 2022, “More Heat!” exemplifies the band’s strongest factor of their accelerated ascension: consistency. The beeping sound and saxophone at the beginning act as a warning for what’s to come, with frontman Zac Lawrence gradually rounding up the troops before the drums come into the fray. Once all the band members and their instruments are brought together, the track becomes a rousing anthem fitting for a hectic battleground, increasing in intensity, much like the guitar acting as a weapon rather than a musical instrument. While the song is another expectedly stirring single from DEADLETTER, it speaks to the band’s talents that they already found their stride relatively early in their career and know how to deliver each time they drop.
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Ethel Cain “Punish”
One of the best songs released in 2024, Ethel Cain‘s “Punish” is a tender, haunting ballad with a surprising climax of monstrous proportions that devours its listeners whole. As the distortion arrives, Cain’s otherworldly voice guides you through the sonic mania, and it is absolutely beautiful. The nearly 7-minute track arrives with a music video directed by Cain and Silken Weinberg.
The song serves as the first taste of Cain’s new project, Perverts, which is set for release on January 8, 2025. Written, produced, and recorded by Ethel Cain, the project was crafted between Coraopolis, PA and Tallahassee, FL, over the past year.
Fontaines D.C. “Starburster”
Having already proven themselves with their 2022 album, Skinty Fia, Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C. decided to come in even hotter than anything they’ve ever done before with “Starburster.” Punctuated by a punchy chorus distinguished by gasps between the “I’m gon’ hit your business if it’s momentary blissness” line, singer Grian Chatten’s alliteration has never been better. The second verse, in particular, is an earworm, where Chatten strings together unlikely rhymes better than some rappers out today.
The initially steady speed on the other band members’ part sneaks up like an assassin, gradually expanding in sound as if the stakes were rising in real-time. While the string section serves as a brief breather, the band wastes no time kicking back into gear, slapping listeners’ ears with a roaring drone in the background to solidify Fontaines D.C.’s bold, successful pivot into industrial rock.
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Fousheé “loversland”
The short runtime of Pointy Heights, Fousheé’s new album, is deceptive, especially since Fousheé and company do more experimenting than entire catalogs. With a newfound energy, “loversland” bounces to a jubilant ska-punk rhythm. Despite being the album’s shortest song at just a little over one minute long, it leaves an impression that lasts long after going through the tracklist. It also allows for seamless repeat listenings that never tire after that 10th or 20th time of wildin’ out to the track. No matter what style Fousheé’s experimenting with or what voice she uses, she continually sticks the landing and then some.
Glass Beams “Black Sand”
Melbourne-based Glass Beams just put out a new EP with the release of Mahal — all five tracks are a beguiling example of their ability to splice together Indian classical and pop traditions with psychedelic wonder — but its outro piece “Black Sand” is the sublime cherry on top. Against warbling tones and textures, the trio interweaves mesmeric guitar lines, resonant strings, and ethereal vocals with intoxicating effects. Both tranquilizing and emotionally invigorating the song underscores the affecting role the band’s instrumentals play in their mesmeric creations.
Joel Jerome “Los Angeles”
Don’t let the guitar or cutesy cover for “Los Angeles,” the unpredictable single from prolific singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer Joel Jerome and singer Paloma Parfrey, fool you. At first, establishing a false sense of security with the alt-country opening, the two up the ante as the drums pick up at the speed of a charging gorilla. When it seems as though the song has settled into a cross between grunge and garage, the acoustic guitar at the beginning comes back into the fray. What could have potentially turned out to be a Frankenstein’s monster of a track instead is a successful tug of war where two vastly different genres come together in an unconventional ode to Los Angeles.
Kim Gordon “BYE BYE”
Compared to the songs on her 2019 solo debut, No Home Record, Kim Gordon’s new album, The Collective, showed the trailblazer yet again, blazing a new path. It’s impossible to underestimate what Gordon brought to Sonic Youth, having served as bassist, guitarist, and vocalist on some of their biggest tracks. But with her exciting new solo material, she revealed what made her intrinsic to the band’s success and the furthering of alternative rock for decades, as well as a plan to not falter behind a shifting music scene.
The lead single “BYE BYE” finds Gordon exploring vastly different soundscapes than what most would know her for. The bass-heavy trap beat comes from out of nowhere as if it were meant to catch listeners off guard. But Gordon surprisingly matches the dark production, listing items like she’s reading off a coroner’s report. The scathing, metallic instrumental builds upon the trap foundation, eventually adding walls of distorted guitars that close the track on an unsettling note.
The narrative-led music video for the track, stars Gordon’s daughter, Coco Gordon Moore.
LA LOM “Danza de LA LOM”
“Danza de LA LOM” was the first taste fans received from LA LOM‘s self-titled debut album, and it did not disappoint. Scorching riffs weaved themselves rapturously between a tangled enchantment of percussive rhythms. Zac Sokolow and Jake Faulkner trading smoldering guitar-bass lines as Nicholas Baker fills the scene with a roiling fervor. The result is a burning ode to Peru’s cumbia and chicha bands like Los Mirlos, Los Shapis, Los Destellos, and Los Wembler’s de Iquitos. Although there are no words or clues as to whether the song has a narrative, the energy in the music is reminiscent of an LA backyard party that doesn’t wind down until the break of dawn.
Lambrini Girls “Love”
With a vicious guitar and drums intro, Lambrini Girls thrash on through with their newest song, “Love.” Pure punk in true Lambirni fashion and a razor-sharp cadence that can make lyrics cut through skin, we couldn’t be more in love with this new track. The songs take you through peaks and valleys of carnal shred and an almost meditative moment of spoken word. “Love” follows recently released songs “Big Dick Energy” and “Company Culture.”
With insatiable riffs and riot rhythms, let this banger devour your whole heart and soul, because “true love is nothing more than the wrong hill to die on.”
Las Nubes “Would Be”
Las Nubes — the project of Ale Campos and Emile Milgram — set out to create an unofficial theme song for a live-action Power Puff Girls series for their recent single “Would Be.” The result is a riff-dueling retrospection about missing out on one’s adolescence that grumbles and roars via its fiery output. The music video for the song directed by Alina Campos uses a home video-style clip of an elderly gentleman skillfully kicking around a soccer ball to tap into the angst and whimsy of its inspiration.
“My life’s gone by / Why isn’t anything easy anymore?” they wail in lament, guitars cutting through like streaks of lightning. “And I know the more I give, the less I’ll get back.” Whether you’re a former crime-fighting child superhero or just someone feeling overwhelmed by the colossal passage of time, this rip-roaring anthem is for you.
Tormentas Malsanas the new album from Las Nubes arrived on June 14.
The Linda Lindas “All In My Head”
Ahead of the release of their sophomore album, No Obligation (Oct. 11 via Epitaph), The Linda Lindas kicked into higher gear with the drop of their new single and video, “All In My Head.” The track stands out in their catalog for how it swirls garage rock, power-pop, and punk music as if they were all made for each other. It also signals a change in their tried-and-true formula while offering a glimpse at the experimentation on No Obligation. Uniquely, the inspiration behind “All In My Head” came about while on their festival run last year, with guitarist Lucia de la Garza inspired by the protagonist of the novel, My Year of Rest and Relaxation. The darker edge is immediately apparent from the start of the track, embracing a brooding grunge over the band’s riot-inducing punk sound.
Mannequin Pussy “Sometimes”
In the 10 years since their self-titled debut, Mannequin Pussy’s raw style of punk and rock has become more refined over the years, particularly on 2024’s I Got Heaven. While the album’s title track certainly deserves an equal amount of praise, it’s “Sometimes” that captures the band at their most unadulterated and rousing, cranking every front to an 11. Singer Marisa “Missy” Dabice takes on double duty as vocalist and conductor, easing into the speed of the rager and letting it build over the 3-minute runtime made epic by the passion in her voice.
Right before the second half takes off, her vocal performance in the second verse is quietly shattering, with the line “Why’d you go and take your life and try to fit it into mine,” speaking to the quickly crumbling song at the center of the song. And like the two parties involved that Dabice sings about, the out-of-time energy carries over into the music, culminating in a violent climax among the year’s most emotional moments, regardless of genre.
mercury “Born in Early May”
Rolling in on a tidal wave of clamorous rock mercury—the project of artist Maddie Kerr—ushered in a formidable reintroduction to her music on her EP, Together We Are One, You And I. Amidst the fuzzy hammer of riffs and crashing percussion of “Born in Early May” comes mercury’s surreal lyricism, macabre, foreboding, with just a hint of woe-begotten hope as the track splinters into howling cacophony. As the opener for both the trio and the short film (directed by Harrison Shook), the song plays over a stunning and startling array of images: a tree consumed by fire, bodies wrapped in white sheets, lonely bodies in despair looking to religious iconography for comfort.
N8NOFACE “View From Here”
LA-based singer/producer artist N8NOFACE is nothing short of prolific. His View From Here EP started a jam-packed 2024, where the artist released an endless cornucopia of music in the form of new singles, EPs, and remixes. The almost symbiotic relationship between N8NOFACE and the instrumentals off View From Here is likely due to the fact that he co-produced the EP alongside collaborator Chico Mann. The title track is further proof, taking inspiration from 80s alt-rock and weaponizing it into electronic production. N8NOFACE’s gravelly voice pairs well with the lyrics, which detail his travels, something that’s appropriately seen in the candid music video that shows N8NOFACE working on the road.
While many of his songs sound fitting for the dystopian setting of a cyberpunk story, the rawness in his voice serves as a reminder of the human spearheading the forward-thinking music.
Raue “Samba Samba”
Raue tears into and embraces the burning spiral of the ego on their new single “Samba Samba.” With beguiling ferocity, Paige Kalenian — who between howls holds it down on guitar, bass, and keys — and drummer Jax Huckle pummel out another scalding rager. A corkscrewing nosedive into pride and arrogance that is also belligerently openhearted about what a frantic reliance on the self can do to one’s mental health.
As per usual the pair’s rollicking sonics and blistering lyricism make for a potent expulsion of rock. The music video for the song was directed by David Milan Kelly and features grainy footage of both Kalenian and Huckle hitting the skate park.
SASAMI “Honeycrash”
Leave it to SASAMI to unleash a conflagration of smoldering rock as her bid for a summer hit with “Honeycrash.” Rolling thunder sonics and red-hot riffs collide with volatile passion as she sings about a love that has since been consumed by flames. When the romance ends in a crashed and burning wreckage, you’ll let your heart cling to this track until the memories are nothing but ash.
Sasami’s new album, Blood on the Silver Screen, arrives March 7, 2025 via Domino.
Scowl “Special”
Scowl has been quite the force this year. The hardcore rockers recently announced the news that they joined the Dead Oceans family, home to artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, Japanese Breakfast , and more. To celebrate the good news, the band shared a brand new song titled “Special.” The ferocious banger sees vocalist Kat Moss shift from clean, shimmering vocals to gritty roars with effortlessly smooth transitions. Produced by Grammy-nominated Will Yip (who also worked on the band’s EP Psychic Dance Routine) and mixed by Rich Costey (Fiona Apple, Deftones, Vampire Weekend), “Special” is the melodic hardcore sing-along you’ve been waiting for.
St. Vincent “Flea”
St. Vincent has yet to drop a bad album, especially in the wake of back-to-back successes with Daddy’s Home and now All Born Screaming. Both releases are at their best when listened to in their intended sequential order, but that doesn’t mean tracks such as “Flea” can’t hit hard as standalone. Comparing herself to a “hungry little flea” in the first lyric, St. Vincent starts the song on a calm note before lighting a match for her distinct guitar-playing that crackles like a pack of pop rocks.
The rest of “Flea” is a riveting power struggle between a gentler side of St. Vincent and another that would rather tear everything up. The former wins for a moment before the latter comes back with a vengeance, complete with thundering drums and vocals matching the guitar’s mix of longing and frustration.
Vampire Weekend “Gen-X Cops”
After Father of the Bride dropped in 2019, it seemed as though Vampire Weekend could stop at that moment and walk away knowing history would be kind to them. However, five years later, they returned with their most adventurous project, Only God Was Above Us, which tapped into every bit of the alt-rock spectrum from indie to chamber pop, psychedelic, and more. With its unforgettable manic guitar intro, led by Ariel Rechtstaid, “Gen-X Cops” immediately grabs your attention. By now, you probably instantly play the air guitar as soon as you hear this song, while your vocals do their best falsetto to Rechtstaid’s unique chords. The song, quite frankly, rips. It bounces, thrashes, and jangles in all the best ways while inviting listeners to chime into the chorus sung by Ezra Koenig’s charming vocals, “Each generation makes its own apology.” A dystopian nightmare never sounded so exhilarating.
VIAL “apathy”
VIAL let rip a maelstrom of frenzied power punk on their new single “apathy,” the latest preview of the trio’s forthcoming new album burnout. Harnessing a withering gust of scorched riffs, the song embodies all that is undeniably intoxicating about their music and its delightfully bellicose temperament. This time, VIAL mulls over the frustration of realizing their collective rage toward an ex-lover has fizzled into cruel indifference. “I’ve forgotten how to care about / Anything in relation to you,” wrestling with this betrayal of emotion even as they still tear the object of their stagnate fury to shreds. “This apathy is overwhelming / And I hate it ’cause it’s much long overdue.” burnout the new album from VIAL arrived on March 29th via Get Better Records.
