Five contemporary rock acts that deserve more attention
Popular music seems to have grown away from rock in waves since the 1980s. During the synth-pop era of the 1980s, traditional guitar-led rock music took a back seat, with bands like The Smiths and The Jesus and Mary Chain holding the flame towards the 1990s. Thanks to the so-called Britpop wave that followed, rock ‘n’ roll saw something of a resurgence in the mainstream.
Over the 2000s, rock held a strong position in the charts thanks to pop-punk acts across the Atlantic and indie bands, like Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines, holding the fort in the UK. However, over the past two decades, R&B music has become increasingly popular, forcing traditional rock groups away from the mainstream. That’s not to say rock is dead, but it’s certainly more peripheral than it once was.
In the past five years, we have seen a handful of very exciting rock groups, like IDLES, Fontaines DC, Dry Cleaning and Yard Act, crawling from the woodwork. These bands are popularising an exciting modern revival of the post-punk era of the late 1970s and ‘80s with a new, refreshing twist.
However, my task today isn’t to ramble on about these established headline acts. I feel my time here would be better spent bringing to your attention five emerging rock groups that I’m particularly excited about. Some have been around for a few years and have released one or two albums, while others may still be in the earlier stages of their genesis; either way, I feel these five artists deserve a few more ears.
Five contemporary rock acts that deserve more attention:
Wunderhorse
After the dissolution of his first band Dead Pretties, London artist Jacob Slater decided to begin a project of his own direction, Wunderhorse. The sound of Wunderhorse is a little lighter and more refined than Dead Pretties’s, and Slater has revealed that his style is heavily influenced by the likes of Radiohead and Neil Young.
Slater released ‘Teal’, his first single under the Wunderhorse alias, in September 2021 and has since followed it up with four more singles in the run-up to the full debut album, Cub, which arrives on September 16th. Having seen him perform earlier in the year, I highly recommend his live shows and am particularly excited for September.
Just Mustard
The Republic of Ireland has received a fair deal of attention in the past few years thanks to the rising popularity of Dublin’s Fontaines DC. While I imagine most readers will have heard at least one or two of Fontaines’ big hits, a much smaller number will be familiar with their neighbours from Dundalk, Just Mustard.
Just Mustard have garnered high praise from a healthy fan base over the past five years, having released two albums since 2018, the latest being this year’s brilliant Heart Under. The band are by no means subject to abject ignorance, but I feel their sound needs to reach more ears on the scale of their touring buddies in Fontaines DC. I would describe their brilliantly chilling sound as something between Bauhaus and My Bloody Valentine but with the added uniqueness of Katie Ball’s demure vocals.
bdrmm
Earlier this year, I went to see Ride at The Foundry in Sheffield. Before the 1990s shoegaze legends took to the stage, we were treated to the sounds of bdrmm, a band I was only vaguely familiar with beforehand. These rising shoegazers from Hull know how to put on a serious show, and ever since, I have been listening to their 2020 debut album Bedroom incessantly, eagerly awaiting their next.
Last year, bdrmm released the single ‘Port’, which has been greeted with a host of remixes, including those by Working Men’s Club, Daniel Avery, Mouth Company and Jonathan Snipes. ‘Port’ has been followed this year by the dour, absorbing single, ‘Three’. I certainly hope a second album isn’t too far around the corner.
LUMER
This post-punk quartet from Yorkshire know how to paint a picture with sound. The stark realism expressed in Alex Evans’ vocals takes three-dimensional form when met with the band’s gritty post-punk energy. With youthful venom, they strike audiences with a sonically satisfying take on the uncertainties of the modern world.
Having released their debut single, ‘Burn/Bleed’, back in 2018, LUMER are by no means new to the circuit, but after seeing their astonishingly low streaming figures, I feel duty bound to spread the word of this hidden gem from the north.
LICE
LICE have started to break through as an important addition to the modern punk revival led by Bristol neighbours IDLES. Over the course of two years, vocalist Alastair Shuttleworth set about extracting lyrics from his unorthodox mind that would later shape the foundation of an enigmatic narrative. By the time lyrics were put to music in the studio, something eminently intriguing had developed.
Last year’s debut album, Wasteland: What Ails Our People is Clear, is a beast of science-fiction-laden political satire, a concept album that spread its wings beyond the scope of their previous singles and EPs. The band are growing from strength to strength towards their anticipated sophomore album, with festival appearances at Green Man and Reading and Leeds festivals under their belt this summer.
