10. Silent Unspeakable by Bear Trade
Building on their
excellent debut “Blood and Sand”, the return of the North-East’s finest
gruff punks is a blistering collection of songs that define the mood of
the country in these post Brexit times. There are feelings of sincerity,
honesty, acceptance and apprehension throughout the album, providing an
emotional tinge that few albums achieve; whilst remaining gruff enough
that it’s guaranteed to get fists in the air. A truly stellar return!
9. Dream Gig by Dead Bars
Typical bratty punk rock can often
be overlooked and maligned. Looking to change that and take the party
anywhere that will have them, Seattle's Dead Bars debut LP "Dream Gig" is
honest, funny, passionate and ultimately a love letter to punk rock and
the community… So when John sings that his dream is to "play with the
Souls" you get an insight into how much this world means to the band.
Sounding like a homage to old-school party punks The Nobodys or Sloppy
Seconds, Dead Bars are the true definition of “pop-punk” with tunes that
will stick in your head for hours and real sing out loud moments - you
can’t help but be swept along for the ride!
8. The Run Up by The Run Up
Bristolian gruff-punks The Run-Up’s
debut album fulfils their early EP potential and then some. Taking its
influences from many notable American acts such as Timeshares or Iron
Chic, the band have delivered a real banger of an album filled with
anthemic, uplifting tunes and glorious fist in the air choruses. Tracks
such as "WKND" will instantly put a smile on your face and leave you
wanting more - definitely ones to watch out for over the next 12 months.
7. Thank You for Being a Friend by 88 Fingers Louie
Possibly the
biggest surprise of the year; whilst it was expected that 88FL would
deliver a solid album, the volatile nature of the band coupled with their
lengthy hiatus meant it could have gone either way. Thankfully, the
melodic hardcore veterans produced a stunning, emotionally-charged and
at times angry album that not only stays true to their legacy, but has
launched them back to the forefront of the genre in style.
6. Natural Light by Track and Field
The Leeds quartet's debut
LP is truly special, a stunning blend of post-hardcore and indie tunes
reminiscent of Restorations with a touch of Cheap Girls or, even at times, The Cure thrown in. It’s melodic without being overly poppy and driven
by some excellent melodies and gorgeous song-writing. It sounds like a
true labour of love by the band and within one listen you'll see why.
5. The King of No-Man by Captain, We’re Sinking
A more reflective and adult album compared to the previous, “The Future is Cancelled”, TKNM is a proper introspective journey. Feeling highly personal, it’s a wonderful slab of post-hardcore brilliance with tracks such as “Trying Year” and “Crow” real stand-outs.
4. Light It Up by Hot Water Music
Warning – a controversial
statement is ahead… I’ll go out on a limb and say personally this is
probably the best HWM release since “No Division”... there I said it
(and await the backlash). I’ve revisited this album countless times to
see if my assessment holds up and each time I come away loving it more.
It’s HWM doing what HWM do best and the world's a better place for it!
3. Distance by Heavy Heart
With nine instant classics, French
pop-punkers Heavy Heart have produced one of the most endearing albums
of the year. Driven by three vocalists, the songs are catchy, upbeat,
instantly relatable and brilliant to sing-a-long to! Heavy Hearts' collection of Timeshares-esq punk rock tunes might have slid under the
radar a little but it has become one of my go-to records this year.
2. You Can’t Stay Here by Iron Chic
Big songs with even bigger
chorus, Iron Chic have returned with their strongest album yet and
given the quality of its predecessors that’s no easy feat. Comprising
eight amazing fist in the air anthems and three near perfect ballads
it’s practically flawless.
1. After The Party by The Menzingers
If 2012’s “On the
Impossible Past” was a major ground-breaking album for the Scrantonite
punks, launching them into the punk rock mainstream, “After The Party”
is truly earth shattering. Building on everything that’s come before, it’s so honest, earnest, melancholic and anthemic that every song is
single material. One of the great punk albums of the last 20 years for
sure!
This end of year list was written by
Richard Mair.
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