Swinging was never enough. All of these now classic bands had tunes to go along with their chops, charisma and volume. Most people like songs more than bands. And that’s exactly what any up-and-coming rock band will need to rock mainstream audiences again. Songs.
Obviously, new rock music is no longer a monoculture. In the era of TikTok, pop, rap and their subgenres rule. Thanks to biopics and Target-store t-shirt sales, classic rock has remained mainstream. Meanwhile, new rock & roll has moved dangerously close to the periphery of jazz. But there is still dynamic new rock & roll. You just have to search harder now.
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Back in 2018 when the height of mania/hate of Greta Van Fleet, I wanted to highlight other emerging groups that deserved attention. And did so in an article titled “15 Recent Rock Bands You Should Know Besides Greta Van Fleet.” These bands included: Joyous Wolf, The Damn Truth, Bishop Gunn, Classless ActStarcrawler, The Struts, Sheer Mag, Scorpion Child, White Reaper, Dorothy, dirty honeyTrue Villains, The Shelters, Power Trip and Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown.
These days, in addition to social media and publicists, I often get to know new bands through rock-themed podcasts. Some of these podcasts include The hook rocks, All Things Blues and Southern Rock Podcast, The Chuck Shute Podcast and Music Vibes with DC Hendrix.
Four years later, it was time to add to this list of new bands to know. Fifteen other rising artists. Maybe one of them will be your next new favorite band. At the very least, their music deserves to be heard by more people who love a good rock song.
Crown Lands
From: Oshawa, Ontario
The sound: Sword-and-sorcery bay in the middle of a forest of mathematical riffs.
Song to start: “White Buffalo”
After: crownlandsmusic.com
Band Inc.
From: Boston
The sound: Enchantress vocals, high-cholesterol guitars and flowing rhythms.
Song to start: “Midnite Rider”
After: bandincrocks.com
House of the Bourbons
From: Wisconsin
The Sound: Blues-rock that’s slinky and sexy instead of loud and cartoonish.
Song to start: “Too High to Care”
After: https://www.bourbonhouserocks.com
LA maybe
From: Charlotte, North Carolina
The sound: AC/DC creaks in the verses and 1989 “Dial MTV” hooks in the choruses.
Song to start: “Mr. Danger”
After: lamaybe.com
Naked gypsy queens
From: Nashville
The sound: Candelabra guitar ravers and high-intensity howls.
Song to start: “Georgiana”
After: nudegypsyqueens.com
Stuffed toy
From: New York State
The sound: Valkyrie’s voice above a modern, melodious thump.
Song to start: “Athena”
After: plushrocks.net
Read our detailed article on Plush here.
Indigenous sons
From: Louisville, Kentucky
The sound: Dio’s descending vocal bravado and Skid Row’s crunch.
Song to start: “Drama”
After: nativesonsrocks.com
Ayron Jones
From: Seattle
The sound: Funky and powerful hard-rock.
Song to start: “Supercharged”
After: ayronjonesmusic.com
GhostRiver
From: Nashville
The sound: Swampy bacchanalia and wah-wah.
Song to start: “Fruit on the Vine”
After: riverghostrock.com
The Night Hawks of Quaker City
From: Fort Worth, TX
The Sound: Silky-voiced, dirty-fingered boogie with hooks and melodies.
Song to start: “Suit in the Back”
After: quakercitynighthawks.com
53 judges
From: Huntsville, Alabama
The sound: Like an unreleased third album from Velvet Revolver.
Song to start: “Trix”
After: https://linktr.ee/53_judges
thunder mother
From: Stockholm, Sweden
The sound: Four badass women who played “Ace of Spades”, “Ride the Lightning” and “Back in Black”.
Song to start: “Driving in Style”
After: Thundermother.com
The cold looks
From: Evansville, Indiana
The sound: Soul voice, roadhouse grooves and metallic riffs.
Song to start: “Heavy Shoes”
After: thecoldstares.com
dark moods
From: Tempe, Arizona
The Sound: Power-pop comes with arena-ready pow.
Song to start: “Saturday Night”
After: theblackmoods.com
Jax Hollow
From: Nashville
The Sound: Bona fide Roots, puffed up rock zeal and a chip on the shoulder.
Song to start: “High Class Bitch”
After: jaxhollow.com
