Favorites Bands Discovered in 2023
These are bands I found for the first time in 2023
Every year I find new bands that have existed outside my purview. I fall in love hard, typically. Sometimes it is just one song, sometimes it is an entire catalog. Spotify’s algorithm is undefeated at linking me with bands I will love.
Bands I Fell In Love With
Inconsistent
Inconsistent’s Acting Cool popped up in the algorithm earlier this year (around June, I’m pretty sure) and the song “Problematic” resonated deeply with me. From the opening lyrics - “Am I too sad for you, or am I just a problem you refuse to fix?”
The chorus, “It’s not my fault that I’ve got problems, it’s my fault I’m problematic” really hammered down a lot of the issues I personally had been working through. Even though I suspect a decade-plus age gap, these kids still speak well enough to the human condition that it struck deep inside me.
Opening track “Serotonin,” in particular, helped me put into words how working in general made me feel.“Mostly I’m just overwhelmed by stress, but I swear to you I’ve been trying my best. Sorry is the hardest word to say, but you’re not a painter unless you decide to paint.”
Their songs channel the best parts of pop-punk inspired emo. Early Get Up Kids shines through in “Rad But Not Really.” Coming out in 2017, Emo was in kind of a transitional state. I think if this had come out last year or earlier this year, it would have sparked major attention. Between the genre’s exploding popularity and a need for diversity in a scene that is increasingly having its edges worn away in reaction to that popularity, Inconsistent brings a lot of the sincerity and energy that drew me into emo in the first place.
Their desire to grow fighting a battle against their very nature is a timeless story. There’s been some indication that they might have an album coming in the future and I can’t wait. I would love to see them live and I think they have room to grow into a really excellent band.
Teen Creeps
I started diving into the Belgian DIY scene because Adrianne and I were planning to go to a show while we were in the country. I did some cursory research into popular DIY bands and then utilized Spotify’s fans also like to worm my way down to some smaller acts in the scene. Teen Creeps were the first band that I found and, as such, had an unfair advantage.
That said, “Seeing Shapes” announces the band from the get go, with a pummeling drum attack:
Ramses Van den Eede (Drums) is unrelenting. He has the Grohl touch, the ability to infuse an extra layer of urgency with the sheer force he strikes. His work helps the band stand out, it’s hard to imagine the songs without him pushing them to their limits.
Bert Vliegen, the bassist and lead singer, sounds like John Linnell grew up on 80s DIY superstars, a la Cobain. When he sings the chorus, “I’m a mess inside, but at least it’s been that way forever,” the slight nasal twinge makes the song have the same sort of sad sack relatability Linnell infuses in his work without being whiney or obnoxious.
Joram De Bock, who handles guitar and backing vocals, is a muscley J Mascis disciple. His guitar fills the room with the arena rock blast that becomes more ambient sound in the hands of other artists.
I could easily see them slotting in nicely on a Riot Fest stage, or crossing over to the Fest audience. They would go over well at South by Southwest. I think they need a larger platform. I am terribly gutted I didn’t get to see their recent 10th Anniversary show with the also excellent Feverchild (more on them later this week).
On 2020’s Forever, Teen Creeps is a more introspective affair than Birthmarks, the band’s debut. The album does tend to drag a little in the middle, but overall is one of the better iterations on DIY indie-punk in recent memory. I also have a stack of Birthmarks on CDs from a record store in Brussels, if you want one. You can read about that here.
Woolworm
I actually really got into Woolworm because of their 2023 single “Bangs.” A heavy post-punk affair borrowing liberally from shoegaze greats. Born out of Vancouver’s hardcore scene, Woolworm is haunting. Beautiful. And powerful. They feel like the best successor to Swervedriver’s throne.
Giles Roy (guitar/vocals) conjures images of Morrissey (the singing, not the person) and Robert Smith, but there’s a little Black Francis lurking underneath. Heather Black (bass/vocals) compliments Roy nicely. Harmonizing and taking lead at different points, her presence elevates the songs. The guitars feel like opposing waves hammering a ship, trying to be the one to drag you under.
Missing 2017’s Deserve to Die was a giant whiff on my part. One of the best records released in a very good year, I am obsessed with how they intricately weave so many different threads from the fabric of punk rock to make a beautiful pop record. They reflect on mortality and the human condition.
2019’s follow-up, Awe, expands on the jangly-pop meets driving shoegaze of their debut. The lyrics are sparse, angry. The vocals punch through the constant waves provided by the addition of Alex Pomeroy on guitar. Drummer Nick Tolliday’s drumming keeps the sound moving forward, providing the hardcore thrum that gives the band their distinct sound.
I can’t wait for their newest album, because I think Bangs is their best song yet. This is a band I kick myself for not having seen live yet, but I’m grateful that I will likely get the chance.
Nervus
Nervus has been recommended to me for a couple of years and I never got around to them. Jokes on me. The music league came up in the clutch, with my friend Joe submitting one of their songs, “Rotting Mass” from the album The Evil One. I wore out Pool Kids and Momma’s records, but The Evil One stands up with them as one of the best records last year.
Four albums in and Nervus is better than ever. I went back through their catalog, starting with 2016’s Permanent Rainbow, to 2018’s Everything Dies and 2019’s Tough Crowd. Foster’s progression as a song writer is evident, but the band found something truly special in The Evil One. The band had hints at what was coming, the pop sensibilities on display from day one.
Earlier works feel more familiar in the aftermath of Against Me!, The Gaslight Anthem and the Menzingers. They are a much more interesting band to me now than they started.
Queercore, as a genre, has grown so much over its lifetime. Bands bring in a variety of influence and expand the genre. Nervus is no different. Drawing from 90s college/alternative rock and punk rock wells, they feel like a band that would have fit perfectly on MTV’s Buzz Bin.
Nervus makes deeply personal records about politics and identity, starting as a project born from singer/songwriter Em Foster’s bedroom. She writes beautiful power pop-punk songs about gender identity, dysmorphia and queerness. This very much feels like a band raised on 120 Minutes, KROQ and Clear Channel alternative radio, but they take the best from all of those bands.
I was woefully ignorant of them when they played Fests I attended. I even had them recommended to me by my friend Steven. This is what I get for not listening.
It It Anita
You’ll probably be sick of Belgian bands by the end of these lists, but It It Anita is Belgium’s answer to The Jesus Lizard. Pissed off, aggressive, noisy with actual songs occupying the space underneath. Much like Mark Arm was able to rise above chaos, so too does Michaël Goffard, lead singer and guitarist of It It Anita. My first hook into the band was “Mascara,” a stand alone single that recalls some of the meatier Seaweed songs of their heyday.
Belgium is currently a hotbed for noise rock, with bands like Crowd of Chairs also being a favorite, but It It Anita has the song writing chops to make themselves stand out. I’m sad I didn’t get to see them in concert while we were there, they are a very active band and seem to making some noise in the larger noise community.
The dynamic, dual vocal assault calls to mind some of the more aggressive Jawbox songs, without the soaring vocals of J Robbins:
Their use of feedback and dissonance seems like a memorable time live:
They released an album, Mouche, in 2023 as a three piece that lacked some of the dynamics the second guitar and vocals, but still stands out as a weird and wild exploration into how weird guitar music can get and still sound good.
I still tend to find certain songs a cut above the rest, with 2021’s Sauvé probably being my favorite record through and through.
Stoop Kid
Jens Rubens’ solo project turned full band Stoop Kid is a band I was lucky enough to see live while we were in Belgium earlier this year. I wrote about them and they also put out an album this year you might hear about later this week. I also wrote about them in my top live shows of the year.
What I will say is, seeing them live elevated the band tremendously. It was a great night, they sounded amazing live and the songs really grew into new things for me. A jangly, post-punk emo band that writes a lot about the mundane. Their songs find the beauty in the every day and encourage you to find the reasons for living in your life.
Appropriate to the name, there is also plenty of social anxiety and insecurity. Rubens’ and many of his bandmates were also a part of Coma Commander, a more straight forward orgcore affair with a song about the Karate Kid.
You’ll get plenty about Stoop Kid this week, so they are getting a bit of the short end of the stick here.
dave the band
To a lesser extent, I also listened to a metric ton of Australian rock music this year. Australia has always had a healthy music scene with plenty of breakthrough into American DIY music markets. The Smith Street Band and Camp Cope have been two notable examples of the last decade or so.
The Alternative Rock scene, which is a genre loaded with negative connotations in the music critic world, doesn’t have quite the same crossover. dave the band is the cream of the crop for me. First coming into the band via “Fine!,” a rager that reminds you that it will all be fine. A mantra singer Noah Church doesn’t seem to believe.
2020’s Slob Stories built on the promise of twin 2016 debut EPs Sunny Days in Winter/Poor Kelpie. Early stand out “By A Thread” from Sunny Days laid the foundation for what would come. The song is frantic, iconic from the first note. A person at the edge of their rope, the song bounces between the highs and lows that come in a manic state.
Next up was 2017’s debut record Yoch Bangers! Vol 1. They followed with another EP Never Yoch Alone. The band feels like the transition record for so many great indie rock bands in the past, from their punk heydays to their power pop mainstream breaks. Their ability to balance power pop accessibility with the attitude of punk standard bearers feels like the my favorite eras of some of my favorite bands.
By the time Slob Stories had come around, dave the band had shaped their own identity. Recorded with Steve Albini, the band shared their experience and a little bit of background on every track here. Opener “Ultrahard” sets the tempo nicely, utilizing the loud/soft dynamics the Pixies popularized but managing to keep the complexity and urgency in the “quiet” parts before swelling to the chorus and casting their hooks.
“Capsule” plays again the verse/chorus/verse song structure before a haunting ending. Per Church, “I had the idea for capsule when I heard a friend talking about his trip to Japan where he’d stayed in a capsule hotel. It was written just as winter was ending and I was reflecting on the last few months that had passed.” The song’s haunting outro really underscores the strength of Church’s songwriting:
”Cos the breaklights lit the night like a star,
when we got there you were trapped in your car.
And that gumtree it had never stood so still.
We felt dumb that we had never thought you’d kill
Yourself.”
I just hate that trying to find information about them requires wading through so much Dave Matthews Band nonsense.
Here’s Some Songs I Fell In Love With (a.k.a. The Honorable Mentions)
“Cancer” by Neighbourhood Void
I love when a band can get to the essence of what made Nirvana work and “Cancer” is bang on. The band’s 2022 record Watch the World Burn is good, but doesn’t quite distinguish itself enough for me, but I am excited to see where they go from here. I didn’t like their 2023 EP as much, but another standout is track “All My Friends Are Depressed” from last year’s LP. They seem to be another band in the Australian alt-rock scene to watch.
“Same Same” by WAAX
Australian natives WAAX’s whole Wild and Weak EP is great, but “Same Same” is definitely the best song they’ve written. Calling to mind other great 90s alt rock acts like Elastica and Republica, they are a little too well-polished for my tastes over all, but I am definitely finding myself a fan and hope to see them live at some point.
“Toothpick” by Dirk.
Dirk. is the Belgian answer to mainstream alternative rock and “Toothpick” is the best song they’ve written in my opinion. Like Frank Black raised on the first two Weezer Records and Tony Hawk Soundtracks is evident in the music video. Huge swells, great use of dynamics, introspective lyrics and catchy. If you have any doubts about any of that, check out the official music video that has them playing in an empty skate park. Coincidentally, I heard the band Starsailor and the opening lines immediately clicked into place.
“For Sale: Ford Pinto” by Rosie Tucker
Rosie Tucker is on Epitaph. Good on Mr. Brett for evolving, I don’t know what I would have done if this were on Punk-O-Rama 5. Rosie has a voice that evokes twee greats and the song does a great job at capturing the feelings of a panic attack. I haven’t quite connected with any of their other songs, but I would have killed to see them play this opening for the Beths.
Here’s some of my favorites I discovered this year in playlist form.