50thirdand3rd

50thirdand3rd: 20 Bands that Defined 2019

I was going to post a Top 10, but man there was a crap tonne of amazing music this year, so here are 20 bands that defined my 2019 (in no particular order).

Amyl and the Sniffers – S/T

The Aussie rockers dropped an absolutely killer record of mulleted sharpie punk and roll. I played the hell out of this record and had tickets to see them but something came up and I missed the show in the sweltering summer heat of a small sold-out Toronto club.

AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS

Cat Clyde – Hunters Trance

Her voice is a force and her sophomore record ‘Hunters Trance‘ is flawless. I finally did manage to catch her live this fall and she did not disappoint. A true talent.

CAT CLYDE

Cherry Pickles – Will Harden Your Nipples

Medway-style, lo-fi garage rock, via the UK and Brazil. If they don’t harden your nipples, at least they will get your foot tapping and put a smile on your face.

CHERRY PICKLES

angelic milk – Divine Biker Love

Shoegazing Russian goth-pop, this debut came early in January, but it stayed on my list.

angelic milk

WAAX – Big Grief

Brisbane quintet WAAX released their debut ‘Big Grief‘ this year and hit it out of the park. All killer, no filler with hooks that are impossible to kill.

YouTube player

WAAX

Mind Rays – Course of Action

Belgian garage punks follow up their excellent debut with ‘Course of Action‘ 10 tracks of savage, furious ragers, post-punk, and 60s garage.

MIND RAYS

SadGirl – Water

Water‘ the debut from SadGirl sounds timeless and is a visceral masterpiece. You can almost taste the salty California ocean air.

YouTube player

SADGIRL

UBIK – Next Phase

Ferocious and politically charged ‘brat-beat’. It’s short but carries a wallop.

Iron Lung Records

Dead Arms – Simply Dead

The world is a fucking mess and Dead Arms have provided the soundtrack.

DEAD ARMS

Flesh Panthers – Holy Roller

Back to back collections of rootsy and down-home rock and roll fused with garage rock from the Chicago troubadours. Just waiting for my vinyl!

FLESH PANTHERS

True Dreams – No. 1

No-frills, perfectly crafted, retro garage pop with irresistible hooks.

FACEBOOK

Virvon Varvon – Mind Cancer

Blistering, gritty punk with a bubblegum center. Noisy and abrasive but catchy as hell.

Virvon Varvon

The Shiverettes – Real Shrill Bitches

Are you listening, when I’m talking?’ Haley Muir asks. Furious, angry punk, Calgary’s The Shivertettes are not background music.

YouTube player

The Shiverettes

The Shiverettes – Bandcamp

Karrion – Forsaken World

Diabolical vocals over maniacal thrashing, Karrion, and archival label Supreme Echo delivered one of the best metal releases of the year even though it’s from 1987.

Supreme Echo

The Dollyrots – Daydream Explosion

This album could’ve been called ‘Earworm Explosion’. Impeccable pop-punk for those dark days of winter ahead.

The Dollyrots

The Darts – ‘I Like You But Not Like That’

Retro, sinister, psychedelic garage rock from the Arizona desert.

The Darts

Trampoline Team – S/T

The New Orleans punks absolutely tear everyone a new one with their furious noise.

Ladrones – S/T

Raucous Puerto Rican punk rock fueled by the ferocious delivery of vocalist of Valeria Sánchez.

Ladroness

Francie Moon – All the Same

Shimmering, atmospheric, and trippy garage-psych.

Baroness – Gold & Grey

Shapeshifting, emotive, and multi-layered heavy music. Baroness keeps getting better.

YouTube player

Baroness

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Cribs

One foot in the door
The other one in the gutter

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