The 20 best rock songs right now

Texan indie-pop duo Hovvdy have settled into a nice lane where their low-key but undeniably charming songs sound as easy to create as they are to vibe out to. New EP Billboard For My Feelings, the follow-up to last year’s sugary True Love, adds new textures and hidden depths. “Hide” stitches paranoia and regret into Charlie Martin and Will Taylor’s breezy M.O., bringing added weight with it.

Jasmyn dances her way through growing pains on this John Congleton-produced track from her upcoming debut In The Wild, due June 3 via ANTI-.

Wednesday guitarist MJ Lederman’s new solo album Boat Songs is one of the finest of the year so far, a curious and observant set of grunge-era noise-pop bathed in melancholy. “Toontown” utilizes outsized humor (“I’m your beat down rodeo clown/ With his pants pulled down”) to soothe Lenderman’s fear of the apocalypse.

Your mileage may vary with The Chats, a brash Australian punk band that always sound like they’ve just crushed a beer can on their foreheads, but “6L GTR” is undeniable fun. Their new album Get F*cked drops August 19.

This Bristol, U.K. band get full marks for their pun-tastic name, but there’s more to them than simply riffing on Canada’s most iconic diva. “Pressure” falls under the umbrella of British post-punk so prevalent right now, but remains angry enough to demand attention.

Special Interest's strongest skill is the way they merge the party with the political. New song "(Herman's) House" is packed full of sleazy guitar riffs, grinding bass, and the kind of piano normally reserved for a house rave.

Nobody is doing it like black midi right now. This new song, the lead from July’s Hellfire, juxtaposes a story of post-war trauma in naval officers with frantic riffs and manic time signatures.

On June 10 Columbus screamo band For Your Health will release a split EP called hymns for the scorned with their emo counterparts awakbutstillinbed. This first taste of what they have in store catches For Your Health aiming for the rafters with arguably their most anthemic song to date.

Australian singer-songwriter Stella Donnelly taps into her inner child and finds strength to stand up for what is right on new song “Lungs,” taken from the forthcoming album Flood, out August 26 on Secretly Canadian.

The way Ezra Furman sings “Do you remember when we thought the world was ending? Seems funny now,” here sounds both hopeful and utterly bleak at the same time. It seems fitting for a song about the cyclical nature of chaos and the role it plays in so many lives. Furman’s new album All Of Us Flames arrives August 26.

Between the band’s long-awaited reunion shows and this epic new song, the MCRmy are eating this month.

Speaking of MCR, Manchester goths Witch Fever opened for them in the U.K. leg of their tour. This title track from their upcoming debut album, due in October, weaves religion and guilt together with a massive opening riff and vocalist Amy Walpole’s imposing delivery.

London punks Sniffany & The Nits turn their ire inwards on the excoriating “Chicken Liver.” Vocalist Sister Sniffany rails against what she describes as her own “toxic femininity,” ridding herself of an easily digested but ultimately false self-image in the process.

Australian hardcore band SPEED rail against big mouths and bullshitters on this heroically tough new single. Their Gang Called Speed EP drops June 24.

French-Korean alt-pop star Spil Tab’s new song “splinter” was written to soundtrack an imaginary rom-com. The rugged indie rock textures and lyrics about grinding your teeth into dust suggest it’s one with an unhappy ending.

Melodic hardcore band Squint’s Feel It EP is a great introduction to a band that want their hooks to hit as big as the emotions they deal in. Vocalist Brennen Wilkinson commits fully to “Dealer Wins,” a highlight of the recently released project.

London hardcore trio Shooting Daggers lay waste to abusive men everywhere with their furious and defiant new song. Check out the band’s new EP Athames for more.

Static Dress’s debut album Rouge Carpet Disaster, released this month, acts almost like a condensed version of the past two decades of heavy music, comprising elements of metal, emo, post-hardcore, industrial, and shoegaze to name just a few. “Fleahouse” is the U.K. band at their most instant but the album shows the full picture.

This is surely (hopefully?) the most romantic song you’ll hear all year featuring the line “exclusively tentacle porn” in it.