The 20 best rock songs right now

Not much is known about Blondshell right now bar the two singles 24-year-old Sabrina Teitelbaum has put out under the name this year. “Kiss City,” which follows June’s “Olympus,” is full of tension and release. The song crackles with the air of a good secret as Teitelbaum confesses her sexual desires before stepping back and declaring herself “adjacent to a lot of love” before things get too real. It’s hard not to want to hear more of what she has to say.

London-based songwriter Piglet’s “It Isn’t Fair” is a deeply personal song written from the perspective of a trans person awaiting vital and life-changing surgery. The ache of wasted time lost to bureaucracy is felt in a line as simple as “Why should we wait around leaving our lives on the line?,” bringing humanity to a community so many are seemingly desperate to punish. All proceeds from the Bandcamp sales will go to We Exist, which provides support for the trans community in the U.K.

Quinton Brock released his debut album My Shadow in July and this title track is a great introduction to his preppy brand of indie rock. Brock’s humor shines through, too, as he jokes about being scared of his own shadow even though he’s a “real old fashioned kind of guy.”

Budgets are tight and maybe some people are scared of heights but more bands should follow Tallahassee emo band Pool Kids’ example and jump out of a plane in their videos. “Arm’s Length” is taken from their very fun self titled second album, out now.

Alvvays return with a classic and charming indie-pop song that explodes into life with perfect timing. The Toronto band’s new album Blue Rev arrives on October 7.

Noisy Oklahoma band Chat Pile bring a sense of dirt and squalor to the table with this track from the excellent new album God’s Country. “God’s/Eyes/Taste/Lips/Red/Phos/Death/Cum” might just be 2022’s most unlikely singalong moment.

Philly band Palm return after a four year absence with news of a new album and this great new song. “Feathers” will appear on Nicks & Grazes (out October 14) and pairs an industrial bass synth line with Eve Alpert’s searching vocals.

London band Sorry bury deep into the essence of a romantic song and come back up for air with a simple message: “I wanna tell you I love you cause I love you.” It’s a direct but effective introduction to new album Anywhere But Here, out October 7.

Send Gilla Band’s new single, with its refrain of “spent all my money on shit clothes,” to a friend who still uses fast fashion sites.

Show Me The Body’s latest track tingles with risk and a rightful mistrust of authority. Rather than fully going off, however, “Loose Talk” descends into a sludgy churn that feels all the more menacing.

Florist’s excellent self-titled new album came out this month and successfully marries vocalist Emily A. Sprague’s solo ambient soundscapes with the autobiographical folk songs she writes alongside her bandmates. “Feathers” falls into the latter category, Sprague’s delicate voice backed by a shimmering slide guitar, but the album is best consumed whole; a transportative experience.

From its sighing tone to the way the guitars jangle just so, Josh Hwang’s Castlebeat project will be catnip to fans of bands like DIIV, Wild Nothing, and Real Estate. “Cinema” nails the indie pop aesthetic with a song about doubting yourself in a relationship and ennui in front of the big screen.

Melodic hardcore band Bent Blue just dropped new 12" EP, Where Do Ripples Go? and “Halfway” is typical of the San Diego trio’s ability to take the DNA of DC hardcore while moving the sound into a more contemporary setting.

Slipknot’s announcement that their next album, out September 30, will be titled The End, So Far naturally had some fans worrying that the masked metal band may be calling it a day. This new single goes so hard, though, it feels more like they are simply waving goodbye to one chapter (and, crucially, label deal) and preparing for the decades to come.

Brooklyn band Foyer Red set themselves apart with dueling vocals from Elana Riordan and keyboard player Mitch Myers. It is the latter who brings a dose of weirdness to the mix, bringing his warbling baritone to the voice of reason as Riordan battles against isolation and loneliness.

Irish band The Murder Capital return with their first new material since 2019 album When I Have Fears. “Only Good Things” is a classic love song, with James McGovern using romance as an escape from intrusive thoughts with a wall of guitars backing him all the way.

Having first emerged with a more folk-leaning sound Becca Harvey returns as Girlpuppy by ushering in some heavier, shogaze-y influences. On “Wish” she buries herself in sound as she processes anger, sadness and remembrance after falling out with a friend.

London-based Pretty Sick preview debut album Makes Me Sick, Makes Me Smile with a grunge song about temptation, desire, and the mistakes we make when simply trying to feel alive.

It would be easy to dismiss Men I Trust’s music as fodder for a vibey streaming playlist, such is the relaxing nature of the Montreal band’s constant groove. Emmanuelle Proulx continues to dig deep into her emotions, though, and keeps things engaging. Here she writes about the trials of a relationship, when one person’s “pride stiffens like dough,” but an unending bond stays strong against the odds.

Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee has joined forces with Jess Williamson to create an album (I Walked With You A Ways out October 14) inspired by country pop gods such as The Chicks and Dolly Parton. “Problem With It” is an instant hit that already makes Crutchfield and Williamson’s plan to only ever make one project together seem all too brief.