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Top 20 Best Rock Bands


    Top 20 Best Rock Bands in 2019

    This list guide features the top 20 best rock bands.  These are among some of the best bands to release great songs and albums recently. They are sure to rank among the best.

    Some of them have gone on to be nominated and even won a Grammy. We’ve also mentioned a couple of lesser known bands that look promising and have released great music

    Top 20 Best Rock Bands

    1. Imagine Dragons

    Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, consisting of lead vocalist Dan Reynolds, lead guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee, and drummer Daniel Platzman.

    The band first gained exposure with the release of their single “It’s Time”, followed by their award-winning debut studio album Night Visions (2012), which resulted in the chart-topping singles “Radioactive” and “Demons”.

    After the Evolve Tour was completed, Imagine Dragons released their fourth studio album Origins, on November 9, 2018. “Natural” and “Zero” were released as the first singles off the album.

    Dan Reynolds cites Arcade Fire, Nirvana, Muse, The Beatles, Paul Simon, Coldplay, Linkin Park, Harry Nilsson, and U2 as some of his and the band’s artistic influences.

    Imagine Dragons has won three American Music Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, one Grammy Award, one MTV Video Music Award and one World Music Award. The band has sold 12 million albums and 35 million singles worldwide.

    Listen to Imagine Dragons on Spotify

    2. Greta Van Fleet

    Greta Van Fleet is an American rock band from Frankenmuth, Michigan, formed in 2012. It consists of vocalist Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka, bassist Sam Kiszka, and drummer Danny Wagner.

    They were signed to Lava Records in March 2017 and a month later the band released their debut studio EP, Black Smoke Rising. Their debut single, “Highway Tune”, topped the Billboard US Mainstream Rock and Active Rock charts in September 2017 for four weeks in a row.

    Their debut full length studio album, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, was released on October 19, 2018 and topped the Billboard Rock Album charts in the first week after its release.

    The album’s first single, “When the Curtain Falls“, being released ahead of it in July 2018, eventually becoming the band’s third number one US single on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts.

    Anthem of the Peaceful Army also launched atop the Billboard Hard Rock charts and reached the number one spot on the Billboard Top Album Sales charts in the first week after its release.

    In December 2018, the band was nominated for four Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, Best Rock Performance for “Highway Tune”, Best Rock Song for “Black Smoke Rising” and Best Rock Album for From the Fires.

    Listen to Greta Van Fleet on Spotify

    3. Panic! At The Disco

    Panic! at the Disco is an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Brendon Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith and Brent Wilson.

    the band recorded and released its debut studio album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (2005). Popularized by the single, “I Write Sins Not Tragedies“, the album was certified double platinum in the US.

    On March 21, 2018, the band released two new songs “Say Amen (Saturday Night)” and “(Fuck A) Silver Lining.” At the same time, the band also announced a new album called Pray for the Wicked. As of 2019 Brendon Urie is only the current member.

    The band has won one American Music Awards, nominated for a Grammy Award and an MTV Europe Music Awards.

    Listen to Panic! At The Disco on Spotify

    4. PVRIS

    PVRIS is an American rock band from Lowell, Massachusetts formed by members Lynn Gunn, Alex Babinski, and Brian MacDonald.

    They released their debut album, White Noise, in November 2014, and the deluxe version of White Noise on April 22, 2016.

    During their time spent on Warped Tour The Huffington Post released a second article listing them as one of “18 Artists You Need To Know Halfway Through 2014”.

    “Lynn Gunn is a force that cannot be denied, redolently poignant in both her most excitable and serene vocalizations. The first female-led signing of Rise Records, a label that has almost implausibly made metalcore music equally accessible and desirable, the label may have just made its smartest acquisition yet.”

    On August 25, 2017, PVRIS released their second album All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell.

    The band has won one Rock Sound Award, one Alternative Press Music Award, one Kerrang! Award and two Boston Music Awards.

    Listen to PVRIS on Spotify

    5. Twenty One Pilots

    Twenty One Pilots is an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. The band was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris Salih, who left in 2011. The current line-up is Joseph and drummer Josh Dun.

    The duo achieved breakthrough success with their fourth album, Blurryface (2015), which produced the successful singles “Stressed Out” and “Ride“.

    Heathens“, recorded for the soundtrack of the film Suicide Squad, made the group the first alternative artist to have two concurrent top ten singles in the United States.

    On July 11, 2018, the band released two new songs, “Jumpsuit” and “Nico and the Niners“, as well as the music video for “Jumpsuit”. They also made the announcement of their fifth studio album, Trench, released on October 5, 2018, and a new world tour, titled “The Bandito Tour”, starting October 16, 2018.

    They have won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

    Listen to Twenty One Pilots on Spotify

    6. Mumford & Sons

    Mumford & Sons are a British band formed in 2007. The band consists of Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall and Ted Dwane.

    The band released their first released studio album Sigh No More (2009). Their debut peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and the Billboard 200 in the US.

    Their second and third studio album Babel and Wilder Mind both debuting at number one in the UK and US, the former becoming the fastest-selling rock album of the decade.

    On 20 September 2018, the band released the single, “Guiding Light”, introducing their new album titled Delta on BBC Radio 1. The second single, “If I Say”, was released on October 25. Delta was released on 16 November 2018, with appearances from Maggie Rogers, Yebba, and Gill Landry.

    Mumford & Sons have won a number of music awards throughout their career, with Sigh No More earning the band the Brit Award for Best British Album in 2011, a Mercury Prize nomination and six overall Grammy Award nominations.

    The band received eight total Grammy nominations for Babel and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. They also won the Brit Award for Best British Group in 2013.

    Listen to Mumford & Sons on Spotify

    7. Fall Out Boy

    Fall Out Boy is an American rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley.

    In 2005 major-label breakthrough, From Under the Cork Tree, produced two hit singles, “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” and “Dance, Dance”, and went double platinum. Fall Out Boy received a Best New Artist nomination at the 2006 Grammy Awards.

    The band’s 2007 follow-up, Infinity on High, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. It produced two worldwide hit singles, “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” and “Thnks fr th Mmrs”.

    Fall Out Boy sixth studio album, American Beauty/American Psycho (2015) peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, and spawned the top-10 hit “Centuries” and the single “Uma Thurman” which reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.

    The band’s seventh studio album Mania (2018), also peaked at No. 1, making it the band’s fourth No. 1 album and the group’s sixth consecutive top 10 album. In 2018, Fall Out Boy received their second Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album for Mania.

    Listen to Fall Out Boy on Spotify

    8. Lovelytheband

    Lovelytheband is an American indie pop band that formed in 2016 in Los Angeles. The band is comprised by vocalist Mitchy Collins, guitarist Jordan Greenwald, and drummer Sam Price.

    Their single “Broken” charted on several US Billboard charts. The band topped the Billboard Emerging Artists chart dated October 6, 2018.

    Lovelytheband debuted in April 2017 with their single “Broken”, which quickly earned over three million streams on Spotify. The single charted on several Billboard charts. It topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart dated April 21, 2018.

    In September 2017, the band released their first EP, Everything I Could Never Say…They released the single “These Are My Friends” in May 2018. On August 3, 2018, they released their debut album Finding It Hard to Smile.

    Listen to Lovelyytheband on Spotify

    9. Ghost

    Ghost is a Swedish rock band that was formed in Linköping, Sweden in 2006. In 2010, they released a 3-track demo followed by a 7″ vinyl titled “Elizabeth”, and later their debut full-length album Opus Eponymous.

    Their second album and major label debut Infestissumam was released in 2013, debuted at number one in Sweden, and won the Grammis Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Album.

    The band released their third studio album, Meliora, in 2015, to much critical acclaim and high record sales, reaching number one in their home country of Sweden, and number eight in the United States.

    Its lead single, “Cirice”, earned them the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. The band released their fourth studio album, Prequelle, in 2018.

    Listen to Ghost on Spotify

    10. Wallows

    Wallows are an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles composed of Braeden Lemasters, Cole Preston, and Dylan Minnette.

    The band began releasing songs independently in April 2017 starting with “Pleaser,” which reached  number two on the Spotify Global Viral 50 chart. They released their major label debut EP, Spring, on April 6, 2018.

    In November 2017, their song, “Pulling Leaves Off Trees,” was premiered on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 radio show.  The band headlined their first North American tour that would run from January to March 2018.

    They also released a new single, “Pictures of Girls,” their first on Atlantic. The song was chosen as a “Critical Cut” by SiriusXM Alt Nation. Wallows ended their North American tour at South by Southwest in March 2018.

    Listen to Wallows on Spotify

    11. The Glorious Sons

    The Glorious Sons are a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario. Formed in 2011, the band signed with Black Box in 2013.

    The band has released one EP, Shapeless Art, and two studio albums; The Union, which was released on September 14, 2014, and their second album Young Beauties and Fools, which was released on October 13, 2017.

    The Union was nominated for a Juno Award for Best Rock Album, and The Glorious Sons were nominated and won “Group of the Year” and “Rock Group of the Year” at the SiriusXM Indie Awards at Canadian Music Week in 2015.

    Young Beauties and Fools was released on October 13, 2017. At the Juno Awards of 2018, Young Beauties and Fools won the Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year.

    The Glorious Sons have eight consecutive top-10 rock radio hits in Canada including their first number one modern rock single “Everything Is Alright”.

    Listen to The Glorious Sons on Spotify

    12. Beach Fossils

    Beach Fossils are an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2009. The group currently includes Dustin Payseur, Jack Doyle Smith and Tommy Davidson.

    Their debut single, Daydream/Desert Sand was released in February 2010 and in May 2010, they released their self-titled debut album.

    Their second album Clash the Truth was released in early 2013, peaking at number 40 on the Independent Albums chart.

    On March 2, 2017, the band released their third LP Somersault.

    Listen to Beach Fossils on Spotify

    13. Alvvays

    Alvvays is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Toronto. It consists of Molly Rankin, Kerri MacLellan, Alec O’Hanley, Brian Murphy, and Sheridan Riley. 

    Their self-titled debut album, released in 2014, topped the US college charts.  The group toured heavily in support of their debut, including slots at Glastonbury 2015 and Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2016.

    Their second studio album Antisocialites  was released on September 8, 2017.

    In 2018 they received a SOCAN Songwriting Prize nomination for their song “Dreams Tonite”, and Antisocialites was shortlisted for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize, and won a Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year.

    Listen to Alvvays on Spotify

    14. Bob Moses

    Bob Moses is a Canadian electronic duo, created a sound that appeals equally to club goers and rock music fans.

    Originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, the band consists of Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance. A remix of their song “Tearing Me Up“, by RAC, won a Grammy Award for best remixed recording, non-classical.

    Bob Moses released their debut EPHands to Hold, on that label in October 2012. Soon after the release of this first EP, they went on to deliver a second, Far from the Tree.

    Bob Moses’ debut album, Days Gone By, was released on September 18, 2015.

    “Tearing Me Up” became the most prominent song on the album, earning Grammy Award nominations for best dance recording and best remixed recording, non-classical. having peaked at number sixteen on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart.

    On September 14, 2018, Bob Moses released their second album, Battle Lines.

    Listen to Bob Moses on Spotify

    15. Lo Moon

    Lo Moon is an American indie rock band from Los Angeles. The band released its first single, “Loveless”, in September 2016.

    In May 2017, the band released a second single, “This Is It”. The song “This Is It” peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Songs.

    In June, it performed at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City, and two months later at Lollapalooza in Chicago.

    The band began headlining shows in November 2017, including sold-out stops at the Troubadour in Los Angeles and at Rough Trade NYC.

    Its self-titled debut studio album was released on February 23, 2018.

    Listen to Lo Moon on Spotify

    16. Cherry Glazerr

    Cherry Glazerr is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2013. The current lineup consists of guitarist and lead vocalist Clementine Creevy, bassist Devin O’Brien and drummer Tabor Allen.

    The band began performing with a number of prominent bands and festival scenes in 2013, including SXSW, Beach Goth, at the El Rey.

    In 2014, the band released their full-length debut Haxel Princess.  Cherry Glazerr released their sophomore album, Apocalipstick, on January 20, 2017.

    In 2018, Cherry Glazerr played at Coachella, opened for Portugal. The Man and The Breeders, and released a new single, “Juicy Socks”. In November 2018, Cherry Glazerr announced their new album Stuffed & Ready would be released on February 1, 2019.

    Listen to Cherry Glazerr on Spotify

    17. Moon Taxi

    Moon Taxi is an American indie-alternative rock band based in Nashville, Tennessee. The band was founded in 2006 by Trevor Terndrup, Tommy Putnam, Spencer Thomson, Tyler Ritter, and Wes Bailey.

    The band has released five studio albums: MelodicaCabaretMountains Beaches CitiesDaybreaker, and Let the Record Play.

    On May 5, 2017, Moon Taxi released the single “Two High” which hit number three on the Adult Alternative Songs chart and number one in Triple A airplay.

    The band was included on the Coachella, Hangout, Forecastle, Beale Street, and Firefly music festival bills in 2016.

    Listen to Moon Taxi on Spotify

    18. Big Thief

    Big Thief is an American indie rock band with folk roots based in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Its members are Adrianne Lenker, Buck Meek, Max Oleartchik, and James Krivchenia. The band’s first album, Masterpiece, was released on May 27, 2016.

    On April 4, 2017, Big Thief premiered a new single, “Mythological Beauty,” on NPR. Their next LP, Capacity was released on June 9, 2017.

    Capacity appeared on multiple album-of-the-year lists, including #1 on NPR’s “Bob Boilen’s Top Ten Album’s of 2017”.  SPIN named Capacity number 2 on their “50 Best Albums of 2017”.

    Listen to Big Thief on Spotify

    19. Sunflower Bean

    Sunflower Bean is an American rock band from Glen Head, New York and Brooklyn founded in 2013. The band consists of Nick Kivlen, Jacob Faber, and Julia Cumming.

    The band toured relentlessly, gaining themselves the title of New York City’s “hardest-working band” in 2014 both as headliners and as openers for bands like Pixies, Wolf Alice, DIIV, Foxygen, Best Coast, Cherry Glazerr, and Sleigh Bells. They also performed a series of shows at South by Southwest 2015.

    The group has released two albums, Human Ceremony (2016) and Twentytwo in Blue (2018). They are set to release their third album King of Dudes in 2019.

    Listen to Sunflower Bean on Spotify

    20. The Frights

    The Frights are an American surf punk band consisting of Mikey Carnevale, Richard Dotson, Marc Finn, and Jordan Clark.

    In March 2013, The Frights’ debut EP Dead Beach was released by Postmark. This was followed by their second EP, Fur Sure, in May 2013, and their self-titled debut studio album in October 2013.

    In 2016 they released their sophomore studio album You Are Going To Hate This. In 2018 they released their third album Hypochondriac.

    Listen to The Frights on Spotify

     

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