Rock Bands That Have Popped Up in Recent Years

It seems like every other day a new rock band pops up out of nowhere and starts making waves in the music industry. Here are some of the most recent rock bands to keep an ear out for.

1.The 1975

1.The 1975
An English rock band, The 1975 first gained popularity with their self-titled debut album in 2013. Since then, they have released another album, “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it”, and are set to release a third album in 2018. The band consists of Matthew Healy (vocals, rhythm guitar), Adam Hann (lead guitar), George Daniel (drums) and Ross MacDonald (bass).

2.Passion Pit

Passion Pit is an American indie rock band that formed in 2007. The band is known for their unique sound, which blends elements of synth-pop, electronic, and indie rock. Passion Pit has released three studio albums, the most recent of which, Gossamer, was released in 2012.

3.MGMT

MGMT is an American rock band formed in 2002 at Wesleyan University. The band’s original line-up consisted of Andrew VanWyngarden (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards) and Ben Goldwasser (keyboards, vocals). In the years since its inception, the band has undergone several lineup changes. The current lineup consists of VanWyngarden, Goldwasser, James Richardson (guitar, backing vocals), Will Berman (drums), and Simon O’Connor (bass).

The band is best known for its 2006 debut album Oracular Spectacular, which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum in 2013 by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album yielded the singles “Time to Pretend”, “Electric Feel”, and “Kids”, which were all chart successes. In 2010, MGMT released their second album Congratulations. It peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the singles “Flash Delirium” and “Siberian Breaks”. Their third album MGMT was released in 2013 and debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200.

MGMT’s fourth album Little Dark Age was released in February 2018 to generally positive reviews from music critics. It is their first album in five years.

4.Vampire Weekend

Formed in 2006, Vampire Weekend is an indie rock band from New York City, New York, United States. The band consists of Ezra Koenig (lead vocals and guitar), Rostam Batmanglij (keyboards, backing vocals and guitar), Chris Tomson (drums) and Christopher Baio (bass).

5.The Strokes

The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the group is composed of vocalist Julian Casablancas, lead guitarist Nick Valensi, rhythm guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. Following the success of their 2001 debut album Is This It, which earned them a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Album, the band went on hiatus until 2003 when they regrouped and released their second album Room on Fire to similar acclaim. After a five-year hiatus that included various solo projects by its members, the group returned in 2013 with their fourth album Comedown Machine followed by a fifth album entitled Angles in 2016. The Strokes have been credited with helping to revive garage rock and post-punk.

6.The Killers

The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by members Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, bass), Dave Keuning (guitar, backing vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums, percussion). The name was taken from a fictional band in a New Order video. The band has released five studio albums: Hot Fuss (2004), Sam’s Town (2006), Day & Age (2008), Battle Born (2012) and Wonderful Wonderful (2017).

The band’s brand of synth-infused rock music proved to be very popular in the early 2000s; their first album Hot Fuss went seven times platinum in the United States and also saw significant commercial success in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. The follow-up album Sam’s Town achieved platinum status in the US and saw further success in the UK and Ireland. The band’s third album Day & Age debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and saw moderate commercial success worldwide. The fourth studio album Battle Born was released to mixed reviews but still managed to debut at number 3 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The band’s fifth studio album Wonderful Wonderful was released on September 22, 2017 to positive reviews.

The Killers are one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the 21st century; they have sold over 25 million records worldwide. Rolling Stone magazine named them “the best American rock band” of 2008 while Spin magazine ranked them No. 13 on their “25 Greatest American Rock Bands of All Time” list that same year. In 2009, NME placed them at No. 3 on their “50 Best Albums of the Decade” list and listed Hot Fuss as their sixth greatest album of all time; Kerrang! also named them No. 5 on their list of “The 100 Greatest Rockstars in the World Today”. In 2013, they were inducted into the Las Vegas Walk of Stars along with fellow Nevadans Siegfried & Roy and Wayne Newton; Flowers accepted on behalf of all current members including Vannucci who was unable to attend due to being on tour with Queens of Stone Age at the time.

7.Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys is an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of Alex Turner on lead vocals and guitar, Matt Helders on drums, Jamie Cook on guitar and Miles Kane on bass guitar. The band has won seven Brit Awards – winning both Best British Group and Best British Album three times, and have been nominated for five Grammy Awards. They also won the Mercury Prize in 2006 for their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. Their third studio album, Humbug, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2010.

8.Kings of Leon

Formed in 2000, Kings of Leon is a rock band that rose to prominence in the early 2000s. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill, with their cousin MatthewFollowill. The band’s early music was a blend of southern rock and blues influences, but they later transitioned to a more traditional rock sound. Kings of Leon has released seven studio albums, with their most recent being “WALLS” in 2016. The band has had multiple hit singles, including “Sex on Fire”, “Use Somebody”, and “Revelry”.

9.The Black Keys

The Black Keys are an American rock band formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music for indie labels and self-releasing their records. They rose to prominence in the early 2010s with their breakthrough album Brothers, which along with its popular singles “Tighten Up”, “Howlin’ for You”, and “Everlong” won three Grammy Awards. Their commercial breakthrough came in 2010 with the release of their sixth album, Brothers, which along with its popular singles “Tighten Up”, “Howlin’ for You”, and “Everlong” won three Grammy Awards.

The Black Keys have been nominated for fourteen Grammy Awards, winning seven. In 2019 they received the award for Best Rock Performance for the song “Lonely Boy”. In 2020 they won 3 Grammy Awards: Best Alternative Music Album for El Camino; Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for “Fever”; and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical For Turn Blue.

10.Foo Fighters

Formed in 1994, Foo Fighters is a rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band was founded by singer and guitarist Dave Grohl, who is the only constant member of the group. The band has released nine studio albums, with their most recent album, Concrete and Gold, released in September 2017. Foo Fighters have won 12 Grammy Awards and have been nominated for 35.