The 2010s was a very special era for indie rock. Countless indie and alternative rock acts took over the charts, and it was a simpler time for moody, catchy music. However, given how many bands were competing on the charts in that decade, plenty of solid albums fell through the cracks and have become somewhat forgotten in the 2020s. We think these four underrated alternative rock albums from the 2010s deserve more love.
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1. ‘Foil Deer’ by Speedy Ortiz
Speedy Ortiz was so refreshing to hear around the mid-2010s. This indie rock act put a new spin on the genre, with elements of grunge and even dream pop breathing new life into a type of music that was starting to get repetitive.
Speedy Ortiz’s debut record was fantastic, as was their follow-up Foil Deer. Oddly enough, their second album didn’t grab much mainstream or charting attention.
2. ‘Cody’ by Joyce Manor
Alternative rock of the 2010s is associated with a few core bands, one of which is Joyce Manor. They defined 2010s alt-rock culture in a number of ways, and their energetic blend of indie rock and pop-punk made a somewhat stale era much more fun.
Cody was released in 2016 after three successful album releases, but it didn’t get as much love as their previous works. I really can’t wrap my head around why. This album is such a mature evolution of Joyce Manor’s previous work.
3. ‘Yuck’ by Yuck
This has to be the most underrated alternative rock album to come out of the 2010s. The English indie rock outfit Yuck was short-lived, and they should have been way bigger than they were.
Yuck managed to blend noise, shoegaze, and indie rock together in a way that was accessible to older fans of bands like Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth. Their self-titled debut from 2011 is a stunning piece of work.
4. ‘From Caplan To Belsize’ by Muncie Girls
Plenty of alternative rock bands from the 2010s were born across the pond, and one underrated example is Muncie Girls. This Exeter-based outfit had all the makings of a next-level UK indie rock outfit that could have easily made waves across Europe.
Their 2016 debut record From Caplan To Belsize is a unique (sort of) conceptual album based around Sylvia Plath’s famed novel The Bell Jar. It really should have been an internationally-charting hit, but Muncie Girl fell through the cracks.
Photo by Katja Ogrin/Redferns
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