So many genuinely good rock bands made it big at the turn of the century. Sadly, though, quite a few excellent rock bands from the 1990s also disappeared once the new millennium took off. Let’s take a look at what happened to a few of the best, shall we?
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1. Len
This Canadian alternative rock outfit caught the attention of rock fans around the globe with their 1999 song “Steal My Sunshine”. Their hip-hop-leaning record Can’t Stop The Bum Rush is a great turn-of-the-century release in rock music history.
It’s wild that Len didn’t get more successful. After “Steal My Sunshine”, their fame faded away. The outfit continued to release music until the mid-2000s, before going on a years-long hiatus. Len came back for a reunion album in 2012, but after that, frontman Marc Costanzo said they were basically done with new music.
2. Soul Coughing
An unfortunate entry on our list of rock bands from the 1990s that disappeared, there was no band out there quite like Soul Coughing. Few artists knew how to blend alt-rock with hip-hop and electronica quite like this outfit. Soul Coughing is best known for their stream-of-consciousness lyricism, as well as their hit 1996 song “Super Bon Bon” and 1998 song “Circles”.
After the 1990s came to an end, Soul Coughing disbanded following a few unsuccessful releases. Fortunately, the band has reunited as of 2024 and are planning a new record for 2025.
3. Marcy Playground
Marcy Playground deserved so much better. Best known for their alt-rock power-pop hit “Sex And Candy” from 1997, this American rock band had a bright future in the 90s.
Their self-titled debut went platinum in 1997, but none of their subsequent albums matched the charting power of their debut. They went on a pretty hefty hiatus before returning in the mid-2000s, and they haven’t done much since the 2010s. However, they appear to still be together today.
4. Spacehog
This is by far one of the best rock bands from the 1990s that more or less disappeared after the 2000s kicked off. This alt-rock band was formed in New York City by a group of Brits, and they became best known for their hit song “In The Meantime” in 1996. In fact, the whole of the album Resident Alien did quite well.
Sadly, Spacehog failed to replicated their success with the follow-up record The Chinese Album in 1998. They called it quits in 2002, but got back together in 2008. As of today, they appear to still be together.
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