2020 was a rough year for the music industry: the live music industry was affected, bands announced album delays and tours were cancelled because of coronavirus. We can only hope that a new year will bring everything back to normal.
Below are the rock albums I am looking forward to this year.
Meet Me @ The Altar
2020 was the year for Meet Me @ The Altar. The band recently signed to Fueled by Ramen and released an infectious pop single called “Garden.” I discovered this band after listening to “Beyond My Control” and fell in love with the chorus. I get so happy when I see Black/POC music groups in rock spaces. My hope is that my blog will be a space people to discover more poc artists making pop punk music.
The trio also signed to Halsey’s Black Creators Fund, a fund to amplify and share Black art and voices. Even though there is no set date for an album release/announcement, the band will tour next summer with Heart Attack, Hot Mulligan and Super American.
RIP to their TSSF cover concert on Youtube 😢
YONAKA
Brighton four-piece YONAKA has teased that they are currently working on a new album. Even though the band has not shared any singles or a release date, their songs have been featured on a few shows. The official theme song for WWE Fastlane was “Teach Me To Fight” and Netflix used their song “Waves” for their show Warrior Nun. After their 2019 debut album release, the band also released an amazing rock cover of Taylor Swift’s ‘You Need to Calm Down.’ I cannot wait to hear their new sound and appreciate their growth.
For Those That Wish to Exist by Architects
It is always challenging for metalcore bands to change their sounds but Architects still have that metalcore sound in their new singles. The British metalcore band released “Animals” and “Black Lungs” as lead singles for their ninth album, For Those That Wish to Exist. I love this new sound and cannot wait for the 15 track album.
The album will also feature collaborations with Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro), Winston McCall (Parkway Drive) and Mike Kerr (Royal Blood). I cannot wait for February 26th. I anticipate that this will be my favourite Architects album.
Against The Current
Against The Current returned with a new single called “that won’t save us” on October 28th. This is the band’s return after releasing their 2018 album, Past Lives. Even though the trio favoured the pop sound in Past Lives with singles such as “Strangers Again” and “Almost Forgot,” ATC is back to their rock sound. Their new single is guitar driven and very early Against The Current.
Based in Poughkeepsie, the trio also released an acoustic version of “that won’t save us” two weeks ago. Signed under Fueled By Ramen, the band has not shared any details about their forthcoming album.
SUCKAPUNCH by You Me At Six
I have been loving all the singles released by You Me At Six to promote their seventh studio album, SUCKAPUNCH. MAKEMEFEELALIVE is guitar heavy and teases what to expect from SUCKAPUNCH. The highlight is the screeching outro that had me confused at first listen as a technical glitch but now makes this punk-rock tune a favourite.
YMAS goes back to their heavier roots with “Beautiful Way.” Josh Franceschi starts the song with a sad reminder that “love is a drug, but it never comes with a warning.” The English rock band from Surrey also released a stunning music video to support the release of “Beautiful Way.”
Signed under Underdog Records, YMAS will release SUCKAPUNCH on January 15, 2021. YMAS also announced a headliner tour in 2021 to support SUCKAPUNCH.