The past few months have been flooded with exciting new releases from the underground rock and punk scene. Instead of spotlighting one album, I’ll focus on several that embody the current state of rock and punk. Some channel the classic Clash-style defiance, while others stretch and distort punk’s boundaries into new shapes. Take a listen to these eight remarkable contemporary bands at the forefront of independent music today.

Is it Now? by Automatic

The third album from Automatic is punchy, experimental, and effortlessly cool. The Los Angeles trio calls to attention the overcommercialization and oppressive capitalist structures in society, illustrated in the title track and previously on “Skyscraper” in their 2022 album, Excess. Their lo-fi sound is punctuated by their driving signature synth, first conceptualized in their debut 2019 album, Signal. They are the next generation of synth post-punk and noise pop, drawing from influences like Kleenex, Stereolab, and Lou Reed. This inclination is naturalized, as drummer Lola Dompé is the daughter of renowned Bauhaus drummer Keith Haskins. Building off this post-punk lineage, Automatic have released another stellar album, poignant and timely in this online era. 

Fate Euphoric by Twen

Operating out of their travel van and calling Nashville home, vocalist Jane Fitzsimmons and guitarist Ian Jones continue to embody the DIY spirit of underground rock on their latest album. The duo writes, records, mixes, and produces everything themselves while handling every visual detail—from poster design to music videos—with the same hands-on energy. Fate Euphoric builds upon the sound of previous releases by interweaving college rock, Britpop, and lush indie pop into something distinctly their own, anchored by Jane’s catchy, multilayered harmonies and Ian’s textured guitar tones layered with echo, reverb, and other inventive studio effects. The album reflects on the loss of control and the feeling of powerlessness in the hands of fate, with its cover art referencing the Wheel of Fortune tarot card and each of its ten tracks representing a spoke on the ever-turning wheel. We may not have much control over how fate spins our lives, but Fate Euphoric is the perfect soundtrack for the ride.

Echo in the Dust by Julianna Riolino

Spanning rock, country, folk, and—as tagged on her Bandcamp page—‘cosmic americana,’ the Southern Ontario native puts forward a bold new album. Recorded in Toronto and released on her label MoonWhistle Records, Riolino’s sophomore release is a personal and vulnerable account of her past relationships, framed like short vignettes. While her first album, All in Blue, is more of an alt-country record, Echo in the Dust sees her broadening into rock, with a feature from Weird Nightmare on “Full Moon,” who has collaborated with other notable indie acts like Bully and US Girls. She cites a wide range of influences from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Dolly Parton, to doom metal band Om, evident by the amalgam of genres heard on the album. Although there is clear growth and experimentation between her two albums, she remains true to her alt-country roots.

RUDE by Spiritual Cramp

The Bay Area has long been associated with top punk acts like the Dead Kennedys and the Avengers, and the thrash metal of Metallica, Testament, and Exodus. Spiritual Cramp builds on this music dynasty by honoring classic San Francisco punk, while implementing synth and pop from the current age. There are some more straight-forward anarchist punk songs featured, such as “At My Funeral” and “I Hate the Way That I Look,” but they expand to indie rock by collaborating with Sharon van Etten on “You’ve Got My Number” and exploring an underlying reggae beat on “Violence in the Supermarket.” Amongst all these influences, RUDE is still fundamentally a punk album, allowing Spiritual Cramp to prevail as a steadfast component of the San Francisco underground scene.

Worldwide by Snõõper

A prominent fixture of the egg punk genre, Snõõper deliver with their second album. From the fast paced opener “Opt Out” to “Relay,” they never slow down. With better studio quality and a drum machine, these new tracks are more developed and textured, but still evocative of their 2023 debut, Super Snõõper. Singer Blair Tramel snarls with intent in “Worldwide” and “Guard Dog,” complete with barking dog sounds, and continues this with an offbeat cover of “Come Together,” a song frequently covered but presented fresh and original here. The closing track, “Subdivision,” is lengthy for Snõõper—four whole minutes—but exploratory like the closer of Super Snõõper, “Running.” In Worldwide, Snõõper stay within the realm of egg punk while upgrading and modernizing their sound. 

I’m Nice Now by Upchuck

Punk is all about attitude and rage, and Upchuck expresses this sentiment well. Through thirteen fiery tracks, the Atlanta punks tackle sexism, racism, and classism. This third release sees drummer Chris Salado joining as a vocalist, singing in Spanish on “Homenaje” and “Un Momento,” a rallying cry that is timely amid the prevalence of racism and anti-immigration beliefs in the US. Intermixed with these energetic songs, “Forgotten Token” provides an outlet for lead singer Kahlia ‘KT’ Thompson to voice her grief over the loss of her sister, raising points of racism, commodification, and tokenization in the Black community. Overall, I’m Nice Now turns the lens back at those in charge and asks how those in power are serving the marginalized. 

Trash Classic by Frankie and the Witch Fingers

The Los Angeles proto-punks return with their highly anticipated eighth album, a searing exploration of mental and societal decay. The opener “Channel Rot” captures the numbing overstimulation of our content-saturated world, leading into the catchy and distorted “TV Baby.” The lead single, “Economy,” is a biting critique of capitalism and the struggle to survive in the working class with satirical lyrics like “better get a job or you’ll be worthless” and “this has got to be the best economy.” Its accompanying music video pushes this to the extreme, depicting each bandmate gorily sacrificing a part of themselves for money. Beyond its sharp commentary, Trash Classic explodes with energy and sonic textures. It is heavily influenced by and pays homage to Devo, evident in “Dead Silence” and “Out of the Flesh.” Once a lo-fi psychedelic outfit armed with poor recording equipment, Frankie and the Witch Fingers have emerged at the forefront of modern psych-rock, expanding their sound with each new release.

ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST by Osees

For nearly two decades, Osees have maintained a remarkable pace, releasing roughly one album per year. Formed in San Francisco, the band has carved a name for themselves in the psych-rock scene, largely fueled by their notorious frontman, John Dwyer. In ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST, their 29th album, Osees continue their extensive catalogue with another explosive fusion of garage punk and synth-driven psychedelia. Although “ABOMINATION” and “ASHES 1” channel a hardcore punk edge, nothing on the record quite reaches the ferocity of their 2022 album, A Foul Form. Still, the album offers plenty of psychedelic standouts reminiscent of their earlier work in “INFECTED CHROME,” “GLUE,” and the closing track “GLITTER-SHOT.” Even though Osees largely stay within their predefined sound from earlier albums, ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST stands as a strong addition to their ever growing catalogue.