Thematically, much of this year’s best punk and hardcore music addressed mental health and working through the past while striving for a more peaceful present.
Jeremy Bolm is an expert at capturing the claustrophobic feeling of anxiety and depression, and Touché Amoré’s new album is another example of his talent.
Chat Pile’s new album does not offer catharsis; it is just an unflinching account of the violence we inflict on each other on an individual and global scale.
Canadian hardcore legends Fucked Up channel 1970s riffage and wear a hard-won optimism well on Another Day. It’s among their best albums.
Hardcore punk band GEL’s ability to weave new influences into their sound while remaining instantly identifiable sets them apart. They’re a breath of fresh air.
Canonical DC hardcore act Bad Brains remain as vital as ever. Almost 40 years after I Against I’s initial release, it’s remarkable how timeless it sounds.
For those who like their hardcore punk with hooks and intelligent, witty lyrics, Big Life deliver big time on two EPs. They are music lovers first and foremost.
Gouge Away’s Deep Sage delivers heavy hooks that recall 1990s alternative greats without losing that hardcore fury that put them on the map.
On their first album in seven years, Allentown, PA’s Pissed Jeans return with a short, savage, scathing and often hilarious takedown of the modern world.
Rid of Me’s Access to the Lonely is one of the essential hardcore records of the past few months, but it cannot be contained by one genre.
The best punk and hardcore artists fold and knead in other musical styles, diversifying and extending the possibilities of what these genres can sound like.
On The Above, Code Orange merge hardcore, metal, and every rock and electronic genre they can think of to make 2023’s most ambitious heavy album.
