It’s been a rough year, no need to summarize. The good news is next year cannot possibly be worse! Live shows, tours, and physical human contact will be back soon, but for now here’s the music that helped us get through this shitty year. We also included a video version incase you don’t want to read.

LPs

10. Rough Cuts – Nobodyâ€™s Fool

A new Oi! project from one of our former disgruntled bass players. He showed us! We interviewed Mike about his top 10 Cock Sparrer songs.

9. Lime Ricky – Vodka

An awesome new Toronto band that sounds like NOFX and Dude Ranch-era Blink 182. We did an interview with them about their top 5 NOFX albums.

8. Rough Francis – Urgent Care

I’ll be honest, I found out about this band from the Tony Hawk Pro Skater remake soundtrack. Great album, clocking just over 18 minutes.

7. Altered By Mom – I will let you down

Altered By Mom have been releasing a song for each week of 2020, this album catalogues the second third of them.

6. Pity Party – Concrete

Pity Party deliver their follow up Gnarbage. We interviewed them about it here.

5. The Good the Bad and the Zugly – Algorithm and Blues

If you’re new to this band, they sound like the “Apocalypse Dudes” or “Ass Cobra” era of Turbonegro. Their song about sleep apnea is probably the song of the year.

4. Daniel Romanoâ€™s Outfit – (What Could Have Been) Infidels

Daniel Romano of Attack in Black and Ancient Shapes put out nine albums in 2020. This one is a full album cover of the Bob Dylan album “Infidels”, played in the style Dylan performed on the Letterman show in 1984 backed by the LA punk band The Plugz. These tracks sound much better than the slowed down versions on the original “Infidels”.

3. Dragged In – LP 1

An awesome hardcore album, Dragged In describe themselves as “hardcore punk, stoner metal, and thrash riffs slathered in ranch”, I think they sound like youth crew hardcore (Gorilla Biscuits, Youth of Today, Chain of Strength).

2. Hank Von Hell – Dead

A 80s pop album from the legendary frontman of Turbonegro, “Dead” has elements of Michael Jackson, ABBA, and Ghost; but also with the sleaziness of Turbonegro.

1. The Lawrence Arms – Skeleton Coast

TLA defy expectations and make one of the most urgent albums of their career. This one doesn’t use as much Chris and Brenden singing in tandem as “Metropole” and “Oh! Calcutta!”, but sees each of them splitting the album roughly evenly with their songs.

EPs

10. Dangersex – S/T

A cool EP that mixes 16 second hardcore songs with lo-fi pop punk.

9. The Chats – AC/DC CD

One side AC/DC cover, other side a song about AC/DC.

8. Gaijin Smash – Play Date

An excellent debut EP from a cool new synth-punk band.

7. HIGH/LOW – Ape Suit

HIGH/LOW are an 90s style alternative rock band from the UK. They released 6 EPs in 2020, all of them are good, but this one is the best.

6. Jesse Fellows – Cinq

Solo EP from a former member of Trout and Shared Arms.

5. Psycotic Scum – Holy Hypocrite

Awesome LA County hardcore with three different vocalists. We did an interview with them about their top 5 albums.

4. PUP – This Place Sucks Ass

Made up mostly from Morbid Stuff leftovers, a cool variety of songs.

3. SHIIVA – Groov(e)

Awesome melodic hardcore from Lancaster, California. Reminiscent of Shelter.

2. The Network – Trans Am

The side-project that is better than the main project! The members of Greenday write some funny and strange dark-synth pop songs about conspiracy theories, fentanyl, and more!

1. Glorious – Unashamed

Riff heavy hardcore from the UK, for fans of Pizzatramp, Ok Pilot, and Break Even.

Singles

5. The Wet Bandits – The World You Know (Will End)

The Wet Bandits release one song a year, it’s always good.

4. Choices Made – Irrational Reality

We had the pleasure of playing a show with Choices Made, they’re one of our favourite live bands. This single does a great job capturing the intensity of their live set.

3. Gnarly Horse – Radiolaria

Non-shitty Weezer continued to release Pinkerton-esq jams throughout 2020. We did a funny interview with Carter ranking the top 5 Weezer albums.

2. Avenues – Devious

Avenues are a top tier pop-punk that haven’t been active for awhile. It’s great to see them come back.

1. Pinkshift – I’m telling my therapist on you

Pinkshift are a new exciting band that sounds like My Chemical Romance minus Jack Skeleton. Catchiest song of the year.