It’s that question you’ve been hearing critics and fans asking for the last decade, every time there’s a hint of a rock act about to break out. About to gain both the critical love and sales to put them and the genre back in the spotlight. The only problem?
It hasn’t happened.
Honestly, it hasn’t even come close to happening. There’s been the occasional one-off album from a major act debuting at the top of the Billboard charts (see blink-182‘s One More Time, and Rolling Stones‘ Hackney Diamonds), but these albums have fallen from the charts just as quickly. The only rock albums that have maintained a steady presence on the Billboard 200 have been greatest hits compilations from classic acts like Elton John, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Queen and Fleetwood Mac (who also manage to keep Rumours on the chart). On the lower echelon, other catalog albums and great hits from Metallica, Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses and System of a Down have made steady appearances. But new bands (or at least new albums from old bands)? They rarely seem to last four weeks before falling off.
Obviously, Billboard’s charts aren’t the only barometer of what equals success, but they are the best way of tracking actual sales (or streaming equivalent sales) for music, and everyone will agree that rock has not had a steady place in the mainstream for quite a while. Rock has never gone away, and there are TONS of great new bands in the genre (which you will find me writing about on this site), but so many of them are happy to just become big “scene” bands and make a living performing their art, as super stardom for rock acts has seemed like a pipe dream for the last twenty years.
But for those of you watching the charts and paying attention in general to culture, rock is having its biggest year in years here in the states. Below is some evidence of rock’s return, and while fans of the genre should have some hope.
Country Goes Rock
So the title of this section is a bit of a cheat, but let’s start with one area which has given rock a boost: “country” artists moving their sound away from twang and honky tonk and more towards thoughtful Americana and songwriter-based heartland rock. The stars of this movement are of course Zach Bryan and Noah Kahan.
For his early EPs and albums, Bryan was grouped in with country, though his sound always stood apart from the mainstream. Songs like “Heading South” had a rollicking kick, while his breakout single “Something in the Orange” was as “dirt emo” (to steal from Ruston Kelly) as you could get. There was whiskey-soaked heartbreak and thoughtful prose on heavier issues in Bryan’s songs – none of the stereotypical country song goofiness or jingoistic flag waving that often made the genre so corny. And Bryan’s open devotion to artists like Bruce Springsteen, Bon Iver and Ben Howard showed he was drawing as much from (or more from) more folk and rock-leaning songwriters than country.
While Noah’s music career began more in the pop world, with Stick Season, he reveled in folk/folk rock songwriting that felt like the arrival of a fresh songwriting voice. The slow burn success of this album, helped by crossover collaborations with artists like Post Malone (who has also dabbled in rock) and Hozier helped cement him as one of the next big stars of any genre. And speaking of Hozier, one can’t talk about the return of rock without acknowledging the Irish folk rock star’s major comeback, scoring the rare number one on the Top 100 that hasn’t been held by a straight forward rock song in decades. Hozier‘s new album not only went platinum, but the rest of his catalog saw huge increases in sales and streams, washing away any “one hit wonder” discussions.
These artists have helped pave the way for similar-minded songwriters like Sam Barber, Max McNown and Jack Van Cleaf to breakthrough, while artists like Jelly Roll and Hardy have scored numerous hits with country songs that have crossed over to hard rock and pop radio, and further earned their rock credentials by collaborating with artists in those genres. If anything, these artists are help bringing country fans back to rock music, and reminding them the genres can have a lot in common.
The Return of Rock Crossover Hits
A way to see where the culture currently is (music wise) is to see what’s playing in the Top 40 of pop radio and Adult AC. These are the radio formats with some of the biggest, widest reach, and the most influence on mainstream culture. And before you go dismissing radio – despite streaming’s dominance, radio is still a major player in exposing the country to new music. Artists that do well consistently on radio have more career longevity than artists that break big only on streaming.
Since the pandemic, there have been few guitar-driven hits outside of rock radio. Machine Gun Kelly helped push guitars back onto the radio for a minute, while All Time Low and The Beaches kept rock in the conversation, but it’s only been in the last two years that we’ve seen heavier rock tracks pass the gatekeepers at radio.
And last year, two of the biggest names in rock radio – Shinedown and Papa Roach, both managed to break out of the rock radio ghetto and have crossover success. For Papa Roach, it was with the powerful “Leave a Light On”, which did well on rock and alternative formats. By getting country/pop star Carrier Underwood to collaborate on a new version of the track, the song started getting play on Adult AC formats, eventually breaking the Top 20 on the format. This is a big deal for a hard rock act, and one that shows that veteran bands like Papa Roach are clearly being listened to by younger generations than just those who grew up with them.
With “A Symptom of Being Human”, Shinedown made the even bigger leap and took a rock single onto Top 40 radio, breaking into the Top 20 of that format. While that format had allowed alt pop groups like Coldplay and AJR into their playlists, along with the folk-leaning acts like Noah Kahan and Hozier and the occasional pop-punk song from Fall Out Boy and blink-182, a meat and potatoes rock song getting play on the format is a clear sign that the appetite for the genre is growing.
One also has to acknowledge the continued relevance of Linkin Park, who came back last year with a new singer and scored two major hits. LP have been the exception for a while, as one of the few hard rock bands still selling albums, but the excitement for their returned showed that their fan base had not moved on and were still ready to shell out money for the band’s material.
2000’s Hard Rock Renaissance
Hard rock. Nu metal. Butt rock. Call it what you will, but for most of the last two decades, the genre was maligned by critics and music snobs. Then SZA espoused her love for Creed, and Lizzo shared her enthusiasm for Nickelback (and played with Incubus). All of a sudden, Creed‘s music was rising up the charts, with their singles topping the hard rock streaming charts, and their Greatest Hits album returning to the Billboard 200. They returned to touring with bands like 3 Doors Down and Tonic, and sold out wherever they went.
Nickelback got a documentary made about them and also saw their status reevaluated by critics. Evanescence‘s “Bring Me Back to Life” came back to life on streaming services, and the band has been re-embraced by rock and alternative radio with their latest single from the Devil May Cry series. Disturbed have continued to be a major player in rock, over twenty years into their career, still getting number one songs, and with their “Sound of Silence” cover returning to the charts year after year.
Gen Z clearly listened to their modern R&B stars’ recommendations and rediscovered a love for big rock anthems. And it wouldn’t be the first time – Billie Eilish talked up her love of The Strokes‘ last album The New Abnormal, that album became one of the band’s biggest to date and won them a Grammy. Modern stars talking up the music they love influences their fans, and it’s clearly gotten people listening to early 2000’s hard rock again.
Hardcore Heavies
For years one of the least-commercial genres in music, over the last four years even hardcore music has had a renaissance in the mainstream. Starting this return was Turnstile, who’s critically-beloved and Hayley Williams-approved 2018 album Time & Space started getting them some heat, leading to the inferno that was 2021’s Glow On. While that album did move away from straight-hardcore and incorporated more sonic textures and melodies, it propelled the band into the public eye. “Mystery” became a Top 10 alternative rock hit, and album earned hundreds of millions of streams, and the band got a prime spot opening for blink-182.
One band that didn’t soften their sound in the least bit but still became a sensation is Knocked Loose. The uncompromising hardcore band have attained success through pulverizing live shows and a die-hard fan base. Last year’s You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To debuted at #26 on the Billboard 200, and they were even invited to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live (in what was a controversial decision some might say).
The New Voices of Rock
In the last couple years, a few underground rock bands have broken through in a big, big way.
Falling in Reverse is not a “new” band. They released their first album fourteen years ago. But in the last couple of years, the Epitaph-signed band has managed to have a number of songs debut on the Billboard Top 100, and become such a streaming behemoth that their latest album went gold in the same year as it was released (which really does NOT happen for rock acts). While the band’s frontman Ronnie Radke has been at the center of some controversy, the band have garnered a fiercely loyal fan base, big enough to help them sell out arenas.
Around even longer than FiR, Ghost is one of those acts who seemed to appear out of nowhere (much like their namesake) as their very catchy song “Mary on the Cross” went viral and became their very first Top 100 hit. The make-up clad Swedish hard rock band may have been big names in Europe for the last decade, but since their breakthrough here, they have scored their first number one album on the Billboard 200 (the first hard rock act to do so in over four years), and the lines to buy tickets for their shows have become the stuff of legend.
Europe has maintained a greater affinity for rock music than American the last two decades, being the place where Arctic Monkeys first broke (America wouldn’t get on the bandwagon until five albums in), and where Sam Fender has become a new millennium rock god (and for some reason still hasn’t really broken big here yet). But two other UK artists, Bring me the Horizon and Sleep Token, have both managed to take America by storm. The former has earned one gold album and three gold singles, while the latter’s last three singles have all debuted (and spent multiple weeks) on the Billboard 100, after their single “The Summoning” went gold last year. And even more impressive – their latest album Even in Arcadia debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with over 125k in sales (beating Ghost‘s album a couple weeks prior).
And these are just the harder rock acts. Latin band The Marias scored a huge crossover song with “No One Noticed”, while alternative artists Sombr is rising up the charts with two songs (“Back to Friends” and “Undressed”). Australian artist Tame Impala has left a major mark on the mainstream, with his lightly psychedelic making him every pop star’s favorite rock artists, while another pair of Aussies, Royel Otis, went viral with some covers and have been selling out shows across the country. There are also singers like Teddy Swims and Benson Boone who have scored huge hits with songs that bring rock elements into their sound. All of this leads to proof that rock music is finding equal success from veterans as much as newer acts.
What’s Next?
So can this revival of rock music continue?
Shinedown‘s new single “Three Six Five” has been making inroads on radio, hitting the Top Ten at Adult AC, as they gear up for a big tour. There’s definitely a chance for another crossover hit there. Meanwhile, if Sombr‘s songs continue to rise on the charts, the alternative artists could open up doors similar new artists like Role Model and Almost Monday.
If there ever was a time for rock to return to the mainstream, it’s now. Rock has never strayed from being a live force, but it may finally be ready for the streaming age. Time will tell if this is just a larger blip or the start of a guard change. If you’re like me and want to see rock (in its various styles) get back on equal footing with rap, pop and country, do your part. Stream it, request it, and buy it. And keep following this site to discover new artists to love and then share those artists with your friends.
Of course, the bands have a part to play in keeping this momentum going. They need to be working their asses off not just recording great music, but creating a loyal fanbase through interactions on socials, engaging content outside of the music, and creating a 360 aesthetic that helps them stand-out. They need to be free of concern about appearing cool or reveling in their accomplishments. They need to be cultivating relationships with other bands and supporting each other whenever and wherever possible. And most importantly – take no fan for granted. A fan at any age is a great thing to have, and always show your appreciation for them.
What are your thoughts? Is rock coming back? Which is the next band to breakthrough?
The Indy Review 