10 Best Debut Rock Music Albums Of The 2010s

10. Past Life Martyred Saints - EMA

Not to be confused with the actor who plays Selena Swift in Twin Peaks, Erika M. Anderson is an American singer-songwriter who got her start with the noise-folk band Gowns.

Before you say anything, noise-folk is a real thing.

In 2011, Anderson released the album Past Life Martyred Saints under the stage name EMA. If you're wondering why she called herself that, then you clearly need a lesson in how initials work.

This album was not an easy one to get made, as Anderson struggled to secure a record deal. In the end, she signed with independent label Souterrain Transmissions and everyone was very pleased that she did.

Past Life Martyred Saints, which Anderson also produced, is a mixture of conventional rock, ambient sounds, and deeply personal lyrics about the singer's many demons.

Covering topics like failed romantic relationships, self-harm, and drug abuse, the album was praised for its vulnerability and its interweaving of multiple different genres.

It might not be rock in the traditional sense, but this album pushes the art form to its very edge with exciting (if a little melancholy) results.