21 Best Punk Albums Of The 21st Century
Punk isn't dead and these great albums undoubtedly prove it.
It's blindly apparent that the peak of punk rock's predominance in the music industry has come and gone. Since the primordial versions of the genre bubbled up from the underground in New York thanks to the likes of Ramones and New York Dolls, punk spread to the UK where it came into full swing. Now household names for all music fans such as The Clash, Sex Pistols, Sham 69 and UK Subs spearheaded the British punk rock revolution, while Dead Kennedys, Reagan Youth and The Diodes tackled North America.
But these founding fathers are not the subject today. Instead, we're turning our focus to the new blood, the fresh faces on the scene which adamantly prove every day that punk is not dead. Since the turn of the millennium, there has been a magnitude of phenomenal punk albums released onto the world, even if they don't attract the same level of exposure as their 1970s counterparts. Although a few old school faces including Bad Religion and The Bouncing Souls have snuck in, the bulk of this list is represented by the new of punk rock.
From The Bouncing Souls to Bob Vylan, here are the 21 best punk albums of the 21st century.
Honourable Mention: Bad Waitress - No Taste
21. The Bouncing Souls - How I Spent My Summer Vacation
Forming in 1989 (some of the other entrants in this list weren't even born in 1989), The Bouncing Souls have been an ever present feature of the American punk scene for over 30 years now. A feat that's even more impressive for a punk band, is the fact that three of the four current occupants of the line-up are founding members, with original drummer Shal Khichi being the only absentee.
Despite forming in 1989, The Bouncing Souls didn't release their debut record until 1994, but immediately found themselves making up for lost time. The New Jersey punks now have eleven albums to their name. However their fifth record, 'How I Spent My Summer Vacation', may be the pick of the bunch.
This fantastic record became a crowning achievement for the band after 1999's 'Hopeless Romantic', thanks to monumental singles such as 'True Believers', 'Manthem' and 'Gone'. Although every song on this album is great, special mentions must go to 'Break-up Song' and 'Late Bloomer' as flagship inclusions for their immaculate punk energy.