Music Taste Refresh: 6 Alternative Songs You’ve Never Heard

Is your current rotation of songs starting to sound a little overdone and dry? It happens. If you’re a fan of alternative music, though, we can help you out. Let’s dive into six alternative songs you’ve probably never heard before!

Videos by American Songwriter

1. “Entomophobia” by In Violet

Jake Murray is the heart of In Violet, though the band is self-described as “a carousel of contributors & co-writers”. This is classic alternative atmospheric rock, but it’s also one of the best songs to serve as an introduction to the genre for those who have never heard it before. Big shoegaze and post-industrial vibes here. The whole of the album opal is pretty great, too. 

2. “VII” by The Sound Of Rescue

Post-rock albums come and go, but a few experimental ventures into that particular genre have lasting power. The Sound Of Rescue’s 2014 album Forms is a great piece of work, and the song “VII” (all of the songs on this record are titled as chronological Roman numerals) stands out among the rest.

3. “Cassiopeia” by Deaf Havana

It’s wild that “Cassiopeia” is just a bonus track on Deaf Havana’s 2017 album All These Countless Nights. It’s more than capable of adding value to the meat of the record. If you’ve never heard Deaf Havana before, this track is a great introduction to the English alternative rock band. It’s gritty, rough, and surprisingly heartfelt.

4. “Oscillations” by Parastatic

The resurgence of Krautrock has come and gone, but will likely come back around again. Parastatic is an underrated gem in alternative-indie Krautrock, particularly with their 2015 album Recall Fade Return. There are quite a few great tracks on the album, but “Oscillations” manages to blend analog synth with a very much dance-worthy melody.

5. “Reaper” by Teeth Of The Sea

It feels like the end of the world is creeping up on us nowadays, and what better way to get through it than with what one could describe as an alien rock opera disco album? The 2013 album MASTER is a smart little venture into avant-garde and psychedelia. “Reaper”, in particular, is loaded with squeaky synths and a sick guitar solo.

6. “Elliptic” by Vessels

Plenty of bands have experimented with meshing electronic music with math rock, but few do it quite as well as Vessels. “Elliptic” opens their 2013 EP of the same name quite beautifully, and it’s not really what you’d expect (if you were expecting anything). It’s as if Radiohead made music at a higher BPM for a science fiction video game score.

Photo courtesy of Teeth Of The Sea’s Facebook page

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