The best rock from the Bay Area in 2021
Post-punk by Fake Fruit, Cold Beat, and Pardoner; soft rock and country by Al Harper and Miko Marks; plus Chime School, Boy Scouts, April Magazine, and more
Rock is dead. But classical music and jazz are dead too, and they seem to be doing fine.
Instead of getting all dressed up and going to the symphony or some elegant jazz hall, we rock zombies don blue denim, red flannel, black leather, bandanas, studs, and sneakers as we venture out to the best dive bars and last-remaining live nooks in the Bay Area: the Great American, Rickshaw Stop, White Horse, Golden Bull, Elbo Room, Ivy Room, Bottom of the Hill, the Knockout, Thee Parkside, and on and on. Strange tunings are welcomed. Ancient instruments are revered. Distortion and lo-fi engineering, difficult-to-master artistic practices. Ultimately, it’s really just another way of baring one’s soul. A familiar way. And here in SF, we know it ain’t dead at all.
Read on for the best indie and post-punk from the Bay in 2021, or shuffle the playlist.
Peace,
ronny
Fake Fruit - Fake Fruit
Inspired by Pink Flag-era Wire, Pylon, and Mazzy Star, the debut self-titled album from Oakland’s Fake Fruit is an exploration of modern absurdities through short, catchy post-punk songs driven by frontwoman Hannah D’Amato’s matter-of-fact singing, shouting, and occasional shrieking.
Promises I Kept - Al Harper
“Your local soft rock specialist.” Released by Oakland’s Homing Instinct Records, Promises I Kept is one of many great (and one of the best) woman-led indie-meets-folk rock releases from the Bay this year. (See also: Zelma Stone, Mae Powell, Hectorine.) Recorded at Santo Recording and Tunnel Vision, Al Harper’s simple songwriting and arrangements are sweet, dreamy and blissfully soaked in Stevie Nicks.
Sunday Music for an Overpass - April Magazine
“Everyone around us is doing one specific thing, so we’re going to also do that thing, sort of, just differently and simpler and a lot slower.” I didn’t quite get April Magazine until I saw an editorial compare them to underground psych rockers Spacemen 3. Then I re-listened to Sunday Music for an Overpass (released by Paisley Shirt Records) and heard more than just lo-fi alt rock. Within these noisy mantras, there’s something spiritual.
Wayfinder - Boy Scouts
Tagged “golden retriever” and “sunset” on Bandcamp, Wayfinder by Boy Scouts (aka Oakland’s Taylor Vick) is an indie rock album that could be a direct descendant of mid-90s Red House Painters. It’s warm and easy but at times melancholy, like hanging with an old friend over the holidays. Like a sunset, beautiful but a reminder of the end.
Chime School - Chime School
If you had asked me a year ago what I thought of jangle pop, I wouldn’t have known what you were talking about. But now that I’ve opened my eyes and ears, it seems like a week doesn’t go by without a Bay Area artist or band releasing new music in this more than 50-year-old classic rock style. Chime School, the debut self-titled album and new jangle pop project by Andy Pastalaniec, is nostalgic yet novel—and a great (re)introduction to the genre.
War Garden - Cold Beat
Moody post-punk and synth pop for rainy Bay Area days. Arriving a year-and-a-half after the band’s debut on DFA (with Mother) and a few months after a song from that album (“Double Sided Mirror”) was remixed by several artists, most notably Stephen Mallinder of Cabaret Voltaire, War Garden sees SF alt dance rock band Cold Beat nestling into their synth-driven sound fit for lights off dancing alone at home.
Summer Quarter - Madeline Kenney
Oakland singer-songwriter Madeleine Kenney, who has collaborated with Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak and Chaz Bear of Toro y Moi, kicked off 2021 with Summer Quarter, a dreamy 16-min EP accompanied by a music video shot at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley. Nearly a year later, its moody, arty indie rock remains among the best.
Race Records - Miko Marks & the Resurrectors
This one’s a little bit country—and a little bit rock & roll. One of my favorite discoveries this year, Oakland country singer Miko Marks released a full-length album of originals (Our Country) plus this EP of covers (Race Records). The title hearkens to America’s deep racism: “All of the songs on this EP were originally recorded by white artists and were released as ‘country’ or ‘rock n roll,’ but if Miko had recorded them in the early days, they would have all been marketed as ‘race records.’” Features highly repeatable covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Willie Nelson, and more.
Came Down Different - Pardoner
On their third album Came Down Different, SF alternative punk band Pardoner winds through catchy tunes (“Donna Said”), silly rompers (“I Wanna Get High to the Music”), straight-ahead punk riffs (“Spike”), and even some sleepy slow moments (“Lucky Day”).
Soft Opening - Terry Gross
Soft Opening is the debut album by Terry Gross, a rock trio composed of owners and engineers at El Studio in SF, who after improvising and having fun playing music in the studio ultimately released these three psych rock recordings. The first two tracks are 19 and 13 minutes long, respectively, mixing the maximalist psychedelia of Boredoms with the nostalgia of alternative radio rock. Then the last track (a short six minutes) rounds out the album with a driving beat and anthemic vocals.
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Listen to our Spotify playlist of the best indie rock and post-punk from the Bay Area.