2023 was quietly overwhelming for music. So many musical artists had dropped something this past year. We had upcoming artists and long standing bands put something new on the table. Overall, 2023 was an amazing year and here is just some of the music that came out. 

Unheard and Underrated 

There is so much music out in the world now that not each band or artist is famous. There are two bands that came out with an album this past year which were both amazing and not a lot of people have heard of them. 

The Gaslight Anthem (TGA) is a band founded in 2006 that falls under the genre of indie and heartland rock. Brian Fallon, the lead singer and rhythm guitar, has an amazing solo career as well. This past year they came out with an album named History Books. Their last album came out five years ago and this one might have been one of their best. The song “History Books” that was on the album had Bruce Springsteen featured on it which only made the song better and overall the album a success.

From Pennsylvania, The Menzingers have been rocking since 2007, playing alternative and indie rock. They have had some amazing albums from After The Party to From Exile. This record is titled Some Of It Was True. They had singles dropped leading up to it and it was great. From the first track to end it is an album that will make you want to jump up and down or just nod your head. 

Punk Rock & Emo 

Punk rock and emo music are those two genres that seem to either be loved or hated. A lot of people might be in the middle but most likely have a stronger feeling one way or the other. Here are just four bands that came out with something this past year. 

Alkaline Trio started late 1996 and this past year they released two singles called “Bad Time” and “Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs.” These tracks are leading up to their new album that they announced coming out in January of 2024. 

Taking Back Sunday is home to at least one of the most emo lyrics of all time from their song “You're So Last Summer.” In 2023 they came out with an album titled 152. It has a lot of great tracks on it and holds up for the band. 

Paramore is a band with amazing riffs and powerful vocals. This past year they dropped the record This Is Why. This album did not let down. It was astonishing. It was one of the best pop punk albums of the year.

Green Day is a lot of people’s favorites and has been playing since 1987. This past year was their famous album Dookie’s 30 year anniversary meaning they released a deluxe edition which included demos and live performances from their decades of playing. They didn’t only bring back something old but started something new with three new singles which will be leading up to their newest album Saviors. This will be their 15th record; crazy!

Comeback Artists

This past year we did have some artists that have been playing for several decades come out with something. These artists have inspired so many others and them releasing music is just as inspiring. 

Metallica was founded by guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich. Their first album was Kill ‘Em All released in 1983. Since then they have released some of the most iconic tracks and records. In 2023 they released 72 Seasons. Through Tik Tok they were dropping teasers and the singles were being released after.

Guns N’ Roses came to Boston August 21, 2023 for their 2023/2024 tour. While on tour they have produced two new singles titled “Perhaps” and “The General”. These two singles are no Appetite For Destruction, but it is very interesting to see that they are on tour and dropping singles

Lastly The Rolling Stones, a band that started 1962, and still making music and touring the world. Their new album Hackney Diamonds released in late October. It was an astonishing album for a band that has been playing for over 6 decades. The lead singer Mick Jagger turned 80 last year and the band is still touring. The day before the album was released, The Rolling Stones were playing a show in New York and Lady Gaga performed with them making the performance even better. 

From The Dead

Unfortunately, a lot of very talented musicians have passed away. Somehow that didn’t stop them from coming out with something new this past year. These are all very famous musicians that died tragically but had an amazing voice and way with an instrument. 

One of the best guitarists of all time was Prince. Prince was an inspiration to so many people and sadly died in 2016 from an overdose. The past year gave us Diamonds And Pearls (Super Deluxe Edition). With the deluxe edition it came with a lot of recorded live performances that were excellent to see. 

One of the best Grunge bands that of course came out of Seattle was Nirvana. The last record they released before Kurt Cobain passed away was In Utero. Just like Dookie, In Utero turned thirty meaning they released another deluxe edition of the album. This album didn’t only come out with 2023 remasters of songs, but also came out with live performances of songs from their whole discography. 

One of the most famous, inventive, and career turning bands of all time is  The Beatles. In 2023 they released a new single and a remaster of “Love Me Do.” Their new single was called “Now And Then” which has such a fascinating story. Two of the four members of The Beatles have sadly passed away. John Lennon was assassinated and George Harrison died of lung cancer. Before they died they started recording “Now And Then,” but since John Lennon died they never finished. Yoko Ono, John’s second wife, found the recording and called Paul McCartney saying that they should finish the recording. They decided to get Ringo Star into the mix and using AI they restored John’s voice and finished the single.

Through History

Music itself has a lot of history, from cultural influences, to people trying to tell their story, and in general the history of the artist who created the music. Overall, music and history really go hand in hand. This year some bands themself went through history and came out with something new this year. 

blink-182 has had their differences in the past. In the early 2000s, Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus were working on their own side projects. Tom had Box Car Racer and Mark had +44. They also had their differences and later Tom even said:"I remember telling my wife now, like, 'I don't think I'm ever gonna play music again, I don't think I'm ever gonna tour again,'" and that got out to the media. One day Mark by accident posted on his social media that he had stage-4 lymphoma. He did not realize the love and support that the fandom would have back on him and Tom even called him and made sure he was okay. Soon Mark beat the disease and together blink-182 came out with one more album, titled ONE MORE TIME… and it was a big success.

Right before Nirvana broke up Dave Grohl was working on some records of his own. Dave Grohl, being one of the former drummers of Nirvana, did not have any lessons in guitar and treated the instrument more as a drum kit. He saw it like his lower strings were like the kick drum and the higher strings like a snare. After Nirvana broke up and Kurt Cobain passed away, Dave made his own band called the Foo Fighters. The Foo Fighters, one could argue, have succeeded Nirvana and have become more popular. Sadly the drummer for the band, Taylor Hawkins, passed away on March 25, 2022. The album that came out in 2023 did have a lot of tracks that were in a way a tribute to Taylor. It was titled But Here We Are. Since Taylor was deceased for the album's making and release Dave Grohl did all the drumming on the record. The Foo Fighters have announced that Josh Freese would be the new drummer for the band and have already played several shows together, and seem like they are rocking! What can we expect?

In review, 2023, just by these few examples, was without a doubt an enthusiastic year from music. The real question is, can this trend follow up in 2024? The answer is most likely leaning towards yes since we get to kick off the year with two new albums. One from Green Day, and one from Alkaline trio. Hopefully there is more amazing art that comes out this year.