Black musicians in alternative music that you absolutely should be listening to

Black creatives are undisputably the backbone of the alternative and underground music scene that we know and love. From the iconic trailblazers like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bessie Smith and Bo Diddley, considered the grandparents of rock and blues music, to proto-punk bands DEATH and PURE HELL who predated THE RAMONES and SEX PISTOLS, black musicians have been a constant factor of culture and innovation in these underground genres.

In recent years we’ve seen the rise of phenomenal acts like FEVER 333, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, SKINDRED, and a handful of other black-inclusive bands or artists standing at the forefront of change for a scene that still feels like it’s stuck in the past.

With the recent unwavering support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the disappointing racist backlash toward the movement which has come from within our own communities, there’s never been a better time to remind audiences that not only have black artists paved the way for this scene but they still exist and are making waves of outstanding changes.

We don’t want to blur the lines of tokenism here, our support for black and POC artists, photographers, journalists, producers, promoters, bookers, managers and creatives across the scene is and will always be unwavering – your support for black people shouldn’t end after a week’s worth of activism. We want to use our platform to promote these artists into a scene that is predominantly white and where there should be more people of colour. Open your Spotify because here are some new artists you need to add to your playlists:

NOVA TWINS

Vocalist/guitarist Amy Love and Bassist Georgia South make up the fierce and unapologetic duo NOVA TWINS. With grassroots in the epicentre of talent, London, the genre-defying pair have defiantly crashed through the industry with their debut album Who Are The Girls? scoring a solid 10/10 from us.

NOVA TWINS break all boundaries, especially those imposed on women of colour in rock music. Speaking to Kerrang!, the pair say, “it’s difficult for women; it’s especially difficult as women of colour in the rock game.” The pair are unafraid to vocalise and criticise this in their music, with tracks like Bullet challenging internalised sexism within the current music climate. Their live performances are their second home, swapping out cleanly polished shows for some off-the-wall insanity – you absolutely need to see them live.

Listen To: Taxi, Play Fair, Bullet

LOATHE

On the heels of change for heavy metal is LOATHE, a band that refuses to be pigeon-holed. Their latest album, I Let It In And It Took Everything, was a soul-stirring masterpiece that set a precedent for primitive-thinking metalheads that dictate genres by an alignment of rules that a song ‘should’ adhere by but LOATHE tossed that rule book out the window a long time ago.

The duality between the rage-fuelled Aggressive Evolution and more ambient shoegazing trickles in Two-Way Mirror are what make this album so unbelievably great. Emotional vulnerability and artistic conceptualism are the powerhouses of LOATHE‘s work, a lot of their lyrics narrate dystopian fictionalities that are constructed so poignantly you can’t help but sympathise with the subject characters.

Listen To: Aggressive Evolution, Two-Way Mirror, East Of Eden

PULSES

Post-hardcore four-piece PULSES are the underdogs of the scene you need on your radar. Whilst they have got a few grittier track in their pocket, Louisanna Purchase for example, PULSES incorporate their lovable personalities and eccentric funk flare into a lot of their songs that give post-hardcore a much-needed groove.

Take for example What’s Good? (What’s Really Good) and Exist Warp Brakes that have authentically funny dialogue and inklings of soulful funk in the bass that is mostly subtle, as not to stray from their post-hardcore roots, but staples each track with an essence of the band.

Listen To: What’s Good? (What’s Really Good), Speak It Into Existence, Exist Warp Breaks

MEET ME @ THE ALTAR

Another band breaking the glass ceiling in this scene is MEET ME @ THE ALTAR, an all-female, LGBTQ+ represented pop-punk band. Their sound flows nicely from 2010 new wave pop-punk, similar to the likes of SEAWAY or earlier NECK DEEP in how vivacious and upbeat it is. Later pop-punk has diverted into a sadder state, but with their latest tracks Garden and May The Odds Be In Your Favour, this band embody everything to love about a good ol’ happy pop-punk jam. You might listen to them on a long car ride or home or while hanging out with friends.

Listen To: Garden, May The Odds Be In Your Favour, Tyranny

BIG JOANIE

Although their beginnings take us all the way back to their Sistah Punk EP in 2014, BIG JOANIE is still a growing name in the scene and deserve a larger platform. This feminist punk trio from London is the epitome of powerful womanhood, their 2018 LP Sistahs is the necessary affirmational but emotional rollercoaster of self-love and revelation woven with girl-group chants, clap along’s and catchy guitar riffs.

Their sound sheds a spotlight on the roots of early 70s punk that had a strong black presence, the likes of BAD BRAINS, DEATH or X-RAY SPEX. It stays true to punk instrumentals but trades out the rowdiness of punk vocals for a softer vocal counterpart.

Listen To: Used To Be Friends, Tell A Lie, Fall Asleep

ONE LIFE TO LEAD

Another band that exudes enthusiastic pop-punk vibes is Maryland’s own ONE LIFE TO LEAD. The quintet established themselves in early 2017 with their Not Coming Home EP, their recent Visions of Grandeur EP is arguably some of their finest work to date and bears similarity to that of STATE CHAMPS or REAL FRIENDS. Self-titled track Visions of Grandeur kicks off by leaning into more of a radio-pop, commercially digestible sound with a harmonious chorus, however, Be Honest is an easy callback to early 2000s Midwestern emo, which is not too short of being absolutely overdone but thankfully, ONE LIFE TO LEAD take their twist on it with a few rap verses that make it catchy as hell.

Listen To: Losing You, Be Honest, Hometown

DANNY DENIAL

DANNY DENIAL has been the catalyst of change for alternative punk since their astounding 2017 Goodbye. That album perfectly captivated an overarchingly gloomful grunge sound with boasting punk-influenced instrumentals that created almost a duality of sadness and anger, invoked most in the lyrics. Their 2018 Dead Like Me felt like a morbidly sad punk renaissance, whilst the beat of Old and Crises was more uplifting, the actual lyrics have the behaviour of an old school punk artist – they’re crafted like poetry and really grapple you.

DENIAL has always been an outspoken voice of reason, their track White tears fake queers tackles the tokenism of being black and queer. In an interview with Queerspace Magazine DENIAL described the experience by saying that “as a black queer person feeling like a tote bag being passed around at a party. It becomes so performative…”. DANNY DENIAL is artistic, liberating and experimental punk at it’s best.

Listen To: Dead Like Me, Suck My Jesus, White tears fake queers

UNITYTX

Pure Noise Records‘ finest UNITYTX bring you a flawless blend of pounding hardcore and 90s inspired rap that has them dubbed “the hardcore equivalent of BODY COUNT.” UNITYTX  pack hard-hitting messages with flaring beatdown instrumentals, if you like KNOCKED LOOSE, TERROR or STRAY FROM THE PATH then you’ll love this Dallas four-piece.

The flourish of hip hop in their 2019 EP MADBOY might draw similarities to N.W.A, the two blend together perfectly. If you’re looking for your next “I want to dive headfirst into the pit” song, then CROSS ME or IUSED2LOOKUP2U are the ones for you. 2020 would have seen them tour with SLEEPING WITH SIRENS and THE AMITY AFFLICTION, however, this has been postponed until after lockdown.

Listen To: Cross Me, Hardhead and Ruckus

These are just our current favourites but let us know your faves too, tweet us @Distorted_Sound on Twitter with your recommendations.