This is not the early aughts, but the music I’ve been playing on repeat this year would tell you otherwise. The Strokes are in theaters (their documentary, at least), LCD Soundsystem is playing shows. Interpol, Editors, Sharon Van Etten and Fujiya & Miyagi released new songs. And Beyonce had the year’s anthem (this time it’s “Break My Soul”). I swear I’m not stuck in the past, so check out this list of my favorite alt-rock and alt-pop songs of the year, which includes newer artists, too. I kick off the list with Fontaines D.C., Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem.

Fontaines D.C., “Roman Holiday” – Skinty Fia

Dublin’s Fontaines D.C. know how to transport a listener. This atmospheric song pulls in nods from Fontaines D.C. predecessors. I felt like I was in high school again, discovering The Stone Roses and Oasis. The guitars sail, while frontman Grian Chatten makes London feel alive with his storytelling. It recalls Ride and the Smiths, with riffs that should make Interpol jealous. Fontaines D.C. really brings it here.

Hot Chip, “Eleanor” – Freakout/Release

Do you remember where you were when you first heard Hot Chip? My friends were constantly spinning “Over & Over” in 2007 in NYC. The music of Hot Chip is still as contagious as ever. Four-on-the-floor beats are a perfect way to start any electro-dance song. “Eleanor” has a bit of a disco sound mixed in with the ‘80s synth-pop. You can even hear some of that New Order influence. Alexis Taylor and Hot Chip are still at the top of their game and this song is a banger.

The Eaves, “It’ll Be Okay” – Lately, I Don’t Have a God… And Other Obvious Epiphanies

Truth be told, I thought I was listening to a new song by The National when I first heard this toe-tapping ditty. Singer Chris Couche of Buffalo’s The Eaves has that same baritone as Matt Berninger. “It’ll Be Okay” is a breath of fresh air with a big Americana sound from the get-go. There’s some hard-driving rock that recalls Bruce Springsteen’s ‘80s songs.

Good Looks, “Almost Automatic” – Bummer Year

Austin’s Good Looks brought a bit of warmth to January 2021. “Almost Automatic” made me want to get out of the cold, even if it’s a summer breakup song. There’s a bit of Texas twang and that Americana sound delivers. It’s catchy and makes you want to sing along.

Bloc Party, “Sex Magik” – Alpha Games

Anytime Bloc Party releases new material, be ready to dance and sing. Kele Okereke still has the same vocal chops he had two decades ago. While nothing will ever top “Helicopter” or “Like Eating Glass,” “Sex Magik” is plenty catchy. Bloc Party has punchy post-punk and dance to spare.

Fredrik Saroea with BIT20 Ensemble, “Bulletproof Vest” – Rona Diaries: Live at the Grieg Hall, Bergen

Don’t recognize Fredrik Saroea? Perhaps you remember, 2005 “Fa Fa Fa” and those funky red tracksuits from Norwegian duo Datarock. “Bulletproof Vest” is pure emotion. For three minutes, Saroea and this ensemble take us on a journey. The plucking of harp strings and the violin parts make this song achingly beautiful. It ebbs and flows, and each instrument comes to life. The intimate heartfelt vocals from Saroea will linger with you long after the song has ended. This isn’t a new song, but the new arrangement makes it the best version of this song.

Primer, “Feel The Way I Do” – Incubator

Primer is singer-producer Alyssa Midcalf. She’s described her latest sound as “abject pop.” Expanding on ‘80s new wave with catchy beats, she didn’t go down the route of fluff lyrics. This is a slow-burner as the synth sounds continue to build. But when she sings in her highest range, you can feel all the tension release. It’s a darkwave-electro gem of a number and will surely be stuck in your head.

Oliver Marson, “Manipulator” – Manipulator

Oliver Marson reminded me of White Lies. I’m obsessed with that post-punk darkwave sound. This song has it all; dark and moody guitars, melancholic vocals and haunting keys. But the lyrics stand out most: “We’re sleepwalking with the loonies at the wheel,” Marson sings. In a world of dictators like Trump and Putin, “Manipulator” makes perfect sense.

Hrishikesh Hirway with Baths, “Seams” – Rooms I Used To Call My Own

Hrishikesh Hirway runs the podcast “Song Exploder,” which breaks down songs piece by piece and tells you how they were made. On “Seams,” Baths start with dreamy keys that immediately draw you in. But it’s Hirway’s lower register that draws you in. The song is emotionally raw and the lyrics deeply resonating. There’s something addicting about the melancholic melody of the chorus. It makes me want to cry every time, yet those harmonies keep me coming back.

Ken Yates with Katie Pruitt, “Consolation Prize” – Cerulean

Canadians probably have their own term for Americana; Canadacana, anyone? There’s a pastoral feel to “Consolation Prize” and it feels like it could live on in nature forever. But it gets me every time Katie Pruitt’s soft and rich vocals come in. She blends seamlessly with Yates and there’s no denying those harmonies. The two of them together are like a warm blanket on a cold day.

Phoenix, “Alpha Zulu” – Alpha Zulu

Phoenix is back and doing what it does best: making danceable pop songs. Now on their seventh album, Thomas Mars and co. are putting out songs that could have been on their first album, 2000’s United. “Alpha Zulu” is catchy and quirky with some of the crazy lyrics that we’ve come to expect from Mars.

Jacksonville, Florida’s Flipturn released “Whales” in June. The song starts out with a mesmerizing melody that repeats throughout. While it feels like a sweet, dreamy pop song with fuzzy distorted and guitars, don’t let that melody fool you. The lyrics are anything but soothing. Dillon Basse sings with an earnestness that conveys his emotional strife.

Julia Jacklin, “Lydia Wears A Cross” – Pre Pleasure

I had an obsession with Courtney Barnett this year. So I was quite excited when Barnett invited fellow Australian Julia Jacklin to join her on tour. Similarly to Barnett and Sharon Van Etten, Jacklin knows how to weave a story. On “Lydia Wears A Cross,” she sings about a schoolgirl with an obsession with “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Catholic school. And, while I have no actual connection to the lyrics, Jacklin’s soft folky vocals are impressive. When the soaring guitar comes in toward the end, it packs a punch. 

L.A. trio Automatic sounds as great as ever on its second album, Excess. Each song that Automatic releases is better than the prior one. “Skyscraper” is hypnotically cool. The droning bass against the dreamy synths works beautifully. You’re hypnotized with the drumming of Lola Dompe (daughter of Bauhaus’ Kevin Haskins), pulling it all together. This is one swaying dark goth dance number you don’t want to miss.  

Richmond, Virginia’s Heartracer wanted to craft a synth-pop song about a healthy relationship. And this one is a joy. It’s a ridiculously catchy earworm that begins as a ballad, so it’s a bit of a surprise once those unexpected synths kick in. If you’re a fan of St. Lucia, you will definitely love Heartracer (St. Lucia also provided a remix).

Sports Team, “The Drop” – Gulp!

The angular art-rock of Franz Ferdinand? Check! The quirkiness of Sparks? Double check. And Supergrass-ness? Heck yeah! Yeah, British band Sports Team has all that. The band spices up the song with some punchy guitars, a singalong chorus and frenetic energy. This song will get your head bopping and your legs jumping. As Sports Team says, “Let it drop.”

“Gumball Garden” is a shoegazer lover’s dream that wastes no time. Guitars come in driving. There’s distortion, shimmering vocals, lots of fuzz and a dreamy psychedelic sound. The main riff is ridiculously contagious. Brooklyn quintet GIFT is on the new label co-founded by Oliver Ackermann of A Place To Bury Strangers and Death By Audio. It shouldn’t be a surprise to hear all these effects.

Love’n’Joy is a trio from Kyiv, Ukraine. The band finished its aptly titled album, Half Home, three days before the war started. The band has created the Musicians Defend Ukraine fund. “Psy Summer” is a psychedelic beauty filled with love and joy. The song is dreamy and swirly—a true ‘60s hallucinatory trip. If you like Temples and Tame Impala, give it a listen.

The National Parks, “8th Wonder” – 8th Wonder

Utah’s The National Parks are creating pop magic on this song. Gorgeous harmonies mix with upbeat elation and jangly guitars with a folky feel. The lyrical comparisons to nature are spot-on and it really makes you want to be out communing in nature.

Ron Gallo, “Foreground Music” – Foreground Music

“Foreground Music,” from Ron Gallo’s forthcoming album of the same name, has a frenetic energy and is filled with riffs galore. It has hints of groovy psychedelic melodies, which are mixed with thrashing dirty garage rock guitars. My favorite part of the song is the Art-Brut-like spoken delivery. As Gallo riffs on consumption, perhaps he’ll inspire you to make a change.

The Luka State, “More Than This” – Life One

I’m a sucker for a song that throws reality right at you and doesn’t hold back. This one, by English band The Luka State, is about poverty and precedes an album coming early next year. “More Than This” is balls-to-the-wall. When Conrad Ellis’ growls, you can’t look away from the song or the video. Ellis wants all of us to do something. So, what are you waiting for?

Blitz Vega, “Strong Forever” – Strong Forever

What started out as a charity single denouncing depression and bullying led to an album coming in 2023. Kav Blaggers of The Happy Mondays brings back the baggy Madchester sound. The song is also a reunion of Blitz Vega’s Andy Rourke with his former Smiths’ bandmate Johnny Marr, who plays guitar here. It’s a huge anthem of a song with one of the catchiest choruses of all time.

The Linda Lindas, “Why” – Growing Up

Los Angeles punk band The Linda Lindas will rock your socks off. They have already opened for Bikini Kill and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. “Why” has awesome harmonies, lots of thrashing and sick guitar riffs. You will jump, scream and have a great time. The narrator in the video is none other than Kathleen Hanna, in an homage to “The Decline of Western Civilization.”

Bellows, “Rancher’s Pride” – Next of Kin

Bellows started as a project for Upstate New York producer Oliver Kalb. It’s now a full-fledged band. “Rancher’s Pride” is a folky Americana song with lush harmonies, perfect for a road trip. Guitars come in as a flurry and seem to float off into the sky. The pedal steel comes alive with percussion moving along in the background. It reminds me of a waltz.

Geographer, “Kyoto” (Phoebe Bridgers cover) – Kyoto

San Francisco native and synth-pop artist Mike Deni, better known as Geographer (and living in L.A.), crafted this song as a wedding present. Once you strip away all of the guitars and percussion from Phoebe Bridgers’ original, you can really focus on the lyrics. This version is melancholic and emotionally raw. The beauty of the guitar, piano and flute coming together to create the sounds of waves is breathtaking. When Geographer sings “Kyoto,” it sounds like poetry.

Editors, “Karma Climb” – EBM

How Editors never became big in the U.S. is beyond me. The Birmingham, U.K. band has been making awesome post-punk since 2005. Seventeen years later, they’re bigger and better. “Karma Climb” is an electro-industrial banger. It’s moody and atmospheric, with the synthetic beats of New Order. The song has powering percussion, a stomping melody amd the emotional range of Tom Smith’s vocals. Don’t sleep on Editors!

LCD Soundsystem, “new body rhumba” (from the film “White Noise”)

You wanted a hit? Well, James Murphy and co. are back. I heard this song at a screening of “White Noise,” and wait, what?! A new LCD song? It’s got cowbells (yes!) and a fusion of B-52’s and Talking Heads.It’s seven minutes of four-to-the-floor pogoing frenzy. James Murphy’s lyrics (crafted for the film) are spot-on about inflation and spending. The best part: We get two songs for the price of one; the second half is signature LCD Soundsystem that we love and expect. Along with the Fontaines D.C. track that began this list, it’s one of my favorites this year.

Did you love Fontaines D.C.? Prefer the Hot Chip tune? Missed LCD Soundsystem? Let me know.

Follow writer Rachel Goodman at Twitter.com/xneverwherex and Instagram.com/xneverwherex.