18 Songs You Would’ve Never Heard Of Without The Help Of The Internet

By

For music consumers, this has to be the greatest time in history. There’s more music at our fingertips than ever before in the history of the medium. Think about it. Only twenty years ago, so many filters existed to prevent tunes from reaching our ears. You could find new songs on the radio, but you had to be listening at the right time with the right DJ to hear something you like. You could browse at a record store, but you were limited to music that was physically present. You had to try hard to find local bands you like, let alone those from across the country and world.

Thankfully, the internet has done away with these barriers. More music than you could listen to in a lifetime is just a click away. Geographical hurdles have been leaped by services like Spotify, services which give us a chance to be our own filters for the music we consume. I love the musical age that we live in, and I want to celebrate it. From sea to shining sea, here are 18 songs from the United States (and one from Canada) that I never would have heard twenty years ago.

1. Young Liars, “Echoists”

Based out of: Vancouver
For fans of: Two Door Cinema Club; bouncy, high-energy electropop; Canadians

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEUTGZuLAlY&w=584&h=390]

Young Liars put out high energy, danceable electropop, sounding like a more synth-focused Two Door Cinema Club.

2. Pure Bathing Culture, “Dream the Dare”

Based out of: Portland
For fans of: Mutual Benefit; hand claps; wearing feathers in your hair

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxCeCWecDOE&w=584&h=390]

3. Pony Time, “Bad Behavior”

Based out of: Seattle
For fans of: Early Black Keys; male-female duos; band names that definitely don’t fit with the music

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIhiPvMTXG4&w=584&h=390]

4. Blonde Summer, “Slow Days, Fast Company”

Based out of: Los Angeles
For fans of: Surf rock; summertime adventures with friends; underwater music videos (see below)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1gBDDEzgJI&w=584&h=390]

5. Youth Lagoon, “Afternoon”

Based out of: Boise
For fans of: A dreamier Bon Iver; nostalgia; sun showers and waterfalls

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9tn1Fs6C4w&w=584&h=390]

6. Tennis, “Marathon”

Based out of: Denver
For fans of: Best Coast; sunny pop songs; 60’s beach party movies

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S5NZYZae4k&w=584&h=390]

7. What Made Milwaukee Famous, “Sultan”

Based out of: Austin
For fans of: A softer Spoon; being indie; earworms

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YjhoTDnxp0&w=584&h=390]

8. Step Rockets, “Kisser”

Based out of: Minneapolis
For fans of: A cleaner, rockier MGMT; falsetto vocals; a band name to make NASA proud

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpx3v3QFKvk&w=584&h=390]

9. Ha Ha Tonka, “Caney Mountain”

Based out of: Springfield, MO
For fans of: Light southern rock; lovely vocal harmonies; state parks-turned-band names

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1LHWWufmic&w=584&h=390]

10. Jerusalem and the Starbaskets, “Chocolate Covered Everyberry”

Based out of: Columbia, MO
For fans of: Heavy southern rock; fuzzy guitars; fruits that aren’t real but we wish were

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ABOB_jviL4&w=584&h=390]

11. Gold and the Rush, “Cruisin’”

Based out of: New Orleans
For fans of: Blues rock; electrifying guitar lines; vocals pushing the boundaries of sanity

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XvgHbodpko&w=584&h=390]

12. Jaill, “Everyone’s a Bitch”

Based out of: Milwaukee
For fans of: The Black Lips; slightly depressing lyrics; words with extra lettters

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40IZeFb5Id4&w=584&h=390]

12. Hollow & Akimbo, “Fever Dreams”

Based out of: Ann Arbor, MI
For fans of: Rock with an electric bite; dueling guitars; songs that sound like a furnace

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04Q6RxJZdh8&w=584&h=390]

13. Reptar, “Stuck in my Id”

Based out of: Athens, GA
For fans of: Discovery; bands that turn concerts into parties; Rugrats

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTg5smK0fOI&w=584&h=390]

14. Cloud Nothings, “Stay Useless”

Based out of: Cleveland
For fans of: Early 90s alt rock; self-deprecating lyrics; wearing flannel and ripped jeans

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_zRt_EmqoU&w=584&h=390]

15. Teen Mom, “I Wanna Go Out”

Based out of: Washington D.C.
For fans of: Garage rock; wistful, pleading vocals; walls of sound

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXWahKC8ttY&w=584&h=390]

16. Bel Heir, “Neon Skies”

Based out of: Philadelphia
For fans of: Theatrical synthpop; ambiguously gendered vocals; punny names

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME1KNI49XCQ&w=584&h=390]

17. Ghost Beach, “Miracle”

Based out of: Brooklyn
For fans of: Sunny synthpop; summer jams; being happier than a baby pig eating ice cream

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Qe_43Rzhk&w=584&h=390]

18. Magic Man, “Paris”

Based out of: Boston
For fans of: Passion Pit; springy synths; feeling like you can do anything

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5s1q7SVs6U&w=584&h=390]

Thanks internet!