Smells Like Alt Rock

Last week we cut off the May playlis t with plenty of great tunes to fill up your Memorial Day Weekend, but new music was still dropping last weekend. That being so, we got our June 2026 list started early - adding 14 songs to kick start the month of June. Check out their music videos below: Deer Fang - Howl Nothing But Thieves - Evolution The Band CAMINO - Do What You Gotta Do The Pretty Reckless - Dear God Quicksand - Crystalize Stand Atlantic - Velcro Hands Like Houses - Lotus Against the Current - Dead Man Walking New Medicine - Fever Dream Framing Hanley - The Reckoning Sevendust - Misdirection My Chemical Romance - Na Na Na Foo Fighters - Unconditional  Pinkshift - when we were friends

We're cutting the May list short so that you can take the best of May with you on your Memorial Day weekend. If this is your first rodeo with us - we build up a list of new music each month, then we cut it back at the end of the month. The May list peaked at 78 songs (4 hr 33 min), which have all been moved over the Smells Like Alt Rock 2026-2030 playlist . But as we do, it's time to cut the May list back, this month is a big final cut with 25 top picks and 5 honorable mentions. Theory of a Deadman captured the top spot this month with Barricade.  Check out the Best of May 2026 below or just give it a listen.  Theory of a Deadman - Barricade Citizen Soldier - Only One Atreyu - Wait My Love, I'll Be Home Black Stone Cherry - Deep The Cab - Sweet Kerosene Mayday Parade - Blame It On The Youth Oliver Tree - Fuck The Whole World Switchfoot - Absolution Des Rocs - Fall Together Broadside - What Are You Leaving Behind Out In Front - The Sound Foo Fighters - Window As It Is - Do...

We are 17 days into May and the May playlist is now 4 and half hours long. Don't blame me, blame the bands putting out quality tunes.  We've got familiar faces like Switchfoot, Breaking Benjamin, and Metric - and we've got someone faces this week like Chloe Slater, Mystery Jets, and Daisy Grenade. Checkout all of their music videos below: Switchfoot - Absolution Breaking Benjamin - Something Wicked The All American Rejects - Clothesline Voila - Our Tomorrows Smash Into Pieces w/ Rival - Hollow (Rival Remix) Foo Fighters - Amen, Caveman Movements - Back In My Ways Atreyu - Afterglow Metric - Wild Rut The Black Keys - Fireman Ring The Bell Catch Your Breath - Control Holding Absence - Reflection The Maine - Parking Garage Song #5 Weathers - Your Girlfriend The Amazons - Blood on the Bone Mystery Jets - Black Sage Daisy Grenade - Emily DICE - Loose Change The Chain Gang of 1974 - Thinking of You Snarls - One Wish Chloe Slater - Ugly 

I'll admit we do a lot music streaming, mostly one song at a time building up our monthly playlists - always on the look out for that new song. That doesn't always lend itself well to listening to full albums. We keep eye out for trends - like we went on a streak of adding Lansdowne each month and it became clear we were gonna need to check out Wish You Well went it was released (and it did not disappoint).  So here's a list of our favorite albums of 2026 so far (with links so you can listen in): Silversun Pickups - Tenterhooks Lansdowne - Wish You Well YONAKA - Until Your Satisfied Tiger's Jaw - Lost on You Collective Soul - Touch and Go The Maine - Joy Next Door Voila - Last Laugh The Format - Boycott Heaven Sly Withers - To Be Honest Sevendust - One Foo Fighters - Your Favorite Toy Metric - Romanticize the Drive And here are some upcoming albums we can't wait to spin: Shinedown - Ei8ht - 5/29 Evanescence - Sanctuary - 6/5 Des Rocs - To Hell and Back - 6/12 Deer...

I know I'm behind again, but I really struggled this week. I listened to my Release Radar on Friday and then started working through the All New Rock list, maybe I was just off this week but I was really not feeling it. (Maybe because I was rocking out with Diamante and Fuel on Friday night in Iowa - just puts a damper on headphone and Spotify, ya know?) So this week's list is a little shorter than some other weeks, but all good additions to the May playlist.   Papa Roach w/ Humankind - See U in Hell The Last Dinner Party - Big Dog Black Veil Brides w/ Lilith Czar - Cut Movements - Dissolve Me Glass Tides - Skin Like Suits As It Is - Do You Remember? Comastatic - Heavy Glow Eleventwelth - Last Here All Alone Act III The Return The Flatliners - And They're Off Black Stone Cherry - Deep Like Roses - Wrist Social Distortion - No Way Out

  The May list is getting ridiculous! We're at 45 songs on the list so far and it's only May 3rd! 2025 is shaping up to be a great year of music - bands we've loved since the 90's are dropping new tunes, bands we are started following over the past couple of years are dropping new tunes, and there's good stuff coming out each week that we've never heard before.  Let's jump into this week's selections: Mayday Parade - Blame It On The Youth Citizen Soldier - Only One Sawyer Hill - Jimmy's Gone Numb Sevendust - Construct Bush - Swallowed 30th Anniversary Version The Beaches - Should've Known Better Bilmuri - Honest L0L0 - whiskey & coke Broadside - What Are You Leaving Behind Teen Jesus and Jean Teasers - Daylight Tigercub - Stuck In The Melancholy Metric, BYNX - Help I'm Alive BYNX Rework Atreyu - Wait My Love, I'll Be Home Soon The Cab - ih8yourgutz Young The Giant - Everygreen Halsey - Carry the Weight Saint Clair - Too Young to Noti...