The city of Boston, Massachusetts has been home to many rock bands, both nationally and locally known. The more prevalent genres featured there are punk and alternative rock, which really ran the scene in the 1980’s and 90’s. This playlist offers some of the most underrated bands that need to be listened to from the Boston area.
Wave Of Mutilation- Pixies
Known as one of the best indie bands of all time, The Pixies have been one of the most popular bands to originate from the area. “Wave Of Mutilation”, off of their second album, Doolittle, displays the alternative sound that is so recognizable to the famed band.
Someday I Suppose- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
With a punk rock sound mixed with the fun ska music (simply put, ska is a fast paced reggae) of the late 90’s, The Bosstones had their first big hit with the song, “Someday I Suppose.” This hit opened the door for them to eventually receive a platinum record with their smashing album, Lets Face It.
Cannonball- The Breeders
The Breeders were formed as a side project stemming from The Pixies. The band made waves with their hit, “Cannonball”, which can be found on their platinum album, The Last Splash. With similar influences to The Pixies, an alternative sound is laced throughout their music.
The State Of Massachusetts- The Dropkick Murphys
Another band with huge ties to the city of Boston, The Dropkick Murphys are heavily known for their song, “Shipping up to Boston”. However, their song “The State of Massachusetts” earns them a spot on this playlist. This hit shows more of their punk sound that made them a notorious Boston band.
Here and Now- Letters To Cleo
Letters To Cleo is another band from the area that became more nationally known as time progressed. Released in 1994, “Here and Now” became their highest charting single. They heavily follow the alternative genre that was heard in the city of Boston.
Fire Drops- Heretix
Off of their 1991 album, Continuous Soft Hits On The Head, “Fire Drops” is one of the few Heretix songs actually on Spotify. This is mainly due to the fact that they haven’t released music since 1993, and they could never quite get out of the New England scene. The hard rock sound that Heretix has makes them an extremely underrated band from this time.
Lean On Sheena- Avoid One Thing
Although made more popular by the band The Bouncing Souls, “Lean On Sheena” is an Avoid One Thing classic. Avoid One Thing follows more of a Boston punk rock sound, and has only released three studio albums. They were formed as a side project of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ bassist, Joe Gittleman.
Freeze Up- Big D and The Kids Table
Big D and The Kids Table is a ska punk band that formed in 1995. Their cover of “Freeze Up”, originally by the band Operation Ivy, was on an album full of covers, Strictly Covered. This album was a display of their musical inspirations.
What’s At Stake- Slapshot
Slapshot is a hardcore punk band known for their heavy sounding music. “What’s at Stake” is a prime example of this sound, which comes off of their 1990 album Sudden Death Overtime.
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