Many of us are still adjusting to the post-holiday malaise and the transition into a new decade, let alone the futuristic-sounding year 2020. Though there are many things driving the world apart, a wonderful thing has happened this last decade within the international music community. Artists, musicians, DJs, promoters, and independent label owners have given rise to a new era of post-punk, capturing the same spirit of “the new wave” started in the late 70s and coming into full force at the rise of the 1980s.
Now that we are a few steps into this new year and new decade, our editors at Post-Punk.com have decided to look back at the past ten years with a list of top releases of the 2010s.
Given changes in distribution due to the rise of services such as Bandcamp, We saw a resurgence in EPs the past decade, so thusly we decided to separate the LPs from the EPs and add an additional list of top songs and singles.
While we did, at times, struggle with this list, it seemed we were all in agreement with the top albums/songs of each section, despite our different preferences in music (EBM versus minimal synth, shoegaze versus darkwave, etc). But since “our thing” is so massive and diverse, we tried to cover every sort of genre as well as a few of the legacy bands that started this all. We’ve also amassed everything into a handful of Spotify playlists to enjoy when you’re started to feel nostalgic for the Twenty-tens.
Albums
1. The Soft Moon – The Soft Moon (Captured Tracks, 2010)
2. Linea Aspera – Linea Aspera (Dark Entries, 2012)
3. Drab Majesty – The Demonstration (Dais, 2017)
4. Kaelan Mikla – Nótt Eftir Nótt (Artoffact, 2018)
5. David Bowie – Blackstar (Columbia, 2016)
6. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree (Bad Seed Ltd., 2016)
7. HTRK – Work, Work, Work (Ghostly, 2011)
8. Them Are Us Too – Remain (Dais, 2015)
9. Lebanon Hanover – Tomb for Two (Fabrika, 2013)
10. Kontravoid – Kontravoid (Tarantula X, 2012)
11. Молчат Дома – Этажи (Molchat Doma – Etazhi) (Detriti, 2018)
12. Belgrado – Siglo XXI (La Vida Es Un Mus, 2013)
13. Slowdive – Slowdive (Dead Oceans, 2017)
14. Motorama – Alps (Talitres, 2013)
15. She Past Away – Belirdi Gece (Fabrika, 2013)
16. Xeno and Oaklander – Sets & Lights (Wierd, 2011)
17. Have a Nice Life – The Unnatural World (Flenser, 2014)
18. Soft Kill – Choke (Profound Lore, 2016)
19. John Maus – We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves (Ribbon Music, 2011)
20. Void Vision – Sub Rosa (Mannequin, 2014)
21. O.Children – O. Children (Deadly People, 2010)
22. Tamaryn – Cranekiss (Mexican Summer, 2015)
23. Martial Canterel – You Today (Wierd, 2011)
24. The Horrors – Skying (XL Recordings, 2011)
25. The KVB – Always Then (Clan Destine, 2012)
26. Cold Showers – Love and Regret (Dais, 2012)
27. Lust for Youth – Perfect View (Sacred Bones, 2013)
28. Frank (Just Frank) – The Brutal Wave (Wierd, 2010)
29. Twin Tribes – Shadows (Manic Depression, 2018)
30. High Functioning Flesh – A Unity of Miseries – A Misery of Unities (DKA, 2014)
31. Detachments – Detachments (THISISNOTANEXIT, 2010)
32. The Twilight Sad – Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave (FatCat, 2014)
33. Qual – Sable (Avant!, 2015)
34. Wire – Change Becomes Us (Pinkflag, 2013)
35. Chromatics – Kill for Love (Italians Do It Better, 2012)
36. Cold Cave – Cherish the Light Years (Matador, 2011)
37. Die Selektion – Die Selektion (Fabrika, 2011)
38. Geneva Jacuzzi – Technophelia (Medical Records, 2015)
39. Be Forest – Cold (We Were Never Being Boring, 2011)
40. DIIV – Oshin (Captured Tracks, 2012)
41. Second Still- Second Still (Manic Depression, 2017)
42. Sally Dige – Hard to Please (NIGHT SCHOOL, 2015)
43. Secret Shame – Dark Synthetics (Self-released, 2019)
44. Led Er Est – The Diver (Sacred Bones, 2012)
45. Ritual Howls – Turkish Leather (Felte, 2014)
46. Wardruna – Runaljod – Ragnarok (By Norse Music, 2016)
47. Altar de Fey – Echoes in the Corridor (Mass Media, 2016)
48. Soviet Soviet – Fate (Felte, 2013)
49. Multiple Man – New Metal (DKA, 2017)
50. Viet Cong/Preoccupations – Viet Cong (Jagjaguwar, 2015)
EPs
1. Light Asylum – In Tension (Mexican Summer, 2011)
2. Boy Harsher – Pain (Oráculo, 2015)
3. Sixth June – Back for a Day (Mannequin, 2011)
4. Zola Jesus – Stridulum (Sacred Bones, 2010)
5. Tropic of Cancer – Permissions of Love (Mannequin, 2012)
6. Inhalt – Vehicle (Cleopatra Records, 2012)
7. Youth Code – A Place to Stand (Dais, 2014)
8. White Car – No Better (Hippos in Tanks, 2010)
9. Whispering Sons – Endless Party (Minimal Maximal, 2016)
10. Rendez Vous – Distance (Avant!, 2016)
11. Anasazi – I Saw the Witch Cry (Sacred Bones, 2012)
12. Schwefelgelb – Dahinter das Gesicht (aufnahme + wiedergabe, 2017)
13. Nine Inch Nails – Not the Actual Events (The Null Corporation, 2016)
14. SΛRIN – Current Conflict (aufnahme + wiedergabe, 2016)
15. CC Dust – CC Dust (Perennial, 2016)
16. Perc & Einstürzende Neubauten – Interpretations (Submit, 2013)
17. Blablarism – Fugue (New Ideals, 2013)
18. Houses of Heaven – Remnant (Felte, 2017)
19. Forces – Newbody (Fleisch, 2017)
20. Actors – Reanimated (Self released, 2017)
Tracks
- Crystal Castles ft. Robert Smith – “Not In Love”, 2010
- Savages – “Flying to Berlin”, 2012
- Automelodi – “Schéma Corporel”, 2010
- Dum Dum Girls – “Rimbaud Eyes”, 2014
- Bootblacks – “Voices”, 2013
- Body of Light – “Tremble”, 2016
- Tempers – “Hell Hotline”, 2015
- Austra – “Beat and the Pulse”, 2010
- 2:54 – “Scarlet”, 2012
- Choir Boy – “Sunday Light”, 2017
- Just Mustard – “Pigs”, 2018
- Zanias – ”Follow the Body”, 2016
- Holograms – “ABC City”, 2012
- Agent Side Grinder – “Into the Wild”, 2015
- Suede – “Outsiders”, 2015
- Blouse – “Into Black”, 2011
- Silent Em – “Singular Malice”, 2012
- Deathday – “Dropped Into Obscurity”, 2013
- Azar Swan – “We Hunger”, 2014
- Chasms – “Beyond Flesh”, 2016
- Ortrotasce – “World Unrelated”, 2013
- The Harrow – “Love Like Shadows”, 2015
- Depeche Mode – “Should Be Higher”, 2013
- Diät – “W.I.G.T.D.W.M.?”, 2019
- Soror Dolorosa – “Autumn Wounds”, 2011
- Killing Joke – “Euphoria”, 2015
- Cult of Youth – “Lace Up Your Boots”, 2011
- TR/ST – “Sulk”, 2011
- Principe Valiente – “The Night”, 2011
- Public Memory – “The Line”, 2018
- Cosmetics – “Black Leather Gloves”, 2010
- Lycia – “A Failure”, 2018
- Sextile – Visions of You”, 2015
- //TENSE// – “Turn It Off”, 2010
- SRSQ – “The Martyr”, 2018
- Holygram – “Signals”, 2018
- Selofan – “Give Me a Reason”, 2018
- A Place to Bury Strangers – “You Are the One”, 2012
- Isolated Youth – “Warfare”, 2019
- Winter Severity Index – “Waiting Room”, 2016
- Desperate Journalist – “Control”, 2014
- Ash Code – “Empty Room”, 2014
- Dream Affair – “The Porter”, 2013
- Skeleton Hands – “Ravage”, 2013
- Buzz Kull “New Kind of Cross”, 2018
- Odonis Odonis – “Eraser”, 2017
- Velvet Condom – “Ice Disco”, 2011
- Veil of Light – “Pale Eyes”, 2014
- Hante. – “The Storm”, 2015
- Shadow Age – “In Snow”, 2018
