Last year was a strange year for all of us because of the pandemic but what makes it even stranger is the fact that it’s the year that sold the most vinyl records since 1985. We all saw this coming. Vinyl sales have been steadily going up as CD sales steadily go down but 2020 was the year vinyl surpassed the CD. Vinyl became the “main thing” that some Los Angeles custom vinyl pressing manufacturers had to turn down customers because they’re so swamped with orders.
Almost every established and up-and-coming musician considered releasing an album on vinyl. Even the indie rock bands have released their indie rock albums on vinyl. After all, bangin’ to rock music on vinyl in your living room is definitely something we all aspire to do, especially now that we can afford to buy our own records.
If you want to add some rock and roll music to your vinyl collection, here are some of the best indie rock bands that released vinyl records in 2020:
Women in Music Pt. III – HAIM
The band name HAIM is from the Hebrew word that means “life”, which reflects the American pop rock band members’ religion, Jewish. It is composed of three sisters, namely Este Haim, Danielle Haim, and Alana Haim which are very well known for being proficient in playing different instruments, aside from their primary ones. They released their third studio album on June 26, 2020 entitled Women in Music Pt. III that consisted of 16 songs, with some talking about loneliness and depression and 3 bonus tracks. The album was nominated for Album of the Year in the 63rd Grammy Awards and The Steps, which was released alongside the album’s pre-release was nominated for Best Rock Performance in the same award show. The LP album comes with two standard weight with either black, yellow or opaque red vinyl records in gatefold jacket and d/l inserts.
Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath – The Blinders
The Blinders was a 3-membered alternative rock band based in Manchester, England. Last July 17, 2020, they released their second studio album entitled Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath. After recording all 11 tracks, their drummer, Matthew Neale, departed the band due to personal reasons. The LP has two versions, one is a black vinyl record with 5 audio track files out from the 11 tracks of the album, and the other is a gold vinyl record with a gatefold jacket and an 8-page insert.
Everything Else Has Gone Wrong – Bombay Bicycle Club
On January 17, 2020, the fifth studio album of the British indie rock band, Bombay Bicycle Club, was released. The album was named Everything Else Has Gone Wrong, which has 11 songs on the track list, including a pre-released single with the same name as the album. The LP album also has two versions, Standard LP, with 1 standard black vinyl record, and Deluxe LP, with 2 heavyweight black vinyl records and a signed art card.
Sanctuary – Gengahr
Gengahr, an English indie rock band from Hackney, London, has released their third studio album, Sanctuary, on January 31, 2020. The third album has 10 tracks that shows the band’s growth as they explore and expand their musical style. The LP is sold in either a signed or unsigned one, depending on you, with either a black or transparent vinyl record, which also depends on you.
Every Bad – Porridge Radio
Dana Margolin, Georgie Stott, Maddie Ryall, and Sam Yardley, makes us the British indie rock band Porridge Radio which was formed in 2015. They released their second studio album and debut album under Secretly Canadian on March 13, 2020. The LP album is offered in a standard version with either a black or transparent blue vinyl record, and in a Deluxe Version which was released on December 4, 2020 with 2 purple and blue nebula vinyl records and 5 bonus tracks.
The Great Dismal – Nothing
Nothing, an American rock band, released their fourth studio album, The Great Dismal last year on the 30th of October. This album is the first album to feature the new members of the band, Doyle Martin who replaced Setta (guitarist and vocalist), and Aaron Heard who replaced Bassett (longtime bassist). The LP is in 12 inches with the vinyl record having the same design but with different colors.
Honeymoon – Beach Bunny
The American rock band in Chicago, Illinois, Beach Bunny, has released their debut album under Mom + Pop Music on February 14, 2020. The album has 9 tracks with 1 bonus Japanese track. The band also released an EP last January 15, 2021 entitled Blame Game which has 4 tracks.
Notes On A Conditional Form – The 1975
The 1975 pop rock band from Wimslow, Cheshire, is now based in Manchester with 4 members. They released their fourth studio album last year on May 22, entitled Notes On A Conditional Form. The album has 22 tracks that were put into 2 standard weight transparent vinyl records with a double gatefold jacket and an album download code.
Dreamland – Glass Animals
Dreamland is an album by the English 4-membered psychedelic pop band, Glass Animals, which was formed in Oxford in 2010. The album’s original release was on July 10, 2020 but it was pushed back and was instead released on the 7th day of August. The LP album has a heavyweight black vinyl that has printed inner labels with rotating heads that animate when played on the turntable. It also has a title spine with a single card sleeve, and a gatefold poster with one side having our heads together and one side containing the lyrics of the tracks. It also has a download code included. Prior to the album release, they released 5 singles from it, namely Tokyo Drifting which peaked at #7 at the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, Your Love (Déjà Vu), Dreamland, It’s All So Incredibly Loud, and Heat Waves which was voted into first place on Australia’s Triple J Hottest 100 of 2020 chart.
Shore – Fleet Foxes
The Fleet Foxes, a 5-membered American indie folk band, has intentionally released their fourth studio album exactly at the autumnal equinox, September 22, 2020. The album is entitled Shore, a 15-tracked album with the last track having the same name as the album. The LP album consists of two 12 inch black vinyl records with one having plane grooves while the other is engraved with 15 hand drawn flowers.
These vinyl records can make any vinyl lover drool not only because of the music but because of the pretty records and packaging. Would you buy any of these indie rock band vinyl records on this list? What vinyl records have you been playing these days?
