Pulse Rankdown: 2023 Year-End Alternative Chart (complete)

[reputainbow]

great winner! "ghosts again" would've been a more interesting one, but i still love "this is why" a lot.

thanks for hosting, gates! you always do a wonderful job.

[singingrulebritannia]

Year-end Chart Closeness:

SPOILER: Click to show

alexcuse - 26.980
DadJokes - 28.260
🌺CountryLineDancer - 28.900
.indulgecountry - 29.700
macattack - 30.020
Fire - 30.140
Az Paynter - 30.360
khan - 30.400
Steel Sponge - 30.520
Gonza'90 - 30.640
night_browser - 31.160
zaclord 🌈 - 31.200
wheatsquares33 - 31.520
kanubow - 31.640
Daryl the Beryl - 31.760
Anthony / Eliza - 32.000
Geometrical - 32.120
maine - 32.240
rowellfarm490 - 32.280
gooberdude - 32.680
bbfan97 - 33.000
narp - 33.260
samo🦕 - 33.300
lyhom - 33.460
Mayman - 33.520
wrip - 33.620
@trilogy - 33.700
SHOOTER - 33.720
Doc Indie Party Rock - 33.740
Butterflies & Hurricanes - 33.820
Leo ✔ - 34.040
razorshark - 34.180
CarnoTorrential - 34.380
singingrulebritannia - 34.420
BB🌕 - 34.820
MoD - 34.880
BlurryKyle - 35.000
willapted33 - 35.100
Red - 35.300
reputainbow - 35.380
Leaf - 35.640
Beno - 35.820
American Idiot - 36.800

Rankdown Closeness

SPOILER: Click to show

rowellfarm490 - 7.140
singingrulebritannia - 7.380
BlurryKyle - 8.260
BB🌕 - 8.300
Daryl the Beryl - 8.500
reputainbow - 8.720
Mayman - 8.820
Red - 8.840
@trilogy - 8.960
willapted33 - 9.040
Gonza'90 - 10.160
lyhom - 10.520
narp - 10.940
wrip - 11.080
wheatsquares33 - 11.780
kanubow - 12.420
Geometrical - 12.420
khan - 13.040
MoD - 13.300
night_browser - 13.400
Steel Sponge - 13.420
DadJokes - 13.880
samo🦕 - 14.480
macattack - 14.620
American Idiot - 14.960
Anthony / Eliza - 16.380
maine - 16.400
Leaf - 16.620
razorshark - 16.960
Beno - 17.440
CarnoTorrential - 19.040
gooberdude - 19.860
Fire - 20.180
Leo ✔ - 20.740
Butterflies & Hurricanes - 20.920
SHOOTER - 21.080
Doc Indie Party Rock - 22.720
Az Paynter - 23.620
bbfan97 - 23.660
alexcuse - 28.560
.indulgecountry - 28.600
zaclord 🌈 - 34.100
🌺CountryLineDancer - 36.940

Perfect Rankings:

SPOILER: Click to show

BlurryKyle - 10
rowellfarm490 - 9
narp - 7
Red - 6
reputainbow - 6
Geometrical - 6
singingrulebritannia - 5
Daryl the Beryl - 5
wrip - 5
Fire - 5
BB🌕 - 5
Steel Sponge - 4
willapted33 - 4
@trilogy - 4
kanubow - 4
MoD - 4
samo🦕 - 4
wheatsquares33 - 3
gooberdude - 3
Doc Indie Party Rock - 3
khan - 3
CarnoTorrential - 3
Mayman - 3
Anthony / Eliza - 2
lyhom - 2
Gonza'90 - 2
bbfan97 - 2
alexcuse - 2
Leaf - 2
American Idiot - 2
night_browser - 2
SHOOTER - 2
zaclord 🌈 - 1
maine - 1
Butterflies & Hurricanes - 1
macattack - 1
Leo ✔ - 1
🌺CountryLineDancer - 1
Az Paynter - 1
razorshark - 0
Beno - 0
DadJokes - 0
.indulgecountry - 0

Full Results:

SPOILER: Click to show

Position	Song	Points
1	Paramore - This is Why	3722
2	Depeche Mode - Ghosts Again	3698
3	boygenius - Not Strong Enough	3642
4	Paramore - Running Out of Time	3630
5	Ghost - Mary on a Cross	3465
6	beabadoobee - The Perfect Pair	3456
7	Phoenix f/ Ezra Koenig - Tonight	3407
8	Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Burning	3367
9	Fall Out Boy - Love from the Other Side	3287
10	Queens of the Stone Age - Paper Machete	3286
11	Gorillaz f/ Tame Impala & Bootie Brown - New Gold	3263
12	Foo Fighters - Rescued	3238
13	Misterwives - Nosebleeds	3221
14	Jean Dawson - Sick of It*	3156
15	Wet Leg - Angelica	3137
16	Nothing but Thieves - Overcome	3121
17	Turnstile - Holiday	3098
18	White Reaper - Pages	3083
19	Blur - The Narcissist	3076
20	Young the Giant - The Walk Home	3050
21	Lana Del Rey - Say Yes to Heaven	3011
22	The National - Tropic Morning News	3006
23	The 1975 - I'm in Love with You	2988
24	Death Cab for Cutie - Pepper	2979
25	CHVRCHES - Over	2976
26	Bad Omens - Just Pretend	2951
27	Lovejoy - Call Me What You Like	2885
28	Dayglow - Then It All Goes Away	2868
29	Silversun Pickups - Empty Nest	2866
30	The 1975 - Oh Caroline	2840
31	Sports Team - The Drop	2838
32	100 gecs - Hollywood Baby	2831
33	Fall Out Boy - Hold Me Like a Grudge	2814
34	Inhaler - Love Will Get You There	2800
35	Linkin Park - Lost	2798
36	Beck & Phoenix - Odyssey	2794
37	Wilderado - Surefire	2739
38	Hozier - Eat Your Young	2679
39	the moss - Insomnia	2648
40	Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Drummer	2588
41	The Maine - Blame	2525
42	All Time Low - Sleepwalking	2456
43	Bring Me the Horizon - Lost	2452
44	Pierce the Veil - Emergency Contact	2432
45	Manchester Orchestra - The Way	2427
46	Jack White - A Tip from You to Me	2398
47	Portugal. The Man f/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Summer of Luv	2366
48	Colony House - Cannonballers	2341
49	Metallica - Lux Æterna	2277
50	Noah Kahan & Post Malone - Dial Drunk	2238
51	Post Malone - Chemical	2223
52	Grouplove - Hello	2070
53	Måneskin - The Loneliest	2038
54	Noah Kahan - Stick Season	2025
55	The Smashing Pumpkins - Spellbinding	2000
56	YUNGBLUD - Tissues	1994
57	Iration - Daytrippin	1972
58	Royal Blood - Pull Me Through	1966
59	Blue October - Down Here Waiting	1914
60	The Smashing Pumpkins - Beguiled	1880
61	K.Flay - Raw Raw	1836
62	The Used - Giving Up	1823
63	Barns Courtney - Supernatural	1783
64	Mike Shinoda & Kailee Morgue - In My Head	1781
65	New West - Those Eyes	1774
66	Tame Impala - Wings of Time	1763
67	d4vd - Romantic Homicide	1688
68	Weathers f/ John the Ghost - All Caps	1593
69	Bush - More Than Machines	1585
70	Beach Weather - Sex, Drugs, Etc.	1573
71	Declan McKenna - Sympathy	1512
72	AJR - The Dumb Song	1497
73	Rosa Linn - Snap	1458
74	I Prevail - Bad Things	1453
75	The Revivalists - Kid	1450
76	Letdown. - Crying in the Shower	1428
77	Neon Trees - Favorite Daze	1415
78	half·alive - Did I Make You Up?	1387
79	Portugal. The Man - Dummy	1368
80	Chad Tepper f/ DREAMERS - I Wanna Be Your High	1355
81	Panic! At the Disco - Don't Let the Light Go Out	1347
82	Weezer - Records	1342
83	Milky Chance - Living in a Haze	1342
84	All Time Low - Calm Down	1312
85	Beach Weather f/ Pale Waves - Unlovable	1257
86	little image - Out of My Mind	1139
87	The Struts - Fallin' with Me	1134
88	TALK - Run Away to Mars	1104
89	Highly Suspect - Ice Cold	1078
90	blink-182 - Edging	1031
91	lovelytheband - Sail Away	1011
92	Koe Wetzel - Creeps	1006
93	Blue October - Where Did You Go I'm Less of a Mess These Days	795
94	Dirty Heads - Rescue Me	638
95	Matt Maeson - Cut Deep	608
96	Thirty Seconds to Mars - Stuck	606
97	Giovannie and the Hired Guns - Overrated	516
98	YUNGBLUD - Lowlife	432
99	Falling in Reverse - Last Resort (Reimagined)	357
100	BoyWithUke f/ Oliver Tree - Sick of U	277

SD Order:

SPOILER: Click to show

Position	Song	SD
1	100 gecs - Hollywood Baby	32.81
2	Turnstile - Holiday	28.14
3	Noah Kahan & Post Malone - Dial Drunk	26.90
4	Noah Kahan - Stick Season	25.91
5	Rosa Linn - Snap	25.48
6	The 1975 - I'm in Love with You	25.32
7	Pierce the Veil - Emergency Contact	25.13
8	Gorillaz f/ Tame Impala & Bootie Brown - New Gold	24.81
9	Hozier - Eat Your Young	24.78
10	TALK - Run Away to Mars	24.63
11	Queens of the Stone Age - Paper Machete	24.52
12	d4vd - Romantic Homicide	24.50
13	Lana Del Rey - Say Yes to Heaven	24.33
14	I Prevail - Bad Things	23.63
15	Måneskin - The Loneliest	23.52
16	Portugal. The Man - Dummy	23.44
17	The Smashing Pumpkins - Beguiled	23.09
18	Bad Omens - Just Pretend	23.05
19	Neon Trees - Favorite Daze	23.04
20	The National - Tropic Morning News	22.80
21	Foo Fighters - Rescued	22.52
22	blink-182 - Edging	22.52
23	Linkin Park - Lost	22.45
24	Wet Leg - Angelica	22.38
25	Jean Dawson - Sick of It*	22.34
26	Metallica - Lux Æterna	22.32
27	New West - Those Eyes	22.15
28	Weathers f/ John the Ghost - All Caps	22.13
29	Bring Me the Horizon - Lost	22.13
30	Wilderado - Surefire	21.97
31	Jack White - A Tip from You to Me	21.94
32	Mike Shinoda & Kailee Morgue - In My Head	21.86
33	Portugal. The Man f/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Summer of Luv	21.74
34	The Used - Giving Up	21.71
35	Lovejoy - Call Me What You Like	21.69
36	Barns Courtney - Supernatural	21.68
37	Blur - The Narcissist	21.44
38	Sports Team - The Drop	21.37
39	Koe Wetzel - Creeps	21.18
40	Panic! At the Disco - Don't Let the Light Go Out	21.01
41	Manchester Orchestra - The Way	20.88
42	Depeche Mode - Ghosts Again	20.54
43	Post Malone - Chemical	20.45
44	The 1975 - Oh Caroline	20.42
45	The Struts - Fallin' with Me	20.42
46	K.Flay - Raw Raw	20.38
47	All Time Low - Calm Down	20.31
48	Weezer - Records	20.22
49	YUNGBLUD - Tissues	20.16
50	Fall Out Boy - Love from the Other Side	20.15
51	Royal Blood - Pull Me Through	20.01
52	Grouplove - Hello	19.91
53	Beach Weather - Sex, Drugs, Etc.	19.83
54	Beach Weather f/ Pale Waves - Unlovable	19.70
55	Beck & Phoenix - Odyssey	19.67
56	Paramore - This is Why	19.63
57	All Time Low - Sleepwalking	19.63
58	Letdown. - Crying in the Shower	19.47
59	Milky Chance - Living in a Haze	19.32
60	The Maine - Blame	19.21
61	Iration - Daytrippin	19.05
62	beabadoobee - The Perfect Pair	18.65
63	Declan McKenna - Sympathy	18.55
64	Blue October - Down Here Waiting	18.51
65	Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Drummer	18.49
66	little image - Out of My Mind	18.46
67	CHVRCHES - Over	18.45
68	Dirty Heads - Rescue Me	18.43
69	Dayglow - Then It All Goes Away	18.37
70	White Reaper - Pages	18.31
71	Colony House - Cannonballers	18.26
72	Blue October - Where Did You Go I'm Less of a Mess These Days	18.16
73	The Revivalists - Kid	17.97
74	Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Burning	17.94
75	Nothing but Thieves - Overcome	17.59
76	Inhaler - Love Will Get You There	17.37
77	Tame Impala - Wings of Time	17.20
78	Chad Tepper f/ DREAMERS - I Wanna Be Your High	17.18
79	Paramore - Running Out of Time	17.05
80	the moss - Insomnia	16.89
81	Fall Out Boy - Hold Me Like a Grudge	16.80
82	Ghost - Mary on a Cross	16.64
83	AJR - The Dumb Song	16.45
84	Giovannie and the Hired Guns - Overrated	16.35
85	Falling in Reverse - Last Resort (Reimagined)	16.15
86	Thirty Seconds to Mars - Stuck	16.13
87	Phoenix f/ Ezra Koenig - Tonight	16.09
88	Death Cab for Cutie - Pepper	16.07
89	The Smashing Pumpkins - Spellbinding	15.87
90	Highly Suspect - Ice Cold	15.71
91	lovelytheband - Sail Away	15.52
92	boygenius - Not Strong Enough	15.42
93	half·alive - Did I Make You Up?	15.14
94	Misterwives - Nosebleeds	15.13
95	Bush - More Than Machines	14.78
96	Matt Maeson - Cut Deep	14.61
97	Silversun Pickups - Empty Nest	14.41
98	Young the Giant - The Walk Home	14.22
99	YUNGBLUD - Lowlife	13.61
100	BoyWithUke f/ Oliver Tree - Sick of U	13.49

And that will do it for this rankdown! We were pretty late in getting this game off the ground, but perfectly on time in landing it. There was no guarantee my first attempt at a current-year Alternative rankdown would run this smoothly, especially solo. That's due in no small part to you lovely participants, who were kind enough to not give me much hassle in the process of submitting your ballots. And of course, after the rankdown was closed, anyone who made the reveals more fun with your reactions were greatly appreciated.

Being the first rock chart rankdown of the year to finish, I can still point to the Active Rock and AAA rankdowns which are ongoing. And after those two rankdowns are done, it's back to see how many retro AAA rankdowns we can finish before the 2024 editions of all 3 series reconvene, starting with 2003. I may return to host that, but ICL it would be nice to get someone new in the hosting rotation so we don't have to rely so heavily on Razor, Wheat, and I.

(oh, also, Globetrotting Volume 4 will come once we've figured that 2003 situation out, so I can schedule around it)

One last time:

[wrip]

This Is Why is such a SMASH! glad it won :) (y'all can support this top 3 and other songs here in 2023 AAA!)

thanks for hosting gates!

[Fire]

Nice, thanks for hosting gates and great job!!!

[khan]

If a Paramore song had to win, I do kinda wish it could've been ROOT. It's been the bigger anthem for me this year. That said, the first thing is still more important. Can't believe Paramore's never won here before.

Thanks Gates! As usual, you put on a great show.

[Doc Indie Party Rock]

let's see how this turns out ,and who is truly afraid of guitars? 

10. Queens Of The Stone Age - Paper Machet
Great song proud to be called Alternative rock. Such a killer comeback. If this banger wasn't the comeback Alt was waiting for then we are doomed.

9. Fall Out Boy - Love From The Otherside
While "Hold Me Like Grudge" explored their more poppy/catchy side this one was straight out fierce.

8. Yeah Yeah Yeas - Burning
Good song. Takes a little too long to get to the good part, but once it does the pay off is just fine. Reminds me of a couple of John Newman songs.

7. Phoenix feat. Ezra Koenig - Tonight
Another melodic banger I couldn't resist sticking in my top 20.

6. Beabadoobee - The Perefct Pair
Not ashamed to admit this may have been a tad too mature for my style. I love her vocals, but I want her to do more jams like "Talk".

5. Ghost - Mary On A Cross
Let's all rejoice a Swedish Heavy Metal band in the Alternative Rock top 5. I'm telling you The Swedes know Metal. 

4. Paramore - Running Out Of Time
Very different for their "After Laughter" material. An Album I charted six songs from, but this is still a killer comeback. Love the little scream.

3. boygenius - Not Strong Enough.
Very nice and pleasant song. I was more into Phoebe's vocals than the others. Anyway, I think we might be getting an early preview of AAA #1 song for the 2023 RD.

2. Depeche More - Ghosts
This song was great. Such a throwback to that 80's magic the band excelled in for years.

1. Paramore - This Is Why
Another awesome song from Paramore. Both these songs peaked right outside my top 10 on my own weekly music charts, but both are two of the best for Alternative Rock format 2023. That bottom rank seems suspiciously strategic. be interesting to know just what it was that you F U C KIng hated so much about the song.


singingrulebritannia

Great rank down. Loved you artistic side with images. That's my big thing. This was a good RD also because the music the Alt format has offered has really gone up in quality. Wish I could say the same for Active, but I'll get that one as well.

[Leo ✔]

While it was a little disappointing to see Ghosts Again not winning, This Is Why is a deserving winner. Thanks for hosting Gates!!

[DadJokes]

I was pulling for beabadoobee, but This is Why is a fantastic winner. I think this era for Paramore is one of their best, and I was able to take my daughter to her first concert last year to see the This is Why tour (incredible show, btw).

Thanks for hosting, singingrulebritannia!

[kanubow]

A bit late, but thanks for hosting Gates, this was fun to watch!

[singingrulebritannia]

also vote for me for Best Games Host, Best Rock & Alternative Poster, and Most Eclectic Poster at the PMAs k thanks bye!
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeD8W-SBU21bKpUvxU5lA3I9eH1Jj0XxHZsBDLQ9r4yv9WlTA/viewform?usp=sharing

[SHOOTER]

On the right side of history once again! I would've been fine with either song winning as long as Paramore got their first win here.

Thanks for hosting singingrulebritannia

[macattack]

55. The Smashing Pumpkins - "Spellbinding" (my ranking: #25)
Yeah this is a prime example of Billy Corgan going full "froggy" with his vocals, and it feels like they ran out of ideas for the second verse considering the weird pause before the chorus. I'm still fond of the song, mind you, it's a classic Pumpkins anthem and it's pretty uplifting and heroic to hear when you're feeling down. But it's not at the same level as "Beguiled" or the Active Rock-exclusive "Empires". 

54. Noah Kahan - "Stick Season" (my ranking: #59)
soccer moms 

53. Maneskin - "The Loneliest" (my ranking: #13)
Well this one kills my S/D lol. I genuinely do love this one, and the guitar solo is exquisite. One of the finest songs from RUSH! in my opinion. 

52. Grouplove - "Hello" (my ranking: #61)
Not too bad. Honestly a weird spot for Grouplove to be in for me, as they tend to be hit or miss. It didn't really have enough oomph to join my favorites by them. 

51. Post Malone - "Chemical" (my ranking: #70)
I docked it for the auto-tune and some goofy lyrics, though it does sound like Posty is at least phasing out the former as there's much less of it compared to his usual. Overall though, it's okay. I don't skip past it when it comes up on my Alt playlist still. 

50. Noah Kahan & Post Malone - "Dial Drunk" (my ranking: #36)
Very solid songwriting effort by Noah, and Post Malone's best singing performance of his career (there's either no auto-tune or such a small amount of it that my ears can't detect it). Hard for me not to elevate this one above a bunch of the indie and poppier songs that are on this list. It actually managed to scrape onto my year-end top 50 too. 

49. Metallica - "Lux AEterna" (my ranking: #38)
On an album where Metallica sounded like they were going through the motions, this was a breath of fresh air, even though it's nothing special compared to their greatest songs. This has its high marks though. The punk-influenced, no-nonsense ferocity is memorable (especially in context of the album) and James Hetfield sounds excellent. It's too bad that Lars Ulrich (forever the weakest link in Metallica) likely can't sustain an album full of songs like this, as this seems to represent a logical creative direction for Metallica if they choose to continue recording new material. Also, not gonna lie, Metallica making an unexpected return to Alternative was a pretty nice treat. 

48. Colony House - "Cannonballers" (my ranking: #33)
The class of Christian rock in 2023. Good character song with a coherent narrative about a thief questioning his choices and a memorable surf-rock/roots-rock fusion sound that gives it a theatrical flavor. Shame this just missed the top 10, though it did make the year-end chart at least. I have a feeling somebody in Hollywood will license this for a chase sequence within a few years. 

47. Portugal.The Man f/Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "Summer of Luv" (my ranking: #75)
I get why this is high because this isn't total ass like "Dummy", but this still falls far short of what PTM is capable of IMO. It has a lot of the same problems as "Dummy" (the instruments continue to sound a bit out of tune for example), and it feels like they had thirty seconds' worth of ideas they had to stretch into two-and-a-half minutes. Just a band that sounds gassed and not ready to get back into the game, unfortunately. I feel for them as they've been through a living hell and shouldn't have been rushed back before they were ready. 

46. Jack White - "A Tip From You To Me" (my ranking: #43)
Very solid acoustic effort by Jack here. Nothing much else to say. 

45. Manchester Orchestra - "The Way" (my ranking: #47) 
Not sure if I'm feeling this direction for the band (it feels way more like a solo effort for one thing), but it's fine enough as it is. 

44. Pierce The Veil - "Emergency Contact" (my ranking: #29)
PTV is a band that should've been having radio attention for a good 10+ years before now, though for reasons mostly beyond their control it just wasn't to be. Feels a bit consolation prize-y for PTV to get it now, but this is definitely a solid song that earned it. 

43. Bring Me The Horizon - "LosT" (my ranking: #24)
I don't know what kind of crazy pills BMTH were on to fuse hyperpop and metal together, but this made for a fun adrenaline rush of a banger. Also "stupid medicine, not doing anything" is one of my favorite lyrics of 2023 ahaha

42. All Time Low - "Sleepwalking" (my ranking: #45)
A good new wave-influenced effort by them. 

41. The Maine - "blame" (my ranking: #26)
Great song, love the verses in particular. This deserved a lot better than what it got, though "ALL CAPS" refusing to die had a role in that. 

[macattack]

40. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "The Drummer" (my ranking: #27) 
The best of the four singles we got from their two albums; this has a unique flavor to it and feels somewhat mournful like their instant classic "Eddie" (which never got a radio push). Some pretty good lyrical work by RHCP's standards too. 

39. the moss - "Insomnia" (my ranking: #55)
They have a chance at becoming one of the best indie bands around, and this left a good first impression. I hope they'll get there. 

38. Hozier - "Eat Your Young" (my ranking: #35)
I've never been much of a Hozier fan, though his last album somewhat converted me. This is really good, lots of depth in the songwriting, excellent use of allegory too. 

37. Wilderado - "Surefire" (my ranking: #30)
Wilderado is kinda where the moss is trying to get to. They sound like a veteran outfit with a strong batch of songs that have spent years being road-tested. Time will tell if they can keep their momentum up, but these guys are genuinely a damn good band. Looking forward to seeing what they have in store for us next. 

36. Beck & Phoenix - "Odyssey" (my ranking: #8)
I'll say more about this for AAA, but here's a fun fact: this turned into a sleeper hit in Japan of all countries. Funny how those things work. 

35. Linkin Park - "Lost" (my ranking: #11)
This sounds about as good as you'd expect a leftover from Meteora to sound. It's lyrically a little clumsy compared to classics like "Breaking The Habit" and "Numb", but this still sounds pretty damn solid, if a bit like a precursor to "Lost In The Echo" that was recorded years later using the same key, chords, and time signature as this one. 

34. Inhaler - "Love Will Get You There" (my ranking: #50)
These guys will get there, much like I think the moss will. They have a solid Strokes-meets-U2 sound going for them, and they're certainly consistently good. I have hopes their next project will be the one that will take them to the heights they have the potential to reach. 

33. Fall Out Boy - "Hold Me Like A Grudge" (my ranking: #28) 
It's always neat when my favorite song from an album becomes a single! Sadly got cannibalized by their Billy Joel cover, though. This deserved better. 

32. 100 gecs - "Hollywood Baby" (my ranking: #97) 
I gave this a sincere shot, I really did. Over 10 listens in 2023. It just never got past being painful to listen to, almost solely due to the robo-vocals. If the Auto-Tune wasn't there or wasn't as thick this would have gone up a lot of spots. 

31. Sports Team - "The Drop" (my ranking: #7)
This band has been one of my favorite 2022-23 discoveries. Just a relentlessly entertaining band, and this song is indicative of their talents. Strong hooks throughout this one. 

30. The 1975 - "Oh Caroline" (my ranking: #58) 
Oh Caroline, I did not get it right this time~

29. Silversun Pickups - "Empty Next" (my ranking: #53)
I think these guys have fallen off a bit in their last couple of projects, but they remain very solid. 

28. Dayglow - "Then It All Goes Away" (my ranking: #14)
Genuinely my favorite song by Dayglow yet. It's a pure, genuine bop with an awesome bassline and it gave me a lot of joy during some dark times in my life. I hope it's done the same for many others. 

27. Lovejoy - "Call Me What You Like" (my ranking: #34)
Really talented British import here with a wicked sense of self-deprecating humor. I know nothing of their frontman's history before Lovejoy, but he brings a lot of charisma to the vocal performance and that elevates this track above a lot of the indie and alt-rock from 2023. 

26. Bad Omens - "Just Pretend" (my ranking: #20)
Really, really wild that we had an alternative metal song hit #1 on Alternative after all this time, though the song's virality certainly didn't hurt. Awesome chorus, awesome vocal performance, overall just awesome music. Bad Omens has that "it" factor that's been missing from most bands on Active Rock the last 10-15 years and I think these guys could be huge for years, provided they don't get egos and completely screw up their next album.