When you start a band, the inevitable comparisons to 90s alternative rock and jangle pop are almost cliché. (And honestly, music journalists, can we move past the “sounds like X” trope? It’s neither insightful nor interesting.) Critics might pigeonhole us as sounding like an Aussie dolewave act (predictable, given our origin). Or, they might draw parallels to iconic alternative bands like Pavement or Sebadoh – bands we genuinely admire.
However, the ‘90s alternative’ label often conjures images of the genre’s titans: bands like Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., and Guided By Voices. What often gets overlooked is a more niche, yet incredibly influential, corner of the 90s alternative scene: the realm of “90s alt rock bands with one hit single.” Today’s music writers might not even consider that a band with a 90s sound would be inspired by these types of songs, but for me, they hold a special and significant place.
I’m talking about those tracks that were inescapable for a glorious summer, then seemingly vanished from mainstream consciousness. Think of songs like:
- “One Week” by Barenaked Ladies:
Barenaked Ladies performing "One Week", a quintessential example of 90s alternative rock with a catchy, memorable hook.
- “Closing Time” by Semisonic:
Semisonic's "Closing Time" music video still, a 90s alternative rock anthem that captured a specific moment in time.
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“Flagpole Sitta” by Harvey Danger:
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“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something:
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“Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve:
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“The Way” by Fastball:
(“The Way” was actually the first CD single I ever purchased. The B-side, “Are You Ready For The Fallout?” is equally fantastic.)
(For music nerds: compare Jerry Cantrell’s “She Was My Girl” to “Bound for the Floor” by Local H – uncanny similarities, right? Maybe unintentional plagiarism!)
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“Bound for the Floor” by Local H:
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“Peaches” by The Presidents of the United States of America:
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“I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts:
(AKA the ‘Friends’ theme – these guys were previously called Great Buildings and had a great track called “Hold Onto Something”.)
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“Come Original” by 311:
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“Kids in America” by The Muffs (Kim Wilde cover):
(The Muffs: truly underrated and brilliant band – should have been as massive as Green Day.)
- “Loser” by Beck:
(I totally ripped off this iconic riff when I was around 12, and another kid immediately called me out on it. Lesson learned: don’t plagiarize, kids. Jimmy Page will be furious for stealing HIS idea of stealing everyone else’s riffs.)
Okay, maybe too many examples, but you get the picture. Good music, appreciated in its time, but rarely revisited now. Some might argue these songs are musically unremarkable, but I still love them. A huge part of their appeal is pure nostalgia for that awkward tween-to-teen phase. The fact that many of these songs were featured in popular film and TV soundtracks of the era only reinforces this connection.
There’s also a contrarian element to my appreciation. Being a reverse-hipster (think: “I hate this cool new coffee shop, it’s full of hipsters. That critically acclaimed band? Hipsters love them, so they must be overrated.”), I quickly tire of the constant celebration of counterculture. Especially when it comes to “underrated” artists that hipsters then proceed to overrate – Joy Division, Big Star, Rodriguez, Television, Black Flag come to mind. As grunge has experienced a revival, bands are now openly citing influences like the Breeders and Mudhoney – the “underrated” grunge acts – rather than Pearl Jam or Nirvana (and let’s be honest, Pearl Jam are pretty terrible). It’s always about name-dropping bands with “indie cred,” never the ones your aunt might have heard of. Citing influences just to boost your social standing in the pretentious music scene is ridiculous, but sadly, that’s often how it goes. (Note: genuinely being influenced by lesser-known artists is perfectly valid. Dishonesty is my real issue.) I’m far more interested in exploring the truly underrated artists in rock history, those who weren’t commercially huge then, and haven’t been critically re-evaluated since.
But the most significant reason these bands resonate with me is this: unlike a large portion of material from the “classic” alternative bands, these songs sound like actual singles. They’re energetic. You can easily identify the chorus. The production, while often still retaining a raw edge, delivers a punch of sonic awesomeness, rather than the thin, weak sound that limited budgets often produced in that era. They boast tight pop song structures with prominent hooks. You can even discern the song title just by hearing the song. This is precisely the sound I strive for in my own band, Farewell Horizontal. I want to create music that you can blast in your car, sink into your seat, and think, “yeeeeeaaaaaahhhh“.
Don’t get me wrong, I love many of those classic alternative bands, and objectively, they are often superior to most one-hit wonders. The “problem” with those bands is that I often just want to hear their most accessible, single-like tracks. Pavement’s “Gold Soundz” is captivating, but “5 – 4 = unity” less so. Guided By Voices have gems like “Tractor Rape Chain,” but they are often buried within more experimental and obscure material. To put it bluntly, these bands tend to meander more than they deliver straightforward pop-rock hits. Stephen Malkmus of Pavement famously said about their wildly experimental album “Wowee Zowee,” (and I’m paraphrasing) “The label complained it lacked hits… I was smoking a lot of weed at the time. I thought they were all hits.” My conscious decision in forming my band was to explore what those classic alternative rock bands might sound like if they actually were all about hits. I aimed to blend alternative rock’s rawness and unconventionality with the undeniable catchiness of classic pop – power pop, glam/glitter rock, even bubblegum pop artists like The Archies.
Farewell Horizontal essentially grew from the simple idea that each 90s one-hit wonder band had at least one incredible song – and wouldn’t it be amazing if they had a whole album of them? I wanted to create that seemingly mythical alternative band where the deeper you delve into their discography, the more killer tracks you discover. That’s why almost all our songs are designed to be “single-ish.” The goal is to be like “A Hard Day’s Night” – concise, impactful, all killer no filler – but with a lo-fi alternative rock aesthetic.
Now, dive into this playlist I curated featuring three hours of incredible 90s power pop and rock singles. Give these often-overlooked gems the cult following they truly deserve. (Note: not all bands in this playlist are strictly “one-hit wonders” – these are just fantastic singles from the era.)
