The year is 2004, some will nickname the year as Punk Rock/Pop Punk’s best year, many of the TOP bands released their most known albums and some others the ones that put their name out there.
If you do the maths correctly, this year marks the 20th anniversary for these iconic melodic CD’s, to celebrate that we compiled a list of our favourite albums, check it out!
September 21 2004, the California trio put out the album that would catapult them further to the mainstream scene, after their huge success with “Dookie" in 1994, this time the band leaned more into the controversial and political side of self expression. Winner of the 2004 grammy Best Rock Album of The Year.
This album brought us so many memorable songs such as: The self titled American Idiot, Holiday, Jesus of Suburbia, Whatsername and the grammy winner song Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
If we go back a few months prior, summer 2004, the rising icons of MCR released what would be the album that they’ll be known the most for the rest of our time. With this album, the band produced a more polished sound than that of their 2002 debut album “I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love”. This era also shaped the aesthetic that MCR would be recognised for such as lead singer Gerard Way's iconic makeup and red tie.
This album gave us so many iconic tunes such as: Helena, I’m Not Okay (I Promise), Cemetery Drive and Thank You for the Venom.
Being the fifth studio album of the band, released on September 21st, it became a staple in the band’s discography. From the first song to the last, "A Hangover You Don't Deserve" is one hell of a good album. Experimental, even. Bowling for Soup experiments with a piano and acoustic guitar on several tracks ("Ridiculous", "Friends of Mine", etc). Their first single “1985”, quickly became a hit peaking at Nº5 on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 chart. This album as well prompts them with a Golden disc certified by RIAA.
Other memorable songs from this album are: Almost, Ohio (Come Back to Texas) and Trucker Hat.
After the successful release of their 2002 debut album “No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls”, the canadian band came back in 2004 with their second studio album “Still Not Getting Any” releasing on October 26. Even though critics came for their necks calling the album a “whiny and putrid teenage angst record”, the public had a completely different opinion, making this one of their most iconic releases in the band’s discography. Going Platinum 4 times in Canada, twice in Australia, and in the USA and New Zealand. Peaking at Nº3 in the US Billboard 200, proving critics wrong.
This album brought us so many iconic songs like: Shut Up!, Welcome To My Life and Jump.
Following the Canadian pipeline, another amazing artist followed their 2002 successful debut, being none other than the iconic singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. Dropping on May 21st, the Canadian singer came strong with a more heartfelt and personal release. Debuting at Nº1 on the Billboard 200 and winning three Juno Awards (Artist of the Year, Juno Fan Choice Award and Pop Album of the Year).
This album came filled with bangers, the most memorable ones being Nobody’s Home, Forgotten, Don’t Tell Me and the two times Platinum My Happy Ending.
Hot Fuss is the debut studio album by American rock band the Killers, released on June 7, 2004. Featuring one of the most iconic songs ever ‘Mr. Brightside’, the album brings back 80s rock but with a completely rejuvenated sound. It was the 26th best selling album of the 2000s decade in the United Kingdom,and is listed among the top 40 longest-charting albums in the history of the UK Albums Chart, with 254 weeks. Also going 6 times Platinum in the US and 8 in the UK.
This debut came in heat also giving us hits like Somebody Told Me, All These Things That I’ve Done, Smile Like You Mean It and Jenny Is A Friend Of Mine.
Moving once again to Canada, SUM 41 released their third studio album Chuck on October 12, 2004. It is the last album to feature guitarist Dave Baksh as he left Sum 41 on May 11, 2006. Baksh later rejoined the band in 2015. The band have cited Metallica and Refused as major influences. Peaking at Nº2 on the Billboard Canadian Albums and two time Platinum in Canada.
The album came with a wide range of bangers like Pieces, No Reason, We're All To Blame and Some Say.
One more banger of a third release, this time by the American Rock band Good Charlotte. Peaking at Nº3 on the US Billboard 200 charts and going Platinum on both the US and Australia. The album was released on October 5 through Epic and Daylight Records in two different editions: Life (with "Falling Away" as a bonus track) and Death (with "Meet My Maker" as a bonus track), both with different artwork created by Martin.
This album brought us beloved songs such as I Just Wanna Live, We Believe and Predictable.
Peaking at Nº2 on the Billboard 200, the band’s fourth studio album was released on May 18, 2004, selling 146,000 copies in its first week, later certified gold by the RIAA in August 2004. Philip Obenschain of Alternative Press said the album was a "nostalgic snapshot of a mid-career transition", which not only displayed what the group were capable of when under pressure, but also that "pop-punk could reach a broader radio and MTV audience without compromising its credibility".
This album came with crazy tunes like A Downhill from Here, Truth of My Youth, The Disaster and At Least I'm Known For Something.
Releasing on August 31st, another great fourth studio album, this time Papa Roach’s turn with Getting Away With Murder. The album was a departure from the band's previous works, showcasing an alternative rock and hard rock sound instead of a nu metal and rap metal sound. Going Platinum in the US and with the song "Not Listening" was featured in the video games NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup in 2004, FlatOut 2 in 2006, and Gran Turismo 4, and was also featured in the trailer for the 2004 film Resident Evil: Apocalypse.
We obviously have to mention bangers from the album such as Scars, the self titled Getting Away With Murder and Not Listening.
Some of these amazing bands to celebrate the milestone are going on tour, like Bowling for Soup or New Found Glory, here we give you all the info you need to not miss these amazing opportunities.
- BOWLING FOR SOUP
- AVRIL LAVIGNE AND SIMPLE PLAN
- NEW FOUND GLORY
- PAPA ROACH
- SUM 41
We really hope you guys enjoyed this blog and happy 20th birthday to these amazing albums that accompanied us growing up!