Ah…the short format release! Fewer songs than the full length and at a higher hit percentage. What’s not to like? 2022 proved to be a particularly great year for singles and EPs, and below you’ll find my 50 favorites of the year ranked in alphabetical order. Enjoy reading and listening. And, if you haven’t already, make sure to also check out our other end-of-the-year lists, here, here and here. See you all in 2023!
Abi Ooze || Forestdale Sessions
The Forestdale Sessions are yet another display of Jaide Baisa’s skill in writing awesome primitive garage punk nuggets with ’60s girl group pop sensibility. As Abi Ooze, she is Joan Jett, April March, Shangri-Las and Ramones combined in one single package.
Bad Spring || Tape 1
If you like angsty college rock, dreamy powerpop, or rockin’ ’90s altpop, Bad Spring should be at the top of your bands-to-watch list.
Choke City || Bringing Me Down
Choke City’s latest single has great energy and features two punky sleazy r’n’r hits reminiscent of The Heartbreakers, the NY Dolls and The Stooges.
Class || Class EP
One of my favorite discoveries of 2022. Class mix ’70s NYC punk attitude with the musicianship and sense of melody of Big Star. None of the songs by Class are alike, and all of them are interesting.
Continental Lovers || Dale Arden Vs The World
Here is another band that knows how to find the sweet spot between powerpop, r’n’r, punk, garage and glam. The mid tempo Really Doesn’t Matter is my favorite.
Cosmit || It’s Cosmit
Bristol’s (UK) scrappiest and poppiest punkrock band have yet to write a song I don’t like. Cosmit sound like the Northern Soul version of Marked Men on Go Go Go, and their harmonies are dopamine rush inducing.
Crocodile Tears || Junie
The Junie EP is all about loud guitars, killer riffs and sweet pop melodies. I absolutely love this band. Three originals, one Tom Petty cover. All good.
Cut City || Rage At The Badlands
Although Cut City is generally regared to be a post punk band, Rage At The Badlands is more punkrock oriented, with crazy catchy choruses, awesome drumming, and cool new wave-ish guitar work.
Cyanide Pills || The Kids Can’t Be Trusted With Rock ‘N’ Roll
The band from Leeds provides exactly what you expect on their new two song single: late ’70s poppy punkrock like the past four decades haven’t happened. The Kids Can’t Be Trusted With Rock ‘N’ Roll is an instant classic.
Dan Webb And The Spiders || Guess What
Dan Webb is on an indefinite touring hiatus, but released two great EPs this year. This is my favorite. Real Good Reason is the kind of anthem that young dads will sing along to proudly and loudly while desperately fighting to hold back the tears.
DANGÜS TARKÜS || Concrete Hearts
Four mutant pop punk songs that are lo-fi, fast, loud, snotty, and somehow also super melodic. Just when you start to think this EP couldn’t get any better, it throws the fastest Proud Mary cover in existence at you.
Ditches || Drunk Dial #9
Installment #9 of the Drunk Dial Series features one original that is among the top songs Ditches has released so far, and a cover of Abra Cadaver by fellow Swedes The Hives.
Drakulas || Drunk Dial #10
The A-side original (Shame) is 150 seconds of catchy ramonegarage’n’roll. On the flipside, Drakulas cover The Jim Caroll Band’s Three Sisters. This single is meant to be played one way and one way only: at maximum volume.
The Dumpies || Roberto Clemente
Short attention spanners rejoice! This EP has 6 songs with a 5 minute total playing time. The short punk bursts of The Dumpies are a lot of fun and that also applies to The Dumpies’ blistering cover of Shang-a-lang’s Commotion.
Emily Jane Powers || Always
Sure, this one has ten songs, but its running time is less than 13 minutes. I fell hard for the short and sweet upbeat indie rock songs that Powers infuses with ’60s girl group melodies.
EXWHITE || Estray EP
EXWHITE (Halle, Germany) have a strong old school underground punk vibe with an experimental touch. Lead single and title track Estray is a massive hit that builds on the synergetic relation between the drums and sweet guitar licks.
Feral Joy || EP
Feral Joy are Exhibit A of how you do scrappy and ramshackle indie rock, which they play at a decent tempo and inject with heartfelt emocore tendencies.
Friends of Cesar Romero || Six Banger
FOCR are so prolific, it’s mere impossible to pick any of their releases. This year, I think I liked this six song EP the most. My favorite track is Born Under A Jealous Sign. Toxicity usually doesn’t sound this upbeat and catchy.
Gentlemen Rogues || Francy b/w I’ve Got A Match
Gentlemen Rogues sound huge, with powerful and crisp sounding guitars that are an accumulation of rock history. There is only one thing I don’t like about this release: it’s not a full length.
Green/Blue || Worry b/w Gimme Hell
Imagine releasing two awesome records in one year, and still have songs of this level leftover from the studio sessions. What a year for Green/Blue!
Hank Wood & The Hammerheads || 2022 EP (You Could Have It b/w I’d Rather be With Me)
Few bands manage to channel the energy and sound of MC5 and make it into something of their own as well as Hank Wood and his gang. Woods’ passionate singing (a combination of wailing, howling, talk singing and soulful screaming) takes both songs to another level. These songs are meant to be experienced, not analyzed.
The Hazmats || Empty Rooms
Another winning Chubby And The Gang side project, the most pop-oriented yet. Fuzzy and punky indie pop that hopefully gets a sequel.
Holiday Ghosts || Credit Note
Seeing Holiday Ghost live twice this year at the Left Of The Dial Festival further cemented my love for the UK band. The Credit Note EP is not just a tasty appetizer while we are waiting for the next LP, the title track and Bright Lights Big City are among my favorite songs the band has written.
Ingrates || Don’t Be a Stranger b/w I Don’t Care
This single shows Ingrates at their glammiest yet, without losing any of their lo-fi and unpolished charm. It’s a bit like Slade but played by Exploding Hearts. It’s frickin’ great.
The Jack Cades || Something New / Chasing You
Something New is a timeless jangly garagepop song that hits all of the right notes and check all of the right boxes.
La Hija del Apocalipsis || EP 1
Imagine Best Coast as a trashpunk act and you get pretty close to the sound of La Hija del Apocalipsis. The juxtaposition between pop and noise is a major selling point of the Argentinian band.
The Laughing Chimes || Zoo Avenue EP
Like Dennis mentioned in his post, we are both massive fans of The Laughing Chimes. The Zoo Avenue EP is underground pop heaven, and Laurel Heights is a song for the ages.
Los Recuerdos || Entre Macca Y Juan Gabriel
Uptempo jangly powerpop from Spain. Curious to see this band graduate to the full length format.
Model Zero || Little Crystal b/w Leather Trap
Killer single that on opposite sides has a weird and groovy Velvet Undergroundesque outsider R&B track with an infectious chorus and a more traditional garage rock’n’roll nugget.
Miesha And The Spanks || I Can’t Wait / Dig Me Out
Miesha And The Spanks play a powerful brand of soulful garage rock that sounds huge and full of hit potential. Miesha’s voice is a force of nature.
Natalie Sweet & Brad Marino || Second Time b/w Over My Head
Boy, is the Sweet-Marino partnership a match made in heaven. The dual boy/girl vocal attack and sweet harmonies are a natural fit and only further add to the succes.
Neutrals || Bus Stop Nights
Each of the songs on the Bus Stop Nights EP is a winner in my book, but Gary Borthwick Says particularly makes my heart jump. It’s a massive underground pop hit that sits nicely between The Go-Betweens’ Lee Remick and Television Personalities’ Geoffrey Ingram.
The Neuros || Debut 7″
With certain releases, you need only one look at the band’s name, location and typeface and you know you’re going to like it. This debut single by Melbourne punks The Neuros is everything you’d expect and more, and after your first tour of these three songs, you’re sure to want another ride.
Parlor Hour || Demon Shuffle / Cute Song
Parlor Hour, a slacker twee outfit from Portland. Their songs are scrappy and infectious, just the way we like it at ATW.
The Prize || Wrong Side Of Town
Powerpop infused with rock’n’roll energy, Thin Lizzyesque guitar work and dual vocals, played at a pace and with a bite that suggests this five-piece are punks at heart. The band is called The Prize and they got me all excited.
The Radio Field || Simple EP
The Radio Field is a new bedroom recording project by Lars from Subterfuge. Helped out by his 10-year old son and some friends, Lars takes parts of underground jangle pop and ’90s college rock, gives them a fair shake and it tastes sublime.
R.E. Seraphin || Swingshift
Powerpop revivalist R.E. Seraphin is transmitting some serious ear candy to the airwaves with his Swingshift EP.
The Sad Tomorrows || The Sad Tomorrows
The Sad Tomorrows are a band of punk veterans with a shared of bands like the Lemonheads, Big Drill Car, Sebadoh, indie-era Goo Goo Dolls and Soul Asylum. For a band called The Sad Tomorrows, they sure bring a lot of positive vibes.
Slack Times || Carried Away
Released on a LP together with the previous two EPs by Slack Times, the six new tracks on Carried Away may very well be the best thing Slack Times have recorded so far. Honestly, if we’d be less strict with our self-imposed rules, I’d include the compilation in my AOTY list. It would end up somewhere at the top.
The Sorels || Love Your Rock N’ Roll
Rock-‘n’-roll needs no saving, but if it did I’m pretty sure we could count on The Sorels. There is not a second on their latest EP that doesn’t reveal The Sorels’ devotion to and love for rock-‘n’-roll.
The Sparks || Heartbreak Songs
The Sparks are a throwback power pop/jangle/rock’n’roll band from Minneapolis influenced by Springsteen, Lowe, Earle and Big Star. The sheer quality of the songwriting (and execution) on this EP is insane.
Split System || Split System
What a year for Split System. Their debut LP ended up as #4 in my AOTY list, but it is this EP where I first fell in love with these Aussie punks.
Stay Put || 2
Stay Put’s exciting blend of punk rock, college rock and altpop is right up my alley. I enjoyed the band’s debut EP, but this one’s even better.
Stephen’s Shore || Green
Unafraid to let their strong melodies simmer and their guitars jangle, Stephen’s Shore will slowly break down your defenses and let their songs find a permanent home in the reward centre of your brain. Ocean’s Calling is my favorite Stephen’s Shore song to date.
Sustains || Chase The Wind
I fell for this EP within seconds. Sustains is a musical project by Southern California based Alex Gramajo which sounds like Sheer Mag by the way of Shoes and Todd Rundgren.
The Sylvia Platters || Youth Without Virtue
Churning out pop gem after gem, the Youth Without Virtue EP is ear tickling gorgeousness. Lovers of jangly guitars and dreamy power pop take note.
Tuxedo Cats || Out The Bag
Every now and then you stumble on a record that makes you drop everything and tell all of your friends that you’ve found a new favorite band. Tuxedo Cats (w/ members of Tough Shits, Apache and Dancer) are that band. Once exposed, their songs are like magnets you can’t escape.
The Umbrellas || Write It In The Sky
For those into indie pop, jangle and twee, this may very well be the best single of 2022. Write It In The Sky is a massive hit that provides an instant rush while forfeiting the inevitable sugar dip.
The Vains || My Ammunition
Part garage rock’n’roll, part pop punk, these short songs are hopefully a teaser of more to come from The Vains, a new band by members of Phone Jerks, The Ratz and Mitch Kramer.
The Wends || It’s Here Where You Fall
If you like jangle pop, classic indie rock, underground pop, powerpop and sunshine pop, there is a good chance The Wends have just the right song for you to fall in love with.
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