Don’t let festival lineups crowded with male musicians deceive you. There are plenty of rocking frontwomen who deserve to headline the summer.
There is nothing wrong with wearing black in the summertime. Not being partial to pastels, pop, or songs that the kids call bops doesn’t mean that the season is any less sunny, metaphorically speaking.
The women on this list exemplify that philosophy. These essential rock albums are made for the darkness of warm moonlit nights, or what Lana Del Rey would call a case of the summertime sadness. But rather than relish it, these ladies fight back the blues with power anthems and hyper guitar riffs that are for the kind of women who spend their June at festivals happily covered in mud.
NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 22: Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs performs in concert at SHOT! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock After Party during the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival at The Gallery at Dream Downtown on April 22, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs — Fever to Tell
New York City’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs are behind one of the most emotionally devasting songs ever to be sampled by Beyonce. “Maps” is off their debut album Fever to Tell, today a 14-year old indie classic about singer Karen O’s breakup that is so timeless, it crosses genres and seasons. Queen Bey integrated Karen’s sweetly sad lyrics for “Hold Up“, Kelly Clarkson sampled their thunderous guitar riff on “Since U Been Gone“, and you can catch the track’s drums and guitar on Black Eyed Peas “Meet Me Halfway“. And that’s just one song out of an entire album that encapsulates the sound of NYC summer nights.
CARSON, CA – MAY 20: Musician Hayley Williams of Paramore performs onstage at KROQ Weenie Roast y Fiesta 2017 at StubHub Center on May 20, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for CBS Radio Inc.)
Paramore — After Laughter
A quick skim of After Laughter‘s overwhelmingly positive reviews paired with four strong singles reveal that the Hayley Williams-led band has moved away from their emo roots toward crisp new wave rock. Critics have called the album bright, candy-colored, sun-kissed alternative pop. If those aren’t codewords for music made for summers in neon-colored Ray-Bans at Lollapalooza, I don’t know what is.
BOCHUM, GERMANY – DECEMBER 07: Alice Merton performs on stage during the 1Live Krone at Jahrhunderthalle on December 7, 2017 in Bochum, Germany. (Photo by Florian Ebener/Getty Images)
Alice Merton — No Roots
Since its inception in 1988, only nine women have topped the Billboard Alternative Rock Songs chart, and one of them is newcomer Alice Merton. The multicultural artist took the prized position with her infectious, howling debut single “No Roots” off her debut EP. There’s something about her music that makes you feel like breaking out the claustrophobic indoors and cause some trouble, which is very much in the spirit of summer. Merton held the top spot on the charts briefly. Hopefully, her upcoming run of American shows and festivals can restore the crown she so rightly deserves.
HAIM — Something to Tell You
If ever there was a band that could have comfortably played Woodstock or even opened for Fleetwood Mac, it would Haim. The three sisters Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim are powerhouses of pop rock and last summer’s Something to Tell You remains a harmonizing delight. On stage, it leans into their rock n’ roll side while remaining surprisingly danceable. In short, Haim makes believers out of people, with one reviewer claiming their sophomore album Something to Tell You “makes you believe that rock might have a future.” The future is female after all.
LAS VEGAS, NV – MAY 08: Singer Gwen Stefani of No Doubt performs onstage during Rock in Rio USA at the MGM Resorts Festival Grounds on May 8, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
No Doubt — Tragic Kingdom
We would be remiss not to include one of the OGs of women in rock and one of Rolling Stone’s greatest albums of all time. No Doubt, led by the ageless Gwen Stefani, released Tragic Kingdom in the Fall of 1995. However, switch on any alternative rock radio station at any point in the year and you’ll find “Spiderwebs” and “Just a Girl” in steady rotation. The Orange County-natives can’t escape their hometown. Their music will always have the echoes of Southern California’s perpetually-summer weather — poppy and fervently energetic.
Related Story: 5 essential female pop albums to listen to this summer
Billboard recently asked if women are dominating alternative rock, why aren’t they dominating alternative radio? It’s a fantastic question because based on these women, they’ve clearly deserved to for a long time.