🎤 Songs That Don’t Suck – Episode 52
1984 Called. It Wants Its Bangers Back.
Welcome back to another ear-curated edition of Songs That Don’t Suck, your trusted source for new music that actually slaps. 🧠🎧
This week, host Mark Bradbourne takes us on a trip down memory lane with iconic 1984 tracks turning the big 4-0—while also keeping the playlist fresh with this week’s best new releases. Plus, a vault track that proves not all one-album wonders are forgotten for a reason.
Let’s jump in.
⏪ 1984: When MTV Was God and Jumping in Slow-Mo Was Cool
Mark was just 8 or 9 when these now-ancient-but-still-awesome tracks were climbing the charts—and imprinting their visuals into his Gen X brain:
- 🕺 Van Halen – Jump: That mid-air split 🪩
- 🐀 RATT – Round and Round: Pirates, drag, and Milton Berle?!?
- 🏎️ Sammy Hagar – I Can’t Drive 55: Red Ferrari dreams
- 🧪 Twisted Sister – We’re Not Gonna Take It: Rebel energy for kids with no cause
- 🧠 Prince – When Doves Cry: Eternal.
- 🧼 Go-Go’s – Head Over Heels, Shaka Khan – I Feel for You, and New Edition – Cool It Now: ’80s pop perfection
1984 wasn’t just a year. It was a vibe.
🎵 Vault Track: Sunrise – Tory Cassis
Tory Cassis released Anywhere But Here in 1999 and then seemingly vanished into the music industry back-office. But the music? Still golden.
- 🎷 Funky horn section
- 🎹 Killer keys + lush production
- 🎙️ Voice like velvet
- 🍓 Bonus nostalgia: Mark saw him open for Moxy Früvous at the Magic Bag in Detroit (complete with giant strawberry light fixtures)
📍 Must-hear tracks from the album:
Leaning on the Stair, Anywhere But Here, Down on My Luck, Such a Crime
Tory now works behind the scenes at Paperbag Records in Toronto, but his one solo album is well worth rediscovery.
🔥 This Week’s Songs That Don’t Suck
1. Kids Want to Dance – Gen and the Degenerates
🎛️ Blondie energy meets Berlin vibes meets Gen Z disillusionment
- Instant head-nodder with pulsing synths
- Lyrics hit hard on societal collapse and child-rearing fears
- That verse:
“I’ve always wanted kids, but it’s not the world I pictured…”
🫠 Brutal. Real. Relevant.
- 👊 For fans of: CBGB-era punk, modern electro-rock, dancing through the dread
2. Nightingale – Aphrodiziac
🎸 Grunge soul meets blues-funk fusion
- Growly Cobain-esque vocal with 70s keyboard textures
- First release since 2018 (!), and it’s a level-up
- Lyrically poetic:
“Staring down the mouth of madness with nothing left to lose.”
- 🎧 Pro tip: Use headphones for full sonic flavor
3. Glow – The Rafters
🏃♂️ Garage rock adrenaline with UK alt-rock DNA
- Arctic Monkeys meet The Strokes—with a pinch of John Lydon?
- High-octane, melodic, and gritty
- No full albums yet, but single after single since 2019
- 🔥 Feels like a band that crushes live shows
4. Give Me a Reason Why – swim school
💔 Alt-rock catharsis with an emotional gut-punch
- Songs about the messy middle of relationships just hit different
- Anthemic, not mopey
- If you’ve ever had a breakup convo in your 20s… yeah, it’s like that
- 🎤 Previous Swim School tracks were good—this one sticks
5. Someday Someday – Pete Yorn
🎶 Acoustic folk done right, again
- Pete Yorn returns with a stripped-down track that reminds you why he’s still around
- 🌙 Finger snaps + layered vocals = chef’s kiss
- 🌲 Lyrics feel like a walk in the woods with your thoughts
- 📜 Classic singer-songwriter DNA with a modern finish
💬 …and I quote…
“Some songs age like fine wine. Others age like unrefrigerated dairy. Lucky for you, I’m the sommelier.”
— Mark Bradbourne
🔗 Where to Listen, Share & Submit
🎧 Listen on YouTube (audio only), Spotify, Apple Music
🎤 Are you an artist or know one? Submit tracks via the website!
🎙️ That’s a wrap on Episode 52.
From MTV nostalgia to hopeful future anthems, the only constant is this: good music still exists. You just have to know where to look.
👉 Until next time, keep searching for—and listening to—songs that don’t suck.
