There’s always that one album everyone forgets about. Not because it’s bad. Just because it dropped at the wrong time, followed something massive, or didn’t get shoved down your throat by every playlist going. Then a few years later, people go back to it and act like they’ve just discovered something underground. Happens every time. Here’s a few that never really got the credit they should’ve.
How Did We Get So Dark? – Royal Blood (2017)
Everyone still goes on about the first Royal Blood album like it changed their life. This one just quietly came in, hit harder, and got less noise. It’s heavier, darker, and feels way more confident. Less “look what we can do with a bass” and more “we know exactly what we’re doing now.” Lights Out alone should’ve kept this album in the conversation way longer than it did.
Broken Machine – Nothing But Thieves (2017)
This should’ve been the moment they properly blew up in the UK. Instead, they’ve ended up in that weird space where everyone says they’re good, but not enough people actually sit and listen properly. There’s no filler on this. Big choruses, proper emotion, and it actually feels like an album, not just a bunch of songs chucked together. If this came out mid-2000s, it would’ve been untouchable.
Visions of a Life – Wolf Alice (2017)
Won a Mercury Prize and still somehow feels underrated. Figure that one out. It’s all over the place in the best way. One track’s soft and stripped back, next one’s absolute chaos. That’s what makes it good though. It doesn’t sit in one lane trying to please everyone. Feels like a proper band just doing what they want, which is rare enough now.
The Ride – Catfish and the Bottlemen (2016)
This is where people start getting funny. It followed The Balcony, so it never stood a chance. Everyone had already made their mind up before even giving it a proper go. Go back to it now and it’s exactly what you want from them. Loud, simple, built for live shows. Not everything needs to be clever. Sometimes it just needs to sound big.
Hills End – DMA’s (2016)
Not even a UK band, but they may as well be at this point. This album just fits. Big indie sound, emotional without being over the top, and easy to go back to. It’s got that Oasis feel without trying too hard to copy it, which is where most bands get it wrong. You stick this on and it just works.
For Crying Out Loud – Kasabian (2017)
People wrote this off way too quickly. It’s not as messy or chaotic as older Kasabian stuff, and that’s probably why people didn’t latch onto it. But it’s tight. Clean. Full of tracks that absolutely go off live. Sometimes bands change direction slightly and everyone panics like it’s the end of the world.
“Underrated” usually just means people didn’t pay attention at the time. Then a few years pass and suddenly everyone’s a fan. Happens with albums, bands, everything. Most of these didn’t flop. They just got lost between hype and whatever came next.
And realistically, that’s where a lot of the best stuff ends up.
James Waddingham
Collaborator, BritRock Heaven
