50 Best Protest Songs of 2023

Sunny War, from the artist’s Bandcamp Back when I started the website in 2017 I included a list of the 50 Best Protest Songs (back when I was still presenting lists in numerical order. Since that time I opted not to make a list since I was creating a Spotify protest song playlist featuring music that appeared on the site. […]

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Month of Protest: December

Beans On Toast, from the artist’s Bandcamp. December tends to be a slow month in terms of new music, but some notable socially conscious music has been released during the month. Here is a sampling. Songs/Videos: Working Class Hero – Cat Power & Iggy Pop This cover of the John Lennon protest classic appears on the compilation album The Faithful: […]

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100 Best Albums of 2023

HMLTD, from the artist’s Bandcamp. I recently posted the list of the 40 Best Protest Albums of 2023. Even though this site primarily focuses on protest music, not every album I listen to explicitly meets the definition of a protest album. I decided to list my 100 favorite albums of the year. Even though it includes several albums that made […]

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40 Best Protest Albums of 2023

Dream Nails, from artist’s Bandcamp Music is a reflection of society and is often influenced by the political climate. This small sampling of socially conscious albums features a diverse array of artists, genres, and political issues. The albums are presented in alphabetical order. Many of the writeups were reused from what I previously wrote. Integrated Tech Solutions by Aesop Rock […]

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Month of Protest: November

Mandy, Indiana, from artist’s Bandcamp As genocide continues in the Middle East, artists continue to speak out. They also continue to speak out against racism, homophobia, sexism, police brutality, and corporate greed. Here is a small sampling of the socially conscious music released in November. Songs/Videos: Demons – Allison Russell The latest video from the Canadian singer-songwriter is for “Demons” […]

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Month of Protest: October

Ragana, from the artist’s Bandcamp Music is often a reflection of the current political climate, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that multiple artists this month recorded music in response to the Israel-Palestine situation. Of course, climate change is still a thing, and racists, fascists, and homophobes still exist. Here is your recap of notable socially conscious music released in […]

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Month of Protest: September

Speedy Ortiz, from the artist’s Bandcamp Here is a recap of some of the notable socially conscious music released in the past month. Songs/Videos Red, White, and Blue – Kishi Bashi In 2019 Bashi released Omoiyari (one of the best protest albums of that year), an exceptional concept album that linked the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II […]

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Month of Protest: August

Allison Russell, from the artist’s Bandcamp Here is a recap of some of the socially conscious music released in August. Songs/Videos: Snakelife – Allison Russell This is the latest single and video from the Canadian singer-songwriter’s upcoming album The Returner, due September 8th. Russell describes the poignant tune as “an invocation of the Afro-Future-Rainbow-Coalition-Transformative Universe I wish to inhabit and […]

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Month of Protest: July

Kimmortal, from the artist’s Bandcamp Here is a recap of some of the socially conscious music released in July. Songs/Videos: Hot Planet – Snotty Nose Rez Kids This recently released video is for a track off the Canadian Indigenous rap duo 2022 album I’m Good, HBU?. The tune and video make reference to climate change and indigenous issues. The album […]

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30 Best Protest Albums of 2023 (So Far)

HMLTD, from the artist’s Bandcamp We are just a little bit beyond the halfway point of 2023 and there has already been plenty to protest, and the music being made reflects that. It was difficult to narrow it down to 30, but here is a sampling of the best socially conscious albums released so far. Most of these albums have […]

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