playlist: the 58 best punk songs of may 2026

Positioning yourself as a punk writer means occasionally getting a message from an artist you respect a huge amount but have never actually spoken to before. One such DM came through in the past month—a person who’s been in self-described “hermit mode” but has been keeping an eye on punk happenings from afar and working on new stuff privately.

That missive came through right before the final see/saw show for the foreseeable future—a Minneapolis DIY gig with Rotary Club the week after the big May Day parties. Maybe it felt like tacit permission from somebody who’s been in the game way longer than I have, but after two months of late nights and blasted eardrums, fatigue had set in and my own hermit mode had begun.

May was spent in the garden, hanging out with my kid, writing, podcasting, working my day job, and intentionally missing out on several very sick shows. My hermit brain has started gearing itself toward metrics—how many people are reading see/saw, subscribing, unsubscribing, downloading the podcast, etc. I hate it. Two years in, I’m still reprogramming from the corporate journalism culture of measuring success via analytics.

The idea of the “right number” is bullshit. No number will ever be good enough if capitalism is the only goal. The whole point of doing something like this is “introduce people to some music that rules,” and as far as I can tell from anecdotal evidence and very kind messages, mission accomplished. I love finding sick new records, and I love when new people find see/saw because it means they’re finding said records. Like the more the merrier, and more paid subscribers means more money to pay my favorite writers for sick punk feature, but mostly: people like reading it and I like doing it. That’s success.

Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Sweeping Promises, Artificial Go, Useless Eaters, and Alien Nosejob all appear on this month’s playlist. Damn. Here’s my favorite stuff from May 2026.

see/saw’s 58 best punk songs of may 2026

Useless Eaters: Cochon Sauvage
Piper Maru: vacancy
Eddy Current Suppression Ring: Bop
Jake King: Little Did I Know
Fleon Sunoco: Skinny Dipping
Alien Nosejob: Live Like the Crowd
Prisonnier du Temps: La Liberté S'Obtient Par le Sang
Sweeping Promises: Shooting Shadows
Genre Is Death: Repulse
Artificial Go: Triple Ones
Power Pants: Do You Rock or Do You Roll?
No Peeling: Campaign for a Nice Time
Providers: El Momento
Jolana Star: Crisis of Faith
God Entered My Body Like a Body My Same Size: Bad Thought
Irked: Death Cult
Shrudd: Hammerman
PINKLIDS: Breadwinner
SMARM: Lick the Fist
Theeeee Retina Lamps: More Lies
Tyvek: Eye Roll
Fiona Slide: Etruria
G2K: I Rock I Ran
Memo PST: Dog Groomer Stylist
Nazi Tampons: Zelená Míľa
Suicidas: Cantemos
Drakulas: Head in the Clouds
Andresa One Man Band: Nothing but R'N'R
The Sleeveens: National Anthem
Siyahkal: Anarchy in Iran
Marbled Eye: Stubborn Mind
Smirk: Dog Years
Hez: Nunca Termina
T-Models: Portrait of Swine
MK Ultras: Chrome Crusher
Obamacare: Running from the Law
Cherry Cheeks: Cruel Bore
Radon Abatement: Harmonium Jr.
M.A.T.B.: SPATZ
Fentanyl: Cobrar el Dolor
WWW: Vigilancia
Mock Execution: Freedom for Sale
Klonns: Parasite
W-9: Elvis
NightFreak: DUH
Jacket Burner: Ain’t Got Shit
Crash: Cut Loose
Army of God: Play Your Part
forcer: proliferation
Heathen Axe: EXIT
Timmy Vulgar & Jimbo Easter: art vultures
The Thirsty Giants: Read the Room
The Carp: I Crave the City
G.U.N.: Friday Night Stake Out
Total Con: Spill the Blood
Cell Deth: The Grind
Concrete Lawn: Return to Dust

see/saw is a reader-supported publication. If you liked this playlist, please share it and subscribe.