Debut songs by Western rock bands from the 2000s

Makes No DifferenceSUM41

Sum 41 – Makes No Difference (Official Music Video)

Included on the 2000 album “Half Hour of Power.” A five-member punk band from Canada formed in ’96.

Now one of Canada’s leading punk bands, they’re hugely popular in Japan and across Europe and North America.

This is a single from their debut album.

The cool track blends a hardcore sound with top-notch pop melodies.

Wasted Little DJ’sNEW!The View

The View – Wasted Little DJ’s (Video)

Many of you can probably still vividly recall the impact of The View, who burst onto the UK indie scene from Scotland like a comet in the mid-2000s.

Their music combined the raw impulse of punk with the approachable warmth of folk, overflowing with the heat and rough-edged charm unique to youth.

This debut single, released in August 2006, is a bona fide classic that distills their very origins.

The lyrics are brilliant, embracing the scene of a local club DJ spinning the same track over and over, and celebrating that weekend euphoria in its entirety.

The straightforward, thunderous guitar riff and the chorus that practically demands a singalong are unforgettable after a single listen.

The track reached No.

15 on the UK Singles Chart, and the album it appears on, the masterpiece Hats Off to the Buskers, soared to No.

1—proof of just how unstoppable their momentum was!

PDANEW!Interpol

Interpol – PDA

A song by Interpol, the New York–based post-punk revival band.

It’s their debut single, also included on the classic album Turn On the Bright Lights, and its dramatic progression—where stillness and intensity intersect—grabs you right from the opening.

Centered on a breakup, the lyrics portray the wandering heart of a protagonist with nowhere to go, while the symbolic phrase “200 couches” functions as a device to convey their unstable state of mind more deeply.

Released in August 2002, the track’s music video was nominated for the MTV2 Award the following year, and its inclusion in the video game Rock Band 2 means many listeners may have encountered it there.

Brimming with tension, the sound vividly captures the loneliness and fleeting atmosphere of the city at night, making it a signature song that embodies the band’s origins.

I Should Have Been a Tsin-tsi (for You)NEW!Mew

I Should Have Been a Tsin-tsi (for You)

A song that lets you trace the roots of Mew, the alternative rock band known for its Nordic, cool and beautiful atmosphere and ethereal sound.

Beyond Jonas Bjerre’s translucent high tenor, you’re drawn into a dreamy world woven by the floating synths.

It’s a track whose fragile yet beautiful sound seems imbued with the bittersweet wish to have been there for someone, the kind you want to listen to on a quiet night lost in thought.

Featured on the April 1997 album “A Triumph for Man,” this piece is also known for having a promotional video directed by filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn.

A serene rock tune packed with the seeds of the grand musicality they would later unfold.

HenriettaNEW!The Fratellis

The Fratellis – Henrietta

A song by The Fratellis, a rock band from Glasgow, Scotland.

Released in June 2006 as their debut single, it was the lead single from the acclaimed album Costello Music, which peaked at No.

2 on the UK charts.

The track itself became a hit, reaching No.

19 on the UK Singles Chart and marking the band’s first breakthrough.

Driven by raw, garage rock-inspired guitar riffs and a straight-ahead beat, the song explodes into a catchy chorus that lifts the listener’s energy.

The lyrics convey the protagonist’s slightly forceful, impulsive affection for a woman he’s infatuated with.

Featured in rhythm games as well, it’s an energetic rock number perfect for getting pumped up.

Moving to New YorkNEW!The Wombats

The Wombats – Moving To New York [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

A song by The Wombats, an indie rock band from Liverpool, England.

Featured on their 2007 debut album, “A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation,” it’s known as the signature track that launched the band’s career.

The lyrics, said to be born from a bittersweet personal experience of heartbreak, are set against a fast-paced, danceable sound—the contrast is part of its charm.

Its lively, raucous energy offers an easy, high-quality listen that will likely resonate even with those who don’t usually listen to rock.

First released as a limited edition in October 2006, the track reached No.

13 on the UK charts with its 2008 re-release.

Many will recognize it from the opening of the popular American talk show “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” It represents the band’s origins, yet its undimmed sense of style still shines—surely the reason it continues to be loved!

Mansard RoofAnimal Collective

Vampire Weekend – “Mansard Roof”

Vampire Weekend burst onto the late-2000s indie rock scene with the unusual pedigree of being Ivy League graduates from New York.

Their style—folding Afro-pop elements into sleek pop songs—felt remarkably fresh at the time.

This time, we’re focusing on the track that marked the beginning of their brilliant career, released in October 2007.

In just two short minutes, it distills buoyant keyboards and a sprightly beat into something that feels like the pure sound of summertime bliss.

The lyrics by frontman Ezra Koenig—who crowns the title with an architectural style and captures everyday scenes with intellectual flair—are wonderful as well.

This piece opens the landmark debut album Vampire Weekend, a bona fide classic that eloquently encapsulates the band’s musical identity.

It’s a superb song I’d highly recommend when you’re in the mood for intelligent, refreshing rock.