The five best rock songs by York bands in 2016

York’s rock scene was put on the map by the likes of Shed Seven and Glamour of the Kill.

But judging by some of the music that has come out of the city this year, the bar is getting even higher.

As the founder and editor of the rock website Ouse Musics, I have been very impressed with a certain few songs that have surfaced in 2016.

Every great song should successfully surprise, relate to and entertain its listeners. Here are my favourite five rock songs released this year by York bands, which excel in all these areas.

Feed Them To The Forest: Six Seasons and a Movie

Feed Them To The Forest released single Six Seasons And A Movie at the beginning of October which was quickly followed by the premiere of its music video.

The video features footage of the band performing at several live shows as well as recording in the studio.

The song has had many outstanding reviews from Punktastic, Musically Fresh and Drop This UK.

Summer City: Burn It Down

Although, it seems like they have recently come out of nowhere with their single Burn It Down, Summer City have been around for eight years.

This is hardly surprising as their chemistry and experience shines through with this song. There has clearly been a lot of hard work put into the final product and it has paid off and is something that the band should be proud of.

One Way Street: Hold On To Tomorrow

This optimistic offering from One Way Street reminds you that there is always another day and things will get better.

Hold On To Tomorrow was released on the band’s debut EP Sectrets in June. After going through a tough time personally, front man Zac Roughton wrote the song about his own struggles.

The song has been well received by fans with currently over 9K views on YouTube.

Amongst Thieves: Love Yourself

Whether you love or hate Justin Bieber you cannot deny that this is a great cover of his hit Love Yourself. Amongst Thieves manage to make the song almost unrecognisable with their rock twist and heavier sound.

After a while of not hearing much from the band, it was good to see them come back with an innovative idea.

King No-One: Stay Close

This fantastic indie-rock song by King No-One was released early this year and has made a huge impact on York’s music scene.

The artistic music video is close to 15,000 views on YouTube and displays excellent use of interpretive dance that complements the song well.