The Stranglers

A potent musical force since their founding in Guildford, England in the mid-’70s, The Stranglers made a name in pub rock before finding fans in the emerging punk movement—thanks, in part, to an opening spot on the Ramones’ first British tour. They released back-to-back albums in 1977—the frenetic Rattus Norvegicus with its lead single, “Peaches,” followed by No More Heroes and its thumping title track. While punks at heart, musically The Stranglers bridge New Wave, goth, and garage with idiosyncratic songs like 1982’s psychedelic chamber music crossover “Golden Brown,” their biggest UK hit, not quite fitting in any category. While frontman Hugh Cornwell left the outfit in 1990 and drummer Jet Black retired from touring with the band in the mid-2010s, an ever-evolving Stranglers lineup soldiered on, putting out albums like 2021’s genre-spanning Dark Matters.