Ten years ago, Jeremy Clarkson left Top Gear and the top grossing film was Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 2015’s festival headliners were artists like Florence and the Machine, Kasabian and Avicii. So, what was among the best music of 2015?

Neck Deep - Life’s Not Out to Get You

Neck deep at a HMV event in 2015. Credit: GettyImages/Shirlaine Forrest

In August of 2015, now pop-punk mainstays, Neck Deep, would release their second album Life’s Not Out To Get You.

While not particularly recognised in the mainstream, this album defined 2010s pop-punk after the reign of bands like Cute Is What We Aim For. In a world now broadcast on sites like Tumblr and Instagram, the iconic cover art was a poster on so many bedroom walls. The positivity in the pop-punk summer sound, combined with lyrics in songs like Gold Steps, directly saying; “life’s not out to get you, despite the things you’ve been through” gave a powerful optimistic message to the struggling teenagers of 2015.

The sound of the record remains true to the pop-punk formula but added a fresh layer of modernity. The album features A Day to Remember’s Jeremy McKinnon on both guest vocals and production, backing the record with pop-punk royalty from the start.

The album reached number eight on the UK album charts, cementing the Welsh group in the country’s alternative rock scene.

Bring Me The Horizon – That’s the Spirit

Bring Me the Horizon in 2015. Credit: GettyImages/Shirlaine Forrest

Now Reading Festival main stage regulars, Bring Me the Horizon’s fifth album was a step towards a more mainstream sound after growing in the world of metalcore.

That’s the Spirit released on September 24th, 2015, and landed at number two on the UK charts. A spot higher than 2013’s Sempiternal.

The cover art is possibly the most recognisable from the band’s catalogue, featuring a simple graphic of an umbrella and raindrops on a black background. It would later become unanimous with Bring Me the Horizon.

The album is fresh and brought the band to arenas for the first time. Jordan Fish’s talent in electronics and production shine on this album, which shows a turning point towards the band’s later albums. It is certainly a staple of 2015 in British music.

Twenty One Pilots - Blurryface

Twenty One Pilots perform in 2015. Credit: GettyImages/Kevin Winter

In 2025, Twenty One Pilots will hit the UK with their massive Clancy world tour, but nothing compares to what 2015 held for the band. Twenty One Pilots will always be synonymous with their explosive fourth album, Blurryface.

Released in May of 2015, Blurryface hooked the ears of eyeliner-wearing, Tumblr-using teenagers everywhere ,while also having mainstream rock in a chokehold. Radio stations and teenage girls have never recovered from Blurryface, so what made it so great?

Blurryface was full of milestones and critical acclaim. The album peaked at number five on the UK charts, with single Stressed Out peaking at number 12. However, Stressed Out would go on to be the band’s first song to reach one billion streams. In 2017, Stressed Out also won the band their first and only Grammy.

Blurryface has a Metascore of 80, and most reviews praise its lyricism and fresh take on pop music.

It’s hard to believe 2015 was a decade ago, but it’s already laced with nostalgia of a time filled with The 1975, Tumblr and Doc Martens. The pop music of the 2010s holds the last memories of a pre-covid world, and most of gen z’s embarrassing preteen memories. It was definitely a memorable time in music.

The Best Albums of 2015