Artists Like The Smiths: 11 Jangle-Pop & Indie Rock Bands
If you love The Smiths' combination of melancholic wit, jangly guitars, and literary lyrics, these 11 artists belong in your collection.
What Makes The Smiths So Special?
The Smiths occupy a unique position in rock history. Johnny Marr's Rickenbacker guitar work created a template for indie guitar pop that's been copied but never equalled. Morrissey's voice — simultaneously world-weary and wounded, bitter and tender — is unmistakable. Together, they made music that was both deeply British and universally relatable.
If you've exhausted The Smiths' four studio albums and want to explore further, these 11 artists capture different aspects of what made them great — the jangle, the wit, the melodrama, the politics, the melancholy.
11 Artists to Explore
If The Smiths defined mid-80s Manchester, The Stone Roses owned the late 80s/early 90s. Their self-titled debut (1989) perfected jangle-pop with dance rhythms. Ian Brown's melodies and John Squire's cascading guitars created something uniquely British.
If you love "This Charming Man" → try "She Bangs the Drums"The most direct connection — Morrissey's solo career expanded on Smiths themes with bigger production. "Viva Hate" (1988) and "Your Arsenal" (1992) prove he didn't need Johnny Marr to write great songs (though Marr helped).
If you love "How Soon Is Now?" → try "Everyday Is Like Sunday"R.E.M. proved jangle-pop wasn't just British. Peter Buck's Rickenbacker guitar and Michael Stipe's cryptic lyrics created the American Smiths template. "Murmur" (1983) through "Document" (1987) are essential.
If you love "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" → try "Nightswimming"Harriet Wheeler's voice is often compared to a female Morrissey — expressive, literary, melancholic. David Gavurin's guitar work echoes Marr's jangly brilliance. "Reading, Writing and Arithmetic" is an essential companion to The Smiths.
If you love "There Is a Light" → try "Here's Where the Story Ends"Roddy Frame was just 16 when he wrote the songs for "High Land, Hard Rain" (1983). His fingerpicked acoustic guitar style and melodically rich songwriting make Aztec Camera the closest sonic cousin to early Smiths.
If you love "This Charming Man" → try "Oblivious"Edwyn Collins and Orange Juice essentially invented the Scottish indie sound that influenced The Smiths. "Rip It Up" (1982) features the same joy in melancholy and wit that characterises Morrissey at his best.
If you love "What Difference Does It Make" → try "Rip It Up"Lloyd Cole's literate, name-dropping lyrics (Simone de Beauvoir, Norman Mailer) and melodic gift made him the most Morrissey-adjacent artist of the 80s British indie scene. "Rattlesnakes" (1984) is essential.
If you love "Cemetery Gates" → try "Rattlesnakes"The La's self-titled debut contains some of the most perfectly constructed jangle-pop songs ever recorded. Lee Mavers' obsessive perfectionism produced an album of almost uncanny melodic beauty — especially "There She Goes."
If you love "Ask" → try "There She Goes"Hull's finest brought a socialist politics and dry wit to jangle-pop, not unlike Morrissey's provocations. "London 0 Hull 4" is full of tightly wound guitar pop with a righteous edge.
If you love "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" → try "Happy Hour"Like Morrissey, Billy Bragg uses humour and vulnerability to deliver political and romantic truths. His acoustic punk style is simpler than The Smiths, but the sensibility is remarkably similar.
If you love "Bigmouth Strikes Again" → try "A New England"Paddy McAloon's songs are among the most perfectly constructed in indie pop history. "Steve McQueen" (1985) is a masterpiece of melodic sophistication and lyrical intelligence — the sophisticated alternative to Smiths angst.
If you love "There Is a Light" → try "When Love Breaks Down"The Smiths on MyFavoriteBands
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