Feeder

Though Feeder formed in 1994 at the height of Britpop, the Welsh trio’s brand of hooky modern rock has always been much less indebted to UK traditions than to American alterna-trends. If you didn’t know core members Grant Nicholas (vocals/guitars) and Taka Hirose (bass) hailed from Newport, Wales, you’d swear they were Californian: the band’s 1997 acoustic-strummed breakthrough, “High”, fit snugly on the U.S. airwaves alongside post-grunge power ballads by Matchbox 20 and Third Eye Blind, while their 2001 hit “Buck Rogers” was the sort of fuzz-covered anthem that would do Rivers Cuomo proud. As the title of their 2002 platinum-seller put it, Feeder have embraced a certain Comfort in Sound over the course of their career, fusing winsome melodies and festival-conquering riffage with a Foo Fighters-like consistency. And with pop-punky singles like “Youth” and “Fear of Flying” propelling 2019’s Tallulah into the Top 5, Feeder showed they’re still hungry for radio-ready hits.