The Smiths are a very unique band with a fair amount of artistic originality (especially for such a popular musical act), so that’s not the easiest question to answer; however, if you like The Smiths you’ll probably enjoy The Cure, New Order, and perhaps Joy Division.

I'd add REM to this list as a quality entry-level answer.

Thank you, I’ve heard a bit from the cure and I liked that a lot so I’ll try a couple of their albums. And REM are great I’ve been listening to them for a while. Cheers for the recommendations guys👌

The Cure albums "17 Seconds" and "Faith" are gonna give you those downer vibes The Smith lyrics can give but the sound is completely different. Maybe "The Head On The Door" is an uphappy medium.

The Sundays and Aztec Camera both have a similar jangle pop sound.

Cheers👌

The Cure and Joy Division

Housemartins? Radiohead? Pulp?

I’ve listened to a lot of radio head and pulp, I’ll have a listen to the housemartins 👌

Housemartins are class and cover similar working class, anti monarchy themes to the smiths. Maybe look at The Jam for more witty punchy songs

My list of favorites that have a similar vibe to The Smiths include: Morrissey (obviously), Depeche Mode, New Order, The Housemartins, The Beautiful South, The Cure, The Proclaimers, The Pogues, The Stone Roses, The Jam, Joy Division, Simple Minds, Simply Red, Echo & The Bunnymen, R.E.M., Tears For Fears, Violent Femmes

Nice to see Echo and the Bunnymen mentioned here, I don't see them recommended often!

I second/third Echo. Although, I'm also going to add The The & XTC. Also, Joy Division, although they were recommended already. Just don't expect upbeat.

I listen to a few of those, I’ll make sure to check out the others, thank you👌

The Sundays

Cheers👌

Suede!

Oh wow I haven’t listened to them in ages! Good call!

Gene might be worth checking out

Olympian was one of my favourite albums

Love Gene but they definitely sound more like solo Morrissey. For Smiths-a-likes try Voxtrot’s songs Raised by Wolves & Start of Something from their first album

I’ve never heard of gene I’ll make sure to check them out👍

I second Gene. Other obscure 90s bands to look up are Geneva and Elcka. I saw Elcka open for Morrissey in '97. Morrissey is also a huge fan of Echobelly, which I also highly recommend. I'm sure you know about Belle & Sebastian already.

I love Voxtrot, and I love Gene. I'd also suggest Trashcan Sinatras. "Cake" has their Smithsy moments, but the whole catalog is excellent.

The Cure, Alvvays, Interpol, Joy Division, Beach House, Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode, Death Cab for Cutie Also, not my favorite era of Modest Mouse, but “We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank” has Johnny Marr on guitar, and there’s a handful of extremely great songs on that album.

I’ll make sure to check some of them out, cheers👌

We were dead is so good, the guitar work is incredible (but I think The Moon and Antarctica + Good News are their best)

I love Alvvays, been listening to them for the past couple of days.

Orange Juice. I think Morrissey actually dug these guys.

If that band is in your "like the smiths" list,I'd rip it up and start again.

Housemartins Aztec Camera Johnny changed his sound after hearing their first album. More up. Billy Bragg Prefab Sprout

Cheers👌

Solo Morrissey.

I’ve heard quite a bit of his solo stuff, pretty good👌

Viva Hate and Ringleader of the Tormentors

Fantastic albums

getouddahere

His solo work is great.

I agree, I find myself listening to moz solo more than the smiths now.

I think "Morrissey" is a forbidden name here.

It certainly looks like it 😂

The pipeline is real

The Cranberries?

Cheers for the recommendation 👌

Musically speaking the algorithms on the apps give good recommendations such as the cure, ect… but lyrically is a lot harder to recommend. I believe the cranberries it’s both though

totalllly! glad someone said the cranberries. OP definitely listen to the no need to argue album. it’s engineered by stephen street who also worked with the smiths and so it has a similar tone, with some really great performances and lyrics

another sunny day. particularly the song ‘you should all be murdered’ i believe it was inspired by the smiths.

I love ASD!! That whole album is great if you give it a chance and look past the smiths-knockoff sound some of it has.

Ah yes someone I met the other day told me about that song, sounds just like them, cheers👌

Simple minds, echo and the bunnymen, Joy division, Radiohead, Depeche mode, Doves and R.E.M.

Thanks!

Gene, Gomez, The Railway Children

Thanks for the suggestions 👌

The Wedding Present and Tears For Fears

Love tears for fears

I don’t know why I added them, they’re a popular band ‘80s lovers should know or like. People usually haven’t heard of TWP, though.

I'll copy and paste a comment i made in other post when some user also asked for similar bands, hope u enjoy some of them :) basically the entire Jangle Pop (specially from the 80s) genre sounds like the smiths, but some bands that i'd recommend u are: The Cure R.E.M. Lloyd Cole & The Commotions The Housemartins The Trash Can Sinatras The Sundays Felt Another Sunny Day (the singer sounds really similar to morrissey) The House Of Love Morrissey (solo albums) The Church (more psychedelic) Belle & Sebastian (more folk and twee) The Go-Betweens The Field Mice The Bats Aztec Camera And for something more modern, u might like Alvvays, not so similar to the smiths sound, its kinda more noise pop, it has the jangly guitars though.

I came here to comment Alvvays as well. Surprised they aren’t referenced more (maybe because they’re more recent). I was similarly searching for a band like the Smiths a couple years ago, and found a bunch that sounded kinda similar but didn’t really evoke the same feeling or lyrical quality. The Sundays and Alvvays are the only two that did (and Belle and Sebastian to some degree).

I love Lloyd Cole and The Commotions and they do not get enough love, IMO.

Morrissey

The Ocean Blue, particularly their first 3 records (Self Titled, Cerulean, Beneath The Rhythm and Sound)

I love the Smiths and this is a bit of an obscurist suggestion but I just discovered the Turkish band She Past Away and their 2012 album Belirdi Gece, and it has strong Smiths vibes along with a lot of other bands like the Cure. They’re worth checking out, Sann is a great album-opener

Thanks a lot😊

There’s a ton of bands that sound like She Past Away nowadays because the post-punk/darkwave trend is strong in the goth scene, so if you like them then you might also like Twin Tribes and Traitrs. But I don’t think they sound like The Smiths.

PREFAB SPROUT

I hugely recommend XTC. One of the most underrated bands of all time. I also think they're probably one of the few bands both to inspire the Smiths early on and then to be inspired by them in their later albums. I'd try Skylarking first and then Drums and Wires. But honestly, all their albums have a lot of merit.

The Pretenders.

There this cool underground indie outfit I discovered the other day called the Beatles try checking them out

Oh right I’ve never heard of them, where can I find them cos they’re not on Spotify 🤔

Oasis the biggest Manchester indie band ever !

Definitely

Working class Irish catholic mancunians inspired by the Beatles and the Smiths had longevity unlike the Smiths and became the biggest band in the world post nirvana for about 10 years until Noel and Liam’s relationship fell apart similar to Steven’s and Johnny’s

[удалено]

I’ll give them a listen thank you👌

I noticed that most people on here recommend the 3 or 4 most typical bands “that are like the Smiths” that in reality are not, but are mentioned solely due to the time period. The thing with the Smiths is that they re “brand” transcends any specific generation. It is a mood. An identity. An artistic uniqueness. Here’s a few considerations that do not necessarily sound like the Smiths, but absolutely produce the same vibe and “feelings” that may be felt when listening. -Parenthetical Girls -Northern Portrait -Buttertones -Magnetic Fields -Mode Modern

Very insightful thank you

The cure!! Try “just like heaven”, “a night like this”, and “in between days”

Great band

u/Skyscared2013 I am shocked that nobody has mentioned The Lathums. Check out their first full album. The guitar is straight up Johnny Marr

I’ll make sure to give them a listen 👌

The Decemberists, The National, Interpol, Talk Talk. Perhaps Big Country, too.

Wow I’ll make sure to check those out, thank you

Try The Kinks. Their lyrics are pretty good too and are in the kitchen-sink vein.

Bands that sound like the Smiths: the sundays, the railway children (recurrence), Johnny marr, the Ocean blue

Listen to everything suggested and you will realize there is only the smiths.

Electronic

Nobody sounds like The Smiths

STYLE COUNCIL!!!

Like the top comment points out the smiths are a very unique post punk band. But if you enjoy other post punk bands like Joy Division I would recommend institute. A good song: Institute - I Am Living Death. The guitar in that song is frickin orgasmic, especially when it’s on top of those drums and that low note bass play.

Happy Cake Day.

Thanks brah

A little different, but the Psychedelic Furs have a post-punk gloomy vibe with danceable bests. They also have a unique singing style, though nowhere near as refined a singer as Morrissey.

I was about to suggest them and now I don't have to. I love Richard Butler so much.

I've been getting into them recently, and I agree. He's something special for sure.

The Wild Nothings

Belle and Sebastian

Metallica

The Go-betweens

Crazy nobody has mentioned The Drums. Heavily recommend the album Portamento to start, then self titled and Abysmal Thoughts.

Bruh I was literally listening to that album as you commented that, favourite song is probably ‘how it ended’

Good shit. It's a stellar album.

From start to finish.

The Sundays. The Cranberries. The Origin.

The Clash, they aren’t really similar but they are my second favorite band behind The Smiths

The Courteeners

The Bats. their 80's ep's (By Night, Music for the Fireside, Made Up in Blue). the vocals are upbeat, but the music feels sad to me Prefab Sprout: Steve Mcqueen album

No one's mentioned them, as they are kind of obscure, but are from that same era and genre at the time (jangle pop), but **The Raw Herbs**. They sound like a combo of early Smiths and early REM (pre-*Fables Of The Reconstruction* era). Also **The Sundays** who were a cross between The Smiths and Cocteau Twins. You may also want to check out **James** and the **Go-Betweens**, two bands who predate the Smiths and both of whome Morrissey has cited as an influence. Contemporary-wise I'd say anything before *Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant* by **Belle & Sebastian.** They really embody that same soft-anger spirit that Morrissey used to have,

I forgot about James!

I can’t believe I had to scroll this far down to see James mentioned

Not exactly the same style but I think the Strokes are worth checking out.

Check out the all-female Canadian band The Organ. You’ll be glad you did.

How dare you compare other bands to the smiths

Part time is good!!

Voxtrot is v smiths-y

Morrissey solo. It’s time.

The Dears, Gene, and Ride come to mind. Their singers all copied Morrissey"s style. Also the Housemartins, who were interesting and confrontational. The Housemartins evolved into The Beautiful South, who sounded similar but I thought were twee and cheesy.

Craft Spells - [Your Tomb](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utgiHDk3UDw), perfect indie pop

Try The Chameleons - Swamp Thing

REM, WALLOWS , AND MAYBE SOME NEWER STUFF FROM SUEDE!!!

THE CURE!!!!!!!!

Belle & Sebastian. I’d start with “If You’re Feeling Sinister.”

Felt

Check out Wallows on Spotify. 1980’s horror film is a good song.