50 Best Bands Like Cold War Kids

Bands That Sound Like Cold War Kids

There’s something off-kilter about the sound Cold War Kids built their name on. It’s restless and a little jagged, like a live set recorded in a warehouse where the reverb never quite dies down. The songs spill with urgency and half-sung stories that never feel fully resolved. They’ve always balanced that weird middle space between indie polish and garage grit, where every chorus feels one step away from falling apart. It’s the kind of noise that makes sense when your head’s full but your words won’t come out right.

Some bands live in that same mood even if their sound veers off in different directions. A few drift closer to pop, rock, country, and R&B, pulling at the same frayed nerves but with their own spin on it. They share that bruised honesty—voices cracking on the high notes, guitars cutting through like confessionals, percussion that feels improvised. These aren’t neat studio acts trying to sound perfect. They’re the ones that let imperfection breathe a little, the ones that play like they’re still figuring it out mid-song.

Not all of them sound like Cold War Kids, not literally, but something in their music catches the same spark. Maybe it’s the raw edges, maybe it’s how they make chaos feel melodic for a minute. Either way, they hit the same pulse and carry the same grit. Here are the best bands like Cold War Kids to queue up next.

Top 10 Bands Closely Related to Cold War Kids

1. The Black Keys

2. Cage The Elephant

3. Kings of Leon

4. The Strokes

5. Foster The People

6. Band of Skulls

7. Grouplove

8. The Temper Trap

9. Two Door Cinema Club

10. Alabama Shakes

Alternative Rock Artists Similar to Cold War Kids #11 to 20

11. Young the Giant

12. Atlas Genius

13. Vampire Weekend

14. Broken Bells

15. The Heavy

16. Delta Spirit

17. The Revivalists

18. The Raconteurs

19. Of Monsters and Men

20. The White Stripes

Further Indie Rock Options Like Cold War Kids #21 to 30

21. Metric

22. Spoon

23. Franz Ferdinand

24. Foals

25. The Shins

26. Phoenix

27. Walk The Moon

28. TV on the Radio

29. The Head And The Heart

30. Arcade Fire

Bands That Share Cold War Kids’ Sound Profile #31 to 40

31. MGMT

32. Generationals

33. Joywave

34. The Kooks

35. White Lies

36. Bloc Party

37. J. Roddy Walston & The Business

38. Portugal. The Man

39. Beck

40. Modest Mouse

More Indie and Alternative Bands Like Cold War Kids #41 to 50

41. JR JR

42. Bear Hands

43. Silversun Pickups

44. Grizfolk

45. Moon Taxi

46. The Hives

47. Interpol

48. The Bravery

49. Editors

50. Jake Bugg

© 2025 Carson McQueen