List of dystopian music

Artists[edit]

The following lists musical artists whose discography prominently features dystopian themes.

Rock band Big Black with their stark portrayals of the underside of American culture.^[1]

The following lists albums that prominently feature dystopian themes.

2112, an album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976. The title track is about a man living in a dystopian society.^[1]
The ArchAndroid by Janelle Monáe.^[1]
Diamond Dogs an album by David Bowie is loosely based on George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four especially the songs "Future Legend", "We Are The Dead", "1984" and "Big Brother".^[1]
Deltron 3030 by Deltron 3030 (Del the Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator, and Kid Koala), is a hip hop album about a future world of battle raps with aliens, government oppression, and space travel.^[1]
Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome by Parliament.^[2]
In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson.^[2]
Joe's Garage, a dystopian concept album by Frank Zappa, set in a world where music is illegal and crimes are punished preemptively.^[1]
Kid A by Radiohead.^[1]
Replicas by Gary Numan.^[2]
Year Zero (2007) by Nine Inch Nails is a concept album with a strong dystopian theme and an accompanying alternate reality game.^[1]
The Body, The Blood, The Machine, an album by The Thermals.^[1]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "10 Essential Dystopian Albums". Treble. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Denney, Alex (18 April 2014). "Disco dystopia: what are the best apocalyptic albums?". the Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Barker, Emily (22 April 2015). "40 Bone-Chilling Tracks That Predict A Dark Dystopian Future". NME. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
^ "Emerson, Lake & Palmer's 'Karn Evil 9' is being turned into sci-fi movie". planetradio.co.uk. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2023.