The Dear Hunter are one of American progressive rock’s most ambitious and beloved bands — a project built around the boundless imagination of Casey Crescenzo, who has spent nearly two decades weaving an epic, multi-album rock opera. Blending prog, indie rock, chamber pop, jazz and post-hardcore into lush, cinematic songs, they have earned a fiercely devoted following. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of their finest songs.

The short version

If you only hear a few, make them “A Night on the Town”, “Waves”, “City Escape” and “The Revival” — the nine-minute centrepiece of Act IV, its most beloved single, the anthemic highlight of their 2006 debut, and a soaring standout from Act V. The full ranking is below.

America’s great rock-opera storytellers

The Dear Hunter began around 2005 as a side project of Casey Crescenzo, then a member of post-hardcore band The Receiving End of Sirens. What started as a solo experiment grew into one of modern rock’s most ambitious undertakings: the “Acts”, a planned six-album saga following a boy’s journey through love, war and corruption at the turn of the 20th century. Alongside his brother, drummer Nick Crescenzo, and a talented rotating band, Crescenzo has matched that storytelling with music of extraordinary range and orchestral scope. These fifteen songs are the best.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing melody, ambition, musicianship and lasting impact. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate.

The essential six

At the very top sits “A Night on the Town” (2015), the nine-minute centrepiece of Act IV and one of their most thrilling compositions. With it: “The Old Haunt” (2015), a driving Act IV highlight; “Waves” (2015), the album’s most beloved single; “City Escape” (2006), the anthemic early classic from their debut; “The Revival” (2016), a soaring Act V standout; and “Gloria” (2016), a dramatic, orchestral Act V highlight.

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Reliably great

The next tier is essential too. “Remembered” (2015) is a bright, propulsive Act IV single; “King of Swords (Reversed)” (2015) builds to a euphoric climax; “The Moon / Awake” (2016) is an epic Act V two-parter; “Mustard Gas” (2009) is the harrowing anti-war heart of Act III; and “Whisper” (2013) is a gorgeous highlight of the standalone album Migrant.

Deeper cuts

For the dedicated, these reward repeat listens. “1878” (2006) is an early, ambitious Act I epic; “The Pimp and the Priest” (2006) is a theatrical debut standout; “Saved” (2009) is a moving Act III turning point; and “Cascade” (2016) is a lush, orchestral Act V gem.

Every song at a glance

All fifteen songs, in chronological order — each linked to the album it comes from, so you can hear it in context.

Where to start

Begin with the two acclaimed peaks of the saga, Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise (2015) and Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional (2016), then go back to where it all started with Act I: The Lake South, the River North (2006). From there, Act III: Life and Death (2009) and the standalone Migrant (2013) round out the picture.

The players

The Dear Hunter is, first and foremost, the vision of Casey Crescenzo — singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer, who writes, arranges and often plays much of the music himself, orchestral flourishes and all. His brother, drummer Nick Crescenzo, has been the other constant at the band’s core. In its live and studio incarnations the group has featured guitarist Robert Parr, bassist Nick Sollecito and multi-instrumentalist Maxwell Tousseau, among others, and Crescenzo regularly enlists full orchestras and choirs to realise his cinematic ambitions.

Why they still matter

Few bands have committed so completely to long-form storytelling as The Dear Hunter, and fewer still have matched it with music this rich and wide-ranging. Their Acts saga stands as one of the most ambitious projects in modern progressive rock, admired for its melodic generosity as much as its conceptual scope. Restless as ever, Crescenzo has since launched entirely new worlds with Antimai and Sunya, proving the imagination behind the band shows no sign of running dry. For lovers of ambitious, emotional, genre-blurring rock, they are essential.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: rank their records with our guide to the best The Dear Hunter albums, or place them in the bigger picture with the best progressive rock songs of all time.

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