From Fungus to Greatness: Ranking Every Incubus Album by Its Standout Songs
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This piece argues that Incubus didn’t evolve in a straight line—they zigzagged, shedding skin album by album, with individual songs acting as the real milestones. By ranking the band’s entire catalog through its most consequential tracks, it reveals why commercial peaks like *Morning View* and cult oddities like *Fungus Amongus* matter for different, equally valid reasons. Read it to understand not just which Incubus album “wins,” but how ambition, risk, and timing shaped one of modern rock’s most divisive discographies.
At 7:12 a.m. on October 23, 2001, a line of fans wrapped around a Tower Records in Los Angeles, clutching coffee and the expectation that Incubus might once again reinvent modern rock. By noon, Morning View had sold more than 100,000 copies nationwide. By the end of its run, it would move over 2 million units in the U.S. alone, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and quietly cement the band’s shift from funk-metal upstarts to architects of mood-driven alternative rock.
Nearly three decades in, Incubus remains a rare case study: a band whose fanbase argues passionately not just about which album is best, but why. Is the raw chaos of their early work more honest than the polished restraint of their later years? Does commercial success dilute innovation—or amplify it?
Here’s a full ranking of every Incubus studio album, judged by standout songs, cultural impact, fan engagement, and the long tail of influence. Consider this both a map of their evolution and an invitation to argue back.
8. Fungus Amongus (1995)
Standout tracks: “Take Me to Your Leader,” “Psychopsilocybin”
Before Incubus found clarity, they reveled in confusion. Recorded while most of the band members were barely out of high school, Fungus Amongus sounds like a group testing every idea they’d ever heard in a rehearsal space. Funk bass slaps against metal riffs, Brandon Boyd raps and screams in equal measure, and subtlety never enters the room.
The album never charted and remains absent from major streaming playlists curated by the band. That omission fuels its cult status. On Reddit’s r/incubus, polls routinely show Fungus ranked last overall, yet cited disproportionately as “most fun” or “most honest.”
This album explains everything that comes later. The genre-hopping instincts, the refusal to sit still, the willingness to alienate casual listeners. Without Fungus, the refinement of Make Yourself doesn’t land as hard.
Listener takeaway:
If you want the vinyl experience, the rare 180-gram Fungus Amongus pressings sound markedly better than compressed digital versions. Pair it with entry-level audiophile headphones like the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x to catch Dirk Lance’s bass textures.
7. 8 (2017)
Standout tracks: “No Fun,” “Love in a Time of Surveillance”
Produced by Skrillex collaborator Sonny Moore, 8 arrived with expectations and left fans divided. Debuting at No. 18 on the Billboard 200, it marked the band’s lowest chart position since the ’90s. The production feels modern but occasionally overworked, sanding down Incubus’s natural dynamic swings.
Still, tracks like “No Fun” tackle modern disconnection with a sharpness the band hadn’t shown in years. Lyrically, Boyd sounds engaged, even urgent.
A 2022 fan poll on IncubusOnline.com ranked 8 last in emotional resonance but second-highest in lyrical relevance.
Listener takeaway:
This album rewards focused listening. Noise-canceling headphones such as the Sony WH-1000XM5 help isolate the layered production that often gets lost on casual speakers.
6. If Not Now, When? (2011)
Standout tracks: “Adolescents,” “Promises, Promises”
When Incubus stripped away distortion, many fans panicked. If Not Now, When? leans heavily into atmospheric rock, almost ambient in places. Guitarist Mike Einziger trades riffs for texture, and the rhythm section breathes instead of pummels.
Commercially, it worked. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 90,000 copies in its first week. Artistically, it split the base.
This album functions as a litmus test. Fans who value emotional maturity rank it high; those craving catharsis rank it near the bottom. That divide mirrors the band’s own internal evolution.
Listener takeaway:
Ideal for vinyl. The double-LP pressing reveals depth missing from digital formats. A midrange-focused turntable cartridge like the Ortofon 2M Blue elevates the experience.
5. A Crow Left of the Murder… (2004)
Standout tracks: “Megalomaniac,” “Talk Shows on Mute”
Released months after leaving Epic Records, Crow crackles with tension. The band tackles media saturation, American politics, and ego with a bitterness absent from earlier work. “Megalomaniac” remains one of their most aggressive singles, while “Talk Shows on Mute” predicted social-media-era noise years early.
The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 1 million copies worldwide.
Why fans argue:
Some hear anger without cohesion. Others hear a band fighting for relevance. Both are right.
Listener takeaway:
For guitar players, this album rewards close study. Einziger’s pedalboard-driven tones are easier to replicate with multi-effects units like the Line 6 HX Stomp.
4. Light Grenades (2006)
Standout tracks: “Anna Molly,” “Dig”
Light Grenades might be Incubus at their most disciplined. Songs clock in leaner. Choruses land harder. “Anna Molly” still pulls north of 100 million streams on Spotify, and “Dig” has become a staple in wedding playlists—a rarity for a band born in the mosh pit.
Debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, it marked their commercial peak.
This album thrives on contrast. The aggression feels earned because it’s balanced by restraint. That tension explains its longevity.
Listener takeaway:
Great for car listening. A dedicated DSP-equipped head unit like the Alpine iLX-507 enhances the album’s dynamic shifts on the road.
3. S.C.I.E.N.C.E. (1997)
Standout tracks: “A Certain Shade of Green,” “New Skin”
This is the album fans weaponize in arguments. Raw, technical, unapologetically weird, S.C.I.E.N.C.E. remains the band’s mission statement for many early adopters. DJ Lyfe’s turntable work and Dirk Lance’s elastic bass lines give it a texture Incubus never fully revisited.
While it never cracked the Top 40, it sold steadily, eventually going gold.
Risk. Few major-label debuts sounded this unconcerned with mass appeal.
Listener takeaway:
If you’re chasing authenticity, seek out the original CD mastering. Early pressings preserve the album’s punch better than later remasters.
2. Make Yourself (1999)
Standout tracks: “Drive,” “Pardon Me,” “Stellar”
“Drive” didn’t just crossover—it colonized radio. With over 800 million Spotify streams, it remains the band’s most recognized song. But Make Yourself works because the hits sit alongside deeper cuts that refuse to flatten.
The album has sold over 3 million copies in the U.S., and its influence echoes in post-grunge and alternative acts that followed.
This is Incubus discovering the power of restraint without sacrificing identity. Every album afterward reacts to this one, either by refining or rebelling against it.
Listener takeaway:
Songwriters can learn from this record. Analyze its structure using tools like the Song Master Pro Chord Analyzer to see how simplicity drives impact.
1. Morning View (2001)
Standout tracks: “Wish You Were Here,” “Nice to Know You,” “Are You In?”
Recorded in a Malibu beach house, Morning View sounds like sunlight hitting water. The grooves breathe. The melodies linger. It’s the rare album where commercial success, critical respect, and fan devotion align.
As of 2024, tracks from Morning View account for roughly 35% of Incubus’s total streaming numbers—a staggering concentration.
Cohesion. Every song feels necessary. Remove one, and the architecture wobbles.
Listener takeaway:
This album benefits from room-filling speakers. Bookshelf models like the KEF Q350 reproduce its spatial depth beautifully.
The Argument Isn’t Over—It’s the Point
Incubus thrives because disagreement keeps the catalog alive. Fans debate rankings on forums, at shows, and across social platforms not out of nostalgia, but because the band’s evolution mirrors their own.
- Which album aged best—and which aged fastest?
- Does commercial success enhance or dilute artistic credibility?
- If Incubus released S.C.I.E.N.C.E. today, would it break through or disappear?
Spin the records. Run the polls. And argue loudly. Incubus built a career on tension—and the conversation keeps it moving forward.