If It's Too Loud...

JVK are one of those bands that seems poised to break out of the Boston music scene. Their latest single, "When I Think About Love," is a fantastic mix of punk rock, pop, electro pop, and just straight up rock. The whole thing has a certain 90's vibe going to it, mixing rock from that era with New Wave. It's a glammed up package that sounds kind of like if Joan Jett had been inspired by Van Halen's "Jump" or Def Leppard's "Love Bites." As 80's inspired as "When I Think About Love" sounds, it's not a song trying to be a throwback. It may draw inspiration from some classic sounds, but this is a completely modern sound. Plus, this sounds like it's going to become one of the most fun songs in JVK's live shows, so let's all try to get to one ASAP before they graduate from small clubs. You can listen to "When I Think About Love" below. For more on JVK, check out the band's website .

Massachusetts' own Adios Fatso are back with a new single, "Gopro, Not Again!," an ode to the "... frustration as your Gopro fails at the worst possible time." As with most songs from the band, this one is a mix of punk and indie rock. However, this one seems to be a bit more catchy and bordering right on the line of being mainstream. It's a fun and noisy track that is sure to burrow itself deep into your mind. Somehow, this song is a little over two minutes long despite how much it has going on. It's a burst of energy and silly anger, with some of the best "Woah-oh-oh-oh"s we've heard in a long time. Plus, "Gopro, Not Again" ends with a blazing guitar solo, leaving you with a desperate desire for more. You can watch the video for "Gopro, Not Again" below. For more on Adios Fatso, check out the band on Instagram and Bandcamp .

1994's  ¡ Sim patico! was the album when I first discovered Velocity Girl, so I'm thrilled that it's getting a reissue. The reissue is also an expanded version, so it will include B-sides and rarities, one of which is a cover of New Order's "Your Silent Face." It's an almost unrecognizable cover as the New Wave original is transformed into a 90's alt-rocker. The trademark synth notes are replaced with guitar chords, but New Order die hards will most likely recognize it right away. There is also harmonica replacing synths, which works amazingly well. As a fan of cover songs, this is my favorite kind: It stays true to the original while making it their own. Let's just hope this second Velocity Girl reissue leads to more live dates, preferably in New England. You can listen to Velocity Girl's cover of "Your Silent Face" below.  ¡ Simpatico! (Remastered and Expanded) is due out February 23 on Sub Pop Records, and is available for pre-orde...

Photo by Aileen Lam The trend in shoegaze these days is to mix up the formula and cross pollinate it with other musical genres. Hong Kong's Lucid Express aren't doing that on "Something Blue," and have released one of the most pure shoegaze songs of the year. The song feels like you're dreaming. It's hazy and fuzzy, with just the right amount of loud/quiet/loud. The feedback squall that telegraphed the first loud chorus was just about perfect, and gave me some 90's college flashbacks. "Something Blue" is a gorgeous and breathtaking track, and fans of classic shoegaze are going to be transfixed by Lucid Express. You can watch the video for "Something Blue" below. Instant Comfort is due out February 20 on Kanine Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Lucid Express, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram .

Photo by Jason Zucco It seems bonkers to me that Converge has been around for thirty-five years now, but considering they formed in 1990, it makes mathematical (if not emotional) sense. The Boston metalcore titans are once again back with a new single. "Love Is Not Enough" is, predictably, a powerhouse song. It's loud and dissonant and filled with all of the aggression you require for a Converge song. Despite being around for three and a half decades, they're showing zero signs of even slowing down a tiny bit. What makes them stand out apart from most of their peers, and makes them appeal to those of us who don't typically love music this heavy, is just how hard a song like "Love Is Not Enough" grooves. Plus, it cycles through multiple speeds and sounds in just under two and a half minutes. I certainly don't need to tell anyone how great Converge are, especially since they continue to prove it again and again. Vocalist/lyricist Jacob Bannon says the ...

Photo by Dan Saltzman Boston's TELL have returned with a new protest song written in the wake of the 2024 election. "Things to Do When It's Dark" is a dark and ominous song, for obvious reasons. To me, it sounds like if Leonard Cohen wrote a noise rock or post punk song. There's also a somewhat unexpected glam element to the song, albeit a gritty and grungy one. Despite being three and a half minutes long, there's a lot going on in "Things to Do When It's Dark." While protest music is typically furious and loud, TELL's is more brooding and thoughtful, as if you're trying to figure out what can actually be done. Dan Wildman (guitar, lead vocals, and keyboard) says of his band's latest single: “I wrote ‘Things To Do When It’s Dark’ right after the horrific election. I was traumatized and the only way I could deal with it was to write a song. I had lyrics in the verse that were kind of a screed about what Trump is going to do to our coun...

Nick & June is the Berlin based musical duo comprised of Nick Wolf and Suzie-Lou Kraft. Their latest single, "2017," sees the pair team with Peter Silberman of The Antlers. The new single is a gorgeous and lush song that combines folk with dream pop. It's a highly compelling song that instantly sucks you in with haunting and alluring vocals. What's truly interesting is how the song could have been a simple folk or singer-songwriter track and been stellar. But the addition of droning guitars and a hazy dream pop vibe brings "2017" to an entirely new level. Nick & June have crafted a mesmerizing and highly addictive song with their latest. Nick Wolf says of his band's latest single: “It’s good to occasionally ask yourself why  your mind keeps wandering back to  the past. Who’s still living in 2017?  Ever since I  discovered The Antlers’ album ‘Hospice’ back in 2009, I’ve been a huge fan of Peter and the band. To me, he’s one of the best songwriters...

Photo by Kittie Krivacic Magic Fig continue to be the perfect example of what psych-pop from San Francisco should sound like in 2025. Their latest single, "Goblin," is a gorgeous dream-like song that stays compelling throughout it's six minute length. Every time the song starts to get a little too comfortable in its sound, it adjusts and transforms just enough to keep it interesting. It sounds like Magic Fig collected their favorite parts of music in the past six decades to make "Goblin." It's poppy, and trippy, and somewhat twee at times while being epic at others. This is the kind of song that will make you feel like you're on psychedelics without actually imbibing.  Inna Showalter (vocals/mellotron) says of her band's latest single is... : “About the fickleness of inspiration. It’s also a song about wearing disguises and not being authentic, which causes harm in the long run. The desire to be accepted and ‘good’ cannot always coexist with followin...

Photo by Jeff Pitcher Chaos was my third favorite album of 2024, so I'm thrilled that The Baby Seals are back with a new song. The Cambridgeshire punks just released "Tamoo Trance," a fun and energetic punk track. The song is "... about getting stuck in a trance-like state in an online shop," which is perfect for The Baby Seals. It's funny without being jokey, and is delightfully biting. It's filled with fuzzed out guitars and heavy bass lines, and shows just how fun the genre can be. "Tamoo Trance" is one of those songs that's both punk and pop without being pop punk. If anything, it fits into the subgenres of noise punk and garage punk, just on the far reaches of the fun side of those styles. Frontwoman Kerry says of the band's latest single: “... (it’s) about noticing how quickly we get entrapped online into spending money, and spending the latest form of currency, our attention, and questioning how to break away from it.  It's a...

Photo by Richard McCaffrey The latest from Deer Tick is perfect for the upcoming/current holiday season, but it could also work out for any time of the year. "Light Up Reindeer" is exactly what we love about the Providence band. It merges the worlds of country, folk, and rock into one sound. This one is more of a laid back rock song with flecks of country, and reminds me a lot of Tom Petty's sound. "Light Up Reindeer" is more of a holiday song by title, but I'm still going to sneak it onto a Christmas playlist or two. This is a welcome return from Deer Tick, and shows why they've been a favorite of ours long before we started If It's Too Loud... Ian O'Neil (guitar/vocals) says of his band's latest single: "Light Up Reindeer is about the interior conversation you have with yourself when you're trying to talk yourself away from your darkest thoughts. Useless, intrusive thinking puts a distance between the best part of ourselves and the...

Photo by David Doobinin Boston alt-rock legend Juliana Hatfield has a new single out from her upcoming album, and this one is going to make virtually every one of her fans delighted. "Fall Apart" captures the mood of her earlier, 90's music and combines it with her more recent, more laid back sound. It lands in this great middle ground between The Juliana Hatfield Three and Adult Contemporary. Hatfield was one of the stand-out artists during the 90's alt-rock boom, and "Fall Apart" shows why she's still one of the most beloved and respected artists decades into her career. I'll challenge anyone to hold "Fall Apart" up to any of her work from the 90's. This is truly one of her most compelling songs she's released. Juliana Hatfield says of her latest single: “I do make a point to say I fall apart now and then. It's not that I have fallen apart and you can never put me back together. I'm just talking about things that are real....

Artist : STL GLD Album : Good Music for Bad Kids Quick Thoughts : I get that Joyner Lucas gets all the regional rap love here, but at what point are we willing to admit that STL GLD is New England's best rap act? The beats are grimy and addictive, the lyricism unmatched, and the collective regularly punches above its weight. We love the act here, and Good Music is one of those records that show how deserving they are of a breakout. Songs of Note : "80's Babies," "Ayo Edebiri," 24KT," "Dances With Wolves," "The Get Up Kids," "Too Much," "The Clapper" Artist : Austra Album : Chin Up Buttercup Quick Thoughts : The opening line of "Math Equation" is probably the most brutal breakup lyric I've ever heard. It's a sad dance album in so many ways, as the cover clearly demonstrates, but as someone who has been a fan of Austra for ages now, this is one of her stronger albums. A really, really g...

I'm fairly new to the world of Die Spitz fandom. I only discovered them through their most recent album, Something to Consume , but was immediately grabbed. Sunday night I joined an interesting mix of twenty-something hipsters and middle aged metal dudes at The Sinclair when Die Spitz came roaring into town.  Reading about Die Spitz's live show, my expectations were high. I'm thrilled to say they exceeded all expectations. They were an absolute powerhouse live right from the opening song, "I hate when GIRLS die." Their show is an energetic whirlwind of sound, mostly in the metal and punk side of music, but occasionally delving into some more pop oriented sounds. They had a sense of chaos throughout their set, with singer/guitarist Ellie Livingston playing in the crowd at one point and then climbing the balcony railing at another. Chloe de St. Aubin and Ava Schrobilgen also took turns on vocals and traded guitar and drums during the show. Bassist Kate Halter seemed...

Photo by Melisa Lunar For their latest single, Mexico City's Diles Que No Me Maten have re-recorded a song off their first album. "Manos de Piedra (Revisitada)" is an intense song in a post-hardcore and indie rock style. It's filled with intense and oddly melodic music over spoken word vocals. The music is what will truly pull you in, even if you don't understand Spanish and have no idea what the lyrics are. This one is reminding me of a more earthy version of Slint. Even when the song takes an unexpected break in the middle and comes back more mellow, you're still going to be won over by the intense music of Diles Que No Me Maten. Jon ás Dérb ez (vocals/saxophone) says of his band's latest single: “​​This is an old song from our first album that we've been playing in a different way this past year. We decided to re-record it and re-release it because it felt great to see how the same ghost of that song has grown within us. It's not pretending to b...