If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Brianna Benitez and Hersh Powers Boston's Cut The Kids in Half has a new single out that defies you to define it. "Wild Rabbit" is unquestionably a rock song, but what subgenre does it belong in? It has elements of the noise and quirk of indie rock, but the darkness of post punk. There might also be some post rock in here as well, if I ever heard a good definition of that genre. It has a quiet, mid-tempo intensity, with Jack Silver's unique croon over music that is equally melodic and dissonant. At least, until the second half of the song when everything threatens to go fully off the rails. Boston is full of unique rock bands, and Cut The Kids in Half seem to be following their own path. Jack Silver says of his band's latest single: “This is a song about the human paradox.  We want freedom, but we cling to our habits. We want love, but we settle for flesh. We feed the beast that feeds on us. “Wild Rabbit” is an ode to crookedness. I was chasing a wiry, ra...

Photo by Nicole Tammaro Photography Boston's Lonely Leesa & the Lost Cowboys have a new alt-country banger out, and buckle up for this one. "New American Dream" is a track that faces the direction our country is headed and takes it on directly. It's not a quiet song, but it's not as loud as most protest songs tend to be. Musically, it puts the alt- in alt-country. It's filled with loud guitars, and kind of reminds me of a more country version of Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot mixed with Drive-By Truckers' American Band. "New American Dream" isn't an easy listen, but it's an important and vital one. Plus, it's nice to hear a country song on the right side. Leesa Coyne says of her band's latest single: “To me, the ‘New American Dream’ is for everyone to have some comfort and freedom. To be able to have those moments of not having a care in the world. To not constantly worry about some impending doom coming around the corner: ‘...

Photo by Ana Watterson; Creative direction by Palmer Wells Last month's "teeth filed down" was more pop, but the latest from Massachusetts raised, current Brooklyn resident Nathalie Miller expands on that sound. "you're in my bed" is still a pop song, but it's more of a pop song in the way that current musicians blur the lines between indie rock and pop. Particularly at the beginning, the song sounds more like a 90's singer-songwriter track, before a more alt-pop side sneaks in. It kind of has a Natalie Imbruglia meets Phoebe Bridgers quality to it. The song is almost painfully intimate, despite being a quiet epic. The closest thing we have to a complaint about "you're in my bed" is that it leaves us wanting more and more from Nathalie Miller. You're going to want to jump on this bandwagon now, because if there is any justice left in this world, she's going to end up being (rightfully) huge. Nathalie Miller says of her latest si...

Photo by Micki Harris Chicago's Time Thieves have returned with a new single, and lovers of power pop are going to go bananas for this one. "Biking Through Berlin" might actually be too catchy. It's a huge and crunchy power pop song that stops maybe half a step away from being an anthem. The guitars in the song are gigantic and wonderfully fuzzy in the most 90's alt-rock way possible. This one makes me think of the best songs that Weezer has released this century with a slight punk edge. But, seriously... just try to get that chorus out of your head before this weekend is over. Time Thieves do the mid-90's alt-rock power pop thing so perfectly that I'm wondering if this is actually a lost song from that time period. Jonathan Pool (guitar/vocals) says of the band's new single: "When our longtime bass player and good friend Annie Saunders moved to Minneapolis earlier this year, we had no idea how we were going to fill her shoes. Micki stepped right...

Photo by Troy Ezequiel Montes Jawwaad Taylor (aka JAWWAAD) was a co-founder of The Young Mothers, the Texas/Scandinavian jazz collective that included multiple other genres in their sound. Now, JAWWAAD has his own album coming out, and the latest single is "Without You." This new single combines jazz, hip hop, and R&B in ways you've both heard and haven't heard before. This is an ultra-chill track that meanders through genres with ease. It never seems to lean towards any genre more than others, letting them all co-exist equally. It also features Contour and Yaajé  taking care of vocals throughout. JAWWAAD has a truly special sound that has the potential of becoming an all time favorite. You can listen to "Without You" below. Myth & Logic is due out November 13 on Sonic Transmissions and Sound Mind Body Labs, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on JAWWAAD, check out the artist on Instagram . Myth & Logic by JAWWAAD

Photo by Juliette Boulay Philadelphia's Deux Visages have a new single out that further blurs the already murky lines between shoegaze and dream pop. As with most modern shoegaze, "Pixelate" combines multiple styles into something familiar and new. It has all of the fuzz and wall of sound noise needed to be shoegaze, but it also brings in a lot of the melodies and softness of dream pop. Plus, there's an edge to the song that I wouldn't have expected with the dream pop elements. It's akin to the indie rock aggression of a band like Sonic Youth, but mellowed out by some bubblegrunge. "Pixelate" melds both dissonance and melody perfectly. Chances are, we're all going to end up being Deux Visages fans sooner than later. Daphney Hanono says that her band's latest single  “... highlights the changes in people you’ve known for a long time and disappointment within them. The name is a nod to the lyrical theme of the person being a vague image of who ...

Photo by Rebeca Figueiredo Afrobeat singer, songwriter, and activist Seun Kuti has a new song out with his band Egypt 80, and this time he's adding in Tom Morello. "Na Dem" is a laid back track heavy on the Afrobeat sound. It includes some killer horns, and we're never going to complain about hearing a guitar solo from Tom Morello. A definite highlight is the horn section and Morello trading off back and forth. Despite how laid back the song initially sounds, there's a quiet intensity to it. The song clocks in at four minutes and forty seconds, but it somehow feels both longer than that and not long enough. "Na Dem" has us even more excited to hear what Kuti has coming next, and we were already plenty excited. You can watch the video for "Na Dem" below. The album Na Dem is due out November 6, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Seun Kuti, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook .

Christina Eskew of The Hellflowers is obsessed with Creature from the Black Lagoon , so her band has released an ode to the character just in time for Halloween. "Creature" is a garage rock/punk love song about everyone's favorite Devonian period monster, and it just flat out rocks. Personally, I'm also a huge fan of the creature (an Alex Ross painting of the creature is my phone's wallpaper and one of my cats is named after Milicent Patrick, designer of the creature), but even those not as obsessed as myself and Eskew will love this song. Aside from the Universal Monster connection, "Creature" is just a great and catchy garage rock song that leans heavily into punk. Of course, any song we can tie into Halloween is going to be beloved here at If It's Too Loud... world headquarters! Christina Eskew says of her band's latest single: “I am obsessed with the Creature from the Black Lagoon, so I thought it was high time I wrote a love song about him. ...

The Spook School released their final album in 2018, but now the Glasgow band are back with a new album due in early 2027. Their latest single, "Corporate Caring," is about corporations that pretend to be LGBTQ+ allies every year without doing anything to back that up. It's an upbeat indie rock song with more than a little of a punk edge. This is the kind of song that sounds bright and cheery on the surface, but you can sense the anger once you actually pay attention. It's fuzzed out guitars utilizing feedback expertly, along with venomous vocal harmonies. Welcome back, The Spook School. We'll be spending the next three months digging into your back catalog while we wait for the new album! Vocalist/guitarist Nye Todd says of his band's latest single: “ This is a song about a kind of shallow, meaningless, performative ‘caring’ that takes the place of any real solidarity or conviction. It’s about corporations who a couple of years ago had their logos plastered a...

Photo by Miles Kalchik I didn't think there was a way to make a 90's style alt-rock song ramblin', but Savanna Ruth has figured it out. The Chicago artist recently released "Queen's Gambit," an energetic and fuzzy song that sounds like it could have been released anytime from 1995 to 1998. It's more than a little bit bubblegrunge, but it has an unexpected folky hint to it, particularly in the way the lyrics seem to all flow together in an almost stream of conscious way. It reminds me a bit of some of my 90's favorites that had a bit of a country side, although I never noticed at the time (and certainly never would have admitted it if I had). That's not to say that "Queen's Gambit" is a folk or country song. This is pure alt-rock, just with some roots of country for extra flavor. Savanna Ruth says of her latest single: “'Queen’s Gambit' is basically me trying to make peace with not having my life completely figured out.  I was ...

Photo via Facebook Che Noir's latest single lives right up to its title. "Grandma's Cookies" is a chilled out track that feels familiar for fans of classic hip hop, and ends up feeling like a warm hug. It's a stripped down track with the focus on her vocals and flow. Noir raps throughout almost the entire song with a minimal amount of instrumentation behind her. In fact, there isn't a typical hip hop beat in the song. Despite how non-traditional of a hip hop track "Grandma's Cookies" is, it still feels familiar and inviting. That might be why Che Noir has become a favorite around here. She has the ability to sound fully fresh and familiar at the same time. You can watch the video for "Grandma's Cookies" below. It Takes a Village is due out October 23, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Che Noir, check out the artist on Instagram and Facebook .

Photo by Taylor O'Sullivan Menahan Street Band is a supergroup featuring Tom Brenneck (The Budos Band), Dave Guy (The Roots), Homer Steinweiss, Nick Movshon, and Leon Michels (El Michels Affairs). The band have a new instrumental single out that is going to blow some minds. "There Before the Sun" mixes jazz, soul, and hip hop together perfectly. It's a laid back, horn heavy track that gets just the exact right amount of psychedelic to be trippy without landing into jam band territory (although jam band fans are going to adore this). It attains that perfect level of cool that will make you wonder why you don't listen to jazz or soul more than you already do, no matter how much you already consume. This is a great song that makes us wonder why we haven't covered Menahan Street Band before. Tom Brenneck says of his band's upcoming album: “Homer kept saying while making this record that the energy felt like the first time. Like we tapped into the excitement of...

As some/all of you probably know, I'm a bit of a music snob. I tend to prefer shows that cost under thirty dollars and are in venues smaller than my living room. I don't care about a big fancy light show, and typically mock people that spend over one hundred dollars for concerts. But, when your teenage daughter wants to go see Phoebe Bridgers with you... you suck it up and attend that concert.  I consider myself to be a casual fan of Phoebe Bridgers. I remember listening to Stranger in the Alps the week it came out and enjoying it, but it didn't click for me on a personal level, and I missed her 2018 show at Great Scott. By the time her music clicked for me, she was playing two nights at whatever Harbor Lights is called these days, which is on the large side for what I enjoy for concerts. Now that she's playing multiple nights in arenas, I'm truly kicking myself for missing out on those earlier shows. I've never seen an artist take over an arena the way Phoebe B...

Garage rock legend Palmyra Delran & The Doppel Gang have released a cover of a Joey Ramone song from his wildly underrated 2002 solo album Don't Worry About Me. It certainly doesn't hurt that "Spirit in My House" also doubles as a Halloween song. The cover has that trademark growl that all songs sung by Joey Ramone have. It's quite faithful to the original, with maybe the punk dialed down and the garage rock dialed up. There is also the addition of what sounds to be a theremin, which only adds to the spooky quality of the cover. It's a great take on a forgotten classic, and a great way to get even more prepared for Halloween. Palmyra Delran says of her band's latest single: “Joey Ramone’s brother Mickey Leigh invited my band The Doppel Gang to play a few songs for one of the yearly Joey birthday bash celebrations a few years back.  I thought it would be great to learn a few of Joey’s lesser known solo songs—‘Spirit In My House’ and ‘Mr Punchy.’ My pals...