Bibi Club featuring Calvin Johnson - "you can wear a jacket or a shirt"

Photo by Dominic Berthiaume

Montreal's Bibi Club have recently released the deluxe edition of their 2024 album Feu de garde (les braises) which includes a reworked version of "you can wear a jacket or a shirt." This new version is significant not only because it includes saxophone but also vocals from the legendary Calvin Johnson (Beat Happening, Dub Narcotic Sound System, The Halo Benders). The song is this ultracool laid back and groovy indie rock song that is made cooler by the addition of Johnson. The song has a quality that seems like it mixes 60's cool with 90's indie rock and today's alt-pop. Bibi Club have taken some of the most vibrant sounds of all time and mixed them all together, and then invited Calvin Johnson to add some extra cool.

Bibi Club say of their latest single:

“We're fans of K Records and Calvin Johnson's projects. His ongoing contribution to the independent music scene over the years is meaningful, evocative, inspiring, and essential. We've always heard this song as a duet—a conversation between two people out for a walk. The original version conveys a sense of contemplation and empathy. Calvin brought a depth and tension to the song. We also reached out to our friend Dimitri Milbrun, a saxophonist and visual artist based in Paris. His musical aesthetic makes sense alongside Calvin’s—a raw quality, sometimes abrasive but intriguing and strangely comforting.”

You can watch the video for "you can wear a shirt or jacket" below. "Le feu II" is available as a limited 7" via K Records, and is available to order here. For more on Bibi Club, check out the band's website.

TEKE::TEKE - "Mienai Iro"

Photo by Sam Woywitka

Montreal-based Japanese psych band TEKE::TEKE have new music out as part of the Assassin's Creed: Shadows - Kage No Iro (Original Game Soundtrack), and have released "Mienai Iro" as a single and video. I know video game music has basically just been music for a long time now, TEKE::TEKE have melded their typical psych sound into a classic video game style. The song is wonderfully dramatic and intense, and gives me some Final Fantasy flashbacks while still sounding like a more modern rock focused song. "Mienai Iro" is quite cinematic while also standing on its own as a great song outside of being created for a video game.

You can watch the video for "Mienai Iro" below. Assassin's Creed: Shadows - Kage No Iro (Original Game Soundtrack) is out now on Ubisoft Music. For more on TEKE::TEKE, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video and include a June 20 show as part of the Green River Festival in Greenfield, MA.

May 16          Chibougamau, QC @ Festival La Débâcle Musicale 
May 17          Chibougamau, QC @ Festival La Débâcle Musicale
June 18         Kingston, NY @ Tubby's
June 19         Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right
June 20         Greenfield, MA @ Green River Festival
June 21         Saint-Casimir, QC @ Festival Commission B
July 3            Saguenay, QC @ La Noce Festival
July 12          Bellingham, WA @ North West Tune-Up Festival
July 13          Portland, OR @ Jack London Revue
July 15          Tacoma, WA @ Spanish Ballroom (McMenamin’s Elks Temple)
July 16          Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou's 
July 18          Vancouver, BC @ Vancouver Folk Festival
July 19          Big River, SK @ Ness Creek Festival

Live Shows: Sound On: Boston Calling Night featuring Latrell James, sidebody, and Battlemode, WBUR CitySpace, Boston, MA 5/9/25

Friday night marked two weeks before the start of this year's Boston Calling. As part of WBUR's Sound On series, they presented an evening featuring three of the most interesting local artists playing Boston Calling this year. Even though I can see them all in three weeks, when the artists chosen are Latrell James, sidebody, and Battlemode, I'm going to make the trek into Boston on a rainy night to check them out early.

First up was chiptune heroes Battlemode. I'm always a little hesitant to see electronic artists live since so much of the genre is just a guy pressing play on a laptop, and seeing that much of the chiptune genre is made up of retro video game noises, it could be a fairly dull show. But, Battlemode are one of the most entertaining live bands in all of Boston. They play live instruments, bring in weird instruments I don't recognize (they called one thing a spit tube(?)), and have an insane energy. As much as I enjoy their recorded music, live they are an entirely different beast. Their recorded music is polished and smooth sounding, and live they are this wonderfully almost out of control absolute party and celebration. Even if you don't think you'd enjoy chiptune or a live electronic artist, I implore you to give Battlemode a shot. They'll be playing the Orange Stage Friday the 23rd at 2:50.

Up next was sidebody, my personal favorite musical discovery of 2024. They have a ridiculously fun live show that somehow turns art rock with a hint of pop into a fun celebration. Their music hits this great sweet spot for me where it has a fantastic sense of humor without being jokey or novelty music. They're one of the most DIY bands around, and have a sound that doesn't really come from any obvious influences. The closest I can come to possible influences are Talking Heads, Sebadoh, and Avril Lavigne, and I'm cheating on Avril Lavigne since they've mentioned her on TikTok a bunch. Their show is a wild adventure of instrument swapping, taking turns on lead vocals, and all four members having more fun than any band I've ever watched. Plus, they get bonus points for shoehorning the names of NPR shows into their stage banter. I'm thrilled to see what they do on the Orange Stage Saturday at 4:10.

Closing out the show was Latrell James. I've somehow never seen him perform live before, but I can guarantee I'll be making every show of his I can from now on. Playing with a full band, James demanded audience participation throughout. The NPR crowd was a little more reserved than he's used to, but he got a call and response going from the at times overly polite crowd. Playing a mix of his classics such as "Tracphone" and brand new unreleased music, he overwhelmed the crowd with his energy. James has been a legend of the hip hop scene in Boston for years now, and Friday night at 7:00 he might destroy the Orange Stage and leave it unusable for the rest of the weekend.

DJ Haram - "Voyeur"

Photo by Windy Timana

We don't share a ton of electronic dance music here at If It's Too Loud..., but sometimes something hits just right. DJ Haram is set to release her debut album and has released the first single. "Voyeur" is definitely a dance song. It has an impossible to resist beat, despite not sounding anything like what I typically associate with modern electronic dance music. It also doesn't sound like the electronica or techno from my brief club days in the 90's. This is a new brand of dance music (for me at least). Plus, "Voyeur" sounds dark. There is a sense of foreboding and danger ingrained in the song. It's kind of like if you could dance to the It Follows soundtrack, but with maybe less synth.

DJ Haram describes her new single as:

“the voices in my head screaming wordlessly while I’m at the center of a mosh pit on research chemicals. Someone is like — ‘you're gonna make it boo, promise, just wait it out’ — but the future doesn’t exist in this mind state, so does that really matter."

You can listen to "Voyeur" below. Beside Myself is due out July 18 on Hyperdub, and is available for pre-order here. For more on DJ Haram, check out the artist on Instagram and Twitter.

Taylor Williams - "Dreaming"

Photo by Rosie Cohe

Colemine Records has slowly become our go-to label for neo-soul. The artists on the label tend to all be amazing artists making timeless music. Their latest artist is Taylor Williams, who recently released his first single for the label. "Dreaming" is pure classic soul music. It sounds like it could have been released any time in the past sixty years, while still sounding modern. The Greensboro, NC singer completely nails the vintage soul sound with his vocals, and all of "Dreaming" may be the smoothest song you'll hear this year. 

You can listen to "Dreaming" below. The single is out now via Colemine Records. For more on Taylor Williams, check out the artist on Facebook.

Tequila Sirens - "Orcas"

Somerville's Tequila Sirens started off as a remote COVID project between Shaun Curran and Dwight Hutchenson (ex-Soft Pyramids) before adding Whit Love and Matt Masuzzo. The band uses organ, guitar, and electronic percussion to craft their sound that certainly doesn't sound quite like anyone else in the Boston music community. Their latest single, "Orcas," has a space age lounge sound mixed with gritty DIY indie rock and a strange sense of Americana. The vocals are crooned while the music constantly evolves while staying consistent. This is music that almost sounds like a style you've heard your entire life, but took a turn somewhere and came out completely unlike anything you've ever heard.

Keyboardist and vocalist Shaun Curran says of the band's new single:

"This song came from a place of feeling overwhelmed by everything happening around us.  We wanted to capture that sense of wanting to escape while still acknowledging the beauty that remains in the world."

You can watch the video for "Orcas" below. Imposters is due out on June 6, with an album release show happening that night at Lilypad in Cambridge with Hidden Fountains and Cameron Keiber. For more on Tequila Sirens, check out the band on Instagram.

Pacing - "Nothing! (I wanna do)"

Photo by Tristan "treestamp" Padron

Pacing is the anti-folk musical project of San Jose's Katie McTigue. Her latest single was just released, and it's a little more poppy than you would expect from an anti-folk song. "Nothing! (I wanna do)" is an upbeat and peppy "classic upbeat depression banger," according to the playlist. It's almost an alt-pop song, but it's a little too DIY sounding for that. Not too many songs about depression are quite this fun, but Pacing pull that off. It's also the perfect type of song to dance awkwardly to, which is also a rarity in songs about depression. 

Katie McTigue says of her "classic upbeat depression banger":

“We are all entitled to one per album, and I’m using mine now."

You can watch the video for "Nothing! (I wanna do)" below. PL*NET F*TNESS is due out July 25 on Asian Man Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Pacing, check out the artist on Instagram.

Phoebe Rings - "Fading Star"

Photo by Frances Carter

We've grown accustomed to the dream pop sound of Phoebe Rings over their releases, but the New Zealand band's latest single changes up their sound a bit. "Fading Star" even moves in a different sonic direction than the previous single, the jazzy "Get Up," did. This new one is a little more electronic based, and comes across like a laid back disco song. It's more upbeat than the chill room at a rave, and it will still want to make you dance... in a laid back way. "Fading Star" is a pretty little dance friendly song that still keeps elements of dream pop and jazz that we associate with Phoebe Rings. This is a fun one.

Drummer and producer Alex Freer says of the band's latest single:

“A story song about a musician getting older, ‘Fading Star’ was built upon harmony inspired by city pop and disco jazz. I wanted the verses to have more of a Talking Heads/Orange Juice rudimentary groove while the choruses have twinkly, dreamy layers with string synth and warbly guitar. The bridge allows a moment of full disco excess with percussion, clavinet synth, and a tube screamer guitar solo.”

You can watch the video for "Fading Star" below. Aseurai is due out June 6 on Carpark Records, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Phoebe Rings, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video and include a headlining show at Deep Cuts in Medford, MA November 30, and opening for The Beths December 1-2 at Royale in Boston and December 3 at Fete in Providence, RI.

10/30 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel &

10/31 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse &

11/01 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl &

11/03 – Dallas, TX @ The Studio At The Bomb Factory &

11/04 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s &

11/06 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren &

11/07 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern &

11/08 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore &

11/09 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore &

11/12 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades &

11/14 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom &

11/15 – Seattle, WA @ The Moore Theatre &

11/16 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom &

11/18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall &

11/19 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre &

11/21 – Kansas City, MO @ The Truman &

11/22 – Saint Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre &

11/23 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed (Indoor) &

11/24 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle !

11/25 – Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron &

11/26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roxian Theatre &

11/28 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall &

11/29 – Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre &

11/30 – Boston, MA @ Deep Cuts $

12/02 – Boston, MA @ Royale &

12/03 – Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall &

12/04 – New York, NY @ Night Club 101

12/05 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount &

12/06 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer &

12/08 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's ^

12/09 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club &

12/10 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club &

12/11 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd *

12/13 – Seattle, WA @ Vera Project

12/14 – Portland, OR @ Lollipop Shoppe

& w/ The Beths

^ w/ @, Dylan Baldi (solo sax)

* w/ Memory Tapes

billy woods featuring ELUCID and Cavalier - "Lead Paint Test"

Photo by Natalia Vachisvili

billy woods' new album is due out tomorrow, but we're so excited we can't wait the extra day, so here's a new single until then! "Lead Paint Test" has that sound that only billy woods can. Without being a throwback, its roots are in the golden age of hip hop while looking far down the road into the future of the genre. This is the anti-modern mainstream hip hop style. There aren't any samples of iconic songs, and not a shred of an R&B hook. For those of us that grew up with rap before 1995, "Lead Paint Test" is going to sound exactly what it should sound like in 2025. Plus, adding ELUCID and Cavalier is certainly not a negative thing.

You can listen to "Lead Paint Test" below. Golliwog is due out May 9. For more on billy woods, check out the artist on Instagram and Twitter. Upcoming tour dates are below and include a September 17 date at Brighton Music Hall in Boston.

5/28 - Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
5/29 - Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
5/31 - Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
6/1 - San Francisco, CA @ Neck Of The Woods
6/2 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
6/3 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
6/5 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
6/6 - Austin, TX @ The Ballroom
6/7 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
6/25 - Asheville, NC @ Eulogy
6/27 - Orlando, FL @ The Abbey
6/28 - Tampa, FL @ The Crowbar
6/29 - Nashville, TN @ Third Man
9/16 - Easthampton, MA @ Daily Op
9/17 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
9/18 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
9/19 - Washington DC @ Union Stage
9/25 - NYC, NY @ Knockdown Center 
10/3 - Dublin, IE @ Opium
10/4 - Glasgow, UK @ St. Luke’s
10/6 - Leeds, UK @ Belgrave Music Hall
10/7 - Bristol, UK @ Strange Brew
10/8 - Cardiff, UK @ The Globe
10/9 - London, UK @ Scala
10/14 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique
11/9 - Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
11/11 - Detroit, MI @ The Loving Touch
11/13 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
11/14 - Madison, WI @ High Noon
11/15 - Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium
11/17 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St. Entry

Fat Randy - "Ugolino"

"Boston's worst noise rock band" Fat Randy have a new single out, and holy crap is this one something. "Ugolino" immediately starts off with a burst of noise and keeps going from there. It's wonderfully discordant and the entire song seems to pulse all at once in a way that will make your mainstream friends and family's eyes start to twitch. The closest artist I can compare "Ugolino" to is The Jesus Lizard, particularly in the guitar tone. Fat Randy specialize in making music that is impossible to ignore, and honestly... why would you want to? Sure, this isn't going to be everyone's thing, and it's certainly not meant to be. But if this works for you, it's sure to become an immediate obsession. Plus, I'm sure the more literary minded of you (apparently I am not one of those) will recognize Ugolino as Ugolino della Gherardesca from Dante's Inferno.

Frontman Stephen Friedland says of the new single:

"The oldest people in our society would rather eat their children than die for their sins. The metaphor for our flagging gerontocratic empire basically wrote itself."

You can listen to "Ugolino" below. For more on Fat Randy, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.