If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Erica Chambers "High Road to Harlan," the new single from Wyoming's Jason Tyler Burton, is pure classic Americana. It's a country/folk song that tells a story from the perspective of an 85 year old man raised in a Kentucky coal mining community about all the changes he's seen in his life. It's a truly perfect song, full of loneliness and heartache. "High Road to Harlan" isn't a genre changing song. It's in the vein of an artist like Jason Isbell (particularly his work with Drive-By Truckers) by just nailing the country/folk genre immaculately. Keep an eye on Burton. This is just the start for him. You can listen to "High Road to Harlan" below. Kentuckian , the new album from Jason Tyler Burton, will be out September 6. For more on Jason Tyler Burton, check out his website .

Sub Dio's new single has a really unique take on punk. "Skeeters" has an in your face screaming sound that somehow still sounds melodic. Part is the way Brian Moss and Danica Van Hartwig's vocals both complement and contradict each other. This dual vocal really gives "Skeeters" its sound. Musically the song is loud and fast, crashing straight through the listener's consciousness. The aggression within the song comes from the subject matter, which is how men feel entitled to act predatory towards women. Fun fact about Sub Dio: For day jobs, Van Hartwig is a social justice lawyer and Moss is a middle school teacher. You can listen to "Skeeters" below. Sub Dio's self titled debut will be out July 19 on Side With Us Records/Underground Communique Records. You can pre-order a copy on Bandcamp . For more on Sub Dio, check them out on Twitter and Bandcamp . Sub Dio demo by Sub Dio

Hailing from Tokyo, DYGL started off as a pure punk band but have blossomed into a more dance friendly indie band. That's not to say they're not a rock band. DYGL definitely are rock based. Their latest single, "Don't You Wanna Dance in this Heaven?" solidifies this. Written about Fuieho law which forbade dancing until after midnight in Japan that was on the books until 2015, "Don't You Wanna Dance in this Heaven?" is a slow, slow burn. It takes over a minute to get going, but it's an early 00's garage rock revival dance song mixed with psychedelia that we never knew we needed until just now. Plus, it is very heavily influenced by 90's Brit pop, which we're always for! You can listen to "Don't You Wanna Dance in this Heaven?" below. Songs of Innocence & Experience will be out July 3 via Anniversary. For more on DYGL, check them out on Facebook and Twitter .

We're rabid Field Mouse fans here at If It's Too Loud... ever since stumbling on them opening for Laura Stevenson & The Cans at TT the Bear's (RIP) years ago. We're beyond thrilled to find out they have a new album coming out in August and a new song right now! "Heart of Gold" is a gorgeous fast paced dream pop song, aka exactly what we want from Field Mouse. Saying a band has a more mature sound is such a music writer cliche, but "Heart of Gold" shows much a step forward for Field Mouse it's hard to avoid using it. Singer Rachel Browne explains the new album this way: "A lot has happened in the three years since our last record came out. While there is far too much to say about it all in one place, we wrote this album anyway. What are the broad strokes, you ask? It's more or less about the end of the world and all of the ways that it seems to be happening, but also about making peace with former selves and growing as a person de...

For us, the most exciting thing about any upcoming holiday is Lucy Dacus's holiday singles series she's releasing in 2019. Since the Fourth of July is next week, we have a new song dedicated to that holiday. According to a Facebook post announcing "Forever Half Mast," the song is about "american cognitive dissonance." Compared to her two previous holiday songs, "Forever Half Mast" is what we came to love about Lucy Dacus's 2018 album Historian . It's more alt or indie rock that starts off beautifully and then devolves into a noisy ending while still remaining beautiful.  You can watch the lyric video for "Forever Half Mast" below. The song is available for purchase here  via Matador Records. For more on Lucy Dacus, check out her website .

The Rails consist of Kami Thompson (daughter of Linda and Richard Thompson) and James Walbourne of Son Volt and The Pretenders. They just released a new single, "Mossy Well." The new song is pure classic Americana with a slight rock edge. "Mossy Well" is vintage folk with the driving edge of rock. It reminds me a lot of the songs from the movie Once . Of course, given the two band members' musical heritage, this is exactly what you'd want and expect. Add in producer Stephen Street (who has worked with Blur and The Cranberries in the past) and you get a perfect folk song. You can watch the video for "Mossy Well" below. Cancel the Sun , the new album from The Rails, will be out August 23 on Thirty Tigers. For more on The Rails, check out their website .

Artist : Mannequin Pussy Album : Patience Quick Description : Great indie rock if you can get past the name. Why You Should Listen : This is the surprise of the week for me. Overall Thoughts : As Ken put it, "'Wow, this Mannequin Pussy is really great' I declare uncomfortably...." I really, really enjoyed this album and this may be one that has some longevity behind it. If you can get past the discomfort of this band’s name, you’ll probably have a good time with this. Solid indie rock. Recommendation : A must-listen. Artist : Dirt Road Sweetheart Album : Rose of My Heart Quick Description : Nora Jane Struthers and her dad take root right into your soul. Why You Should Listen : This is just a lovely listen. Overall Thoughts : I am a big fan of Nora Jane Struthers, and this new album coincides with a rerelease of her first album with her father . The duo, under this name, does traditional roots music and, while it definitely isn’t designed to set the roo...

Oh, wow this song. The latest song from Sing Again Syren is just pure rock. "Cast Away" is being compared to other artists like Heart, The Runaways, and Babes in Toyland, and I can't say I disagree with that at all. I'd also throw in a more straightforward rock version of Sarah Shook with all the country stripped out. There's been a lot of talk about who will be the future savior of guitar driven rock. Sing Again Syren are the closest thing I've heard to rock's savior. If you have an appreciation for classic hard rock with all pretension stripped away, you really need to check out "Cast Away." You can listen to "Cast Away" below. The song is currently available as a single via Veta Records. For more on Sing Again Syren, check them out on Facebook and Twitter .

Photo by Sean Rosenthal Jason Hawk Harris does not have the typical path to being a country musician. He grew up in Houston but now lives in Los Angeles. He is hugely influenced by punk, indie, and Queen. While waitlisted at UCLA for classical composition, he started getting into folk and country with The Show Ponies. It was after releasing his first solo EP, Formaldehyde, Tobacco, and Tulips in 2017 where his life took several dark turns. His mother died from complications from alcoholism, his father was sued by the King of Morocco and went bankrupt, his sister was diagnosed with MS and gave birth to a premature son who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and this led to Harris falling to his own addictions. Now he's recovered and has brought us "Cussing at the Light" from his upcoming debut album. "Cussing at the Light" has a fairly mainstream appeal to it, but with a darker punk influenced edge. I'm reminded a lot of Jason Isbell and the showmanship ...

Photo via Facebook R&B is a genre that I can't seem to get into these days, but I've been fairly obsessed with Boston's Ed Balloon since stumbling onto his music last year. He has a new song out, "Rainbows." I've noticed that I enjoy his more up tempo songs than his slower ones, and "Rainbows" is definitely on the slower side. But it's a great song. Balloon's style isn't a throwback at all. It's completely modern and electronic sounding, but he just presents his songs in a way that I haven't heard coming from anyone else. He's a completely unique talent, which is rare these days. You can listen to "Rainbows" below. The Dubs, the upcoming album from Ed Balloon, will be out July 19 on Deathbomb Arc. You can pre-order a copy via Bandcamp . For more on Ed Balloon, check out his website . The Dubs by Ed Balloon

Photo by Annie Del Hierro The latest single from New York's Wilder Maker appears to be a transitional one. The first song, "Love So Well," is referred to as singer Katie Von Schleicher's swan song, which means it's fairly safe to say this release marks the departure from the band. "Love So Well" is a country rock song in the vein of Neil Young's ballads. Sure, I may be taking that directly from the press release, but it's impossible not to hear that in the song. The b-side, "Rose Room," sees Gabriel Birnbaum taking over lead vocals with Von Schleicher in more of a backup vocal role. "Rose Room" is swankier rock, with just enough quirk and humor to keep things interesting. You can listen to "Love So Well" and "Rose Room" below. You can get your copy of the single via Bandcamp. For more on Wilder Maker, be sure to check out their website . Love So Well b/w Rose Room by Wilder Maker

Photo by Pooneh Ghana This is about a year and a half old, and we missed it the first time around. Since we are overly obsessed with covers and rightly obsessed with Stella Donnelly, we needed to bring you this. Back on New Year's 2017 (or 2018? I never know with New Year's...) Stella Donnelly performed a cover of Cyndi Lauper's iconic "Time After Time" on ABC Australia's New Years Eve special. First, I'm beyond jealous that Australia gets well produced videos of artists on the caliber of Stella Donnelly while we get country stars rapping about their pick up truck or whatever it is that passes for mainstream country these days. The video is just Donnelly and her guitar playing a gorgeous and faithful rendition of "Time After Time." Sure, Donnelly doesn't quite belt it out like Lauper does, but that's hardly a complaint. Donnelly's version is quieter and a bit more twee, but we find that to be basically perfect. You can watch the...

Despite being from Sheffield, England, The Buffalo Skinners are the least British sounding British band of all time. Their latest song, "You Say Love, But You Mean Hate," is pure modern Americana. The song is in the same style you'd hear in bands like Delta Spirit and Dawes. It's chilled out near folk packed full with sing-along harmonies. Singer/guitarist Peter Seccombe explains the song like this:  “The song is the holiday blues. We spend our time running towards the sun, but we should just love the everyday things.” You can watch the video for "You Say Love, But You Mean Hate" below. The song is the b-side for a 7" single due on June 21st via Loose Chat Records. For more on The Buffalo Skinners, check out their website . Current tour dates are below the song. Friday 5th July - Cornbury Festival, Oxfordshire Wednesday 7th August - Adelphi Club, Hull Thursday 8th August - The Castle Hotel, Manchester  Sunday 11th August - Newcastle, Cumberla...

Photo via Facebook We've huge fans of Molly Burch's old fashioned doo wop meets current indie rock/folk sound. Personally, it hits such a sweet spot I didn't even know I had until I heard her. Since we had a new album from her in October, I assumed it would be a long time before we heard anything new. Luckily she's already back with a new single. "Only One" is classic Molly Burch. It's a laid back, kinda groovy, strikingly beautiful doo wop/folk/indie rock song. It's not reaching out in any new bizarre or unexpected directions, which isn't a bad thing. Burch does her sound to perfection, and while experimentation will always be welcome, there's nothing wrong with her sticking to what we love from her. If you've loved her work in the past, there's no way you're not going to enjoy "Only One." And if you've never given her a shot, now's a great time to. You can listen to "Only One" below. The song wi...

I almost held off on this for a Friday Freebie, but I couldn't wait that long... Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers (whose 2018 album Bought to Rot  was my #7 album from last year) did a session for Folkadelphia back on April 20, which is being posted now. A live and free session from one of our favorite artists is already exciting enough, but when the session ends with a cover of Camper Van Beethoven's 1985 "Take the Skinheads Bowling," we can't resist it. Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers's version is somehow more ramshackle than the original. The punk is amped up a bit on the cover while still keeping the jangly perfection of the original intact. This is a perfect cover in every possible way. You can listen to Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers's version of "Take the Skinheads Bowling" below. You can download  Laura Jane Grace & the Devouring Mothers Folkadelphia Session 4​/​20​/​2019 for free on Folkad...

Olympia, WA is one of those cities that doesn't seem to have any bad (or even mediocre) bands. Oh, Rose are keeping with the tradition of the city. "25, ALIVE" is filled with anger, hurt, but is somehow still uplifting. As singer Olivia Rose explains:  “ I was 25 when my mother died and I was angry and broken .  This song is me saying I don’t want this anger because I know what it does to a person if they hold onto it. ” "25, ALIVE" is alt-rock in the classic Northwestern sense. It's fuzzy guitars and emotion with plenty of quiet/loud/quiet transitions. But it also has a groove and a sense of joy and moving on, so it's not all Washington state depression. You can watch the video for "25, ALIVE" below. While My Father Sleeps , the new album from Oh, Rose, will be out August 23 on Park the Van. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Oh, Rose, check them out on Facebook and Twitter . Current tour dates are below the video. 6...

Photo by Liz Maney Brooklyn's Jess Clinton's latest single, "Sleeping Woman," is this mellow, but quietly intense song. It has a powerful blues meets trip hop feel, almost like an Americana version of Portishead. The song seems to build and build to a riotous crescendo that never quite comes. Instead, it goes into a blues jam that is probably more reasonable and welcome than the garage rock rager I anticipated.  You can listen to "Sleeping Woman" below. Real Glass Heart , the new album from Jess Clinton, will be out on July 26. For more on Jess Clinton, check out her website . Sleeping Woman by Jess Clinton

I love shoegaze as much as the next guy, but it doesn't necessarily rock. Enter Los Angeles's Tennis System. The band has all the fuzz and swirling distortion you want in bands like My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus & Mary Chain, but "Shelf Life," their latest single, is a flat out rock song. There's an edge not typically seen in shoegaze. Tennis System aren't exactly metal based shoegaze, but there is a hint of metal in here. Maybe the level of metal that a band like Pelican deals in. "Shelf Life" is a hard rocking, distorted blend of shoegaze, and we couldn't be happier with it. You can listen to "Shelf Life" below. Lovesick , the new album from Tennis System, will be out August 2 on Graveface Records. You can pre-order a copy via Bandcamp . For more on Tennis System, be sure to check out their website .  Lovesick by Tennis System

Artist : The Minus 5 Album : Stroke Manor Quick Description : Latest from the R.E.M.-adjacent act, and the first since McCaughey's stroke. Why You Should Listen : This is one of the best efforts from the band in well over a decade. Overall Thoughts : It’s been a minute since the Minus 5 have recorded anything, and with good reason given Scott McCaughey’s stroke a few years back. This is probably his most different effort, and for good reason since he began work on it in the ICU, still somewhat addled, shortly after the doctors said he might not play music again. The story is told elsewhere better, but long and short? This is a really fascinating listen, and one that has a lot of layers I expect to uncover on future listens. Whether it’s an album that would be considered one of the better releases of the year remains to be seen, but it is definitely one of the most interesting ones given the way it got to release. Recommendation : Give this some time. Artist : The Trinar...

Photo by Jessika Lawyer Denver via New Zealand's sloan:sonna have a video for new single "time to leave LA." The song is an upbeat, cheery slice of dream pop. It's cheerful to an almost painful degree, despite the sad topic of giving up your dream and leaving Los Angeles. According to Sloan:  “because the song is less about LA and more about a girl who loves a guy I felt like the video needed to be both a head nod to the things about LA that people don’t like, but also highlight the ridiculousness of leaving a place with such amazing weather, beaches, (and culture). Arkansas, Canada, and learning to Ski provided a contrast that people could buy into but also laugh at." You can watch the video for "time to leave LA" below. All the Right Statements , the debut album from sloan:sonna, will be out September 6. For more on sloan:sonna, check out their website .

Champ Major is a project out of Brooklyn, NY featuring couple Madison Major (guitar/vocals) and Jack Follansbee (basically everything else). They've recently released an EP, Recipe for Baking Two Humans Together. What's truly interesting about this release is that while it lands squarely in the "experimental folk" category it is still very accessible and keeps the dissonance to a minimum. The differences of the EP can be best summed up with back to back tracks "Abbeville" and "Not Slowly." "Abbeville" is a gorgeous song that's still lush despite how minimal it is. It's not mainstream folk in the way that Of Monsters and Men are, but it's quite accessible to radio friendly folk fans. "Not Slowly" still has the same elements of beauty, but it also includes bizarre unfriendly noise towards the end. Maybe it's standard feedback, maybe it's a saw being played, maybe someone is murdering an accordion. It's di...

Photo via Facebook We were huge fans of Lillie Mae's 2017 album Forever and Then Some. Her latest song, "You've Got Other Girls for That," continues her run of great country/roots music, but instead goes slightly more pop. While it does let pop in more than her previous music, she also welcomes more rock elements. Instead of a guitar solo for a bridge, she lets loose of a squall of fiddle and feedback, making an almost roots/noise rock hybrid. It's an intriguing sound that makes her upcoming album one of our most anticipated of the summer! You can watch the video for "You've Got Other Girls for That" below. Other Girls, the upcoming album from Lillie Mae, will be out August 16 on Third Man Records. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Lillie Mae, check out her website .

Emo gets a lot of flack, and ,for the most part, justifiably so. But there was a beautiful period where emo was great, back before it became a style at Hot Topic and everyone needed to sing exactly the same. San Francisco's Reunions throws back to when emo was just aggressive, melodic rock with some punk sensibilities. Their new single, "Light Left On," is a perfect example of that. It's crunchy guitars and scratchy vocals, made for grown ups and not tweens. "Light Left On" is the rare emo song that you can proudly listen to as an adult without a hint of embarrassment.  You can listen to "Light Left On" below. Winter Heart, Summer Skin , the debut album from Reunions, will be out June 21. You can pre-order a copy via Bandcamp . For more on Reunions, check them out on Facebook .

Photo by Darius Walker Photography There are two ways to be sure I check out your band: 1. Say it's for fans of Dinosaur Jr and Screaming Females. 2. Describe yourself as a "jazz punk band from Birmingham, AL." KinZie did both of those things, so I gave "Heart Torn Apart" a shot. Starting off, the "jazz punk" part made a lot more sense. It's nearly crooned vocals over chunky guitars. The Dinosaur Jr and Screaming Females comparison made a little less sense, until it suddenly did. Once the guitars come exploding out, you'll be desperate for more. At first it's in these little giant bursts, but the Mascis style hazy solos eventually come to everyone's delight. You can listen to "Heart Torn Apart" below. Dead Eyes , the debut album from KinZie, will be out July 19. You can pre-order a copy via Bandcamp . For more on KinZie, check out their website . Dead Eyes by KinZie

Photo by Sarah Cass Portland, OR's Black Belt Eagle Scout are back with a new single from her follow up to 2018's Mother of My Children. "At the Party" is much more quiet and introspective than the majority of the previous album. There is still plenty of swirling guitars and effects on the new song, so it's far from your typical singer/songwriter fare. You get this lovely and intense (despite it's quiet) song. Katherine Paul (aka Black Belt Eagle Scout) explains her song:  “ Within my conscious self, there is always a sense of questioning the legitimacy of the world when you grow up on an Indian reservation .  We are all at the party (the world), trying to navigate ourselves within a good or bad situation. I happen to be at the party with my brown friends- Indigenous, Black, POC who always have my back while we walk throughout this event called life .” You can listen to "At the Party" below. At the Party With My Brown Friends, the new album f...

Any time Bob Mould releases anything we all need to pay attention. He's just released a full band cover of the Buzzcocks's classic "I Don't Mind." In the image that accompanies the YouTube "video" of the song, Mould describes seeing the Buzzcocks open for Gang of Four (!!!!) and staring at the late Pete Shelley the entire time, studying his every move. The cover is obviously the work of a devout fan. Modern recording techniques change the sound of the song forty years later, and Mould's version does have more of his trademark fuzz than the original, but it's mostly a spot on cover. You can listen to Bob Mould's version of "I Don't Mind" below. For more on Bob Mould, be sure to check out his website .

Artist : Stef Chura Album : Midnight Quick Description : New album from an indie favorite. Why You Should Listen : Chura's debut was amazing, and this is a worthy follow-up. Overall Thoughts : The long, long awaited follow-up from a favorite around here, this is absolutely a more ambitious and more complex release than one might have anticipated if they hadn’t listened to advance singles like “Method Man.” While there is not a hook-laden song like “Slow Motion” in here on first listen, what we do have is a very great follow-up that definitely appears to be something that will reward multiple listens. If you’re not on the bandwagon yet, now is as good a time as any to hop on board. Recommendation : A must-listen, and one of the best of the week. Artist : Palehound Album : Black Friday Quick Description : Latest from the indie act. Why You Should Listen : Palehound has been good for a while, and this is their best effort yet. Overall Thoughts : Palehound is another ban...