If It's Too Loud...

It's not too many bands that list Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Motorhead, and Biohazard as influences, but most bands aren't Winter Wolf. The New York/New Jersey band have released another single from their upcoming EP. "Eye of the Wolf" shows off all of those influences. It has that unhinged classic soul and R&B sound of Screamin' Jay Hawkins, the blistering and pummeling metal of Biohazard, and Motorhead to bridge the gap between punk and metal. It's a song that grooves just as hard as it rocks, and adding some Screamin' Jay Hawkins to punk and metal is always going to be welcome around here. You can listen to "Eye of the Wolf" below. Unwell is due out July 2 on Academic Punk Records. For more on Winter Wolf, check out the band's Facebook .

Photo by Anna Tadic If you're an artist who goes by Eerie Wanda, you'd have to work pretty hard to make me not like you. Luckily, the musical project from Dutch/Croatian artist Marina Tadic would be beloved even without the great name. Her latest single, "Sail to the Silver Sun," is hard to nail down. It's a relatively minimalist song that contains elements of alt-pop, folk, indie rock, New Age, jazz, and probably some more that aren't jumping out at me. If this was the 90's, we could just slap the "alternative" label on is and just be done. It's probably best to just call "Sail to the Silver Sun" haunting. Tadic's vocals drone on in an almost upbeat manner, while the music is decidedly downbeat and also droning. It's a compelling song that helps push Eerie Wanda back to the forefront of our thoughts. You can watch the video for "Sail to the Silver Sun" below. Internal Radio is due out September 23 on Joyful Noise ...

Photo by Sophie Hur Brooklyn's Momma are releasing their new album Friday and have released one last single in case we just can't wait. (We can't.) "Motorbike" shows off everything we love about Momma. It's a song steeped in 90's alt-rock and power pop, with this one leaning a little bit more into modern pop-rock than previous singles have. It's fuzzy guitars, vocals that sound like Shirley Manson going slacker, and impossibly catchy everything with huge choruses. Momma's upcoming album has Album of the Year contender written all over it, so you're going to want to jump on this one ASAP. Allegra Weingarten says of her band's new song: “I wrote this song about a boy I had a crush on who really wanted nothing to do with me.  The song is basically just fantasy — even though it’s about a real person, it’s also about how we can make up elaborate ideas of who other people are in our heads, and get so caught up in these fake scenarios that they ki...

Allright, everyone... time to feel old. Doki Doki are being called a punk supergroup, which makes me feel ancient because the members look so young to me. Plus, it features members of Dog Party, Grumpster, The Moore Family Band, and Small Crush, none of which I've previously heard of. A week ago the song premiered on Fortnite Radio, so I'm just about to retire. But... Doki Doki's first single is amazing. "I Was Killing It Man" is this blistering punk song that is as noisy and in your face as it is melodic. It's a total scream along angry punk song, but vocalist Lucy Giles can carry a tune better than any other noise punk singer I've heard. Doki Doki also add in some classic Nuggets style garage rock sounds in the song, and you know that just makes it even more impossible to resist.  You can watch the video for "I Was Killing It Man" below. The song is available now as a single via Asian Man Records, and can be downloaded over at Bandcamp . For mo...

Photo by Okie Dokie Studio In their press release, New Jersey's Well Wisher are described as both indie punk and pop punk. Their latest single, "Need You Around," fits both of those perfectly. As poppy as the song is, it never quite falls into the stereotypical trappings usually associated with pop punk, even though it is definitely pop punk. And the song has just enough of a fun quirk to it to fit into indie punk. It's a fun love song to front leader Natalie Newbold's partner and is just dripping with emotion and sentiment, in the best possible way. Natalie Newbold says of the new song: “'Need You Around' is about fragility and the need for others’ love. After playing a pretty isolating solo show in Jersey City, I wrote it in my head on the drive home. The song is largely for my partner and visual collaborator, Jenna Murphy. The rain was really coming down that night, just pouring, and it was sometime in late Spring; I hadn’t really eaten very much, so ne...

Photo by Ebru Yildiz The latest single from Wilder Maker keeps on that Americana meets indie rock song we've come to love from the New York band, but this one adds a few new elements. In keeping with the theme of their upcoming album, "A Professional" brings in guest lead vocalist Felicia Douglass of Dirty Projectors. The song stops shy of being a dance song, but there are some electronic-ish elements on display. There are also some traces of neo-soul dancing around the edges here. It's a relaxed song that has enough elements to sound instantly familiar but not like a rehash of things that have come before. Singer/Songwriter Gabriel Birnbaum says of the new song: “’A Professional’ dips into the feeling of digital isolation,  the way the physical world has become less real and more ghostly, less mysterious and more quantifiable. It's inspired by this recurring experience I have, usually traveling, where I’ve been alone all day and I suddenly want to connect ...

Artist : Soccer Mommy Album : Sometimes, Forever Quick Thoughts : Soccer Mommy continues to get better with every release she puts out. The fidelity is higher, but the songwriting is such a significant step forward that this demands attention. I love love love this album and I'm definitely looking forward to getting back to it. Songs of Note : "Bones," "With U," "Shotgun," "Don't Ask Me," "Fire in the Driveway," "Feel It All the Time" Artist : Boy Jr. Album : Pay Attention to Meee Quick Thoughts : Boy Jr. has, somewhat suddenly, started killing it on TikTok, and while those words might be incomprehensible to a lot of our readers, it's a big deal. Her previous EP, Starter Pack , has a few of my favorites from her, but this album shows that she's capable of a lot of interesting songwriting. "Meet Me In the Middle" in particular highlights her unique songwriting abilities in perhaps the best w...

Photo by Corey Groves Multi-instrumentalist and producer Shlomi Lavie, has one of the most unique paths to music we've heard. He started out in a hacking community in the 90's, enjoying entering the computer systems of companies. After someone he knew was raided for shutting down a university's computer system, he decided to stop and focus on music. He started out in his hometown of Haifa and eventually moved to Tel Aviv where he played with Habiluim, played a show with Dan Akroyd, and recorded with Ryan Gosling. He then moved to Brooklyn where he formed Dolchnakov Brigade, became a member of Marcy Playground, and worked as a producer and session musician. Now he's recording under the name Van Goose. His latest single, "Modern Times," doesn't truly fit any genre. The closest one I can compare it to is electronica, but it's far too organic and rock based for that... although this is hardly a rock song. It's a laid back dance rock song that meanders ...

Photo by Matthew Kadi Oakland, CA's "queer punk juggernauts" Middle-Aged Queers are back with new music! "Knot Circus" is just pure vintage California punk. You're going to hear elements of Dead Kennedys and the Germs on this one. It's fast and just dripping with the kind of attitude you want from CA punk. Plus, it's not even a minute and a half, so it's going to leave you craving more. As angry as it is, there is still a sense of fun with "Knot Circus," and what's the point of punk if it's not just a little fun? The band says of the new song: “Most of the songs on this album were written in the initial lockdown period of Covid-19 and take a much darker approach than our first album; ‘Knot Circus’ is no exception. The song explores the phenomenon of catching people in their worst behavior while questioning if we, the public, are becoming a surveillance state. An interesting change of pace for a band that historically written pri...

I can guarantee that you're not expecting what the newest single from Screeching Weasel sounds like. "Just Another Fool" does sound like the classic punk band, but it's a very different version. This might be the most pop Screeching Weasel has ever sounded like. Although it's still a lot edgier than what you expect pop punk to sound like, but this is Screeching Weasel going as far pop as they've gone before. Ben Weasel has his trademark venom in his vocals, but the addition of Weasel's ten year old son Joe (Joe Weasel?) on keyboards that adds a new, unexpected texture to the song. Ben Weasel says of his band's new song: "Sit down at the piano or with the guitar, start playing and see what happens. It's never a bad idea. That's what I did with 'Just Another Fool.' I knew what the song was about, so it was just a matter of turning a bitter recrimination into a two and a half minute song. The chord progression and melody on the verse ...

Boston punk legends Nervous Eaters used to open for bands like the Ramones, The Police, and The Pretenders, and they're still kicking around almost five decades later. Their new single, "Wild Eyes," may not quite have the fire that their 1976 song "Loretta" has, but who hasn't slowed down over the last forty-six years? "Wild Eyes" is more power pop and garage rock than punk, and maybe even going into adult contemporary territory, but when a song is done this well, that's hardly a bad thing. This just old fashioned 70's style rock 'n' roll done by a group of guys that started out in that decade. Frontman Steve Cataldo says of his band's new song: "Stevie Van Zandt chose Wild Eyes' as the first single from our new album Monsters & Angels . A textured, melodic rocker that paints a portrait of a beautiful, complex woman who views life through the lens of her sophisticated imagination." You can watch the video for ...

We're always going to bring you anything that is Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys adjacent, especially when it's just this great. dropbear features Tee Jay (former drummer of the Army of Toys), along with members of Rio Bravo, Some Cities, Hold This Moment, etc., so while this is their debut single as a band, they've been kicking around the Boston scene for a while. "Bystander" has this fantastic 90's infused alt-rock sound. It's heavy without being metal (although there are some metal elements in the song) and melodic without being even remotely pop. To me it's sounding like if Hum decided to try out shoegaze and then gave up halfway through. This is a truly impressive debut single, and we can't wait to hear more from dropbear as soon as possible. Tee Jay says of the new song: “I think the direction in sound is definitely going the ‘90s alternative and shoegaze route, but also eventually incorporating some more modern influences as wel...

Photo by Stephanie Houten It's been a while since we've had an original song from Boston's Prateek. Luckily, the drought has ended with the release of "You're Still On My Mind." We had gotten used to hearing Prateek as a solo acoustic artist, but this new song sees him bringing in a full band, including a killer horn section. While there are still folk and Americana elements here, "You're Still On My Mind" is more of a jazz or soul song. This just sounds and feels like an old forgotten standard. I certainly wasn't expecting a fantastic soul song from Prateek, and this is quite a pleasant surprise! You can listen to "You're Still On My Mind" below. The song is available as a single via Bandcamp . For more on Prateek, check out the artist's website . You're Still On My Mind by Prateek

Photo by Tadin Brown We loved Jake Blount's 2020 album Spider Tales . Blount had this perfect take on traditional folk and bluegrass. For his upcoming album, The New Faith , Blount is changing his focus over to spiritual music. The first single from that album, "Didn't It Rain," is more gospel with elements of rock, blues, and soul than just being pure bluegrass. It's still a mostly traditional song, but it's great to see an artist branch out like this. As with any of his music, "Didn't It Rain" exists to educate about music history as much as it is for entertainment. Blount is taking traditional forms of music and mixing them up into a familiar and unique sound. You can listen to "Didn't It Rain" below. The New Faith is out September 23 on Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Jake Blount, check out the artist's website .

New Jersey's Crimeapple has a new collaborative album coming out, and we can currently check out a new single from it. "In Flight" certainly doesn't sound like most hip hop released in 2022, but it doesn't sound like a pure throwback, either. The track features Crimeapple's flow over an instrumental piano sample. The beats seem to mostly stay in the background and aren't very noticeable. When was the last time you could say that about a hip hop track? It has an old school feel, mostly because of the focus on Crimeapple's vocals. Even his singing for a chorus feels classic. "In Flight" feels like vintage hip hop while still pushing boundaries. You can listen to "In Flight" below. Breakfast in Hradec is due out June 29 on Different Worlds Music Group, and can be pre-ordered here . For more on Crimeapple, check out the artist on Twitter . DJ Skizz can be found on Twitter here .

Photo by Mathew Morand The latest single from Windsor, Ontario's Roye Trout will probably be considered indie-pop, but I'm hearing a lot more jangle and rock along with all the pop. "Sugar Boy" is an insanely fast paced pop song that comes in at around ninety seconds. I'm hearing a ton of power pop in this song. It's bouncy and fun, and is fast enough to be a punk song if it wasn't as sugary (pun not intended). This is just good old fashioned jangle pop meets power pop that comes impossibly close to both pop and punk without truly being either. Roye Trout says of the new single: "The 'hero' at the centre of this track experiences misleading, unrequited love, a topic that is likely familiar to most. I enjoyed juxtaposing sad lyrical content with the upbeat and energetic melody of the song." You can watch the video for "Sugar Boy" below. The song will be included on Roye Trout's upcoming album which will be released on Psychic...

Photo via Facebook New Jersey based punk supergroup Beach Rats (which features members of Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, Bad Religion, Bouncing Souls, Lifetime, and more) has just released a new single. Based on the members' other bands, you're expecting some heavy and old school style punk. And you'd be correct. But their latest single, "Blown to Bits," is their most melodic song yet. Notice I didn't call it pop or pop punk, because it's definitely not either of those. "Blown to Bits" is heavy and thrashy punk, but Beach Rats inject it with a ton of melody. If I'm going to compare this new song to any of the members' bands, this sounds like 90's Bad Religion. You can listen to "Blown to Bits" below. Rat Beat is due out July 29 on Epitaph Records, and can be pre-ordered/pre-saved here . For more on Beach Rats, check out the band on Facebook and  Instagram .

Photo by Robbie Jeffers I'm having a nearly impossible time trying to describe the new single from Anna Butterss. "Doo Wop" is kind of jazzy with some hip hop elements, but that certainly doesn't describe it. There's also a little bit of that indie folk/Americana sound that we cover a lot, but this is definitely not an indie folk song. Plus, there's an electronic sound collage vibe going throughout the entire song. Just when you think you might have a grasp on it, a noise rock/garage rock guitar squall blasts in out of nowhere disrupting everything you thought about the song. "Doo Wop" is one of the more interesting listens you'll have this week and is worth checking out even if this doesn't fully sound like your thing. Anna Butterss says of her new song: "'Doo Wop' came out of a lockdown challenge I set myself, which was to take samples from vocal jazz arrangements that I had sung in high school choir and turn them into songs th...

Photo by Em Joseph In what is sure to be your new favorite song about quitting smoking, Frances Chang has just released a new single, "i quit cigs." This new song is absolutely tortured. It's a highly emotional freak out of a song that starts off relatively calmly and then explodes into these bursts of noise and pain. At times "i quit cigs" is fairly painful to listen to, and at times it's oddly soothing. The noise comes and goes unexpectedly, and Chang uses saxophone to cause the most discomfort. This one is most certainly not going to be for everyone out there, but if you think a discordant singer/songwriter tune might be your thing, you're going to love this one. You can watch the video for "i quit cigs" below. support your local nihilist is due out on July 22 via Destiny is a Dog, and can be pre-ordered through Bandcamp . For more on Frances Chang, check out the artist's Instagram .

Image by Alex Graham Indie rock stalwarts Built to Spill have always been a trippy band, but the singles for their upcoming album are a whole new level of trippy. Their latest, "Fool's Gold," continues on the pattern of laid back songs that are fairly straightforward alt-rock songs at a normal length of three to four minutes that are just trippy as hell. "Fool's Gold" plods along seemingly in circles for three minutes, and, as with any Built to Spill song, truly propelled forward by Doug Martsch's epic guitar solos. And, yes, despite the four minute length Martsch does manage to cram two of your favorite guitar solos in the song. Despite a complete line up change, "Fool's Gold" tweaks the classic Built to Spill sound to keep things interesting while keeping everything we long about the band intact. You can watch the video for "Fool's Gold" below. When the Wind Forgets Your Name  is due out September 9 on Sub Pop Records, and c...

Photo by Jack Manzi For those of us of a certain age, Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a Place on Earth" is a song that is basically part of our DNA at this point. It's one of those songs that I've heard an infinite number of times, and while I would never seek it out, I'm always pleased when I stumble into it. One thing I've never wondered is what a slowcore version would sound like, but once I heard Allison Lorenzen had made one I immediately needed to hear it. The upbeat 80's original has become this drudgingly slow and plodding track. All of the joy has been stripped out and left with an oddly beautiful rendition. It's lushly produced and filled with synthesizers and odd guitars, landing close to shoegaze but not quite there. You can listen to Allison Lorenzen's version of "Heaven is a Place on Earth" below. The song is available as a single on White Sepulchre Records. For more on Allison Lorenzen, check out the artist's Facebook...