If It's Too Loud...

Today is a day devoted to spending as much money as possible in order to get great deals. While you're spending all your money today, Rum Bar Records have decided to give you an amazing sampler for free! The Nice Price 'Second Shot' (Free Digital) 2024 Sampler is a monster thirty-eight track sampler of what Rum Bar Records has been up to all year. Rum Bar is one of our favorite labels, and you'll soon see why with this free release. It's thirty-eight killer garage rock and power pop songs that show off how diverse and great the label's releases are. It features long term If It's Too Loud... favorites like The Yum Yums, Jittery Jack with Amy Griffin on Guitar, Girl with a Hawk, Muck and the Mires, Diablogato, The Shang Hi Los, and The Dogmatics, as well as many, many bands to discover. Seriously, who else is going to give you a deal this great on this Black Friday? Lou Mansdorf of Rum Bar Records says of his label's new sampler: “I think we’re all in a cr...

Hailing from Leeds, Uk come Irk. The trio just released a new single, "Toothache in Prison," and this one certainly is not for the faint of heart. The song is less than two minutes in length, but is filled with so much intensity that it feels much, much longer. The song is fast and pummeling noise that might even be too much for fans of noisy rock. It's not quite metal, but it's at least metal adjacent. This is kind of like mixing Lightning Bolt with The Melvins, but possibly louder. Like I said, this certainly won't be for everyone, but if Irk works for you, it's going to lead to a deep obsession. Vocalist J.S. Gordon says of his band's new single: “Right, so this might come as a massive surprise, but this song is largely inspired by someone I know who had toothache whilst in prison, and it sounded fucking awful. As the song spirals outwards musically, a load of other themes get touched on, such as the wider prison-industrial complex, police abolitionism,...

Taxi Girls have only been around for two years, but the Montreal band has already played with bands including NOFX, Lagwagon, The Hives, and Pansy Division. Their latest single, "Rainy," is a garage rock meets punk track that's just as rough as it is polished. It's dripping with attitude and venom towards a former friend of the band. It's angry, but it's also fun. This is the type of song that puts the punk back in pop punk, with all of the edge and rough side of garage rock. Plus, "Rainy" contains one of the catchiest choruses we've heard in a punk track in a long, long time. Taxi Girls say of their latest single: “Rainy was first written during the winter of 2018, blending post-grunge and dark synth-pop influences. Originally, the song explored the emptiness of substance-fuelled lifestyles, and the stark loneliness of realizing party friends aren’t true allies, leaving you in a downward spiral. Fast forward to 2024—The song morphed into a story...

Scroggins & Rose is the duo of Tristan Scroggins and Alisa Rose. Their latest single is an instrumental cover of the traditional "Wayfaring Stranger" that features Scroggins on mandocello and Rose on baritone violin. Considering that their upcoming album was created in 2020, this is an appropriately dark version of the song. I'm not quite sure if this would be considered progressive bluegrass, but it's pretty close to it. This version of "Wayfaring Stranger" has one foot in the traditional and one foot in the modern. It's very dark, but also very hopeful. Scroggins & Rose give the feeling that you may be in darkness, but you can at least see a light ahead. Even though it's an instrumental song, the duo still find a way to tell a tale through just their instruments. You can listen to "Wayfaring Stranger" below. Speranza is due out January 10 on Adhyâro pa Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp . For more on Scrogins...

Artist : Kendrick Lamar Album : GNX Quick Thoughts : We knew a new Kendrick was coming after having arguably the song of the summer during the Drake beef, but a surprise drop was unexpected to everyone. GNX suffers slightly from Jack Antonoff's production in many areas and is unlikely to end up as anyone's favorite K.Dot record, but "squabble up" and "hey now" are two of the better rap songs of the year that aren't "Not Like Us." I definitely think he probably gained some new fans this year (myself included) and this album is likely to be stratospheric in impact, but it's worth the time. Songs of Note : "wacced out murals," "squabble up," "hey now," "tv off," "heart pt. 6," "gnx" Artist : Poppy Album : Negative Spaces Quick Thoughts : Poppy's biggest flaw is the semi-identity crisis. She started as a robotic pop deconstruction, went full metal, and now comes at us wit...

Photo by Matt Martin I thought I had Cornwall's Low Harness pegged as a band. Their previous two singles were these gloriously aggressive bursts of early indie rock noise, and since that's kinda my thing, I loved them for it. Their latest single, "Bloodplay," goes off in a slightly different direction. The song still has some of the Sonic Youth style guitar tunings, but it's much more pop sounding than "Salvo" or "Too Long Together." The starts off more in the style of The Vaselines before devolving into a noisier style that we had begun associating with Low Harness. Even at its most noisy, "Bloodplay" keeps that pop sensibility, erupting into a poppier sounding noise explosion (which will make sense when you listen promise!) Vocalist/guitarist Hannah Gledhill says of the band's new single and video: "Bloodplay is about the lengths people go to for pleasure, to escape from the banality of everyday existence and act out their ...

It's been a little while since we last heard from Baabes. Thankfully, the Boston band has a brand new single out! "Don't Be Weird About It" is that brand of punk rock that is defiantly their own. The vocals for "Don't Be Weird About It" are completely punk, but the guitar is just a little bit different. It sounds more like something you'd hear in a song from The Stone Roses or Kula Shaker. Baabes have always had a bit of a trashy punk sound, but this new song elevates them to high end trashy. Plus, the song has such an irresistible groove throughout that it demands the listener to dance, even slightly. "Don't Be Weird About It" is a great song, and a fantastic re-introduction to one of our local favorites. You can watch the video for "Don't Be Weird About It" below. For more on Baabes, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . Baabes will be playing with The Sheila Divine and Teardrops on January 4 at The Sinclair in...

Photo by Felix Blanco Country music has existed for roughly one hundred years at this point, so it's rare to find an artist making music that's unquestionably country but still puts their own spin on the genre. Nashville's Rodeo Mouth recently released "Fanny's Farmhouse," and it's a country song, but a oddly unique one. It's alt-country, but more because it can't be considered a pure country song. There's an old-timey feel to the song, and a sense of darkness even though the song is an ode to diners. Maybe it's the guitar tuning, but something about "Fanny's Farmhouse" is a tense listen. Plus, there seems to be a lot going on here. Rodeo Mouth have crafted a song where the main instruments are guitar and banjo, but these two don't seem to truly get along with each other. This should be a nice song... just something is slightly off, which makes it a great song. You can listen to "Fanny's Farmhouse" below. For...

Worcester's Sunday Junkie is back with a new single. The band (which features members of Not Bad Not Well) just released "Haunted Head." The new single continues their post-rock goes pop sound. This one takes bands like At the Drive In and Deftones and filters them through a unique 80's rock filter. It's almost a power ballad, but, despite having some serious pop hooks, it rocks just a little too hard for that. "Haunted Head" is the kind of song that sounds fairly familiar since it's built on top of sounds that are deeply rooted in your psyche, but ends up being completely fresh.  You can listen to "Haunted Head" below. For more on Sunday Junkie, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook . Haunted Head by Sunday Junkie

Photo by Nadine Fraczkowski I'm probably going to cover any song called "Sexy Clown," but it helps when it's a great track. The latest from Canadian DJ/producer Marie Davidson has a certain classic techno song, although it's not exactly a club rager. It's relatively chilled out, although it would be a little too much for a rave chill out room. "Sexy Clown" is definitely a dance track, but it reminds me of a certain style of 90's techno that landed between the main room of a club and the chill out room. This is more what you'd listen to while getting ready for the club. It's sure to get you hyped and energized on your way out without burning you out before you get there. It's also making me miss my college nights out. Marie Davidson says of her latest single: “Most people have a clown inside of them. Some are funny, some are shy, some are twisted, some are dark. The clown is the part of us that is dying to be seen, for better or for wo...

Photo by Jocelyn Pacheco Phoenix's Glixen have quickly become one of our favorite heavy shoegaze bands. Their latest single, "lick the star," starts off a little bit different. At first the song is a lovely, cinematic track that is quiet and almost lulls you into a trance. Eventually the noise comes in, and with "lick the star" it's like a sonic sledgehammer crashing into your face. Of course, it's shoegaze so it's still a warm embrace no matter how heavy the crash of noise ends up being. It goes from ultra-quiet to a chaotic whirlwind gathering around you. In other words, it's a fantastic song from a new favorite here at If It's Too Loud... Aislinn Ritchie says of her band's latest single: “This song is special, it begins with a mellow sonic bath of an intro and explodes into a whirling wall of sound and melody.  Also, we are excited to announce our first full US headline tour. This is going to be a very busy and fun year for us!” You ca...

Photo by Melanie Radford I first discovered Blood Lemon back in 2022 opening for Built to Spill (bassist/vocalist Melanie Radford is also a current member of Built to Spill). The Boise post-riot grrrl band just released a new single, "Perfect Too." It's a seven and a half slow burn of a song heavy on the moody side. It's a song that is begging to break out. It does, although it takes a while. When it finally does, it evolves into a New Wave-esque dance friendly rocker. Although it does keep its edge and sense of darkness. "Perfect Too" is an epic new single that seems to combine Built to Spill and the more rocking side of Neil Young with Dark Wave. Melanie Radford says of her band's new single: “We performed this song live on our Winter tour with Built to Spill a couple years ago and it became an instant favorite. It has a nice build and performing it live has been incredibly satisfying.” You can watch the video for "Perfect Too" below. Petite ...

Photo by Sophie Adams Lady Pills has always played along the lines of indie rock and pop music. On her latest single, she blurs the lines even further and has made an indie rock dance banger. "Sink the Ship" has a disco beat that dares you not to dance. Seriously, if you can sit still during this song, you might want to make sure you still have a pulse. But it's still a rock based song, with far too much indie rock guitar to allow "Sink the Ship" to fully be a dance song. Sure, lots of artists have made indie rock dance friendly before, but Lady Pills is doing is slightly differently. Although, as the song goes on it becomes more and more disco based, so it's possible that "Sink the Ship" was designed to make indie rock snobs get into a modern disco jam without realizing it before it was too late. You can listen to "Sink the Ship" below. Renowned in the Roaring Twenties is due out April 4, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp ....

Something about the dark rock and roll of Gretchen Shae & The Middle Eight just works for us, so we're thrilled that the band has a new three song EP out today. Inside a Dream starts out with the previously released "Heroes Shouldn't Be Villains," which has a certain 80's arena rock aesthetic going for it. That theme continues with the title track, "Inside a Dream." The song starts off with some drums that reminded me of Toni Basil's "Oh Mickey" and then transforms into a more rock based hybrid of The Cure and Duran Duran. It's dark... but fun dark. "Little Armies" closes out the EP, and it sounds like the most traditional Gretchen Shae & The Middle Eight song on the release. It's a little too fast for a power ballad, but it's a dark rock fast paced one.  Gretchen Shae says of her band's new EP: “The songs are really just a response to loss in a number of ways. whether it is a friend, family, or a loved one...

Photo by Asher Thomas It's been a while since we've heard from Lurid Purple Flowers. Since we last heard from the Boston band, they've changed their name to Neverless.am and have a new single out today. "Will I Ever?" continues the current trend of heavy shoegaze. The entire song is awash in guitar fuzz threatening to weight it down. Luckily, the pounding drums propel the entire track forward. Vocals aren't typically a highlight of shoegaze, but "Will I Ever?" also doubles as a showcase for CA Newcomb's vocals. This is loud/quiet/loud done to absolute perfection, with Neverless.am propelling you softly between the two volumes of the song. Vocalist/guitarist CA Newcomb says of the band's latest single: “Unfortunately, I was run over by a drunk driver and struggled with PTSD. I was pissed, emotional, tired, and scared at the same time. Ben shared a demo he had been working on and the chords just hit different. We wrote it together in one night....

Photo by Collin Heroux If you've gone to see Tysk Tysk Task in the past few months, you've probably heard their song "City Lights." It's become a personal favorite of mine, so I'm thrilled that the Lowell based band has officially released it as a single. "City Lights" marks a bit of a change for Tysk Tysk Task. It's their most mainstream song to date, and even though "mainstream" can be used negatively, that's not the case here. There is still all of the edge and pure guitar fury we've come to love and expect from Tysk Tysk Task, just in a package that has a bit more beauty to it. "City Lights" is a heavy, dissonant song, but it's also strangely beautiful. Samantha Hartsel and Rick Martel's guitars are at a next level with this song, and the two intertwine and co-mingle together perfectly. Plus, Hartsel's vocals are also hitting a new level with "City Lights," as she croons in a way that seems to...

The Christmas single from Sara Noelle has become a favorite annual tradition here at If It's Too Loud..., and 2024 is no exception. This year sees the original track "Little Dove" and Noelle's version of the traditional "Silent Night." "Little Dove" is the type of song that could be a great modern singer-songwriter track without a holiday theme. Just drop the jingle bells, and you have a hypnotic and engaging song, but if you love Christmas music, the jingle bells just add to it. It's a gorgeous track that focuses on Noelle's captivating vocals. For "Silent Night," Noelle takes a song we've all heard hundreds, possibly thousands of times and updates it to a more electronic, space age-esque song. It has that 60's/70's futuristic sound instead of the traditional hymn we're used to. Sara Noelle says of "Little Dove": "'Little Dove' was inspired by a mourning dove that lived outside my window for...

Photo by Brendan George Ko According to the press release for the new single from The Weather Station, the project's upcoming album is "... the weirdest Weather Station record, yet, the most visceral." The musical project of Tamara Lindeman's new single, "Window," definitely fits that description. It has more of a rock sound to it than we're used to from The Weather Station, while still having that kinda sorta dance pop sound we've come to love from Lindeman. Plus, there is an abundance of flute throughout the song. "Window" is a driven song that instantly grabs your attention and holds it throughout multiple listens. This is strangely accessible art-rock-ish music, delving into singer-songwriter and possibly even folk at times. You can watch the video for "Windows" below. Humanhood is due out January 17 on Fat Possum Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on The Weather Station, check out the artist's website...