Hailing from Massachusetts, Planet Mercury released "Symphony" in November, but seeing as it's New Year's Eve, we're going to focus on "New Year's Eve." The band's Bandcamp bio states that they're "Caffeine-driven punk rock." "New Year's Eve" is a little mellower than I would expect with that description, but it's a solid slightly faster than mid-tempo pop punk track. There's still some of the grit of 90's alternative within the song keeping it from being too polished. This is an upbeat punk song that is perfect for looking forward to the New Year without being an all out optimistic rager.
You can listen to "New Year's Eve" below. The single is available via Bandcamp. For more on Planet Mercury, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram.
It's been a while since we've brought you new music from The False Positives, but Dave Harrison's (Voodoo Dolls) musical project is back with a new line up and a new(ish) single. "Long Distance Romance" is that kind of timeless garage rock and power pop that Boston seems to do so well. It's an energetic song that could have been made in any decade since the 1970's, but this one sounds a little more like the 80's to me. Harrison added just enough glam into "Long Distance Romance" to keep everything jangly, and this is a particularly great Boston based garage rock/power pop track.
You can listen to "Long Distance Romance" below. The single is out and is available via Bandcamp. For more on The False Positives, check out the band on Facebook.
Boston's Trash Rabbit may have relocated to New York City (or maybe not... I believe I saw that but their website still says Boston), but we'll try not to hold that against them. The punk/emo band just released "Control," and it could very well be their best single yet. The song continues their slick and polished pop punk sound, with just enough edge creeping in to keep things great. This one is reminding me of the energetic and highly melodic emo of The Anniversary. It's been nearly two years since the last release from Trash Rabbit, and while "Control" was worth the wait, let's hope we don't have to wait that long for the next release!
You can listen to "Control" below. Headaches is due out in March. For more on Trash Rabbit, check out the band's website.
Manchester, NH/Portland, ME country rock band Regals released a new single last Friday. "pissin in the wind" is the perfect style of alt-country or country rock. It's a laid back song with gruff vocals and guitars that twang and feedback at the same time. Although it's a laid back song, there is still a surprising intensity to it. It's reminding me of early Deer Tick and Drive-By Truckers, but with some Pixies thrown in. If the terms alt-country or country rock appeal to you, "pissin in the wind" was made for you. Even if the song doesn't grab you immediately, stick with it until the end. In four minutes, Regals could very well make you a superfan.
You can watch the video for "pissin in the wind" below. For more on Regals, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.
Hailing from the UK, the latest from HotWax is kind of a glorious mess. "Wanna Be a Doll" is wonderfully noisy. At times the vocals are almost drowned out by the music. It's dissonant throughout, but it's also incredibly poppy and catchy. The guitars are crunchy and have a ton of feedback through nearly the entire song. There's also some unexpected twang at times. It's reminding me of a combination of early, more lo-fi Veruca Salt meets later, more pop-focused Veruca Salt. Despite all of the noise, "Wanna Be a Doll" has some fantastic harmonies and melodies.
Tallulah Sim-Savage says of her band's single:
“This is the first song we wrote for the album and we re-wrote it in so many different ways. And it ended up pretty similar to the first version, which seems to be how it goes. It’s a song where I am writing about myself from someone else’s point of view, being self aware of my bad, sometimes destructive, traits.”
You can watch the video for "Wanna Be a Doll" below. Hot Shock is due out March 7 on Marathon Artists, and is available for pre-order here. For more on HotWax, check out the band's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Mar 3 - Music’s Not Dead, De La Warr Pavilion +
Mar 7 - Resident Brighton +
Mar 8 - Rough Trade Nottingham (Midday) +
Mar 8 - Rough Trade Liverpool (Evening) +
Mar 9 - Rough Trade Bristol +
Mar 10 - Vinyl Whistle Leeds +
Mar 11 - Rough Trade East +
Mar 12 - Vinilo Southampton +
Mar 13 - Truck Oxford +
May 31 - Temple Newsam Park, Leeds - Kaiser Chiefs All Dayer
Nashville's Caroline Romano has a new-ish single out that fits into the alt-pop realm while leaning more into the pop world. "Born to Want More" bridges the gap between artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift. The production and most of the song is pop-leaning alt-pop, but there's just something decidedly non-pop about the guitar in the song. "Born to Want More" is a beautiful pop song with heavy, crunching guitars. There is even a Midwest emo style sample in the intro of the song to make things even a little more confusing (in a good way!)
Caroline Romano says of her new single:
“I wrote ‘Born to Want More’ during a time when I was grappling with a series of ‘almosts’—those moments where things felt so close but still just out of reach. This song captures that wits-end feeling where you’re wondering if you’ll ever find what you’re looking for. You’re chasing experiences and feelings that you know exists but you haven’t yet found. It’s something I know all too well. It’s by far one of my more vulnerable songs I’ve released, and it’s one of my favorites for that reason.”
You can listen to "Born to Want More" below. How the Good Girls Die is due out in early 2025. For more on Caroline Romano, check out the artist's website.
Boston's Clark D just released a new single on Christmas, and it's something we all need to stop everything and check out. "NOTHING ON YOU" is a laid back jam that's as much R&B as it is hip hop. It's a style that doesn't typically work for me personally, but Clark D is just one of those artists with a natural, irresistible charisma. "NOTHING ON YOU" is just a cool track, with production by Clark D. It's a simple song by hip hop standards, which adds to the charm of the track. If you're into any style of hip hop or R&B, you'll definitely want to check this one out.
You can listen to "NOTHING ON YOU" below. For more on Clark D, check out the artist on Instagram.
Andrea de Varona and Josh Ford met at a college party in the East Village and formed Fake Dad. Now Los Angeles based, the duo have a new single out, "So Simple!" The new single is a mixture of indie rock, punk, and indie pop. As pop as de Varona's vocals are at times, there is far too much crunch in the guitars to allow it to be strictly pop. This is a punk track you can straight up dance to, even with the killer gang vocals. "So Simple!" is a fun and biting track that is sure to suck you in if you like what we do here at If It's Too Loud...
Fake Dad say of their new single:
"The track is a parody of punk rock’s storied history of dudes who think they’re cool singing about women they think are stupid."
You can listen to "So Simple!" below. Holly Wholesome and the Slut Machine is due out in 2025. For more on Fake Dad, check out the band on Instagram.
Dutch indie pop/alt-country outfit Grapes of Grain released a Christmas EP earlier this month, which includes the single "Christmas TV (I Want the BBC)." It's an upbeat but nostalgic song about watching the BBC during your Christmas break. It's more indie pop, but with an alt-country thread running through it. It's a song about just sitting down and watching whatever Christmas movie pops on your TV, which is making me quite nostalgic for a pre-streaming time when you just watched whatever was on. Not too many nostalgic holiday songs are about watching Christmas movies, but, considering how many of our memories are tied up in movies and specials, maybe they should be.
You can watch the video for "Christmas TV (I Want the BBC)" below. Christmas Grapes is available now on Bandcamp and other streaming services. For more on Grapes of Grain, check out the band on Instagram.
If Christmas songs are supposed to be happy, The Cords have nailed it. The Scottish sister duo released "Favourite Time" earlier this month, and it's a joyous, upbeat indie pop song. Plus, it's the style of holiday song that isn't completely obvious. In fact, it reminds me more of The Vaselines' "Son of a Gun" more than "Frosty the Snowman" or "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." You could easily play this in the middle of June without anyone realizing it was a holiday song as long as they don't pay close attention to the lyrics. It's not very often that you can discover a new favorite band through a Christmas song, but that could be the case with The Cords!
You can listen to "Favourite Time" below. The single is out on Slumberland Records and Heavenly Creature Records, and is available now via Bandcamp. For more on The Cords, check out the band on Instagram.
Along with their massive fifty-two song DECK project, Hallelujah the Hills have been releasing cover songs on their Patreon. This month they've release a cover of Darlene Love's iconic Christmas classic "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," and the Boston band have made this one available on their Bandcamp. It's my personal favorite holiday song, and Hallelujah the Hills do a fantastic job of it. I don't think anyone would be offended by my saying that HtH singer Ryan Walsh isn't Darlene Love, but this version is a fun, ramshackle cover that is quite faithful to the original while still being in a different musical style. You can tell Hallelujah the Hills had a ridiculously good time on this one, and the joy is just spilling out of your speakers.
You can listen to Hallelujah the Hills' version of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" below. The song is currently available on Bandcamp with all proceeds going to Rosie's Place. For more on Hallelujah the Hills, check out the band's website.
Bloke started off in North London and are now based in Berlin. Their latest single, "Money Says," is a unique mixture of noise rock and psychedelia. There's a 60's or 70's (or at least the retro 90's version of that sound) vibe throughout the song, but with a heavy layer of noisy aggression layered all over it. It's a shoegaze like layer of fuzz and noise, but without the beauty typically associated with shoegaze. This is pretty psychedelia but with an intense layer of aggressive noise thrust upon it. This dichotomy is what makes" Money Says" one of the more interesting singles we've covered in a while.
Bloke says of their new single:
"The song Money Says is inspired by the childhood game Simon says, using it as a metaphor to explore capitalism's impact on society and relationships. Just as in the game, where commands prefaced with 'Simon says' must be obeyed, we often silently comply with what Money Says reflecting societal norms. This subtle agreement can feel like conditioning, offering a poignant commentary on our interactions. The melody features a persistent feedback tone and guitar strums that punctuate the social narrative."
You can watch the video for "Money Says" below. Living Without Expectations is due out February 14 on Tonzonen Records. For more on Bloke, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.
It's been a bit since we've brought you anything from Chainlacing, but as we play catch up, we came across a song we missed earlier this month. The New Hampshire band specializes in "lo fi experimental gloom," and that description certainly fits "Real Abstraction." The seven minute song is an absolute epic, awash with reverb and fuzz. It's like a dark version of shoegaze, but a little bit heavier. People talk about The Cure making depressing music, when it's really a band like Chainlacing. "Real Abstraction" is quite dark and not at all fitting with the festive season we're currently in. However, wait a few weeks until we're past the holiday season and are drenched in darkness and gloom for three to four months (at least) and "Real Abstraction" will be the perfect soundtrack. Although, despite the darkness of the song, there are moments of true beauty, as well.
You can listen to "Real Abstraction" below. For more on Chainlacing, check out the band on Instagram.
Miss Georgia Peach is back with a new album due on Valentine's Day, and there's a new single we can check out today! "Shut Up and Drink Your Beer" is that perfect blend of alt-country or outlaw country that's far too rock 'n' roll to be country and far too country to be rock 'n' roll. It's a fun song with heavy guitars that twang just the right amount. Plus, with Miss Georgia Peach crooning vocals added to the song, you get a recipe for a song that's perfect for all fans of alt-country and rockabilly. Part of what makes "Shut Up and Drink Your Beer" is that it features Nashville Pussy as Miss Georgia Peach's backing band, and you aren't finding much cooler than that.
You can listen to "Shut Up and Drink Your Beer" below. Class Out the Ass is due out February 14 on Rum Bar Records, and is available for pre-order through Bandcamp. For more on Miss Georgia Peach, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram.
One nice thing about this time of year is that we can play catch up on releases we might have missed or simply slipped through the cracks. Boston's Commemorative Cup released For a Limited Time Only back in November. Co-fronted by Ben Husk and Kevin McGrath, Commemorative Cup is their "popunkemo" project. The songs on this EP aren't from the ultra-mainstream style that made it all the way to TRL. Songs like "33s" and "Layers" are more of an earlier, less destined to be hits style that was rooted in punk and indie rock. This is more along the lines of The Get Up Kids, The Promise Ring, and Piebald. It's music like the songs on For a Limited Time Only that first made me love emo in the 90's, before I knew it was its own genre. Husk and McGrath have perfectly nailed our nostalgia button on this one, and if you had told me it was a lost release from 1998, I'd completely believe you.
You can listen to For a Limited Time Only below. The EP is available now via Bandcamp. For more on Commemorative Cup, check out the band on Instagram.
For their latest single, Louisville's Charm School are changing up their sound. A lot. The post-punk band usually has a much louder and more aggressive punk sound. "Happiness is a Warm Sun" is more of a krautrock song mixed with The Stooges' longer, more spoken word freak out songs. There are still some more rock based punk flourishes throughout the eight minutes of "Happiness is a Warm Sun," with more as it goes on, but if you're familiar with Charm School's previous releases, this one is going to be surprising. This is a great song, and it's always fun to see a band explore and experiment with their sound like this.
Charm School says of their latest single:
"This song is kind of an outlier on the record. It's the only song that was basically improvised in the studio, and the only one where the lyrics were written sort of 'automatically.' They're all ideas that have been swirling around in the collective unconscious for awhile now, pertaining to the intense state of the world: the rise of fascism, ongoing wars, financial pressure, overpopulation, media at a million miles per hour, the spectre of the algorithm, the total lack of empathy online, etc."
You can listen to "Happiness is a Warm Sun" below. Debt Forever is due out January 24, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Charm School, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.
Paris, France's En Attendant Ana are one of our favorite indie pop bands out there today. They have a gorgeous updated version of Stereolab's light and retro cool indie rock sound, and seriously... who doesn't want that. For Christmas this year, they've released a two song holiday single. First up is a medley of The Free Design's 1968 release "Close Your Mouth (It's Christmas)" and "Christmas is the Day." En Attendant Ana's version is called "Close Your Mouth Because Christmas is the Day!" I was completely unfamiliar with the original, and this cover is going to have you scrambling to hear The Free Design's version. The cover is surprisingly faithful to the original, which seems to have been ahead of it's time. The second song is a take on The Pogues' immortal "Fairytale of New York." This one is less faithful, and it's a more mellow version of the original, and much more En Attendant Ana-like than Celtic punk. (Also, they kept the original's slur, so keep that in mind.) Plus, it's interesting to hear the song with both parts sung by the same person and not a duet. They also sneak in a near disco version of Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" at the end of "Fairytale of New York" as a treat.
You can listen to En Attendant Ana Sings Christmas below. The single is available via Bandcamp. For more on En Attendant Ana, check out the artist on Facebook and Instagram.
Christmas songs are typically jolly and filled with Christmas cheer. Boston's J Hams did not receive that memo when he released "Searching for Santa." The song is the equivalent of a horror movie score... just Christmas themed. It's about a time when Santa has gone missing, and it's performed in a way that's going to remind you of John Carpenter's classic scores. It's disturbing, and certainly not festive at all, but for those that want a little tension and horror mixed in with the merry season, "Searching for Santa" could certainly work for you.
You can listen to "Searching for Santa" below. The song is currently available via Bandcamp.
Sometimes all you need is a guitar and voice. "FLAG," the latest single from Ichiko Aoba, is one of those songs. With just vocals and guitar, Ichiko Aoba has created an incredibly lush track that you'd assume would be folk but it much closer to dream pop. The entire track, which is about reflecting on life while looking at the ocean, is awash in a haze and is more ambient than Americana. The result is a breathtaking and gorgeous song that is much more layered and involved than you typically get with a completely solo track.
You can listen to "FLAG" below. Luminescent Creatures is out February 28 on hermine / Psychic Hotline, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Ichiko Aoba, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the song.
Mon. Feb. 24 - Hong Kong, CN @ Xi Qu Centre, Grand Theatre [with Musicians from HK Phil] Wed. Feb. 26 - Seoul, KR @ Sky Arts Hall (SOLD OUT) Thu. Feb 27- Seoul, KR @ Sky Arts Hall (NEW SHOW) Thu. March 6 - Taipei, TW @ Zhongshan Hall Mon. March 10 - Barcelona, ES @ Paral.lel 62 Tue. March 11 - Valencia, ES @ Teatro Rambleta Thu. March 13 - Milan, IT @ Auditorium San Fedele (SOLD OUT) Sat. March 15 - Zurich, CH @ Mascotte Tue. March 18 - Hamburg, DE @ Laiszhalle Wed. March 19 - Berlin, DE @ Urania (Humboldtsaal) Fri. March 21 - Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg (Grote Zaal) Sun. March 23 - Groningen, NL @ Oosterpoort Tue. March 25 - Antwerp, BE @ De Roma Thu. March 27 - Paris, FR @ La Trianon Mon. March 31 - London, UK @ Barbican [with 12 Ensemble] (SOLD OUT) Wed. April 2 - Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall Fri. April 4 - Gateshead, UK @ The Glasshouse Sat. April 5 - Glasgow, UK @ City Halls Thu. April 17 - Honolulu, HI @ Hawaii Theatre Sat. April 19 - Vancouver, BC @ Chan Centre Sun. April 20 - Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall Mon. April 21 - Seattle, WA @ The Moore Wed. April 23 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Oakland Sat. April 26 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern [with Wordless Music Quintet] Sun. April 27 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern [with Wordless Music Quintet] Tue. April 29 - Scottsdale, AZ @ Scottsdale Center Thu. May 1 - Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre Sat. May 3 - St. Paul, MN @ Fitzgerald Theatre (SOLD OUT) Sun. May 4- St Paul, MN @ Fitzgerald Theatre (NEW SHOW) Tue. May 6 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Wed. May 7 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Fri. May 9 - Detroit, MI @ Masonic Cathedral Theatre Sat. May 10 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre Mon. May 12 - Boston, MA @ Berklee Performance Center Wed. May 14 - New York, NY @ Kings Theatre [with Wordless Music Quintet] Sat. May 17 - Philadelphia, PA @ Miller Theatre Sun. May 18 - Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre Thu. May 22 - Mexico City, MX @ Teatro Metropolitan
The Haymakers are our latest discovery in the great Boston tradition of garage rock meets power pop bands. The quartet released a new EP in November titled Say It Again. It's a collection of five songs that have this unique mix of garage, power pop, punk, and glam, but it's not a very glamorous version of glam. The songs have a polished but dirty sound, and feel like a dive bar trying to look a little classy. The Haymakers is a band name that deserves to be used for a band that's just a good time, and the songs on Say It Again are certainly that. These are five songs with zero pretention, and just exist to rock. "Get Me to Friday" includes the lyrics "It's Friday, let's rock and roll," just as an example.
You can listen to Say It Again below. The song is currently available via Bandcamp. For more on The Haymakers, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram.
The Dollyrots are one of those bands that releases an annual Christmas single, and this year is a cover of Wizzard's 1973 holiday classic "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day." The cover is much more along The Dollyrots' sound than the original. It's a pop infused punk rock song while still keeping plenty of genuine holiday cheer. This one is ridiculously fun. It's a bouncy version of a beloved holiday song that is just gushing with joy and a festive spirit. Even the most bah-humbug of us will be caught up in the fun of this one.
You can listen to The Dollyrots' version of "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" below. The song has been added to A Very Dollyrots Christmas, which is currently a seventeen song collection available for the "name your price" option over at Bandcamp. For more on The Dollyrots, check out the band's website.
Sleeper's Bell started off as the lo-fi bedroom folky pop of Chicago's Blaine Teppema, and has now grown into a duo including Evan Green. Their latest single, "Bored," still has all of the intimacy of a lo-fi bedroom recording while being much more lush and fleshed out. At times, "Bored" is almost painfully intimate. You get the feeling that the song wasn't quite made for an audience to listen to even though it's obviously fully fleshed out. The song is gorgeous in its simplicity. Even as it gets bigger and more involved as it goes on, it never loses that intensity.
You can listen to "Bored" below. Clover is due out February 7 on Fire Talk Records/Angel Tapes, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Sleeper's Bell, check out the artist on Instagram.
Boise's Blood Lemon (which features Built to Spill bassist Melanie Radford) just released a single that is going to give some pretty serious flashbacks to those of us who were teenagers in the 90's. "High Tide" has a very Breeders sound to it, particularly in the punch given off by the bass. The song is layered in a fuzz that is almost thick enough to cover the harmony and melody which are strong enough to muscle their way through. There's also a heavy dose of psychedelia within the song, in an interesting Cornershop meets Veruca Salt kind of way. "High Tide" is a wonderfully crunchy song that is pushing the current crop of 90's nostalgia forward into the current decade.
Guitarist Lisa Simpson says of the band's latest single:
“I took the sensual for inspiration, and the beginning of ‘High Tide’ was a research query of what idioms or phrases other cultures use for orgasm.”
You can watch the video for "High Tide" below. Petite Deaths is due out January 17, and is available for pre-order here. For more on Blood Lemon, check out the band's website.
There's gotta be something in the water out there in Chicago. Big'n released a new album back in November that we missed, but they just released a video for the single "Arkansas Death Cult." It's a big noise rock track with monstrous guitars and deeply screamed vocals. It's not going to be a pleasant listen for many, but it will be revelatory for others. To me it sounds like a cross between The Jesus Lizard and Shellac, but with a jazz element peeking out. "Arkansas Death Cult" is certainly not easily ignored background music, but if you're here that's not what you want anyway.
You can watch the video for "Arkansas Death Cult" below. End Comes too Soon is available now on Computer Students, and can be ordered here. For more on Big'n, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook.
Last month brought us "Window" from The Weather Station, which saw Tamara Lindeman's musical project going in a bit more of a rock direction. This month we get "Body Moves," which is more of a traditional song from The Weather Station. It's a laid back singer-songwriter track with some lighter dance vibes and a strong jazz side to it. Not many tracks can be described as both ethereal and groovy, but "Body Moves" pulls it off. It's the type of song that is instantly compelling, and only gets more and more so as it goes on. The Weather Station has a knack for starting a song off more simply and then getting more involved as it goes on, and "Body Moves" is a prime example.
Tamara Lineman says of her latest single:
“This song was the hardest song, we recorded it, changed everything, recorded it again, changed everything, recorded it again. It had to be tender and bruised and painful; like falling into a dream but also into reality. This was yet another song I rejected when I wrote it because I wasn’t sure how to stand behind it. But then again, the song was simply presenting something that is real and that happens; the body fools you, the body moves you, sometimes in directions seemingly self destructive or painful or visceral. Bodies are biological and so is their language; chemical, pain, impulse, shut down, wake up. What matters is the interpretation, the response, whether or not you’re able to hear the signal at all.”
You can watch the video for "Body Moves" below. Humanhood is due out January 17 on Fat Possum, and is available for pre-order here. For more on The Weather Station, check out the artist's website. Upcoming tour dates are below the video.
Sun. Jan. 19 - Bristol, UK @ RT Bristol - Q&A & record store performance Mon. Jan. 20 - Liverpool, UK @ RT Liverpool - record store performance Tue. Jan. 21 - Leeds, UK @ Jumbo Leeds - record store performance Wed. Jan. 22 - Nottingham, UK @ RT Nottingham - record store performance Thu. Jan. 23 - London, UK @ Rough Trade East - record store performance Wed. Feb. 26 - Hamburg, DE @ Nochtspeicher Thu. Feb. 27 - Copenhagen, DK @ DR Studie 2 Fri. Feb. 28 - Berlin, DE @ Silent Green Sun. Mar. 2 - Amsterdam, NL @ Tolhuistuin Mon. Mar. 3 - Brussels, BE @ Botanique / Museum Tue. Mar. 4 - Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere Thu. Mar. 6 - Brighton, UK @ CHALK Fri. Mar. 7 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club Sat. Mar. 8 - Dublin, IE @ Button Factory Mon. Mar. 10 - Glasgow, UK @ Saint Luke’s Tue. Mar. 11 - Manchester, UK @ Band On The Wall Wed. Mar. 12 - Bristol, UK @ The Fleece Thu. Mar. 13 - London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall Thu. Mar. 27 - Montreal, QC @ Beanfield Theatre Fri. Mar. 28 - Boston, MA @ Sinclair Sat. Mar. 29 - Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm Studios Sun. Mar. 30 - Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall Tue. Apr. 1 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom Wed. Apr. 2 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Fri. Apr. 4 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts Sat. Apr. 5 - Washington, DC @ The Atlantis Sun. Apr. 6 - Durham, NC @ Motorco Mon. Apr. 7 - Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle Tue. Apr. 8 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement East Thu. Apr. 10 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall Fri. Apr. 11 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club Sat. Apr. 12 - Iowa City, IA @ Hancher Sun. Apr. 13 - Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Cafe - Back Room Thu. May 8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom Sat. May 10 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent Mon. May 12 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios Tue. May 13 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios Thu. May 15 - Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre Fri. May 16 - Victoria, BC @ Capital Ballroom Sat. May 17 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile Thu. June 5 - Ottawa, ON @ National Arts Centre Fri. June 6 - Toronto, ON @ Masonic Temple - The Concert Hall
Songs of a Lost World has no business being as good as it is. The Cure have been releasing music for well over forty years, and this is the band's fourteenth studio album. They're well past the point in their career where they could easily just play the hits, and maybe put out an album every five years or so that their fans listen to once and then forget about. It's a cliche joke at this point that fans use the new songs as a time to go to the bathroom and/or get another beer, but I can't imagine that being the case with any of these songs.
Of course, the negative part of Songs of a Lost World is that it feels like The Cure's final album. As much as Robert Smith insists it's not, the opening line of the album is "This is the end of every song that we sing," and the last song is called "Endsong." I guess we can't complain about a band nearing their fiftieth anniversary hanging it up, but... you know how it is. The album also feels like a career retrospective. They even have "Drone:Nodrone" which sounds similar to their 90's radio hits. The thought of a Cure-less world makes me as sad as their music is supposed to make me, but if this is the end, The Cure are going out with one of their all time best albums. I'm looking forward to hearing "Alone" and "A Fragile Thing" live as much as I am for their classics, and you can't say that about many bands.
Songs of note: "Alone," "A Fragile Thing," "Warsong," and "Endsong"
Sometimes an album hits *just right*. Such is the case with Joana Serrat's Big Wave, which hit at the beginning of the summer and never let me go.
The moody, distant darkness to the whole presentation despite the bright feel to so much of this, it's an album that just presents layers on top of layers, both thematically and musically. I dare you to listen to "Freewheel" and not be completely enamoured by this experience - the overdriven bassline straight out of Flaming Lips record, the catchiest chorus this year, the build to the post-bridge climax, the absolutely haunting backing vocals, the guitar work... it blew my mind when I first heard it, it blows my mind now. And the whole album is like this - there are so many special, deliberate choices throughout its 42 minute runtime that reveal themselves over the course of multiple listens. It's truly phenomenal.
The album is called Big Wave and it may as well speak of the rush of sound that washes over you with each track. The absolute weight of "Sufferer." The dreamlike "Are You Still Here?" Closer "The Ocean" that just makes me want to put the whole thing on repeat again. This was the album I put up against basically every other singer-songwriter record this year, and nothing even came close.
Songs of note: "Feathers," "Freewheel," "Sufferer," "Are You Still Here," "A Dream That Can Last," "The Ocean"
The latest single from Endation is an interesting blend of styles, particularly if you love early to mid 90's alt-rock. The Boston band recently released "Mirrors," and at first it's reminiscent of the second wave of grunge artists that followed Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains. It's a little more mainstream sounding, but as the song goes on it sounds darker and darker while also being heavier and more... well... grungy than you would expect. It's also a giant song with an unexpected theatrical element to it. "Mirrors" is reminding me of Alice in Chains, Candlebox, and Placebo all at the same time.
You can listen to "Mirrors" below. The song is currently available via Bandcamp. For more on Endation, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram.
Camille Schmidt keeps up the 2024 trend of artists refusing to follow the rules of musical genres. The Brooklyn artist's latest single, "Stanley," might be predominately an indie rock song despite the synth-pop heavy opening. However, the guitar is much too heavy to be a synth-pop song, and the whole thing is much too poppy to truly be defined by either previously mentioned genre. Guitar and synth heavy pop leaning dance friendly indie rock isn't a musical style that rolls off the tongue well, and is probably too verbose to write out repeatedly. "Stanley" is a fun song that is perfect to bop along to, and is almost too addictive.
Camille Schmidt says of her new single:
"I started thinking about my plane ride the night before. This woman in front of me had been texting a friend about her boyfriend, Stanley (who I later discovered was a few rows behind us). I was thinking about the loneliness you feel when you're alone, but also the deeper loneliness when you’re with someone, and that person doesn’t fill the hole inside you the way you’d hoped. It was a time when I was searching for comfort in anything – overheard conversations, interactions with strangers, little jokes I would make to myself."
You can watch the video for "Stanley" below. Nude #9 is due out January 10. For more on Camille Schmidt, check out the artist on Instagram.
I absolutely loved Mannequin Pussy's 2017 album Patience and really liked their 2021 EP Perfect. This year's I Got Heaven is an absolute masterpiece of an album. As bands continue to defy traditional genre expectations and blend musical styles into one, I Got Heaven eradicates the line between punk and pop completely. The album opens with the title track which seamlessly jumps between the two styles, transitioning from hardcore to sweet sounding pop smoothly. "Loud Bark" is more of a pop leaning alt-rock song, and "Nothing Like" is almost pure pop. And this is all within the first three songs. I can't imagine even the most stringent punk purist not loving this album. Earlier this year there was a viral video claiming a venue tried to clear out a hardcore show by playing Cher's "Believe" and having it backfire by a dance party breaking out. That was debunked by Mannequin Pussy vocalist Marisa Dabice, who let everyone know it was their show and they chose Cher. And that fits an album like I Got Heaven perfectly. The crowd who loves this album is going to furiously mosh to "OK? OK! OK? OK!" and then dance their hearts out to Cher.
Songs of note: "I Got Heaven," "Loud Bark," "Nothing Like," and "Aching"
I am aggressively not the target audience for Charli xcx, and brat is arguably the pop star at her least accessible. Which, of course, is why it's the surprise smash hit of the year in general, but also probably why I love it so much.
I have a soft spot for the whole A.G. Cook / Hyperpop thing, and Charli XCX has always played in that area even if not fully committing to it. brat is probably the closest thing to merging the two ideas together, and it means a lot of early chaos with "360" and "Club Classics" before getting really personal. "Sympathy is a Knife" is probably about Taylor Swift, "Girl, So Confusing" is definitely about Lorde, and "I Think About It All the Time" about her biological clock. The album runs the gamut between absolute club bangers and devastating confessionals, with layers that only reveal themselves over multiple listens.
Given that it's also the current trend to release albums over and over again to goose their chart positions, the fact that Charli xcx didn't only get a bunch of heavy hitters in for the "remixes," but in the case of Lorde, actually got an amazing call-and-response confessional from her, and "Guess" features Billie Eilish in the most fun she's had since "Bad Guy" took over the world. It's not very often that the rerelease enhances the original, but brat comes along and arguably improves upon it.
brat is for new adults, first and foremost. Not mid-40s men with a mortgage. Yet, somehow, this album hit me just right, over and over and over again.
Songs of note: "Guess," "Sympathy is a Knife," "Apple," "Girl, So Confusing"
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