If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Julian Budge Los Angeles based Mexican/Columbian artist, singer, rapper, producer, and multi-instrumentalist St. Panther has a brand new single out. "The Deal" is pure R&B mixed with neo-soul. It has the feeling of classic R&B with a modern edge to it. It's the kind of song that is instantly intriguing. Even if you're not fully won over at the beginning, you want to keep listening to it. Dani Bojorges-Giraldo's (aka St. Panther) vocals have something truly unique to them. They don't have a traditionally R&B sound to them, but it works perfectly with the song. Despite how vintage "The Deal" is, St. Panther is pushing the genre forward with this song. St. Panther says of their latest single: “Now I’m not sure if it’s always right to, but I tend to put music where prolonged silences live. I’m not sure why it’s so hard to say what sometimes only music can, but in this case I wish someone had known me better and wanted to write a song...

Boston's Westbound Train have been at it since 2001, and the ska/soul band are back with new music. "Slippery Slope" is as chill as ska can be, and Obi Fernandez's vocals are as much the focus as the horns (which is very rare in this genre). It's the infusion of soul into the music that keeps Westbound Train standing apart from their peers. Even if you never went through a ska phase or feel you've outgrown the genre, "Slippery Slope" is going to appeal to you. It's been said that Riot Fest is the Warped Tour for people with mortgages and kids. In that case, Westbound Train are the same for ska. Obi Fernandez says of the band's new single: “ ‘Slippery Slope’ is a reminder to keep showing up, even when life feels heavy.  The truth is, it’s sweeter when we’re fully here—alive, aware, and present in the moment we’ve been given. We all wrestle with doubt and insecurity; none of us are alone in it. There’s a whole lot of us out here just trying to ...

Photo by Reuben The Chelsea Curve are one of our favorite Boston garage rock bands, which is quite a statement seeing as how many killer garage rock bands there are in the city. The trio's latest single, "Rally 'Round," leans more towards the mod side of their sound with some jangle pop thrown in. The single is delightfully retro, and is deeper into a vintage sound than The Chelsea Curve typically go. It's a fun song, and I'm hearing a little bit of late 60's hippie vibes in "Rally 'Round." It's a song about community, and might be the exact kind of song many of us could use at this point in 2025. Linda Pardee (bass, vocals, keyboards) says of her band's new single: “The lyrics were initially about friendships, acquaintances, people coming into your life. Being part of a community. Finding your people. Despite differences, we can or should be able to at least co-exist. I realized that, since writing the lyrics, they may come across a ...

Modest Mouse touring with Built to Spill is a tour that would have been a dream come true for me in college, and now over two decades later, it's still a dream line up. Of course, if I had gone to see this tour in the 90's, it would have been in a much smaller venue than MGM Music Hall at Fenway.  I'm not sure if it was advertised as such, but I had no idea that Modest Mouse was performing The Moon & Antartica in full on this tour. It was a pleasant surprise, and explains the setlist. (I can't be the only one considering how many people were yelling out requests for the entire show._ The beginning of that album can't be beat, with the opening song "3rd Planet" being a personal favorite, "Dark Center of the Universe" being a classic at this point, and "Twin Cities Made of Ash" working the crowd into a dancing frenzy. In 2025, Modest Mouse might be the most underrated live band in music today, with frontman Isaac Brock working himself...

Photo by Alex Ilyadis "Toadstool" has been a favorite of mine in Tysk Tysk Task's set for quite a while now, so I'm thrilled that the Lowell indie grunge band has an official release for the song. For this one, singer/guitarist Samantha Hartsel and guitarist Rick Martel (also of Chainlacing) are joined by bassist Keith Dusoe (Gut Health, Pure Waves) and drummer Joe Milia (Burp., MOLD). My favorite part of the song is the interplay of Hartsel and Martel's guitars, with Hartsel having a grungy and crunchy sound to hers and Martel providing shoegaze feedback. "Toadstool" is an intense song, with vocals that sound desperate and pleading, and one of the most chill breakdowns ever to help ground the whole thing. As with all Tysk Tysk Task songs, crank this one up and get ready to be blown away. You can watch the Asher Thomas directed video for "Toadstool" below. For more on Tysk Tysk Task, check out the band on Instagram  and Bandcamp . They'll b...

Alex Little started off in high school playing drums with Vapid, and then fronting Alex Little and the Suspicious Minds. Now the Vancouver artist is solo with her latest single, "Sounds Like a Deal." This new song lands somewhere in between pop and punk without being pop punk. It's the kind of song that pop fans will consider rock and rock fans will consider pop. Luckily, those of us open to new sounds are going to adore "Sounds Like a Deal." It's melodic, but with just enough of an edge to keep from becoming too saccharine. It's a fun and infectious song, and we're prepared to become Alex Little superfans by the end of the year. Alex Little says of her new single, which was inspired by a documentary on The Jerry Springer Show : “The poor treatment and exploitation of the people on the show was truly awful and I needed to sing about it." You can listen to "Sounds Like a Deal" below. Spider in the Sink is due out November 19. For more o...

Of all of the artists we've discovered this year that feel like they're going to become huge, none have that feeling like runo plum. The singer-songwriter's latest single, "Pond," seems more traditionally mainstream than her previous singles. This one just has that little something that sounds like a hit song. plum's vocals are exquisite in "Pond," and the song dances along a line between folk and indie rock. There's just enough of an indie rock edge to keep things interesting (and us music snobs satisfied), while keeping the song just mainstream enough to your average music listener. runo plum has something mesmerizing with "Pond," and we can't recommend it highly enough. You can watch the video for "Pond" below. patching is due out November 14 on Winspear, and is available for pre-order here . For more on runo plum, check out the artist's website . Upcoming tour dates are below the video and include a February 8 show...

Photo by Max Lakner The latest single from Lou Salome (the duo of Leah Hennessey and Jack Kilmer) is being referred to as "scuzz pop," and I can't say I disagree with that label. "Your Eyes Immaculate" is a dreamy song that is pop based, but more along the way that 90's alt-rock now sounds poppy thirty years later. This one is reminding me of a mixture of Matthew Sweet and Kurt Vile, but somehow more poppy and more grimy. The song has a definite pop sheen to it while still sounding a little scuffed up. "Your Eyes Immaculate" is so close to being a mainstream singer-songwriter/pop track, but the band shuffles it off into its own territory, which is why you're going to love it. Jack Kilmer says of his band's latest single: “It’s our attempt at a dream pop anthem. The mixing was where it all came to life — Leah's part in the bridge, which is weird, ASMR’y whispers, and beatboxing are all from the original demo we made. The song reminds us ...

Photo courtesy of the artist Earlier this year, Ezra Furman released the excellent Goodbye Small Head , and now the Boston singer-songwriter is back with a new standalone single. Proving she can do pretty much everything, "One Hand Free" musically fits a pretty standard singer-songwriter format. It sounds fairly 70's AM radio to me, and could be the soundtrack to many of our childhoods. But, this is an Ezra Furman song after all, so her vocals and lyrics certainly don't fit the 70's. The song kind of meanders along in  its own way, which is a style only Furman can truly pull off this well. As with any song from Furman, "One Hand Free is endlessly captivating and an instant classic. Ezra Furman says of her latest single: “ This is a jaunty back-porch breakup/depression song about feeling so bad you’re not sure what species you even belong to anymore. We left it off Goodbye Small Head because it was too good. It’s better than Jason Aldean. Better than the Barb...

Artist : Weakened Friends Album : Feels Like Hell Quick Thoughts : Sometimes I listen to an album from a band I love and wonder why they aren't huge. Weakened Friends is a regional act that keeps putting out great music that speaks to the alt-rock of its influences while still keeping a finger on the pulse of modern indie, and their new album should be the thing that propels them upward and outward if there's any justice left in the world. Yes, it has the Natalie Imbruglia cover of "Torn" (although it really borrows more from the original Ednaswap version), but it also has "Tough Luck" which is their best song since "Tunnels" snf NPC with a random Buckethead appearance, so... I mean, there are few bands doing quite as much as well as Weakened Friends are, and they deserve to be huge. A great listen. Songs of Note : "Tough Luck (Bleed Me Out)," "Nosebleed," "NPC," "Smoke and Mirrors," "Great Expecta...

Photo by Gil Costello If you're going to call your backing band The Noise, your music has to be at least a little bit noisy. Justin Webb & The Noise just released "Terrestrial Radio," which is a fairly straightforward rocker considering how noisy it is. It's a bizarre and unique blend of garage rock, punk, soul, and jangle pop. It's more than a little unhinged in the best possible way, and sounds kind of like if Screamin' Jay Hawkins jammed with The Hives, and they decided to write a huge hit, but then changed their mind halfway through and just had fun. The only complaint is that at a little over two minutes, "Terrestrial Radio" ends abruptly, right around when you decide that you truly love the song. You can listen to "Terrestrial Radio" below. For more on Justin Webb & The Noise, check out the band on Instagram .

Photo by Charlie Weinmann For their latest single, Los Angeles' SML took a live recording from The Empty Bottle in Chicago to start with. As with much of SML's releases, "Chicago Four" stretches the boundaries of what is considered jazz to the point that it could be argued that the song isn't actually jazz. It's a synth heavy soundscape that is going to push the limits of what many experimental music fans can accept. "Chicago Four" swirls around itself in a unique way, and the song ends before you're even quite sure what you just listened to. The song is three and a half minutes long, but seems to be much shorter than that, which is exceedingly rare in experimental music. Approach "Chicago Four" with an open mind, and you may just be rewarded. You can watch the video for "Chicago Four" below. How You Been is due out November 7 on International Anthem, and is available to pre-order here . For more on SML, check out the artist...

Photo by Alexander Richter billy woods has already released one of the albums of the year with the killer GOLLIWOG , and now he's back with new music with Armand Hammer, his project with ELUCID. "Super Nintendo" is a stripped down hip hop track that focuses on the lyrcs and flow of billy woods and ELUCID. The Alchemist's production includes music that certainly sounds like vintage video game music. In fact, there is barely anything representing a beat in "Super Nintendo." This is certainly not your traditional hip hop track, but Armand Hammer have never been your traditional hip hop group.  You can listen to "Super Nintendo" below. Mercy is due out November 7 on Backwood Studioz and Rhymesayers Entertainment, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Armand Hammer, check out the group on Instagram and Twitter .

Photo by Bianca Garza When we brought you Kalia Vandever's "Staring at the Cracked Window" last month, I said it would appeal to fans of classic jazz and more experimental/noise rock. That sentiment also applies to her latest single, "Cycle in Mourning." The roots of classic and more traditional jazz are in the song, but Vandever takes that base and then meanders off in her own direction. Plus, while most people consider jazz to be soothing, this new single is anything but. At times the song sounds downright eerie, and could even spike a listener's anxiety. Much like some of our favorite noise rock artists, and "Cycle in the Mourning" does that without having to resort to loud volume. Kalia Vandever says of her latest single: "Cycle In Mourning is a cyclical and slowly evolving piece that represents the different phases of grief and the way you find yourself caught in a pattern. The piece gradually transforms, leaving you in a state of wonder ...