If It's Too Loud...

People have a lot of capital-o Opinions about Ethel Cain, ranging from her early edgelord presence to her oft-eerie post-Americana sound. She put out an EP of what is best described as drone ambient songs, Perverts , early in the year, and while it was compelling enough as someone who listens to too much drone and too much ambient, I don't think we were prepared for what it ultimately foreshadowed. Willoughby Tucker is described as a concept album, but it's more of a conceptual journey. Across 10 tracks and nearly 74 minutes, you end up floating down this river of slowcore acoustic songs filled with love and lust, conspiracy and concern. Opening track, "Janie," sets the tone without actually setting the tone at all, and it's only once we get to "Nettles" (one of the best songs of the year) that the disparate sounds come together into a package that turns this from an interesting curiosity to one of my favorite things ever. There's so much w...

Photo by Nico Lareau .idk. is the moniker of London born and Maryland raised rapper, singer, and producer Jason Mills. His latest single, "SCARY MERRi," might be the least Christmas-y Christmas song we've covered this year. It's a hip hop banger that could be played all twelve months of the year, with only the word "holiday," the occasional reference to Christmas Eve, and the "Jingle Bells Batman smells" intro giving it away. This is underground hip hop perfection, and if you love the type of rap we usually cover, you're going to love this one. It also doesn't hurt that .idk. has one of the smoothest flows around in 2025. .idk. says of his latest single: "This project goes more in-depth into my incarceration, the mentality during the events that led to it, and the mindset I had while inside. It confronts that reality head-on, blending sharp lyricism with raw storytelling about incarceration, betrayal, spiritual conflict, and the moment...

Photo by Zander Fieschko Sylvia Black is described as a "post-punk and psychedelic blues femme fatale," and her latest single will show you why. "Long Gone Gardens" is a moody and gothic track with heavy bass lines. It's wonderfully hypnotic, and as intense as it is, it's also eerily soothing. The song is going to appeal to fans of artists like Siouxsie and The Banshees, and although there are some distinct 80's vibes to the song, those vibes are through a modern prism. "Long Gone Gardens" is mesmerizing, and perfect for those of us that find joy and pleasure in darker songs. Sylvia Black is one of those artists we're quite likely to become enamored with rather quickly. Sylvia Black says of her latest single: “The track is a reflection about a choice that seemingly lets you lose everything but puts you on a new path to find salvation again in another form.” You can watch the video for "Long Gone Gardens" below. Shadowtime is due o...

2025 seemed to be a year that hip hop stepped up, and multiple albums were released that moved the genre forward in unique ways. My personal favorite hip hop album of the year is McKinley Dixon's Magic, Alive! There's nothing out there today that sounds anything like this album. It's a mix of hip hop and jazz, with elements of noise rock, choral groups, and maybe a dozen other styles. Hip hop this experimental and creative doesn't usually have mainstream appeal, but I truly think most hip hop fans could fine something to like about Magic, Alive! if it reached them. The songs swing from laid back and chill to more intense bangers, and sometimes are both at the same time. It's like a modern equilvelent of artists like Gang Starr or A Tribe Called Quest. Plus, the album features appearances from Anjimile, Quelle Chris, Ghais Guevera, and more. McKinley Dixon gave us one of those albums that keeps blowing minds more with each and every listen, and gets better every time...

I will preface this by saying that I don't believe there's a way to be a casual fan of Ezra Furman. She has produced so much great music over the decades that this latest release, Goodbye Small Head , feels less like a release and more like an event. A lot of people will ride or die for Ms. Ezra Furman, and this record shows exactly why. There is a raw, almost feral energy to this record that we haven't seen from Furman at length before. She howls, she growls, she spits out lyrics as angry as anyone (and who wouldn't be angry right now?). This record works because of this ferocity, as the emotion and drive that she puts forth give the extra juice to already great songs to turn this into a great experience. Yes, "Power of the Moon" is the likely highlight here, but it's just as easy to point out the way "Submission" works, the raw emotion of "You Mustn't Show Weakness," the harsh reality of "Grand Mal." It's an a...

Photo by Nick Pegg We love post-punk and power pop here at If It's Too Loud..., but those two sounds rarely coexist. Enter Montreal's The Fake Friends and their latest single. Their latest single, "Sucker Born Every Minute," has all of the dissonance and jerky qualities of post-punk with the melodies and catchiness of power pop. There are also some vintage garage rock keyboards in the song. In other words, there is a lot going on in "Sucker Born Every Minute," but The Fake Friends pull it off. The result is a fun song that doesn't quite sound like anyone else out there while still sounding kind of familiar.  You can watch the video for "Sucker Born Every Minute" below. Let's Not Overthink This is due out February 13 on Stomp Records, and is available to pre-order on Bandcamp . For more on The Fake Friends, check out the band on Instagram .

Photo by David Doobinin Boston isn't considered one of the cooler cities. Everything shuts down insanely early, we're not exactly known for our dining, and many of our musicians leave for New York, Los Angeles, or even Philadelphia to make it big. However, we occasionally get magical events like Juliana Hatfield hosting her album release show at the one hundred capacity The Burren on a Sunday night. I wasn't sure what to expect with Sunday night's show. Was it a solo show? Would Hatfield have a band? Was it a regular show, or would she focus on the new album? Turns out she played as a trio, and it was a mixture of new songs, favorites, and underappreciated classics. The focus of the show was the just released (and excellent) Lightning Might Strike , and although I was a fan of the album after the first listen, after hearing her classics played alongside the brand new songs, the new album is as great as anything else she's ever released in the past forty or so years....

One of the themes of 2025 has been artists we've loved for a while breaking out, and none have done that quite like Wednesday. The indie rock meets country artists blurred those genre lines even further with Bleeds , and blew up with their April 2026 show at Royale moved to the much larger Roadrunner. When you listen to Bleeds , you'll know why. As someone who has always loved albums that swing wildly between genres while still sounding like a cohesive collection of songs, this latest is a dream come true. You go right from the loud and noisy "Reality TV Argument Bleeds" into the twang-filled "Townies." Wednesday are settling firmly into their sound on this one, and we're all well rewarded with this album. Alt-country and indie rock are arguably our favorite genres, and Bleeds mixes both of those sounds into one for a dozen songs unlike anyone else. The songs alternate between being perfect for moshing to heartfelt and earnest head nodders, and that'...

So Ken and I have been doing these lists for well over a decade now, and one thing we established early was that we were not going to share our lists ahead of time, and be surprised by it. I think this is the first time in years that we've had overlap period, and the first time ever we both ranked the same album in the same slot. Not to belabor the overall point, but STL GLD is miles ahead of most rap collectives period , never mind in New England. They do not get their proper due, which is truly and completely ridiculous, and Good Music is the sort of record that should be on everyone's list, never mind the two of us. The beats are grimy and dirty and addictive (I catch myself humming the bassline from "80s Babies" regularly), and I don't even want to deduct style points for the Karen Read reference. Listen, we can only extoll their virtues so much, and you've already read one take on it today. Just listen to it already. Songs of note: "8...

Photo by Kate LaMendola One of our favorite musical discoveries has been Girl Tones, the sister duo of Kenzie and Laila. They're ending the year with a brand new single called "Leave the City." The new single keeps their 00's garage rock revival meets pop leaning punk sound, although this new one gets a little more pop than we've heard from them previously. It also has the fuzziest guitars we've heard from the duo, so it's an interesting and killer sound. With their earlier singles, I've referred to their sound as The White Stripes meet The Donnas. That still works for "Leave the City," but adds in some Tegan and Sara to get the full effect. We're highly looking forward to seeing what 2026 has in store for Girl Tones. Kenzie and Leila say of their latest single: “‘Leave the City’ is about growing pains, it plays on the idea of loving where you are from, but feeling out of place. Navigating between pain and nostalgia in a place that you si...

I certainly wasn't expecting to get a Christmas single from The Dead Milkmen, but then I saw the title and it all made sense. The Philadelphia punk legends have released "Santa is Coming for Your Eyes," and you can guess the subject matter from the title alone. The song is a dark and synth heavy song that would probably be better for Halloween... except for the fact that it's about Santa. This one might not be the best for the kiddies, unless yours are super cool with great senses of humor. But, if you prefer your holiday songs to be about Santa Claus stealing eyes while high on PCP, I have some great news for you! You can listen to "Santa is Coming for Your Eyes" below. The song is available on Bandcamp with a B-side of "Here for Now." For more on The Dead Milkmen, check out the band's website . Santa Claus is Coming for Your Eyes / Here for Now by The Dead Milkmen

STL GLD have been consistently great for eleven years now, and this year is no exception with Good Music for Bad Kids. The Boston hip hop group have always had a diverse and unique sound, but this latest album expands on their sound even further. Somehow, they go even further into both their punk and pop sides while still releasing a fully hip hop album. One thing you simply can't deny about Good Music for Bad Kids is how dark the album is. Even "80's Babies," possibly the biggest party banger on the album, has a very dark tone to it. Plus, the album features a ton of guest spots from Boston artists as diverse as ToriTori, Naomi Westwater, Oompa, Cakeswagg, Emi McSwain, and more. A lot of us have been angry this year, and STL GLD are here to help us channel that anger into a party in a way I haven't seen since the glory days of Public Enemy.  Songs of note: "80's Babies," "The Get Up Kids," "Dances with Wolves," and "Or Maybe...

Hailing from Mexico, Sunset Images have a new noise rock single out. "El Tiempo Oscila y Muere al Inicio (Tommy)" is both surprisingly accessible and out there as far as noise rock is concerned. It's a driving song that maintains a steady pace, and while the song is chaotic, it's controlled chaos. You spend the majority of the song waiting for it to erupt fully, and when it never does, you start to relax and enjoy the song for what it is. And then it bursts out into more of a cacophony than you were prepared for. "El Tiempo Oscila y Muere al Inicio (Tommy)" reminds me of Sonic Youth's darker, earlier days merged with their more slick later years. You can listen to "El Tiempo Oscila y Muere al Inicio (Tommy)" below. Oscilador is due out January 23 on Dedstrange, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Sunset Images, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram .

Photo by Clark Hodgin For their latest single, The Nude Party are mixing up the alt-country genre. "Honey for the Barflies" has all of the twang and honkey tonk sound you'd expect from an alt-country song. It's a rollicking and fun song, made even more so by the keyboards that sound more like something from The Cars or Elvis Costello & The Attractions than your favorite country musicians. I personally expect a song called "Honey for the Barflies" to be a lot of fun, and The Nude Party deliver than in excess. This is a dancing song, and it's basically impossible to sit or stand still while this one is playing. Patton McGee says of his band's latest single: "A bartender friend of mine was describing the older gentlemen who come into the bar day after day looking to talk to her. She had become exasperated by the constant attention and blurted out 'I just feel like honey for barflies.  I thought that was a clever little phrase and started br...

Lady Pills, the musical project of Boston's Ella Boissonnault, hits this delightful spot between indie rock and pop. Her latest album, Renowned in the Roaring Twenties , is an upbeat album filled with eleven of the catchiest songs of 2025. The songs cover a wide range of sounds, from the pop of "BN2B" to the alt-rock of "Didn't You" to the New Wave of "Out Into the Open" to the dance banger of "Sink the Ship." Lady Pills takes all of these musical styles and blends them into one cohesive sound. All of the songs on Renowned in the Roaring Twenties sound unique but also like they belong together. Plus, you get some of our favorite guest stars with Will Dailey and Sadie Dupuis on songs. This is an album that brought me some true joy this year at times when I needed music to be fun. Songs of note: "BN2B," "Didn't You," "Right Track," and "Sink the Ship"

Back in 2021, as we slowly exited the pandemic doldrums, we were gifted an album of Nick Cave covers by The Flaming Lips with then-14-year-old Lips fan Nell Smith. That album, Where the Viaduct Looms , was a favorite of mine that year and I waited somewhat impatiently for a proper album from the young woman at the center of it all. We got that album this year in Anxious , a record that, in so many ways, cannot and will never be separated by the way it came into existence. In so many ways, Anxious is an album that grapples with modern teenage life in a way a 44-year-old man will never fully understand, but is so musically mature that it is truly shocking that someone in their middle teen years put it together so well. With that maturity, however, comes some true sadness, as it was the release of this album that made me aware that she passed away in a car accident in late 2024 . This album was mostly complete at the time, so it's very much a last will and testament of an artist ...

Spaghetty Town Records are one of the premier rock and roll labels around these days, so you know when they have a new release it's going to be great. Their latest is from The Stripp. The Australian band's latest single, "If You Want Me," is straightforward rock and roll without any excesses. It's garage rock laced with punk and power pop, which is a perfect mixture around these parts. This is driving rock music that's sneakily catchy, and all around great.  You can watch the video for "If You Want Me" below. Life Imitates Art is due out January 23 on Spaghetty Town Records, Ghost Highway Recordings, and Beluga Records. For more on The Stripp, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook .

Photo by Brian Karlsson I first discovered They Are Gutting a Body of Water earlier this year at Something in the Way, and was blown away by the Philadelphia band's unique blend of shoegaze. They also released the excellent album LOTTO  back in October, which has been in heavy rotation here. I always prefer to see bands play their own shows, so when it was announced that TAGABOW were playing Arts at the Armory, I knew I had to check it out. TAGABOW have one of the more unique stage set ups. Instead of setting up on the venue's high stage at the front of the room, they were on a small stage in the center of the floor, just inches off the ground. It created a much more intimate setting than a normal concert, with a good portion of the audience being mere feet, if not inches, from the performers.  Shoegaze can be a very repetitive genre, but not the way TAGABOW does it. Instead of the standard loud/quiet/loud format, they do more of a beautiful/heavy/interesting/weird breakdown. ...

Model/Actriz started out in Boston and have since relocated to Brooklyn. We'll try not to hold that against them, especially when they're releasing albums like Pirouette. The album is a collection of nine songs that are equally beautiful and punishing. It's probably best described as post-punk meets noise rock, but that is just a surface description. The songs on Pirouette  are shockingly dance friendly. I was lucky enough to attend two of their live shows this year, and songs like "Cinderella" and "Diva" are perfect for an audience to dance and/or mosh to. You know how a lot of people refer to moshing as dancing? At a Model/Actriz show, that's actually what's happening. I truly can't think of any other band that makes music this intense that you can fully dance to. If you haven't listened to Pirouette yet, give yourself plenty of room and crank this fully. Songs of note: "Vespers," "Cinderella," "Audience," ...

Back before Kathleen Edwards took some time away from music to run a coffee shop, she had a song called "Empty Threat," with a chorus that threatened a move to America. Her well-received return to music in 2022 was cathartic in its own way, but Billionaire is the alt-country favorite following through on that threat with great results. Billionaire tells a much different story than what she's given us in the past. "Say Goodbye, Tell No One" feels like a confession, "Need a Ride" a way to grapple with one's new home and all the contradictions that come along with it, and "FLA" alongside the title track an admittance that she's come a long way from the Canadian hockey-loving singer-songwriter we all fell in love with 20-odd years ago. This is not damning it with faint praise; Billionaire is perhaps her best record since Asking for Flowers and I say that as someone who believes she hasn't even come close to offering a bad ef...

Photo by Dee Dee Kohl Horace Pinker are a Chicago punk band that had Chris Bauermeister of Jawbreaker as a member from 1998-2001, and almost included comedian Kyle Kinane before he moved to L.A. to pursue comedy. They just released their first full length album since 2011, and have a new single out. "Three Against Me" is a great straight up punk rock song with some inflections of 90's midwestern emo. It's a killer song, and it's undeniably catchy. This is the kind of song that will make you wonder how you've never heard of Horace Pinker before, and have you dying to hear their new album as much as their long term diehard fans are. The band says of their new album: “Horace Pinker returns with  Now and the Future , our first full-length since 2011. Driven by punchy rhythms, sharp melodies, and our signature energy, the record reflects how we continue to evolve while staying true to our punk roots.” You can watch the video for "Three Against Me" below. ...

It's December, so that means it's time for Sara Noelle's annual holiday single. As always, the 2025 edition is stellar with an original song, "I Am Falling Snow," and a cover of "Winter Wonderland." The original sees Noelle drifting off in a somewhat new direction. The song is more of an ambient track with vocals. The softness of the song seems to mimic the feeling of a snowstorm. It feels like how everything seems to slow down and grow more quiet as the snow is falling, particularly at night. It's a gorgeous and lush track that's more winter than holiday. Noelle's version of "Winter Wonderland" is an ambient meets jazz version of the Christmas classic. It's very restrained and lovely, with some jazz style horn joining Noelle's vocals. Not many artists can take a traditional holiday song and experiment this much with it while still keeping the soul of the classic versions intact. You can listen to "I Am Falling Snow...

I first discovered Folk Bitch Trio back in summer 2024 with their single "God's a Different Sword." The Naarm/Melbourne trio blew me away with their sound that's equally modern folk-pop and traditional folk, and I was dying to hear more from them. The true magic of Folk Bitch Trio are the harmonies between Grace Sinclair, Jeanie Pilkington, and Heide Peverelle. The three take turns on lead vocals, and every song on Now Would Be a Good Time  has a magical, mesmerizing quality. Each single blew me away more and more as they were released, and the album has been on heavy repeat once it was released in July. (And even heavier repeat since the CD has been in my car stereo since August.) Folk Bitch Trio are an artist that is on the cusp of breaking out huge, and a string of festival dates this summer (they're already announced for Green River Festival in June) could very well put them over the edge.  Songs of note: "God's a Different Sword," "Hotel TV...

Aesop Rock has been in the game for close to three decades now, and still remains at the top of the more underground / independent scene. I honestly don't know why he's not everyone's favorite rapper, but (especially in the last few years) he's become one of mine, and Black Hole Superette , one of two albums he released this year, is Aesop Rock at his best. Aesop Rock's more recent albums have been thematically aligned in scope, even when they somewhat veer from the topic. Black Hole Superette definitely gives off the sort of vaporwave vibes that play well in some circles, but I'm personally more impressed by his continued ability to put together ideas in such a complicated delivery at one moment before jumping in with a song about forever-multiplying snails in the next. The unexpectedness is as enjoyable as the journey, and I went back to this album so much over the year that it was impossible for me not to consider it a favorite. Songs of note:...

"All queer, all female" band WENCH! have teamed up with party punk Jodie Langford on a new single. "You've Got Male" is a blistering take-down is about "... misogynistic mole-rats who hold women at an unattainably high standard due to their perception of femininity being affected by unrealistic media imagery." As angry and fiery as the song is, it's also fun. It's like they combined Bikini Kill and Le Tigre into one kick ass band. "You've Got Male" mocks their deserved targets, and would leave many of them crying if they were self-aware enough. It also ends up being one of the most punk rock tracks of the year, released as 2025 is winding down. Jodie Langford says of the new single: “ it’s not often I want to collaborate, so to get the opportunity to spend time in the studio with WENCH!, a band whose message & ethos I strongly agree with, was a real treat! I’ve gotten used to working with a producer of late, so it was eye-open...