If It's Too Loud...

If you're anything like me, you're going to gravitate to anything that K Records puts out. The label has been legendary for decades, and even if one of their releases isn't life changing, it's at the very least going to be interesting. Enter the latest single from Johnny Maraca & The Marockers. "Little Heart" might not be sonically classic K Records, but it is in spirit. The band, led by Ian McDonnell (I know, I was also shocked it's a stage name), has released one of the most charming singles of the year. This is just pure rock and roll being done for the love of rock and roll. It's a high energy burst of a song, and it's just fun. Honestly, "Little Heart" might not work for you immediately. I know when I first started listening I thought it might not be great but it's at least interesting. After two and a half minutes, I thought it might actually be kinda good, so I restarted it. Turns out, Johnny Maraca & The Marockers are ...

Buckle yourself in before you start listening to the latest release from Falsely Accused. The Boston trio's latest EP, Unbroken , is a collection of five songs that are going to give you some serious 90's flashbacks without being throwbacks. The EP opens with "A Drink Before the War," which we compared to "... a less metal version of bands like Helmet and Quicksand." From there we go into "Castaway," which is just a straight up rock song. It's a heavy version of mid-tempo that reminds me of when grunge started to loosen its hold on the mainstream but the heaviness was still there. That seems to be the theme of the songs on Unbroken. It imagines a world where as grunge faded out, instead of being replaced by bubblegrunge a style as equally smooth as bubblegrunge but as heavy as grunge moved in. Falsely Accused are a rare brand of Boston band that seem to be doing their own thing without sounding like anyone else in town. Matt Tavano (bass, lead ...

Photo by Daniel Ulibarri Dead Pioneers are quickly becoming one of my favorite punk bands. Despite being a little over two minutes, their latest single is an absolute punk epic. "PO$T AMERICAN" sounds like if Fugazi went metal, or if Rage Against the Machine went punk. It's filled with pounding drums and buzzing guitars over vocalist Gregg Deal's trademark spoken word. At a time when people are making TikToks using the same old thirty year old political songs, it's great to be reminded that killer protest songs are still being made every day. If you're ready for a new heavy sound filled with protest from this century, Dead Pioneers are perfect for you. Gregg Deal says of his band's latest single: " We, like many people in our communities, are incensed by the overt and jarring political and social moves of United States Politics. From the current administration to the administrations before it, there has been a trajectory in this country that has broug...

Photo by Pat Piasecki The latest single from Boston alt-country supergroup (and 2024 Boston Music Award winner for Country Artist of the Year) is particularly special for the band. It's one of the few tracks they have that includes their late bandmember Dave Mirabella, who passed away in 2022. Even without that knowledge, "Watch the Trees" is a particularly nostalgic and mournful sounding song. This is cosmic country at its absolute finest. It's interesting to have a song virtually twang free be as solidly country as "Watch the Trees" is, but that's the power of Other Brother Darryl. This is a heartbreakingly beautiful and powerful track without being truly gloomy. The song grows more uplifting as it goes on. It may be centered on loss and melancholy, but it ends on a hopeful note. Dan Nicklin says of his band's latest single: "The idea of being a little kid in the back seat of the car and listening to music has been one I have been carrying aro...

Boston's Endation makes the type of alt-rock you don't see a lot of these days. The trio's latest single, "Simple Needs," is a huge, anthemic alt-rock song, the sort of song that dominated modern rock radio in the mid-90's. The term "mainstream" is typically used in a derogatory way, but for "Simple Needs" we mean it as a compliment. It's a song that is both beautiful and abrasive at the same time, and if it had been released thirty or even twenty years ago, it could easily have crept from the Sunday night local radio shows into being a local hit. Sonically, while "Simple Needs" has a lot in common with 90's radio hits, it doesn't sound like a throwback. This is a current take on that style, and it's making me miss local rock radio where it should be thriving. You can listen to "Simple Needs" below. For more on Endation, check out the band on Facebook and Instagram . Simple Needs by Endation

Photo by Shervin Lainez Uwade was born in Nigeria and raised in North Carolina. She grew up listening to hymnal choral music and Nigerian Highlife, and later studying Classics at Columbia and Oxford. Her debut single, "Call it a Draw," is an enchanting mixture of alt- and indie pop mixed with folk and soul. It has all the charm of an intimate bedroom recording but with full production. This is one of the most engaging singles we've brought you so far this year, and is one of the better chilled out dance songs you've heard in a while. Even if you typically bristle at any genre of pop music, you're going to find a lot to enjoy with "Call It a Draw." This is a great one. Uwade says of her new single: “Over the past few years I’ve been trying to experiment with my songwriting process a bit more, and this song is one of the fruits of that exploration. ‘Call It A Draw’ started with a drum loop, a chord progression, and a feeling of restlessness. The creation p...

Photo by Ebru Yildiz Much like many of you, a collaboration between Julien Baker and TORRES is kind of a dream come true for us at If It's Too Loud..., so we're thrilled to bring you a new song from their upcoming album. "Sylvia" is a TORRES sung track about adopting her dog. It's a modern country ballad in the best possible sense. It's twangy enough to be a full on country song without sounding anything like modern pop country or classic vintage country. "Sylvia" sounds like TORRES writing and performing a country ballad, and if you've been as big of a TORRES fan as we've been, it's something you never realized you needed as badly as you do. Much like their previous single "Sugar in the Tank," "Sylvia" makes us even more thrilled for the duo's upcoming album. TORRES says of the new single: “The morning I went to pick up my dog Sylvia from an upstate shelter, I was at home making my coffee and I turned on WFMU and ...

Photo by Jaxon Whittington We adored Momma's 2022 album Household Name. The whole release had an amazing updated 90's alt-rock sound that hits multiple sweet spots of ours. Now the Brooklyn band is back with "I Want You (Fever)." If you liked their last album as much as we did, you're also going to love this new song. There's still that same 90's throwback sound in this new single, but Momma are adding in some extra dream pop elements. It's much faster than your typical dream pop song, and there are some more electronic elements added in. Last time we heard from Momma was 2023's standalone single "Bang Bang" which I compared to Veruca Salt meets Sneaker Pimps. If I'm going to play the comparison game with "I Want You (Fever)," I'm going to go with Belly meets Sneaker Pimps. Momma says about their latest single: “‘I Want You (Fever)’ is a song we wrote about wanting to be with someone who has a girlfriend, or someone who ...

Artist : Benjamin Booker Album : Lower Quick Thoughts : Well, this was unexpected in all the best ways. We've been high on Benjamin Booker since he first hit our radar, and he kind of disappeared for a few years. What I don't think anyone saw coming was a raw, hip-hop beat-drenched return that feels immediate and prescient for These Times in particular. I initially thought that this may have been produced by Dave Fridmann of The Flaming Lips in terms of its drums and approach, to give a comparison of sorts. Either way, this is absolutely the best listen of the week and the first truly superior album of 2025. Don't miss it. Songs of Note : "Black Opps," "LWA in the Trailer Park," "Rebecca Latimer Felton Takes a BBC," "New World," "Same Kind of Lonely" Artist : Mogwai Album : The Bad Fire Quick Thoughts : Mogwai is fairly legendary for their brand of shoegazey post-rock, and The Bad Fire continues their basically ...

Photo by Adrian Hermes Hannah Maryse is a British singer-songwriter who doesn't sound anything like an artist from England. On her debut single, "Oh Honey, No," Maryse sounds like a modern indie pop musician who just discovered a collection of Laurel Canyon hits from the 70's. The song has a wonderfully twangy take on psychedelic pop music revised to sound like it's from this century. "Oh Honey, No" is such an interesting and inventive take on a sound from fifty years ago updated for today. And then you add in what certainly sounds like banjo, and the song steps up it's own charm factor. Seriously, if you don't love Hannah Maryse after listening to her debut song, you may not be able to feel joy. Hannah Maryse says of her new single and video: "I wrote this after spiralling over and eventually accepting a parting of ways. We shot mostly in slow-mo  on Cofette - this insanely desolate beach - to create a disoriented woozy feeling. For the cho...

Photo by Eric Sandstrom Bad Mary is an "alternative-glam-punk band" out of Long Island, NY. They've collaborated on a new split 7" with fellow Long Islanders Mega Infinity and released a video for "Want What I Want." The song is a highly energetic song that lands in the realms of alternative, glam, and punk, plus they've added in some horns to make the song at least ska adjacent. This is a big punk song that leans into gritty rock and roll while still being a fun and pop hook filled track. Adding ska horns into a glam rock song is something you never knew you needed, but it may now become a musical obsession of ours. David Henderson (guitar) says of the new song: “I wrote this while crossing the street on my way to work. It’s about not caring what others think and doing what you want. Live life, be kind, and have fun.” You can watch the video for "Want What I Want" below. Mega Bad Disaster Party is out now on Ska Punk International and can be ...

Photo by Malwina Witkowska The Young Mothers are a Texas/Scandinavia musical project that formed during Ingebrigt Haker Flaten's time in Texas. He's back in Norway now, but the band continues on. Their latest single, "Song for a Poet," is an experimental song that cycles through multiple genres, but mostly settles in jazz. It's a ten minute epic that starts off with roughly three minutes of experimental noise more along the lines of Sonic Youth's SYR Records recordings. From there, the song meanders around in an experimental and freeform jazz style, occasionally allowing some hip hop and Afrobeat influences in, along with a smattering of indie rock. "Songs for a Poet" is certainly not going to be for everyone, and that's perfectly understandable. But if you perk up when you hear the terms experimental or free form jazz, The Young Mothers will most certainly be your style. There is a lot to take in with this one. You can watch the video for "...

Photo by Mamie Heldman Brooklyn's Avery Friedman just released a new single that our readers are going to adore. "Flowers Fell" lands squarely in the genres of music we cover. It's equal parts indie rock, indie folk, and bedroom pop. It's a great mixture of a fully fleshed out sound while still having that intimate, bedroom recording vibe. The song is gorgeous and uplifting at times even with the feedback drone that comes in and out throughout the song. There's even an unexpected feedback heavy guitar solo towards the end that never feels out of place. "Flowers Fell" takes a lot of the styles we know and love and mixes them in such a way that Avery Friedman's latest feels completely fresh and new. Avery Friedman says of her latest single: “The opening melody for 'Flowers Fell' came to me on a headphone-less walk home one night down Greene Avenue in Brooklyn. I had noticed that the flowers that once lined the branches had been replaced by ...

Photo by Billy Logan Tudor North Carolina's Kicking Bird floored us with 2023's Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. The album had this amazing 60's and 90's retro sound that we loved, and reminded us of bands like Weezer and Fountains of Wayne. Now they're back with "What Did You Expect (with Such a Beautiful Wife)." This new song also has a 90's throwback sound, and while there are still some sonic references to bands like Weezer and Fountains of Wayne, I'm also getting a little of Lush's poppier side and Velocity Girl. It's a song that puts a little extra noise into dream pop with more of a DIY side than we'd normally associate with the genre. The new single is filled with swirling, slightly off guitars that's going to instantly suck a lot of our readers in. You can listen to "What Did You Expect (with Such a Beautiful Wife)" below. 11 Short Fictions is due out April 4 on Fort Lowell Records, and is available for pre-ord...

Photo by Julien Sage Based in Los Angeles County, Dutch Interior are set to release a new album, their first on Fat Possum. The first single off that album, "Fourth Street," is an absolutely killer blend of alt-country and indie rock. For that genre of music, this song lands somewhere in the middle of Wilco and Wednesday. It's not as loud as Wednesday can be, but it's not as mellow and Americana based as Wilco can be. As soon as the opening riff of "Fourth Street" hits, you'll know this is going to be a killer rock and roll song. It's equal parts twangy and equal parts grunge-y. We have some universal sweet spots here at If It's Too Loud..., and Dutch Interior are hitting a few of them for us. Guitarist/vocalist Noah Kurtz says of the band's latest single: “‘Fourth Street’ found its conception after a holiday trip visiting my parents. Starting off with a rambling recollection of feelings and personal anecdotes that come with living far away f...

Photo by Ian King Wryn is an avant/folk singer-songwriter based out of Lompoc, CA. Their latest single, "Snake," is an intense track that pushes the boundaries of folk. The song is overflowing with anger, despite the beauty within the song. It's much louder than a standard folk song, and that's with much of the song only being Wryn's vocals and guitar. It's difficult to make a song with compelling and intense with such a minimalist take, but they pull it off on "Snake." It's all of the angst and aggression of a grunge song in a folk-adjacent package. Wryn says thaty their latest single is: “... a call to something older and deeper. It taps into my own personal experiences of not just systemic violence but the intimate and interpersonal kind. Having experienced assault in my past, this song was a way to transform my own pain into a call to action. ‘I can’t wait for an answer before I get free.’”  You can watch the video for "Snake" below...

Photo by @mark.j.allen81 Nostalgia can be a weird thing. If you had asked me if I was a Stereo MC's fan, I would have said that I knew "Connected" but wasn't really a fan. When the British electro hip hop pioneers announced a short run of US dates, their first in twenty-four years, I instantly wanted to go. When I pulled them up on Spotify before the show, I was floored by how many of their songs I remembered and loved. I was prepared for a fun night of nostalgia, and thought the show would be okay to good. I was wrong. Stereo MC's were phenomenal live. Even the songs I was unfamiliar with hit me with a sense of nostalgia, but even aside of the nostalgia factor, they were great. Somehow these songs that were well over thirty years old didn't sound dated at all. This is a band of people in their sixties, and they attacked the stage with an energy people a third of their age lack. The show was an absolute party, and if you only remember them from "Connected...

Buenos Vampiros formed in Argentina in 2018. The band have a sound that combines post-punk, New Wave, and dream pop, as evidenced in their latest single, "Puedo ver el mar en tus ojos." The song is a complete epic despite its relatively short three minute length. As soon as it kicks in, you're met with a gorgeous wall of guitar that gently entwines you. The song slowly builds and noise and volume, becoming more and more engaging as it goes on. Even the quieter parks get more intense as the song progresses. The closest artist I can compare "Puedo ver el mar tus ojos" to is Catherine Wheel as it has that shoegaze goes heavier but more pop-focused alt-rock sound going for it.  You can watch the video for "Puedo ver el mar en tus ojos" below. Entre sombras is due out March 20 on Spinda Records, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Buenos Vampiros, check out the artist on Instagram .

Photo by The Company Film According to their press release, Denmark's The Concrete Boys are "... an offbeat project made up of madness, depravity and rock-like music." Their latest single, "Uh Huh Yeah," is a bizarre but instantly gripping song that has few lyrics other than the song's title repeated. It's just a fun song that combines garage punk and psychedelia with some late 90's artists that combined dance music with rock. I'm getting some odd Dandy Warhols vibes from "Uh Huh Yeah," especially from Dandys Rule OK. The other band that "Uh Huh Yeah" reminds me of is PowerSolo, which makes sense since it turns out that three members of The Concrete Boys are also in that band. To make the song even more appealing, it's introduced by German wrestling commentator Carsten Schaefer. This is as much fun as a song can possibly get. You can watch the video for "Uh Huh Yeah" below. Everything's Better Than You is due...